(BRDO PRI KRANJU) - The European Union urged Croatia on Tuesday not to enforce its controversial Adriatic fishing zone if it wanted to avoid negative consequences for its ambitions to join the EU.

"It is essential that Croatia not enforce the fishery zone," EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn told journalists here.

Speaking on the sidelines of the first meeting here between the EU Commission and the Slovenian government, which currently holds the 27-nation bloc's rotating presidency, Rehn added that, to his knowledge, the fishery zone had not actually been enforced in practice, even if it had legally come into existence on January 1.

"On condition that Croatia will not enforce the zone, we'll try to find a political solution. Otherwise, it would have consequences on (EU) accession negotiations," Rehn said.

With effect from January 1, Croatia proclaimed a protected fishing and ecological zone covering an area of some 57,000 square kilometres (22,800 square miles).

Its goal is to protect Adriatic Sea fishing stocks which Croatia says are being depleted by Italy's larger fishing fleet.

As it sought EU candidacy in 2004, Croatia had agreed to allow exemptions for EU countries -- notably its neighbors Italy and Slovenia -- until a fishing accord was finalised with Brussels.

Following elections last year, the Croatian parliament was scheduled to appoint a new government by Saturday.

Rehn urged the future government to deal with the matter "urgently" in collaboration with the EU Commission and Croatia's two northern neighbours, Slovenia and Italy.

Last week, Slovenia also warned Croatia not to implement the fishery zone, and apply the exemptions agreed with the EU in 2004.

On Tuesday, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel again warned that the fishery zone would be "a major obstacle to Croatia's accession to the EU" if it were enforced in practice.

The issue of the fishery zone is closely linked to a dispute between Slovenia and Croatia over their common sea-border, an issue that the two former Yugoslav states have been unable to solve since they declared independence in 1991.

Italy and Slovenia have themselves proclaimed ecological zones but have not been enforced in practice.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.