The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, vetoed on Monday (27) a controversial law on media ownership that, according to critics, intends to silence the TVN24 news channel, which belongs to the American group Discovery.
The law, approved by deputies in early December, prevents companies outside the European Economic Area from having a majority share in the Polish media and was heavily criticized by the United States and by part of the Polish population, who took to the streets to protest against the proposal. .
If the law went ahead, the American group Discovery would be forced to lose its majority position on TVN, one of the largest private television stations in Poland, which has TVN24 as its news channel.
The veto allows Poland, a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), to avoid a potentially explosive dispute with Washington, its main ally.
The decision, however, means that the president is blocking a project that was supported in parliament by the governing party, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS), which is part of its base.
PiS has argued that foreign media groups have too much power in Poland, distorting public debate. But critics say the restrictions on these groups are aimed at limiting freedom of expression and are part of an increasingly authoritarian agenda that has brought Warsaw into conflict with the European Union.
Dudley said in a televised address on Monday that the law would violate a treaty signed with the US regarding trade and economic relations.
“One of the arguments considered during the analysis of this law was an international agreement concluded in 1990… this treaty talks about investment protection,” he said. “There is a clause that says media-related investments can be excluded, but it applies to future investments.”
US charge d’affaires in Warsaw, Bix Aliu, had urged Duda to veto the law. “We hope that President Duda will act on previous statements and use his leadership to protect freedom of expression and business,” Aliu said.
The Discovery group said the law “should concern any company with investments in Poland and anyone who cares about democracy and freedom of the press.” After the veto, the company spoke out saying it was a “victory for the Polish people.”
European Commission Spokesperson Christian Wigand also said the project posed “important risks to media freedom and pluralism in Poland”.
Since PiS came to power in 2015, Poland has lost 46 positions in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Today, the country appears in 64th place.
Proponents of the law say it protects the Polish media from potentially hostile actors such as Russia. Duda, who says he agrees with the principle, said it should not apply to existing trade and investment agreements.
“The people I spoke to are worried about the situation. They present different arguments. They spoke of peace and tranquility… We don’t need a new conflict, a new problem. We already have a lot of problems,” the president said.
Thousands of Poles protested against the law earlier this month at a rally in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw. Many displayed European Union flags and shouted “free media”.
After Dudley’s veto, former Polish prime minister and former president of the European Council Donald Tusk, who heads the opposition Civic Platform party, said the president’s decision showed that “exert pressure makes sense”.
PiS already controls public television TVP, which became the Executive’s spokesperson, and many regional media.
PiS spokeswoman Anita Czerwinska told the state agency PAP that the party is “disappointed” with the decision.
The parliament could, in theory, overturn the president’s veto, but the party does not have a qualified majority of votes.
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