A state secretary in the Culture Ministry, Jadran Antolovic, said that the term of the present five-member Steering Council expired in early June. The government proposed to parliament to appoint four new members from the media, legal, financial-economic and computer science sectors, while the fifth member, a Hina employee, would be appointed subsequently, Antolovic said.
The Opposition once again opposed the government's proposal, saying it was illegal.
Antun Vujic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said that the Hina Act directly stipulated the conditions for membership of the Steering Council, adding that these members should be economic, legal and computer experts. He said that Dijana Katica and Drazen Jovic did not meet that requirement because Katica, who has been proposed as an economic expert, graduated from the veterinary university, while Jovic, who has been proposed as a legal expert, did have a bar exam.
Vujic said that the third candidate, Bozo Skoko, was a media expert, adding however, that Skoko was a member of the steering council of a PR company and thus in conflict of interests.
The SDP accused the government of wanting to have a grip on the media and called on the Ivo Sanader cabinet to withdraw the proposal.