Concerns Raised Over Poland’s New Media Law
The European Commission expressed its intentions to debate Poland’s new law on control of state-run media after Warsaw seized control of public broadcasters. According to the EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger it can amount to infringing common European values by passing legislation giving the government control of the state media. However Poland defended its new law as fair, voicing surprise at the European Union’s negative reaction to the legislation.
During the initial phase, the Commission will collect information and assess whether there are clear indications of a systemic threat to the rule of law. So far the mechanism was never fully invoked and the Commission said it was “too early to speculate about the possible next stages” in Poland’s case.
The new law gives the government the authority to make new appointments and the public broadcasters would newly be classified as “national cultural institutes”
