ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - Representatives of the Croatian government and European institutions met in Zagreb on Monday to discuss a package of media laws which they concluded have to be adjusted to European Union standards but not at
the expense of the stability of Croatian Radio and Television (HRT).
ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - Representatives of the Croatian government
and European institutions met in Zagreb on Monday to discuss a package
of media laws which they concluded have to be adjusted to European
Union standards but not at the expense of the stability of Croatian
Radio and Television (HRT).#L#
Speaking of amendments to the Law on HRT, Deputy Prime Minister
Jadranka Kosor said they were necessary to avoid the influence of
politics. She added, however, that the law would not be amended at
this moment so as not to undermine the broadcaster's stability.
Also present at the meeting were the chief of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby,
and the chief of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia,
Jacques Wunenburger.
At the meeting, the government adopted a European report stating that
after 11 modifications to the Law on HRT in the last decade, HRT needs
stability to be able to function in an increasingly competitive
environment.
The third national TV station in Croatia, HRTL, is expect to start
broadcasting in April.
The report says that in order to secure the stability and legal
certainty needed by the HRT, the current HRT Council should continue
to elect a director-general and that the drafters should be given
sufficient time to prepare the amendments to the HRT law, which the
report adds should not be changed in urgent procedure.
Wunenburger pointed to the lack of a political framework, and said the
government had given assurances that it would continue cooperating
with European experts on this issue.
At the Croatian government's request, experts of the OSCE, the Council
of Europe and the European Commission have written a report on
amendments that have to be made to laws on HRT, the electronic media,
and the media, as well as some aspects of the Criminal Code, with a
view to adjusting them to European standards.
The report states that the Law on Electronic Media is not compatible
with European standards because of the nomination procedure of the
Council on Electronic Media and because it lacks some provisions from
the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, to which Croatia
is party.
The current Law on Electronic Media does not provide the media with a
secure legal framework for their work so amending it is a priority,
the report states.
As for the Law on the Media, the report says the amendments have to
consider Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The European experts have also suggested that the Criminal Code should
remove provisions criminalising libel.
Kosor said the decriminalisation of libel was in government
procedure.
(Hina) ha