Interview: Slovenia to focus on Western Balkans at EU helm

The upcoming Slovenian presidency of the EU has identified ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon and enlargement to the Western Balkans as the main priorities of its tenure, the country’s State Secretary for European Affairs Janez Lenar?i? told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Moreover, Slovenia will attempt to follow up on the “very ambitious” climate change and energy policy goals outlined by the German presidency at the beginning of the year, Lenar?i? told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview. 

Slovenia is set to assume the six month, rotating Council presidency on 1 January 2008, thus becoming the first of the member states that joined in 2004 to take over the EU helm. 

Describing the Western Balkans as “very important to us” for geographical and historical reasons, Lenar?i? said that the presidency would “try to launch several activities” there, including an “initiative for further visa liberalisation and the formal conclusion of Stabilisation and Association Agreements with all the countries in the region”. 

Expressing his hope that the ongoing Kosovo issue would not “overshadow a more […] positive message about the EU perspective for the region”, Lenar?i? identified Croatia – where the presidency is “determined to make progress” – and particularly the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the main countries on which to focus. 

Moreover, he announced that the recent progress report on Macedonia should be used as a roadmap for reform in order to obtain a date for the opening of accession negotiations. 

Lenar?i? said that Slovenia supports Turkey’s bid to join the EU and plans to open new negotiation chapters during its presidency, although he said that the feasibility of this depends on the pace of Turkey’s progress on implementing the acquis and thus “it is too early to predict the chapters which could be opened […] during the first half of 2008”. 

Describing energy and climate change as a “major priority” of the Slovenian Presidency and “central to the EU’s response to global challenges”, Lenar?i? said he would put wider use of renewables, carbon capture and storage and better distribution of effort between member states regarding the emissions trading scheme at the top of the agenda. 

More generally, the presidency would seek to “add value” to existing policies rather than come up with “endless [new] initiatives”, he explained. 

To read the interview in full, please click here. 

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