ComCom member Ivane Makharadze took part in a panel discussion on media regulation, which took place at the regional media forum of the Council of Europe, titled “Forming a Narrative: Freedom of Expression during War.” In his speech, Mr. Makharadze focussed on the media environment in Georgia, the changes made to the Law on Broadcasting for the purpose of approximation with the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive, as well as the main trends and challenges in this field. 

During the visit, Ivane Makharadze and the head of ComCom's international relations service, Nino Grdzelishvili, held a working meeting with representatives of the Audio-Visual Council of the Republic of Moldova in order to share experience and enhance cooperation. 

The purpose of the forum was to promote dialogue between Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine in the field of freedom of expression in the region against the background of Russian aggression in Ukraine. The event was attended by representatives of the regulatory bodies of the aforementioned countries, as well as public broadcasters and independent media outlets, journalists, media actors, civil society organisations and media experts. 

Issues discussed at the event included media regulation, ongoing reforms, compliance of media regulatory frameworks with the Council of Europe standards and EU regulations, transparency of media ownership, the fight against damaging information and the response of states or civil societies to disinformation and propaganda, as well as ensuring the safety of journalists and other media actors, protecting their physical and digital security, creating a sustainable media infrastructure, and more.