The Audiovisual Media Authority is hosting in the city of Vlora the 12th Annual Meeting of the Black Sea Broadcasting Regulatory Forum (BRAF). Representatives of nine states -Albania, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Greece, Serbia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia – in their capacity as BRAF member states, along with high-level representatives of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), arrived today in Vlora, where the first day of the network’s annual meeting started.
The main topic of the two-day meeting is: “Hate Speech & Freedom of Information on Audiovisual Media & Online Platforms”, recognized as one of the most pressing issues today, particularly on online platforms.
In her opening remarks, the Chair of the Audiovisual Media Authority, Ms. Armela Krasniqi, emphasized the importance of addressing hate speech:
“It’s a significant challenge faced not only by the media market, but also by regulatory bodies”, she stated.
“Until a decade ago, no one could have foreseen that technology and online services, social media and video sharing platforms, communication itself as a process, would reach the scale it has today. For these reasons, now more than ever, it’s essential to speak out and work towards strengthening the fight against hate speech and its consequences, as well as safeguarding fundamental human rights,” stated AMA’s Chair.
According to Ms. Krasniqi, the challenges faced by this sector are global in nature, regardless of local specificities. She therefore stressed the importance of cooperation, the exchange of experiences and ongoing interaction among regulators.
“Albania has made remarkable progress in regulating the audiovisual media market and while we continue to integrate digital audiovisual media into our regulatory systems, achieving the right balance between freedom of expression and protection against phenomena such as hate speech remains a difficult challenge. Yet, naturally, similar situations are encountered in every country, regardless of population size, the number of media outlets, or users. Technology itself is challenging. This situation has prompted the European Commission to undertake legislative initiatives, the implementation of which helps to successfully address these challenges. Following the full transposition of the AVMSD, AMA is now working on new legal adaptations in line with the European Media Freedom Act and the Digital Services Act”, Ms. Krasniqi continued.
According to her, this process is not simple, but it’s important that Albania is moving in step with other countries.
The event was also addressed by the Deputy Secretary General of the Permanent International Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS), Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Merve Safa Kavakcı. She thanked Albania and the BRAF Secretariat for their hospitality and emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in audiovisual broadcasting.
Ms. Kavakcı highlighted the resilience of BSEC and key projects such as the Economic Agenda, the “Blue Port Index” and the PERMIT digital system. Cooperation with the EU and the “Blueing the Black Sea” project aim to foster development, environmental innovation and regional sustainability. In conclusion, she assured BSEC’s support for BRAF.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of BRAF, Dr. Deniz Güçer, after expressing her gratitude to the Albanian Audiovisual Media Authority and Ms. Krasniqi for their hospitality and contribution, underlined that the issue being discussed at this year’s BRAF annual meeting, hate speech, which is spreading through digital platforms, is fueling polarization and undermining public trust.
“This phenomenon is not merely a media issue, but a social threat that endangers human dignity and stability. As regulators, we have the duty to preserve the balance between freedom of expression and the protection of human dignity. This requires cooperation, clarity and determination. During the conference, we will examine the role of social media, artificial intelligence and media literacy in shaping public debate”, stated Dr. Deniz Güçer.
The first day agenda for the 12th BRAF Annual Meeting continued with the country reports presentations.
The Secretary General of the Audiovisual Media Authority, Ms. Ronelda Rrapollari, made a presentation on AMA’s work, focusing mainly on legal amendments and the European Directive transposition, the cooperation with online platforms, as well as the steps already undertaken by AMA for the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) transposition.
Also, on the first day of the meeting, discussions were held by Mr. Hashim Alimammadzade from the Azerbaijan regulator, Ms. Teodora Papadaki, expert from Greece’s NCRTV, as well as representatives of regulatory authorities from Bulgaria, Serbia, Moldova, Georgia, Türkiye and Armenia.
