"Yesterday Sanader first said that he would send to Parliament proposed amendments to the decision declaring the EFPZ, but in the evening he was talking about establishing a working group. His statements show that the government has no strategy and are remindful of the saying - when you don't know what to do, form a commission," the president of the leading opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivica Racan, said during a parliamentary debate on Thursday.
Racan said that by forming an inter-party commission Sanader wanted to reduce his responsibility for the EFPZ. He also described as unacceptable the prime minister's idea of zoning the Adriatic Sea instead of activating the EFPZ.
Commenting on Sanader's strong statements about the head of the European Commission Delegation, Vincent Degert, Racan said: "Sanader has for the first time acted arrogantly towards the EU as he does in the country, which shows that he's lost his head."
"Up until now I've thought that Sanader is a bad prime minister and a good foreign minister, but not even a mediocre minister would have done that," he added.
Party of Rights (HSP) leader Anto Djapic was also against forming a commission and zoning the Adriatic. He said that the urgent activation of the EFPZ to apply to EU members states was the minimum his party would agree to.
"We don't need supposedly sharp statements about the zoning of the EFPZ. It's again a cat and mouse game," Djapic said. "I can understand why we are negotiating with Italy, but not why we are negotiating with Slovenia, which has no sea at all."
Zeljko Pecek of the Peasant Party (HSS) also insisted on the urgent activation of the EFPZ, saying that Parliament should commit the government to modernising the fishing fleet as soon as possible.
The People's Party (HNS) took a somewhat softer position, with Dragutin Lesar recalling an agreement reached by party leaders at one of the meetings at government headquarters, under which parties were to refrain from public comment on the issue until experts prepared amendments to the EFPZ decision.
"The HNS will wait for the opinion of experts to see what Sanader's statement on the zoning of the EFPZ means and will then take a position on the issue," Lesar said.