Slovakia’s parliament approved a controversial law to dismantle public broadcaster Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS), according to bne IntelliNews.
All 78 lawmakers of the ruling coalition in the 150-member parliament reportedly backed the law. It will allow the government to exercise tighter control over the broadcaster and appoint a new director general.
However, the move will cause the government difficulties with the European Commission. Věra Jourová, outgoing European Commission for Values and Transparency, stated that the Commission would take action if the law was adopted, despite the fact that it was softened since it had been originally proposed.
Opposition MPs left parliament in protest. Prime Minister Robert Fico‘s cabinet, consisting of his Smer party, the centre-left Hlas and the SNS, faced criticism from the international press and media organisations over the law. The opposition also claimed that it violated EU public media standards. However, Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová stated:
I assure you that all the content makers, who are interested in working in the public space and maintain the principle of objectivity and plurality, can really work freely and independently.
Šimkovičová, a former host of the Slovan TV channel, submitted the bill in April. However, parliament postponed approval after Fico suffered an assassination attempt in mid-May, with parliamentary sessions suspended.
RTVS employees went on strike, with some marching through Bratislava with their mouths taped shut to protest the law. It supposedly paves the way for the end of public television and the creation of state broadcasting. The bill comes into force on 1 July, when RTVS will cease to exist and be replaced by the new Slovak Television and Radio (STVR). Its immediate outcome will also be the dissolution of the current management led by director general Ľuboš Machaj.
Journalists report that other Slovak media outlets also cut their sales in line with the new political wave, notably the TV station TA3 and the Pravda newspaper.
