Dear Colleagues,

2021 is slowly coming to an end. It has been a special year. We have celebrated the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence and held our second Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This difficult and responsible project was both a major challenge and an incredible opportunity. In particular, an opportunity to show and prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we have the ideas, the knowledge and the ambition to be an active participant in shaping the present and future of Europe.

We can conclude that we took advantage of that opportunity. The Presidency project has been a success. Despite the continuous difficulties of the epidemiological situation, we were able to carry out most of the planned events, including those at the highest level, in person. The events ran smoothly, and our guests left Slovenia with favourable impressions.

The advances made were manifold and significant. The priorities we set ourselves at the outset of the Presidency proved to be well thought out, taking into consideration that we also had to respond to many unforeseen crisis situations.

Esteemed colleagues. The Presidency of the Council of the EU was a joint project. The result of collective contributions made by you, our teams in Brussels and Ljubljana. Each and every one of you was an important piece in the mosaic of our final success. We proved that we could do it together.

Thank you very much for all your hard work and sleepless nights. Let your pride and confidence over the successfully completed project be an inspiration for the future development of our homeland and the sovereign position of Slovenia in the European Union and the world.