Address by the Minister of Economics, Dr Tea Petrin

Brdo pri Kranju, 6 November 2003

Your Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, dear friends!

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you once again in Slovenia and to thank you to make CEFTA indeed the platform for a wide scope of cooperation and partnership. Adherence to the European values, to those of democracy and market economy, bounded us together not only within CEFTA but also on our path to the European integration.

With tomorrow's meeting of the prime ministers of CEFTA countries and their deputies, Slovenia is actually rounding up the activities under its presidency in 2003. Although this presidency is characterised by largest number of countries so far, it is at the same time characterised with the negotiation of five countries out of eight Parties for termination of the Agreement. Slovenia, we believe, made every effort to ensure that this did not affect CEFTA activities and that all objectives were reached and events held as planned for 2003.

At this point, I would like to take the opportunity also to thank the experts for their hard work in preparing the draft Declaration of the Prime ministers to be signed tomorrow.

The year 2003 is undoubtedly a significant year for CEFTA. In the decade since its coming into existence in 1993, CEFTA has successfully accomplished its mission. The fundamental goal of the Agreement to establish a free trade area has been attained by achieving a very high level of liberalisation of trade between CEFTA countries. Experience gained in this period is a very good one for coping with the new challenges as members of the European Union. However, this "step forward" should not have an adverse impact on the results of our mutual cooperation in the past. I am primarily referring to the trade conditions that will apply to our companies upon joining the European Union.

We should all strive for such trade conditions that would allow us not only to maintain trade flows between our countries but also to expand them.

I am fully confident that the relations and mutual trust we have established during the years of our successful cooperation will continue also in the future. As for Slovenia, I can assure you that we shall act in this direction.

Dear delegates, Your excellencies, with these thoughts in my mind and whole-trustfully looking into the future of the relations among our countries, I would like to invite you to fully enjoy this evening.

Dr. Tea Petrin
Minister of the Economy