State Secretary Dr. Stanislav Raščan addressed the young participants from different countries at the opening ceremony of the event at the Hotel Slon in Ljubljana. In his speech, he congratulated the European Youth Parliament of Slovenia on winning the international tender of the Schwarzkopf Foundation, which enabled the organisation of the International Session in Slovenia for the first time. An event led by young people is especially important in the year marked by the Slovenian EU Council Presidency and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

In his address, State Secretary Dr. Raščan briefly presented the four priorities of the Slovenian Presidency under the slogan “Together. Resilient. Europe.” He underlined that young people are working very hard on environmental issues in a Europe-wide consultation, which is further supported by the fact that the circular economy is one of the central topics of this year’s international conference. The Slovenian EU Council Presidency will also strive to deliver the European Green Deal, especially in the field of climate change, biodiversity and circular economy.

As to the importance of young people for the progress of European democracy and integration, State Secretary Dr. Raščan highlighted the commitment to citizenship and promotion of the European way of life. The Slovenian government strongly supports all efforts related to educating young people about democracy within civic education and empowering them to participate in democratic processes.

In his closing remarks, State Secretary Dr. Raščan ensured the young participants that he looked forward to hearing the recommendations they produce in the course of their discussions and wished them every success.