STA, 4 November 2018 - Slovenia is among the least influential countries in the EU, but it is also deeply committed to integration, according to study by European Council on Foreign Relations, a London think-tank.

Slovenia placed alongside Latvia, Malta and Croatia as the country with the least influence on EU policy, with the four countries tied at 25th place among 28 member states.

Slovenia is also 25th along with Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta in terms how influential it is in general in the bloc.

The study, called EU Coalition Explorer, singles out Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands as the most influential countries overall.

Slovenia ranked high when it comes to fighting for deeper integration, placing 14th and beating the likes of Sweden and Finland.

When it comes to priorities, Slovenia is most active in common asylum policy, single fiscal policy, single market and single eurozone supervision.

Indeed, it is the most vocal advocate of the notion that all member states should be involved in a single fiscal policy.

Overall, Slovenia is of the opinion that the majority of common policies should be shaped by all member states.

It sees Germany as its best partner in policy making, followed by France and Italy.

Slovenia also ranks high, in 16th place, among countries that disappointed the least in the past two years; Hungary is seen as the country that disappointed the most.

The ECFR compiled the survey, which was released earlier this week, based on questions posed to 877 experts from all member states who are active in EU policy, be it in media, government or institutions.

You can find a PDF of the full study here – it’s 1113 pages long

STA, 30 October 2018 - The new Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec has told the STA Slovenia would not be able to handle and will resist the envisaged 15% cut in the EU rural development funding. The list of her plans meanwhile includes less red tape for farmers, increasing self-sufficiency and more focus on organic farming.

Pivec hopes the cut in rural development funding as part of the EU common agricultural policy for 2021-2027 will end up being less than 10%.

"We absolutely cannot accept the envisaged cut, since it would substantially affect our ability to reach goals," she said.

The minister indicated that Slovenia would find it easier to stomach a greater cut in the direct payment pillar of CAP, where funding would be slashed by 4% in line with the original proposal.

She meanwhile noted that the new financial perspective would leave more room for initiative to member states and she for instance sees this as an opportunity to reduce the administrative burdens for farmers.

"This presents a big problem on the ground. Farmers have a hard time getting to the funds, certain segments are so complicated as to discourage them from applying and the controls are also very demanding," the agriculture, food and forestry minister said.

"Simplifications are being drawn up, the first measures are already being implemented and some results should be felt on the ground as early as December."

The key rural development goals listed by the minister meanwhile also include the preservation of farms, the reduction of risks related to climate change, and addressing demographic and educational issues at farms.

"A dual approach is needed: the young need to be provided with funds to take over the farms, while older farmers also need decent social security to be able to pass on the farms to the young," said Pivec, mentioning the need to fix what are objectively low pensions for farmers.

She feels that the European Social Fund offers a good opportunity to address these issues and to mitigate the effects of the CAP cuts.

Meanwhile, Pivec feels that raising self-sufficiency and responding to climate change will also require technological upgrades at farms, as well as a change in the choice of crops.

"These changes will be painful for some. We have a very tradition-oriented agriculture and to a certain degree it should stay this way, since this is an important aspect in terms of the preservation of the environment, the cultural landscape," she said, but added that there would be no way around certain changes.

Pivec feels that climate change is also one of the reasons for the low self-sufficiency rates for fruits and vegetables, at 21% and 39% respectively last year, with the risks involved being much higher than in livestock farming.

While better protective measures and irrigations systems will be necessary, the minister also sees major opportunities for organic farming.

She pointed out that 85% of Slovenian farms were located in what was termed as less-favoured areas and organic farming could be a solution.

Of the roughly 70,000 farms in the country, 3,635 are presently organic, covering 46,000 hectares. The goal is 5,000 on 50,000 hectares, she said.

Organic farming would also help tackle the low buy-back prices for food products, an issue across the EU, while Pivec also sees a solution in producers working together more closely and thus also achieving more in price negotiations.

STA, 19 October 2018 - The European Commission urged Slovenia on Friday to update its budget plans for next year as soon as possible to ensure compliance with the EU's fiscal recommendations. 

STA, 18 October 2018 - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec met French President Emmanuel Macron for about half-an-hour long bilateral meeting in Brussels on Thursday which focused on cooperation at the EU level and the fight against populism. 

STA, 16 October 2018 - Slovenia and Croatia have submitted a joint application for EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for extra virgin olive oil from Istria under the name Istria oil. The bid will however not affect the already protected extra virgin olive oil from Slovenian Istria, which has had EU PDO status since 2007. 

STA, 12 October 2018 - Slovenia expressed reservations Friday about EU plans to set up a permanent European Border and Coast Guard with 10,000 members, in particular about staff contributions, executive authority, financing and the time frame. 

STA, 1 October 2018 - The European Commission has proposed financial support for three Slovenian projects from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund, totalling almost EUR 14m. One of the projects is coordinated by energy company Petrol and the other two will be carried out by the Slovenia's air traffic control service.

STA, 27 September 2018 - Slovenia's ties with the US will grow stronger in the future but not at the expense of the EU or Russia, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar told Slovenian correspondents in New York on Thursday. 

STA, 20 September 2018 - Slovenia cannot agree to the European Commission making a political issue out of the implementation of the Slovenian-Croatian border arbitration award, because this also damages the future of the Commission and of the EU, Slovenia's new Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said in an interview with the STA. 

STA, 15 September 2018 - Slovenia's most senior politicians reiterated that there was no alternative to the implementation of the border arbitration award as they responded to the revelation by Der Spiegel that the European Commission had been advised by its Legal Service to support Slovenia's positions in its case against Croatia.