Slovenia expresses reservations
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, officially spelled out Slovenia’s reservations Tuesday (February 5th) regarding Croatia’s fishing policy, particularly the introduction of a controversial protected environmental fishing zone (ZERP) in the Adriatic. Jansa said in his opinion, Croatia failed to meet the conditions to open accession negotiations with the EU on the fisheries chapter of the acquis. Jansa also criticised recent remarks by Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who had suggested that one EU member was blocking Croatia’s accession talks. “We are not blocking negotiations on fishery, rather, it is Slovenia’s understandable position,” Jansa said.
Meanwhile, Croatian President Stipe Mesic said on Tuesday that the biggest obstacle facing Croatia is not Slovenia, but the fact that Croatia has not opened enough chapters of the acquis and has not closed all of the chapters that are open. (Vjesnik, Poslovni Dnevnik - 06/02/08; HRT, Vecernji List, Javno.com, Makfax)
