CIVIL SOCIETY AS A FACTOR OF AN OPEN SOCIETY
Address by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Milan Kucan, at the ceremony conferring the Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia to George Soros, head of the Open Society Institute network.

Ljubljana, 5 March 2002

"George Soros was particularly involved in encouraging open society in transition societies, for, in his opinion, it is in these transition
societies that the social energy is almost entirely drawn in by political and economic reality. Slovenia was not able to escape that fact either. It is therefore understandable that the justification states that he was strongly involved in transitional Slovenia. It was also thanks to this fact that a critical and creative civil society remained alive and was able to develop further in Slovenia," underlined President Kucan today at the presentation of the Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia to Mr George Soros for his merits in supporting and developing and open, democratic and humane society in the modern world and for his merits in establishing an open, tolerant and enlightened civil society in Slovenia. The conferral was proposed by the Peace Institute, with support from the Slovenian Philanthropy, the Kibla Multimedia Centre, the Legal Information Centre of Non-Governmental Organisations, Studia Humanitatis, the IEDC Bled Business School, KUD France Pre¹eren and the Decorations Commission of the President of the Republic.

What we heard in the explanatory note for the decoration are a few fundamental thoughts justifying the proposal to decorate the honourable George Soros. These thoughts come those who had an opportunity to work with him and who are therefore best acquainted with his endeavours and thoughts, as well as himself personally. This gives the proposal particular weight. Yet everyone, even those who are perhaps less familiar with George Soros' efforts for an open society, would agree that Mr Soros is an engaged humanist, an intellectual and a visionary. It was very early on that he recognised and understood the great changes that are happening in human society globally. His latest book, On Globalisation, straight-out encourages intellectual deliberation on the world we are forced to see after 11 September.

He also realised early on how important a role civil society as an autonomous and relevant interlocutor with the state and international structures will take on in the world, co-shaping an open society where internal cohesion and democracy will allow for the strengthening of a universal system of values of the human community, one could even say of civilisation, assuring its democratic and balanced development. This important recognition was also the guiding principle of George Soros' engagement. As a true citizen of the world, he generously promoted and supported the functioning of a civil society in many countries around the world. He turned his beliefs into effective action. Action, worthy of great respect and gratitude.

I find it particularly worthy of mentioning to you, Mr Soros, that Slovenia's experience from the time of its independence and immediately before it reaffirm your vision of how important the openness of society is for its ability to manage change and generate success. Slovenia's experience from that time speaks of an open dialogue between the state and civil society, it speaks of an articulate, enlightened and engaged civil society that took on all the relevant social issues. It thus co-shaped the criteria on which we as a community designed our system of values that all of us could identify ourselves with in those dramatic and traumatic times. It is because of this belonging to the same values allowing for internal cohesion that Slovenia was also capable of successfully undertaking the project of independence and great social change.

George Soros was particularly involved in encouraging open society in transition societies, for, in his opinion, it is in these transition societies that the social energy is almost entirely drawn in by political and economic reality. Slovenia was not able to escape that fact either. It is therefore understandable that the justification states that he was strongly involved in transitional Slovenia. It was also thanks to this fact that a critical and creative civil society remained alive and was able to develop further in Slovenia. Convinced that we share the same thoughts on the significance of an open society for the harmonic development of an interdependent human world, and because of Slovenia's specific experience, I should like to express profound gratitude and my respect to Mr George Soros.