Brussels, 05/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - Accession negotiations with Croatia were now at “cruising speed”, but it was still important that the next government, once formed, continued the reforms, particularly in competition policy and state aid, stressed Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Wednesday 5 December. This was essential if Croatia wanted to conclude negotiations in 2009 and “make next year the critical year of negotiation,” he said after his meeting with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. Rehn once again called on Croatia not to set up a fisheries and ecological zone off its coast, as Zagreb plans to do on 1 January 2008. Setting up such a zone would deprive particularly fishermen from EU member states of access to maritime resources in the Adriatic Sea, and this would have “negative ramifications to the EU accession negotiations,” he pointed out. Giving assurances that he would follow the “pacta sunt servanda” principle, Mesic said he hoped to reach a political agreement which would be acceptable to his country, Slovenia, Italy and the EU. (A.B.)