📋 Tender Overview
State Secretary Neva Grasic attended the General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, where ministers and state secretaries prepared the December European Council meeting, negotiated the proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 and the European Commission's Work Programme for 2026.State Secretary Neva Grasic at the EU General Affairs Council | Author: EU 1 / 3 They also discussed current relations between the EU and the United Kingdom and exchanged views on the state of the rule of law in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Ireland, as part of the annual rule of law dialogue. In preparation for the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels on 18 and 19 December 2025, State Secretary Grasic stressed the need for continued support for Ukraine - political, military, financial and humanitarian. At the end of October, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon visited Ukraine, focusing on humanitarian needs, including material energy assistance, which will be crucial in the winter months and after Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure intensified. In these circumstances, Slovenia supports the strengthening of pressure on Russia and the EU's efforts to meet Ukraine's financial and defence needs, including finding solutions for the possible use of frozen funds, which must be legally and financially sustainable. The European Council must pay due attention to the situation in the Middle East, which remains uncertain and peace fragile. Slovenia stresses the importance of a ceasefire, the necessity of maintaining and monitoring the ceasefire, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. At the same time, it calls on all parties to work in good faith for a comprehensive peace framework. Slovenia believes that a united and strengthened role of the EU in Gaza is of crucial importance at this time. The State Secretary expressed satisfaction with the leaders' strategic discussion on the future of EU enlargement. She stressed that Slovenia sees enlargement as a geostrategic investment in peace, security and prosperity of the European area. She said that, based on the progress of some candidate countries, we can optimistically expect enlargement in the coming years. It is important that the current positive dynamics are clearly reflected in the conclusions of the December European Council and in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on enlargement. Slovenia, as the current chair of the informal MED9 group, expressed satisfaction with the new EU Pact for the Mediterranean, which represents a breakthrough towards a more strategic and structured partnership between the EU and its southern neighbours. Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs welcomed the European Commission's Work Programme for 2026 in the context of the EU's legislative planning. State Secretary Neva Grasic stressed that Slovenia supports initiatives for a more strategically independent Europe: taking control of key technologies and energy sources and strengthening its own security in the broadest sense. Slovenia welcomes initiatives to unlock the potential of the single market and strengthen strategic industries. It encourages the Commission to reflect the importance of research and innovation even more clearly in its proposals. In the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework for the period 2028-2034, the State Secretary pointed out that, despite the new EU priorities, it is crucial for Slovenia to maintain the volume of funds for cohesion and agriculture. She expressed concern that the role of rural development policy, which is very important for our country and for the EU, is being lost in the new architecture of the multiannual financial framework, which combines the programs of both policies. According to her, the new method of implementing the National and Regional Partnership Plans must contribute to simplification and must not cause delays in drawing funds from the EU budget. As part of the annual review of the rule of law based on the European Commission report, special emphasis was placed on reviewing the situation in individual member states, so that participants could exchange experiences, share good practices and learn about measures to improve the functioning of judicial systems and strengthen democratic institutions. These measures are key to ensuring citizens' trust in institutions and strengthening mutual trust within the EU.
