Czechia - June 2026

On 15 June, the government introduced draft legislation to change the funding model for Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) by replacing licence fees charged to consumers with direct financing from the state budget, while also reducing the funding. The government argued that the new model would be fairer for households and reduce administrative costs associated with fee collection. Critics, including public media representatives, journalists' organisations and media-freedom groups, warned that direct state financing could increase political influence over public broadcasters and weaken editorial independence. The proposal triggered nationwide protests, a strike by public media employees and criticism from the European Broadcasting Union, which argued that the reform lacked sufficient safeguards for institutional independence.

Update: As of early October 2026, the bill had not passed its first reading in Parliament and existing licence-fee arrangements remained in force. 

Sources: Prague Daily, International IDEA, Al Jazeera,  European Broadcasting Union