Czech public-media dispute reaches Brussels as European Parliament steps in

The dispute over Czech Television and Czech Radio funding will reach the European Parliament on Wednesday evening, with MEPs set to debate whether the government’s proposed changes threaten media independence.

European Commissioner Michael McGrath, responsible for democracy, justice and the rule of law, will speak on behalf of the European Commission.

A resolution linked to the debate is scheduled for a separate vote at Parliament’s November session in Strasbourg. Wednesday’s discussion is therefore not itself a vote on a formal parliamentary position.

The European People’s Party, Parliament’s largest political group, and the Greens jointly proposed adding the debate to the Brussels plenary agenda.

Its title is “Media freedom and the rule of law in the Czech Republic: Threats to the independence of public-service media.”

Five Czech MEPs sit in the EPP group: STAN’s Danuše Nerudová and Jan Farský, TOP 09’s Luděk Niedermayer and Ondřej Kolář, and KDU-ČSL’s Tomáš Zdechovský. Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová belongs to the Greens group.

In a joint statement, the Czech EPP representatives warned that transferring the broadcasters’ financing to the state budget could increase political influence over their operations.

They described independent public-service media as essential to democracy and called on Parliament to support civil society and people demonstrating for media freedom.

Those warnings represent the position of the MEPs promoting the debate. Parliament has yet to vote on the accompanying resolution.

The Czech government wants to abolish television and radio fees and replace them with financing from the state budget.

Critics argue that the change would make ČT and ČRo more vulnerable to political pressure and undermine the stability of their funding. The government rejects claims that it seeks to weaken their independence, saying it is fulfilling an election promise.

The proposal has passed its first reading in the Chamber of Deputies but has not become law.

It has prompted an all-day strike by employees of both broadcasters and demonstrations involving students, cultural organizations and members of the public.

On Tuesday, university students gathered on Prague’s náměstí Republiky to defend public-service broadcasting and independent culture. Speakers also called for Culture Minister Oto Klempíř to resign.

Wednesday’s European Parliament debate brings that domestic dispute into a wider discussion of media freedom and the rule of law within the EU.

The next formal step at European Parliament level will be the planned Strasbourg vote, when MEPs will decide whether to adopt the resolution arising from the debate.