Yesterday, the Prime Minister Janez Janša attended an informal meeting of presidents and prime ministers of EU member states in Lahti, Finland. The meeting, organised by the Finnish presidency, focused on innovations and energy.

 

Prime Minister Janša is greeted by his host, the Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Photo: BOBO)

 

According to Mr Janša, the discussions in Lahti focused mainly on the EU's internal and external energy policies. He stressed that it was definitely not possible to implement a coherent external energy policy without a coherent energy policy within the EU. "I believe this is an important conclusion; it is probably not new, but it is the first time it has been so widely recognised." The participants at the summit agreed that Europe needed a more unified approach to key energy suppliers, particularly because its dependence on energy, and consequently, energy imports, is bound to increase in the future.

 

The EU leaders also agreed that strengthening research in the fields of sustainable resources and energy was the key to preventing unfavourable climate changes. Prime Minister Janša informed his counterparts that within Slovenia's Resolution on National Development Projects 2007-2023, nearly €4 billion have been earmarked for research and the introduction of renewable sources of energy. "This is a huge step forward, even when compared to those countries that have always invested considerably in environment protection and research. This was also the opinion of the summit participants," said the PM, adding that the heads of states and governments agreed that it was most important to reduce the consumption of those types of energy that are most damaging to the environment.

After the press conference, Prime Minister Janša reiterated that among the Schengen area candidates, Slovenia was the best prepared (Photo: BOBO)

 

According to Mr Janša, the majority of participants also expressed support for the EU document on a new innovation strategy, despite some second thoughts about encouraging innovation – by establishing the European Institute of Technology – being funded mainly from the Seventh Research Framework Programme. "The Commission has stated that the document stipulated updating the system of public-private partnerships through private funds, and adopting good practices from countries with well developed systems," added the PM.

 

The heads of states and governments agreed that illegal migration was a pan-European problem. Europe also intends to tackle this issue more efficiently by increasing aid for Africa in order to attempt to eliminate the causes leading to illegal migration, and by strengthening the role of the FRONTEX Agency. According to Mr Janša, this issue will be dealt with at a separate EU summit or at one of the informal European Councils. The participants at the meeting in Lahti also called for a common European migration policy.
 
Schengen was another issue at the meeting. The Slovenian PM stressed that Slovenia was interested in entering the Schengen area, and that it was the best prepared candidate among the EU member states seeking to be admitted.

In the evening EU leaders were joined by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin (Photo: BOBO)

 

In the evening, the participants at the Informal Summit were joined by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. European leaders agreed that the EU, particularly with regard to energy issues, should adopt a unified approach. The EU Presidency also reminded Russia of the significance of respecting human rights, and of its broader framework in line with European standards. The EU will insist upon these when collaborating with third parties, including the Russian Federation.