An English-language sign at the fishermen’s pier in the Croatian town of Umag reads: “This fishing port was rebuilt with the support of the European Union”.
But most of the 3,700 fishermen who ply their trade in Croatia’s eastern Adriatic fear that the country’s accession to the EU on 1 July, and strict new laws and regulations that come with it, may be the end of their jobs.

“I’m afraid we’re in for a lot of unpleasant surprises,” said Danilo Latin, whose family have been fishermen for four generations.