Defying the big bang

Slovenia’s knowledge of the Balkans will come in handy when it takes over the EU presidency, writes Simon Taylor.

Despite many pessimistic predictions about the ‘big-bang’ EU enlargement in 2004, one of the advantages highlighted at the time was that some of the ten new member states would bring into the EU acute understanding of regional political challenges. While Poland’s ‘understanding’ of Russia may not come across as a positive contribution to the Union’s sum of knowledge, there can be no doubt about Slovenia’s expertise in dealing with the problems of the Balkans - as one of the six former Yugoslav republics and the first to join the EU.

As Slovenia is getting ready to take over on 1 January 2008 the EU’s rotating presidency - the first new member state to have a six-month stint at the EU’s helm - its knowledge of the Balkans may come in handy.

Slovenia wanted to make the western Balkans the focus of its presidency and was planning to hold a major discussion on the region’s prospects at the June EU summit, at the end of its term of office. As all presidencies learn, what you plan and what you end up focusing on is determined by international developments as well as internal processes. The presidency will have to devote a large amount of its time to handling the inevitable unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo and preventing outbreaks of violence in the province.

At the same time, Slovenia is keen to try to increase the incentives for countries of the region to draw closer to the EU and wants to explore a number of common projects that the Balkan states could participate in if the road to full membership is as long as feared.

Apart from its own policy priorities, any presidency also has to deal with the inherited agenda or the ongoing business of decisions and dossiers the Council of Ministers that has to process. Slovenia has inherited some difficult nuts to crack as it will have to try to reach agreement by June on the highly contentious energy market liberalisation package. There are only two meetings of energy ministers under the Slovenian presidency so the March and June summits are expected to deal with this tricky dossier. The Slovenes want the spring summit to focus on the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and on better regulation.

As a small country of just over two million, hosting its first presidency of the EU and representing the 500 million-strong Union on the worlds stage, Slovenia faces a major test of its political and diplomatic resources. The government has been preparing for the presidency since 2005 when it set up a special working group. It has been working closely with the German and Portuguese presidencies in the troika format to ensure continuity over the 18 months.

The presidency team brings together both youth and experienced hands, but some diplomats are expressing concern about whether some members of the team have the political weight to pursue and deliver the presidency’s goals.

Usually small countries tend to run successful presidencies as they fulfil the necessary role of honest broker between member states and their competing interests. Slovenia has the next six months to see if this tradition can be continued by the first new member state to take charge of EU business.

Slovenia’s knowledge of the Balkans will come in handy when it takes over the EU presidency, writes Simon Taylor.