Slovenia, Portugal Discuss EU Presidency Preparations

Lisbon, 02 October

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel met his Portuguese counterpart Luis Amado on Monday for talks about joint preparations for EU presidency that Portugal and Slovenia will hold in the first second of 2007 and first half of 2008 respectively.

Slovenia asked Portugal for help in framing policies on relations with Latin America, whereas Portugal was interested in Slovenia's know-how on the Western Balkans, Rupel said after the meeting.
Slovenia and Portugal make up a troika with Germany. The trio will chair the EU independently, but they need to lay out an 18-month programme of activities from early 2007 to mid-2008.
According to Rupel, the draft programme has been completed. "We got it last week. We will now study it and submit our remarks," he said, adding that time was running out since Germany's presidency starts in under three months.
Rupel said that Portugal plans to highlight the debate on the EU's constitutional treaty during their stint. "After elections in France Germany will have little time for a breakthrough, so most of the work will have to be done by Portugal and Slovenia," he added.
Rupel said that he and minister Amado also agreed that countries in the Western Balkans need to join the EU. "Enlargement must continue, but we realise this is a difficult topic for the EU right now," he said.
Talks also touched on Russia, which Rupel said would be a big topic for both presidencies. Relations with this big eastern neighbour must be maintained, which Portugal and Slovenia will strive for, he said.
Another major theme of both presidencies would be illegal migration. "In my opinion this is an area that needs a bit more attention than envisaged in the 18-month presidency programme," Rupel said.
The visit constituted a formal establishment of working contacts for preparations for the presidency. Rupel said it was agreed that regular meetings would be held and exchanges of foreign ministry staff carried out.
Rupel said cooperation between experts and diplomats from the three countries would be provided for. "However, Portugal and Slovenia realise that Germany has the advantage of a bigger staff," he noted.
Minister Rupel also thanked Amado for Portugal's proposal that delays in the expansion of the Schengen passport-free area could be overcome with the expansion of the Portuguese system. This would be a favourable solution for Slovenia, he said.