EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape. Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme "I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency. In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme
"I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency.
In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
Aurelio Juri, who replaced Prime Minister Borut Pahor as MEP last autumn, is leaving the coalition Social Democratic Party (SD). The reason for his decision is Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession talks, Juri told STA on Wednesday.
