CROATIAN LOWER HOUSE ADOPTS LAW ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS

ZAGREB, June 30 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament House of representatives on Wednesday adopted the Law on Telecommunications which restricts the broadcast of advertisements on Croatian Radio and Television (HTV) to four minutes per hour at the most. This provision, which was included into the law, caused polemics. Maritime Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Minister Zeljko Luzavec, adopted on behalf of the Government, an amendment proposed by ruling Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) representatives that advertisements should be nine minutes per hour and ten per cent of the total daily airing. Thus, the MPs did not vote on this amendment, but, immediately afterwards, MPs voted for an amendment by HDZ's Ivan Hranjec that the HTV can broadcast four minutes of advertisements per hour. This caused polemics about which amendment was adopted. Vladimir Seks, president of the HDZ parliament bench, said after the Government had adopted the amendment, MPs should not have voted on the second one at all, while Opposition representatives and some MPs of the HDZ claimed the amendment the Parliament had voted on was valid. Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said reactions should be expressed at the next regular Parliament session, by motioning amendments to the Law on Telecommunications. MPs refused to forward the Law into the third reading. Almost one hundred amendments had been motioned for the text of the law. (hina) lml