The contentious media bill passed by Poland will curb foreign ownership of Media companies
The lower house of the Polish Parliament has passed a controversial media bill that would prevent companies outside the European Economic Area (EEA) from owning a majority stake in Polish media companies.
The bill, put forward by MPs of the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), is seen as a retaliation from the Polish Government to TVN, a broadcaster owned by the United States (U.S.) media conglomerate – Discovery Inc., which provides critical coverage of the Government.
The latest bill could force Discovery Inc. to sell its majority stake in TVN to a Polish company.
The Discovery Inc. has termed the bill as “An attack on core democratic principles of freedom of speech, the independence of the media.” It also said that the bill is directly discriminatory against TVN and Discovery.
It said that the pressure on TVN, which is one of the biggest U.S. investments in Poland, threatens to strain ties between U.S. and Poland. It has also called upon the Polish Senate and President to prevent the bill from becoming a law.
A statement from Discovery Inc. read, “Poland’s future as a democratic country in the international arena and its credibility in the eyes of investors depend on this.”
Taking it to twitter, the U.S. Secretary of State – Antony Blinken tweeted,
We are troubled by legislation passed in Poland severely restricting restitution for Holocaust survivors and owners of property confiscated during the Communist era, and draft legislation that would gravely weaken media freedom. Our shared values are our mutual security.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 11, 2021
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Poland to express their anger at the proposals. They had gathered outside the Parliament in Warsaw. Besides, rallies were also held in Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan, Lublin and Szczecin.
The Members of Parliament (MPs) from the right-wing PiS believe that the changes to the media law were necessary to prevent Polish media companies from getting controlled by Russia and China. The PiS also said that the move will help in curbing money laundering into the media industry.
However, the bill is opposed by most opposition groups as well as by the Agreement Party, which has been a junior coalition partner for PiS. The Agreement Party pulled out of the coalition after the Prime Minister of Poland – Mateusz Morawiecki sacked the leader of Agreement Party – Jaroslaw Gowin
Recently, Poland announced to do away with the controversial system for disciplining judges as E.U. warned it to dissolve it by august 16, 2021 or face penalties. The Disciplinary Chamber allowed judges to be punished for the content of their verdicts.
Apart from this, the European Union (E.U.) has been criticising Poland for not adhering to the rule of law by curbing the judicial and press freedom. The rule of law guarantees fundamental rights and values, allows the application of E.U. law and supports an investment-friendly business environment. It is one of the fundamental values upon which the EU is based on.
