Lithuanian parliament committee to review LRT law amendments after over 50 proposals

The Lithuanian parliament’s Culture Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to review proposed amendments to the law governing national broadcaster LRT, following more than 50 submitted proposals, LRT reports.

A working group drafted the bill, which has undergone public hearings and expert evaluations by specialists from two universities. Academics warned that changes to LRT’s governance model could threaten the broadcaster’s independence.

Committee chairman Kęstutis Vilkauskas (Social Democrats) said the session would examine all proposals from citizens, organisations, institutions, and lawmakers. The meeting is scheduled to last the full working day, from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

If the committee reaches a decision, the bill will proceed to a parliamentary vote as early as Thursday. The proposed amendments include defining LRT’s national mission, establishing a new governing board, expanding its council from 12 to 15 members, and setting stricter requirements for council candidates. The draft also restricts involvement of other media representatives in LRT content creation without council approval and revises grounds for dismissing the director-general before their term ends.

Critics, including LRT’s administration, journalists, and academics, have opposed the changes. Previous attempts to fast-track similar amendments last December sparked mass protests, with over 10,000 participants rallying in defence of press freedom. After the initial push failed, a parliamentary working group led by Speaker Juozas Olekas prepared broader governance reforms.