BENEFICIARIES OF EU FINANCIAL AID FOR MEDIA TO BE KNOWN IN JUNE

( Editorial: --> 5850 ) ZAGREB, May 22 (Hina) - Croatian electronic and print media have offered the 51st project for receiving financial assistance from the European Union, and the first beneficiaries will most likely be known in June, Mirela Rasic, an adviser in the office of the special envoy of the European Commission in Croatia Per Vinther, said on Friday. The European Union has earmarked ECU2.5 million for Croatian independent media in 1998. The Zagreb office of the European Commission considered all projects received up to February 28 and positively assessed 19, Rasic told Hina. The chosen projects have been sent to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels for technical and financial examination and it is expected that the chosen candidates will be announced in June. With the financial assistance of ECU2.5 million (DM5 million) for independent media the EU wishes to promote democracy, human rights and civil society in Croatia, said Per Vinther on February 10 in Zagreb when he invited media to put in a tender. Back then Vinther announced that the EU would during 1998 give precedence to electronic media and the main task would be supporting the creation of independent television. As learned on Friday print media have not been forgotten among the 19 chosen projects, even though the majority are local radio stations and television. One of the beneficiaries will be the Croatian Journalists' Association, said Rasic. She said the EU financial assistance will be used for buying technical equipment and sending journalists to seminars in Croatia and abroad. While the deadline for submitting the first projects was in February, the second deadline is June 1, reminded Rasic explaining that the intention was to organise the competition in three stages. Therefore an announcement of a third deadline is expected for gathering of offers only in case the first two rounds do not exhaust all the financial resources. Journalists interested in undertaking EU courses or seminars will be invited to put in applications via a competition which will be published in due course, said Rasic. (hina) jn mrb/lm 221552 MET may 98