During the night between 21 and 22 December, between 15 and 20 tonnes of mussels were destroyed at the Sabus farm by an as yet unidentified person. An investigation is under way, and it will take about ten days to repair the damage, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said at a government session on Friday.
The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send a diplomatic note to the Slovene Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposing that the Slovene police join in the investigation.
The Slovene side is certainly also interested in resolving this case as soon as possible, the Croatian prime minister said, adding that the issue was very sensitive and that it could have international implications if the investigation found that a Slovene national was involved.
Sanader reiterated that Croatia and Slovenia were friendly countries with outstanding issues between them, but that they would not let those issues escalate. He added that he was confident that Slovenia would continue to be a reliable partner to Croatia as it had been so far.
Also at today's session, the government approved 1,837 work permits for foreigners for next year, of which the 800 existing ones will be renewed while 1,037 new ones will be issued.
Economy Minister Branko Vukelic said that the annual quota of work permits was determined in consultation with trade unions and that the approved quota was lower than requested.
The shipbuilding industry had requested 548 work permits for foreigners for next year and was granted 110, while the building industry was approved a quota of 336 work permits following a request for 1,485 foreign workers.
The largest number of work permits will be issued for foreigners to be working in the tourist industry (516), followed by those in the building and shipbuilding sectors, culture (45), health services (16), science and education (10), and transport (4).