ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 17 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation led by European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic continued talks in Brussels on Wednesday on Additional Protocol 7, which will introduce changes to the trade regime
between Croatia and the European Union ahead of EU enlargement.
ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 17 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation led by
European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic continued talks
in Brussels on Wednesday on Additional Protocol 7, which will
introduce changes to the trade regime between Croatia and the European
Union ahead of EU enlargement.#L#
The Croatian minister said the two sides were closer in their views
and announced the possibility of a third round of talks.
Protocol 7 will bring changes to the trade regime with the EU because
Croatia is now trading with six out of ten acceeding countries on the
basis of bilateral free trade agreements that will cease to be valid
after they join the EU on May 1.
The European Commission wants quotas from bilateral agreements with
the future members to be added to quotas for agricultural and food
exports to Croatia.
Increased duty-free imports may seriously hurt domestic producers in
the agricultural and food sector, but at the same time they are given
completely free access to the markets of the acceeding countries,
which has not been the case up to now.
In the first round of talks held on February 26, the two sides
harmonised their views on about 75 per cent of the products under
negotiation. They are yet to reach agreement on about 25 per cent of
the most sensitive products, such as meat, fish, milk products and
confectionery.
(Hina) vm sb