Minutes from the Trilateral meeting between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia

TRILATERAL MEETING
ITALY - SLOVENIA - CROATIA
BRUXELLES, 4 JUNE 2004

AGREED MINUTES

The fourth Trilateral meeting between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia took place in Bruxelles on 4^th June 2004. The European Commission was invited to participate in this meeting and accepted to attend as facilitator of the discussion. The meeting was chaired by Mr Roberto Antonione, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (The complete list of participants is attached).

Mr. Bišćević, State Secretary from Croatia, informed the parties about the Decision taken on 3 June 2004 by the Croatian Parliament on the Amendment to the Decision of the Extension of the Jurisdiction of the Republic of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea, which states that the implementation of the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone of the Republic of Croatia, with respect to the Member States of the European Union, shall start after the conclusion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Croatia and the European Community, and expressed Croatia’s readiness to enter into talks to this end.

Croatia confirmed that during that period there will be no changes in the present regime for the Member States of European Union in the area of the Adriatic Sea concerned.

The Italian and Slovenian State Secretaries took note of the decision of the Croatian Parliament. They welcomed the suspension of the applicability of all aspects of the Protected and Ecological and Fisheries Zone to EU Member States. They expressed the view that this should apply until a common agreement in the EU spirit is found taking into account the interests of the neighbouring EU states.

The participants in the meeting expressed their readiness to continue to work together in the EU spirit on good neighbourly relations, and taking into account the interests of all parties concerned, trilaterally and with the European Commission, until a common agreement is reached.

Bruxelles, 4 June 2004