President Duda vetoes contested media reform bill targeting TVN

At a press briefing on Monday, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said he has decided to veto a controversial media reform bill which targets private TVN channel owned by U.S. Discovery media group.

Unexpectedly rushed through parliament on Dec. 17, the legislation aimed to tighten rules around foreign ownership of media, specifically affecting the ability of news channel TVN24, owned by U.S. media company Discovery Inc, to operate.

"I refuse to sign the amendment to the law on the National Broadcasting Council, and I refer it back to the Sejm for reconsideration," Duda said.

The president also said that he considered only two scenarios regarding the bill, namely vetoing it or referring it to the Constitutional Tribunal for further consideration.

"I believe that generally limiting the possibility of holding shares or stocks in media companies is sensible when it comes to foreign capital ... I share the opinion that it should be introduced in Poland, but for the future," Duda added. "The bill and its amendments concern entities which are already present in the market ... There is also the issue of media pluralism, of freedom of speech. When taking my decision, I took this element into serious consideration," the president said.

Poland's lower house of parliament, the Sejm, can override president's veto with a 3/5 majority with at least 50% of all deputies present.

Duda was elected with the support of the ruling nationalists, but his decision to veto the legislation may strain his relations with the party. Yet it may help Warsaw avoid a row with the United States at a time of heightened tension in eastern Europe amid what some countries see as increased Russian assertiveness.

The bill has soured ties between NATO-member state Poland and the United States at a time of heightened tension in eastern Europe over what some countries see as increased Russian assertiveness.

The European Commission said it would follow developments in Poland closely as the law could lead to enforced changes of the ownership structure of media companies.

Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party has long said that foreign media groups have too much power in the country and distort public debate.

Critics say the moves against foreign media groups are part of an increasingly authoritarian agenda that has put Warsaw at loggerheads with Brussels over LGBT rights and judicial reforms