On the attempted takeover of Lithuania’s public broadcaster and the threat to democracy in Lithuania

B100074/2026

European Parliament resolution on the attempted takeover of Lithuania’s public broadcaster and the threat to democracy in Lithuania

(2026/2568(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 49 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 9, 10 and 16 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Social Charter,

– having regard to Protocol No 29 to the Treaties on the system of public broadcasting in the Member States,

– having regard to the European Charter on Freedom of the Press,

– having regard to the declarations, recommendations and resolutions of the Committee of Ministers and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the opinions and the Rule of Law Checklist of the Venice Commission,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention against Corruption and the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,

– having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council and the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,

– having regard to the work carried out by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on media freedom, in particular by its Representative on Freedom of the Media,

– having regard to its resolution of 3 May 2018 on media pluralism and media freedom in the European Union,

– having regard to its resolution of 11 November 2021 on strengthening democracy and media freedom and pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society,

– having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2022 on the shrinking space for civil society in Europe,

– having regard to its resolution of 18 January 2024 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union – annual report 2022 and 2023,

– having regard to its resolution of 18 June 2025 on the Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market and amending Directive 2010/13/EU (European Media Freedom Act),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 July 2025 entitled ‘2025 Rule of Law Report – the rule of law situation in the European Union’ (COM(2025)0900), and the annex thereto containing recommendations for the Member States,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the rights to freedom of expression and information are fundamental rights enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and constitute indispensable conditions for the full development of individuals and their active participation in a democratic society, for the promotion of the principles of transparency and accountability and for the fulfilment of other fundamental rights and freedoms;

B. whereas pluralism is inseparable from freedom, democracy and the rule of law;

C. whereas public service media are essential for providing citizens with independent, impartial and high-quality information;

D. whereas public service media established by the Member States play a particular role in the internal media market and, when operating independently, in the public interest and with input from the broadest possible base of society, can help in providing citizens and businesses with access to quality information and impartial media coverage;

E. whereas public service media can be particularly exposed to the risk of undue political influence, given their institutional proximity to the state and the public funding they receive; whereas even in the absence of undue political influence, public service media in neoliberal societies can be guilty of retreating from the interests, concerns and aspirations of the public, a retreat that is reflected in their ongoing marginalisation or exclusion as active partners in public service media;

F. whereas it is also necessary to guarantee that, without prejudice to the application of the EU’s State aid rules, public service media providers benefit from sufficient and stable funding to fulfil their mission and to enable predictability in their planning; whereas such funding should be decided and appropriated in a transparent, impartial and independent way, preferably on a multiannual basis, in line with the public service mission of public service media providers, to avoid the potential for undue influence from yearly budget negotiations;

G. whereas Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), in line with Article 4(2) of the same regulation, requires Member States to guarantee the editorial and functional independence of public service media, including through transparent, objective and proportionate procedures for the appointment and dismissal of management, as well as adequate, stable and predictable funding;

H. whereas Articles 5 and 6 EMFA provide additional safeguards against undue political or commercial interference, ensuring that budgetary allocations are sufficient to allow public service media to fulfil their remit and that any funding framework preserves their independence;

I. whereas in its 2025 Rule of Law Report, the Commission issued country-specific recommendations to Lithuania, calling for continued efforts to strengthen the independence, stable funding and transparent governance of public service media, including safeguards against political influence in appointment and dismissal procedures;

J. whereas the Commission’s report underlined that reforms affecting public service media should be conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner, involving stakeholders and civil society, in line with European standards and the objectives of the EMFA;

K. whereas in November 2025, members of the Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) introduced draft amendments to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), which passed a first reading and included changes affecting governance, funding, and procedures for the dismissal of the Director General of the LRT;

L. whereas following the adoption of the draft amendments at first reading, several demonstrations took place in early December 2025 in Vilnius, organised by LRT journalists and civil society groups and supported by thousands of citizens, expressing concern over potential threats to media independence;

M. whereas the Council of Europe, the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, journalists’ associations and civil society have warned that the draft amendments may increase the risk of politicisation of public service media governance and undermine compliance with European standards;

N. whereas the draft amendments have not been finally adopted, following the decision on 19 December 2025 to postpone the final vote, and continue to be examined within the Seimas in a dedicated working group;

O. whereas the LRT requested an urgent opinion on the draft amendments from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe; whereas a Venice Commission delegation is scheduled to visit Lithuania on 19 and 20 January 2026 in connection with that request;

1. Expresses serious concerns about the draft amendments to the Law on the LRT;

2. Strongly believes that certain elements of the draft amendments, if adopted without adequate safeguards, could undermine the editorial and functional independence of the LRT, particularly through changes to leadership dismissal procedures, which should remain exceptional, objective and based on clear criteria, and through funding arrangements, which should be adequate, stable and predictable; considers that, if adopted as currently proposed, these amendments could increase political influence over the LRT and may be incompatible with Articles 4(2), 5 and 6 EMFA, which safeguard editorial independence, transparent governance and the independence of public service media;

3. Calls on the Seimas to ensure that any final amendments to the LRT Law are fully compliant with the relevant provisions of the EMFA, including (a) guaranteeing editorial and functional independence, objective and proportionate governance procedures, and transparent appointments and dismissals, (b) ensuring protection against political or commercial interference and (c) providing adequate, stable and predictable funding to allow public service media to fulfil their remit; calls on the Lithuanian authorities to build on the international standards and recommendations developed by the Council of Europe in this regard, including the Venice Commission’s opinion;

4. Calls on the Lithuanian authorities to continue the legislative process in a transparent and inclusive manner, consulting journalists, public service media representatives, civil society and independent experts;

5. Calls on the Lithuanian authorities to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of public service media and community media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;

6. Welcomes the postponement of the final vote and stresses that this provides an opportunity to ensure that any reform strengthens the independence, accountability and effectiveness of the LRT;

7. Believes that developments in Lithuania, including compliance with the EMFA, should continue to be followed and reflected in the next rule of law report;

8. Recalls the important role played by public broadcasters in preserving media pluralism, as highlighted in Protocol No 29 to the Treaties; calls on the Member States to provide public broadcasters with the adequate financial and technical means necessary for performing their social function and serving the public interest; calls on the Member States, to this end, to guarantee the editorial independence of public broadcasters by protecting them, through clearly defined regulatory frameworks, from any form of governmental, political or commercial interference and influence, while at the same time ensuring that all public bodies and entities exercising powers in the areas of broadcasting and telecommunications have full management autonomy and independence;

9. Notes with great concern that public service media and public broadcasters across Europe are increasingly subjected to political and ideological attacks, smear campaigns, intimidation and attempts to undermine their editorial independence and stable funding by far right actors seeking to weaken independent journalism and democratic checks and balances;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government and Parliament of Lithuania and the Council of Europe.