Polish parliament passes controversial new media law
Protesters in front of the Polish Parliament as a controversial new media law was passed on August 11, 2021. AP - Czarek Sokolowski
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2 min
In Poland, the conservatives in power passed a very controversial new media law on the evening of Wednesday 11 August.
Ultimately, the latter could lead to the closure of the country's main private television channel and further threaten press freedom already severely violated since 2015.
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With our correspondent in Warsaw,
Damien Simonart
The bill passed in the Lower House by 228 votes to 216 provides for prohibiting a company based outside the European Economic Area from owning more than 49% of a Polish chain.
The text has yet to be approved by the Senate.
An attack on TVN?
If the PiS party claims that it is about protecting the Polish media from foreign influences, the opposition sees it above all as a frontal attack against TVN, the largest private channel in the country, very critical of the government and detained mostly by the American Discovery.
Openly opposed to this law, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin, a member of the ruling coalition since 2015, was resigned from his post and
therefore declared the end of the coalition.
Heavy consequences
In addition to losing the absolute majority in the lower house, the PiS must now expect serious consequences within the Polish-American alliance.
Through the voice of its foreign minister Antony Blinken, Washington says it is "
deeply concerned
" by this bill which goes "
against the principles and values that modern and democratic nations defend.
"
The European Commission denounced this Thursday a "
negative signal
" for press freedom through the voice of the vice-president of the Brussels executive Vera Jourova on her Twitter account.
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Viktor Orban