Jurist Poland president vetos media law opposed by US

[Dadparvar]

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda vetoed a controversial media bill Monday that was criticized for targeting independent broadcaster TVN owned by Discovery, a US media giant.

The bill requires that broadcasters operating in Poland be majority-owned by entities from the European Economic Area. The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has vocalized the belief that foreign corporations hold too much power over Polish media, so the bill was rushed through parliament earlier in December.

The bill would have forced Discovery out because it is US-based. TVN is Poland’s biggest independent network, and it has been critical of Poland’s conservative government.

Duda explained that he agreed with some Poles’ concerns regarding how the bill would harm freedom of speech; many argued that the legislature intended to limit the influence of hostile states. Further, signing the bill into law would potentially strain relations with the United States, a key ally. Duda has said that:

I believe that generally limiting the possibility of holding shares or stocks in media companies is sensible when it comes to foreign capital… I share the opinion that it should be introduced in Poland, but for the future.

The bill and its amendments concern entities which are already present in the market… There is also the issue of media pluralism, of freedom of speech. When taking my decision, I took this element into serious consideration.

The chief U.S. diplomat in Warsaw, Chargé d’affaires Bix Aliu, praised Duda for “his leadership and commitment to common democratic values and for protecting the investment climate in Poland.”

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