The governing coalition is working with left wing opposition parties to drive through public media reform legislation and abolish the licence fee in Poland.

The new media law project aims to abolish radio and TV licensing and introduce a new way of financing the media – not from the so-called ‘Public Mission Fund’ as was previously suggested by senior coalition partner, Civic Platform – but from the budget of the umbrella group which oversees public media, the National Council of Radio Broadcasting and Television (KRRiT).

According to the private TVN24 news station, the document will stipulate that KRRiT will receive some 800 million zlotys (175 million euros) to finance the increasingly cash-strapped public media in Poland. Then the Council is to distribute the money among broadcasters.

The bill is to contain a definition of their “public mission” - to educate and inform. So far the ‘mission’ was only fulfilled, constitutionally, by the public media and financed from the license fees. But in future even private broadcasters will be allowed to apply for funds from KRRiT. The condition is that the ‘mission programmes’ can’t be interrupted by commercials.

Work on the new media law has been underway since last year, when President Lech Kaczynski vetoed the first bill proposed by the governing coalition of Civic Platform-Polish Peasants’ Party.

The veto was not overthrown because the left-wing opposition party, the Left Democratic Alliance, voted to sustain the veto. Now the coalition is striving to achieve a compromise with the Left so that the new bill couldn’t be blocked by the president.

According to unofficial sources a joint bill prepared by Civic Platform and the Left is to be ready next week. (jm/pg)