Within the framework of the joint EU/CoE Eastern Partnership Programmatic Co-operation Framework 2015-2017 project “Promote Professional and Responsible Journalism by Supporting Regional Network of Self-Regulatory Bodies”, the Council of Europe organised a regional meeting of the representatives of the self-regulatory bodies from the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries particularly Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus, which took place in Tbilisi on 2-3 July 2015. The representative of the Russian self-regulatory body attended the meeting as well.

During the meeting the representatives of the media industry discussed the latest developments taking place in their sector and the common challenges facing the media in the region. The debated topics included protection of journalistic sources – legal framework and case-law, online media and its regulation (ECtHR case: Delfi vs Estonia), media coverage of conflicts. In addition, the participants considered various measures for increasing their cooperation, including the possibility to review the complaints raised by the Russian or Ukrainian self-regulatory bodies over violation of journalistic ethics within the framework of the network of the self-regulatory bodies.

The meeting was been covered by the leading Georgian media outlets including such TV channels as the Georgian Public Service Broadcaster, Rustav2, Imedi and Maestro.