An international law expert, Miha Pogacnik believes that Slovenia could declare an ecological zone in the Adriatic quite swiftly, considering that it has a legal basis to do so in the amended maritime code.
Pogacnik said it was important for Slovenia to concede itself the right to declare an ecological zone and to confirm this with actions.
The outer border of such a zone would then be a matter of an agreement among the countries concerned, Pogacnik said, noting that an agreement should be sought in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Asked whether Slovenia's declaration of an ecological zone could affect the negotiations on the border with Croatia, Pogacnik said that the issue of such a zone was certainly linked to the external border of territorial waters.
A country that has access to open seas, also has a right to declare a zone. In this way, the declaration of a zone would confirm Slovenia's right to free access to open seas, Pogacnik stressed.
An unnamed source at the Foreign Ministry confirmed last Friday that Slovenia was considering declaring an ecological zone in a bid to contribute to the efforts for the environmental protection of the northern Adriatic.
A few days earlier, the news broke that the Italian parliament was debating a bill on declaring an ecological zone outside of Italian territorial waters. The bill states explicitly that the zone does not affect fisheries and that its external border will be determined in agreements with the neighbouring countries.
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