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The President of the Republic decided not to enact the Parliamentary decree which approves the Law on pluralism and the non concentration of the media.

Concerning this decision, the Presidency of the Republic makes public the following communiqué:

1. In the message to Parliament dated 2 March past, with respect to the non enactment of the Law on pluralism and the non concentration of the media, the President of the Republic stated that his considered opinion was that an “additional effort” was justified in order that a “plural and inter-party consensus” could be obtained.

2. In effect, political and legislative practices advise that wide parliamentary consensus should be searched for in issues concerning the freedom of the press and media regulation as, moreover, was emphasized in the parliamentary debate over the Legislative Proposal which set up the Media Regulatory Body.

3. Parliament has now approved a new decree concerning pluralism and the concentration of the media which essentially maintains unaltered both the substance of the previous decree and the political conditions for its approval.

4. Although the current legislature will come to an end a few months hence, which would advise special regard concerning issues which are particularly relevant to the quality of our democracy and for the safeguard of the Rule of Law, it seems that a wider parliamentary consensus was not reached.

5. As such, the President of the Republic returned, on this date, without it being enacted, Parliamentary Decree No. 280/X, which approved the Law on pluralism and the non concentration of the media.