Lithuanian parliament to debate controversial reforms to national broadcaster’s governance

The Lithuanian parliament will debate proposed amendments to the law governing the national broadcaster LRT on Thursday, following months of scrutiny and public criticism, BNS reports.

The draft law, which overhauls LRT’s governance structure, has undergone significant revisions after 11 meetings of the Seimas Culture Committee. Nearly 200 lawmakers, 15 organisations, and over 40 legal observations from the Seimas Legal Department were submitted during its preparation.

Key changes include a redefined mission statement for LRT, the establishment of a new governing board, and an increase in the broadcaster’s council membership from 12 to 15. The committee also shortened council members’ terms but removed a proposal to restrict other media representatives from contributing to LRT’s content creation.

Under the revised draft, dismissing LRT’s director-general before their term expires would still require a two-thirds majority vote from the council—unchanged from current rules. However, the council would now decide whether such votes are held in secret or open sessions, whereas current law mandates only open ballots.

Critics, including the Venice Commission, have warned that applying the new dismissal rules retroactively to the current director could undermine legal certainty. The commission advised in December that governance changes should apply only to future leaders.

The proposed reforms have sparked protests from journalists and civil society groups, who argue they could politicise LRT’s operations. The debate is scheduled for over six hours in the Seimas session.