Poland’s public media reform bill cleared for Cabinet

Poland’s culture minister says a draft law overhauling the country’s public broadcasting sector will be sent to a standing government committee in early May.

The headquarters of Poland’s public broadcaster TVP in Warsaw.Plasmium, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Marta Cienkowska, Poland’s culture minister, told broadcaster Radio Katowice on Monday that the bill had completed public consultations and was ready to move forward.

Under the proposal, public media would receive state budget funding of no less than PLN 2.5 billion (EUR 590 million) a year – significantly lower than earlier government expectations, Cienkowska said, following a cost review that cut the original figure by more than PLN 1 billion.

Advertising revenue would provide an additional income stream.

The minister said the current television and radio licence fee system raises around PLN 600 million (EUR 141 million) annually, which is not enough, she argued, to sustain Poland’s public media companies.

The reform would abolish the licence fee from January 1, 2027.

The bill also proposes dissolving the National Media Council and transferring its powers to the existing National Broadcasting Council, and is intended to implement the European Media Freedom Act into Polish law.

Cienkowska said she did not anticipate any risk of President Karol Nawrocki vetoing the legislation.

„The president said during his election campaign that public media in Poland need reform. We are putting that reform on the table,” she said.

The bill, prepared by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, was sent out for public consultation in December.

A proposed ban on local authorities publishing newspapers, previously floated by the ministry, was not included in the final draft.

(ał/gs)

Source: PAP

Radio Poland