Zagreb - Croatian MPs unanimously emphasised the importance of protecting the Adriatic Sea from pollution, welcoming the ratification of the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.
"The Adriatic is one of Croatia’s most valuable resources. This protocol is essential to prevent pollution and preserve it for future generations," said SDP MP Ivana Marković. She highlighted the issue of plastic waste, noting that cigarette butts take up to ten years to degrade, plastic bottles 1,000 years, plastic bags 240 years, and glass bottles up to two million years.
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP Nikola Mažar stressed the sea’s strategic significance, while his colleague Ivan Dabo quoted lyrics from the song "O more" by the klapa group Sol to underline its cultural and environmental importance.
"Ratifying this protocol will improve coordination with other signatory countries, enhance environmental protection measures, reduce illegal pollution, and establish more effective monitoring systems," Dabo added.
Dušica Radojčić (We Can!) pointed out that the Convention has been in place for over 50 years and questioned why Croatia had not ratified the Protocol sooner. She also drew attention to waste pollution from ships, which fishermen often retrieve from the sea.
"Not only do they have nowhere to dispose of this waste, but they also have to pay for its removal," she said, proposing free waste disposal containers in fishing ports and free emptying of ships' black water tanks.
State Secretary: Goal is effective monitoring of all pollution sources
State Secretary for Environmental Protection and Green Transition Anja Bagarić explained that Croatia's accession to the Protocol was part of its OECD membership commitments, aiming to strengthen pollution control.
She clarified that “dumping” includes the deliberate disposal of waste or other substances into the sea from ships, aircraft, platforms, or artificial structures, as well as waste storage on or under the seabed from such sources.