THE JOURNEY OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

Obchodná akadémiaLEVICE

BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

• The Slovak republic has 5 403 000 people• Population density 110 people/km²• 86% of its population are Slovak, 10.5 Hungarian and 1.5 Roma, 2% are

Czech, Ruthenian,German and Polish ethnic origin.• The political system of the Slovak republic is parliamentary democracy.• The head of State is the President of the Slovak republic – Mr.

Gašparovič• The National Council of the Slovak Republic is the supreme constituent

and legislative authority in Slovakia consisting of 150 members• The highest authority is the Government of the Slovak Republic• The capital city of Slovakia is Bratislava

BIRTH OF THE INDEPENDENT SLOVAK

REPUBLIC• 9th Century AD The Great Moravian

Empire• 1000-1918 Austro-Hungarian Empire• 1918-1938 Czechoslovak Republic• 1938-1939 Autonomy within Czecho-

Slovakia• 1939-1945 Slovak State• 1945-1960 Czechoslovak Republic

1960-1990 Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

• (1990-1992) Czech and Slovak Federal republic

• 1 january 2003 BIRTH OF INDEPENDENT SLOVAK REPUBLIC

THE JOURNEY OF THE SR TO THE EUROPEAN

UNION• 4/10/1993 – The Treaty of Asociation was signed in Luxemburg by the Slovak

Republic and the European Union• 27/6/1995 – Slovak delegation headed by then Prime Minister Vladimir Mečiar

formally applied to become a member of the EU at the Cannes Summit• 16/7/1997 – The European Commision published the report arising from the

Application of the Slovak Republic for the Membership of the EU• 30/3/1998 – the enlargement process began in Brussels. The Slovak Republic and

the European Commission exchanged documents Partnership for the Entry and the National Programme for the Admission acquis communautaire in the SR

• 4/11/1998 – the first of the regular Reports of the European Commision regarding the process of the preparations of the SR for the entry to the EU was published

• 28/5/1999 – the Slovak Republic submitted the revised national Programme for the entry acquis

THE JOURNEY OF THE SR TO THE EUROPEAN

UNION• 13/10/1999 – Publication of the second regular report of the European

Commission recommending the commencement of talks with Slovakia and the remanding 5 candidate countries

• 10/12/1999 – An invitation was given to Slovakia to begin talks about the entry at the EU Summit in Helsinki

• 15/2/2000 – Founding of the Enlargement Conference at ministerial level with new applicant countries

• 8/11/2000 – The third regular Report of the European Commission was published in which an overall progress of Slovakia was commended. According to the EU, the SR was by this point a functional market economy

• 20/11/2000 – Slovakia started negotiations in 16 chapters and completed 10 chapters

THE JOURNEY OF THE SR TO THE EUROPEAN

UNION• 24/4/2001 – The speech of the secretary of State of

Foreign and the Head Negotiator Ján Figeľ at the Committee of the Foreign Affairs of the EP in Strasbourg

• 15/12/2001 – The European Council in Laeken has conducted that Slovakia was capable, at the present rate of progress, to complete the entry negotiations by the end of 2002

• 18-19/3/2002 – The Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda was involved in negotiations in Brussels with the Chairman of the Commissioner for the Enlargement Gunter Verheugen. The theme of their talks was the final stage of the Slovak preparations for the membership

THE JOURNEY OF THE SR TO THE EUROPEAN

UNION• 13/6/2002 – The European Parliament in Strasbourg passed the Enlargement

Resolution in which the progress achieved by Slovakia was commended• 21/6/2002 – European Council in Seville – preparation of the initial positions of

the EU and evaluation of the Enlargement strategy Schedule• 9/10/2002 – The fifth regular Report of the European Commission. The

Commission officially recommended to accept Slovakia and other 9 candidate countries as members of the EU, the first significant enlargement in the history of the Union

• 25/10/2002 – The EU recommended Slovakia and 9 candidate countries to be accepted to the Union in the year 2004

• 12-13/12/2002 – The European Council had met in Copenhagen and Slovakia and other 9 countries completed their talks about their entry into the EU

THE JOURNEY OF THE SR TO THE EUROPEAN

UNION• 19/2/2003 – The European Commission agreed to the ten new countries becoming

Members of the EU• 9/4/2003 – European Parliament accepted signing of the entry agreement with the

Slovak Republic• 14/4/2003 – The Council of Ministers for General and Foreign Affairs agreed to the

Membership of the SR and further 9 countries of the EU• 16/4/2003 – the SR signed, in Athens, the Membership Agreement of the EU• 16-17/5/2003 – Citizens of the SR supported the entry of Slovakia to the EU in the

referendum. In their answer to the question:“Do you agree for the SR to become a member of the EU?“ 92.46% participating voters agreed and 6.2% were against

• 1/7/2003 – the National Council of the Slovak Republic passed the Agreement of the Membership of the European Union

1/5/2004 – The Slovak Republic entered the

European Union