This year’s Forum will be held under the central topic “Turning Crisis into Opportunity? Europe in a (Post-) Pandemic World Order”. Minister Logar outlined the challenges of Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2021 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing the importance of solidarity, and stating that “Solidarity between EU Member States also means finding a compromise that is acceptable to everyone – we need to think outside the box. We may represent different views, but we all share the same goals.”

On the margins of the Forum, Minister Logar met separately for discussions with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Portuguese Foreign Minister August Santos Silva.

Foreign ministers Logar and Maas welcomed the excellent relations between their respective countries and highlighted efforts to strengthen bilateral strategic dialogue. Minister Logar expressed the hope that the scope of economic cooperation with Germany as Slovenia’s most important foreign trade partner may soon be restored to pre-crisis levels. The two ministers also discussed the future of the EU, the challenges faced by the EU Council Presidency due to the consequences of the pandemic, and the financing of economic recovery. They went on to welcome further efforts to augment COVID-19 coordination and supported the EU initiative on joint procurement and distribution of vaccines. They advocated for reaching an agreement on the implementation of the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery Fund and confirmed the constructive cooperation of both countries in the framework of the Trio Presidency.

Ministers Logar and Silva highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between Slovenia and Portugal and the regular contacts between their respective countries. In this context, Minister Logar was delighted to note the reopening of the Embassy of Portugal in Ljubljana. The counterparts went on to exchange views on the national measures to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and on cooperation in the framework of the EU Council Presidency next year, which is a particular challenge due to the severe international epidemiological situation.