FM Presents Slovenia's EU Presidency Priorities in Switzerland
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel presented the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency as he held talks on Tuesday with Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey in Bern. Switzerland expects that as the presiding country Slovenia will speed up certain procedures, especially as regards the Schengen no-border zone, Rupel said.
Rupel was referring to the fact that the Czech Republic, Hungary and Greece have not yet ratified the agreement which would allow Switzerland to join the Schengen zone next year.
According to Rupel, the ministers spent a lot of time discussing the Western Balkans - one of the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008. Noting that it was important for Serbia to join the EU, Rupel thought that an association and stabilisation agreement with Serbia could be signed during Slovenia's presidency. However, he pointed out that it was crucial for Serbia to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
Rupel moreover invited Switzerland to cooperate with the Slovenia-run Centre for European Perspective (CEP), saying that Switzerland was interested in cooperating in the funding and implementation of CEP projects.
As for bilateral relations, Rupel said he and Calmy-Rey, who is also the president of Switzerland, expressed desire for greater economic cooperation and the continuation of regular political dialogue. Switzerland is an important donor of cohesion funds for new EU member states. Rupel expressed hope that a bilateral agreement would soon be signed, so that Slovenia can start phasing EUR 13m that Switzerland will allocate for the 2007-2010 period.
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