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Polish president, media regulator to meet on Friday over gov't's liquidation of state broadcasters

29.12.2023 09:15
Poland's president will on Friday meet with officials from the country's media regulator the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiTV), to discuss the government's decision to put state media in liquidation, a move ministers said was designed to "restore their public character."  
The presidential palace in Warsaw.
The presidential palace in Warsaw.Marcin Białek, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Andrzej Duda will host KRRiTV administrators at the presidential palace, according to news outlets.

On December 20, Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government's replaced the CEO's of state media in a move it said was designed to "restore impartiality" of public broadcasters and "public order," while the president said the measure "breached the constitution." 

On December 27, Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz announced he had put Poland's state media "in liquidation" to ensure that the companies "can continue to function, undergo the necessary restructuring and avoid having to dismiss staff," following the president's veto against an EUR 692 million grant to state media in 2024, according to officials.

The decision means that the government will appoint administrators to run the state TV broadcaster TVP, Polish Radio and Polish Press Agency PAP, Radio Zet reported. 

KRRiTV on Thursday said the Cabinet's decision to liquidate state media companies was "illegal," adding it had reported the measure to the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA).

KRRiTV also requested a meeting with the president to discuss the issue, and the meeting will take place on Friday.

Deputy Culture Minister Bożena Żelazowska said on Thursday the decision to liquidate state media was designed to restructure public broadcasters, in order to "restore their public character" as a source of "credible information for the public," Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.

Source: IAR, PAP, Radio Zet