Minister Tajani’s mission to Ljubljana for the Italy-Slovenia Ministerial Committee

The Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will be in Ljubljana on Tuesday 29 October to take part in the Italy-Slovenia Ministerial Committee. On the Italian side, the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Deputy Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Valentino Valentini, the Undersecretary of State for the Interior, Nicola Molteni, and the Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Luigi d'Eramo, will also participate in the mission.

"I am pleased to see the Italy-Slovenia Committee of Ministers meet again more than three years after its last convening," said Minister Tajani. "The number of government representatives confirms Italy's attention to the deepening of bilateral relations with Slovenia. There are several strategic, high-potential areas on which we want to focus our action, starting with today's meeting," Tajani pointed out.

In the first half of 2024, Italy and Slovenia boasted an interchange that reached EUR 6.73 billion. "This is an excellent starting point; however, we want to do more by fully involving businesses and civil society," highlighted Minister Tajani. "Italy and Slovenia can boast added value in their relations thanks to their excellent cross-border cooperation. This is a model in the EU and for the entire Balkan region," stressed the Minister, who expressed satisfaction with the designation of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as the European Capital of Culture for 2025.

During the meeting, special attention will be paid to the topic of cooperation in the field of migration. "We work closely with Slovenia on the fight against irregular immigration in the Schengen area and the proper management of external borders. The growing instability in the Middle East poses further challenges in the complex management of migration routes, such as the Balkan one, for which we intend to strengthen our bilateral cooperation and action at EU level," said the Minister.

There is also a strong convergence of views with Slovenia on European priorities in view of the new institutional cycle. "We want to work together to keep the competitiveness of our companies and a realistic environmental policy high on the European agenda," Tajani indicated. The Minister then dwelt on the issue of enlargement to the Balkans: "The European Union cannot be said to be complete without the 'reunification of the countries of the Western Balkans,'" he said. "Together with Slovenia, we will ask the European institutions for concrete results on this important dossier, also in order to foster the growth and stability of the entire Adriatic-Ionian region."