Zagreb - The Sabor adopted the Law on Cultural Councils and Financing Public Needs in Culture on Friday by a majority vote.
The law regulates the financing of public needs in culture, the allocation of premises for cultural and artistic activities, the establishment and role of cultural councils and the work of the national council for culture, as well as the issue of decision-making on financial resources.
The law is aimed at improving, simplifying and organising the system more efficiently and enabling multi-annual financing.
Ahead of the vote, Miroslav Škoro (For a Just Croatia) reiterated that the law will not help the "disastrous" state of culture in Croatia. He claimed that law gives "pharaonic powers" to the minister, and enables mayors and county prefects to allocate premises through direct agreement, creating an "army of culture addicts."
The Sabor also adopted three laws on the implementation of EU regulations, on the fight against the spread of terrorist content on the Internet, on the jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial disputes, and in matters related to parental responsibility, and on international child abduction.
An amendment to the law on the implementation of the regulation on genetically modified food and animal fodder and the traceability and labeling of genetically modified organisms was also adopted.
Two laws in the agriculture sector were also adopted, on plant health and food hygiene and microbiological criteria for food.