The main sources of losses are personnel and transportation costs.
Thus, according to the data of the State Enterprise “Poșta Moldovei”, the total cost of the periodical press distribution service by subscription for 2025 amounted to 25.4 million lei. Under the conditions of critical losses, at least 8-10 independent periodicals are at risk of ceasing their activity, and the rest – of significantly reducing their circulation.
In order to support periodicals, the government approved on Wednesday the Mechanism of financing the distribution of periodicals for 2025. The Culture Ministry budgeted 10 million lei for the implementation of this measure. To receive the assistance, the publications must meet a number of criteria. They must not be branches or representative offices of foreign publications, exist for at least two years, be published at least once a month and have a circulation of at least 1,000 copies for national publications and at least 500 copies for regional/local ones. In addition, they must produce local content in a proportion of at least 75%. They must also sign the Code of Journalist Ethics of the Republic of Moldova.
“Publications are obliged to promote peacekeeping, democracy consolidation, social cohesion, EU integration, national security goals, critical thinking, civic engagement, human rights, local history, artistic culture, security and identity culture, as well as the fight against disinformation, manipulation and foreign interference,” the description of the mechanism says. Failure to meet at least one of the selection criteria will result in exclusion from the list of recipients.
Decisions on inclusion and exclusion from the list of recipients of the Mechanism are made by the Review and Selection Board, which consists of six members – from the Independent Press Association, the Press Council, other public organizations, and the Ministry of Culture, without the right to vote.
