Roger Helmer MEP

The EU’s six-month rotating Presidency goes to Slovenia for Jan/Jun 2008 — the first of the new accession states to hold it.  Their diplomatic resources are so limited that they may well be just a front for France, who have the next turn (July/Dec).  But you might like a quote from the (not very diplomatic) Slovenian European Minister Janez Lenarcic: “Slovenia will delay sensitive EU policy debates if necessary.  It wouldn’t be helpful for ratification in the UK if at the same time we discussed the fate of the British [budget] rebate”.  So we know what to expect.