The epidemiological crisis severely affected the capacities of the independent press in Moldova, which weren’t very robust by now either, owing to political and economic, internal and external reasons. A part of the media outlets stopped work or contracted or interrupted their activity. Those that remained functional face insurmountable barriers as they were almost fully striped of reserves that would help them fulfill their current salary and rent obligations, pay taxes, for utilities, etc. The state has now other financial priorities than helping the independent press, with the authorities showing that they have other media sympathies than with the independent press. At the current stage, they haven’t even formulated particular projects for the future in this regard. For IPN News Agency, the situation has also worsened seriously after a series of subscribers terminated the contracts since the crisis began, in particular four entities that are under the influence of the governing political forces, including the Government itself. In the quarantine conditions, the Agency lost almost fully the revenues gained from news conferences held in its conference room. Also, IPN can no longer count on an important part of the sales return given the instituted quarantine and the absence of possibilities for distributing fiscal invoices to many of the subscribers. The prospects in the post-crisis period look even gloomier, including due to its logistics base that is fully worn-out. Currently, part of this outdated equipment operates at maximum capacity at the home of Agency employees, who work from home. In such conditions, IPN Agency respectfully asks for support from the Embassy of the Czech Republic for covering a part of the immediate costs and for strengthening its physical infrastructure, as a guarantor of the economic and editorial sustainability. This way, the support on which IPN banks is needed for covering 2 categories of pressing costs: a) partial payment of salaries and current taxes so as to prevent the dismemberment of the team; 6) purchase of new equipment of greater capacities that would enable to maintain the activity in the medium term and to modernize the forms of activity imposed by the epidemiological crisis, including the activity of the creation team working at a distance, the production and editing of video sequences, holding of news conferences, public debates and video interviews, online, including remotely, etc. Without such efforts to maintain the team and modernize the activity based on modern equipment capacities, the existence of IPN itself as an independent media outlet is in question. The disappearance of IPN would also result in additional problems for many of the Agency’s subscribers, especially those from among independent local and regional media outlets that save own resources by using the products of IPN.

IPN Agency plans to stage 2 types of activities in the framework of the given project: 1.Partial payment of salaries, taxes and tariffs by using project funds together with the Agency’s revenues, during 4 months the project implementation period, so as to maintain and strengthen the team. Salaries will be paid to employees based on special contracts; 2. Renewal of the physical infrastructure for maintaining and modernizing the activity in accordance with the new requirements applying to multimedia products at a higher technological level and for adjusting to the specific post-crisis working conditions. In this regard, modern equipment and greater capacities than the Agency’s current capacities are needed so as to ensure: a) editing of inforgraphics, podcasts, storage and editing of audio and video recordings, storage and editing of photographs, photo reports, etc.(2 high-capacity computers with all necessary programs and components); b) 1 computer; c) 1 laptop.