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Slovenia: Eu Presidency
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The Slovenes are a Slavic people related linguistically to peoples to the south, but the real matrix of Slovenia's culture is its Eastern Alpine location. Easily accessible mountain passes (now superseded by tunnels) have long shaped its character by channeling demographic, economic, social, political, and intellectual currents from both the Mediterranean and Transalpine regions of Europe. For most of its history, Slovenia was split among the Holy Roman Empire, Venice, Austria, and Hungary. During most of the 20th century it was part of Yugoslavia, but, with the dissolution of that federation, a sovereign, internationally recognized republican government now manages Slovenia's destiny for the first time in 1,200 years.
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Slovenia is a parliamentary republic with a strong economy and a stable democracy situated at the crossroads of central Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans. Having declared independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia has been a member of the European Union and of NATO since 2004. Slovenia adopted the Euro in January 2007 and in the first half of 2008, it will be the first new Member State to hold the EU Presidency.
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Slovenia has no shortage of opportunities for exploring the Good Life. As one of the most highly forested and geographically unique countries in Europe, Slovenia has something to offer every outdoor enthusiast.
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Often hailed as a success story, even an “economic miracle,” the new Slovenia escaped the hyperinflation that afflicted much of Yugoslavia. It ... managed to redirect the bulk of its foreign trade to greener pastures. In 1991, on the eve of independence, nearly two-thirds of Slovenia’s commerce was with the other five Yugoslav republics. By the end of the decade almost 70 percent was with the European Union. Its per capita income of $10,000 was close to that of Portugal and Greece. In 1998, it enjoyed a steady GDP growth of 4 percent, while inflation remained in single digits.
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Slovenia and Italy worked successfully to negotiate their dispute over the property rights of ethnic Italians who fled Slovenia after World War II and whose property was confiscated by the Yugoslav government. Italy had threatened to block Slovenia’s entry into the EU until the issue was resolved, but the Italian government backed off from this stance in early 1995. In June 1996 Slovenia signed an association agreement with the EU; in December 1997 it was invited to begin the process of becoming a full member. It finally joined the EU as a full member in 2004.
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In the 14th century, most of the territory of Slovenia was taken over by the Habsburgs. Their powerful competitors were the counts of Celje, a feudal family from this area, who in 1436 acquired the title of 'state counts'. Their large dynasty, important at a European political level, died out in 1456 and its numerous large estates became the property of the Habsburgs, who retained control of the area right up to the beginning of the 20th century.
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