Croatian Parliament upheld the Government’s proposal of a decision to proclaim the exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic Sea on 18 December 2020. The formal proclamation of the EEZ shall be made by the Croatian Parliament in January 2021, after the trilateral meeting of the foreign affair ministers of the Republic of Croatia, Italian Republic and the Republic of Slovenia takes place.
The proclamation of the EEZ by Croatia is based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 and is in accordance with the Croatian Maritime Code and the EU law.
The proclamation of the Croatian EEZ takes place in parallel with the proclamation of the EEZ by the Italian Republic.
Croatia proclaimed its ecological and fisheries protection zone in 2003. The zone includes the elements of the EEZ relating to the sovereign rights of exploring and exploiting,
conserving and managing the natural living resources and jurisdiction with regard to marine scientific research and the protection and preservation of the marine environment. By proclaiming the EEZ, Croatia shall extend its jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents and winds.
