Govt Says Slovenia Will Be Ready for EU Presidency
The government on Thursday adopted a semi-annual report on preparations for the EU presidency in the first half of 2008 which says that preparations are on track and Slovenia will be ready by 1 January 2008. The cabinet also endorsed the draft programme of the successive presidencies of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, which is to be adopted at the EU Council in December.
The report says that the 18-month programme of the troika's successive presidencies has been coordinated in negotiations from April to October.
The core working group for the presidency meanwhile adopted an action plan which determines the tasks and jurisdictions of the ministries and between the government and Brussels.
Moreover, a logistics centre was set up in April in the framework of the government secretariat and an amended staffing plan was adopted in July.
It is projected that 1,200 public servants will be assigned to the projects, with an additional 310 fixed-term employees helping out. At the Slovenian permanent mission in Brussels alone 170 people will be taking part.
Public servants included in the project directly or indirectly are already undergoing intensive training.
Having reviewed the agenda of meetings to take place in Slovenia during the six-month presidency, the government reassessed the costs and concluded that they will be at SIT 13.7bn (EUR 57m), as initially planned.
The core working group has already confirmed eight informal meetings in Slovenia as well as one informal dinner in Brussels.
The report says that preparations between April and October consisted of exchanges with other member states, in particular Germany, Portugal and France, the latter presiding the EU after Slovenia.
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