Brussels worries that the country’s leaders would seize complete control of the state broadcaster as a result of the move.
Slovakia’s controversial redesign of state radio and TV has been approved by the government.
Robert Fico, the populist prime minister, claimed that the RTVS public broadcaster is politically biased, and that’s why the adjustments were necessary. He asserted that it “is at odds with the Slovak government.”
A new organization would take the place of RTVA as a result of the proposed amendments.
It is anticipated that in June, the modifications will be approved by the majority-ruling Fico coalition government in Slovakia’s parliament.
The author of the takeover plan, Martina Šimkovičová, is the minister of culture and represents the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party in the coalition government. She was employed by a disinformation-spreading online television network.
According to Šimkovičová, the current broadcaster restricts alternative viewpoints and only airs mainstream ones. The assertion has been refuted by the broadcaster.
In accordance with her proposal, a council consisting of nine people nominated by the Culture Ministry and Parliament will choose the director of the new broadcaster, Slovak television and radio (STVR). The parliamentary mandate for the current director is valid until 2027.
The plan has been severely criticized by journalists, the opposition, international media organizations, and the European Commission. Hundreds of people demonstrated against it in Bratislava, the country’s capital, last month.
A statement from Radio Slovakia International said that state TV and radio staff were organizing a “Black Thursday” protest.
The government’s bill, according to media pressure group Reporters Without Borders, contradicts a 2023 European Commission study on Slovakia’s legal system.
The report urges the government to “continue with the process of strengthening the rules and mechanisms” in order to boost the editorial and governance independence of the broadcast media.
Fico, who is well known for going on tirades against journalists, recently called two national newspapers, an internet news source, and a big television network his foes.
Smer, a Marxist party led by Fico, won on a platform that was anti-American and pro-Russian.
Critics are concerned. Under Fico, Slovakia will veer away from its pro-Western track and toward Hungary, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Arms transfers to Ukraine were promptly stopped by the new administration.
Recently, thousands of people have demonstrated against Fico’s pro-Russian policies, proposals to change the penal code, and cancellation of a top corruption case by taking to the streets frequently around Slovakia.
