AKEL proposal for transparency of the ownership status of the mass media

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 4^th October 2020, Nicosia

The European Commission Report on the situation as regards the Rule of Law in Cyprus contains important findings to which the government, and the Cypriot state as a whole, must respond with legislative and institutional initiatives. We distinguish two points of the report:

1. The Report concludes that in Cyprus no legislative framework exists for transparency as regards the ownership of the mass media, in particular in the print press and digital media. We recall that AKEL has already requested that the issue of the ownership status of the mass media be discussed in the House of Representatives, but at the same time it had and still supports the position that the investigation into the gratuitous treatment by credit institutions must also include the major shareholders of the mass media. These issues are directly related to issues of transparency, with the level of information provided to citizens and ultimately the very quality of democracy in our country.
2. On the issue of combating corruption, the Report concludes that basic legislation for the prevention of corruption in our country is pending, as well as legislation for the protection of witnesses in the public interest. The Report points out that AKEL has submitted since 2016 a Draft Bill on the protection of witnesses who provide information on corruption cases, a valuable tool internationally in the fight against interwoven interests.

At a time when issues of transparency and interwoven interests are plaguing the country and have affected the government and the President himself, determination is needed for radical changes to be made.