News24: Slovenia takes on EU presidency
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Slovenia takes on EU presidency
Slovenia assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union on the stroke of midnight on January 1 - with Kosovo and ratification of the new constitutional treaty at the top of its agenda. The small central European state, which borders Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy, takes over the presidency from Portugal, and will hold it for six months before passing the baton to France on July 1. Slovenia, which has a population of two million, only joined the 27-strong EU in 2004. But Ljubljana plans to exploit its history as a former Yugoslav republic to act as a bridge between the EU and the Balkans, as Kosovo threatens an imminent proclamation of independence from Serbia.
