Minister Fajon co-chairs 5th session of the Slovenia-Friuli Venezia Giulia Joint Committee
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon in Trieste with the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Massimiliano Fedriga | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje in evropske zadeve
At the Joint Committee meeting, the Minister stressed that Slovenia appreciates the regular, open and constructive dialogue with Italy and Friuli Venezia Giulia on the outstanding issues and challenges facing the Slovenian minority in Italy. “It gives me great pleasure to see the joint preparations for the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia. This is the first time that two cities from two countries have joined forces in a project of this kind, working together across national borders. It is a project of optimism and hope much needed in Europe and the world at this time. I would also like to express my hope that the cooperation established in the context of the European Capital of Culture will have a lasting legacy for years to come. We must all work to ensure that it brings real progress to the area and remains embedded in the relations between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Slovenia," the Minister added.
During the bilateral meeting with the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia, Fedriga, Minister Fajon said that Slovenia appreciated the region’s responsiveness to the issues of the Slovenian minority. In this context, she supported the elaboration of a systemic solution for the guaranteed representation of the Slovenian minority in the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia, which it has been seeking for decades.
Minister Fajon and President Fedriga signed an operational agreement on sustainable mobility, which will serve as the basis for the joint planning of a public mobility system, the coordination of cross-border public passenger transport services and the establishment of a cross-border information system. The Minister expressed her support for efforts to keep cross-border passenger transport links open after 2025, when the activities of the European Capital of Culture come to an end. In addition, she stressed the need for effective cross-border emergency medical assistance.
The two high officials also discussed migration and temporary border controls at the Slovenian-Italian border. "I regret that due to increased tensions and threats in the international community, Slovenia and Italy have also had to introduce temporary controls at their borders. Slovenia stands for open borders within the Schengen area. I hope that through good cooperation our two countries can reach a point where border controls, which have the greatest impact on people living in the border area, can be lifted as soon as possible".
Cooperation between Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia covers transport, energy, environment, spatial planning, agriculture and rural development, protection against natural and other disasters, economy and tourism, research, education, culture and minority issues. The Joint Committee was established in 2015 with the aim of strengthening direct contacts and cooperation between ministries and agencies of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
After their meeting at the Narodni dom, Minister Fajon and President Fedriga visited the Stik multimedia centre of the Slovenian minority in Italy and the Slovenians in Italy exhibition.