ZAGREB, Dec 14 (Hina) - The government at Thursday's session formulated a final Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) bill, under which HRT becomes a public institution with two organisational units, Croatian Television (HTV) and
Croatian Radio (HR). The government forwarded into parliamentary procedure a bill of amendments to the Health Insurance Law reducing the basic salary for time spent on sick leave from 80 to 70 percent, which should help save 85 million kuna ($9.77 million). Under the government's HRT bill, HTV's third channel would be privatised within one year, while HR would have three channels on two state level radio networks. HRT would be financed, among else, by commercials, the production of a variety of services, and a Value Added Tax-free subscriber's fee. During debate, the ministers decided the subscriber's fee should be set by parliament's House of Representatives. The subscriber's fee is a charge
ZAGREB, Dec 14 (Hina) - The government at Thursday's session
formulated a final Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) bill, under
which HRT becomes a public institution with two organisational
units, Croatian Television (HTV) and Croatian Radio (HR).
The government forwarded into parliamentary procedure a bill of
amendments to the Health Insurance Law reducing the basic salary
for time spent on sick leave from 80 to 70 percent, which should help
save 85 million kuna ($9.77 million).
Under the government's HRT bill, HTV's third channel would be
privatised within one year, while HR would have three channels on
two state level radio networks.
HRT would be financed, among else, by commercials, the production
of a variety of services, and a Value Added Tax-free subscriber's
fee.
During debate, the ministers decided the subscriber's fee should be
set by parliament's House of Representatives. The subscriber's fee
is a charge and not service remuneration, so it is logical that the
lower house should set its amount as the only body entitled to
proscribe this type of charge, said Justice Minister Stjepan
Ivanisevic.
Prime Minister Ivica Racan agreed, but said he felt the lower house
would not accept it wholeheartedly. He proposed saying in an annexe
to the bill's text that the alternative was to make the fee 1.1
percent of last year's gross monthly salary.
The bill further suggests that tv commercials should not last over
nine minutes per hour, and making Transmitters and Communications a
separate company with limited responsibility.
HRT would be managed by a council, a governing council, and a
manager. The council would comprise 15 members, who could no longer
be MPs, state officials, or HRT employees. They would be proposed to
parliament's election and appointments committee by various
institutions and civil associations. The lower house would appoint
them at the committee's proposal. The council would then choose
members for the governing council and appoint a HRT manager
according to a tender.
The government today also adopted a decree discontinuing the work
of its office for cooperation with the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, and established an office for
cooperation with international institutions active in Croatia.
The government adopted a half-year report on the performance of the
inspection administration of the Ministry for Environmental
Protection and Zoning. Minister Bozo Kovacevic said some state
administration bodies did not cooperate with the inspection.
(hina) ha