Slovenia’s Ambassador to the EU Iztok Jarc said on Tuesday that he expects the development level of countries, their unemployment rate, drop in exports and the openness of their economy to be among the key criteria in the distribution of funds from the European Commission-proposed new recovery and resilience tool.
Jarc, who represented Slovenia in a videoconference of EU affairs ministers on the topic, said that Slovenia was closely watching the developments and explained that more about the criteria would only be known on Wednesday as the Commission unveils the proposal along with adjustments to the new financial framework.
In today’s debate, Jarc said Slovenia expected an ambitions financial framework reflecting the Covid-19 crisis. Slovenia also argued for an increase in cohesion funds for greater flexibility in the use of these funds, feeling cohesion was key for tackling the consequences of the pandemic.
Slovenia wants a recovery fund based on solidarity and fairness and would like to see a major part of the fund to involve grants. It believes the German-French proposal for the fund is a good starting point for debate, and is in favour of a quick agreement that would incorporate both the multi-year budget and the recovery fund.
Other topics were discussed as well, with Slovenia for instance agreeing with most countries about the importance of preparations for the conference on the future of Europe, especially since it will play an important role here as one of the forthcoming EU presiding countries.
Jarc reiterated Slovenia’s support for the European Commission’s initiative for a mechanism providing an overview of the rule of law in EU. He explained virtual visits to members states were presently being conducted, with Slovenia’s turn expected at the end of the month or the start of June.
