May 7, 2021 - Last month, The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography had a presentation in Velika Gorica regarding the newly published book on all things Turopolje.

The ever-fascinating region of Turopolje, not so far from Zagreb, as the largest city of the region is Velika Gorica (connected by Zagreb with a regular public service bus) earlier this month good a book that gives an overview of every knowledge collected about Turopolje. Or in a noun: a lexicon.

As The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography informs on its website, the end of April saw the presentation of the latest work in the edition of the Institute in Velika Gorica.

In respect to the epidemiological measures, the presentation was held among a limited number of journalists and attendees. Nina Obuljen Koržinek, the minister of culture was present along with the mayor of Velika Gorica Krešimir Ačkar, and the head if Miroslav Krleža Insitute, Bruno Kragić. The county ruler of the noble county of Turopolje Mladen Klemenčić was present too and talked about the book. Katja Matković Mikulčić, the headmistress of Velika Gorica City Library and a co-editor of the lexicon, had an opening speech.

The accompanying culture program saw an actor and singer Adam Končić recite poems by Krleža (a famous Croatian writer, poet, publicist, and encyclopedist the Institute was named after) and pupils from Franje Lučić Art School that sing with the back-up of Krešimir Starčević that followed the notes of a famous conductor from Turopolje Franjo Lučić (the inspiration for the name of the art school).

As usual, the Institute was determined to gather as a wider circle of associates as possible, especially the authors. Some of the authors are individuals from heritage, educational, and cultural institutions, but researchers from specific scientific areas and noted publicists contributed to the book as well.

„The project started with the overwhelming support of the City of Velika Gorica, the central administration unit of Turopolje, and the cooperation contract was signed in 2018. With its concept and graphics, this lexicon continues the previous editions of the Lexicography Institute, which focuses on individual Croatian regions (Istria, Croatian Zagorje) or towns (Zagreb)“, the Institute's website quotes the foreword of the book.

When it comes to history, science, and art, museums are great institutions to learn more. You can learn more about museums in Croatia on our TC page.

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ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - The Croatian Culture and Media Ministry on Monday announced the 10th Book Night, to be held on Friday, 23 April, as one of the activities planned for this year, which has been declared a Year of Reading.

Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said at a news conference that dedicating the year 2021 to reading was part of the national strategy promoting reading, which had gained special importance in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, when organising cultural events involving a large number of participants had become impossible.

It was therefore only natural to dedicate this year to reading, "an activity that we associate with our intimate space, that does not jeopardise anyone and that enriches everyone involved in it," she said.

The minister said that the results of a project on the role of reading in building an inclusive society, for which funding was secured from the European Social Fund, would be published soon, as well as that funds that would not be mobilised due to a ban on international fairs would be redirected to promote domestic cultural activities.

Obuljen Koržinek expressed confidence those activities would result in better indicators regarding books and reading and that trends on reading habits, which have been stagnating for a long time, would change for the better.

Maja Zrnčić of the Culture and Media Ministry spoke about programmes to take place in the Year of Reading.

She said an important goal of the event was to make existing programmes - awards, festivals, fairs and other book events - more visible, as well as promote new programmes, including the project "Born to read", which promotes a love of reading from early years onwards and as part of which free picture books will be distributed to pediatric offices across the country to be passed on to parents.

The ministry also intends to improve the status of authors and translators and make them more visible.

Another event, which is part of the national strategy promoting reading, is National Day of Reading, when Croatians will be reading at the same time at different places.

In October, an international conference on ways to promote reading will be held.

There is also a plan to declare public figures, such as actors, athletes, doctors and the like, ambassadors of reading.

Local and regional government units have been asked to enable free library membership for all young people this year, Zrnčić said while speaking about the activities planned for this year to promote reading.

ZAGREB, 17 March, 2021 - Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Wednesday the Electronic Media Act would be liberalised and that one of the options was allowing the vertical concentration of the media in Croatia.

"We will liberalise that law in the part concerning the regulation of concentration. However, in that case we are considering certain other instruments which generate or ensure media pluralism. I mean the 'must offer' or 'must carry' concepts, but an agreement is yet to be reached on this," she told the press.

The news and programming director of the N1 commercial TV, Tihomir Ladišić, yesterday accused the government of leading to a market monopoly of the two telecoms, A1 and HT, by failing to amend the Electronic Media Act.

His comment came after news that A1 decided to remove N1 from its offer and that it was certain that HT would follow suit.

Asked if the government would allow vertical media concentration, enabling a media publisher to also be a media content operator, which is banned under the current Electronic Media Act, the minister said that was one of the options, adding that the law explicitly banned an operator from also being a media content publisher.

Other media pluralism mechanisms will be introduced

"We are one of the last EU states to have that explicit ban. If we go towards lifting the ban, then some other mechanisms ensuring media pluralism will be introduced," she said.

These mechanisms will enable a company that is both publisher and operator to offer the channel for which it obtained a concession to itself as an operator and to someone else under the same terms.

The minister said such vertical concentration was "what the public can rightfully be afraid of."

She reiterated that A1's decision to remove United Media Group's channels, including N1, from its offer, was strictly a business matter between the two companies, not a matter of legislative regulation.

The minister has a number of times dismissed the argument that the Electronic Media Act did not allow N1 to broadcast on its own platform, saying the law regulates only publishers which have a concession and are established in Croatia.

"N1 is a pay channel which is not established in Croatia and does not have a concession," the minister said.

She would not say what it meant for media democracy in Croatia that N1 was being phased out because two operators decided to remove it from their offers.

"Two days ago I said I believe it's in the public interest that all channels which interest the Croatian public should be available on all operators and I stand by that."

Following news that A1 was cancelling its contract with N1, MPs today called for regulating the telecommunications and media market and resolving contentious issues as soon and as precisely as possible with a new electronic media law.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, Sept 26, 2020 - Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Korinek has said in an interview for Hina that her department will see to it that the culture and creative industries and the media sector get out of the corona crisis with as few scars as possible.

Commenting on the fact that the world media was added to the official name of her department after she was reappointed the minister in late July, Obuljen Korzinek recalls that since 2002 the ministerial department of culture has been authorized to cover the sector of media. Adding the word media to the official name of the ministry was made with the purpose of highlighting that sector, the minister explained.

Bill on electronic media on government's agenda soon

Considering concrete steps that the ministry is taking to enhance the status of the media sector, Obuljen Korzinek says in the interview published on Saturday that the draft law on electronic media is being fine-tuned by the relevant ministries and is expected to be on the government's agenda in October.

The ministry is preparing activities to release the media legislation for public consultation, she said.

Following the government aid schemes made available in April and May, and enabling the media sector to have access to credit lines for which the government provides collateral, we are considering some other measures to support the media sector within the European Union's funds for recovery, she says.

"We are conducting dialogue with professional associations to finds modalities for assistance aimed at enhancing the status of journalists," the minister said.

"All those assistance measures should be carefully prepared so that they remain neutral and do not affect the independence of media."

 Asked about a growing number of defamation suits against reporters, the minister reiterated that politicians and office-holders should refrain from taking libel suits against journalists and media.

"I am strongly for the preservation of media freedoms as an important pillar for the development of democracy."

In parallel, every citizen who feels to have been defamed is entitled to the court protection, she said recalling that in the first term of the Andrej Plenkovic cabinet abolished the criminal libel act.

Web portal with criteria for the assessment of epidemiological risks for music events

Considering the music industry in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister says that the authorities in cooperation with the Croatian Musicians Union are hammering out the project of the support to this industry.

One of the steps in the preparation of a web portal for the assessment of epidemiological risks for music events which will standardize the criteria for all kinds of events, she says.

Restoring quake-damaged listed buildings to take a lot of times

Commenting on the damage caused by the 22 March quake to monuments and listed buildings in the capital city and its environs, the minister said that immediately after the earthquake, the ministry experts and representatives of the department of Zagreb's city planning system toured the damaged sites and held consultations so as to immediately respond to the situation.

Conservators and restorers have been engaged in making a list of the damaged buildings and we were also actively involved in the preparation of the law on the removal of the consequences of the earthquake and on preparing the documentation for the European Solidarity Fund, she says underlining that the restoration of the registered sites of heritage significance would take a lot of time.

It will require a complex multi-disciplinary approach with the aim of improving the urban standards in Zagreb, alongside preserving the historical center, she explained.

Damage done by the quake to listed buildings is estimated at 7 billion euros.

Commenting on the achievements of her first term in office, the culture minister says that that the outlays earmarked for the ministry rose both in the absolute figures and their proportion in the total budget, reaching now a 1% share.

This has been achieved through a rise in the original sources of funding from the budget as well as through the better absorption of the EU funds, she added.

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