Slovenia Times

Politics
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Political
overview
By Valerio Fabbri
Slovenia’s government continues to
be vulnerable to domestic politics due
to the party’s relative inexperience
and the risk of intra-coalition
disagreements. However, while the
privatisation process advances slowly
and presents hurdles at every turn,
the government’s activism on the
international scene is commendable.
Marking the 25 th year of independence, the government
celebrated Slovenian Diplomacy Day
on 22 May by dedicating the anniversary to the
polyhedral personality of Izidor Cankar, a former
Slovenian diplomat who served in different
posts in the middle of the twentieth century.
During the celebrations, Prime Minister, Miro
Cerar, expressed his full appreciation of the exceptional
progress of diplomacy in terms of the
support provided to Slovenia’s export-oriented
economy. The Prime Minister also highlighted
the key role played by the EU as the guarantor of
stability, safety and prosperity, advocating the
role of Slovenian diplomacy in shaping the EU’s
common foreign security policy and the preparation
of a global strategy. Most importantly,
the Prime Minister reiterated the country’s full
adherence to the principles and values of the
United Nations Charter, including the right of
self-determination of people and the respect for
human rights and fundamental liberties.
Human rights were addressed in a two-day
World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in
May, where the Prime Minister emphasised
the ongoing promotion of international humanitarian
law and its enforcement. Referring
to the UN was not without underlying meaning,
as the organisation may be centre stage for
a high-profile campaign by Slovenian politics
and diplomacy. As Secretary-General Ban Ki
Moon’s term as Secretary-General comes to a
close, supposedly it will be Eastern Europe’s
first turn at the helm of the New York-based
organisation, with former Slovenian President,
Dr Danilo Türk a potential candidate to replace
the outgoing Secretary-General. However,
well-informed diplomats say the bloc is not
coordinated, meaning that it risks losing the
opportunity for the post. Among the heavyweight
candidates are Vuk Jeremić (Serbia)
and Vesna Pusić (Croatia), while Miroslav
Lajčák, the Slovakian Foreign Minister and
former EU representative in Bosnia, is expected
to announce his candidacy shortly.
Foreign-policy activism was also geared
toward more concrete goals. True to the saying
"build on your strengths", Slovenia could boast
of two other achievements. One, the country
will lead the way in coordinating sustainable
forestry management for 2016-2017 between
China and Central and Eastern European
countries: an action plan aimed at encouraging
multi-functional forestry management
and protection of wetlands and wild animals
was signed at Brdo pri Kranju by all the stakeholders.
Secondly, the Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Food, Dejan Židan, is trying to
establish 20 May as World Bee Day within the
framework of the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO). As a country
with a long-standing tradition in bee-keeping,
Slovenia would like to raise global awareness
on the important role of bees in ensuring
sustainable development in agriculture, expecting
to formally celebrate World Bee Day in
2018.
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01 Prime Minister Miro Cerar at a press conference;
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
02 Potential Slovenian candidate Danilo Türk to replace the
current UN Secretary-General. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
03 Potential candidates to replace the current UN
Secretary-General: Igor Lukšić (Montenegro),
Danilo Türk (Slovenia), Antonio Guterres (Portugal),
Vesna Pusić (Croatia), Irina Bokova (Bulgaria),
Natalia Gherman (Moldova), Srgjan Kerim (FYR
Macedonia), Helen Clark (New Zeland) and Vuk Jeremić
(Serbia). Photo: Xinhua/STA
04 Slovenian beekeeping is known for its painted beehive
panels. Photo: Tina Kosec/STA
Summer Edition 2016 | The Slovenian Times
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