Poland: Media Capture and EMFA Monitoring Report 2025

16.12.2025

The report – the eighth in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding media capture and control in Poland over the past year and assesses the country’s compliance with EMFA since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August 2025.

It concludes that EMFA has not yet been incorporated into Poland’s national media legislation. Following the October 2023 elections which raised hopes for the re-democratisation of public service media, a fairer distribution of state advertising, and stronger measures to promote media plurality, the current coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has still not advanced with the amendment to the media law that would align national regulation with EMFA’s key principles.

Facing the obstacle of a presidential veto, much of the government’s overall media reform agenda has stalled or been limited, undermining broader media freedom progress.

Examining these issues in detail, the report provides recommendations on a variety of measures and policies necessary to address media capture in Poland and create a free, pluralistic and democratic media ecosystem, in line with EMFA provisions

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year.

These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

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For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

• Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media

• Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

This report was coordinated by IPI as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.