13:00, 13 November 2010

Bill to ban offshore registration of media companies brought to Parliament of Georgia

The Legal Committee of the Parliament of Georgia has drafted a bill "On Free Media Outlets", which refers to transparency of media ownership.

According to the bill, amendments are to be made in the Law "On Broadcasting", according to which the offshore-registered companies will have no right to own any media outlets. This prohibition will not cover foreign companies.

Also, the owners of media outlets will be obliged to submit every year to the National Regulatory Commission on Communications the names of the owners, and in case of changes in the management of such media outlets, the Commission shall be notified within 10 days, the "Echo of the Caucasus" reports.

Nino Daneliya, a member of the initiative group, believes that every year the owners of TV companies shall provide declarations on their incomes and describe their property, the "Georgia Online" reports.

David Bakradze, Speaker of the Parliament, asked the Legal Committee to prepare the timetable for discussing the bill by November 15.

See earlier report: "In Adzharia, owners of TV-25 to discuss their debt with Ombudsman of Georgia".