She reiterated what the EC had said when Croatia decided to start applying the EFPZ to European Union countries as of 1 January 2008, namely that the unilateral activation of the EFPZ could have an adverse effect on Croatia's accession negotiations.
Italian and Slovene media have said that the two countries' agriculture ministers met on the fringes of a Brussels meeting earlier this week and exchanged views of the EFPZ. It has been announced that this issue could be addressed by EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.
Preparations for the meeting, however, did not indicate that Italy and Slovenia might raise the issue, Hina learned from a Council of the EU source, who said the issue was not on the agenda of the meeting.
An unidentified source at the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry told Hina today that Croatia had notified the EC that technical talks were not over yet and suggested another negotiating round.