Four MEPs urge Lithuanian president to halt LRT reforms over independence concerns

Four Lithuanian members of the European Parliament have called on President Gitanas Nausėda to intervene in proposed legal amendments they claim weaken the independence of Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT, LRT reports.

In a joint appeal, MEPs Dainius Žalimas, Petras Auštrevičius, Rasa Juknevičienė and Liudas Mažylis warned that ongoing revisions to the LRT law—debated since late last year—risk undermining the rule of law, media freedom, and the broadcaster’s autonomy. They argue the draft legislation contradicts constitutional principles and EU legal standards by diluting financial safeguards and introducing ambiguous dismissal rules for LRT’s director-general, creating legal uncertainty.

The MEPs also criticised the proposed governance model, which establishes an additional collegial body alongside the existing council, raising concerns over overlapping competencies and power concentration. They stressed that the reforms could damage Lithuania’s reputation ahead of its upcoming EU Council presidency.

The letter urges Nausėda to publicly assess the legislative process, uphold constitutional and EU standards, and consider using his constitutional powers—including a potential veto—to pause the bill until the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional law, provides its opinion.

Under the draft amendments, LRT’s governing council would expand to 15 members (appointed by the president and parliament), while a new five-member Board would oversee strategy, finance, and operations from 2028. The proposal retains the current two-thirds vote threshold for dismissing the director-general but allows secret ballots, and broadens dismissal grounds to include “gross service misconduct” or reputational concerns.

LRT staff have previously protested the reforms, and journalist associations have voiced opposition, arguing they threaten editorial independence.