Slip of the tongue in Slovenia

Date: 23/10/1997

Fraser Cameron, a senior official from the European Commission's Directorate-General for external relations (DGIa), caused quite a stir in Slovenia during a visit to the country last week.

Cameron commented that, realistically, the small Alpine country could not expect to join the EU before its big brother, Poland.

Given that negotiations with Warsaw could take up to ten years, that would be a disaster for Slovenia.

Cameron's remarks appeared to fly in the face of the Commission's official position that each country will accede on its own merits.

Ljubljana clearly poses less of a challenge for the Union than rural giant Poland, and technically should enter sooner.

Cameron's comments were subsequently reported all over the country as the Commission's official position.

Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek was not pleased with Cameron's somewhat undiplomatic intervention. “For us it is very important to take an individual approach,” he stressed.