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Wednesday, 16.07.2025, 09:41
Journalists won't have to pay for registry access, Lithuanian PM says
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Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis says the decision was made
during the government meeting on Thursday.
"Journalists won’t have to pay for data from the Center
of Registers. The data price will be compensated with state funds," he
told.
The government has not announced specific bills yet but the
prime minister says official contracts will be made with every media outlet and
they will include safeguards so that data is used only for professional needs,
is not handed over to third parties and is not provided to propaganda media
outlets from countries hostile to Lithuania.
According to Skvernelis, the Center of Registers has shared
its data with journalists for many years without having any legal basis for
that, and the center's new head Saulius Urbanavicius has paid attention to the
fact that legislation cannot be breached.
Coordination within the government is set to be finished
shortly and the decision will be made on Wednesday, Skvernelis said. Such a
decision will be temporary until the adoption of amendments on free access to
state registers for journalists.
"I have no doubt we'll have the Seimas' backing.
Following the adoption of the law, there will be no uncertainties and grey
zones left. It will no longer be important which party rules one or the other
ministry, who's the head of the Center of Registers or the prime minister.
There will be clear rules based on which all journalists will get data for
free," the prime minister said.
"I understand the concern of the journalist community but
the law must be the same for everyone. Laws should also be properly prepared
and time is needed for that," the prime minister said.
Without prior notice and without consulting the journalist
community, the Center of Registers on September 14 ended its long-time practice
of providing the media with registry data free of charge.
The center's representatives said the practice was illegal
as there are no laws providing for that.
On Wednesday, the Cabinet postponed decisions which, the
government publicly declared earlier, would have given journalists free access
to registry data.
Lithuanian journalists and opposition members say the
existing restrictions to get information restrict the freedom of the press.
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