“Slovenia’s Presidency of the European Union has been a success thanks to the synergy of all services and people who took part in this project,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša at two ceremonies held on Friday to mark the end of the Slovene Presidency of the EU Council. At the Kranj barracks, he took the opportunity, together with Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and Slovene Army Chief-of-staff Albin Gutman, to express his thanks to members of the Slovene Army; in Brdo pri Kranju, he addressed a number of civil servants to compliment them on their contribution in the last six months to ensure the smooth course of the presidency.

 

(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)

 

According to the Prime Minister, the Slovenian Army played a vital role in the presidency, offering its support in terms of logistics, content and security. The 423 specially trained soldiers did their work in Slovenia very well, he said. But apart from logistics, the contribution of the Slovene Defence Ministry and the Slovene Army was seen in other areas as well: “You have also done a good job in providing information when it came to one of the key priorities of the Slovene Presidency – stabilising the Western Balkans,” pointed out Mr Janša.

 

(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)

 

“Slovenia has shown Europe and the rest of the world that it is not only good at organising events, but it is also a hospitable and safe country,” said the Prime Minister. In his view, the Slovene Presidency was the most important project in terms of logistics, security and scope that the country has carried out since gaining its independence.

 

(Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)

 

In the afternoon at Brdo pri Kranju, Mr Janša thanked civil servants for their contribution to the Slovene Presidency, saying that without them, numbering more than 1,000 altogether, this project could not have been a success from the point of view of both substance and organisation. According to the Prime Minister, civil servants also helped reduce the costs of the presidency, adding that Slovenia would probably be the first Member State at the head of the EU not to spend more than what was originally planned. The country should therefore stay within EUR 62.3 million, which is one of the lowest amounts of money spent by a Member State for its presidency.