SLOVENIA CREATED THE POSSIBLE FROM THE IMPOSSIBLE
Political, economic and social stability of Slovenia
Official visit of the President Milan Kucan to Greece

Athens (Greece), 6 June 2001


The Republic of Slovenia will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of its independence in two weeks. In that ten year period we have often found ourselves in a situation where we had to create the possible from the impossible, pointed out president Kucan at the joint conference of the Greek and Slovenian businessmen on the occasion of his official visit to Greece.

Slovenia is today a democratic state that enjoys political, economic and social stability. Its purchasing power per capita is 73% of the EU average. It has stable economic growth of about 4%. In the Human Development Report, produced by the United Nations Development Programme, it is in twenty-eighth place among 176 countries. It is in Group A of the financial risk rating. The real sector has been practically privatised. A tripartite social agreement is in force between union representatives, employers and the government, continued the president.

These and other international comparative indicators show that Slovenia’s accession to the European Union is well worthy of support and that Slovenia will make a reliable partner within the Union. In its negotiations with the EU, Slovenia has provisionally closed 20 chapters out of 29. It is very satisfying to find that Greece supports the enlargement of the European Union and the accession of countries who fulfil the relevant criteria.

Slovenia’s position is that candidates must be assessed on an individual basis; that the internal political situation of member states should not affect the enlargement process; that the solution of bilateral issues between member and candidate states should not be a precondition for enlargement; and that no candidate should be held hostage to other candidates’ lack of preparation. The period between the preparation of the candidate and its acceptance should be as short as possible. Slovenia would also like to participate in talks on EU reforms and take part in the elections to the European Parliament in 2004. Our task is to be ready by then for life in the European Union and we rightly expect that the European Union will also be ready for the enlargement, emphasised the president.

Given its knowledge of conditions in the West Balkans, Slovenia has been working for a considerable time towards Europe recognising the situation in the Balkans as a European problem. For this reason we support the Stability Pact. Greece and Slovenia both lie on the edge of an unstable Balkan region and their cooperation on the concrete projects of the Stability Pact and their views on the historical roots of conflict in the Balkans and how they might be dealt with, can help Europe and the international community to reach the desired goal – peace, cooperation and solidarity in the Balkans, added the president.