The Journalists' Union stated on Friday that the Government should take measures to guarantee the "regular statutory functioning" of the Lusа news agency, after the Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC) confirmed non-compliance in the company's restructuring. The regulator considered, in a decision published on Wednesday, that the restructuring "does not comply with the applicable regulatory framework" nor with the recommendations and good practices for the independent functioning of a public media outlet.
The union's position comes following a complaint filed with the ERC on April 13, arguing that the new statutes of Lusа undermined press freedom. The SJ welcomed the regulator's decision, noting that it "validated the warnings" that the union and agency workers have been making in recent months about the new statutes, by considering that the new governance model violates legal norms and represents risks of external interference.
Given the ERC's position, the SJ now expects "that the Portuguese Government draw the appropriate consequences" and act "in compliance," guaranteeing "the regular statutory framework of the agency" and "the full compliance with the rule of law in Portugal in matters of press freedom." The union emphasizes that the ERC understands that the agency's statutory rules must be established by law of the Assembly of the Republic and not through a mere executive order, as occurred.
In addition to the complaint to the ERC, the SJ also filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against the Government for considering that the new statutes of Lusа "undermine constitutional principles of freedom of information." The ERC also decided to open an autonomous procedure regarding the competitive issues arising from the "synergies" between Lusа and RTP.
