ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted a new Law on Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) with 71 votes pro, two con and 20 abstained.
ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted a
new Law on Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) with 71 votes pro,
two con and 20 abstained. #L#
According to the law, until new officials of the national
television are elected, the current director will remain in his
seat, editors-in-chief of the radio and television will be acting
programme directors, and current editors of the news programme will
be acting editors-in chief.
This solution is the result of the adoption of some amendments moved
by the Croatian Peasants Party (HSS), which, during a parliamentary
discussion and in additional consultations, asked that the present
editorial staff in HRT remain in office until new leaders under the
new law are elected.
The current HRT director will appoint an acting director of the
Music Production from the ranks of HRT employees based on an
internal announcement for the job, 15 days after the new law comes
into effect.
The law will come into effect eight days after its publication in
the National Gazette.
The government, on whose behalf Culture Minister Antun Vujic spoke
about the amendments, also accepted an amendment by the Information
Committee, which stipulates the procedure of inviting possible
candidates and criteria for the election of 11 members of the
Programme Council, which will succeed the present HRT Council.
The Committee will examine all candidacies and forward a list of
candidates who fulfil all the necessary conditions to
parliamentary party benches for harmonisation.
The deadline in which the party benches should harmonise the list is
15 days. If the party benches fail to agree on all candidates, the
Committee will establish the number of remaining candidates,
taking into consideration the equal representation of candidates
proposed by party benches of the parliamentary majority and
minority.
The government dismissed several amendments, including the one of
the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), which suggested that the law
come into effect at the beginning of next year so that all doubts
could be removed about the law being passed for the purpose of the
coming election.
The law envisages the HRT having three organisational units --
Croatian radio, Croatian Television and Music Production-
HRT bodies include the Programme Council, the administration and
the HRT director.
More than 55 percent of the programmes, including movies,
documentaries and other broadcast by the Croatian Television
(HTV), must be in the Croatian language, while at least half of the
rest must be in European production.
(hina) lml sb