New foreign policy strategy discussed by strategic council
Ljubljana, 25 October - The strategic council for foreign policy, an advisory body to the foreign minister, met on Wednesday to discuss a draft new strategy on Slovenian foreign policy, drawn up by the Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said the strategy would be presented to the government and parliament this year.
Ljubljana
The headquarters of the Foreign Ministry.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
While the ministry did not reveal the contents of the emerging new strategy, the newspaper Delo reported today it favoured qualified majority decision-making in EU foreign policy.
The document reportedly also emphasises climate change and green transition, while feminist foreign policy, initially promoted by Fajon, has been somewhat sidelined.
In spring, Fajon said the ministry would put strong emphasis on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls around the world in the new foreign policy strategy.
The document is said by Delo to have shrunk from the initial 40 pages to around 10, while the government would like to have it adopted before Slovenia assumes its non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council on 1 January.
The council met in an expanded format today, meaning that former foreign ministers were also present.
The strategy currently in place is fairly recent, having been adopted at the end of 2021 under previous Foreign Minister Anže Logar.
But Fajon announced a new strategy, arguing the document would position Slovenia back among core EU countries.
Diplomat Iztok Mirošič was initially in charge of drafting the strategy. But even before he became ambassador to the US this summer, Sabina Stadler Repnik, head of the ministry's office for strategic studies and analysis, took over the drafting of the strategy from him.