Lenarčič: Slovenian Presidency to 'add value' to existing EU policies 

Janez Lenarčič is Slovenia's State Secretary for European Affairs. 

To read a shortened version of this interview, please click here. 

Besides making progress with ongoing legislative dossiers, EU presidencies often tend to focus on a number of topics on which they want to place extra emphasis. In the case of Slovenia, what will these topics be? 

The main priorities will be the following: First, the future of Europe, including the ratification of the new Treaty, the continuation of accession negotiations and the role of the EU in general. 

The second priority is the Western Balkans. This is very important for us, because the region in question is close to Slovenia in geographical, historical and many other aspects. All the countries of this region have a European perspective. Our ambition is to move forward, to make further steps towards the achievement of this objective, which will come, of course, several years from now. 

The third priority is climate change and energy policy. The last March European Council under the German Presidency set very ambitious goals. These goals require some follow-up work if we want to achieve them. 

Finally, the Lisbon Strategy will enter its next cycle during our presidency. This will be one of the issues addressed at the European Council meeting in March. Of course, I have only mentioned the main priorities. 

On enlargement, are there any specific initiatives regarding relations with the Western Balkans? Do you expect some breakthroughs with Croatia for example? What about Macedonia and Kosovo? 

In our opinion, the security and prosperity of the European Union also depend on the situation in the Balkans. We are aware that we cannot achieve any major breakthroughs in a short time, but we believe in the step–by-step approach. 

Therefore Slovenia will try to launch several activities, such as the initiative for further visa liberalisation and the formal conclusion of Stabilisation and Association Agreements with all the countries in the region. 

During our presidency, we are determined to generate progress in the Croatian negotiation process. However, the pace of the further negotiation process will depend on the pace of the implementation of the necessary reforms in Croatia, mostly of which were pointed out in this year's Progress Report. 

We should not discourage the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on its path to the EU. This year's Progress Report should be considered as a roadmap for all reforms required in order to obtain the date for the beginning of the accession negotiations. I believe that during next year, the FYROM can achieve considerable progress which can be reflected in the 2008 Progress Report. 

Although we would not wish to see the issue of Kosovo overshadow a more general and positive message about the EU perspective for the region, we are aware that Kosovo will be the main item on the EU's foreign policy agenda in the first half of 2008. 

Slovenia will support any solution which will secure peace, prosperity and better living conditions for all the inhabitants of Kosovo. 

Does the Presidency plan to open new negotiation chapters with Turkey? Which ones? 

Slovenia supports Turkey on its way to the EU. We certainly have a plan to open new negotiation chapters with Turkey. However, the pace of Turkey's accession process depends on the pace of the adoption and implementation of the acquis and other relevant criteria. Therefore it is too early to predict the chapters which could be opened in negotiations during the first half of 2008. 

What are the Presidency's ambitions regarding the energy and climate change package? 

As already mentioned, energy and climate change policy represents one of the major priorities for the Slovenian Presidency. The 2007 Spring European Council set broad directions, and the EU as a whole must now deliver. 

The EU has to strengthen its role as a global leader in this field. The Slovenian Presidency will have the opportunity to be visionary, but also has the duty to be realistic in terms of what can be achieved. 

In terms of procedure, we expect the Spring European Council to place energy and climate change policy at the centre of the EU's response to global challenges. We should be able to make progress on this dossier, also in the light of the ongoing negotiations on the post-Kyoto arrangement on the global scale. 

What tangible results do you hope to achieve and in which specific areas? 

As a Presidency, we expect to steer discussions and perhaps also find some solutions for the EU emissions trading scheme, wider use of renewables, and carbon capture and storage. We should come to an agreement on the basic principles regarding the distribution of effort to be made by each member state in order to meet the targets which we have set for ourselves. Going forward, our actions should result in sustainable, cost-effective and technologically innovative solutions which will serve to maintain the EU's competitiveness on the world stage. 

Will the Presidency come up with additional incentives as well? 

Rather than coming up with endless initiatives, the Slovenian Presidency will seek to add value by looking across all policy dossiers for linkages and using these to provide a genuine response to globalisation. This is what EU citizens expect of us and will therefore inform our approach at every stage.