Government: Conditions Have Been Met for Changing Decision on Fisheries Zone

Conditions have been met for amending a decision on the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (ZERP), and representatives of parliamentary parties who met earlier this month agreed that an inter-party task force should convene by the end of October to finalize the amended decision on ZERP and move it to parliament.

The motion about the changed decision on the zone may be sent to the parliament jointly by all parliamentary parties, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, said at the government's session on Friday explaining that no political party should exploit this matter to score political points.

In this context he criticized the leaders of opposition parties - HSS and SDP - Josip Frisčić and Ivica Račan - for proposing their respective parties' parliamentary clubs to initiate procedure in the Sabor so as to green light the start of the comprehensive application of the zone also on European Union member-states.

Sanader took exception to the two parliamentary clubs for such an attitude. He recalled that on Monday, parliamentary parties met to reach agreement on the matter and only a few days after, the two parties acted differently from what had been agreed only to score some political points, according to the PM.

Conditions have been met for changing the ZERP decision given that Italy and Slovenia have introduced an ecological zone and that Croatia is conducting accession negotiations with the European Union and that in its capacity as a candidate for EU membership, Croatia cannot sign a partnership agreement on fisheries but the whole agreement with the EU which would contain a fisheries chapter, Sanader said on Friday.

Existing rules for the application of the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone in the Adriatic should be adapted so as to respect the non-discrimination principle, with the full application of Croatian regulations on environmental protection and fisheries, according to conclusions unanimously adopted by representatives of the government, parliament and parliamentary parties at Monday's meeting.

Yesterday the government issued a note in reaction to a statement whereby the presidents of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) bound their clubs of deputies to submit to the Sabor a joint motion for the adoption of a decision on the start of an integral application of the Zone also to European Union member states.

According to the note, the participants in Monday's meeting unanimously adopted five conclusions.

The note said the Zone application rules should be adjusted gradually, so as not to endanger Croatia's strategic interests, notably the EU entry negotiations, or damage Croatia's international position.

For that goal to be implemented, it is necessary to ensure the support of the European Commission as well as the support of EU members through bilateral talks, said the note.

Another conclusion refers to the establishment of an inter-party task force which should draw up the legal foundations for the adoption of an adequate decision on Zone in the Sabor as well as drafts of possible amendments of existing Croatian rules on fisheries and ecological protection in the Zone.

It was agreed the sea and agriculture ministers would draw up a report on the measures the government is undertaking to upgrade the status of Croatia's fisheries and ecological protection of the Adriatic.

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