In the second meeting of the prime ministers in Slovenia, they talked about cooperation in the areas of energy, migration and economy. The two leaders agreed to sign a solidarity agreement on gas supply and also expressed their support for the construction of a second unit of the nuclear power plant in Krško.

“We had a relaxed and positive meeting between representatives of two friendly countries today," said the Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob after the meeting. He added that today’s working visit was only a preparation for the next meeting in Zagreb. He is confident that friendly relations between the two countries will not only be confirmed in Zagreb, but indeed furthered with concrete actions.

In the area of energy, the Slovenian and Croatian prime ministers agreed to sign a solidarity agreement on gas supply. “We discussed the possibilities of expanding the current hub, i.e. the Krk gas terminal, to become a hub for Central Europe and how Slovenia could cooperate with neighbouring countries in this effort,” said Dr Golob. There is a common interest between the two countries to ensure that this project is implemented, and he thanked Croatia for offering its gas terminal as one of the entry points to Central Europe. The advantages of such multilateral cooperation include reduction of dependence on Russian gas and diversification of gas supply.

The co-owners of the Krško nuclear power plant support the construction of a second unit, and it will be crucial for the European Union to recognise nuclear energy as clean and to provide funding for the development of the nuclear industry. Once the decisions are made, the door for the launch of the JEK2 project can be opened more widely, and Slovenia will look for as much support as possible for the development of this type of technology at Union level.

While Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area on 1 January this year has made travel easier for many Slovenians, it has also led to an increase in illegal migrations to Slovenia. Therefore the two leaders also discussed cooperation in the area of migration, more specifically trilateral cooperation with Italy. According to Dr Golob, Slovenia, like Croatia, is a transit country, and the two share the common goal of establishing the best possible control over illegal migration. The three countries need to stablish joint control of the corridors through which illegal migrants cross from the Bosnian border via Croatia and Slovenia into Italy.

In the area of economic cooperation, the leaders briefly discussed the situation of energy companies in both markets. “In Slovenia, like in Croatia, we have decided to regulate the prices of electricity and gas for households and for the business sector, and energy companies are now submitting various claims for the compensation of the resulting losses,” said Prime Minister Golob. The two leaders therefore agreed to cooperate to establish a fair mechanism for compensating energy suppliers for the eligible costs incurred due to price regulation. Economic cooperation between Slovenia and Croatia is excellent: last year, Croatia was Slovenia’s fifth most important trading partner in terms of trade in goods.