SLOVENIA'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES DOCUMENTS DEFINING EUROPEAN PRIORITIES

LJUBLJANA, May 12 (Hina) - Slovenia's parliament on Wednesday approved documents defining the country's European priorities until the end of the year, after it joined the European Union on May 1.#L# Forty-nine of the 56 attending deputies voted in favour of the documents, which include support for the further expansion of the European Union to the Western Balkans. None was against. The documents, drafted by the government, called for the implementation of the Lisbon strategy of EU economic development, the adoption of the EU constitution as soon as possible, the best possible financial prospects for the newly-admitted members and the raising of funds to ensure the continuation of the enlargement process. Prime Minister Anton Rop said that the stabilisation of and European prospects for the Balkans was in Slovenia's national interests and that the new Schengen border must not hamper cooperation with Croatia but open new possibilities for that country. Parliament adopted a declaration supporting the start of the EU's negotiations with Croatia and Macedonia as soon as possible. Several members of the ruling coalition pointed out that Croatia's integration with the EU was in Slovene interests because of maintaining economic relations and called for more funds from the EU to secure the Schengen border and for the Agency for the Management of EU External Borders to be based in Slovenia. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said that after joining the EU and NATO, Slovenia would pursue its foreign policy "within the framework of the EU and its common foreign and security policy". "Our special priority will be regulating some outstanding issues with Croatia. We will try to work towards stabilisation of Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean and the countries that have become new neighbours of the European Union. We will support the Europeanisation of the Western Balkans and help those countries get closer to the EU as soon as possible," Rupel said. (Hina) vm