Lithuanian public broadcaster reforms still risk political interference, warns Reporters Without Borders

The international press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has cautioned that Lithuania’s amended public broadcaster law still poses a threat to the independence of LRT, despite recent concessions by lawmakers to address earlier criticism.

In a statement ahead of the Seimas’ final vote on the LRT law amendments on Tuesday, RSF acknowledged that Lithuanian authorities had dropped some of the most controversial proposals following criticism from domestic and international experts. However, the organisation warned that a key risk remains: the law could still be used to dismiss the current director of LRT before their term expires in 2028.

“We welcome that Lithuanian legislators have addressed some of our concerns, reducing the risk that the LRT law would violate Lithuania’s international obligations within the EU and the Council of Europe,” said Pavol Szalai, head of RSF’s EU and Balkans desk. “But one danger persists—this law could still be exploited to remove the current public broadcaster director.”

RSF urged the Seimas to align the legislation with international standards before the final vote, emphasising that lawmakers continue to reject a critical recommendation from the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body. The Commission had advised that new rules narrowing the grounds for dismissing LRT’s director-general—limiting them to serious professional misconduct or reputational damage—should apply only to directors appointed after the law takes effect. This would prevent the rules from being applied retroactively to the current director, whose term runs until 2028.

According to RSF, ignoring this recommendation means the current director could still face dismissal under rules adopted during their tenure, which the organisation described as “political interference in the governance of public service media.”

The group also highlighted concerns over the law’s provision allowing the Seimas and the president to jointly appoint eight of the 15 members of LRT’s council, granting politicians an absolute majority. “As long as this majority remains, the broadcaster’s independence will lack a solid institutional foundation,” RSF stated, calling for the removal of these provisions to ensure compliance with the European Media Freedom Act, which requires public broadcasters to be shielded from political influence.

The proposed reforms have faced significant opposition since last year, sparking mass protests in Lithuania and a European Parliament resolution condemning the draft law. RSF also reiterated long-standing concerns over the freezing of LRT’s budget.