Croatia

[HR] Law Amending the Electronic Media Law

IRIS 2009-9:1/18

Nives Zvonarić

Ministry of Culture, Zagreb, Croatia

A new law amending the Electronic Media Law came into force in Croatia in July 2009.

The Electronic Media Law regulates inter alia the granting of concessions for radio and TV broadcasting activities. Additionally, the granting of concessions in general is regulated by the Law on Concessions.

Several provisions of the Law on Concessions apply to radio and TV broadcasting activities, namely the provisions of Chapters I and II of the law regulating general issues and preparations necessary for the granting of a concession (an evaluation of the concession, a feasibility study, the preparation of public tender documentation, etc.), and of Chapter VIII prescribing a concessions policy which includes concession granting plans and keeping a Register of Concessions.

Due to the alignment of the Law on Concessions with the Community acquis regarding Chapter V, Public Procurement, in October 2008, a certain discrepancy in regulation had emerged.

It was therefore necessary to align the Electronic Media Law with the relevant provisions of the Law on Concessions as well as with the new Electronic Communications Law which came into force at the end of 2008.

The present Law Amending the Electronic Media Law thus regulates the fundamental issue of the alignment of the wording of the Electronic Media Law with the terms used in the Law on Concessions and in the Electronic Communications Law.