The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, currently participating in the spring European Council meeting, took the opportunity to comment on today’s decision by the Republic of Croatia’s National Assembly, the Sabor, to impose a moratorium on applying the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) in the Adriatic Sea to European Union Member States.

 

(Photo: Bor Slana/Bobo)

 

The Prime Minister Janez Janša welcomed the decision of the Croatian National Assembly and stressed that Croatia has taken an important step towards removing the obstacles on its path towards concluding negotiations with the European Union at the earliest possible opportunity. “This has been a political as well as psychological barrier on Croatia’s road to the EU; this step can therefore be regarded as a landmark breakthrough in the understanding of what the European Union stands for as well as in the understanding of the meaning of negotiations and of obstacles introduced by unilateral measures,” said the Slovenian Prime Minister.

 

Croatia can now focus, said PM Janez Janša, on stepping up the accession negotiations since the European Union undoubtedly has both the political will and the capacity to speed up negotiations. “The answer to the question of whether Croatia can conclude its accession negotiations by mid-2009 is in the hands of the Croatian negotiating team and the Croatian Government. There is every chance that this can be achieved, but now the challenges are no longer quite as political or in the nature of an obstacle, to the extent that the EFPZ has been, but are rather practical issues that need to be addressed and brought to a close, one by one, with each individual chapter,” said PM Janša.

 

(Photo: Bor Slana/Bobo)

 

As for the further resolution of the issue of the state border between Slovenia and Croatia, the Prime Minister noted that commissions set up with a view to finding a solution were working on it. “I hope that the proposals drawn up by both sides will soon be put on the table, and then we will see how close we are to finding a solution,” said Mr Janša.

 

Commenting on the Republic of Croatia’s negotiations for membership of the European Union, the Slovenian Prime Minister also drew attention to the issue of the fisheries chapter, on which he advocated a solution which would not be less favourable for Slovenia than the solution which pertained before Slovenia joined the European Union. “If we succeed in finding a solution on this front too, then unless obstacles are re-invented (an area in which certain people have, unfortunately, been hitherto rather innovative), I see no other major obstructions,” concluded PM Janša.