Azerbaijan to establish unified body in media sector

A unified body in the media sector in Azerbaijan – the Media and Broadcasting Council – will be established.

According to Report, amendments to the laws "On Civil Service" and "On Media" are being proposed in this regard.

The draft law was discussed at today's session of the Milli Majlis's (Parliament) Human Rights Committee.

According to the document, in the modern era, a need has arisen in Azerbaijan to transition to a more flexible and collegial mechanism in relation to the media sector in order to ensure national information security and the economic independence of media. The mentioned mechanism, in turn, necessitates a unified approach to media, which is the main pillar of the information system, through the blurring of boundaries between print, online, and audiovisual media.

It was emphasized that, in this regard, the creation of a unified body – the Media and Broadcasting Council – as envisaged in the draft law, the reflection of duties and obligations related to the Council in the Law "On Media," and the body's adoption of a collegial governance model constitute an effective mechanism guaranteeing media independence and the increase of public trust in the body.

It was also stated that the proposed amendments to the Law "On Media" will create conditions for ensuring the security of the domestic information space, as well as for stimulating the development of local media. In this respect, the establishment of an authorized Council in the field of media and broadcasting also envisages amendments to the relevant articles of the Law "On Civil Service."

Overall, the presented draft law aims to modernize normative regulation in the media field, strengthen implementation mechanisms, ensure legal certainty, and increase compliance with international standards.