Exclusive economic zone of Croatia

The exclusive economic zone of Croatia (Croatian: isključivi gospodarski pojas, IGP) is a protected fishing area over the Croatian half of Adriatic sea.

  Croatian Exclusive Economic Zone in the Adriatic Sea

The EEZ was firstly proclaimed as Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (Croatian: Zaštićeni ekološko-ribolovni pojas, ZERP) and initiated by the Croatian Peasant Party, then a member of Croatia's governing coalition.[1] The Government of Ivica Račan proposed it to the Croatian Parliament, which voted in favour on 3 October 2003. It came into effect exactly one year later, excluding European Union member states. The government informed the United Nations Secretariat of the decision prior to the 2004 enactment of the zone. On 1 January 2008, the zone came into full effect as it began to be enforced for EU nations.[2]

The zone has an area of 23,870 square kilometres.[3] The exact boundaries of the zone date back to treaties between what was then SFR Yugoslavia and Italy in 1968 and between Croatia and FR Yugoslavia in 2001.[4] Prior to the ZERP's declaration, Italian ships annually caught 300 million euros worth of fish from the zone - ten times the amount which Croatian ships caught.[5] In its enactment of the zone, the Croatian Government also cited the danger of the Prestige oil spill being repeated on the Croatian Adriatic, which would seriously affect the country's tourism industry.[6]

The zone has widespread support in Croatia. All major political parties support the zone, including the Social Democratic Party, Croatian Peasant Party,[1] and Democratic Centre.[7] The Croatian Democratic Union has been a cautious supporter, wary of the EU's response.[8]

In 2008, Luigi Giannini, leader of Italian fishermen's organisation Federcoopesca, declared that one-third of all Italian fishing activity took place in the ZERP.[9]

On 10 March 2008, the Croatian government, led by the HDZ party, decided not to enforce ZERP for EU members from 15 March 2008 onwards.[10][11]

In 2011, during negotiations with the European Union, it was decided that Croatia could proclaim an ecological protection zone for third countries, but not for EU member states. Slovenian fishermen catch about 40% of their fish in the zone.[12]

On 5 February 2021, the Croatian Parliament unanimously declared EEZ after consultations with Italy and Slovenia, after it became known that Italy was planning to declare EEZ on its part of the Adriatic sea.[13]

Enforcement

On 3 January 2008, the Croatian Navy intercepted an Italian boat which had passed through the zone and was in Croatian territorial waters.[5] The fishing boat was escorted to Vis by a navy warship and the three fishermen were arrested.

On 6 February 2008, the Turkish cargo ship UND Adriyatik caught fire just outside the zone. According to Croatian media, it was seen as a test for the ZERP.[14]

On 26 May 2021, the maritime police from Split intercepted an Italian fishing vessel with two Italians onboard. They were charged of illegally crossing the border and fishing without privileges within the territorial sea of the Republic of Croatia. At the fishing boat, the police officers found and seized six caches with 20.4 kilograms of various types of fish.[15]

See also

References
  1. Protected Ecological Fishery Zone: Now or Never Archived 2008-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Enactment of ZERP for members of EU Archived 2008-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Size of ZERP is 23,870 square kilometres
  4. Protection of the Sea and Interests Archived 2008-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Croatia seizes Italian boat days after fishery zone comes into force
  6. "Decision on the Extension of the Jurisdiction of the Republic of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea, 3 October 2003" (PDF).
  7. Support for fishermen and ecological zone Archived 2008-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Croatia's new cabinet may be formed by year end
  9. "Lider Press on Croatian". Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  10. Croatian government gives up ZERP for sake of EU accession talks (SETimes.com)
  11. Croatia gives up ZERP (SETimes.com)
  12. "Hrvaška zaprla poglavje o ribištvu, Židan zadovoljen s slovenskim izkupičkom" [Croatia Has Closed the Chapter on Fishing, Židan Satisfied with the Slovenian Profit]. Evropa.gov.si (in Slovenian). Communication Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. 6 June 2011.
  13. "Sabor jednoglasno proglasio isključivi gospodarski pojas u Jadranu, ali tek nakon inicijative Talijana" [Sabor unanimously declared an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic, but only after the initiative of the Italians]. Nacional (in Croatian). 5 February 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  14. "Specijalci s Kurska gase požar unutar plamtećeg broda - Jutarnji.hr".
  15. Karakaš Jakubin, Hajdi (27 May 2021). "Talijanski ribari uhićeni dok su ilegalno lovili ribu nadomak Splita, prijeti im velika kazna" [Italian fishermen arrested while illegally fishing near Split face a heavy fine]. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.

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