The Greek Parliament approved on Tuesday an amendment allowing for media group mergers “for purposes of economies of scale… provided it does not hinder competition.” The amendment was criticized by left-wing opposition parties, with Greece’s main opposition party SYRIZA and the Communist Party leaving the debate in protest. Left wing parties claimed that the amendment will create media conglomerates which will proceed with mass layoffs and further tighten the control of digital media. They claimed that the Lambrakis Group and Pegasus SA, which already collaborate in private TV channel Mega, are planning a merger of all their media operations. The two groups have been accused of taking a pro-government position. The amendment abolishes a 2007 law that prohibited the merging of media groups. The Athens Union of Journalists ESHEA after the voting of the amendment has called for a 24-hour-strike that will end at 10 am on Wednesday. The amendment was included into a totally unrelated health ministry bill that acknowledged a donation by the private Stavros Niarchos Foundation to a state hospital.
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