"By summer, we will adopt a law on the protection of the seaboard during exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons like has never existed before. That means additional protection and compliance with the European Commission directive," Vrdoljak said in Split during an international workshop on the benefits, threats and challenges of oil and gas exploration and exploitation.
Recalling that there were some members of the public that wanted to stop the exploration and exploitation of the Adriatic, Vrdoljak stressed that that would not happen.
"We can't stop this because the state doesn't function that way. We have to utilise our potential and start on time to explore for hydrocarbons in the Adriatic and on shore," he said.
He rejected objections that exploration in the Adriatic would ruin Croatia's tourism industry, stating that there were already 12 platforms near Istria, yet it has the most developed tourism in all of Croatia.