Lithuania

[LT] Bill for the Lithuanian National Radio and Television.

IRIS 1995-5:1/15

Volker Kreutzer

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

In Lithuania a new Bill is currently being discussed for the Lithuanian national radio and television broadcasters. The legislation will govern the activities and organisation of national radio and television in Lithuania. Apart from the tasks of collecting and distributing information the legislation defines the tasks of national radio and television broadcasters as being to reinforce independence and democracy and to protect and maintain national cultural values. All work should be consciously based on objectivity, democracy, creativity and the freedom to form and express an opinion.The Bill states that radio and television programme schedules should take into account the needs of all strata of society and promote the development of a tolerant society. The Bill also ensures political, religious and ideological diversity in programme planning.

The management of national radio and television is to be the responsibility of three main bodies: the Board, the Administrative Council and the Director General. The board will be made up of 21 members of which three will come from among the elected members of Parliament. A further 18 organisations, including the trade union movement, journalist organisations and associations for scientist, legal experts, writers and artists as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry will each provide one member to the board. Membership of the board works on a rotational basis and it decides what subjects can be covered in programmes broadcast by the national radio and television and also the scope of advertising. It has the task of developing the basic principles on which cultural and political programme planning are based, but it is not yet clear whether the board has the right to suggest how these stations should be run internally. It is also the task of the board to elect a Director General who will represent the station externally and who will also be an executive body. He is backed by the Administrative Council which in turn checks how his decisions are put into practice.

The structure of Lithuanian national radio and television, as set out in the bill, will be that of a public-service station. It is still uncertain whether it will be possible to broadcast programmes of a commercial nature.

It remains to be seen whether the Bill in its current form will be adopted this Summer. At the present time this could not be more uncertain. What could prove especially difficult is the change-over from a State-run institution to a public service station.