The European Commission (EC) has expressed concern over the case of Hungary’s Klubrádió, a private broadcaster popular with opposition listeners that will go off the air at the end of the week after losing an appeal to extend its licence.
“The case of Klubrádió only aggravates our concerns” over media pluralism in Hungary, European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told a press conference on Wednesday.
Wigand said the EC had expressed its concerns over the state of Hungary’s media landscape in its rule-of-law report issued last year.
The commission has reached out to the relevant Hungarian authorities over the issue “to ensure that Klubrádió can continue to operate legally”, he said.
Wigand added that the EC would assess the compatibility of the court decision to reject Klubrádió’s appeal with EU law and whether the relevant EU rules had been respected during the legal procedure.
Media freedom and pluralism are part of the foundations of European democracy, Wigand said, adding that the commission would take action over the issue if necessary.
Liberal-leaning Klubrádió is one of the last radio stations in Hungary not under the government’s influence. As of February 14th, it will be silenced after a Budapest court has rejected an appeal by the radio station against Hungary’s media authority’s decision not to renew its license. The decision caused an uproar both domestically and internationally, and refreshed debates about Hungarian freedom of press and the governing forces’ excessive power.
photo illustration by pixabay.com
