The Rzeczpospolita daily reported on Monday that the new media proposal has been widely criticized for “taking aim at” leading Polish news channel TVN24 and its parent company TVN, which is owned by US firm Discovery.
If the bill passes parliament, it may force the station’s American owner out of the country, souring Poland’s relations with the United States, the daily said in an opinion piece.
While Warsaw should not fear any retaliatory measures and there is no risk of US troops being withdrawn from Poland, the dispute over TVN24 could exclude the country from the circle of America's closest allies whose opinion is considered when making strategic decisions, the newspaper reported.
Amid a growing threat from Russia, Washington would not decide to sever ties with Poland, its strategic NATO ally critical to the defence of the Baltic states and Ukraine, according to Rzeczpospolita.
Nor should Warsaw be afraid that US business tycoons will give up their plans to help Poland build its first multi-billion-dollar nuclear power plant, but if the bill is voted through, Washington may at some point decide that the two countries no longer share the same values, Rzeczpospolita cautioned.
And then Poland could find itself “relegated to a political backwater,” the paper concluded.
Last week, a group of lawmakers with Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party submitted a proposal for amendments to the country's broadcasting law that would strengthen a ban on non-European firms owning more than 49 percent of Polish media companies.
If approved, the revised law would give TVN six months to adjust.
(mo/gs)
Source: Rzeczpospolita