Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met representatives of the second largest party in the European Parliament, MEPs from the Party of European Socialists (PSE), to exchange views on the challenges facing Europe in the first half of 2008 during Slovenia's Presidency of the EU. The PM and MEPs agreed that the following issues should receive the greatest attention: following up the ratification process and implementing the new Treaty, resolving the issue of Kosovo and the entire region of the Western Balkans, discussing and gradually implementing the future energy-climate package, launching the next cycle of the Lisbon Strategy, and encouraging inter-cultural dialogue.

 

Prime Minister Janez Janša and President of the MEP Group of PSE, Martin Schulz (Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)

 

The PM stressed that Slovenia was aware of the importance of the European Parliament as the key representative of European citizens, and it would therefore welcome any assistance from MEPs. The President of the MEP Group of PSE, Martin Schulz, assured the Slovenian Presidency that it had the bfull support of his party. He will meet the next President of the European Council, Janez Janša, again on 19 December, at a meeting of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the leadership of the European Parliament (President Hans Gert Poettering and leaders of all political parties) at Brdo pri Kranju.