Slovenian President receives the European Commissioner for Science and Research

Ljubljana, 17.3.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, received the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Dr Janez Potočnik. In a statement after the meeting, Dr Türk said that Commissioner Potočnik was responsible for one of the areas that are vital to Europe’s future, its long-term destiny and position in the world. He said that they had discussed both short and long-term issues dealt with by the European Commission. As one of the most important short-term issues, Dr Türk highlighted finding a way out of the financial and economic crisis. In his view, it is important that the European Commission takes a firm stance against protectionism and, on the basis of studies and debate, identifies priority measures.

Dr Türk highlighted the task of establishing a single European Research Area as one of the most important long-term tasks. He explained that an area of the ‘fifth-freedom’, the free movement of knowledge, ideas and innovation, was being established thanks to mechanisms enabling increasingly dynamic communication among research centres within Europe. All this is of vital importance to Europe’s future, if Europe is to keep pace in the increasingly competitive world, cautioned Dr Türk, stressing that, for this reason, the work of Commissioner Potočnik is of strategic importance to both the European Union and its Member States. We should all be extremely pleased with Dr Potočnik’s contribution, stressed President Türk, saying that he hoped that this work will continue in future.

Commissioner Potočnik stressed that, in these times of crisis, we should not lose sight of other issues that are important in the long term, including climate change, issues relating to drinking water, energies of the future, potential pandemics and security in the world. When looking for ways of boosting consumption and investment, account should be taken of the kind of consumption and investment we wish to boost, said Commissioner Potočnik, stressing that, in order to overcome the crisis and emerge stronger, we should take account of the necessary structural changes.

In his view, the role of science and research is of particular importance in these troubled times, since they help the European economy to prepare for its role in the future, when the crisis will end and Europe will have to be able to withstand global competition. The European Commission is striving to find answers at a global level and, to this end, it has been intensively preparing for the forthcoming meeting of the G20 – the world’s most developed industrial countries and rapidly-growing economies – and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December 2009.