Speech by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, at the diplomatic corps reception marking the start of the new year
Brdo at Kranj, 02/04/2004 | speech
Prime Minister, the doyen of the diplomatic corps, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last year was a very important and successful one for Slovenia. We concluded preparations for European Union and NATO membership, preparations in which we invested great efforts and energy over the last decade. With the signing and ratification of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union and the signing of protocols on the accession of new countries to the North Atlantic Alliance, these organisations and their members formally opened the doors to full membership to us.
Allow me to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia for the contribution you have made to the realisation of these historic goals. We greatly appreciate your efforts – efforts which have helped Slovenia on the road to both international and Euro-Atlantic integration.
So, the association period is over and the period of full membership of the community of European nations is beginning. New opportunities are opening up for Slovenia and its inhabitants, while at the same time we are taking on new duties and responsibilities. As a member of the EU, Slovenia will make every effort to contribute to the further development of the Union and will strive for equality and solidarity among all its members – be they large or small, old or new.
Your Excellencies, dear guests,
Now more than ever, questions regarding the future of the European Union are our questions as well. One of the most important is that of the adoption of a European constitutional treaty and the future regulation of Europe. All necessary efforts and energies need to be invested in the process of finding a solution and a compromise for the adoption of the constitutional treaty. It needs to be adopted as soon as possible, since procrastination could halt the European integration dynamic and lead to increased internal tensions. The formation of what amounts to a core membership of the EU cannot be an appropriate solution, since it would create new divisions and distance the continent from the vision of a united Europe. It would be difficult for such a Europe to increase its necessary key role in the international community. After all, Europe, together with the US, must be a major factor in facing the challenges brought by the new world order.
The adoption of the constitutional treaty is also of great importance because of the issue of the further enlargement of Europe. Even today a certain enlargement fatigue can be observed in the EU. This is connected to the imminent entry to the Union of ten new countries and to the ongoing discussions on the European constitution. However the long-term stability and economic success of the EU will also depend on the development of the countries bordering on the enlarged EU. A clear European perspective is undoubtedly an important assurance for the democratic and economic development of the countries of south-eastern and eastern Europe. At the same time, their development will depend on their economic outlook and the foreign investment related to this.
Slovenia is cooperating intensively with the countries of the Western Balkans in the economic sphere and will try to further strengthen this cooperation in the future. As a new member of the EU we are ready and willing to share our experiences from the association process. For these countries our experiences are particularly relevant because we once shared an economic and political/administrative system with them. Slovenia’s membership of the EU and the EU’s openness to dialogue on association and security with the countries of the Western Balkans are undoubtedly major incentives for the countries from this region to continue the process of moving towards European integration. How successful they will be in this process will depend above all on their own efforts, however.
As a member of the EU and the NATO alliance, Slovenia will continue to support Croatia’s efforts to join these organisations and will work to develop good neighbourly relations. We will continue to manage the legacy of the former common state with tolerance and in accordance with democratic standards and the standards of international law. Slovenia wishes to make an additional contribution to regional security and to affirming democratic values through its presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe next year.
Your Excellencies, dear guests,
In an increasingly interdependent world, the only effective way to tackle international challenges is through broad, multilateral cooperation among countries. In today’s world, an effective United Nations is more important than ever. Slovenia is therefore committed to the vital role of this organisation and supports the reforms necessary to achieve this.
The preservation of the transatlantic alliance and dialogue between partners on both sides of the Atlantic is of key importance in insuring international security and cooperation. It is also important to further develop a partnership with Russia. Together with the OSCE, NATO remains an important framework for trans-Atlantic cooperation and the guaranteeing of wider European security. As a member of the EU and NATO, Slovenia will work to develop the European defence project, in synergy with the concept of the NATO alliance.
We must devote special attention to eliminating the deeper roots of security risks in the international community: The European Union traditionally devotes special attention to the issues of sustainable development, economic efficiency, social balance and environmental protection. For this reason, it is here that I see its most important contribution to global security. Slovenia will strive to ensure that the EU continues to devote great attention to these issues in the future, so as to help reduce dangers in the world in the long term.
The EU can play a special role in reducing global tensions in cooperation with the rest of the world, in particular with countries such as China and India. The EU is not a superpower in the military sense but it can contribute a great deal to encouraging inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogue and tolerance. At the same time it can play an important role in ensuring the balance of global economic development. The EU needs to contribute more to overcoming the blockage in trade negotiations that occurred in Cancún and to resolving the dispute between more developed and less developed countries. Excessive EU protectionism in agriculture is harmful to the members of the Union themselves, and even more so to the balance of global development. If the EU really wants to achieve the objectives of the Lisbon strategy and become the world’s most dynamic and competitive economy, it will have to adapt its financial instruments to this end and become a society based on the development of knowledge, information technology and high competitiveness.
In an increasingly interdependent world, our lives are ever more interwoven and our responsibility towards our fellow human beings and to nature is ever more global. As a member of the EU and other multilateral institutions, Slovenia will make every effort to contribute to common wellbeing of the European region and also the wider world.
Your Excellencies, dear guests,
Allow me to conclude by wishing you a successful and rewarding year full of health and peace.
Thank You.