Good morning.
How are you? -Good. The flight was great.
What are the expectations from this special summit?
It is special, mainly because President Zelensky will be with us.
I believe there will be a lot of talk about Ukraine.
About all aspects of this war.
We will probably have to listen to the latest events
and then decide on the fly how to proceed.
Some smaller meetings with President Zelensky are also planned.
We'll see.
The ten-point peace plan that President Zelensky is talking about.
What is it actually about, what is Slovenia's position on this proposal
and does it seem realistic to you?
We will wait for him to explain the details of the peace plan today.
At first glance, many things look a bit too ambitious.
Especially given the latest information to be released today.
We will wait, I wouldn't like to comment in advance.
I think that today will show where we are realistically
on the ground and where the real needs are.
The first anniversary of the war is approaching.
More and more countries are speaking louder about the need
to start thinking about some kind of peace plan.
In your opinion, taking into account Slovenia's position,
what should those steps be, what should the basic points
of any peace plan for Ukraine be?
The first thing, which is the foundation of any peace plan,
is the willingness of both parties to do so.
Maybe we'll hear more about preparedness today.
For now, it was more lacking than abundant.
We'll see. I'm not optimistic.
I fear that both sides are preparing for an escalation of military conflict.
I believe that that will be discussed today as well.
This cannot be a good sign for talking about peace plans.
But as I said, let's wait. -One more...
What will be your message to the Ukrainian president?
Will you announce any additional help?
So far, we have not even discussed this in Slovenia,
much less made a decision, so I won't promise something
for which I do not have the support of the National Assembly.
This is also very important.
Per capita, Slovenia was among the biggest donors in the past period.
There is no need to rush.
I think now it's the turn of the big members
which have so far kept somewhat aside.
Let them contribute their share.
In this case, Slovenia can also wait a little.
President Zelensky is persistently repeating
that he needs weapons of all kinds.
How do you comment
on the tank donation race and the whole tank debate?
What can Slovenia even offer in terms of weapons?
I will not comment more than I already have.
I fear that it is mostly a verbal contest.
The question is how much of this can be seen in the field.
We will wait and see what will be realised and when.
Slovenia gave its aid last year quickly and without any pomp.
Let us see how other EU Member States will follow.
What about punishing those responsible
for the crimes in Ukraine? Will you present today
how Slovenia is preparing for the international conference?
No, that is not on the agenda today.
There is still much to be done regarding this,
so I would rather not comment.
A quick question about migration.
There is once again a lot of talk about building fences,
that they are necessary and that the EU needs to fund them.
Slovenia is also regularly mentioned
as one of the countries that built fences.
What is this government's stance on this issue
and would you support Brussels funding
the building of physical barriers on the border?
No. I will be very explicit.
Slovenia saw that fences do not solve this problem.
I will stand by this view today
and we will not support funding fences or this policy.
Is the border with B&H crucial for Slovenia?
That is also where the external Schengen border is.
Is Slovenia satisfied with how Croatia is controlling it?
It is too early to talk about this, but we definitely support the idea
that Frontex units would take greater initiative
on all external Schengen borders, not only the Bosnian one.
This way we could get appropriate information regarding control.
We have no data yet, so any speculation would be inappropriate.
Could you comment on global competitiveness,
Slovenia's stance and whether there will be any measures?
Unfortunately that will be a very brief topic today.
We will talk about this in March during the regular session,
when the Commission will have its proposals.
Slovenia's stance is that the European Union
must have a united response,
mostly one that will not conflict with US measures,
but also one that will observe the specifics
of the European Union's internal market.
Our key stance is to not seek additional funds,
but to be more flexible
with the funds for the Recovery and Resilience Facility
in order to redirect part of those funds
into measures for green growth and transition.
So you would also not support going into joint debt?
No, the grants have still not been used up,
that is why we are advocating more flexible ways to utilise them,
only then can we start thinking about new debt.
Thank you. -You're welcome, goodbye.