General Affairs Council on “Reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections” legislative package

25. 1. 2022

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the first session of the General Affairs Council after the conclusion of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in Brussels. At the beginning of the session, he expressed support to the French Presidency for the guidelines for the work of the General Affairs Council in the first half of 2022 and advocated for the ambitious continuation of work of the Conference on the Future of Europe. He also called for further coordinated action of EU member states in facing the COVID-19 pandemic and welcomed the commitment of the EU to the enlargement process and strengthened cooperation with the Western Balkans.

ry Dovžan with the French Minister of State for European Affairs and the Portuguese Secretary of State talking — State Secretary Dovžan with the French Minister of State for European Affairs and the Portuguese Secretary of State | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve

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The state secretaries and ministers for European affairs held a policy debate on the “Reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections” legislative package, devoting particular attention to political advertising and the financing of European political parties and foundations. They highlighted the challenges facing European democracy, including external interference in electoral processes. State Secretary Dovžan welcomed measures aimed to ensure greater transparency and resilience of electoral processes and democracies in the EU, while noting that outstanding issues, particularly regarding respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, will need to be clarified at the time of the adoption of legal acts. He expressed his support for the proposal to limit the inflow of financial resources for the funding of European political parties and foundations from third countries and for the recast of the regulation on political advertising, which is aimed at ensuring harmonised rules for the transparency of political advertising within the EU and at protecting natural persons in the processing of personal data.

The ministers and state secretaries for European affairs discussed the current situation regarding COVID-19 coordination. State Secretary Dovžan underlined the importance of vaccination and booster doses to prevent the development of severe illness and ensure the stability of healthcare systems, the economy and other social subsystems, stressing the need to address the issues related to the recognition of vaccinations abroad and the entering of data into the Digital Green Certificate.

The participants also exchanged views on the progress of the Conference on the Future of Europe and took note of the state of play in the EU-UK relations. In this context, State Secretary Dovžan underlined that a pragmatic approach is needed to find solutions in line with the two agreements concluded with the United Kingdom, and that EU member states should remain united and show solidarity in resolving outstanding issues.