He was presenting a draft protocol on amendments to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement which introduce tariffs on sugar exports from Croatia.
He said Croatia had reached an agreement with the EC under which it could export tariff-free a maximum 180,000 tonnes of sugar to the EU annually. Currently, the annual sugar export quota is around 120,000 tonnes.
The minister said the new quota fully satisfied the demands of the Croatian sugar industry. "The guideline that the EU is forgoing subsidies on sugar exports to Croatia puts our sugar industry in a better position because it will no longer depend on exporting sugar to the EU, but will be able to compete with its product on the domestic market."
Cobankovic said Croatia's sugar and sugar beet manufacturers were satisfied with the agreement, adding that the EU countries had already ratified it.