One of the main topics discussed in Polish media in recent days has been the new bill voted by the Parliament regarding the Polish media landscape. A majority of 229 MPs voted against the Senate’s resolution, which opposed the adoption of the proposed law.
Following the voting, tens of thousands of Poles went to protest across the country to denounce an attack on media freedom by the government. A recent petition condemning the bill and urging the President to veto it gathered nearly 2.5 million signatures.
From that moment on, the cards were in the hands of Polish President Andrzej Duda, who had three different possibilities. He could sign the new law (in this case TVN would lose its licence), veto it or redirect it to the Constitutional Court. After several days of reflection, the Polish head decided to veto the law.
What is commonly known as “Lex TVN” is a law that prohibits capital from outside the European Economic Area from having a majority stake in Polish media. The above mentioned unofficial name of the new law refers to the private liberal TV station TVN owned by the American concern Discovery and which is believed to be the main target of the new legislation.
From February 2020, the station applied for the extension of the TVN 24 broadcasting license, but the National Broadcasting Council delayed its decision on this matter. According to a large part of the public opinion, this was a deliberate action initiated by the ruling party Law and Justice aiming at blocking the issuance of the TVN license. As a matter of fact, TVN and Law and Justice are not best friends, to say the least.
Two US senators from the committees dealing with international affairs issued a statement in connection with the adoption of lex TVN by the Polish Sejm. „We are seriously concerned about the adoption by the Polish parliament of the law prohibiting foreign entities from owning media companies under the guise of holding back foreign influence,” wrote Republican Jim Risch and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.
People supporting Lex TVN believe that such new legislation should not be perceived as a government backlash on media freedom. They emphasise that similar legislations are being implemented across Europe. France for example, limits to a share of 20 per cent the maximum of foreign capital of a daily newspaper, a terrestrial radio or television broadcasting company, but only for those that are in the French language. Similar steps limiting foreign ownership of national media (with varying figures) have been undertaken in Spain and Austria as well.
One thing is sure, the topic of foreign-owned media will continue to animate public debates for the weeks to come and to polarise the Polish public opinion.
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
Photo: Unsplash
