"The ratification of Croatia's accession treaty is not only a question of good neighbourly relations with Croatia but represents Slovenia's strategic interest," Bratusek said in parliament, presenting her programme for a new government to be formed if she is appointed PM designate, which will be voted on tonight.
Bratusek said incumbent PM Janez Jansa breached an agreement reached two weeks ago with President Borut Pahor on the ratification in parliament, but added that she expected Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party to support the ratification, as all parties said they would do so.
At their meeting with Pahor, parliamentary party leaders agreed the treaty should be ratified as soon as possible, but the next day Jansa withdrew Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec from negotiations with Croatia on the Ljubljanska Banka issue, which Slovenia wants solved before the ratification. Erjavec later said this had slowed down the ratification process.