EBU and 27 other organisations warn proposed changes would make LRT more vulnerable

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and 27 other international media and public broadcasters have expressed concern over draft amendments to Lithuania’s Law on LRT, the national public broadcaster. The governing coalition’s bill passed its first reading in parliament last week.

The draft law would restrict the participation of other media representatives in LRT content creation and broaden the grounds for dismissing the director-general before the end of their term. A dismissal could be triggered by “improper performance of duties,” breach of public interest, gross misconduct or failure to meet standards of irreproachable reputation. The bill also defines LRT’s mission, establishes a management board and increases the LRT Council from 12 to 15 members.

A similar draft was fast-tracked in December but shelved after mass protests and criticism from domestic and international organisations. The public broadcaster’s newsroom said the latest proposals would weaken editorial and institutional independence.

International organisations call for transparent process

In a joint letter to the Speaker of the Seimas and other MPs, the signatory organisations underline that public media play a vital role in democratic societies by providing access to independent and reliable information. “Any reform of the governance or funding system of a public broadcaster must fully safeguard editorial and institutional independence and be developed through transparent, inclusive and democratic legislative procedures,” they state.

The letter notes that the current drafting process did not meet these standards. The Seimas working group lacked representatives from LRT’s administration despite the changes directly affecting the broadcaster, while commercial media representatives were included. The organisations also cite the Venice Commission’s earlier concerns about the draft law and warn that the freeze on LRT’s funding and other financial restrictions threaten its ability to fulfil its mission.

Concerns over vague dismissal criteria and interference

The draft law’s criteria for dismissing the director-general are described as unclear, subjective and open to interpretation. “The introduction of new dismissal grounds without sufficient transitional safeguards creates the impression that the legal acts are targeted against the current leadership,” the organisations say.

They also object to provisions that would allow the LRT Council to bar other media representatives from participating in content creation, warning this could contravene Council of Europe recommendations that oversight bodies should exercise strategic supervision without interfering in editorial decisions or programme-making.

The proposed creation of a management board and expansion of the LRT Council’s powers and membership risk eroding the boundary between strategic oversight and day-to-day management and editorial autonomy, the organisations argue. “Governance reforms should strengthen independence and accountability, not create additional layers of bureaucracy or new avenues for influencing operational and editorial decisions,” they state.

In their view, the changes would make LRT more vulnerable to political pressure and run counter to EU law and Council of Europe standards by weakening the independence, editorial and institutional autonomy, and sustainable funding of Lithuania’s public media.

The EBU and its partner organisations urge Lithuanian authorities to “carefully consider the broader implications of the newly proposed governance and funding mechanisms” and the concerns raised by the Seimas Legal Department.