Ursula Von Der Leyen

Brussels – The Slovenian EU presidency will lead dialogue based on the European Commission’s second annual rule of law report, which will be released at the start of Slovenia’s six-month stint. The polemics over tying EU funds to respect for the rule of law will continue and it is not yet clear what will happen with proceedings against Poland and Hungary.

Brussels – President Borut Pahor has expressed the expectation that the government will have secured stable financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and resolved the appointment of European delegated prosecutors by the start of the country’s EU presidency.

Brussels – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described today’s meeting with President Borut Pahor ahead of Slovenia’s presidency of the Council of the EU as very constructive, saying she appreciated “the enormous energy with which the presidency will work on the resilience and recovery of the European Union after this heavy pandemic”.

"We agree that the future of the Western Balkans is in the European Union, and we want to make progress on that issue," von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.
The president of the EC says that the Slovenian presidency will play an important role in the work on the recovery and resilience of the EU after the pandemic and the heavy blow inflicted on the EU economy.

Rebooting the System

The European union flag flies over the apostolic palace during visit of the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis, Vatican City, 22 May 2021. EPA-EFE/FABIO FRUSTACI

Switzerland on May 26 called off years of talks with the European Union aimed at sealing a cooperation agreement with Bern's largest trading partner, in a move which angered Brussels.

Ljubljana – The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), an initiative funded by the European Commission that monitors violations of press and media freedom, will be on a virtual mission to Slovenia over the next two weeks to examine alleged deterioration in media freedom in the country. The findings are to be released in July.

EU leaders agreed Tuesday to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations by the end of the year as supplies steadily rise across Europe.

Gathered in Brussels for a two-day summit, the 27 leaders backed a text in which they pledge to continue efforts "to increase global vaccine production capacities in order to meet global needs."

On Monday in Brussels, President Rumen Radev met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, said President Radev's Press Office.

Belarus has been accused of "hijacking" a civilian airliner by forcing a Ryanair passenger flight to land in the country using a fake bomb threat so that authorities could arrest a prominent critic of its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.