Lithuanian parliament committee halts LRT law amendments session over procedural concerns

The Lithuanian parliament’s Culture Committee abruptly ended its Friday session on proposed amendments to the law governing national broadcaster Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT), referring procedural concerns to the Ethics and Procedures Commission, LRT reports.

Committee chairman Kęstutis Vilkauskas (Social Democratic Party) proposed adjourning after questions arose over meeting conduct, speaking order, and procedural compliance. “It would be logical to end today and resume during the next scheduled committee meeting on Tuesday,” he stated.

Deputy chairman Vytautas Juozapaitis (conservative) supported the move, calling it “wise” and stressing the need for an impartial review by the Ethics Commission to assess compliance with legal norms rather than political considerations. Juozapaitis had earlier flagged violations of the parliament’s statute and committee rules, including improper scheduling and insufficient notice of the meeting.

He also revealed that some proposals on LRT governance were debated without prior review by the committee’s working group. “I arrived late today and heard discussions on proposals I, as a rapporteur, had never seen. That is simply unacceptable and unethical,” Juozapaitis told BNS.

The committee had planned a full-day session to finalise its position on over 100 amendments to the bill, which introduces a new governing board for LRT, expands its council from 12 to 15 members, and tightens rules on external media involvement in content creation. The draft also revises grounds for dismissing LRT’s director-general before their term ends.

Critics of the bill include LRT’s administration, journalists, and academics. The parliament had initially approved the amendments, but the Culture Committee must now review all submissions before returning the draft to the plenary floor.