PRESIDENT KUCAN RECEIVES EU COMMISSIONER VERHEUGEN

Ljubljana, 17 July 2000



European Union membership remains our fundamental foreign policy objective, regardless of the change in Government in Slovenia, underlined President Milan Kucan in his talks with EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen who is on an official visit to Slovenia. Upon its election the new government bound itself to continue the accelerated pace of preparatory action for Slovenia's EU accession.

The talks focused on issues that are subject to negotiations between Slovenia and EU, as well as other issues, mainly EU institutional reform and new initiatives for a future Europe, the situation in SE Europe and the attempts of certain Member States to enforce their particular interests in the negotiating process with EU candidate states. President Kucan reiterated his position that denationalisation constitutes the restitution of nationalised property, not a privatisation of state property. Those who lost their citizenship because of disloyal behaviour during World War II are not entitled to property restitution. Since the process of property restitution does not represent a discrimination against foreign citizens, the President's opinion is that this process cannot be contained in the EU's negotiating position.

Commissioner Verheugen expressed his satisfaction over the pace of Slovenia's preparation for EU membership and emphasised that there are currently numerous dilemmas among Member States concerning the enlargement process, which, in his opinion, will nevertheless continue in an undisturbed fashion.