The Media Council issued a statement on Monday saying that the provision which read that verdicts can be challenged only before higher courts in procedures defined by law was obviously no longer enough.
Apart from punishing authors in criminal proceedings, courts continue to award damages in civil proceedings whose value "eliminates the critical role of the media, with some important newspapers having been destroyed by such costs", the Council says.
It goes on to say that it has sent the Supreme Court a complaint seeking the adjustment of court practice in this area to the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, which it says has yielded no results.
Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt announced on Sunday she would propose an amendment to the Criminal Code to abolish the crime of defamation for public statements.
Under the amendment, slander, libel and insult would no longer be subject to a prison sentence but only to a fine.
Also on Sunday, Government spokesman Vlatko Macek said that the Government would most likely ask Parliament to amend the Criminal Code under a fast-track procedure.