Croatia: fishing in troubled waters

This week, Croatia's new government will have to square up to tricky issues that have been on the backburner since the November 25 elections. 

The haggling over cabinet seats has ended in a new coalition that parliament will approve on Saturday.  Prime Minister Ivo Sanader returns to office at the head of a government that includes the Peasant Party (HSS), formerly in opposition.

Including the HSS may prove awkward.  It represents the fishing lobby, and firmly backs an Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (ZERP) in the Adriatic.  Since January 1, the ZERP has applied -- as far as Croatia is concerned -- to Croatia's EU neighbours, Slovenia and Italy.  Croatia blames Italy for overfishing, but is unlikely to get concessions from a weak Italian government.  The EU has warned that extending the ZERP unilaterally will hamper Zagreb's accession process.  Croatia has opened 16 of the 35 'chapters'; or policy areas and could wind the process up next year to become the EU's 28th member in 2010.  Not enforcing the ZERP has ducked the issue so far, but it could become the coalition's first serious test.