Mesic said this shipyard should be helped to develop like the others, advocating the involvement of domestic industries in manufacturing processes in the shipbuilding sector and commending Kraljevica shipbuilders for their skills, tradition and know-how.
Asked by reporters to comment on the European Commission's remarks that Croatia must accelerate the re-organisation of its shipyards, Mesic said that the authorities had waited too long before they started to streamline the shipyards and attract partners with which the Croatian shipyards could be competitive on the global market.
"This job now lies ahead of us," he said, expressing hope that it will be done successfully so that the shipbuilding industry can remain one of Croatia's major industries.
Economy Ministry State Secretary Leo Begovic said that shipbuilding was one of the most important branches of the national economy, employing 28,000 people and 7,000 contractors.
Commenting on the planned privatisation of the sector, Begovic said that the government was conducting intensive negotiations with the European Commission on final versions of calls for tenders for privatisation and that the negotiations were nearing completion.
He added that agreements reached with social partners on the topic had been incorporated into the calls for tenders.
Kraljevica CEO Irvin Badurina said that the shipyard's earnings in 2008 totalled EUR 47 million, of which 44 million was earned from exports.
There are 480 people on the shipyard's payroll.