FM Says Trend Is to Preserve Content of EU Constitution
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Thursday there was a trend in the EU to preserve as much as possible from the constitutional treaty, but at the same time the solution would have to step back from the original treaty. This is a very difficult task, he told the parliament's Foreign Policy Committee.
According to Rupel, the planned intergovernmental conference on the matter (which is being proposed by Germany) would conclude during Portugal's EU presidency in the second half of this year. The new treaty could be signed during Slovenia's EU presidency next year.
Quizzed about his recent talks with British Europe State Minster Geoff Hoon, Rupel explained that Great Britain insisted on dropping the word "constitutional" from the name of the treaty due to its rejection in referendums in France and the Netherlands.
The committee today also endorsed a bill on Slovenia's financial assistance to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and an accord on development cooperation with Moldova.
An agreement with Montenegro on cooperation in defence also received the green light.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|