SLOVENIA, December 18 - In his address, Prime Minister Golob praised the work of Slovenian diplomacy, which has faced many challenges this year. "Your hard work did not go unnoticed. Slovenia's reputation in the international community has been further enhanced this year," he said, adding that the credit for this goes to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs with the Slovenian representation to the United Nations playing a particularly prominent role.

The Prime Minister then summarised the foreign policy challenges for the coming year. First, he talked about the change of the US administration, saying that it was having a significant impact on the geopolitical situation and was bringing about a significant shift in the view of international politics, which would have a major impact both on the European Union and on trade flows around the world. "On the one hand, this shift shows great promise, because it may lead to a ceasefire. The next three months will definitely show how likely this is to happen both in Ukraine and in the Middle East. I do not want to make any predictions, but it looks like we are closer to peace, or at least to a ceasefire, than we have been in the past six months," he explained.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the tariffs announced by the US. "On the other hand, the announced tariffs on imports from Europe and China are a cause for serious concern. The European Union will have to redefine its position in this respect. These are also the challenges that we will address in the next few days in Brussels at the European Council meeting," he announced.

The Prime Minister then elaborated on the situation in the European Union. "The European Union is facing an important challenge. We need to find a way to translate investment in innovation, research and development into global products that can help Europe enhance its competitiveness. But we also need to find ways to unlock the substantial financial resources that are today either tied up in savings deposits of Europeans or even invested in US stock markets," he said. 

The Prime Minister went on to stress that Slovenia had to find ways to contribute to stability and peace both in the wider region and globally. He thanked again the Slovenian diplomacy for its commitment, adding that Slovenia looked forward to a significant boost from the new Commission and the new Enlargement Commissioner. "Everyone is impressed by our Commissioner's knowledge, values and cosmopolitan qualities, and above all by her immense commitment to the vision of EU enlargement," he said. "Together with the Commission, and above all with our Commissioner, we will be able to contribute to bringing the Western Balkans closer to the European Union, our common family, and thus to stability and peace in the region as we move towards enlargement," the Prime Minister concluded.