The law will prevent companies from outside the EEA from holding a controlling stake in Polish media companies. In practice, this means that American Discovery must sell its majority stake in TVN, one of the largest private television networks in Poland.
The proposed new media bill served as the backdrop for a chaotic and emotional meeting in parliament on Wednesday.
Then the government lost four votes in parliament.
The opposition won only by a majority of two votes, trying to postpone the vote on the bill until September.
President's signature
The decision was unexpected, and some opposition politicians cheered and said that there was still hope for the preservation of press freedom. The same evening, the speaker of parliament decided to hold a new vote, which was won by the government. Which meant voting on the media bill continued until late Wednesday evening.
Opposition MPs responded by accusing the government of buying support. However, the majority passed the media bill, which requires upper house approval and president's signature before it can enter into force.
LEX TVN. Discovery anxiety
Discovery's statement states that the company is "very concerned" with the development, but is steadfast in its "defense of the rights of Poles and TVN." Moreover, it is stated that the Media Act “is an attack on the basic democratic principles of freedom of expression and media freedom and directly discriminates against TVN and Discovery”.
The company asks the Senate and President Andrzej Duda not to approve the bill.
"The future of Poland as a democratic country in the international arena and its credibility for investors depend on this," reads the statement.
Minority government
The coalition can still rule as a minority government as its overthrow requires a formal vote of no confidence.
- Everything indicates that the current government is a minority - says Adrian Zanberg from the Left Party.
- It may take a while, but he is not able to rule anymore - says Tusk.
Commentators, however, point out that Morawiecki may have difficulties with the continuation because he will depend on the support of the far-right party of the Confederation, which is critical of the government.
The next parliamentary elections in Poland will not be held until 2023.
