Slovene Officials Respond to Lombardero's Statements

Brussels, 24 May - EU/SLOVENIA/LOMBARDERO/RESPONSE
The assessment of Jaime Garcia Lombardero, a European Commission official in charge of Slovenia, on the lost time in Slovenia's preparations for EU membership due to the current government crisis was more or less expected, said Slovenia's outgoing Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel in Brussels on Wednesday. It is obvious that further complications of internal political affairs will have a negative affect on Slovenia's efforts to join the EU, Rupel explained.