Slovenia takes over the EU presidency in January and already it has made its priorities public. One of its major objectives is likely to bring it into a stiff argument with France. Slovenia wants to speed up accession talks with Turkey and Croatia- not a favourite subject with France at the moment. It will be interesting to see how it all develops.

Even so, the other Slovenian priorities are full of promise. There is going to be a renewed push towards the EU tackling climate change. Slovenia wants energy markets to be liberalized in a hurry and an equally pressing issue is the question of Kosovo.  Incidentally Slovenia was one of the ten member states to have joined the EU in 2004. Once the EU treaty is approved, Slovenia will be one of the last countries to hold the six-month rotating presidency.

It was therefore a pleasure, last week, to join other EU heads of representation from various member states on a whirlwind familiarisation visit of Ljubljana, the capital city.  It couldn’t have come at a more endearing time of the year. Reflecting people’s deep seated Christian culture Ljubljana was decked to the nines for Christmas with outdoor yuletide fairs and decorative illuminations bursting into life onto every street and square.  .

Backdropped by awesome mountains and with the glistening Ljubljanica river running through the capital, it all looked like something out of a Grimm fairy tale. I was in Slovenia last in 1981- more than 20 years ago- driving from Belgrade to Croatia. The way the country has changed from its soviet days is absolutely stunning. The economy is clearly booming- all of which is pretty much evident everywhere, not least from the amount of luxury cars one see on the roads. Exports have rocketed sky high and, as far as globalization goes I am sure all the world’s major trade marks are there but they are less in- your- face than elsewhere.

The Slovenians unabashedly credit EU membership for this wholesale improvement -

We asked how the country has fared in the wake of changing over to the Euro. We were told the changeover did make a difference. Admittedly prices have moved up but then again the cost of living in Slovenia is so much lower than Malta’s. The full tab for a three course meal with wine for 6 of us came to a breathtaking €25- Lm10 per head. It makes one wonder why so many other EU states remain this much competitive compared to Malta.

Much about the way the country is run is impressive. Slovenia seems to under the stewardship of young people- all of them locally born and adequately qualified. Every official one meets, including government ministers, wouldn’t be, at the outset, a day older than 35. Horror of horrors to many other governments Slovenia regularly reshuffles its ministers almost with clockwork precision.

The other quaint thing about the country is that they actually have a Pensioners’ political party.

They do have problems of course. Inflation is forecast to hit a staggering 4.7% this year and the government’s commitment to march out of state owned businesses comes in short supply. Then there are also domestic political problems.

What largely remains from Tito’s days is the architecture- which is soviet monolithic- and his sumptuous 16th century Brdo Pri  Kranyu summer residence estate, 178 acres of sprawling parks, a spectacle of castles, villas, restaurants, hotel, a duck island,  and congress halls- much of which we visited. The place is famous all over the world- not least for hosting the 2001 summit between US President George W Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin . It might yet serve to bring French and Slovenian thoughts on Turkish EU membership to some kind of accommodation. Compromise at the EU is a crafted art that works miracles.

Incidentally I have been chosen, together with nine other member of EU staff, to put questions to EU President Jose Manuel Barroso at an hour’s forum for Commission staff due to be held on Monday 17th December. The subjects under debate are the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs, climate change, Europe as a world partner and managing the realities of migration.

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