Czechia: Coalition fast-tracks bill that puts public service media at risk
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its member, the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic (SNCR) instrongly opposing the ruling coalition’s move to rush through a bill that severely threatens the independence of Czech public service media.
Today, 23 October 2026, the ruling coalition in the Czech Republic,voted to fast-track the government’s bill to abolish the television and licence fee. This means the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the parliament, will give priority to debate this bill. This proposal came from Radim Fiala, leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) parliamentary group. At his request, the Chamber also voted to allow Saturday sittings, in addition to overnight sessions, to make room for a longer debate.
In practice, the coalition is rushing a decision that will shape the future of public service media in Czechia, and leaving less time for proper scrutiny and public debate.
If the bill passes, Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) would lose their licence fee funding and be paid directly from the state budget. The governmentapproved this bill on 15 June 2026, and the new model is set to apply from January 2026.
Opposition parties havedescribed the proposal as an attempt to bring both public service broadcasters, ČT and ČRo, under state control and warn that it threatens their independence. They have promised to obstruct it by every means possible and several dozen people have protested outside the Chamber of Deputies today.
“Czech Television and Czech Radio are the news sources Czech people trust most. Instead of protecting them, the government wants to cut their funding and make them depend on money that politicians hand out each year. This is not reform. It is a way to put public service media on a short leash and control them fully. The bill goes against the European Media Freedom Act, which is binding on all EU member states. We urge members of the Chamber of Deputies to reject it. We also urge them to reject this unacceptable, undemocratic and non-transparent way of rushing such a crucial law through,” said EFJ Director Renate Schroeder.
The EFJ hascondemned the plan since it was announced. Under the proposal, the broadcasters would suffersignificant cuts in their funding. ČT would lose about one billion CZK a year and ČRo around 350 million CZK. The EFJ repeats its criticism that the bill contains no safeguards to protect the broadcasters from political influence over future funding decisions, and that it was drafted without consulting ČT or ČRo.
In June 2026, the EFJ Annual Meeting – with almost 70 journalists organisations from all over Europe present – unanimously adopted a resolution tabled by SNCR, calling on the Czech government to reconsider the reform. The resolution also demands full compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the EU regulation that requires adequate, stable and predictable funding for public service media. On 22 June, when staff at both broadcasters went on strike, the EFJ joined more than 25 media freedom organisations and public broadcasters, including the EBU, IPI and RSF, in ajoint statement raising the same concerns.
In a statement published today, SNCR strongly opposed the coalition’s move and called it “completely non-standard and unacceptable” The Czech Syndicate says that pushing such a serious issue through in a rushed and forceful way goes against the democratic principle of open debate. The EFJ joins the SNCR in calling on all members of the Chamber to return to proper legislative procedure, stop the hasty approval of the bill, and open a real debate with media representatives, experts and the public.
Czech authorities must ensure that public service media funding is adequate, stable and protected from political interference, and in line with the European Media Freedom Act.
