Croatia, Italy and Slovenia agreed at a meeting in Ancona on Monday to extend their cooperation in protecting the Adriatic Sea to the security sector, with emphasis on illegal migration, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said.

The three countries have so far been cooperating in environmental protection, the blue economy and connectivity in the Adriatic.

At the meeting with his Italian and Slovenian counterparts, Antonio Tajani and Tanja Fajon, Grlic-Radman said he was pleased that the declaration from Ancona included the Croatian proposal for the three countries to extend their cooperation to include security.

“In addition to the three areas that we have defined as key when it comes to the protection of the common Adriatic Sea – environmental protection, the blue economy and connectivity, I am glad that our cooperation has been extended at Croatia’s proposal to an important area of home affairs, namely security,” Grlic-Radman said at a press conference.

“We can successfully cope with illegal migration through stronger cooperation, as is done by our respective police forces, and by harmonising our positions within the EU. Our cooperation in combating transnational organised crime is also essential, because in that way we also fight against criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, as well as against terrorism and extremism,” he added.

Grlic-Radman stressed that illegal migration must be stopped, noting that Croatia has enough capacity, about 6,600 police officers, to guard the longest border of the EU’s Schengen passport-free travel area.

“However, the involvement of the Western Balkan countries is also necessary and they have to take their share of responsibility,” Grlic-Radman said after Minister Fajon reiterated that Slovenia insisted on Frontex personnel being deployed on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Grlic-Radman agreed with Minister Tajani that the EU should seriously address the cause of illegal migration, namely the situation in Africa.

Tajani described the situation in Africa as “an explosive cocktail” consisting of criminal groups engaging in human trafficking and Islamic terrorist groups, saying that Italy would also turn to NATO for assistance because the alliance had been involved in the fight against Somali pirates.

Operation Ocean Shield was NATO’s contribution to international efforts in combating piracy in the waters off the Horn of Africa from August 2009 to December 2016.

As for environmental protection, Grlic-Radman said they agreed to increase cooperation in dealing with the issue of ballast waters, highlighting the importance of the Sub-regional Contingency Plan in the event of sudden pollution incidents in the Adriatic.

Speaking of projects, he cited the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley, which he said met the criteria for the award of EU grants in the amount of €25 million in direct financing for the development of the transnational hydrogen valley between Croatia, Slovenia and the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

“In terms of energy, the importance of hydrogen is unquestionable. In addition to LNG, hydrogen is one of the tools to reduce dependence on energy imports and plays the role of driver of the common European sustainable economy,” Grlic-Radman said.

As for the blue economy and fisheries, Croatia welcomed the continued work of the trilateral group Adriatica, and as far as connectivity is concerned, the Port Authority of Rijeka took over the presidency of the North Adriatic Ports Association last month, he said.

Activities continue in accordance with the main priorities, including contribution to maritime, transport, cargo and railway integration into the TEN-T network  as part of European territorial integration programmes.

“Part of our trilateral cooperation, as well as wider cooperation in priority areas, is being conducted under the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, and last month Croatia assumed the one-year presidency of this Strategy and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative,” Grlic-Radman said.