Slovenia. At home in Europe – already for 20 years.

SLOVENIA, April 23 - The European Union has also benefited from a major enlargement unparalleled in the world: with the accession of 10 countries, the European continent has become almost entirely a zone without (internal) borders, where people, services and goods move freely between countries, and the introduction of the euro has further simplified travel and business within the EU.

A major enlargement, which also required a readiness for changes in the old Member States

The 2004 enlargement was the fifth, largest and best prepared enlargement of the European Union. It was only a decade before that the accession criteria (the so-called Maastricht criteria) were also set out in detail for the first time: a stable democracy, respect for human rights, a competitive market economy and the adoption of the Union's acquis were the key conditions for membership. This required considerable effort from the prospective members, including Slovenia, in order to make the necessary systemic changes before accession.

But the preparations for membership were challenging not only for the new members. Existing members also had to prepare for such a major enlargement. The changes (Treaty of Nice, 2003) included: a change in the decision-making procedure; a sharp reduction in the number of cases where the EU Council had to decide by an absolute majority; a change in the weighting of the votes of individual Member States in the qualified majority voting in the EU Council; a new distribution of seats in the European Parliament; France, Germany, the UK and Italy giving up a second Commissioner; and a strengthening of the powers of the President of the European Commission.

The "EU goodies" that enrich our daily lives

• Do you know number 112? In an emergency, you can call the free emergency number 112 from a landline or mobile phone anywhere in the EU.
• Erasmus+, a student exchange programme that provides many Slovenian students the invaluable experience of studying abroad and enriches their home study programmes.
• Strengthening organic farming in Slovenia: since EU accession, almost 6% more farms are committed to organic production.
• The free European Health Insurance Card.
• Fostering intergenerational solidarity, including European Day (29 April), which was adopted following a Slovenian initiative.
• Lower costs for using mobile phone networks within the EU.
• A ban on single-use plastic products.
• European protection of pollinators and honey.

Even after 20 years, Nova Gorica remains a symbol of integration

On 1 May 2004, Slovenia celebrated its accession to the EU with great festivity. It was no different across Europe, and on that day, Nova Gorica became a pan-European symbol of integration and association with a meeting between the then President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the then Prime Minister, Anton Rop. That is why on Europe Day, 9 May, the 20th anniversary of our accession will also be celebrated in Nova Gorica. As the town, together with Gorizia in Italy, will be the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2025, the central celebration of the anniversary in this town has an additional symbolic meaning.

State celebration and a wide range of accompanying events in Nova Gorica on 9 May

The state celebration of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the European Union will take place in the vicinity of Europe Square, where 20 years ago the then President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Anton Rop, jointly counted down the last seconds before Slovenia's accession to the union of European countries, one of the turning points in the lives of the citizens of Slovenia as well as all Europeans. The celebration will take place on 9 May, Europe Day, which also commemorates the beginnings of European integration with the signing of the Schuman Declaration.

Both players of the time Romano Prodi and Anton Rop have been invited to the celebration. In the Government GOVSI podcast, Professor Prodi will reminisce about twenty years ago and the path Slovenia and the European Union have taken in that time.

There will also be a round table discussion, organised by Minister Tanja Fajon, with former MEPs (Borut Pahor, Jelko Kacin, Romana Jordan), the current EU Commissioner Janez Lenarčič and former Commissioner Janez Potočnik participating. The discussion will focus on sharing personal memories of the demanding role of Commissioner and representing Slovenia in the European Parliament, views on the development of the EU over the past 20 years and the benefits of membership for Slovenia, as well as reflections on the future of Europe. The event will take place in the Pinta Hall at the Perla Hotel in Nova Gorica.

On 9 May, part of the official ECoC 2025 programme will also be presented in Nova Gorica. At the main ECoC venues in the Xcentrum and the Krilo Rusjan (Rusjan Wing), artists will open their ateliers, studios and stages to the public, and present the projects already in the pipeline for the ECoC. The official opening ceremony of the European Capital of Culture, which will link Nova Gorica and Gorizia even more closely next year, will take place on 8 February 2025.

On 8 May, Celje will be the venue for a variety of events in honour of the 20th anniversary of EU accession, with pre-school and primary school children from the Celje region presenting the EU Member States and the countries on their way to EU membership in the European Village project in Glavni trg (Main Square).

Young people will showcase Europe's diversity of cultures, languages, lifestyles and the individual characteristics of its people, as well as the similarities between the peoples of the EU that unite and strengthen us.

On the same day, a prize-giving ceremony will be held in Celje for the pupils participating in the Europe at School contest who have produced the best work in the literary, visual arts, photography, video, web and creative categories. Kindergarten children, primary, secondary and upper-secondary school pupils, pupils from Slovenian schools abroad and pupils from schools with adapted programmes took part in the contest, which this year was entitled “If you do good, the good comes back to you” and encourages young people to think that all people have an opportunity and duty to shape the European future so that it is beautiful for everyone. More than 10,000 young people take part in the contest every year.

On 9 May, the Festival of Good EU Stories, which will be gathered and presented by SPIRIT, will open in the afternoon in Bevkov trg (Bevk Square) in Nova Gorica, and the evening after the state celebrations will be enriched by culinary treats provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and the Slovenian Tourist Board. By showcasing Slovenian food products with EU protection, we also want to present visitors the European values and achievements in the area of the protection and preservation of food diversity.

In early May, there will also be a celebration in Brussels in which Slovenia will take part, along with the other nine Member States that joined the EU on 1 May 2024, in some joint events to mark the anniversary of the EU's major enlargement.

The state celebration and most other events in Slovenia and Brussels will be open to the public.