Video clips, commissioned by the previous Croatian government, on the European Union are promotional rather than informative, the nongovernmental GONG organisation said on Thursday presenting findings of its analysis of 51 television videos on Croatia's prospective EU membership prepared by the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry during the term of the Jadranka Kosor Cabinet.
The videos were broadcast at the end of last year.
The author of the analysis, Zlatko Krajina, told a news conference in Zagreb that in those videos the government ridiculed citizens and their possible euro-sceptic views. He said the videos had been made in the form of advertisements of benefits of the country's EU membership.
He said that the video clips threatened Croatia would return to Yugoslavia if it did not join the EU.
GONG board member Marina Skrabalo said the communication strategy of the new government was following the strategy of the previous government. However, "there is significant positive headway in the government's approach to providing citizens with information on the country's EU entry."
The positive steps include the government's acceptance of euro-scepticism as a legitimate option and its announcement that it would use several communication channels and different materials, Skrabalo said.
She said that attention should be paid to the fact that 90 percent of Croatians "are still being informed via television".
Skrabalo called on the national public broadcaster HRT and other electronic media to secure equal conditions for broadcasting videos and materials from "all those who have offered their materials".
The EU IN FOrum project's co-ordinator, Jelena Berkovic, said that Croatian Television, Hina, and the Vjesnik newspaper had the most responsibility for providing information on the EU. She urged all media to demonstrate maturity and competence in organising high-quality public debates on Croatia's prospective EU accession.
Given that Croatia will soon hold a referendum to see if Croatians are in favour of the country's admission to the 27-strong bloc or not, Krajina warned that a lack of information on the matter could lead to a low turnout at the 22 January referendum.
