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launch accession talks with the EU as early as this year, and a
solution to the naming dispute with Greece was not explicitly
mentioned as a condition.
Mr Janša assessed that a great step forward had been taken
in the Western Balkans under the Slovenian EU Presidency.
The European perspective is no longer a question, because
stabilisation and association agreements have been signed with
all countries in the region, and there has also been progress in
visa policy, he elicited as examples.
The EU leaders endorsed the introduction of the euro in Slovakia
as of 1 January 2009, expressing the belief that the Union for the
Mediterranean, which will formally be established in July in Paris,
will give new momentum to relations between the Union and
countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, and at
the same time they welcomed the proposal on the strengthening
of cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe.
The European Council has lifted sanctions on Cuba, which
have been in force since 2003, and called on Zimbabwe to hold
run-off presidential elections, on 27 June, in accordance with
international standards.
The leaders also agreed that the year 2008 should be a turning
point in the enhancement of efforts for the implementation of
the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, which they believe
to be still realisable.
A couple of days before the end of the Slovenian Presidency,
the President of the European Commission congratulated Prime
Minister Janša and his team on what he believes has been an
excellent job. Mr Janša admitted that the Presidency had been a
challenge, and at the same time a great experience for Slovenia.
JANšA: THE Eu IS SOLvING CuRRENT
PROBLEMS NORMALLY, ANd THIS WILL
ALSO BE THE CASE IN THE FuTuRE
We have tackled extremely seriousness problems related to the
high prices of food and oil that Europe and the entire world
are facing, said Mr Janša. He said that EU leaders tackled the
challenge of increasingly high prices of food, which has a major
impact on the life of us all. Some 16% of the EU population lives
on or under the poverty line, and the most affected are families
with low incomes. Over hundred million people in the world live
in great poverty, while the price of oil has increased by 500% in
recent years.
The reasons for such high prices, according to Mr Janša, are
varied and complex. EU policies are not the main causes for the
roblem, but they can offer solutions or be a part of a solution,
the chair of the EU Council is convinced. The leaders agreed that
the EU must show unity in taking measures at home and at the
global level.
We can say that we are in a phase of active problem-solving: the
first phase involves the immediate mitigation of consequences,
whereas the majority of instruments are in the hands of the
national policies of EU members, Mr Janša said, adding that it
was of key importance that effective structural adjustments were
established in the long run.
Systematic monitoring of the market situation is necessary
because in this way we can prepare ourselves for shocks and
reduce systemic risks. A key measure in fighting the high prices
of energy is improving energy efficiency and diversity of sources,
and reducing dependency on fossil fuel imports, said Mr Janša.
Research and innovation for the development of new technologies
should also be enhanced, because it is unrealistic to expect that
Europe’s dependency on fossil fuels will decrease without them,
while sustainable criteria for the production of biofuels should
also be determined. Synergies in all areas of policies - agriculture,
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energy, environment, science, foreign policy - are necessary, the
Prime Minister believes.
Once again we made a commitment that we would do our job
related to climate change and the energy-climate package, Janša
emphasised.
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso,
repeated that he had presented to the countries several proposals
for short- and long-term measures. “EU members have numerous
opportunities to help the most vulnerable households,” he said.
He listed a number of proposed measures on the first day of
the summit: we have expanded the food aid scheme, we have
helped fishermen and also supported the agricultural sector in
developing countries; we are promoting better transparency and
competitiveness in the oil and natural gas markets.
“We have sent a clear message to all: there is no quick remedy for
high oil prices; it is a structural issue,” said Barroso, and concluded
that the EU must be more energy efficient and promote diversity
of energy sources.
BARROSO: SLOvENIAN PRESIdENCY HAS
dONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB
The Slovenian Presidency has done an exceptional job, the
President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso told
the press in Brussels at the end of the last EU Summit under
Slovenia’s EU Presidency. The then chair of the EU council,
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, meanwhile emphasised
that Slovenia had gained extremely valuable experience with the
Presidency.
“I would like to give my sincere praise to Prime Minister Janša and
his team for doing an exceptional job, with commitment, political
and intellectual fairness, and patiently and professionally,” said
Barroso.
The Commission President added that this summit was taking
place in a very tense situation because of the Irish “No” at the
referendum on the Lisbon Treaty two weeks ago and the soaring
prices of food and oil, but that the Presidency had carried out the
its tasks with great competence.
Prime Minister Janez Janša meanwhile admitted that the
Presidency was a great challenge. “Time will tell about the
results, and the successes we have had are not the successes of
the Slovenian Presidency, but the joint successes of the entire
Union,” Janša said.
The Presidency in the last six months has faced numerous
challenges, and some of them had not been planned for, added
the Prime Minister, among them the events in the Western
Balkans, as Kosovo declared its independence during Slovenia’s
EU Presidency.
As a particularly great success, the Prime Minister pointed out the
fact that the EU had proven that despite difficulties, it functions
and responds to the problems of its citizens, and that it is a
community which brings mutual benefits for those who enter
and for those who are already there.
He was also grateful for the support and understanding the
Presidency had enjoyed from the European Commission and the
offices of the EU Council. Mr Janša believes that the knowledge
and experience Slovenia gained during the Presidency were
particularly valuable.
Slovenia, which was the first EU President among the countries
which joined the bloc in 2004, handed over the Presidency to
France on 1 July, and Janez Janša was succeeded by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy as the next President of the EU
Council.