Polish lawmakers overturn senate veto on disputed media law

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president will have the final decision on a controversial media bill seen as targeting a U.S.-owned TV network that’s often critical of the Polish government, after lawmakers on Friday overturned a Senate veto on the proposed legislation.

In its last session of the year, the lower house, or Sejm, unexpectedly returned to the law that seemed to be on freeze after the upper house rejected it in September. The lower house voted 229-212, with 11 abstentions, to reject the Senate’s veto.

Now the controversial bill, which has already been approved by the Sejm, only needs backing from President Andrzej Duda to become law. But Duda has indicated he sees the law and “controversial” and “incomprehensible” to the United States, citing the U.S. attitude toward the protection of property and freedom of speech.

The law would prevent any non-European entity from owning more than a 49% stake in television or radio broadcasters in Poland.

Its practical effect would be to force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Poland’s largest private television network, TVN, to sell the majority or even all of its Polish holdings.

Discovery Inc. said the outcome of Friday’s “surprise vote in the Polish Parliament should be deeply concerning to any enterprise investing in Poland and to anyone who cares about democracy and freedom of the press.”

“Through this vote, Poland risks directly undermining the values that have connected Poland with Europe, and uprooting the foundation of the Polish-American relationship,” the company said in a statement.

It appealed to Duda to “prevent” the bill it from becoming law.