By: UKOM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris yesterday. The main purpose of his visit to France was to outline the achievements of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and to discuss future work on the key European dossiers during the upcoming French Presidency.
Minister Logar briefed Minister Le Drian about the key achievements of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. In addition to the effective coordination of measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Slovenia as the country holding the Presidency has meaningfully contributed to the efforts to strengthen the Union’s resilience to all types of crises and, as Minister Logar stressed, provided a solid foundation to keep this important topic high on the agenda of European decision-makers. Furthermore, significant progress has been achieved in other priority areas, such as post-pandemic economic recovery, Fit for 55 package of climate and energy laws, digital transition, cybersecurity, the external dimension of migration and the protection of the EU’s external borders, and the Conference on the Future of Europe, which will end in spring 2022.
Slovenia’s foreign policy priorities include a credible continuation of the EU enlargement process. Minister Logar and Minister Le Drian agreed that this is an important incentive for candidate countries to implement reforms. Minister Logar was particularly pleased that France has also set the Western Balkans as one of the priorities of its Presidency of the Council of the EU. He wished France good luck and reaffirmed Slovenia’s firm support in France’s achieving all its tasks and objectives.
Minister Le Drian spoke positively about the achievements of the Slovenian Presidency and seized the opportunity to present the key priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU in the next semester. France will continue the work of the Slovenian Presidency which, according to Minister Le Drian, was excellent.
The Ministers also discussed bilateral relations, noting this year’s 10th anniversary of the signing of the Political Declaration on Strategic Partnership and calling for the further deepening of excellent relations in the future. Minister Logar also informed Minister Le Drian of Slovenia’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term.
