PS Rejects SNS Proposal on National Media Authority, Citing Conflict with EU Law

Bratislava, 13 February (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party rejects the amendment to the Media Services Act sponsored by the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS), said MP Zora Jaurova (PS) in a statement provided to TASR by the party's media department. Among other things, it has reservations about how the National Media Authority should function and who should have powers within it, pointing to a possible conflict between the amendment and European Union (EU) law. "The amendment abolishes the Media Services Council in its current form and creates a so-called National Media Authority, in which the entire media environment will be controlled by the chair of the authority, elected by the governing majority. According to the proposal, the council will formally remain in place, but all key decision-making powers will be transferred to the chair of the regulator ... This is a fundamental shift from a collective model to single-person decision-making with an extreme concentration of power," she said. This week, Parliament passed the amendment to the Media Services Act drafted by the coalition SNS to its second reading. The amendment is intended to transform the Media Services Council into the National Media Authority. The status of this body as a regulator should remain unchanged. am/df