The Croatian government on Wednesday proposed a bill on safety in off-shore oil and gas exploration and exploitation, which is expected to be put to a vote in parliament before the summer recess.
The bill relates to prevention of major accidents during hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, and if adopted, companies will drill for oil in central and southern parts of the Adriatic which are insufficiently explored. The government claims that the bill is in conformity with EU law.
An environmental impact study is crucial, and Croatia has an obligation to inform the neighbouring countries of its activities in the Adriatic, Falkenberg told Hina in Brussels, where an annual conference called Green Week, which is dedicated to European environmental policies, has begun.
Italy, which is already exploiting oil on its side of the Adriatic, is unhappy with Croatia's plans, and non-governmental organisations have launched a petition against the Croatian project. European Commissioner for the Environment and Fisheries Karmenu Vella declined to discuss the matter.
We are certain that the neighbouring countries will closely monitor what Croatia is doing. We have seen a similar disagreement between Italy and Slovenia, Falkenberg said of Italy's pressure on the European Commission.
Italy has intended to build two gas terminals, one on shore and the other off shore near Trieste, which has provoked opposition in Slovenia. The construction of the off-shore terminal is still planned.
According to the Red List of Threatened Species, which the European Commission presented on Wednesday, about 7.5 per cent of fish species in the European seas could become extinct as a result of overfishing, coastal development, energy production and pollution.
The situation with animal and plant protection is better on shore than in the Adriatic Sea. The sea deserves more attention because fish species are not protected enough, Falkenberg said.