Lithuanian ministry assesses alternatives for LRT funding

Lithuania’s Culture Ministry is assessing possible alternatives for funding the country’s public broadcaster, LRT, after Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius suggested future budget increases could be linked to economic growth, LRT reported.

Culture Minister Lukas Alsys said it was too early to say which model the ministry would support. The ministry is preparing an assessment of possible funding mechanisms and plans to consider all alternatives, he told the ELTA news agency.

Alsys said the process would take time and would also need to be coordinated with the European Union. The ministry intends to consult all interested parties before making a decision.

LRT said it was open to discussions on improving its funding model, but any changes should protect its independence and provide sufficient, sustainable and predictable funding, as required by the EU Media Freedom Act.

The broadcaster said it would need more detail on how a model linking its funding to economic growth would work. It said the key issue was whether funding would continue to be set by a clear formula established in law, rather than by annual political decisions.

LRT’s funding for 2026 to 2028 has already been frozen at the 2025 level, the broadcaster said. It warned that further restrictions could affect both its public-service mission and its ability to maintain uninterrupted broadcasting during crises and emergencies, which requires consistent, long-term investment.

Internet Media Association chair Lina Bušinskaitė said any new model should comply with EU state aid rules, protect LRT’s independence and avoid unjustified effects on competition. She said the association hoped to reach agreement through dialogue in Lithuania, but would raise the issue with EU institutions if a compliant model could not be agreed.

Association members met with the culture minister’s team on October 20, Bušinskaitė said. They agreed to meet again and continue discussing a model for LRT’s governance and funding that complies with EU state aid rules.

Parliament’s Culture Committee chair Vaida Aleknavičienė said she could not yet comment because she was waiting for the ministry’s conclusions.