Lisabon agreement profitable to smaller states

After Lisabon agreement takes effect Slovenia would gain eighth seat in the European Parliament, which would go to Janša's party

Seven slovenian representatives in the European Parliament had welcomed a decision made by Irish voters that would allow ratification of the Lisabon agreement.

- Smaller states are the ones who should really profit out of Lisabon agreement ratification - said on Sunday on Slovenian radio Milan Zver, European representative from Slovenian democratic party (SDP) led by the former prime minister Janez Janša. The aforementioned party gained two out of seven seats at the European Parliamentary elections held in May.

Considering the fact that Lisabon agreement would furthermore affect representatives' quota, after Lisabon agreement takes effect Slovenia wins another seat in the European Parliament, and since there are no new elections held that would straighten these things out, this seat would go to Janša's party.

European Parliament representative Ivo Vajgl from Zares party which partly forms a prime minister's government said on Sunday on Slovenian radio that relying on Lisabon agreement and numerous constitutional changes that this agreement forsees, European union would strenghen globally, while the Irish voters' decision welcomed even the slovenian European Parliament representative Zoran Thaler from Social democrats (SD) led by the slovenian prime minister Borut Pahor.

- It would be a nice thing that all of those who crave for the European union development retardation would simply step out of its membership - said Thaler, alluding to a situation bursted out after the first Irish referendum threatening this way by the institutional crisis of the whole integration.

Slovenian ministry of foreign affairs also welcomed the Irish voters' decision on Saturday, while the prime minister Borut Pahor asserted that the whole thing's about the decision that really allows the possibility of integrating the whole Western Balkan area while also providing a solution to a boarder dispute between Slovenia and Croatia.