Another EU “Capital” – Ljubljana
- December 31st, 2007
- Posted by EUEditor
Ljubljana will be one of the capitals of the European Union, for six months, when Slovenia takes over the rotating Presidency this week (1.1.08).
For a small place it will be taking on big jobs, including coordination of Europe’s leading role in the war of climate change.
Relatively tiny Slovenia, population 2.02-million, is having its turn in the Presidency of the European Council, the legislative and executive gathering of national Ministers of the EU – and the forum for summits of the national heads of government.
Members of its government will get started on the project next week (8.1.08), in their national capital Ljubljana, meeting with the members of the full European Commission coming up from Brussels.
Under its Prime Minister, Janez Janša, Slovenia will be managing joint action by member governments: on the drive to cut carbon dioxide pollution by 20% by 2020; the so-called “Lisbon” project to generate jobs and growth in the EU economy, and further moves on the new European “reform” treaty — the “constitutional” re-ordering to improve collaboration within the EU – in order to get it ratified by all the member governments before 2009.
With the Presidency, Slovenia will succeed Portugal at the head of the European Union, and it will be the first of the ten new Member States that joined the EU in 2004 to occupy that leading role.
France will take over on 1.7.08 followed in 2009 by the Czech Republic, then Sweden.
Reference:
European Commission, Lisbon Treaty (“Reform Treaty”).
http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/
EC, Growth and Jobs (“Lisbon rocess”).
http://ec.europa.eu/growthandjobs/index_en.htm
European Council, Slovenian Presidency. http://www.eu2008.si/info/fr/index.html?
Picture: Ljubljana