Slovakia

[SK] Statute on Publishing enters into force

IRIS 2023-2:1/9

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

The Statute of Slovakia “On Publishers of Publications and on the Register of the Mass Media and Audiovisual Media, and on Adoption of Amendments to Certain Statutes” (the Statute on Publishing) was adopted by the National Council (Parliament) of the Slovak Republic on 22 June 2022, and enters into force on 1 August 2022. In particular, it regulates the activity of news web portals and online periodic press.

Publishers of periodic publications (online and offline) and operators of news portals are to be registered by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic (Article 3). They are obliged to publish emergency public notices when ordered by a public authority and to restrict access to the media content provided by persons under international sanctions (Article 4).

The Statute provides for the obligation of publishers and operators, and their staff, to keep confidential sources of information secret (Article 4), as well as to respect the right of reply and the right of correction (Articles 8 - 10).

The Statute requires publishers and operators to submit copies of their publications to the digital repositories established by the government (Articles 17 - 20).

The Statute supersedes the 2008 Statute “On the Press” (No. 167/2008), which is now annuled.