Ante Markov told the press that the bilateral screening of the fisheries chapter began in Brussels today and that Croatian negotiators were expected to give a concrete answer as to when and how the protection zone would be applied.
Markov said that Malta's representatives, who had secured such a zone during negotiations with the EU, had already cautioned Croatia's negotiators that unless they declared the zone in the next few weeks, they would not be able to do so when negotiations on fisheries were opened.
Markov said that although Croatia had declared the protection zone, postponing its application for EU member states allowed Italian fishermen to fish in 90 per cent of the 40-mile zone, while Croatian fishermen used only seven per cent, the rest going to the Slovenes and the Albanians.
He announced the HSS would urge Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and the government to state what Croatia intended to do on the matter.