Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, was on a working visit in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. His visit was aimed at further strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly political dialogue at a high level, which is very significant in the light of Slovenia's EU presidency in 2008.
Prime Minister Janez Janša and the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)
Mr Janša and the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende exchanged views on bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They agreed that relations had been very good and amicable ever since they were established around this time 15 years ago. Slovenia greatly appreciates the help and support that the Netherlands offered, when both countries were in the process of joining Euro-Atlantic institutions. "Today we are both in the European Union and NATO, and we also share numerous other common interests," said the Slovenian PM.
"Economic cooperation between the two countries is good, as mutual foreign trade amounts almost to €1 billion, and the Netherlands holds third place in terms of investment in Slovenia's economy," stressed Mr Janša, adding that he and his Dutch counterpart agreed that there were ample opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the future. On this occasion the Minister of the Economy, Andrej Vizjak, signed an agreement on the joint use of oil reserves and petroleum products between Slovenia and the Netherlands with his Dutch counterpart.
Prime Minister Janez Janša met the President of the Senate, Yvonne Timmerman-Buck, and the Speaker of the Lower House, Gerdi Verbeet (Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)
All the meetings, including the discussions between the prime ministers, focused on European issues. According to Mr Janša, Slovenia greatly appreciates the Netherlands support during the preparations for Slovenia's presidency of the EU. One of the key issues which will be on the agenda is the institutional crisis that has gripped Europe since the European constitution was rejected in some member states. The Slovenian PM said that Slovenia had a realistic view of the issue, despite being one of the first countries to ratify the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe. The prime ministers agreed that a compromise, which largely depended on the progress made at the June meeting of the European Council, was necessary if the issue was to be resolved before the EU parliamentary elections in 2009. "Thus the elections to the European Parliament would take place in a much more positive atmosphere," said Mr Janša.
Among other priorities which will probably be in the limelight during Slovenia's presidency the Slovenian PM emphasised examining the implemented goals of the Lisbon Strategy, while also focusing on further enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy. In this respect, Mr Janša stressed the significance of the European perspective for the countries of the Western Balkans. The prime ministers agreed that an individual approach to each country was necessary and that all of them must meet certain criteria in full. One of Slovenia's priority tasks is also intercultural dialogue, where it has made some proposals, including establishing a Mediterranean university, which, according to the Slovenian PM, would facilitate an exchange of students and lecturers from many countries and cultures of the Mediterranean, and significantly contribute to overcoming some artificially created differences. Slovenia is one of the candidates for the location of the university.
The Slovenian delegation, headed by the PM Janez Janša, also met the President of the Senate, Yvonne Timmerman-Buck, and the Speaker of the Lower House, Gerdi Verbeet, with whom they discussed European issues, particularly the common institutional basis of the EU and the enlargement policy. These topics were also at the centre of Mr Janša's talks with the members of the Committee for European Affairs and the Committee for Foreign Affairs.
