Polish President Duda Vetoes Media Law Amid 'Press Control Controversy'

Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Polish President Andrzej Duda has exercised his veto power over the media law that sparked controversy over media control, according to major foreign media reports on the 27th (local time). This move has put a brake on the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), which has been continuously causing conflicts with the United States and Europe.

The bill, passed by the parliament earlier this month, stipulates that non-European companies cannot own more than 49% of shares in Polish media companies. The law is analyzed to be targeting the American media company Discovery, which owns TVN24, a channel critical of the Polish government.

President Duda cited the deterioration of relations with the United States as the reason for exercising his veto. In a statement on the day, he pointed out that the media law could violate the economic and trade agreement signed with the United States in 1990. Although there is a clause that media-related investments at that time could be an exception, it could become a threat factor that hinders future American investments.

Discovery issued a statement welcoming the veto as a victory for the Polish people. Discovery praised President Duda for doing the right thing and standing up to protect democratic values such as freedom of the press and the rule of law.

The U.S. ambassador to Warsaw expressed gratitude on Twitter for protecting the investment environment in Poland regarding democratic values.

The United States and Europe have opposed the Polish media law, arguing that it infringes on freedom of the press. The media law also triggered nationwide protests.

President Duda had already declared in August that he would protect freedom of expression and fundamental property rights. At that time, he said he believed that foreign companies' media ownership should be conducted according to market conditions, not by coercive methods.

President Duda, who was re-elected last year with the support of the Law and Justice Party, has previously expressed differences with the party.

First elected in the 2015 presidential election, President Duda exercised his veto on a judicial reform bill that strengthened the powers of the Minister of Justice in 2017 and subsequently left the Law and Justice Party.

The far-right PiS won the general election in 2015 and took power, then was re-elected in 2019. Poland is currently in conflict with the European Union (EU) over the status of its constitution and EU law. In October, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the national constitution takes precedence over EU law, and the EU initiated formal legal sanctions against Poland, stating that according to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) precedents, EU member states must place EU law above national law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.