Hot Issue Nr. 374

Working meeting with Govenor Haslauer and Slovenian Foreign Minister:

Joint action at the EU external border is urgent

In Brdo near Ljubljana Salzburg Governor Wilfried Haslauer met with Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec on 25 January 2016 to discuss a common approach regarding the refugee issue. Both countries have been passing through thousands of transit refugees in the past few months. The delegation included the President of the Salzburg Parliament Brigitta Pallauf and the ambassadors of Slovenia and Austria.

Haslauer pointed out that a common approach to the situation at the southern border would relieve all. The current situation is a major challenge also for Slovenia. The Slovenian Foreign Minister reported that more than 400,000 refugees have transited through Slovenia so far.

The Salzburg governor reported on the political decisions at the asylum summit last week. From Haslauers point of view it is necessary that Germany, Slovenia and Austria agree on a common path. It is important to proceed and agree on joint activities regarding border security until a solution is presented at European level.

All countries concerned have a very large burden for border security and providing for the refugees. A better cooperation could be the more efficient way. The Slovenian Foreign Minister reported on the Slovenian efforts to achieve a better border security at the Greek-Macedonian border. Slovenia attempts to encourage other Western Balkan countries to work out a common approach.

The Salzburger govenor was accompanied by the President of the Salzburg Parliament Brigitta Pallauf and the regional governors of Carinthia, Tyrol and South Tyrol to the EUSALP Conference (Conference on the EU Strategy for the Alpine region) in Brdo. The aim of the conference is to develop a macro strategy for the Alpine region.

Source: Salzburger State press release, 25 January 2016
photo: LMZ/Franz Wieser

A comment by IRE Chairman Franz Schausberger in the Austrian national newspaper "Die Presse" (26.1.2016):

Does the EU collapse because of its extreme edges?

The comment is only available in German, please click on the logo for the online version:

Virovitica-Podravina County has a new regional Govenor

The new Croatian government, which was sworn in last Friday (22 January 2016) consists of Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, a non-party top manager of the Croatian diaspora in Canada, two deputy prime ministers and 20 ministers. The two ruling parties, the National Conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the reform-minded neo-party Most (Bridge), gained the required majority.

The former Governor of the County of Virovitica-Podravina Tomislav Tolušić (HDZ), a long-time member of the IRE network, was appointed Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds. We congratulate Tomislav Tolušić on his appointment and wish him all the best for the new challenge in Zagreb.

His deputy minister Sanja Bošnjak (HDZ) will become the successor, therefore we want to congratulate her on the new position as Govenor of the Region. We hope to continue the good cooperation and wish her a lot of success for the new office.

Sanja Bošnjak (* February 10, 1968 in Orahovica) graduated in 1991 at the Economics Faculty of the University of Osijek in the field of international market and trade, and further studied economic development in 2009. She worked for several years in the commercial department of an importing company, where she later was promoted to Managing Director. In 2003 Bošnjak was Head of the Economic Department of Virovitica-Podravina County and worked in the area of economic development and EU funds. She teaches macroeconomics at the School of Tourism Management and Information Technology in Virovitica. From 2008 to 2013, she held the position of director at the Regional Development Agency of the Virovitica-Podravina County (VIDRA), which was awarded best Development Agency in Croatia in 2011 by the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship.

As members of the HDZ party Bošnjak was Deputy Govenor of the Virovitica-Podravina County since 2013 and now succeeds as Govenor of the Region. The new deputies are Zdravko Dijakovic (HSS) and Igor Pavković (SDSS).