Polish Tribunal deems gov’t ‘media bill’ unconstitutional in part
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
13.12.2016 15:58
The Polish Constitutional Tribunal on Tuesday ruled that controversial changes to the country’s public media outlets introduced in January were partially unconstitutional.
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The tribunal, Poland’s highest court, ruled that as a constitutional body, the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) watchdog must take a decisive part in the appointment and dismissal of members of the management and supervisory boards of public media.
The media bill, which was signed by President Andrzej Duda in January, saw the termination of the terms of the management and supervisory board members of the TVP state broadcaster, Polish Radio and the PAP news agency.
The amendment aimed to reduce the number of supervisory boards of media companies, as well as appointing new members nominated by the treasury ministry.
The move was lambasted by international observers, including Reporters Without Borders, which said that the new law “gives the government full control over public broadcasters, thereby violating fundamental European Union values”. (rg)