WEBVTT

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Greetings. Welcome
to today's press conference,

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marking the first
official visit to Slovenia

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by the Commissioner
for Enlargement, Marta Kos.

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I now give the floor to the
Prime Minister, Dr. Robert Golob.

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Greetings.
I am also very pleased

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that Ms. Marta Kos has honoured us
with her first official visit.

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I would like
to take a look back and say

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that Ms. Marta Kos being appointed
Commisioner for such an important

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and strategically significant
field like Enlargement,

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is an immense recognition
of not only Slovenia's reputation,

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but also its past work.
Our efforts in the past two years,

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being solidly positioned
in the core of Europe

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and working toward achieving
stability and peace

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in our immediate neighbourhood,
have been recognised.

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That, I believe, is also
the new Commissioner's mission.

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This mission
is entirely in line

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with the strategic goals
of the Republic of Slovenia.

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That is why we will gladly
and proudly work together

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on actually achieving that
enlargement during this term.

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I believe
that the European Union

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now has a historical opportunity,
as well as a duty

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to open the door
for all candidate countries

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that have been waiting
for this opportunity for decades.

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They may not all accede during
this term, but some should.

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I am glad,
because I know

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that the Commissioner
is the right person for this,

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as she believes in this mission
and is also incredibly motivated

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and qualified
to complete this mission.

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Dear Marta, your visit
truly makes me happy

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and I am looking forward
to all our successes.

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Thank you, Prime Minister.

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I do not know if anyone
is happier today than I am,

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as I am visiting my homeland
and meeting the Prime Minister,

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who nominated me
for Commissioner

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and managed to secure
for the Slovenian government

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one of the most
important portfolios

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of the current
European Commission.

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Enlargement is a priority
for various reasons.

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One of the most important ones
is that enlargement

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is one of the most successful
foreign policies of the EU.

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By expanding and including
countries, as you mentioned,

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we can complete the European Union
in the coming years.

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By expanding in this period,

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which is different
than it was in the past,

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we are
returning to the roots

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of why
the Europan Union even formed.

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The EU formed in order to ensure
peace, freedom and prosperity,

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and today we can add another
special aspect, which is security.

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Thank you for the good,
intense conversation about

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how we can all, both Slovenia
as well as other Member States,

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contribute to actually
achieving enlargement.

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For the first time in 10 years
we have a real chance

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of bringing at least one state,
perhaps even two or three,

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to the conclusion
of the negotiating process.

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Negotiations in the past 12 years
have not been very successful,

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nor were they a priority.

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In the past 12 years we have closed
eight negotiating chapters,

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three of which
we did last week.

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I assess that, during my term,
we can close over a hundred.

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That will require
not only a lot of work

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by myself
as Commissioner for Enlargement,

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I also expect the support
of all Member States.

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I am glad that Slovenia truly
supports the enlargement process,

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which it wrote in the new
foreign policy strategy,

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which was adopted
last week.

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I am also happy
that nearly 60% of Slovenians

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support
the enlargement process

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and that
nearly 50% of Slovenians believe

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that the most important activity
of the European Union

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is that it provides
peace and stability,

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which is also the goal
of the enlargement process.

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The attitude in Brussels toward
enlargement is very positive.

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I also see my role
as raising awareness

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among other commissioners
about the enlargement process.

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As you know, the President
of the European Commission,

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Ursula von der Leyen,
strongly supports enlargement.

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It will be my task
to gain the approval and support

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of the other
Member States as well.

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As we prepare candidate countries
to accede to the European Union,

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we must also work
on internal reforms,

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which means that two parallel
processes will be happening at once.

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We cannot bring
a candidate country

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to the conclusion
of the negotiations,

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only for the European Union
to be unprepared for its accession.

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I also promised
the Prime Minister

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to come to Slovenia as often
as I can, for various reasons.

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Of course,
Slovenia remains my homeland.

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I like to say that I am a proud
Carinthian, a proud Slovenian,

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and, now,
a proud European.

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I will attend the opening

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of the European Capital of Culture
on 8 February,

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which will happen in two cities
that are the best possible example

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in the context of both
history and enlargement.

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They show how
the two countries have merged,

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especially once Slovenia
acceded to the EU,

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and the meaning of reconciliation
in this part of the world.

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We will also
organise a round table

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with young people
from all over Europe,

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where I wish to talk
about this topic.

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At the end of the year, I wish
Slovenia, my country, all the best.

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We have a wonderful country
and it will only get better

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if we all work on it, and the same
goes for the European Union.

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Working for
the good of the country

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is not solely
the government's responsibility,

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or yours,
Mr. Prime Minister.

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It is the
responsibility of us all,

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and the same applies
at the EU level.

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The European Union will be strong
when we realise

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that each of us can contribute,
even if just a little,

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toward building
a common European house.

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Mr. Prime Minister,
this house contains a symbolic gift

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of the famous
Belgian biscuits, <i>speculaas</i>.

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The house itself is a symbol
of the European home.

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When I was leading
Slovenia's campaign

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to accede to the EU
at the end of the 1990s,

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the title of the campaign was
"Home in Europe".

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I like to say that my mission is to
bring candidate countries back home.

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This house
is a symbol of Europe.

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Thank you
for making me Commissioner.

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I wish Slovenia all the best

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and that we will build
the common European house together

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for all of the countries
not yet in it.

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Absolutely.
Thank you very much.

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Thank you. You can now ask
one question per guest.

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Greetings,
Adrijan Bakič, RTV.

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You both emphasised the importance
of the Enlargement portfolio,

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which now includes
the restoration of Ukraine.

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Mr. Prime Minister, Slovenia signed
a security agreement with Ukraine.

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We have already sent
13 packages of military aid,

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are there any new plans
of sending Ukraine military aid?

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Madame Commissioner,
last week the PM stated

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that the change
in the U.S. administration

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brings some hope
for possibly ending the war.

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Does the European Commission
share this view?

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And are you perhaps
planning to visit

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the Western Balkans
in the near future? Thank you.

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Ukraine was
one of the main topics

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at the European Council
last week, as it always is.

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The activities in this field
are going in multiple directions.

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Military aid, especially providing
anti-air defense,

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is always on the agenda.

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Slovenia has exhausted
all of its options in this regard.

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Then there is ammunition,

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of which Slovenia does not have any
large stocks. We are participating

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in some pan-European
programmes, but that's it.

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I know that our Ukrainian partners
are well aware of this.

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So our focus
is on two other areas,

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on the one hand
diplomatic support

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for a solution
at the diplomatic table,

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but also support in countries
outside the European Union,

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or outside the Western world,

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to get them on board
with the peace plan for Ukraine.

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In this part, Slovenia is much
more involved than in some others.

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I sincerely believe
that there will be an opportunity

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in the next few weeks
or months to come to peace,

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and I sincerely believe that
this opportunity should be seized.

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What it will be depends,
of course, on the Ukrainian side,

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there cannot be peace
without the Ukrainians,

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but I am moderately optimistic
that we are approaching the moment

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when such peace
will be possible.

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And after the ceasefire or peace

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there will be a period
which in a way will be directed

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by the Commissioner
for Enlargement and Reconstruction.

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The reconstruction of Ukraine
as a country

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will be extremely important,

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and there will also have to be
a great deal of mobilisation.

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Some say that the main challenges
will only start when peace prevails.

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I believe that it will be necessary
to focus all our energy on this.

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This will not be
a matter of some reward

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for all those who want to
participate in the reconstruction,

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but of a really heavy burden
for all EU countries,

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which we will have to share
and take upon ourselves individually.

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Ukraine is the first candidate
country that we are negotiating with

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while it's at war.
The European Commission

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also wants to see peace
as soon as possible,

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but peace has to be such
that Ukraine agrees to it.

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That is the first basis.

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The second important point
is reconstruction,

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not only the reconstruction of
buildings that have been destroyed,

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or the healing
of wounded hearts,

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this is, after all, also about
achieving political stability,

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and we forget sometimes,
in the process of enlargement,

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that one of
the main advantages of enlargement

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is that a country then achieves

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greater political stability
within Europe,

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and that will be of great
importance for Ukraine as well.

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As enlargement is governed by
the so-called merit-based principle,

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I will, of course, very soon
be visiting the two countries

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that are the furthest along
in the enlargement process,

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Montenegro and Albania.

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That will happen in January,
or in the first half of February.

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I will be going
to Moldova in January,

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and to Poland, which is
taking over the Presidency,

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and then to Denmark
shortly afterwards,

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because I would like to see every
Presidency of the Council of the EU

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to be a success
in the field of enlargement.

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I also see this as my task.

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Thank you. Last question.

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Žana Vertačnik, Pop TV. First,
a question for Mrs Marta Kos.

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When you visited
Kiev in Ukraine,

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you said that in the next five-year
period you would draw parallels

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from the Slovenian
experience in integration.

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What specifically
did you have in mind?

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And a question
for both of you.

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What are the chances
of two Slovenians

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working in the same area,
the Western Balkans?

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So what are the realistic chances
of former President Borut Pahor

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succeeding as special envoy?
Thank you.

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The comparison between
Slovenia and Ukraine ...

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From the time when Slovenia was
preparing to join the European Union,

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what sticks in my mind most

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is the really tremendous positive
energy that prevailed

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when we decided that
we wanted to join the EU.

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Slovenia completed the negotiations
in less than three years.

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Ukraine wants to as well,
and when I was in Kiev,

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President Zelensky asked

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if it is possible to open
the first set of chapters immediately

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and to open all the chapters
in the next year.

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I also observed in Ukraine,
in their politicians,

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the extraordinary energy and
willingness to do everything possible

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to join the EU
as soon as possible.

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That's what I meant
by similarities,

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because it seems to me that,
with this extremely positive energy,

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when you really want
to achieve something,

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you can overcome
difficult processes.

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Negotiations
are difficult processes.

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Ukraine has made excellent progress,
even though it's at war,

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and I hope that
in the first quarter of next year

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we will be in a position
to open the first set of chapters.

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Regarding the role
of Borut Pahor in the future,

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and resolving the challenges
in the Western Balkans,

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the High Representative
is the area of Kaja Kallas.

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But we're already having talks with
my team and her team in January

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on what we could do
in the Western Balkans,

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so that bilateral issues

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do not interfere so much
in the negotiation process,

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and, of course, how to resolve

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the dialogue between
Pristina and Belgrade,

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and to finally get
Bosnia and Herzegovina to the point

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where we can do the screening

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and then, of course,
open the first set of chapters.

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I think that
former President Borut Pahor

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is an extremely
good candidate for this position.

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He fulfils all the conditions, he has
excellent knowledge of the region.

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I do not consider that there is
a direct conflict of interest,

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because this is a position
of High Representative,

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dealing with bilateral relations
between Kosovo and Serbia.

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This in itself

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is not mutually exclusive
with the Enlargement portfolio.

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I'm optimistic

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and I think that precisely
if things were better coordinated,

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the bilateral relations between
Serbia and Kosovo on the one hand,

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the enlargement on the other hand,
this would provide a new dynamic.

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Of course, it's not just
about my judgement, it's wider,

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but I don't see
that it excludes it

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or automatically makes it
less possible.

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But some of the people who
are going to run for this post

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might try to use this argument.

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I think that it can also be turned
in the direction that if we want

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the enlargement to be successful,
as the Commissioner says,

00:17:34.372 --> 00:17:37.940
then bilateral issues
need to be dealt with separately,

00:17:38.060 --> 00:17:40.831
but at the same time
in a coordinated way,

00:17:40.951 --> 00:17:42.772
so that they
don't hinder enlargement.

00:17:42.892 --> 00:17:46.821
But separately, so that they are
finally dealt with.

00:17:46.941 --> 00:17:51.720
In the spirit
of an honest mediator,

00:17:52.217 --> 00:17:55.921
both in the enlargement process,
as recognised by the whole of Europe,

00:17:56.041 --> 00:18:00.102
and in the case of bilateral
relations between Kosovo and Serbia,

00:18:00.222 --> 00:18:03.726
it would be very important
to have an honest mediator.

00:18:03.846 --> 00:18:08.254
I think that Slovenia and Borut Pahor
have this reputation.

00:18:08.374 --> 00:18:13.186
Thank you, this concludes
the press conference. -Thank you.

00:18:13.306 --> 00:18:16.499
Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year.