“While we want a different relationship with the institutions in Brussels, the UK wants to remain strong friends to Slovenia, and the EU”, is how Sophie Honey, British Ambassador to Slovenia summarizes the answer to the question she often receives: “How if at all will Brexit affect bilateral relations between Slovenia and UK?”“The bilateral relationship between the UK and Slovenia has deep roots. Not far from the Embassy in central Ljubljana there is a statue of Valvasor, who was an early member of the UK’s Royal Society; and there are many positive stories about our cooperation during the Second World War”, explains Her Excellency Sophie Honey.
“Since independence we’ve worked together to grow our economies, keep each other safe, and build ties between our people. The UK was a strong supporter of Slovenia’s accession to the EU; around 140 Slovenes graduate from British higher education every year, and many of our citizens live happily in each others’ countries. Earlier this year President Pahor and His Royal Highness Prince Edward celebrated the first official Slovenia-UK Friendship Day, which really underlined how deep the partnership goes.”
And the relationship is growing, notes the Ambassador.
For example, two way exports have grown dramatically, including in the last few years. The British Council recently appointed a new Country Director specifically for Slovenia, Dragan Barbutovski. And in July British Airways returned after 18 years with a new route from Heathrow to Ljubljana – a great sign of confidence in our connections.
Having in mind that Slovenia has a strong pro EU stance, how will these different positions of the two countries affect their common positions with regard to some global diplomatic and security issues?
Leaving the EU won’t change our position on our shared European values – like commitment to the rule of law, human rights and democratic institutions and a belief in free trade. I think that after the UK leaves the EU, those values will continue to unite us.
In many of these areas, we want to deepen our strong relationship with Slovenia. For example, we’ll keep up our work together on issues like Euro-Atlantic Security and the Western Balkans. The UK will remain unconditionally committed to Europe’s internal and external security. We are a Permanent Member of the UNSC, and a key member of the G7 and G20. We will continue to work with and alongside EU Member States and other European nations in a wide range of organisations. We will also continue to work closely bilaterally with our European partners, including – of course – Slovenia.
The UK and the EU also lead the world on action to tackle climate change, and galvanize action by others. The UK recently announced a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and in partnership with Italy we want to co-host COP26 next year. Slovenia’s clear commitment to the environment makes it an especially valuable partner. I think these kinds of shared values with Slovenia will always be the foundations of our global partnership.
There are about 700 British nationals in Slovenia and about 5,000 Slovenians that made the UK their home. How their lives will change after 2020?
That’s a very important issue. The UK really values the Slovenes living in the UK, and the contribution they make. I recently learned that there are 130 Slovenes working in our National Health Service, for example! They will always be welcome, and we want them to continue to live happy, prosperous lives there.
The new Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will leave on the 31st of October. We want a deal, and will work hard to achieve that. But we’ve also been clear that this will require movement from the EU – we can’t do this unilaterally. So we must prepare for no deal in case that doesn’t happen. The UK has set out how for Slovenes who have chosen to make their homes in the UK, their rights and access to benefits will remain broadly the same regardless of how we exit the EU.
As you can imagine, the Brits living in Slovenia are especially significant to my Embassy and me. They’ve built lives here, started businesses, integrated into local communities, and embraced their new home country. But they’ve been worried about what will happen to them after EU exit, especially if we leave without a deal.
Slovenia has offered an agreement for UK nationals which means that even without a deal, UK nationals currently living here will continue to have most of the same rights and access to benefits in Slovenia as they do now. We want to work closely with the Slovene government to ensure that this covers all aspects of social security, including healthcare.
How would you assess your cooperation with the Slovenian government in these matters?
I have been grateful to see the strength of support from both sides for our ex-pats in each other’s’ countries. Foreign Minister Cerar has been especially vocal in Slovenia, and we’ve had a good working relationship with the different ministries involved. I’ve also been in closer touch than ever with my Slovene counterpart in London, Ambassador Tadej Rupel. There’s more to be done and we’ll continue to work closely with the Slovenian government on these issues, to ensure continuity for UKNs and Slovene nationals who reside in our two countries. And more broadly, we also work closely with Slovene partners on our future relationship beyond Brexit – in trade, security, education, and other spheres.
How will Brexit affect economic relations between the two countries, and British businesses cooperating with their Slovenian counterparts?
We have a strong and growing trade relationship, and I want that to continue. Last year our combined trade in goods grew over 11% – the total value exceeded €1 bn for the first time, and with services, we’re almost at €1.5bn. British businesses like GSK Driveline and Renishaw have found great partners here, although others like Ascent have faced more challenges. We would very much prefer a a deal, as the surest way to protect these strong business ties, and we’ll work hard for one. But the UK has also taken action to protect trade in the event that we leave without an agreement, including by ensuring zero tariffs on 87% of goods coming into the UK for an initial period after exit. I’ve used many opportunities to talk with Slovenian businesses about Brexit, including events run by the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. Every time I’m struck by Slovene business leaders’ pragmatism. Naturally, there are concerns about exactly what will happen – but there’s an entrepreneurial mindset, and businesses tell me they’ll make it work whatever happens. The UK remains a strong market, with 66 million people, and a top 10 global economy. It’s a leading centre for innovation, and it’s one of the world’s easiest places to establish and grow a business.
At the end of this conversation I would like to shift the conversation to another topic. Women head many British Embassies across Europe. How has improved gender equality affected diplomatic services?
Greater gender equality means that we make better decisions. There is plenty of evidence of that from many professional fields. It also makes our organisations better places to work – both for women and men. I have seen great changes during my 20 years within the UK’s Diplomatic Service. Today I can think of many talented women, a number of whom are parents, who deserve to be in in those top diplomatic posts – for example in New York (UN) and Beijing. But there is still a long way to go and many roles that haven’t yet been done by a woman. In Europe one quarter of our Ambassadors are women and we are working to strengthen the pipeline.
I think it is important to have broader conversations at work – about what you want out of life and how to meet both your professional and personal goals. Because there can be tensions at different stages, particularly when you want to start a family or when your kids are young. This stuff shouldn’t be off limits – it is important to be able talk about it, for example with a mentor, and support each other on it.
How many women you have met in different positions in Slovenia in the past five years? What does it tell you about how UK and Slovenia are improving in terms of gender equality?
I have met fantastic women in politics, government, business, academia and the media, here in Slovenia. I wouldn’t be enjoying my job so much if that wasn’t the case. This proves for me the previous point, that life is better when we have good gender equality. Of course both the UK and Slovenia have further to go. For both countries, we don’t have enough women in top CEO positions. So there is still more to do.