WEBVTT

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Hello. -Hello. -Will you first
answer Slovenian questions?

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What does the agreement the leaders
reached yesterday mean for Slovenia?

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I am pleased
that we reached an agreement

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on the sixth package
of sanctions yesterday.

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This package was more demanding
than the previous five.

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Because this includes
a part of the energy package.

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Not all Member States
are in the same situation.

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The most difficult thing was to
find a solution for those countries

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that do not have access
to offshore oil tankers.

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Fortunately,
Slovenia has this access.

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We looked for solutions
for others.

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Of course, this part
of the energy problem,

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as far as sanctions
are concerned,

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is still the easier part
of the problem,

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the hardest part
is yet to come. That's gas.

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Good luck to those who will find
a solution for squaring the circle.

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As for the situation in Ukraine,

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sanctions, of course,
are not the key issue.

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The key issue
is the situation in Donbas,

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where the Russian army
is advancing. It's a dry season.

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Russia has superiority in the air,
in armour and heavy weapons.

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If the European Union
and the West

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don't want to see new millions
of refugees from Ukraine in a month,

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we must now focus
on military aid to Ukraine.

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What will change for Slovenia
after yesterday's agreement?

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As far as oil supply
for Slovenia is concerned,

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those commercial companies
that supply oil to Slovenia,

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already ensure that it is
not supplied from Russian sources.

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If this is true,
there should be no complications

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nor significant direct effects
on energy prices.

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Today you will also talk about rising
energy prices. What do you expect?

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Can you predict anything
for the coming months

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if the crisis in Ukraine
were to deepen?

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The topic we started yesterday
is probably even more important

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than how much Russian oil
Europe will buy.

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It’s not just about quantities, at
the moment it’s mostly about prices.

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If prices are very high,
Russia can sell half as much oil,

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but it will still have more money
to finance the war in Ukraine.

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At the same time,
when Russia invaded Ukraine,

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when it destabilised world
markets with the war in Ukraine,

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it also caused
higher oil or energy prices,

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food prices and so on.
This is basically the main problem.

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I hope that today we will find
more concrete solutions

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on how to influence energy prices.

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Europe
has some instruments for this,

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but unfortunately,
we are still prisoners

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of the paradigms of years ago,

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when there was neither
war nor high prices.

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And when the green transition paradigm
applied no matter how much it cost.

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These priorities now
need to be reconciled.

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If the European Union
finds the right approach,

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this will stabilise energy prices.

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What about the perspective
of joint procurement?

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How quickly is this measure feasible?
It seems a good measure in general.

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This measure is good, Slovenia
proposed it in October last year.

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Formal frameworks
are more or less set.

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However,
much remains to be done

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by the European institutions
and the Member States,

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because it is a matter of coordinating
formal European frameworks

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and the commercial approach
in the European single market.

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You have already mentioned the future
of the war in Ukraine and the measures

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which the European Union
should implement in this case.

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Today you are
at your last summit of this term.

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What do you think
would be most urgent

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for the European Union
and for Slovenia within the EU?

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For the future of the connection
and this problem?

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What will be
the biggest challenges?

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Now, but also
in the foreseeable future,

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the key challenge
is the war in Ukraine.

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This war affects everything.

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It affects geostrategic
balance in the world.

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It affects lesser potential
crisis points, causing instability

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in the Western Balkans
for example.

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Both Slovenian and European
policy have to focus on that.

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At the moment the key is
to stop Russian agressors.

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If Russia wins ground there,

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this will increase the appetite
of the agressor,

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cause political instability
in Ukraine,

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and the loss of credibility
of the EU and the West

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which will affect prices,
energy security,

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so the war in Ukraine will decide
the future of the EU and Slovenia.

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Do you have any advice
to your successors?

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I advise proactive policy.
The key point is Ukraine.

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You need to know all the details

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and focus on what's important.

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Both Slovenian and European
foreign policy

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should focus on that,
and Slovenia will make sure

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that we can live
in peace and prosperity.

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I don't like to predict the future.

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I was a part of the European
Council for the 3rd time.

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At this time there is noone
in the European Council

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who was there from 2004 to 2008.

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I hope that many of these
brave people I've met here,

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especially brave female colleagues
from Denmark, Finland, Sweden

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and Estonia
will still be here,

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because they are the ones
steerin the European boat

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in the right direction.

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As I've said many times since
February, the world has changed.

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We are still trying to understand
how important the changes are.

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The West and especially the EU,
lacked ambition

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and strategic answers
to the strategic challenges.

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The enlargement of the EU
is one of the possible answers.

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When we are speaking about
the possibility

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of the EU membership
for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine,

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it's a: Hic Rhodus, hic salta!

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The European Council will fail
to meet the demads of the time

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if the candidate status
is not delivered.

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And to be very frank,

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during the discussions
since February

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I saw clear division within
the EU regarding its enlargement.

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There are some countries
that just want for aspiring

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countries to stay in the waiting
room or even outside

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as long as possible

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and thus provide a cheap
labour force for core Europe.

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I'm strongly against it.
Europe was built on

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other values.

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I think this is a test.

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We see that Sweden
and Finland are joining NATO.

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This is one of the rare
bright spots

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in the current situation.

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The EU has to follow this path.

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It has to change
the criteria

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and return to the original
spirit of the EU.

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The EU was built as a peace process.

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Not only as a single market

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with prices and economy
influencing everything.

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The Council in June
will be the moment of truth.