Foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia for progress on EU enlargement

Foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia during a discussion at the Faculty of Social Sciences

"Our trilateral regional cooperation on foreign policy is both valuable and concrete. It unites rather than divides our countries and peoples, not only geographically, historically and culturally, but we also share cross-border challenges such as migration, energy security and infrastructure connectivity. Together, we can certainly make a more effective contribution to tackling current issues in the region and beyond, especially those related to security and stability," said Minister Fajon.

She noted that she and her Austrian and Croatian counterparts have established a functional, working cooperation within the European Union, where they share similar views and ambitions on the future of Europe and EU enlargement. In fact, they are part of a group of countries working hard to keep the Western Balkans high on the EU agenda, with the aim of promoting a positive and ambitious enlargement process.

The ministers agreed on the need to make progress on enlargement over the next five years as a geostrategic test of the European Union's ability to extend democracy and its values to its immediate neighbourhood, thereby ensuring security and stability in Europe. They also discussed possible joint activities in the Western Balkan region and alternative solutions to ensure energy security for the countries of the Trilateral.

Minister Fajon reiterated that Slovenia remains a strong supporter of a fully functioning Schengen area, but that the current security situation does not allow for the lifting of internal border controls at the Schengen internal borders. "The interior ministers of our three countries are in close contact in order to facilitate traffic and the lives of people at the border," she added.

Today's trilateral meeting was also an opportunity for ministers from neighbouring countries to discuss current international developments and the challenging situation in the international community, including the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Slovenia, even as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has consistently advocated diplomatic dialogue and the establishment of a lasting and just peace.

"We had a constructive and multilateral exchange of views with Ministers Schallenberg and Grlić Radman. We all look forward to even better cooperation and joint activities," concluded Minister Fajon after the meeting.

The foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia also took part in a debate at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana entitled "How is Europe equipped to face the challenges of the future - Enlargement, reforms and youth perspectives". The students discussed with the ministers the experience of EU membership and the prospects for the further development of European integration, especially from the perspective of the candidate countries.

The first trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia took place in Rijeka on 25 April 2023. Among other things, the ministers visited the LNG terminal on the island of Krk and discussed current developments in the region and beyond.

Slovenia, Austria and Croatia have also cooperated in this format at other levels: since 2012, regular meetings have been held at the level of political directors of foreign ministries, and the presidents of these countries last met on Brijuni in 2022.