BRUSSELS, Sept 22 (Hina) - A preparatory meeting for a ministerial conference on the sustainable development of fisheries in the Mediterranean, to be held in Venice in November, started at the European Commission's headquarters in
Brussels on Monday, with representatives from 24 Mediterranean countries, including Croatia, in attendance.
BRUSSELS, Sept 22 (Hina) - A preparatory meeting for a ministerial
conference on the sustainable development of fisheries in the
Mediterranean, to be held in Venice in November, started at the
European Commission's headquarters in Brussels on Monday, with
representatives from 24 Mediterranean countries, including
Croatia, in attendance. #L#
Croatia's delegation at the meeting is headed by Deputy Foreign
Minister Ivan Simonovic, who said before the meeting that the key to
the protection of the Adriatic for Croatia was "a combination of
expansion of national jurisdiction and multilateral
cooperation".
Simonovic believes that the components of this solution are not
mutually exclusive and that they are the only key to protecting the
Adriatic to the benefit of all coastal countries.
Croatia follows the reforms proposed by the EU's joint fisheries
policy, and strongly advocates the EC's action plan for the
protection of the Mediterranean, primarily the protection of
fishing stocks, Simonovic said.
Commenting on the fact that the EC preparatory documents for the
Venice conference gives advantage to the fishing zone over the
economic zone, Simonovic said that Croatia had opened dialogue with
the EC and all Mediterranean countries, especially those with
access to the Adriatic.
The fishing zone and the economic zone are "different forms of
expansion of jurisdiction, with different benefits", he said.
"Croatia is willing to talk to others and listen to their arguments,
but it will also promote its position and interests," Simonovic
said.
The Venice conference will be attended by officials from 24 member
countries of the General Fisheries Commission for the
Mediterranean, who are to define the objectives of the fishing
policy for the Mediterranean, ways to strengthen multilateral
cooperation, and a framework for monitoring and the fight against
illegal fishing in the Mediterranean.
Commenting on the possibility of a meeting between the Croatian and
Slovene delegations at the Brussels meeting, the head of the
Slovene delegation, Joze Sterle, said no meeting had been arranged,
but there was initiative on both sides.
Simonovic will address the afternoon part of the meeting, after
which he will meet with Enek Landabur, director of the EC's general
administration for external relations.
The talks will address Croatia's cooperation with the UN war crimes
tribunal in The Hague, the return of refugees and property
restitution, reform of the justice system, the law on the media,
regional cooperation, and Croatia's plans to expand its
jurisdiction in the Adriatic.
(hina) rml