STA, 28 September 2021 - Slovenia will get EUR 4.8 million under an EUR 5 billion adjustment instrument for member states hit by Brexit that the Council approved on Tuesday. Slovenia's allocation is the lowest among all member states.

The calculations for each member state took into account the importance of trade with the UK, the importance of fisheries in the UK's exclusive economic zone, and the importance of neighbouring links for the maritime border regions with the UK.

"The prompt adoption of the reserve means that the much needed funding will soon be made available to the worst affected European regions and companies, especially SMEs and their workers," Zvonko Černač, Slovenian minister for development and European cohesion policy, said on behalf of the Slovenian EU presidency.

"Our goal is to help the most vulnerable navigate through a difficult period of adjustment to the aftermath of Brexit. This demonstrates solidarity by all member states with the most affected areas," he said.

STA, 27 September 2021 - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič hosted a meeting of parliamentary speakers from the Western Balkans on Monday, saying that the EU must give the region a clear signal on when it could expect EU accession. The speakers of the Serbian and Montenegrin parliaments also called for more clarity regarding the EU enlargement.

Speaking to the press after the high-level meeting in Brdo pri Kranju, Zorčič said that the aim was to keep the process of the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans on the table and to facilitate it.

He noted that the "process has not only been stalled, but it has even turned into the wrong direction".

According to Zorčič, the parliaments of certain Western Balkan countries do not see the EU and getting closer to the bloc as their future, and some countries have given up on waiting for signals to come from the EU.

On the other hand, they continue making the necessary reforms and thus it is of "utmost importance that the EU gives the countries a clear signal on when they can accept the accession," he added.

Zorčič feels that the signals coming from the EU do not encourage trust in the enlargement process in the countries in the regions.

"It is important that Slovenia, as an EU member state that has historical connections with the Western Balkan countries and knows about this region, maintains the debate and even upgrades it in this direction," he added.

President of the National Assembly of Serbia Ivica Dačić agreed, saying that the EU needed to say when it would accept the Western Balkan countries, noting that the region deserved an honest attitude.

President of the Parliament of Montenegro Aleksa Bečić noted that there was no alternative to the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, and he demanded an answer from the EU as to whether this process is still alive.

The EU could show this in the case of Montenegro, he said, adding that the EU membership of the country would serve as a motivating factor for other countries in the region.

The meeting was also attended by the parliamentary speakers from Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia and the vice-president of the Albanian Parliament. The speakers of the Parliament of Kosovo has excused himself, Zorčič said.

The speakers adopted a joint statement with which they will acquaint the speakers of parliaments of the EU member states as they meet next year for a conference in Slovenia, Zorčič said.

The participants were addressed beforehand by President Borut Pahor, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Foreign Policy Committee chair Monika Gregorčič.

Pahor said that Slovenia had always been an advocate of the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, and called for multilateral cooperation between the countries in the region to be strengthened, the president's office said.

In the afternoon, the meeting will continue with a talk with young people from Slovenia and the Western Balkans as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The EU enlargement to the Western Balkans is one of the priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the EU Council, as part of which an EU-Western Balkans summit will be hosted next week.

Pahor expressed the hope that the summit would bring en encouragement for the enlargement process, while noting the mutual responsibility of both parties.

"The EU must keep the enlargement to the Western Balkans as a priority, and the Western Balkan countries must implement the necessary reforms in order to develop," the president was quoted by his office.

Logar expressed the expectation that Western Balkan countries will continue with reforms and said the EU could not be a successful global player without successfully integrating the Western Balkans and a stabilisation of its eastern and southern neighbourhood, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The meeting ended with a joint declaration which underlines the need to once again put the enlargement process high on the EU agenda and states that the EU must remain the first choice of strategic partner by the Western Balkans.

The speakers also called for greater solidarity in addressing common challenges and for an improvement of the situation of youths in the region.

STA, 17 September 2021 - Slovenia officially became a member of the club of Mediterranean EU countries henceforth known as EU Med, which has grown from seven to nine members with the inclusion of Slovenia and Croatia at a summit in Athens on Friday.

Prime Minister Janez Janša said after the meeting that it was a great honour for Slovenia to join the group, which was expanding at a crucial time during Slovenia's presidency of the EU. "This gives Slovenia a new opportunity for coordinating all open issues on the agenda."

Janša said a variety of important issues had been discussed affecting not just the Mediterranean member states but the entire EU, including major things that fit into the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe, including strategic autonomy, climate change, green transition, migrations, security, Covid-19, recovery and resilience.

"Slovenia is a Mediterranean country and in this Med context it will strive for realisation of presidency slogan Together. Resilient. Europe.," he said.

Slovenia has long lobbied to become a member and its formal application dates back to 2015. Janša's office said prior to the summit that Slovenia's inclusion was the result of its long-standing efforts to increase its presence in the Mediterranean area and forge closer links with Mediterranean countries.

Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said that participation in the group would benefit Slovenia and increase its political weight in talks with other EU member states.

STA, 17 September 2021 - The European Commission paid out the first, EUR 231 million batch of EU funds to Slovenia on Friday as part of the recovery and resilience plan, which is 13% of the total amount Slovenia is to receive. The money will be allocated for sustainable mobility and digital transformation projects.

"Good news for Slovenia. The first disbursement of funds under #NextGenerationEU kick-starts the green and digital transition in the country," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

The NextGenerationEU instrument will also invest in better healthcare, for the benefit of all Slovenians, she added.

Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj welcomed the news. "I'm happy that after signing the contract we have received the first funds from the recovery and resilience facility. I announced this in July and the expectation was fulfilled.

"This is an important achievement for Slovenia and a big step forward in the implementation of the goals set," he was quoted as saying by the Finance Ministry.

The Commission endorsed Slovenia's plan for recovery and resilience at the start of the country's six-month stint at the helm of the EU at the beginning of July. The plan, worth EUR 2.5 billion, was endorsed by EU member states at the end of July.

In line with the plan, Slovenia is to receive EUR 1.8 billion in grants and EUR 705 million in loans for projects promoting the country's post-pandemic recovery and resilience to future crises.

The projects will support 33 reforms and 55 investments envisaged by the plan. Further payments will be approved based on the implementation of these projects.

Member states had to commit in their national plans to allocate 37% of the funds for the implementation of the EU's green goals and 20% for digital goals. They also had to commit to the principle that no measure must cause significant damage to the environment.

Slovenia plans to allocate 43% of the funds to green projects and over 20% to digital ones, the Finance Ministry said.

The key investments will be EUR 310 million for adjusting to climate change, especially anti-flooding measures, EUR 292 million for upgrading and digitalisation of the railway infrastructure, EUR 264 million for education, EUR 230 million for digitalisation of the public administration, EUR 189 million for healthcare and long-term care infrastructure, EUR 130 million for renewable energy sources and EUR 86 million for energy efficiency of buildings.

So far 12 other countries have already received first funding from the EU in the total amount of over EUR 49 billion, sources in Brussels said today.

STA, 2 September 2021 - The EU must strengthen its strategic autonomy, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said as he spoke to the press after an informal meeting of EU defence ministers at Brdo pri Kranju on Thursday. Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin said political will would be needed to address this issue.

Almost all member states agree "we have to strengthen our ability to act independently when and where necessary", said the EU's high representatives for foreign affairs and security policy. "We have armies, we have resources, the problem is harmonisation and the will to mobilise these resources."

Afghanistan is a good example coming at the right time to mobilise the will of member states and to realize that there is no other way to face the new situation than being able to act on our own.

EU potrebuje zmogljivosti za avtonomen odziv v kriznih razmerah. Mehanizmi, kot je Evropski obrambni sklad, zagotavljajo sredstva, nujna pa je politična volja, da bomo lahko angažirali obrambne zmogljivosti in zavarovali interese #EU. pic.twitter.com/4pRj08WQxY

— Matej Tonin (@MatejTonin) September 2, 2021

"Afghanistan showed that the shortcomings in our strategic autonomy have their price. The only way forward is to join forces and strengthen not only our capabilities but also our will to act," said Borrell.

This means raising the level of preparedness within the common military training but also the establishment of new tools such as a rapid reaction force.

Borrell admitted there was no full consensus among the member states on the force yet, but this was not that important as only a discussion was held at today's meeting, while a decision would be taken in November.

The idea about the European rapid reaction force, which could count around 5,000 soldiers, is an important segment of the Strategic Compass, a key process to reach a higher level of Europe's strategic autonomy, according to Borrell.

Minister Tonin meanwhile stressed that the EU had its own defence fund to address this issue. "We have the money, and if we have a political will to build in the coming years these urgent capabilities for autonomous action, including in very demanding areas, then we have definitely taken a step forward."

Tonin saw major progress at today's meeting as individual countries announced to present their proposals how to change the existing mechanism to enable faster political decision-making and faster intervention.

"It's definitely a step forward that member states will make a concrete proposal, and if it is acceptable to all members, we have a concrete solution," he said.

Consensus is an important mechanism especially for small EU member states, so some members are reluctant to give up consensus-based decision-making. Tonin said this is the key obstacle as the EU searches for a solution.

Afghanistan was the main topic as the ministers discussed the EU's operative activities. They stressed that evacuation of people from the country had not yet been completed and that support in diplomatic, humanitarian and development areas needed to continue, according to a press release from the Slovenian Defence Ministry.

The ministers also shared a view that the EU should learn from the Afghanistan crisis to apply the lessons to its operations and missions in Mali, Mozambique, Libya and the Western Balkans.

The debate on common geostrategic challenges and cooperation with NATO and the UN was also attended by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The ministers agreed that global challenges are the same for all and that common issues should be addressed jointly.

STA, 1 September 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has urged the EU to return to its roots, to the basic principles laid down by the founding fathers, as he argued at the Bled Strategic Forum that this is the only way to ensure unity while preserving diversity.

"It is my opinion that the European structure must built on stone, on the firm foundations set by the fathers of the EU. Any attempt to build out the European structure on sand has failed and will fail," he said on arrival at the event.

He said the guiding principles should be unity when it comes to strategic decisions and "freedom in everything else".

Laying out his vision in his opening address to the forum, Janša said the founding fathers had formulated four principal mechanisms - consensus, mutual respect, subsidiarity and solidarity.

Along the way Europe has sometimes moved away from these principles or even against them, but he said the bloc should be well advised to continue heeding them. How to implement these values is "the defining question of our time".

The prime minister acknowledged that there were different visions about the future of Europe, which is why Slovenia's EU presidency was keen to have "a sincere and open discussion on the European future" in which everyone can speak and be listened to.

The debate must be about the core principles of consensus seeking, solidarity, mutual respect and subsidiarity if Europe is to successfully tackle challenges, he said, noting that "unnecessary fights" were preoccupying its political agenda.

The debate must be about "who we are" and the strategic goal is to ensure unity while preserving diversity. "Europe does not have to reinvent the wheel, we have to return to the origins."

Laying out his vision of Europe three decades from now, Janša said he saw a strong EU based on the European civilisation with strong member states, a bloc that is "able to project and execute soft and hard power".

He also sees Europe at peace with itself and set in peaceful and prosperous surroundings, a part of a strong NATO and a world leader in terms of freedom and quality of life, a place of "dynamic and free expression of opinions".

It would also have high standards of respect for human rights and rule of law based on equal standards for all and on the cooperation of democratic institutions elected by the people.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar said in his address that the optimism of 2004, when Eastern European countries joined the EU, had been replaced by "a heavy dose of political realism and even pessimism", but the consensus was that the EU is still able to deliver, which it has shown during the Covid-19 crisis.

He noted that Europe had started to "more like a problem-solving union instead of a community adopting a strategic approach," noting that it was now necessary to identify the bloc's role in the world.

Such a debate should "not shy away from security and migrations". "We do not wish to evade issues which might be difficult or controversial to discuss, we wish to have an open debate."

European Council President Charles Michel noted that talking about the future of the EU must be about "what it should be ... its relationship with entire European geographic area, how it is organised ... and how to involve the citizens more."

While solidarity is at the root of the EU and its future, the EU has also become a project of influence, he said, noting that the bloc had become the largest exporter of standards in global trade.

"Yet the most important export standard is democracy, human rights and the rule of law... It is chosen freely, but it is both gateway to the union and vital to its proper functioning."

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 30 July 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: New right-leaning party is being formed

STA, 30 July 2021 - The left-wing weekly Mladina says in its latest editorial that Prime Minister Janez Janša is working hard for a new right-leaning party that would present itself as centrist at the next general election. It says that the most likely candidate for leading such a party is Health Minister Janez Poklukar.

Despite the appearance that a new party is to emerge on the left, much more intensive work for a new party is under way on the right end of the political spectrum, says the paper, noting that Janša will need a third coalition partner besides New Slovenia if his Democrats (SDS) win the election.

Thus Janša is looking for a person that would seem different enough from him and acceptable to less engaged voters. Someone would give the impression he is willing to overcome the left-right divide.

"Increasingly many signs suggest Janša has already found such a person. Partly by chance, and partly it was planned: this is most probably the current health minister, Janez Poklukar, whom the previous Marjan Šarec-led coalition appointed the head of the Ljubljana UKC hospital."

He has experience in business, is a leader, a man who sees the public sector as a kind of company. His rhetoric significantly differs from the rudeness of other SDS politicians.

He has quickly climbed the popularity rankings and strikes people as a trustworthy person already because he is a doctor. He seems kind, moderate, acceptable.

He is not incompetent, as he has led UKC Ljubljana well, and is working hard as health minister.

However, Poklukar seems to have not even the slightest reservation towards Janša's actions in other fields. On the contrary, he faithfully serves Janša, and seems to have no problems with his interfering with the rule of law, harassing of certain groups of the population, Hungarisation, intolerance, attacks on the civil society and media.

The creation of a new party led by Poklukar has undoubtedly been backed by private insurers that are already leading the efforts for further privatisation of the Slovenian healthcare through his legislative proposals.

Creating Poklukar's party is thus a serious project that can succeed and that Janša is dependent on. If voters are fooled, the consequences will be very serious, warns Mladina in the commentary entitled New Party.

Demokracija: EU of overreach, betrayal of ideals

STA, 29 July 2021 - Looking at EU action against Hungary over its LGBT+ law, the right-wing weekly Demokracija argues in Thursday's commentary that this is about more than Hungary. "All EU countries will be punished if they resist," the magazine says in Bukovsky Was Right.

"The declaration of 'war' on Orban is merely a test for others who are in the cross-hairs just because of their conservative world view and because they dare to preserve the segment of their sovereignty that was never transferred to Brussels elites.

"This is why they face accusations of attacking minorities (sexual, racial), 'independent' media, divergence from the rule of law and other fabricated imputations," the commentator says.

Demokracija argues that fundamental EU documents clearly state that European culture is built on Christian foundations, whereas the new member states joined the bloc predominantly for economic reasons.

"What they are doing today at the Berlaymont is usurpation of power and a betrayal of the Europe of nations that is unprecedented in the history of the old continent.

"Core EU members (whatever that may mean) are far from the ideal of democracy and freedom as seen by countries that had spent decades suffering under Communist dictatorship."

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 5 July 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša will present Slovenia's EU presidency priorities to the European Parliament at a plenary session on Tuesday in a very different atmosphere than in 2008. Socialists, liberals, the greens, and the left have all announced they will be critical. Janša's political family is reserved.

The presentation of priorities of the country starting the six-month stint at the helm of the Council of the EU in Parliament is customary and is followed by a debate with MEPs.

Janša will address MEPs for the second time as prime minister of a presiding county. In 2008, when he presented Slovenia's first presidency priorities, MEPs were mostly interested in Kosovo, which was about to declare independence.

This year, the situation is much different. The first two days of Slovenia's presidency were marked by two incidents. Frans Timmermans, the European Commission vice-president from the ranks of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), eschewed a traditional photo-op at the takeover of the presidency due to Janša's comments about links between Slovenian judges and the Social Democrats (SD).

This was followed by a statement by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs at Friday's briefing for Brussels correspondents dedicated to the start of the Slovenian presidency being interpreted as taking aim at Timmermans with a pearls-swine metaphor. Hojs has denied the accusation.

This, along with the failure to appoint European delegated prosecutors and Janša's attitude to media and his support to Hungary in a debate on a controversial law that according to the European Commission discriminates people based on their sexual orientation, will set the mood for Tuesday's debate.

The biggest political group, the right-of-centre European People's Party (EPP), is reserved. Janša will take part in a meeting of the group on Tuesday evening, where he can expect questions about his support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the debate on the rights of the LGBTIQ community, as the EPP finds the controversial Hungarian law unacceptable.

Orban's Fidesz left the group and the EPP party a few months ago.

The EPP warns that politicising such issues in Hungary, Slovenia and Poland feeds populism in these countries. Unofficially, the group is concerned about the divide between the eastern and western EU countries, which the debate on the rights of the LGBTIQ community laid bare again.

The second and third biggest parliamentary groups, the S&D and the liberal Renew, announced they would be critical, especially due to Slovenia's failure to appoint delegated prosecutors to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), and Janša's attitude to media.

The Slovenian prime minister can also expect criticism from the European Greens, the fifth largest group, who announced protests in Strasbourg for Tuesday morning together with the organisers of Friday's anti-government protests in Slovenia, as well as from the Left (GUE/NGL), the smallest political group.

The Eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) said the Slovenian prime minister must be given a chance.

The far-right Identity and Democracy Group (ID) did not take part in Friday's briefing where groups presented their views ahead of Tuesday's debate.

The agenda of the plenary will include the rights of LGBTIQ persons in Hungary, the Article 7 procedure of the Treaty on the European Union against Poland and Hungary, and rule of law conditionality.

The plenary will also be attended by Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar, who will represent the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament. He will take part in the debates on the rule of law and the fundamental rights in Hungary and Poland, the rights of the LGBTIQ community in Hungary, global EU sanctions related to human rights violations, the situation in Ethiopia, Antarctica and the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.

STA, 1 July 2021 - The European Commission endorsed on Thursday Slovenia's EUR 2.5 billion national recovery and resilience plan. Pending confirmation by member states, Slovenia will be able to draw EUR 1.8 billion in grants and EUR 705 million in loans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Slovenia will spend the funds, equivalent to 5.4% of the country's GDP, to support 33 reforms and 50 investments laid out in the plan.

Member states had to strike a balance between reforms and investments in their national plan, and comply with the condition that 37% of funds are set aside for green goals and 20% for digital goals.

Slovenia's plan earmarks 42.4% for green transition goals and 21.4% for digital goals, with 30% set aside for the promotion of smart and inclusive growth, 15% for health, and 13% for digital transformation.

Slovenia plans to spend EUR 230 million on energy efficiency and seismic renovation of buildings, EUR 292 million on investments in railway infrastructure, and EUR 54 million on drinking water supply.

In the digital segment, EUR 114 million has been set aside for digital literacy and lifelong learning, EUR 83 million for digitalisation of healthcare, and EUR 44 million for the digital transition of business.

EUR 79 million in spending is planned to set up a long-term care system, EUR 110 million for increasing the resilience of the health system, EUR 60 million for affordable housing, and EUR 28 million for a faster entry of the young into the labour market.

To boost productivity and innovation, Slovenia plans to spend EUR 305 million to support private investments and reforms to improve the business environment.

The Commission said the Slovenian plan includes "an extensive set of mutually reinforcing reforms and investments that contribute to effectively addressing all or a significant subset of the economic and social challenges outlined in the country-specific recommendations."

It includes important reforms on long-term care, healthcare, pensions and labour market, education and skills, R&D and innovation, business environment and public procurement.

The plan represents "a comprehensive and adequately balanced response to Slovenia's economic and social situation, thereby contributing appropriately to all six pillars referred to in the RRF Regulation."

The Commission assessed the plan across eleven categories, giving ten As and one B.

Confirmation by the Council is expected within four weeks, whereupon an agreement will be signed and Slovenia can get EUR 231 million in pre-financing. Individual payments will be carried out according to the agreement, either in full or on a pro rata basis.

STA, 30 June 2021 - The government will host the College of European Commissioners for a working visit on Thursday as Slovenia formally takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. On the occasion, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present an assessment of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan.

Such working meetings between the entire College of Commissioners and the government of the presiding country are customary whenever a country starts the rotating presidency with the aim being to review priorities for the next six months.

Slovenia's presidency is expected to focus on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery, enhancing resilience for future crises, green and digital transition and the efforts to push ahead with the enlargement process.

The official programme of the visit is not available yet but the visit is expected to take one day. Before the Covid-19 pandemic such visits typically lasted two days.

While the working meeting with the German government was held in a virtual format, and the visit to Lisbon was downsized, the entire College of Commissioners is expected in Slovenia. Working meetings are to be held at Brdo estate north-west of Ljubljana.

The proceedings are to get under way with a meeting between von der Leyen and Prime Minister Janez Janša, followed by meetings between commissioners and ministers by five thematic sections: the European Green Deal, digital transformation, recovery and resilience, foreign relations with the emphasis on the Western Balkans and migration, security, the rule of law and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

After a working lunch, Janša and von der Leyen are to address a joint press conference. In the afternoon, meetings with President Borut Pahor and National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič are planned.

Upon the Commission's visit, it is customary for the presiding country to organise a ceremony to launch the presidency. In the case of Slovenia, the guests are expected to travel to Bled for the premiere of the ballet Water Man, but this part of the programme has not been confirmed yet.

Between Wednesday and Saturday a group of about 50 Brussels-based correspondents will be visiting Slovenia, which too is in keeping with the custom at the start of each presidency.

While in Slovenia, the Commission president is expected to announce the assessment of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan. The Commission has not yet adopted such an assessment but it appears Slovenia will become the 13th EU country to get a positive mark.

Once the Commission has given its go-ahead, the plan, which will provide the basis to tap into EU recovery funds, also needs to be endorsed by EU member states. First confirmations are expected on 13 July, at the first session of EU finance ministers under Slovenia's guide.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa indicated at the end of last week that confirmations in mid-July can be expected by the twelve countries that were the first to get the positive assessment. Slovenia would thus not be among them.

The Commission has so far endorsed the recovery plans of Portugal, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovakia, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Belgium and France.

It is not clear yet when the first member states can expect to in fact get recovery funds. The Commission has so far borrowed EUR 20 billion in financial markets by issuing the first ten-year bond. Brussels has been indicating the member states with approved plans could get first funds in July.

Asked by the STA whether von der Leyen will broach issues of media freedom, STA financing and delays in the appointment of Slovenia's European delegated prosecutors in her meeting with PM Janša, the Commission said merely it would be possible to pose questions about the topics of talks at Thursday's press conference.

The European Commission has on several occasions called on Slovenia to appoint its delegated prosecutors as part of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which has recently become operational. It remains the only of the participating countries that has not yet appointed its delegated prosecutors.

Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders has recently expressed the expectation for Slovenia to meet its obligations by 1 July, that is by the start of its presidency. If not he indicated that legal action could be initiated against Slovenia.

The Commission has also repeatedly expressed concern over the media situation in Slovenia, in particular over the attempts to undermine sustainable financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

In response to the government decree on the STA a week ago, the Commission said it expected swift solutions to unlock financing that need to fully reserve the agency's independence. I also said that it should be checked at the national level whether the new decree complied with the exiting legislation on the STA.