Agreement on appointments for heads of EU institutions can ensure level-headed and wise leadership
They adopted the strategic agenda for 2024–2029 and discussed the adverse situation in Ukraine, security and defence, EU competitiveness, the Middle East, and other current issues.
In his statement following the meeting late yesterday evening, Prime Minister Golob said that EU leaders had approved the candidate for the President of the European Commission and the candidate for High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and appointed the new President of the European Council. The Prime Minister believes that these experienced politicians will lead the European Union in these turbulent times with a sufficient degree of level-headedness, wisdom and also optimism.
Prime Minister Golob said that the leaders of EU Member States also discussed the situation in the Middle East, in particular the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and the West Bank. "Finally, we adopted sufficiently clear positions, not only that the situation is untenable, but that the Palestinian Authority must be effectively empowered and a path to a two-state solution sought. The recognition of Palestine was mentioned as a step forward on this path." He pointed out Slovenia's contribution to peace efforts and expressed his satisfaction that Slovenia's decisive position on the Middle East situation contributed to the European Council's conclusions addressing the situation on the ground more specifically. He added that the EU would only be an important actor in the Middle East if it was united. He advocated this in his letter to EU leaders in May, in which he emphasised that the first step must be to reach unity at the European level.
On the margins of the meeting, Prime Minister Golob also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski. They agreed that the relations between Slovenia and Ukraine are excellent. Slovenia will continue to participate in and support all activities aimed at ensuring peace and security in the region. "President Zelenski and I talked about how Slovenia could continue to help Ukraine, in particular in finding a path to peace. Slovenia cannot offer everything that larger countries in Europe or the world can, but it can provide support on this path," concluded the Prime Minister.