The Representation of the European Commission in Slovenia and the House of the European Union have new premises on Dunajska cesta in Ljubljana. We talked to Zoran Stančič, the head of the Representation, about what will happen at the new interactive info point.
Vienna road 20
1000 Ljubljana
Representation of the European Commission in Slovenia is an extension of time for Brussels. A 16-member team led by Zoran Stančič it ensures that the goals set in Brussels are implemented in Slovenia, that knowledge about the European Union, its institutions and policies reaches the citizens, and they also provide feedback on what is happening in Slovenia. The representative office moved to new premises in October 20 Dunajska cesta in Ljubljana and invite you to visit them on their modern interactive info page. We asked Zoran Stančič, head of the Representation of the European Commission, about what will happen there.
How do you feel in the new premises?
We just have to get used to the spaciousness, before we were in much smaller spaces along the Ljubljanica on Breg. There are only sixteen of us, but I am very happy with my team. We often go a step further than expected. In Brussels, I had a team of 2,000 people and the way of working was different, but in management positions you realize that you can be a genius, but there are no results if you don't have a team behind you that you get along well with and understand.
What changes does the move to the new premises on Dunajska cesta bring for the team of the Representative Office and for everyone who will visit you?
Since we are no longer in the strict center of the city, the challenge will be to attract more people here with certain activities. Earlier they passed by and took a peek at what was going on, now they will have to walk a bit. We are still close to the center. Citizens are only one of the stakeholders we invite. We work a lot with the government, non-governmental organizations, businessmen, the National Assembly and officials from Brussels. With these, things will unfold as before, location is less important to them.
And what will citizens be able to find here on a daily basis? What will be happening at the information booth?
What is hidden from the public happens on the first floor. Here, in addition to the offices, we have two large, well-equipped conference halls, we often use them for non-governmental organizations for their activities, and we will continue to do so. It is in our interest to encourage their activities. On the ground floor, there are rooms intended for citizens. There is an interactive center where, in addition to standard printed materials, visitors can learn more about the European Union, its institutions and the possibilities it offers via computers. This is one of our core tasks. The point is shared with the Representation of the European Parliament, which is very practical for visitors.
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Do citizens know enough about your work? Do we find enough information about the European Union and current topics?
We Slovenians are not aware enough of what membership in the European Union brings. In 2004, we decided to join the European Union. Older people remember very well and are aware of what it means if you are not in the European Union. What does this mean for travel, for payments, what does it mean for security, economic growth, work in the single market. For younger generations, all these matters are self-evident. They often say: "What does the European Union bring us?" Only when you point them to Erasmus and all the possibilities that membership brings do they become aware of the gains. It is good that people inform us about these things and also warn us if something needs to be fixed.
You work in very different areas, such as environmental protection, online crime, population aging, refugee crisis. You organize many events, round tables, trainings. Could you perhaps single out any of the current activities?
When the president started Jean-Claude Juncker in the fall of 2014 to lead the European Commission, he presented a program of ten priority areas of work and we work in all these directions. We are the extended arm of Brussels in Slovenia and vice versa. We report to Brussels what is happening here. Each citizen can be found in several areas. If I start from the first – economic growth and employment. A whole range of activities takes place here, from education to the Juncker Fund for Strategic Investments. This is 315 billion euros of investments, also in Slovenia. Then there are other areas such as the digital single market, removing various barriers online such as copyright issues, digital crime, and dealing with migration and the refugee crisis. With various activities, we want to turn this discourse in a more positive direction.
I would like to emphasize that the House of the European Union is not only a house of officials, but also a house of citizens. You are welcome to visit us. We hope that getting to know the European Union at our info point will also be more accessible and fun.
