Vandoren said he would like an agreement on Brodosplit's privatisation to be signed between the Croatian government and one company, adding that he knew negotiations were under way and voicing hope the agreement would be signed soon.
He did not mention DIV, a company from Samobor, with which the government is negotiating the privatisation of Brodosplit.
Vandoren said he was confident the jobs in the shipyard would be preserved after the signing of the privatisation agreement.
Our goal is not the destruction of jobs, he said at a panel on the European future of Croatia and Split organised by Cenzura Plus, a local association for the promotion of human rights and media freedoms.
Vanodren went on to say that Croatia was expected to pursue the clampdown on corruption.
Commenting on last year's riots during a gay pride parade in Split and preparations for this year's event in June, he voiced hope that what happened last year would not reoccur. The organisers should ask the authorities for protection at the parade, he said.
Vandoren recalled that at January's referendum on Croatia's EU accession, Split-Dalmatia County was among the least supportive, with only 58 per cent of votes in favour. He said there was dissatisfaction with the EU in other countries as well, citing recent polls in France which showed that the Union is not popular.
The panel heard that Split-Dalmatia County has one of the poorest records in absorbing EU funds and that it is necessary to step up activities to acquaint citizens as much as possible with the advantages of EU accession.