In Lithuania, a working group has been established to consider potential changes to the dismissal procedure for the general director of LRT, the national public broadcaster. This move comes in response to public outcry and protests involving over 10,000 participants, spurred by concerns that the government's proposed amendments would undermine freedom of speech. The proposed changes would allow the general director to be dismissed by a vote of confidence based on a lack of approval for the broadcaster's annual report, which critics argue could lead to politically motivated dismissals.

Currently, the law requires an open vote with a supermajority—eight out of twelve council members must agree—to dismiss the general director, and the grounds for dismissal must serve the public interest. The new proposal, however, suggests a shift to a system where a secret ballot could facilitate easier dismissals, a change seen by many as an alarming step towards politicizing the position of the broadcaster's leadership. The situation highlights an ongoing debate in Lithuania regarding the independence of media institutions and the role of government oversight.

The establishment of the working group follows a failed attempt by the ruling party to bypass standard legislative procedures to expedite the approval of their amendments. The backlash from journalists and civil society has raised significant concerns about the implications of these proposed changes on the autonomy of public media in Lithuania, signaling a potential conflict between governmental authority and media independence.