SLOVENIA SIGNS AN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE EUREPEAN UNION
Statement by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Milan Kucan

Ljubljana, 10 June 1996


"By signing the association agreement with the European Union Slovenia has gone a long way towards fulfilling the expectations of its citizens at the 1990 plebiscite and the declaration of independence on 25 June 1991 that Slovenia would take its place in Euro-Atlantic institutions.

The association agreement involves Slovenia in a structural dialogue about the future of the European Union, the future of Europe and the future of Slovenia. It also brings the opportunity for Slovenia to participate on an equal footing in the processes of European cooperation. Signing the agreement means that the enormous energy devoted up until now to finding ways to overcome formal obstacles can instead be used to adapt Slovenia's economy, legislation and other areas, such as social welfare and ecology, to EU standards and criteria.
There can no longer be any excuse. From now on our sincerity and maturity will be put to the test - especially since at the signing of the association agreement Slovenia expressed its desire for eventual full membership. This means that we will need to resume party talks on Slovenia's pro-European orientation, or to put it another way, on Slovenia's incorporation into Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Signing the association agreement is also a good opportunity to thank the friends who have supported the process of Slovenia's integration into the European Union: friends in America, the European Union, the European Commission and also in Italy, all of whom understand that a common Slovene-Italian future can only be built on the principles of European political culture and the tradition of European civilisation."