From 15 to 17 May 2008, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and current President of the European Council, Mr Janez Janša, will attend the Fifth EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit to be held in the Peruvian capital, Lima. This, the largest EU summit with non-EU countries to be held during the Slovenian EU Presidency will bring together 60 leaders from both sides. On his visit to Lima, the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša will be accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, and the Minister for the Economy, Mr Andrej Vizjak.
Before the Summit itself, the Second EU-LAC Business Summit will commence on Thursday 15 May. At the opening of the Business Summit, in his capacity as President of the European Council, Mr Janša will address an audience of over 400 representatives of the economies of the two regions, including a 25-member economic delegation from Slovenia.
On Friday 16 May, the day of the EU-LAC Summit, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and President of the European Council, Janez Janša, and the host of the Summit, Peruvian President Alan García Pérez, will have a key role in the opening and close of the Summit. Debates will take place in eight working groups. In the morning, the leaders, divided into four working groups, will discuss the fight against social exclusion, poverty and inequality. In the afternoon, another four working groups will focus on the challenges of sustainable development, climate change and energy. The Summit will also provide an opportunity for the exchange of views on other topical issues relating to bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the EU and the LAC region. At the close of the Summit, the Lima Declaration will be adopted.
On Saturday 17 May, the EU Troika chaired by the Slovenian Prime Minister and President of the European Council, Janez Janša, will have ‘mini-summits’ with the representatives of Mexico, Chile and the sub-regional groups of the LAC region (Mercosur, Andean Community, Central America, Cariforum). Each mini-summit is to close with the adoption of a joint declaration.
On the European side, in addition to the President of the European Council, Janez Janša, and other Heads of State and Government, the Summit will be attended by the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the European Commissioner for External Trade, Peter Mandelson, the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, and the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana.
