EU commissioner pledges tools to defend media freedom amid Czech bill row

The Czech Chamber of Deputies, parliament’s lower house, voted last month to scrap radio and television licence fees. The proposal has drawn protests across the country, where demonstrators have voiced support for media independence. A fast-tracked vote at 4.36 am on Saturday, 24 October, was criticised as undemocratic; public broadcasting staff then staged a historic 24-hour walkout.

MEPs warned in Brussels that the funding change could threaten public-service media independence and leave broadcasters exposed to political interference. “The Czech government’s plan to abolish the public broadcasting licence fee is a clear attempt by Babiš to undermine the independence of public broadcasters and subject them to political control,” said Laurence Farreng, a French MEP from Renew Europe.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO party was previously a member of Renew before moving to the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group. Czech PfE MEP Ondřej Knotek defended the bill, arguing that scrutiny of a government elected against the European Parliament mainstream risked unnecessary escalation.

“If a democratic national election delivers a government in opposition of the European Parliament mainstream, very soon you guys come with plenary debates and resolutions questioning the rule of law with unnecessary escalation,” he said. Knotek also cited Finland as an EU member state that funds public media through government financing and said the Czech bill did not breach European law.

On Thursday, 12 November, members of the Czech community in Brussels gathered outside the European Parliament to protest developments at home. Czech TV and Czech Radio are among the broadcasters at risk of funding losses and political control. Protesters wore paper hats modelled on Večerníček, a Czech TV icon.