The meeting was attended by representatives of the European Parliament, parliaments of the EU member states and the candidate countries (Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia), and parliaments of the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland, including representatives of the European Commission.

Minister Logar briefed the participants on the key priories of the Slovenian Presidency. At the outset, he stressed the importance of interparliamentary cooperation for a successful Presidency, pointing out that the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs had its say in the coordination of the Union’s response to future challenges.

When outlining the Presidency priorities, Minister Logar focused on strengthening the resilience of the Union and its strategic autonomy. He went on to highlight the Presidency’s work and tasks in relation to the Conference on the Future of Europe and the discussion about the European Commission’s annual rule of law report at the Council of the European Union. Minister Logar emphasised the priority of a safe Europe, within which the Slovenian Presidency will pay special attention to the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries and to the credible continuation of the EU enlargement process.

The Minister also announced the plan to organise the EU-Western Balkans Summit and stressed: “Our plan is focused on the region’s socio-economic recovery. We will pay special attention to providing a positive perspective for young people in the Western Balkans.” At the close of the meeting, Minister Logar thanked the participants for supporting the Slovenian Presidency priorities and for all the congratulations Slovenia had received on the 30th anniversary of its independence. He concluded by stressing that during the Presidency, Slovenia would like to cooperate closely with national parliaments and with the European Parliament.