Though Republic of Croatia has been maintaining a safe distance from the genetically-modified organisms so far, it has signed the Cartagena Protocol and has come up with a national legislative framework to tackle bio-safety issues as it plans to join the European Union in July 2013. ”Fortunately, our people have not accepted anything relating GMO and no multinational company has tried to introduce GM seed but we do not want to be left behind other EU constituents when we join them next year”, Dubravka Stepic, advisor, nature protection directorate of the Croatian Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection told The Hindu on the sidelines of the sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties serving the meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety.