SLOVENIA'S EU COMMISSIONER -- INTEGRATION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000231

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV TSPL HR SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA'S EU COMMISSIONER -- INTEGRATION,
COOPERATION KEY TO SUCCESS


Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson


1. (C) Summary. Slovenia's EU Commissioner, Janez Potocnik,
is one of the country's brightest stars working outside its
borders. When his tenure as Commissioner for Science and
Research concludes in 2009, we can expect to see him
re-emerge on the Slovenian political stage. In his role as
Commissioner, Potocnik has been frustrated by the tendency of
EU members to work as 27 rather than one. Opening up
resources for use by and with third countries on scientific
research and cooperation is a priority, and, in the tradition
of all good Slovenian politicians, he has made an extra
effort to engage the Western Balkans. A committed liberal
democrat, Potocnik had criticism for the leadership and slow
demise of his Liberal Democracy (LDS) party in Slovenia. Of
the GOS's EU presidency, Potocnik predicted it would manage
things capably if it set itself a minimum number of
achievable goals, including EU enlargement, and relied on the
Commission for guidance and assistance when it found itself
out of its depth. End Summary.


2. (SBU) COM hosted EU Commission Janez Potocnik for lunch
April 6. Potocnik, an economist by trade, headed Slovenia's
negotiating team for accession to the European Union and was
Minister for European Affairs until 2004. He was nominated
for his position in 2004 just months before parliamentary
elections, by the previous government. Given his strong
liberal democratic credentials, and the center-right
government currently in power, he has no expectation of
holding on to this position beyond this term. Potocnik
expressed great enthusiasm for his job as Commissioner for
Science and Research, saying it was more important to know
how to manage resources and understand which way political
winds were blowing to do a good job than to be well versed in
scientific theories and jargon. Peer review would ensure
good ideas were supported, not the heavy hand of the
Commission.

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Expanding Scientific Cooperation
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3. (C) Potocnik was very pleased that the Seventh Research
and Development Framework Program (FP7) dramatically
increased the opportunities to use Commission funds for joint
projects and programs with third countries including the U.S.
and other non-EU members. He said the FP7 represented a major
shift of philosophy on scientific cooperation in the EU, and
he has devoted significant time and energy urging non-EU
members to participate. Recognizing the financial commitment
could be high for a developing economy, Potocnik developed a
scheme of discounts, and for some it is as high as 80% in the
first year. This will be reduced over time, but the goal is
to draw in all the prospective EU members now. He was,
however, pessimistic that much could be done with Albania,
which he termed "lost in space" scientifically, or Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which he said was "wrecked" on the scientific
front. Nevertheless, he was prepared to engage if either
country demonstrated a keen interest.

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Changing Face of the Left in Slovenia
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4. (C) Turning to more domestic issues, COM asked Potocnik to
comment on the disintegration of his party (LDS) and whether
he had political ambitions himself. Potocnik said that LDS
was not on the right track. As a committed liberal democrat,
he was skeptical that the recent defection of some top LDS
members to the Social Democrats (SD) was anything more than a
calculated move to maintain political influence. The problem
for LDS in his view, is that it lacks a strong leader,
something Potocnik thought was almost part of the liberal
democratic philosophy. As for his political future, Potocnik
thought that another group of ex-LDS parliamentarians known
as ZARES, led by former Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik, had
possibilities. He had been in touch with them, and was
curious to see how and if they could develop their movement
into a new, truly liberal, political party.

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EU Presidency - Keep it Simple
--------------


5. (C) Commenting on Slovenia's ability to put in a credible
performance as EU President, Potocnik believed it could be
done. The GOS would need to remain focused on a few key

issues and not start with "crazy new ideas." COM asked for
Potocnik's views on expansion, particularly into the Western
Balkans. Potocnik thought Slovenia would be a credible
advocate for EU expansion. In fact, he saw it as an
imperative, citing the gap that has already developed between
Slovenia and the other former Yugoslav republics in the three
years since Slovenia joined the EU. Increasing this social
and economic imbalance would be a disaster for the region.
Potocnik further commented that the EU could not manage the
Western Balkans by merely offering Stabilization Association
Agreements. It needs "to do something special." The
reticence of individual member states to engage energetically
in the region is why, according to Potocnik, the Commission
actively supports the concept of enlargement - in order to
control it. If left in the hands of the member states, it
would "explode."

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Croatia - Continuing Irritation
--------------


6. (C) Despite the imperative for the EU to expand, Potocnik
acknowledged the friction that exists between Slovenia and
Croatia. He described the current posturing by some members
of the GOS as similar to the way Austria bullied Slovenia
over various issues during its accession process. While he
views it as unfortunate that FM Rupel seems to have made it
personal, he also suggested that the leadership in Croatia
needed to appreciate that Slovenia was a serious country and
not prone to impetuous changes of mind. He said there was
unnecessary pride on both sides, and it was regrettable that
Croatia could not accept publicly the support Slovenia does
offer vis a vis the EU.


7. (C) Comment: Janez Potocnik remains among Slovenia's
most popular politicians, despite the fact he has spent the
majority of the last two and a half years outside the
country. He is youthful, energetic and forward looking, and
very likely, represents the future of Slovenian politics.
After 50 years cocooned inside Yugoslavia and another 15
focused on building itself up as an independent country,
Slovenia must lower its cultural and economic barriers in
order to flourish in Europe. Potocnik's years in Brussels
will significantly enhance his credibility as a politician
when he returns to Slovenia, as he is bound to do, in 2009.
We expect to see him in a leadership role in the future. End
Comment.
ROBERTSON