Meeting with King Willem-Alexander confirms excellent relations between Slovenia and the Netherlands

The EDEN conference brings together experts, law enforcement officials, representatives of administrative authorities, academics and representatives of the private sector and NGOs, and this year the discussions focused on the link between data protection and cyber security. In her address, the President of Slovenia underlined that she had seen first-hand the transformative power of data protection throughout her career. "1204390924 This is not merely a technical or legal issue, but a question of principles. Our commitment to the protection of personal data reflects our commitment to human dignity and the autonomy of the individual. It is a commitment that must be respected, whatever the challenges we face," she added. The full address can be found at the bottom of the page.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Slovenian President met with the Executive Director of Europol, Catherine de Bolle. President Pirc Musar underlined that Europol has built strong trust between Member States, which is key to successful cooperation in ensuring the security of EU citizens.

Before attending the EDEN 2024 conference, the Slovenian President visited Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters, where she met with its President Ladislav Hamran and Vice-President Boštjan Škrlec. During her talks, she expressed her satisfaction with the excellent work of Eurojust, in particular the quality of its support and the successful cooperation with the competent authorities of the Republic of Slovenia.

This was followed by a visit to the International Criminal Court, where the President met with Tomoko Akane, President of the Court, Prosecutor Karim Khan and Deborah Ruiz Verduzco, Executive Director of the Trust Fund for Victims. "Slovenia has always stood for full and unconditional respect for international law and human rights, and has been a vocal supporter of all international courts and tribunals. Respect for their decisions and judgments and respect for their independence and impartiality is a key element in ensuring the international rule of law,"  the President said in a press statement after the meetings.

The President of the Republic of Slovenia met with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the Royal Huis ten Bosch Palace. The last time the President met the King was in March 2023 on the sidelines of the UN Water Conference in New York, but this time the meeting was more substantive and aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries. They focused on multilateral cooperation in the light of Slovenia's membership of the UN Security Council, on cooperation in the framework of the Ljubljana-Hague MLA Convention, and shared views on the Green Transition and the role of women in foreign policy.

The President concluded her visit at the Catshuis residence, where she met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof. This was the first meeting between the President and Prime Minister Schoof, who took office this summer. The meeting was aimed at strengthening bilateral political, economic and defence cooperation, and the two leaders also discussed the rule of law and the enlargement of the European Union, as well as current international political issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine.