Lithuanian parliament holds emergency culture committee meeting on public broadcaster reforms

The Lithuanian parliament’s Culture Committee is holding an emergency meeting Tuesday to review proposed amendments to the law governing public broadcaster LRT, after failing to complete its work during a full-day session Monday, BNS reports.

The committee secured permission to meet during plenary session hours, with 70 MPs voting in favor, 49 against, and five abstaining. Opposition lawmakers criticized the move as restricting their right to participate in parliamentary debates on other legislation, including constitutional amendments and a bill on the Kapčiamestis military training ground.

Social Democrat Kęstutis Vilkauskas, who requested the emergency session, argued that over ten MPs had submitted proposals on the LRT law but were not committee members. “This paralyzes their work in the plenary chamber,” he stated. Liberal leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen questioned the urgency, noting the committee could convene Wednesday when no plenary session is scheduled.

Conservative Giedrė Balčytytė reported that 90 MP proposals and 50 institutional comments on the LRT amendments remain unresolved. The draft law introduces a mission statement for LRT, establishes a new governing board, expands its council from 12 to 15 members, and sets requirements for council appointees. It also restricts media representatives’ involvement in LRT content creation and revises grounds for dismissing the director-general before their term ends.

Critics include LRT’s administration, journalists, and academics. Opposition MPs warned the rushed process risks a self-inflicted crisis, undermining parliamentary integrity. Conservative Vytautas Juozapaitis called it “an unbelievable violation of MPs’ rights, turning the Seimas into a political game.”

The committee began reviewing the 50-page legal department analysis and MP proposals Monday but did not finish. Parliament had initially approved the amendments, which overhaul LRT’s governance, but the committee must address all submissions before the bill returns to the floor.