Today in Ljubljana, Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Janša, hosted Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz. The main topic of discussion was the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the political leaders also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and other current European issues. Relations between Slovenia and Austria are considered to be excellent.
Prime Minister Janez Janša at the joint press conference after a working breakfast with Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, stressed that Slovenia was looking forward to this visit – not only because of close cooperation between the Austrian and the new Slovenian government, but also because Austria in the first worst weeks of the fight against the coronavirus served as a role model for Slovenia. “Austria was one of the few European countries that we believed, and we still believe today, was among the best prepared for this epidemic. And many of the measures we implemented as a freshly formed government were, frankly, copied from Austria”, Prime Minister Janša said. He also thanked Austrian chancellor for his willingness, “to share knowledge on how to tackle the epidemic.”
Janša emphasized that the situation with the coronavirus was the central topic of today’s talks. “The danger of an epidemic is still not over and the big question is what awaits us during the so-called cold season. Europe is still facing an increasing number of infections , however less people nowadays become ill or die than during the spring season , which is probably the result of knowledge acquired from the spring, as well as the measures taken by health authorities in all countries, “said Prime Minister Janša. He announced that cooperation with the Austrian side would be “very close” in curbing the spread of the virus. “As we have learned from the spring weeks and months, the cooperation of neighboring countries is particularly important. At that time, we successfully dealt with many things on the basis of direct contacts and telephone conversations. We were able to resolve border traffic jams, transits problems in general, business visits, as well as many other issues that arise when life can no longer proceed normally, “said Janša.
Slovenian Prime Minister and Austrian Chancellor discussed economic cooperation. “Austria is high on the priority list of Slovenia’s economic partners, the third partner in the mutual exchange of goods and services, and the first foreign investor in Slovenia, which is particularly important,” said Prime Minister Janša, adding that the Slovenian government was preparing some debureaucratization measures, which are expected to make Slovenian business environment even more favorable for investment. “From this point of view, the strengthening of Austrian investments in Slovenia is even more welcome,” said the Prime Minister.
Janez Janša also spoke about the upcoming EU summit, which will focus on current and, above all, foreign policy issues. “I talked to Austrian Chancellor about the problem that we have been dealing with intensively in recent years, namely illegal migration and the efforts to achieve a more unified European approach,” said Prime Minister, warning that developments in the Eastern Mediterranean could result in increased border pressures in the upcoming weeks. “Slovenia suggested some initiatives on strengthening the protection of the EU’s external and Schengen borders, and helping those countries that will be first in the firing line, especially Greece, in order to avoid the 2015 scenario, “added Prime Minister Janša.
Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted the approaching 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite and emphasized that a positive and favorable atmosphere could now be felt in the run-up to the anniversary, partially due to the initiative of the presidents of both countries. “There are still some open issues related to the status of national communities and minorities, which will be much easier to resolve in the current atmosphere than in previous decades, when the atmosphere was less favorable,” pointed out Prime Minister Janša.
In his answers to journalists’ questions, Prime Minister Janša reiterated the importance of securing external borders and assisting countries with external borders. “If the borders are well secured, there is less illegal migration and the problem is manageable,” he said, adding that those countries that have EU external borders should be helped and not left alone. Additionally, the EU should not only later deal with the situation by adopting secondary action at internal borders.
He continued to say that it is crucial that European policy is flexible when it comes to accepting migration, because not all European countries are in the same position. “Talking about dividing quotas, is not the right approach as it does not deal with the root issue. Firstly, we must ensure respect for laws and regulations, and this is only possible by securing the external borders. Slovenia will make a lot of efforts in the future to convince our partners in Europe that this is a priority and Slovenia is ready to take an active part in helping the Member States with the external EU borders,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
With regards to the current pandemic, the prime minister argued that the dangers of COVID-19 are clearer today than a couple months ago. “This applies to a variety of activities, including tourism. We have experiences that no one had during the last winter’s season. We know what to avoid and we know what activities can be carried out without any serious risk of infection or transmission, “said Janša, recalling that Slovenia, even when it declared the end of the epidemic, did not open nightclubs and disco bars or other activities known to be dangerous during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, he pointed out that in the future it will no longer be possible to completely halt public life on the basis of individual infections. “The consequences of such a shutdown are more severe than the consequences of a low number of infections that the health systems in European countries can deal with,” said Prime Minister Janša.
As regards the economy, Janša expressed desire to coordinate certain measures within the European Union. He pointed out that Slovenia was one the countries that did not stop the industry during the epidemic. “In the spring, we practically did not have any cases of infection within Slovenian industries, because this is a sector that knows how to organize as well as introduce and respect appropriate measures,” said Janez Janša. He added that the decline in economic activity during the spring epidemic was nonetheless almost equal to the European average, as European Union presents 80 percent of the Slovenian market. “If there are issues and logistical problems on the European market, Slovenia is equally affected, as the EU has a common market, thus the coordination of measures in the economic field is all the more important,” he said. “Even if we face a stronger wave of the epidemic, we agree with our European colleagues that we are able to control the epidemic. The key question is whether we have learned anything from the spring lesson of the epidemic. If we have learned, if we know how to adapt, in general halting public life will no longer be necessary, “concluded Prime Minister Janez Janša.