European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned Wednesday that Lithuania must ensure any changes to the governance of its public broadcaster comply with the European Media Freedom Act, as the country’s government considers easing the dismissal of the head of Lithuanian National Radio and Television.
“It is very important that the legislation regulating the activities of Lithuania’s public broadcaster does not deviate from the European Media Freedom Act,” Kallas told the European Parliament. She said the law was adopted to safeguard media independence and pluralism and is essential to democratic stability.
Kallas said the European Commission is closely monitoring proposed amendments to Lithuania’s law on LRT and has already requested clarifications from Lithuanian authorities. Under the act, she said, EU member states must guarantee the independence of public broadcasters’ content and management, and the dismissal of a director before the end of a term must be justified and limited to exceptional circumstances.
“Decisions regarding the dismissal of the head of a national broadcaster before the end of their term must be duly justified and may only be made in exceptional cases where the pre-established conditions are not met,” Kallas said.
‘Boiling frog’
Her remarks opened a plenary debate titled “Attempted takeover of Lithuania’s public broadcaster and the threat to democracy in Lithuania”, which drew participation from 24 members of the European Parliament. Several Lithuanian MEPs took part, while others did not join the discussion.
The debate followed renewed scrutiny of proposed amendments that would make it easier to dismiss LRT’s director general. In December, Lithuania’s culture minister discussed the changes with EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath, who stressed the need to comply with the European Media Freedom Act.
Criticism of the Lithuanian government’s plans came from across the political spectrum in the European Parliament. Zoltan Tarr of Hungary, from the centre-right European People’s Party, warned that Lithuania was experiencing a “slow boiling of a frog”, comparing the situation to media changes in Hungary.
“Changes are not being made suddenly, overnight, but little by little,” Tarr said. “These newly proposed laws are certainly not innocent because the aim is to completely take over and control the national broadcaster.”
Sabine Verheyen, also from the European People’s Party, said political attempts to take over media organisations must be prevented. Irena Joveva of Slovenia, from the centrist Renew Europe group, accused Lithuania’s ruling coalition of seeking a political takeover rather than reform.
“This violates the European Media Freedom Act, which recognises public broadcasters as part of the public good,” Joveva said. “All the red lights are already flashing.”
Resolution from the EP
Others urged caution in characterising the situation. Spanish Socialist Juan Fernando López Aguilar said a distinction should be made between countries facing systemic risks to democracy and cases involving narrower governance disputes. While he said there were no clear signs of constitutional or rule-of-law violations in Lithuania, he still called for support of a proposed resolution addressing concerns over LRT.
The draft resolution, backed by five political groups, argues that freezing LRT funding without objective economic necessity constitutes political pressure incompatible with constitutional guarantees and the European Media Freedom Act. It also says proposed changes easing the dismissal of the broadcaster’s head could enable arbitrary political interference.
The resolution links attempts to weaken trust in democratic institutions and independent media to hybrid threats posed by hostile foreign powers, including Russia. It also cites concerns over the participation of the populist Nemunas Dawn party in Lithuania’s ruling coalition following the 2024 parliamentary election.
‘No threat to democracy’
Lithuanian officials and some ruling-party lawmakers rejected claims that democracy is under threat. Aurelijus Veryga, a Lithuanian MEP and leader of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, said critics were misleading colleagues by suggesting LRT funding was being reduced.
“You need to have a very vivid imagination to claim that democracy is under threat in Lithuania or to say that there is an attempt to take over the national broadcaster,” Veryga said, calling the resolution an interference in domestic politics.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said earlier Wednesday that opposition parties were benefiting politically from escalating the issue. She said that if lawmakers revert to the pre-2024 procedure for dismissing the LRT director – requiring a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot – international concerns would subside.
The European Parliament is expected to vote Thursday on the resolution, with amendments submitted that could alter the final text. Lawmakers said the outcome could range from adoption of the original version to a diluted compromise or outright rejection.
In Lithuania, the ruling coalition last year failed to pass fast-track amendments that would have allowed the LRT director general to be dismissed by a secret vote of seven of the broadcaster council’s 12 members. Current law requires an open vote with at least eight members in favour and a justification based on public interest.
A parliamentary working group is continuing its review of LRT governance. The issue has sparked public protests, with rallies outside the Seimas in December drawing more than 10,000 people. The legislature has also frozen LRT’s budget for three years and plans to reduce the share of tax revenues allocated to the broadcaster.
‘Greatly exaggerated’
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the proposed resolution is not entirely accurate in describing the situation.
“Not everything in it reflects the situation in Lithuania, and I must emphasise this. Some things are greatly exaggerated. Of course, it is difficult for other countries to question what Lithuanian representatives are doing,” the minister told the radio Žinių Radijas on Thursday.
“Freedom of the media and the protection of journalists are very clearly guaranteed in Lithuania. Lithuania ranks very high in all ratings that assess such parameters,” Budrys argued.
“I understand that various political tools are used, but we should not exaggerate certain things. All this reporting and evaluation, and the involvement of others, should reflect the situation on the ground to some extent. What could be the consequences of all this? Well, political and reputational,” Budrys said.
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