Failure by Slovenia to ratify Croatia's EU accession treaty would be a disaster not just for Croatia but also for Slovenia's reputation, Hannes Swoboda, former European Parliament rapporteur on Croatia, told Slovenian news agency STA in a telephone interview on Monday ahead of his visit to Slovenia.
Swoboda, who now heads the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, said he hoped the issue of Ljubljanska Banka and ratification of the Croatian treaty would be resolved very soon because it was an urgent case, adding that he expected assistance from President Borut Pahor in settling the dispute.
Swoboda is scheduled to visit the coastal town of Koper on Tuesday where he and the Slovenian Social Democratic member of the European Parliament, Mojca Kleva, are to address a press conference and a panel discussion on the subject of young people and the European Union.
