Priorities

The Slovenian Presidency will concentrate its work on:

• the EU response to disasters, and
• cooperation with third countries with emphasis on the Western Balkans.

Following the recent disasters in Europe and in third countries (e.g. forest fires, floods and earthquakes), the Slovenian Presidency recognises, as did the GAERC on 15 October 2007, "the need for the European Union to be able to respond effectively and in a timely manner to crises and emergency situations following natural disasters". In this context, the Slovenian Presidency will initiate efforts for making the best use of the recently adopted Community Civil Protection Mechanism (recast) and Civil Protection Financial Instrument. It welcomes the announced Commission Communication on disaster response as an important step forward for being ready to cope with major emergencies in the future.

Support for the European pre-accession partnership with the Western Balkans has been identified as a priority of the Slovenian Presidency. The Presidency believes that civil protection is one of the key areas in which cooperation with these countries should be promoted. This orientation was also outlined in the recent Communication on the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2007-2008. To adapt to this process, the Presidency and the Commission will co-organise a seminar which will include an exchange of information and identification of possible areas for cooperation. The Directors-General for Civil Protection from the Western Balkans will be invited to a special session at the 20th Meeting of Directors-General, to be held in May 2008.