At the session the Government discussed information about Slovenia’s preparations for candidacy for locating the headquarters of the European Agency for the Management of Operative Cooperation at the External Borders in the Republic of Slovenia, and adopted a starting point for negotiations.
This includes a presentation of the application for the candidacy of the Republic of Slovenia for the Agency’s headquarters, i.e. the status of the regulations which determine its operation, and a summary of the viewpoints of our country to the questions posed by the Dutch Presidency, which Slovenia would present in negotiations for the location of the headquarters of the Agency.
After final coordination the beginning of operations of the Agency is foreseen for 1 May 2005, and not 1 January 2005 as has been foreseen up to the present. In the framework of preparations for the beginning of operations the Dutch presidency has worked hard to resolve all open questions, among which the most important is the location of the Agency’s headquarters.
According to the latest information from the Joint Services of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, in the first stage, for the first 12 to 24 months, Slovenia could offer suitable facilities of 600 m2 in Ljubljana or its immediate vicinity (possible locations include the BTC – Customs Administration building and commercial premises in the Šiška area of Ljubljana). Only later can Slovenia offer the construction of an independent building.
In estimating the costs for the Republic of Slovenia, the Joint Services of the Government based its calculations on the rental of 600 m2 of commercial space and estimated that the annual costs would be 144,000 euros (or 288,000 for two years), as follows: rent per m2 of commercial space EUR 20/month, monthly rental of 600 m2 EUR 12,000 and annual rental of 600 m2 EUR 144,000 or SIT 34,560,000.00. The value of the rent per m2 of commercial space also includes information infrastructure and technical security.
In order for the Agency to begin operating, it will be necessary in its own interest and in the interest of the EU to give its employees certain privileges, immunities and concessions. In the event that Slovenia’s candidacy is successful, the Republic of Slovenia will, through a special agreement, arrange and ensure appropriate privileges and immunities both for the organization and the personnel. There is also the possibility of concluding an agreement by which the entry and residence of agency personnel in Slovenia would be arranged differently from the conditions which determine how citizens of third countries and citizens of EU member states can enter the economic area and live in Slovenia.
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