At Prague European Summit, State Secretary Štucin expressed support for continued EU enlargement

SLOVENIA, June 14 - State Secretary Štucin participated in the plenary panel discussion “Speed up the Marathon – Reviving the EU’s Enlargement Policy”. He underlined the geostrategic dimension of EU enlargement which, given the current historical context, is more important than ever. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has provided new impetus to EU enlargement. In light of the imminent threat to EU norms, values and standards, this situation has once again heightened the importance of enlargement and put it at the top of the European agenda.

"The Western Balkans are at the heart of Europe," stressed Štucin, adding that the region must become not only part of the EU, but also an area of respect for the EU's democratic foundations, which have come under intense pressure in recent times. "Slovenia strongly supports all mechanisms and initiatives that would bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU, including accelerated and gradual integration into EU policies and the internal market," he said.

In his speech, the State Secretary also supported the continuation of the enlargement process with Ukraine and Moldova and called for an early start of negotiations with both countries. "Enlargement policy is a unified policy, which means applying the same criteria and standards to all candidates," Štucin said.

He also mentioned that the success of future European integration depends on some internal reflection and reforms. Slovenia supports the plans, based on the Granada Declaration of the heads of state or government and the conclusions of the December European Council, to prepare a roadmap for internal EU reforms by the summer of 2024, as it believes that they should run in parallel with the enlargement process and at the same pace. The next EU enlargements will take place in a challenging geopolitical context which will require the EU to become a stronger economic and geopolitical power. The parallel enlargement and reform processes can undoubtedly contribute to this goal and will increase the EU's political and economic weight in the world.