An important theme of the meeting was Ukraine, with a special focus on the humanitarian situation and aid coordination.

The directors-general also discussed the impact of the war on partner countries, particularly as regards food security and the skyrocketing food prices, as well as energy products and the overall macro-economic stability. Director-General Jukič underlined the importance of ongoing assistance to Ukraine and its people, including refugees and the most vulnerable groups. Slovenia has provided assistance worth EUR 1.64 million to Ukraine and neighbouring countries experiencing a high influx of refugees.

Based on two recent events, namely the EU-African Union Summit and the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, where the EU’s Team Europe approach and initiatives showed their added value in partner countries, the directors-general discussed ways of improving cooperation with these countries. Director-General Jukič went on to stress the need to strengthen multilateralism in a changing geopolitical context, calling for the early completion of the EU’s internal legal procedures for the signing of the Post-Cotonou Agreement.