Fire, earth, water, air and ether: these are the five elements which compose the logo of the Slovenian Presidency to the EU Council which Lubiana will take on starting January 1st 2008. The symbols in the drawing intend to describe the Country and the distinctive traits of the Slovenian people. Ether in particular, “symbolizes what is intangible: freedom and spiritual values”. Igor Sencar, Permanent Representative of the Balkan Republic in Brussels, explained that for Slovenia, present EU Presidency “is an honour and a challenge”. “Stimulating the quest for common answers to the challenges met by the family of European nations is a duty and a responsiblity”. On December 19 and 20 the Conference of the Euro-parliament Chief Whips, led by President Hans-Gert Poettering, was received at the Slovenian Parliament . Premier Janez Jana (who at the end of November had illustrated a series of the semester’s priorities during an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, will meet the Commission in Brussles on January 8 to start the round of meetings which will be marked by two major events: during the 13-14 March summit and the 19-20 June summit. All the information on the programs and the appointments of the semesters are published on the website www.eu2008.si
