Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, made an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where he was received by HM the Queen - the first Slovenian Prime Minister to do so. In addition to the reception with the Queen and a meeting with his host, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the PM met the Government Chief Whip, Geoff Hoon, and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, David Lewis.
(Photo: Bobo)
According to Mr Janša, the meeting with HM the Queen was very interesting. "I was very surprised how well she new the situation in Slovenia and in the region, and the history of numerous issues faced by the EU and the world," said the PM after the reception. On this occasion the PM gave the Queen a bronze sculpture of a Lipizzaner horse and a book entitled 'Slovenes in the Eyes of the Empire', which was published a few days ago. The book is a compendium of documents by British diplomats describing Slovenian lands dating from the peace conference after World War I. "She said she would read it with interest. I felt that she has very in-depth knowledge of the situation described in this book," said the PM. Meanwhile, the PM invited the Queen to visit Slovenia. "One of the possibilities is next year or in 2009, but it depends on various circumstances," the PM said in his statement to media representatives.
(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
Discussions between Mr Janša and his UK counterpart, Gordon Brown, focused on bilateral relations and common European issues, particularly in the light of Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the EU. According to the Slovenian PM, cooperation between the countries is running smoothly, "We can be particularly satisfied with the results with regard to trade, trade in goods and services, which exceeds a billion euros and has increased by more than 25 per cent in the last year," said the PM.
With regard to common European issue, the PMs focused on two key challenges: an energy efficiency action plan which is to be discussed by the European Council in March 2008, and the issue of the European perspective for the countries of the Western Balkans, particularly the future status of Kosovo. This is where Slovenia expects the greatest support from the UK during the Presidency. "This has been at the forefront of our discussions. They expressed every willingness for direct talks at ay time, day or night," said the PM.
According to the PM, the question of Kosovo’s future status will be the EU's first foreign policy challenge after signing the new reform treaty. "Mr Brown and I agreed that it is of utmost significance that the EU – after it gets the new treaty, which envisages a greater role of the Union with regard to foreign policy – should adopt a unified approach and stand on the issue, and react immediately when the troika present their proposal," said Mr Janša. Both Slovenia and the UK side expect that part of the mentioned proposal will be drafted by December and that on its basis the work can be completed during Slovenia's Presidency.
(Photo: Office of the Prime Minister)
With regard to the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, the PM said that this was an extremely difficult project. It will be launched in January, when the European Commission issues the first proposals on sharing the burden among member states in order to attain common objectives in reducing greenhouse gasses and increasing the share of renewable sources of energy in national energy balances. "The debate during the process of defining these goals alone showed that different countries have different views, which is understandable, since their views on how to achieve these goals also differ," said the Slovenian PM, adding "I am not saying that the whole Action Plan will be adopted during Slovenia's Presidency, but we will do everything so that as many important measures as possible are adopted." Mr Janša and his UK counterpart also discussed additional opportunities for achieving the goals, and possibilities that were not considered enough in past debates. "One of these is nuclear energy. Some countries are rather reserved towards nuclear energy; however, it is quite obvious that given the current technological development, achieving these goals without including nuclear energy in national energy balances will not be possible," stressed Mr Janša, adding that nuclear energy was a European perspective. In his opinion, attaining the set objectives is a realistic approach, as the other alternatives are bad. "Climate change is not something that is used to frighten children, but something that is actually happening. If no concrete steps are taken, it will not be long before our generation has to face catastrophic consequences." The Slovenian PM also stressed that the EU ought to take advantage of its moral power, which it received when setting concrete goals first for itself, adding that Europe would need to be capable of distributing these goals justly among its members and then work towards attaining them.
Mr Janša invited Mr Brown to visit Slovenia, to which his UK counterpart assured him that this would happen as soon as an opportunity arises. According to the Slovenian PM, this will be rather difficult during the Presidency. "Soon after, the visit will be possible," he said.
(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
The talks between Mr Janša and Geoff Hoon, focused on ratifying the Reform Treaty, which will follow its imminent signature. After the meeting, the PM said that for the time being complications with regard to ratification in the UK were not expected. "Following the implementation process of the European Reform Treaty will be one of the first priorities of Slovenian Presidency," said Mr Janša, adding that Slovenia was already preparing for this challenge. In this respect, Slovenia has been discussing cooperation with individual countries, and helping those where procedures are more complicated. "It is in the common interest of the whole of Europe to finish this procedure as soon as possible," said the Slovenian PM, stressing that this institutional framework will enable the EU to face upcoming challenges.
(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
The talks between Mr Janša and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, David Lewis, focused mainly on economic and financial issues. The Slovenian PM presented to his host the situation in the Slovenian financial market, and discussed with him opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the field. The PM's hosts expressed willingness to share their know-how and experience with the Slovenian Government and other Slovenian institutions.
