Venecija commission again criticises Lithuania’s public broadcaster law draft

The Venice Commission has issued a second opinion on Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT law, this time evaluating the draft prepared by a working group led by Social Democrat speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, LRT.lt reports.

The Seimas Culture Committee has completed its review of the amendments, though the law itself has not yet been adopted.

The commission welcomed the fact that Lithuanian authorities are no longer using fast-track procedures—as they did in December—but noted that the legislative process remains rushed. It also highlighted that expert input was only sought at the opposition’s initiative, without involvement from the government or LRT itself as an institution. The commission concluded that the process fails to meet good legislative standards.

Funding model concerns

A proposal by working group member Artūras Zuokas and colleagues suggested LRT should operate under public service contracts with the government, where the cabinet would assign specific tasks and fund them accordingly. Journalists and experts warned this would significantly reduce LRT’s independence. While the Culture Committee rejected the idea, the Seimas could revisit it during plenary sessions.

The Venice Commission stressed that any change to the funding model must involve the government, LRT, and other stakeholders. It also cautioned against adopting the proposed model in its current form, noting that comparisons to the BBC were misleading. Unlike the proposed contract-based system, the BBC operates under a Royal Charter, which defines its mission and funding for 11-year periods, shielding it from political interference. The UK government is now considering removing the charter’s expiry date entirely to further protect the broadcaster from political influence.

Currently, the Seimas has frozen LRT’s 2025 funding level for three years and plans to reduce it from 2029 onward by cutting the share of revenue from excise and personal income taxes. The commission warned that, combined with other measures—such as expanding LRT’s council and creating a new board—this creates financial and legal uncertainty for the broadcaster.

Director-general dismissal rules

The commission approved the decision to retain the two-thirds majority requirement for dismissing LRT’s director-general before the end of their term. However, it noted that the working group failed to address earlier recommendations, including ensuring the independence of LRT’s council members by:

• prohibiting institutions that appoint them from issuing instructions,
• establishing clear criteria for terminating their mandates,
• requiring justification for decisions, and
• introducing independent legal oversight of those decisions.