The Croatian government efforts to bring the budget deficit into balance by 2010. This optimism is based on the country's continued strong economic performance, and Finance Minister Ivan Suker's expectation that the 2007 shortfall has been contained at around 2.3%

With Slovenia assuming the rotating EU presidency in H108, Croatia has been handed a golden opportunity to have a key neighbour push forward its hopes for early EU membership. Instead, the spat over the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone has