Slovenia Agrees to Remain One Region until 2006 to Close Another EU Chapter

Ljubljana, 11 July - Slovenia is willing to adopt a temporary solution until 2006 in regional policy that would keep it as one statistical region during this time, the Slovene government wrote in a negotiating standpoint on regional policy adopted today. State Secretary at the Economics Ministry Igor Strmsnik said that by doing so, the government effectively enabled the closing of one more chapter of EU access negotiations, which could happen as early as this month, if the Danish presidency sets up another round of negotiations, or in the autumn at the latest.