Slovenia's Accession to the EU

By its accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004, Slovenia fulfilled one of its key strategic goals. Membership of the EU was declared the final goal already in the Europe Agreement, which was signed in June 1996 and entered into force on 1 February 1997. Slovenia formally applied for membership immediately after signing the Agreement. The accession negotiations started in March 1998 and were successfully concluded at the Copenhagen European Council Summit in December 2002. On behalf of the Republic of Slovenia the accession negotiations were conducted by the Negotiating Team for the Accession of Republic of Slovenia to the EU, led by dr. Janez Potočnik.

In the period from March 1994 to June 1996, ten European countries applied for membership of the European Union and Slovenia was one of them. In December 1997, the European Council in Luxembourg accepted the recommendation of the European Commission that negotiations should start with six countries - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Cyprus and Slovenia. By the conclusion of the Helsinki European Council Summit at the end of 1999, negotiations started also by Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia.

Official negotiations of Slovenia with the European Union started on 31 March 1998 when the first Conference on Accession at the level of chief negotiators (foreign ministers) convened. On 2 April 1998 the Government appointed the Negotiating Team for Accession of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union, headed by dr. Janez Potočnik.

At the European Council Summit on Friday, 13 December 2002, five years of negotiations on the Republic of Slovenia's accession to the European Union were completed. This was another decisive step of Slovenia on the path to its integration into a united Europe, which was set forth as Slovenia's strategic goal back at the times when it still belonged to the former common state.

On 24 April 2003 the Government of the Republic of Slovenia dissolved the Negotiating Team, as with the completion of negotiations and the signing of the Accession Treaty, its tasks were accomplished.

Documents:

Negotiations on the Accession of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union Completed: Presentation and assessment of the financial package

Transitional periods and derogations agreed in the negotiations oh the Republic of Slovenia for accession to the European Union

Links:

Negotiating Team for the Accession of Republic of Slovenia to the EU

The Treaty of Accession 2003