Slovenian President Borut Pahor said he was slightly disappointed when he read Juncker's recently released White Paper which outlines five possible scenarios for the EU's future. Earlier this year, Pahor signed the so-called Ljubljana Initiative for a new EU constitution, the aim of which is to provide new momentum for integration within the bloc. Pahor sat down with Juncker at the Presidential Palace to discuss the matter.

"When European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled his five-point blueprint for the future of the EU, I was slightly disappointed. I expected a little more. But now that I heard his take on the issue, I understand that you can't do everything at once," said Pahor, adding that the proposed reforms are a first step: They allow those who wish to discuss the future of the European Union to do just that. "The next step is for Europeans to decide what's next for them. The European Union is important for Slovenia because it guarantees peace, security, and prosperity. We all agree on that, even though we may disagree on the details," stressed Pahor.

Juncker's five scenarios are called "carrying on", "nothing but the single market", "those who want more, do more", "doing less more efficiently", and "doing much more together". Juncker believes that we will probably end up with a "hybrid solution", i.e. a mixture of solutions.

Antonio Tajani, the President of the European Parliament, said that we need change, but killing Europe would be a colossal mistake. An EU à la carte system is also impossible because we can't just pick and choose what suits us. Tajani believes that we need to create a common European identity and strengthen European unity. "We're all Europeans and we need to work closer together. We need to unite – for the sake of our countries and for the sake of the EU. This is the future and the only way for us to compete with Russia, the United States, China, or India," stressed Tajani.

Luka Robida, Radio Slovenija; translated by D. V.