The Committee on Information, Computerization and Media held a thematic session to discuss Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), prompted by the ongoing reduction in staff and the company’s operational consolidation plan. Committee Vice Chair Urša Raukar-Gamulin warned of an uncoordinated downsizing process and a lack of strategic direction, emphasizing the urgent need to amend the Law on HRT.
Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, underscored the necessity of redefining the legal framework, while HRT’s Director General, Robert Šveb, defended the company’s recent business decisions.
Below are the conclusions proposed by Urša Raukar-Gamulin, who stressed:
“We are witnessing the systematic dismantling of Croatian Radiotelevision – the reduction in original content production, the departure of top talent without any plan for replacement, and the neglect of HRT’s valuable ensembles, including the Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, Tamburitza Orchestra, and the HRT Choir.”
She continued:
“What we are seeing now is a chaotic reduction in staff, carried out without a proper analysis of actual needs. The so-called Consolidation Plan for HRT’s operations is vague and fails to address the accumulated problems. If implementation of this flawed plan continues, the very survival of HRT as a public service broadcaster is at risk.”
For these reasons, MP Raukar-Gamulin proposed the following measures:
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Immediately halt the haphazard reduction of staff and the implementation of the current Consolidation Plan. It is essential to identify not only areas of redundancy but also where personnel are lacking, in order to ensure that programming can continue to function effectively.
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Develop a clear, concrete, and detailed five-year Strategy, with the primary goal of improving program quality — encompassing programming schedules, staffing policies, and digital transformation.
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Based on that Strategy, draft a precise Consolidation Plan in cooperation with HRT’s Programme Council, Supervisory Board, Works Council, and trade unions.
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Prepare amendments to the Law on HRT aligned with the European Media Freedom Act.
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Ensure the financial stability of HRT.
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Remove any consideration of abolishing HRT’s orchestras and choir from all strategic or operational plans.
Responsibility for implementing these conclusions, Raukar-Gamulin stated, lies with the Ministry of Culture and Media and HRT’s Director General.
The Committee on Media is expected to vote on these proposed conclusions at its next session.