Addressing yachtsmen, vessel owners and skippers, who gathered at the Munich Tourism Fair 'CBR 2005', Bacac said that the decree, which was greeted with disapproval by foreign boaters because of its provision on the compulsory registration of guests aboard ships and restrictions of the number of persons aboard ships, was adopted with the purpose to clamp down on the illegal charter boats.
Bacac said that Croatia did not want to restrict anybody's privacy, but the intention was to prevent the illegal lease of boats which he said had gone rampant in Croatia over the past years.
The decree is expected to half the number of illegal charters which have so far been estimated roughly 1,000 yearly.
Bacac said that the government would in the next month amend the decree, following objections from abroad.