European media groups urge Lithuania to address remaining concerns over LRT reforms
June 11, 2026 12.11 Europe/London By Julian Clover


A coalition of European and international media organisations has urged Lithuanian authorities to make further changes to legislation governing public broadcaster Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), warning that key concerns over governance, funding and editorial independence remain unresolved.

In an open letter published following amendments to the LRT law adopted on 2 June, the organisations, led by the European Broadcasting Union, acknowledged improvements made during the legislative process but said several recommendations made by the Venice Commission had yet to be implemented.

The groups welcomed the removal of provisions restricting media participation within LRT, changes to the grounds for dismissing the broadcaster’s Director General, and new requirements for council members to act independently.

However, they argued that the revised legislation still leaves a majority of the broadcaster’s governing council politically appointed, which they said risks undermining institutional and editorial independence.

The organisations also criticised the decision to apply revised dismissal procedures to the current Director General, saying it runs contrary to guidance issued by the Venice Commission and raises concerns over legal certainty and the rule of law.

Further concerns relate to transparency provisions governing council votes and the broadcaster’s funding arrangements. The letter argues that a funding freeze introduced without an impact assessment continues to threaten LRT’s financial independence and may conflict with requirements contained in the European Media Freedom Act.

The intervention comes as the Lithuanian government prepares a proposed public service contract for LRT, due to be presented by September. The signatories warned that the process must be conducted transparently and in consultation with stakeholders, arguing that any new contract should not become a mechanism for political influence over the broadcaster’s remit, funding or editorial decisions.

The organisations noted that Lithuania is preparing to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and said full alignment with European standards on public service media governance would send an important signal about the country’s commitment to media freedom.

“The independence of public service media is not a technical matter – it is a democratic one,” the letter concludes.

The debate over LRT’s future governance has become one of the most closely watched public service media issues in Europe this year, attracting scrutiny from media freedom groups, journalists’ organisations and European institutions concerned about maintaining editorial independence and political neutrality within public broadcasters.