President Gitanas Nausėda has signed into law amendments overhauling the governance of Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT, his office announced on Friday without further comment.
The Seimas passed the legislation just over a week ago. The changes introduce an LRT board, expand the broadcaster's council, establish fixed terms for governing body members and strengthen their powers. The amendments also revise the grounds on which the director general can be dismissed.
The ruling majority voted during the legislative process to maintain the original implementation deadlines, meaning the new rules, including the revised dismissal procedures, could apply to the current LRT leadership.
The move has proved controversial. The Association of Professional Journalists (ŽPA) had urged President Nausėda to veto the bill, arguing that applying new dismissal grounds to an incumbent director general contradicts international recommendations on media governance. This Venice Commission and Reporters Without Borders also called for the amendments to be withdrawn.
Current LRT director general Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, whose position might be at risk, had previously expressed hope that the legislation would be referred to the Constitutional Court.
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