PARLIAMENT DEBATES ELECTRONIC MEDIA BILL

ZAGREB, July 15 (Hina) - The government-sponsored final bill on the electronic media was supported by parliamentary deputies of ruling parties and severely criticised by MPs from the opposition on Tuesday. Opposition deputies declined to endorse the bill and expressed doubt that the law was being enacted only because of the privatisation of the Croatian Television's (HTV) third channel. #L# Deputy Culture Minister Biserka Cvjeticanin said that the most important changes to the law referred to a fund for the encouragement of pluralism and diversity of the electronic media. The money from that fund will be used for the employment of highly- educated professionals in the electronic media at local and regional levels. The Electronic Media Council will become an independent legal entity consisting of seven professionals. Social Democratic Party (SDP) deputies endorsed the law and stressed the importance of prevention of economic and political monopoly in the media. Rejecting the bill, opposition deputies claimed that the coalition government was introducing this law only to exercise control over media owners. Some criticised the government for trying to adopt the bill hastily at a time of a competition for a concession for the HTV third channel. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) said the law was being enacted only to make it possible for the Rovita Group, which includes the Rovinj tobacco factory, Croatian Telekom and Robnert Murdoch's News Corporation, to take over the third channel. Deputies of the strongest opposition party - the HDZ - believe that the procedure for enactment of the law was hasty because of the current race for the HTV third channel. (hina) ms sb