By: UKOM
Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending the COP26 International Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The International Climate Conference — Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP26, is taking place from 31 October to 12 November. Slovenia’s and the EU’s global climate action is based on the implementation of the external dimension of the European Green Deal (2019) and the Council conclusions on Climate Diplomacy (2020).
Prime Minister Janez Janša today held a series of bilateral talks in the margins of the climate change conference. In the morning, he met with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and then with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, as well as the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Vidodo, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in. In talks with his Georgian counterpart, Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU and expressed his support for Georgian Euro-Atlantic efforts. The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and deepening their cooperation. In his talks with President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Vidodo, Prime Minister Janez Janša stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between Indonesia and the European Union, as well as cooperation in the fight against climate change, economic reconstruction and inter-religious dialogue. Prime Minister Janez Janša also met with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in to discuss, in the margins of the climate change conference, in particular the importance of this conference, and they called for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Slovenia and Korea.
At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where 120 world leaders are discussing the issue of tackling global climate change, Prime Minister Janez Janša also met with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, as well as European Council President Charles Michel, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and others.
Later in the day, the Prime Minister addressed the world leaders. “Now it is high time we deliver a realistic pathway towards the goal of 1.5 degrees,” the Prime Minister pointed out, continuing, “Slovenia, in the role of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, is working with its European partners towards this goal. However, with only 8% of global CO2 emissions, the EU cannot solve this problem alone. We are committed to forming our offer, and we call on everyone else to do the same. Everyone must assume their share of responsibility to ensure that our collective efforts are effective. Our goal is to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, and we are working to modernise our climate and energy legislation,” the Slovenian Prime Minister stressed, before going on to say that at present our joint actions are falling far short of the targets set in Paris. “According to UN estimates, greenhouse gas emissions will be 16% higher by 2030 than they were in 2010. I understand the hesitation. The green transition must be aware of its external effects. Our efforts must not jeopardise social cohesion and economic development. In fact, they are a necessary condition for the successful reduction of emissions. I believe that technological and political innovations will enable us to find new ways to deliver on all three objectives,” said the Slovenian Prime Minister.
According to the Prime Minister, moving away from coal and oil as a source of our energy is a key element in achieving these goals. “Nuclear energy as a transitional source could replace coal and oil. More investments must be directed into new technologies and to support innovations that would lead to cleaner, safer and more efficient energy, such as hydrogen and fusion power. In any case, we need to present realistic action plans on the matter as soon as possible,” the Prime Minister said.
He also stressed that Slovenia remains firmly committed to achieving the joint targets using a realistic approach. “We have adopted a long-term strategy that sets out the goal and the path to climate neutrality by 2050,” he said, underlining the urgency of responding and adapting to the challenges of climate change. “We need to make our economies and societies greener and more resilient. Let us do our best to make this summit a success,” the Prime Minister concluded.
Prime Minister Janez Janša will also meet with several other heads of government and state, as well as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.