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Polish president vetoes media law slammed by US

Following pressure from the EU and Washington

28 December, 12:19
(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, DEC 28 - Following pressure from the EU and US, Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday vetoed a media ownership law that critics said was aimed at silencing the US-owned news channel TVN24. "I refuse to sign the radio and television law amendment and am sending it back to parliament to be re-examined. This means that I am vetoing it," Duda said in a televised address. The law, which was adopted by parliament this month, would have prevented companies from outside the European Economic Area from holding a controlling stake in Polish media companies. That would have forced US group Discovery to sell a majority stake in TVN, one of Poland's biggest private TV networks, and its news channel TVN24. The government had argued the law would protect Poland's media landscape from potentially hostile actors such as Russia. Duda said he agreed with this principle, but that it should not be made to apply to existing business arrangements and investment treaties. (ANSA-AFP).

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