Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter took part in a roundtable on “Media Freedom and Expectations for the New Media Act” on 24 September 2026. The event was organised by the Croatian Journalists’ Association.

The roundtable was held ahead of announced amendments to media legislation, primarily the Media Act and the Croatian Radio and Television Act, which are scheduled for adoption by the end of the year.

The Ombudswoman highlighted the role of the media and journalists in protecting democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Their working conditions must therefore safeguard freedom of expression and the public’s right to receive information. This includes freedom from political influence and access to transparent information about media ownership.

Discussing the appointment of the leadership and members of the media regulatory body, she noted that the EU’s European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) does not prescribe the appointment procedure; this is a matter for Member States. Although it is not a legal obligation under the EMFA, the procedure should meet the highest standards of independence, as applied to other independent institutions. Key considerations include who nominates candidates, how transparent the procedure is, the majority required for election by the Croatian Parliament, and the conditions for dismissal.

The Ombudswoman also placed particular emphasis on the need to introduce a digital tax, noting that several countries have already done so: Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Hungary, Poland and Portugal. This issue is especially relevant as artificial intelligence tools increasingly use content produced by the media without compensation.

Other participants included Agnieszka Wójcik and Jože Štrus from the European Commission; Bojana Božanić from the Association of Newspaper Publishers within the Croatian Employers’ Association; Andrea Hitner-Jančić from the Ministry of Culture and Media; Ivan Novosel from Human Rights House Zagreb; Silvana Uzinić from the Croatian Journalists’ Association; Milan Živković, a former media policy adviser at the Ministry of Culture and Media; Josip Popovac from the Media Council; Maja Sever from the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists; and Goran Penić from the Society for the Protection of Journalists’ Copyright.

The event was organised as part of the project Civil Society’s Voice for the Rule of Law: A Platform for Promoting and Protecting the EU’s Fundamental Values.