site.btaBTA Interview: Slovenian Ambassador Anzej Franges Says EU Integration of Western Balkans Is In EU's Interest

July 1 (Lora Metanova of BTA) - As his country assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1, Slovenian Ambassador Anzej Franges says in a BTA interview that one of the new Presidency's objectives will be to work together with all Member States for a more resilient Europe, which will be better prepared for the future challenges.

He believes that the biggest lesson learnt from the coronavirus pandemic is the crucial importance of solidarity, cooperation and coordination. "The EU has changed and achieved a lot since the beginning of the pandemic," he said.

Ambassador Franges said that Slovenia has always supported the integration of the Western Balkans to the EU and will strive to contribute to a credible continuation of the EU enlargement process.

He said that tourism was among sectors that was hit the most by the pandemic and expressed hope that the introduction of the EU digital certificate will facilitate travel.

He has had many opportunities to explore Bulgaria as a diplomat and a tourist, and saw "a great country, with incredible history, beautiful nature and kind and hospitable people" which he can "sincerely recommend everyone to visit".

Following is the full text of the interview:

Q: Your Excellency, what are the biggest ambitions of the forthcoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU? What results would define your presidency as a success?

A: The Covid pandemic has affected Europe, as well as the whole world.
The pandemic has changed our everyday lives, economy, social interactions, and it has influenced our Presidency preparations as well. Our Programme builds on work done and the spirit of the Trio cooperation with Germany and Portugal.

We should bear in mind that most of the European files are being handled by several presidencies, therefore coordination, cooperation and trying to achieve support necessary to move the most important files forward will be crucial also for success of the Slovenian Presidency.

Four substantial chapters outline the priorities of Slovenian Presidency: Resilience, recovery and strategy autonomy of the EU; Conference on the Future of Europe; Union of the European way of life, rule of law, and equal criteria for all; A credible and secure European Union, capable of ensuring security and stability in its neighbourhood.

As you can see, one of our main objective will be to work together with all Member States for more resilient Europe, which will be better prepared for the future challenges. We hope to contribute to a more effective response to different crises, especially those, which exceed the capacity of individual Member States or have significant cross-border effects. Our focus will be better preparedness especially in areas of pandemics and cyber resilience. Of course, the task of ensuring resilient Europe will be closely connected to the successful recovery of the Union based on digital, green and just transition.

We live in unpredictable times, at any given moment we might be faced with challenges that we cannot foresee at the present. This is why a key element in improving the EU's resilience is also achieving its open strategic autonomy, while respecting free trade rules. We need to enhance the strengths of the EU as well as to reduce our dependencies. We must also be able to preserve the integrity of the internal market in times of crisis.


Q: The Slovenian Presidency prioritizes strengthening the resilience of the European Union, green and digital transition. What are the main directions you will work in to accomplish these priorities?

A: Europe's economic recovery is based on the green transition and digital transformation. We expect that during our Presidency the implementation of the Next Generation EU and the Resilience and Recovery Facility will be in full swing. Member states have prepared their plans, with minimum 37% allocated for the green transition and 20% for the digital transformation. We will work towards swift adoption of the national plans in the Council in order to allow a start of the implementation of the projects.

It is in our common interest that the process runs smoothly and that the implementing decisions are adopted in the set timeframe. The Slovenian Presidency will work closely with the Commission and other Member States to ensure the process is credible and transparent and that all the procedures are conducted in line with the RRF Regulation.

As far as the "Green" is concerned, the focus will be on the climate and energy legislative package "Fit for 55". The main goal is to get from an ambitious target of a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 to a binding EU law. We should also not forget the international agenda, especially the COP26 conference on climate change in Glasgow, for which the Slovenian presidency will prepare and coordinate the EU mandate.

For "Digital" we will focus on the regulation on digital services and markets. This package will be a priority, and we will try to bring stances closer together in order to prepare the Council position by the end of the year.

Q: During its presidency, Bulgaria made the issue of the European integration of the Western Balkans a priority, and it was included in the programs of the following presidencies. How do you see the development of this topic during the Slovenian Presidency?

A: Slovenia has always supported the integration of the Western Balkans to the EU. We see the enlargement process as one of the most successful EU policies crucial for reforms and development of the region. In our view it would be strategically wrong to leave the region behind. Integration of the Western Balkans is in the interest of the EU. After all, we are talking about our immediate neighbourhood, surrounded by the European Union member states.

For these reasons, Slovenia will strive to support and contribute to a credible continuation of the EU enlargement process. In this regard, we will also support the continuation of political dialogue among and with countries of the region.

Our plan is also to focus on the socio-economic recovery of the Western Balkans. I am talking about economic convergence, integration into the EU policies in areas such as transport, energy connectivity, research and innovation, decarbonisation, digitalisation and cyber-resilience, and concentrate especially on a positive perspective for youth in the region. Slovenia will also host an informal EU - WB summit in October.

I believe that Bulgaria has similar views and interests regarding the region, thus I am confident that we will be able to work closely to move this agenda forward in the coming months.

Q: What are your expectations for the Conference on the Future of Europe, which will also take place during the Slovenian Presidency? What are the main answers it can give for the future of Europe?

A: We are pleased that the Conference on the Future of Europe has finally started on 9 May. During our Presidency, Slovenia will have an additional, responsible task of representing the member states in the bodies of the Conference. We are also aware of the importance of promoting the Conference and actively engaging in discussing the future of Europe.

Slovenia sees the bottom-up approach of the Conference as an opportunity for European citizens to identify their everyday problems that can be solved on EU level. The conference should be about the European citizens having an honest possibility of expressing their views on the Europe they wish to live in in the immediate future as well as in ten years' time.

Q: What are the most important lessons Europe has learned from the coronavirus pandemic?

A: The Pandemic has affected us all; there was not a single country in Europe that was spared. There are no effective responses on purely national levels. Even if one country did everything right it would not mean much if others did not.

The biggest lesson learnt is that in addressing the coronavirus pandemic solidarity, cooperation and coordination were crucial. The EU has changed and achieved a lot since the beginning of the pandemic. We should not forget that we were able to agree on Recovery and Resilience Facility and Next Generation EU, and now it is the time to implement them. Common purchase of vaccines was also extremely important, so is the implementation of the EU digital certificate, which will enable us to travel more freely. 

The citizens are sometimes critical about the efficiency of the European Union and yes, this is something that we should concentrate on, but let us not forget that despite certain troubles we have shown that we can unite when necessary. We can build upon this fundament.

Q: Bulgaria will host the Three Seas Summit in July, in which Slovenia is also participating. How do you see the role of this initiative for Europe?

A: The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) is a flexible political platform at the Presidential level. It includes 12 countries between the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Black Seas. Slovenia hosted the summit in 2019 and this year Bulgaria is the host.

The initiative is becoming more successful and significant, not only because it offers an occasion to meet at the highest level, but because it is growing and deepening in terms of practical cooperation. In parallel to the summit, Business Forums are organised, where companies and institutions can meet. This gives 3SI an important additional dimension.

We see a great potential also in the The Seas Investment Fund, which will enable countries to work on projects based on mutual interests.

Q: Tourism is among the areas that were worst hit by the pandemic. Do you expect Slovenian tourists to visit our country this summer? Is Bulgaria a popular travel destination among Slovenes?

A: Indeed, tourism was among sectors of the economy that was hit the most by the pandemic. In Slovenia, like in other countries, we have introduced several measures in order to help tourism. It seems one year will not suffice for a full recovery.

We hope that the introduction of the EU digital certificate will facilitate travel, because without international guests tourism cannot recover. However, there are still many uncertainties linked to the Covid pandemic and travellers should keep in mind that the pandemic is not over yet.

I had many opportunities to explore Bulgaria not only as ambassador but also together with my family as a tourist. It is a great country, with incredible history, beautiful nature and kind and hospitable people, which I can sincerely recommend everyone to visit. I am glad that before the pandemic many Slovenes were happy to come to your country and enjoy your hospitality. I am hopeful and confident at the same time that this summer we will be able to once again travel more freely and safely. LM/LN
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