Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, March 7 (CP) – After holding an emergency meeting with coalition partners, HSLS and HSS, PM Ivo Sanader said that the coalition had not dissolved over the issue of the Protected Ecology and Fisheries Belt (ZERP) or the EU and stressed that it needed to be seen what was more important if Croatia cannot have both.

The Peasants’ Party (HSS) leader Josip Friscic has said that ZERP should not be backed down on, stating that Croatia was blackmailed, while the other coalition partner HSLS’ Djurda Adlesic has remained tight-lipped on the issue.

Sanader has announced a meeting with presidents of parliamentary parties on Tuesday, while the issue of ZERP or the EU is to be put before the parliament on Wednesday.

However, talks with coalition partners are to continue during the weekend, but it seems like Sanader is preparing the nation for letting go of ZERP in favour of the EU entry negotiations being given some impetus and Croatia making it into the EU before 2015, the year of Croatia’s entry according to sceptics.