Slovenia hands over EU presidency to France presidency, France, Slovenia, hands

Jerry

BELGRADE - Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel symbolically handed over the EU presidency to his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner on Monday, the last day of Slovenia's six-month stint as the EU's rotating president.

France marks the start of its six-month presidency of the European Union by lighting up the Eiffel Tower in Paris June 30, 2008. [Agencies]

"Today Slovenians hand over the European Union to the French. I have to say that the EU, in the moment when I hand it over to you, is in good shape," Rupel told Kouchner at a ceremony in the square joining Slovenia's Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia, the Slovenian news agency STA reported.
According to Rupel, the Slovenian presidency might have seemed now as a series of small steps, but when more time passes it will be clear that it had made progress.
"Bringing down walls and opening doors and windows of opportunity was and will be a policy of the EU," he said.
Kouchner said that Slovenia had done a good job in the past six months.
"It is true that Slovenia is not a large country and that its population is small, but it had done a great job with its foreign minister and his team," he said.
According to Slovenia's member of the European Commission Janez Potocnik, Slovenia steered the EU "in a time of turmoil in the global economy, financial instability and rising prices of food and energy."
Potocnik said in an interview with the STA that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso best summed up the Slovenian presidency by saying that it had been "committed and marked by political and intellectual honesty."
He said the main outcome of the presidency for Slovenia was getting to know first hand the functioning of the European Union, including its administration and decision-making processes.
Potocnik said the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland "in the finishing leg of the presidency" had again raised important questions about the future of European coexistence.
"Instead of a strong Europe, there is now a Europe of questions and doubts," he said.
According to Kouchner, the site of Monday's handover is a "very powerful and important symbol", situated in a place where two opposing countries and regimes used to border. An exceptional symbol is also that Slovenia, which was in a very different situation only 17 years ago, led the EU and contributed to better harmony in the Balkans.
The ceremony was also attended by the mayors of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, Mirko Brulc and Ettore Romoli.
"The wall was brought down here even before Slovenia joined the EU," Brulc said.