What changed between the resolution motion and the resolution motion joint

Changed:L.K. whereas the Lithuanian Prime Minister from this governing coalition had to resign in July 2025 following investigative journalism findings, including reporting by the LRT, which raised serious concerns regarding his possiblealleged involvement in corrupt practices; whereas,whereas inlater thein aftermath2025, oflegislative hisinitiatives resignation,affecting aLRT’s sustainedfunding and escalating campaign targeting the LRT has emerged, combining legislative initiatives, financial pressure,governance institutionaltriggered auditsdomestic and political rhetoric aimed atinternational underminingconcerns itsregarding leadership,media credibilityfreedom and institutional independence;

Changed:M.L. whereas on 17 April 2025, at the initiative of members of the ruling parliamentary majority, the National Audit Office of Lithuania was mandated to conduct a comprehensive performance audit of the LRT, assessing its activities for 2021-2024 in terms of economy, efficiency and effectiveness; whereas in its conclusions of October 2025,conclusions, the National Audit Office found that the LRT had successfully fulfilled its public service mission, that the vast majority of itsLRT’s strategic and operational performance indicators had been achieved at a level of at least 90 %, thatand itsthat financialthe managementplanning and use of publicLRT’s financial resources were soundsubstantiated and welltransparent, grounded,with andsome thataspects nothat seriousneeded violationsto ofbe legaladdressed, actssuch hadas beenpublic identified;procurement whereasand thestaff auditrecruitment containedprocedures; onlywhereas minorthe technicalaudit recommendations aimed at further improving internal processes and did not recommend any changes to the LRT’s funding model, governance structure or leadership, or ask for any political or institutional action in that regard; whereas after these findings of the National Audit Office, further actions followed, including overlapping inspections, requests addressed to other state bodies to verify LRT’s activities, and thereforerepeated didpublic notattacks provideagainst anyLRT’s objectivemanagement; basiswhereas forsome extraordinarymedia and journalist organisations have warned that the audit findings have been publicly misrepresented and selectively used in political ordiscourse; institutionalwhereas intervention;neither the audit recommendations nor any other arguments can justify legislative measures that are contrary to the Lithuanian Constitution and the EMFA;

Removed:N. whereas despite the positive findings of the National Audit Office, further and intensified pressure followed, including overlapping inspections, requests addressed to other state bodies to verify the LRT’s activities, and repeated politicised public attacks against the LRT’s management; whereas audit findings have been publicly misrepresented and selectively used in political discourse in order to delegitimise the public broadcaster and its leadership;

Added:M. whereas on 27 November 2025, the Lithuanian Parliament, the Seimas, adopted amendments to the Law on LRT, freezing LRT’s budget for 2026-2028 at the 2025 level of EUR 79.6 million, and reducing its future share of tax revenues, resulting in a structural and long-term reduction in public funding; whereas these amendments were introduced shortly before adoption and were adopted on the eve of a new financial year and without adequate deliberation, raising serious concerns among media freedom stakeholders as regards legal certainty, legitimate expectations and compliance with the principle of vacatio legis inherent in the rule of law;

Removed:O. whereas on 27 November 2025, the Seimas adopted amendments to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, freezing the LRT’s budget at 2025 levels and reducing its future share of tax revenues, resulting in a structural and long-term reduction in public funding; whereas these amendments were introduced shortly before adoption and were adopted on the eve of a new financial year and without adequate deliberation, raising serious concerns as regards legal certainty, legitimate expectations and compliance with the principle of vacatio legis inherent in the rule of law;

Added:N. whereas draft laws were subsequently introduced, lowering the safeguards for the early dismissal of the director general of LRT by the LRT Council, two thirds of which (8 out of 12 members) are appointed by political authorities, namely the President and the Seimas, each of whom appoint four members; whereas these draft laws propose to replace the qualified majority necessary to dismiss the director general with a simple majority, removing the requirement of public-interest justification and introducing secret voting within the LRT Council;

Removed:P. whereas draft laws were subsequently introduced, lowering the safeguards for the early dismissal of the Director General of the LRT by the LRT Council, two thirds of which (8 out of 12 members) are appointed by political authorities, namely the President and the Seimas, each of whom appoint four members; whereas these draft laws propose to replace the qualified majority necessary to dismiss the Director General with a simple majority, to remove the requirement of public interest justification and to introduce secret voting within the LRT Council;

Added:O. whereas these legislative initiatives were introduced and advanced under accelerated procedures, in the absence of objectively justified exceptional circumstances, thereby undermining transparency, inclusiveness and the meaningful participation of stakeholders and civil society, and falling short of EU and constitutional standards of responsible governance; whereas the Council of Europe, the European Broadcasting Union, international journalists’ organisations, the Legal Department of the Seimas, the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in European (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, have all warned that these measures significantly increase LRT’s vulnerability to political pressure; whereas the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania – the national anti-corruption authority – identified corruption-related risks in its assessment of the proposed legislative amendments and concluded that the introduction of secret voting for the dismissal of the director general of LRT may be incompatible with the principles of transparency, openness and public accountability, which underpin democratic governance and the rule of law;

Removed:Q. whereas these politicised legislative initiatives have been introduced and advanced under accelerated legislative procedures, in the absence of objectively justified exceptional circumstances, thereby undermining transparency, inclusiveness and the meaningful participation of key stakeholders and civil society in the lawmaking process and failing to meet the requirements of a transparent, accountable, inclusive and democratic lawmaking procedure, contrary to European and constitutional standards of responsible governance, as well as best practices and legal standards for the lawmaking process;

Added:P. whereas the proposed amendments appear to be targeted at the incumbent Director General of LRT, as evidenced by public statements made during the legislative process expressing dissatisfaction with her performance and explicitly indicating an intention to enable her removal from office; whereas legislation targeting a specific individual (ad personam legislation) is incompatible with the principles of the rule of law, including legal certainty, the generality of laws and the prohibition of the arbitrary exercise of power;

Removed:R. whereas the Council of Europe, the European Broadcasting Union, international journalists’ organisations and the Legal Department of the Seimas have all warned that these measures significantly increase the vulnerability of the LRT to political pressure; whereas the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania – the national anti-corruption authority – identified corruption-related risks in its assessment of the proposed legislative amendments and concluded that the introduction of secret voting for the dismissal of the Director General of the LRT may be incompatible with the principles of transparency, openness and public accountability, which are essential components of democratic governance and the rule of law;

Added:Q. whereas the staff of LRT went on strike on 9 December 2025 to protest against these changes, which they warn would ‘dismantle the safeguards that protect LRT’s independence’; whereas attempts to take over LRT triggered a wave of public mobilisation when tens of thousands of citizens demonstrated in Vilnius on 9 December and from 16 to 18 December 2025, and more than 140 000 citizens signed a public petition opposing the legislative initiatives, thereby demonstrating broad societal concern for media freedom and democratic standards in Lithuania;

Removed:S. whereas the proposed politicised amendments appear to be targeted at the incumbent Director General of the LRT, as evidenced by public statements made during the legislative process expressing dissatisfaction with her performance and explicitly indicating an intention to enable her removal from office; whereas legislation targeting a specific individual (ad personam legislation) is incompatible with the principles of the rule of law, including legal certainty, the generality of laws and the prohibition of the arbitrary exercise of power;

Added:R. whereas the European Parliament has a responsibility to stand in solidarity with civil society defending democratic values, including freedom of expression, media and assembly, and to act decisively when systemic risks to democracy, the rule of law and media freedom arise within the EU;

Removed:T. whereas attempts to take over the LRT triggered an unprecedented wave of public protests, not seen since the National Revival movement of the early 1990s; whereas tens of thousands of citizens demonstrated in Vilnius on 9 December 2025 and from 16 to 18 December 2025, and more than 140 000 citizens signed a public petition opposing the legislative initiatives, thereby demonstrating broad societal concern for media freedom and democratic standards in Lithuania;

Added:S. whereas, following the suspension of fast-tracked legislative initiatives, a parliamentary working group was established to examine LRT’s governance model; whereas the Association of Professional Journalists and an initiative group of LRT journalists have refused to participate, citing a lack of dialogue, selective invitations and statements indicating that previously contested amendments would be reconsidered; whereas these organisations have warned that this process risks legitimising political interference under the guise of consultation and enabling renewed attempts at indirect censorship and weakened safeguards for editorial independence;

Removed:U. whereas the European Parliament has a responsibility to stand in solidarity with civil society actors defending democratic values, including freedom of expression, media and assembly, and to act decisively when systemic risks to democracy, the rule of law and media freedom arise within the EU;

Added:T. whereas in the context of the ongoing legislative initiatives affecting LRT’s governance, LRT was criticised for using airtime and resources for journalists’ protest actions in defence of freedom of expression, including the broadcasting of minutes of silence; whereas such statements risk contributing to political pressure and may have a discouraging effect on editorial independence;

Removed:V. whereas following the temporary suspension of the fast-tracked legislative process, the governing parliamentary majority has not abandoned its intention to undermine the independence of the LRT, but ha instead shifted to a less abrupt yet equally concerning and politicised approach by establishing a parliamentary working group tasked with reviewing the governance model of the LRT; whereas serious concerns have been raised regarding the composition, mandate and working methods of this group, which appear to be structured in a way that predetermines its outcomes and maintains political dominance; whereas the Association of Professional Journalists and an initiative group of LRT journalists have refused to participate, citing the lack of dialogue, the selective invitation of media representatives, and explicit statements by parliamentary leaders that the group would reconsider the same amendments that the mass public protests opposed; whereas these journalists’ organisations have warned that this process risks legitimising political interference under the guise of consultation and may pave the way for renewed attempts to introduce provisions amounting to indirect censorship and weakened safeguards for editorial independence;

Added:U. whereas according to the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform, Lithuania’s allocation of GDP-based funding to public service media is already one of the lowest in the EU, and LRT has warned that prolonged financial constraints would hinder its legally mandated role as the country’s primary source of crisis and emergency communication, including its ability to maintain uninterrupted broadcasting during national emergencies,

Removed:W. whereas, in the context of ongoing politicised legislative initiatives affecting the governance of the LRT, the President of the Republic of Lithuania publicly took the side of the political majority attempting to take over the LRT; whereas the President of the Republic of Lithuania criticised the use of LRT airtime and resources for journalists’ protest actions in defence of freedom of expression, including the broadcasting of minutes of silence, in the context of ongoing legislative initiatives affecting the governance of the LRT; whereas such statements risk contributing to political pressure and may have a discouraging effect on editorial independence;

Added:V. whereas in its 2025 Rule of Law Report, the Commission issued country-specific recommendations to Lithuania, calling for continued efforts to strengthen the independence, stable funding and transparent governance of public service media, including safeguards against political influence in appointment and dismissal procedures;

Changed:X.W. whereas LRT requested that an urgent opinion on the pending amendments be issued by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe; whereas the Venice Commission has decided to prepare an urgent opinion on the relevant legislative amendments, underlining the gravity of the situation; whereas the Venice Commission visited Lithuania on 19 and 20 January to assess the situation;

Changed:1. Recognises and appreciates the essential role of masspublic media, in particular national public service media providers, in upholding and promoting the values enshrined in Article 2 ofTEU, theand Treatyin oncountering Europeandisinformation, Union,propaganda includingand democracy,other humanforms dignity,of freedom,information equality,manipulation, thethereby rulesafeguarding ofa lawpluralistic and respectresilient democracy; underlines that independent and trustworthy media is indispensable for humandemocratic rights,accountability, inas counteringit disinformation,enables propagandacitizens to scrutinise those in power and otherto formsdetect corruption and abuse of informationoffice; manipulation,stresses andthat inweakening safeguardingindependent pluralisticmedia democracyecosystems assignificantly aweakens cornerstonedemocratic ofaccountability, thefacilitates Europeandisinformation publicand ordercorruption, and oferodes acitizens’ resilientability democracyto capablehold ofthose defendingin itself;power to account;

Added:2. Notes that attempts to polarise society, weaken trust in democratic institutions and undermine independent media ecosystems serve the objectives of the hybrid warfare waged by the Russian Federation and other hostile powers against the EU and its Member States, which is aimed at eroding democratic resilience; stresses that strong, independent public service broadcasters are a key line of defence against such hostile interference;

Changed:5.6. Considers that the freezing and reduction of the LRT’s funding, in the absence of objective economic necessity, may constitute political pressure incompatible with constitutional guarantees and Article 5(3) EMFA;

Removed:7. Considers that the swift pace of these legislative initiatives in Lithuania, combined with their potential to undermine the institutional autonomy of the LRT, fail to meet the standard of predictable and objectively justified regulation required by the EU in Article 21 EMFA, and infringe upon the right of citizens to access independent information as guaranteed by Article 3 EMFA; considers that these actions threaten not only the Lithuanian media landscape, but also the broader rule-of-law framework of the internal market;

Added:8. Strongly condemns any form of ad personam legislation and recalls that laws designed to target specific individuals because of the independent performance of their professional activities are incompatible with the principles of pluralistic democracy and the rule of law;

Removed:8. Calls on the Commission to urgently assess the situation and initiate infringement procedures in response to all attempts to undermine the independence of the LRT, particularly for violation of Article 5 EMFA on protecting public service media management from political dismissal and ensuring the stable funding of the public broadcaster, which undermines the right of citizens to access a plurality of independent information under Article 3 EMFA, and fails to meet the requirement of proportionality and justification for national measures under Article 21 EMFA; stresses that these actions create legal uncertainty and distort the level playing field for media providers, and therefore represent a direct threat to the proper functioning of the internal market; calls on the Commission, therefore, in its capacity as the guardian of the Treaties, to ensure that the EMFA is fully enforced to protect both our democratic values and the integrity of the European media market;

Added:9. Underlines that the use of accelerated legislative procedures for these amendments lacks objective and constitutionally justified grounds, fails to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and the meaningful participation of key stakeholders and civil society, and falls short of the requirements of a transparent, accountable, inclusive and democratic lawmaking procedure inherent in the principle of the rule of law and European best practice for the lawmaking process;

Removed:9. Underlines that the use of accelerated politicised legislative procedures for these amendments lacks objective and constitutionally justified grounds, fails to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and meaningful participation of key stakeholders and civil society, and falls short of the requirements of a transparent, accountable, inclusive and democratic lawmaking procedure inherent in the principle of the rule of law and European best practice for the lawmaking process;

Added:10. Urges the Seimas to reject the pending amendments, including lowering the threshold for dismissing the LRT director general, removing the requirement that the dismissal be based on objective considerations of public interest, and introducing secret ballots, and to ensure that any legislative amendments, if needed, are only adopted after the Venice Commission issues its opinion, and to respect the EMFA and the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE’s Representative on Freedom of the Media;

Removed:10. Strongly condemns any form of ad personam politicised legislation and recalls that laws designed to target specific individuals because of the independent performance of their professional activities are incompatible with the principles of pluralistic democracy and the rule of law;

Added:11. Calls on the Seimas and the Lithuanian Government to minimise political influence in the formation of the LRT Council, including by reducing the number of seats allocated to the appointees of political bodies and establishing adequate professional requirements for the Council members; calls, further, on the Seimas and the Lithuanian Government to refrain from adopting and to repeal already adopted legislative measures and budgetary frameworks that undermine the independence of LRT and to ensure stable, predictable and adequate funding for it, consistent with EMFA requirements, particularly those violating Article 5 EMFA regarding the protection of public service media management from political dismissal and ensuring stable funding of a public broadcaster;

Removed:11. Notes, with concern, the pattern of cumulative political pressure being exerted on the LRT through repeated audits, inspections and information requests, despite the absence of substantiated findings of wrongdoing, and considers that such practices constitute indirect political interference; calls on Lithuania’s ruling coalition to cease such practices immediately;

Added:12. Requests that the Commission monitor any developments concerning media freedom and public service media independence in Lithuania, to assess the compliance of the adopted and pending amendments with the EMFA and the principle of the rule of law, to inform the Lithuanian authorities accordingly, and to use all tools, including infringement procedures and the EU’s Rule of Law Toolbox, in the case of non-compliance;

Removed:12. Recalls that experience from other Member States and around the world demonstrates that attempts to capture public service media often constitute the first stage of broader democratic backsliding, leading to the erosion of media freedom, judicial independence and electoral integrity;

Added:13. Invites the Lithuanian authorities to reinforce broad and transparent consultations with civil society, media professionals and the European institutions on public service media governance and funding; invites political parties to consider carefully the proposed amendments to the Law on LRT and to ensure that any future legislative changes are subject to public consultation, including input from national and international journalists, media freedom organisations and LRT management;

Removed:13. Calls on Lithuania’s ruling coalition to suspend, repeal or refrain from adopting politicised legislative measures that undermine the independence of the LRT and to ensure that national legislation complies fully with national constitutional requirements, EU law, including the EMFA, and other European standards on media freedom, including those developed by the Council of Europe and relevant international bodies; calls, in particular, for political influence to be minimised in the formation of the LRT Council, including by lessening the disproportionate influence of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, and for adequate professional requirements to be established for the members of the LRT Council, in order to ensure that the composition and functioning of the LRT Council properly reflect the principles of independence of the national public broadcaster, pluralistic democracy and an active civil society;

Added:14. Recalls that experience from other Member States and around the world demonstrates that attempts to capture public service media often constitute the first stage of broader democratic backsliding, leading to the erosion of media freedom, judicial independence and electoral integrity; notes with great concern that public service media and public broadcasters across Europe are increasingly subject to political and ideological attacks, smear campaigns, intimidation and attempts to undermine their editorial independence and stable funding by far-right actors seeking to weaken independent journalism and democratic checks and balances;

Removed:14. Calls on the Commission to urgently assess the compatibility of the recently adopted and proposed politicised legislative measures affecting the LRT’s funding and governance with the EMFA and EU rule-of-law standards;

Added:15. Recalls the important role played by public broadcasters in preserving media pluralism, as recognised in Protocol (No 29) to the Treaties; calls on the Member States to provide adequate financial and technical means to fulfil public broadcasters’ social function and serve the public interest; calls on the Member States, further, to guarantee public broadcasters’ editorial independence by protecting them, through clearly defined regulatory frameworks, from any form of governmental, political or commercial interference, while ensuring full management autonomy and independence for all public bodies and entities that exercise powers in the areas of broadcasting and telecommunications;

Removed:15. Calls on the Commission to make use of all available instruments under the EU’s Rule of Law Toolbox, including the mechanisms provided for in the EMFA, and, where appropriate, infringement proceedings under Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

Removed:16. Welcomes the involvement of the Venice Commission and calls for its opinion to be fully taken into account by the Lithuanian authorities and the EU institutions;

Removed:18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Seimas, the President and Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Council of Europe.

Added:17 . Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to strengthening media resilience across the EU, including through increased funding and targeted support for independent, local and public service media; stresses that such support is essential for preventing democratic backsliding and safeguarding informed civic participation;

Added:18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Seimas, the President and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Council of Europe.

Changed:B. whereas public service media playsproviders play a key role in ensuring access to impartial information, safeguarding pluralism, scrutinising those in power, holding public authorities accountable, countering disinformation and enabling informed democratic participation; whereas these functions can only be effectively fulfilled when the institutional and editorial independence of the public service broadcaster is fully guaranteed;

Changed:I.H. whereas, under the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the national public broadcaster is entrusted with a special public interest mission of ensuring that society is properly informed at national level in a manner that fosters constitutional and common human values; whereas, under the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, in carrying out this constitutionally entrusted mission, the activity of the national public broadcaster must be based on the principles of pluralistic democracy, objectivity, impartiality, and respect for human dignity and fundamental rights, including freedom of convictions and their expression;

Changed:J.I. whereas the Lithuanian Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania has held that the constitutional mission of the national public broadcaster implies that it must be independent, requiring the creation of material, organisational and financial conditions and a legal framework guaranteeing independence from interference by public authorities, officials and other persons; whereas the Lithuanian Constitutional Court has also underlined that independence does not exclude accountability to the public, including reportingits obligationsindependence, and external oversight, but that any model of control must remain compatible with the broadcaster’s independence and must not amount to censorship or political interference;

Changed:3.4. Expresses full solidarity with Lithuanian journalists, the LRT and civil society actors defending media freedom, including the institutional and editorial independence of the LRT;

Changed:4.5. Condemns all attempts to undermine the independence of the LRT, including legislative and administrative measures and political pressure aimed at acquiring political control over the LRT;

Changed:6.7. Considers that the proposed amendments to lower the safeguards for the early dismissal of the LRT’s Directordirector Generalgeneral risk enabling arbitrary political interference and are incompatible with both constitutional guarantees and EuropeanEU standards for public service media independence, including Article 5(2) EMFA;