Media laws at Slovakia
Slovakia's media landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years, with legislative and institutional reforms raising concerns about media freedom and independence.
📺 Public Broadcasting Reform
In 2024, the Slovak government initiated a reform to dissolve the public broadcaster RTVS and replace it with a new entity called Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) The reform grants the Ministry of Culture and parliament greater control over the appointment of the broadcaster's leadership, including a nine-member council tasked with overseeing the new institution argue that this move undermines the independence of public media and may lead to state-controlled broadcasting
📰 Media Correction Law
In October 2024, Slovakia approved a law expanding the "right to correction" across print and digital news medi. The law allows politicians to demand corrections without proving falsehoods in published articles and imposes fines ranging from €1,000 to €15,000 for non-complianc. Critics argue that this legislation enables government-backed harassment of journalists and undermines press freedom
⚖️ Specialized Courts for Journalists
The government has proposed establishing specialized courts to handle cases against journalists, including defamation claims and disputes over rights to repl. While framed as a practical reform to expedite press-related cases, the proposal is widely seen as part of a broader agenda to intimidate and silence critical voices in the media
🏛️ Regulatory Authoritie
Slovakia's media regulation is overseen by several authoritis:
*Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission (RVR): An independent body responsible for regulating electronic meda.
*Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RU): Regulates issues related to the frequency spectrm.
*Slovak Trade Inspection: Regulates certain aspects of advertising in electronic media
EU Oversight and Criticsm
The European Union has expressed concerns over Slovakia's media reforms, particularly regarding the independence of public broadcasting and the potential for state conrl The European Commission is closely monitoring the situation and has indicated that developments will be reflected in the next rule of law repor
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