Hungarian president defends controversial media law

(BRATISLAVA) - Hungarian President Pal Schmitt defended his country's controversial media law Thursday, as he visited fellow European Union member state Slovakia.

"There is nothing in the law that breaches the constitution or the European practices," Schmitt told journalists.

"It includes a few very important elements -- it protects human dignity, protects the youth, supports public service, brings an end to the waste of money, and so on," he said.

"There's a 100-percent guarantee of freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Hungary," he added.

European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso this week said he was asking for fresh "clarification" from Budapest amid claims the media law breaches EU law and freedom of press.

Hungary has found itself in the spotlight only weeks into its six-month leadership of the EU, which rotates among the bloc's 27 member states.

Under the legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the year, a new national media council has the right to regulate content and impose fines when rules are not respected.

The council, to be headed by members from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party, will be able to set down restrictions on media content and impose fines not only for content considered offensive, but also for material considered politically unbalanced.

It will also have the right to inspect media equipment and documents and to force journalists to reveal sources in issues related to national security.