ZAGREB, Jan 26 (Hina) - A final bill on Croatian Radio and Television (HRT), which the government this week sent to the parliament to adopt it, is supplemented with amendments proposed by members the parliament and recommendations
given by foreign experts, the aim of which, according to the bill's sponsor, is to make it possible for the HRT as a public institution to act more independently.
ZAGREB, Jan 26 (Hina) - A final bill on Croatian Radio and
Television (HRT), which the government this week sent to the
parliament to adopt it, is supplemented with amendments proposed by
members the parliament and recommendations given by foreign
experts, the aim of which, according to the bill's sponsor, is to
make it possible for the HRT as a public institution to act more
independently. #L#
The final bill alters the name of the HRT Council into the Programme
Council of the HRT. The document envisages the set-up of a fund for
the pluralisation of the media, and the HRT would earmark monthly
three percent of its subscription fees for this fund, whose
establishment should be regulated by a separate law. The means from
the fund would be used for encouraging pluralism in the electronic
media.
Under the final bill, the HRT Programme Council has to present an
annual report to the Sabor, while the HRT Administration would have
to submit a report on the HRT business operations, so that the
parliament can discuss both the work and business operations of
that house.
Working on the final bill, the Ivica Racan Cabinet has rejected
proposals made by some parliamentary committees about a
possibility that the Sabor would be entitled to confirm the HR
statute and that a certain number of MPs be appointed in the HRT
Programme Council. The government justified the rejection with the
explanation that the parliament would exert enough influence by
appointing Programme Council members and relieving them of duty.
Since the beginning of the procedure of amending the existent Law on
the Croatian Radio and Television, which was passed in February
2001 and which for the first time defined the HRT as a public
institution, a draft text of changes underwent several
alterations, but basic guidelines remained the same all the time.
Amendments regulate the manner of the election of the HRT Programme
Council, the reduction of its members from 25 to 11 and the division
of the house into the three organisational units: Croatian Radio,
Croatian Television and Music Production of the HRT.
Following public debates which pointed to undefined relations and
fields of activities between HRT bodies as well as a possibility of
poorer professionalism, the sponsor eventually abandoned its plans
to propose the separation of the radio and television (into two
independent entities).
Under the final bill, the HRT will be led the said Programme
Council, the Administration and the HRT Director-General.
The basic task of the Programme Council, which the parliament,
instead of the culture minister, would elect on the basis of the
announcements (for vacancies), is to supervise the implementation
of programme principles and legal obligations.
In line with the result of announcements for the vacancies, the
Council would appoint the HRT director, and the directors of Radio,
Television and Music Production, the directors of the programmes
and editors-in-chief of the news and current affairs programmes of
Radio and Television. The Council will also be competent for their
replacements.
Various draft changes to the law have stirred up strong reactions
since the very start.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
which has several times forwarded its remarks concerning the
matter, has described the last bill before the final one as
improvement of the previous drafts and expressed belief that with
several changes it could provide a good basis for a new law.
The OSCE also labelled the changes as an acceptable legal framework
for the HRT transformation into true public electronic media.
OSCE representatives, however, believe that some additional steps
should be made so as to achieve that objective. They recommend
amendments which would strengthen the independence of the HRT
council and ensure the programme independence of Radio and
Television. They also propose the additional explanation of the
internal organisation and relations between HRT bodies.
(hina) ms