Presentation of the programme of activities of the Slovenian Presidency (debate)
Speaker: Manfred WEBER (Germany, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern e.V.)
Date: 2021-07-06

  Manfred Weber,  on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, I also want to start with history. Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the end of the so-called Ten-Day War with the signing of the Brioni Agreement under the political sponsorship of, what was still then, the European Community. Representatives from Slovenia, Croatia and Yugoslavia signed a declaration to end hostilities and to set the scene for the future relationships between the countries. The Slovenian War of Independence was the painful and bloody birth of the Slovenian Republic as we know it today. 
In many other Member States the memory of how the European Union became the world’s most successful peace project and global anchor of stability and democracy is not so fresh. In Slovenia it is. Thirty years ago it was Slovenia which benefited from Europe’s political sponsorship. Thirty years later Slovenia is now in the political driver’s seat itself and the Slovenian Presidency now has the chance to continue building the common European house with the experience and knowledge from its rich but often also difficult history in the heart of Europe. 
The four priorities chosen by the Slovenian Presidency prove that Slovenia is ever about responsibility. Striving for facilitating the EU’s recovery and reinforcing its resilience must be one of the top priorities. We must draw the consequences from the pandemic and its management as quickly as possible. Health projects, strategic autonomy to socio-economic consequences of the COVID pandemic for us as the EPP the headline is jobs, jobs, jobs. We need economic growth in Europe with digital and sustainable transition. For the Fit for 55 package the Slovenian Presidency can be a first bridge builder to bring the eastern centre, eastern European countries and the western countries together. On the big data biomedicine, on the digital services we have a lot of legislation in front of us where we count on the Slovenian Presidency to make Europe more resilient. The economic impact of the crisis – a EUR 60 billion loss of economic growth and around 300 000 jobs – that is what we are talking about when we talk about jobs. 
I also want to thank the Slovenian Presidency for picking up the migration task. It’s not easy at all but Parliament is ready for making compromises. We have a common understanding about how to solve it and the Lithuanian development gives us a clear idea that the urgency is there. 
A decisive question is on the Conference for the future of Europe. We had a successful kick-off but now we have to fill the conference with concrete content. Time is short and during the Slovenian Presidency we have 10 business panels, two conference panels and plenaries planned. That’s why we count a lot on the success during the Slovenian Presidency. It’s a presidency of listening to citizens in a way and then with the French Presidency, we have to conclude. 
I am also happy that in all the speeches we heard for the moment, the rule of law was a key element. Together we in the European Parliament fought last year for implementing a binding rule of law mechanism. My party, the EPP, was, and will always be, a strong defender of the rule of law principle. Let me be very clear, any problem related to the rule of law is not an internal affair of a Member State, it is not just a problem for the Member State concerned, but a problem for all Europeans. And even more importantly, the rule of law should be a self-evident political principle especially in view of our common European history. 
You know we have a lot of discussions going on on this subject. For me, one thing is clear and there, dear Prime Minister, I really ask you to help us, because the most urgent thing at this point is to make the European Prosecutor operational as quickly as possible, so that they can start their work. That’s why this is an urgent demand to immediately nominate the Slovenian representative on this. But there are other discussions about media freedom. Some say we have a problem in Slovenia and other countries, others say we have a very critical press in Slovenia. Then we have the judicial discussion. Some say we have a formally independent judiciary, others say this is highly politicised. You know we had in the last days in Denmark a vote on the asylum law there and that means practically that in Denmark they are abolishing the right of asylum. Just imagine for a second if such a vote were to take place in Slovenia or in Hungary. 
So, dear colleagues, what I want to say is that we have, with the rule of law, implemented the separation of powers. We are the legislator. We have the job of implementing the rule of law mechanism. But the assessment where the rule of law is under risk or not is then in the hand of the Commission and of the courts in Europe. And I really ask the Commission Vice-President Jourová to speed things up. I do not want to see any further reports about let me say, we are concerned, we are considering, maybe there is a problem – I want to see now an acting Commission, I want to see now a Commissioner that gives us a proper answer on whether we have a problem in Europe or not. 
And finally, the Slovenian Presidency is also looking to the Western Balkans. I like this very much and the EPP is fully supporting this. 
Let me close with a quote from the Slovenian author Žarko Petan, who was born in Ljubljana in 1929 and died in 2014. He said ‘The present is the state between the good old days and the more beautiful future.’ That is an extremely positive, optimistic spirit and this spirit is needed in Europe. So Srečno Slovenija! Srečno Evropa!