Speaking in an interview with Croatian Radio, Vilallonga said that Hina played a very important role in providing news services.
On Thursday, before a parliamentary vote on the new Steering Council, the OSCE Mission issued a statement saying: "It is of extreme importance that the members of the Steering Council are competent persons with the highest level of relevant professional qualifications, and are independent of any political pressure. Only then the agency will be able to guarantee objectivity and function according to the highest standards of journalism."
The strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Journalists' Association opposed the government proposal to appoint Bozo Skoko, Dijana Katica and Drazen Jovic as new members of the Hina Steering Council, citing their incompetence and unlawful procedures.
The SDP accused the government of using the appointments in an attempt to put Hina under its control.
Government spokesman Ratko Macek dismissed the accusations on Friday, saying that the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) "has never interfered and will never interfere in the editorial policies of any Croatian news media, including Hina."
Macek said that the candidates had been appointed in accordance with the law and that they met all the legal requirements concerning their competence.
Hina's new Steering Council was approved by a majority vote in Parliament on Thursday evening. The term of the previous Council expired last month.