The city of Brussels fears the move could result in the country's rulers taking full control of the public broadcaster.
advertisementThe Slovak government has approved a controversial overhaul of state television and radio.
Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico said the public broadcaster, known as RTVS, was politically biased and needed to change. “We are in conflict with the Slovak government,” he claimed.
The proposed changes mean RTVA will be replaced by a new organization.
Slovakia's parliament, in which Fico's coalition holds a majority, is expected to approve the changes in June.
The takeover plan was drafted by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, who represents the ultranationalist Slovak People's Party in the coalition government. She worked for an internet television station known for spreading disinformation.
Simkovičova said that current broadcasters give space only to mainstream opinions and censor the rest. The broadcaster denied the claim.
According to her plan, the new broadcaster, Slovak Television and Radio (STVR), would have a director chosen by the council, and its nine members would be appointed by the Ministry of Culture and parliament. The current chief minister's term in Congress ends in 2027.
Thousands of people held a rally in the capital Bratislava last month to denounce the plan, which has been widely criticized by journalists, opposition parties, international news organizations and the European Commission.
Radio Slovakia International announced that employees of state television and radio were organizing a “Black Thursday” protest.
According to the media pressure group Reporters Without Borders, the government's bill contradicts the European Commission's 2023 report on the rule of law in Slovakia.
The report calls on the government to “continue the process of strengthening rules and mechanisms to strengthen the independent governance and editorial independence” of broadcast media.
Fico, known for his fierce attacks on journalists, recently named a major television network, two national newspapers and an online news website as his enemies.
Fico's leftist Smer party won on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.
Critics fear that Fico's Slovakia will abandon its pro-Western policies and follow the lead of Hungary, led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The new government immediately halted arms shipments to Ukraine.
Thousands of people have repeatedly taken to the streets across Slovakia in recent days to rally against Fico's pro-Russian policies and plans to amend the criminal code to cancel top corruption prosecutions.
