European Federation of Journalists Acts on Lithuanian Broadcaster Threat

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has moved to oppose proposed legislation in Lithuania that its members believe would threaten the independence of the country's public broadcaster, LRT (Lietuvos nacionalinis radijas ir televizija).

On 12 March 2026, the Lithuanian parliament was due to vote on a new version of a law governing LRT's management structure. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe — an advisory body providing expert legal opinions on constitutional matters — had previously expressed concern about recent amendments, which critics said could allow the government to freeze the broadcaster's funding and change the procedure for dismissing its Director General.

The EFJ joined its affiliate in Lithuania, the Association of Professional Journalists (ŽPA), in formally opposing the bill and calling on authorities to abandon the proposals. The EFJ's statement warned that the legislation, if passed, could compromise editorial independence and undermine the sustainable funding of public media at a time when independent journalism faces mounting pressures across Europe.

The intervention is part of a broader pattern of EFJ activity in March 2026, which also included condemnation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's expulsion of journalists from a press conference on 13 March, and an earlier call for justice ahead of the eighth anniversary of the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak on 21 February 2018.

The EFJ also expressed concern about deep funding cuts at Deutsche Welle following the German federal government's decision to reduce the international broadcaster's budget by €10 million in 2026.