Thousands of Poles protest new media law

Instead he said he expects “a conversation among partners”.

In the statement published on state new agency PAP on Saturday, Ziobro called the German politician “silly” and alluded to the Nazi occupation of Poland.

Poland dismissed European Commission concern on Friday that a new law on state-run media threatened media freedom, warning Brussels not to interfere in its affairs on the basis of “biased and politically-engaged” reports.

The European Commission is to hold a “political debate” on the rule of law in Poland on January 13, reflecting growing concern the PiS government is eroding democracy in the EU’s largest eastern member state. Foreign ministry spokesman Artur Dmochowski told reporters that the ambassador, Rolf Nikel, was expected for a meeting on Monday morning.Dmochowski refused to say what comments had caused offence and which German politician had uttered them.

Relations between Poland and the European Union have deteriorated since the Law and Justice party (PiS) won elections in October on a Eurosceptic platform.

“There is no European Union law that would require a media market regulatory body to have the power to determine the composition of management boards of public media companies”, the ministry said.

Opponents of Poland’s new right-wing government are holding protests in a number of cities against policies which they say threaten democracy and media freedom.

Critics see the move as the latest bid by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) to consolidate power and render ineffective any organ that could keep it in check since taking power late last year after eight years in the opposition.

A week ago, Gunther Oettinger, the German EU commissioner responsible for the digital economy and society, said that Warsaw should be put under the EU’s rule-of-law supervision.

“I came to a sad conclusion that it is easier for you to talk about fictitious threats to media freedom in other countries than to condemn censorship in your homeland”, Ziobro continued.