Mit - Index

Mit - SINFO 2008 04 - 8 - Index

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Mr Janša pointed out that the extradition of the Hague indictees
Radovan KaradžiÊ and Ratko MladiÊ was of key importance for
peace and security in the region.
Mr Babacan also expressed the wish that the Serbs would decide
to become part of Europe at the elections and said that “the EU
cannot afford for Serbia to be the missing link”.
The European spirit, which after 1990 spread to the Communist
countries of Eastern and Central Europe, stopped at Serbia's
borders, emphasized the Foreign Minister, Dimitrij Rupel, at the
Europa Forum. “Serbia is currently fighting itself in order to let
this European spirit begin to live,” assessed the Minister in the
light of the parliamentary elections, which some people see as
Serbia's referendum on the EU. At the same time, he warned that
the forces of history were still a significant factor in Serbia, acting
from the background like a country within a country.
At one of the round tables at the Forum, the thesis that EU
enlargement also represents the enlargement of a secure
and stable area was supported, although that is not the only
purpose of the EU’s Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy. It
was also agreed that for the time being the EU did not need its
own armed forces. On the occasion of Europe Day, European
villages were erected in many towns across Slovenia, in which
students presented the variety, diversity and recognisability of
EU countries and cultures. A one-day Eurocine 27 Film Festival
was held in Brussels, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lyon and Strasbourg,
at which films from all 27 EU Member States were presented,
including a Slovenian film, the first feature by Janja Glogovac, ‘L
Like Love.’ May 9 is EU “day”, a celebration of the beginning of
European integration, when on 9 May 1950 the French Foreign
Minister, Robert Schuman, read the declaration or call to merge
the coal and steel production of the European countries.
türK: ljubljaNa aS tHE Symbol of
EuroPE’S NEw bEGINNING
In several ways, the capital of Slovenia symbolises the topic of
this year's 11th Europa Forum, “Europe’s New Start”, pointed
out Slovenian President Danilo Türk in his introductory address
to the Forum, which is organised every year by the WDR German
television station and was this year held in Ljubljana.
In 1821, Ljubljana, as the venue of the Holy Alliance Congress,
symbolised conservativeness and preservation of the old order. A
sinfo april 08 14
hundred and seventy years later it became the symbol of a new
era of the self-determination of nations, and this year it has been
presiding over the European Union. “I hope that from this year
onwards the names Ljubljana and Slovenia will be associated in
the consciousness of people with a vision of the future of Europe
and its role in the world”, said President Türk.
The Director-General of WDR German television, Monika Piel,
and the President of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU),
Fritz Pleitgen, also agreed in their speeches that this year's Europa
Forum in Ljubljana was an exceptionally symbolic moment. As
Mrs Piel pointed out, Slovenia has undergone extraordinary
development in a very short time - in just four years it joined the
EU, adopted the Euro, entered the Schengen area, and as the first
new Member State, took over the steering wheel of the EU - and
is a symbol of dynamic Europe.
The Slovenian President pointed out in his speech that the
fundamental challenge of Europe is how to constitute itself as
a global player in the globalised world of today. “The European
Union, which is the heart of today’s Europe, is no longer a
mere group of countries wishing to be closely integrated, but a
developed community from which the world expects a leading
role”, he emphasized.
He added that Europe has excellent opportunities for a
constructive role on the global scene because of its specific,
typically democratic nature, as well as its real power. “However, if
the European Union wishes to be successful in the global sense, it
must be able to mobilise firm political will”, warned the President
and said that the Treaty of Lisbon would contribute to this, but it
would certainly not suffice.
“The creative urge characteristic of Europe is undiminished;
nevertheless its potential will be exploited only if Europe makes
progress on the key fronts here and now«, pointed out the
President. Among the main EU “fronts”, he mentioned the
fight against global warming and world poverty, fulfilment of
the millennium development goals, and an articulation of a clear
policy towards the Balkans and the Middle East.
“Progress, forward movement, has always been the motto of
Europe…Therefore it is right that the discussion about Europe’s
new start held here in Ljubljana thoroughly determines all the
key factors driving Europe forward and in the right direction,”
concluded President Türk, summarising the main purpose of each
year’s Europa Forum.