European Comission concerned over new Polish media law

The European Commission sent a letter to two Polish ministers expressing concern over a planned law on control of the country's state-run media, a spokesman for the EC said. According to the new law, the head of the Polish public radio and television will be dismissed and replaced by three-member boards "appointed and dismissed by the Minister of the Treasury." "Freedom and pluralism of the media are crucial for a pluralist society in a member state respectful of the common values on which the union is founded," European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans wrote in the letter. Parliament approved the amendment on December 30, yet it still needs to be approved by the upper house of the parliament (the Senat) and signed by the president afterwards. Critics say the amendment is part of PiS's plan to increase state control over public media.