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

B100078/2026

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 Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular to the articles thereof relating to respect for and the protection and promotion of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the Union, including Articles 70, 258, 259, 260, 263, 265 and 267,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter),

– having regard to Article 11 of the Charter on freedom of expression and information,

– 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), in particular Article 5 thereof,

– having regard to public statements by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR),

– having regard to the Venice Commission document of 19 December 2025 entitled ‘Lithuania, Amendments to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television’,

– having regard to the Commission staff working document entitled ‘2025 Rule of Law Report – Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Lithuania’ (SWD(2025)0915),

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

A. whereas media freedom, pluralism and the rule of law are core components of democratic societies and shared values of the European Union;

B. whereas, at the end of 2025, the State Audit Office conducted a state audit and identified significant and systemic violations in Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT); whereas the audit identified non-compliance with legal procurement requirements; whereas the audit reported that in 2024, 516 out of 578 procurements, representing 89 % of the total related to programme creation and production were carried out by LRT through procedures involving unannounced surveys and the selection of a single supplier; whereas the audit raised concerns regarding transparency and the management of public and private interests;

C. whereas the State Audit Office audit also identified significant violations in relation to the hiring of employees, with as many as 38 % of permanent employees hired in 2024 not having been selected through open competition procedures, but under the exceptions provided for in the LRT personnel search and selection guidelines;

D. whereas there have been documented cases of interference by LRT management in the work of journalists, including disciplinary measures taken against journalists who publicly criticised the previous government; whereas one of the journalists concerned successfully challenged the actions of LRT management before the courts;

E. whereas the organisation of public service media remains a national competence, with Member States being legally bound to comply with directly applicable EU law, including the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA);

F. whereas Article 5 of the EMFA requires Member States to ensure that appointment and dismissal procedures for public service media management are designed to guarantee independence, are based on transparent and objective criteria, and that funding is adequate, sustainable and predictable;

G. whereas the Lithuanian legislative body, the Seimas, is discussing amendments to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT Law); whereas those amendments have not yet been adopted and do not amend the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public, which remains the principal legal act regulating media freedom and journalistic independence in Lithuania;

H. whereas the composition of the LRT’s governing body, the LRT Council, would remain unchanged and continues to include members appointed by the Seimas, the President of the Republic and civil society organisations;

I. whereas the amendments seek to introduce a majority threshold for dismissal decisions, through a vote of loss of confidence decided by secret ballot, define dismissal criteria more precisely with the objective of improving governance clarity and accountability;

J. whereas secret voting within the LRT Council has been an established practice, intended to safeguard the ability of Council members to exercise their mandate without undue influence; whereas the EMFA Regulation does not prescribe a specific voting mechanism for the appointment or dismissal of public service media management; whereas secret voting is also justified by the security of LRT Council members, and whereas LRT Council members have previously received threats in connection with the exercise of their work-related duties;

K. whereas the sole ground for dismissal of the LRT Director General provided for in the amendment to the LRT Law of 6 June 2024, when the LRT Council based its expression of no-confidence on public interest, is insufficient, because in such a case, the Council, as the LRT’s highest governing body, has been unreasonably constrained in its competence, being stripped of its authority to dismiss the director general for other significant violations; whereas the dismissal of the director general on public interest grounds is not provided for in the legislation regulating the activities of any public broadcaster in any EU country;

L. whereas a parliamentary working group has been established to draw up conclusions and proposals by 14 February 2026 on improving the LRT governance model and legal framework; whereas its mandate includes taking into account comparative practices and potential risks to independence and transparency and preparing proposals for legal amendments; whereas its meetings are to be broadcast publicly;

M. whereas international organisations active in the field of media freedom have publicly commented on these developments, including with reference to possible implications for editorial independence and institutional autonomy;

N. whereas the EMFA has been in force since 8 August 2025 and its safeguards on the independence and funding of public service media are therefore directly applicable in all Member States;

O. whereas, according to the Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report, resources for the audiovisual media regulator (LRTK) and the Media Support Fund increased, access to funding was broadened, and measures to protect journalists remained favourable; whereas access to documents improved and journalists are to gain access to a register of members of political organisations; whereas the perception of judicial independence remains high; whereas implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Agenda was positively assessed and further measures were launched to address foreign bribery;

P. whereas the Venice Commission is sending a mission to Lithuania on 20 January 2026 to assess whether the proposed changes comply with European standards on democracy, human rights, the rule of law and media independence;

1. Reaffirms that media freedom, the rule of law and the independence of public service media are essential elements of democracy, protected under Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and reinforced by the European Media Freedom Act.

2. Stresses that Lithuania has competence over the organisation of its media system, while recalling that all Member States are required to ensure that national legislation complies with EU law, including the EMFA;

3. Stresses that the legislative process concerning the proposed amendments is ongoing, that no final law has been adopted, and that any assessment must therefore take into account the provisional nature of the current text;

4. Underlines that changes to dismissal thresholds, grounds for dismissal and the voting mechanism are crucial to the assessment of the robustness of the safeguards designed to protect the independence of public service media management under Article 5 EMFA;

5. Calls the Lithuanian parliament to continue its work through the relevant parliamentary working group and cooperate fully with the Venice Commission to strengthen procedures for appointing and removing public service media leadership and make them more transparent and objective, thereby enhancing independence and transparency;

6. Invites the Lithuanian authorities to reinforce broad and transparent consultations with civil society, media professionals and the European institutions on public service media governance and adequate funding to maintain a consistent financing model following the audit;

7. Invites political parties to carefully consider the proposed amendments to the LRT Law and to ensure that any future legislative changes are subject to public consultation, including input from national and international journalists, media freedom organisations and LRT management;

8. Stresses that political discourse on public service media should avoid polarising language or actions that may undermine public trust or democratic consensus;

9. Invites the European Board for Media Services, the European Commission and the EMFA working group in the European Parliament to continue monitoring developments and to provide assessments concerning compliance with the EMFA;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Lithuanian Government and parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Board for Media Services.