The C5 ministers exchanged views on the measures designed to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the timely exchange of information on the measures taken in relation to the pandemic, especially with regard to travel restrictions and border crossing. They also discussed other priorities of the C5 countries, particularly the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, and Belarus.

At the meeting, which was hosted by the Czech Republic for the first time, Minister Logar presented the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency that commenced at the beginning of July. He stated that Slovenia’s main goal is to strengthen the EU’s resilience to pandemics, cyber resilience, and also the resilience to other types of crises, with a view to building a European Health Union and increasing the EU’s strategic autonomy, in particular as regards the availability of key medicines and other critical products. As the presiding country, Slovenia strives to ensure that the EU is better prepared for possible future crises, which requires optimal coordination between the EU institutions and member states.

Minister Logar went on to welcome the solidarity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution between the countries and informed the participants about over 10,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that Slovenia donated to the Czech Republic in June.

The next C5 meeting will be hosted by Austria in October 2021.