In his address, State Secretary Dovžan pointed to the importance of the rule of law, which is essential to maintaining the European way of life. He announced that the Slovenian Presidency would continue the practice established by the German and Portuguese presidencies and organise a general debate on the rule of law annual report within the scope of the General Affairs Council. The report is planned to be published by the European Commission in July. In addition, a special debate on the rule of law will be organised in five selected countries. Taking into account the Slovenian experience, State Secretary Dovžan stressed the need for an in-depth approach to monitoring and strengthening the rule of law in the EU without double standards, as formal guarantees in themselves are insufficient to ensure that the rule of law is really put into practice.

Full address by State Secretary Gašper Dovžan

As part of the GAC informal meeting, the State Secretary also talked with the Slovak State Secretary Martin Klus and Secretary of State at the Romanian Foreign Ministry Iulia Matei, briefing them on the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year.