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A country with spectacular mountains, thick forests and a short Adriatic coastline, Slovenia also enjoys substantial economic and political stability. It was the only one of the former Yugoslav republics to be in the first wave of candidates for membership of the European Union. It joined in May 2004. Just a couple of months before EU entry, Slovenia became a member of Nato.
Overview
Unlike Croatia or Bosnia-Hercegovina, Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia was relatively bloodless. The move was undoubtedly aided by Western European recognition of the Slovenes' aspirations and the low proportion of other ethnic groups in the country.
Ljubljana castle overlooks the capital's old town
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Slovenia has always been the most prosperous region of the former Yugoslavia and has found the transition from a socialist economy to the capitalist free market easier than most. On 1 January 2007, it became the first of the new EU member states to join the eurozone. A year later, it became the first former communist state to take on the EU presidency. Politically, Slovenia was the most liberal republic within Yugoslavia. Throughout the 1980s there was pressure from Slovenia for greater political freedom and pluralism in the federation. This reputation was tarnished after independence when thousands of nationals of other former Yugoslav republics were removed from population records and lost residency rights. Parliament later passed a bill restoring their citizenship but a referendum held shortly before EU entry in 2004 overturned it by an overwhelming margin. Human rights groups expressed dismay at the move which embarrassed the leadership as it prepared to celebrate EU membership. Slovenia's relations with Croatia have long been strained on account of a rumbling dispute over sea and land borders dating back to the break-up of Yugoslavia. Ljubljana dropped its opposition to Zagreb's entry into NATO in March 2009, but continued to block Croatia's EU membership bid for a further eight months, only agreeing to lift the embargo after a deal had been signed on the Piran border dispute in November 2009. The centre-right opposition demanded a referendum on the border deal, which the public narrowly approved in a June 2010 plebiscite.
Facts
- Full name: Republic of Slovenia
- Population: 2 million (UN, 2010)
- Capital: Ljubljana
- Area: 20,273 sq km (7,827 sq miles)
- Major language: Slovene
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: Euro
- Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, household goods
- GNI per capita: US $23,520 (World Bank, 2009)
- Internet domain: .si
- International dialling code: +386
Leaders
President: Danilo Turk Leftist former diplomat Danilo Turk won the presidential runoff elections in November 2007 ahead of a government-backed conservative.
Mr Turk was a diplomat and academic before running for the presidency
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Mr Turk garnered 68% of votes compared with the 32% gained by his rival, former prime minister Lojze Peterle. Mr Turk has spent most of his career abroad. He was Slovenia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1992, when the country gained international recognition, until 2000, when he became an assistant to the then UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. He returned to Slovenia in 2005. The role of president is largely ceremonial, but carries authority in defence and foreign affairs. Prime minister: Borut Pahor Borut Pahor's Social Democrats narrowly emerged as the largest party at the September 2008 parliamentary elections, and formed a coalition government in November. This ended the four years in government of a centre-right coalition under Slovenian Democrat leader Janez Jansa.
A former communist, Mr Pahor has long advocated reformist policies
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Born 1963, Mr Pahor was involved in the reform wing of the Communist Party in Slovenia during Yugoslav rule in the 1980s. After independence in 1990 he was elected as a member of parliament for the League of Communists - Party of Democratic Reform, rising to be chairman of the successor United List of Social Democrats in 1997. He led the group in a more centrist direction, and became speaker of the National Assembly lower house of parliament in 2000-2004. He changed the party name to the Social Democrats in 2005 and was elected their president. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, where he has served on the budgetary control and constitutional affairs committees.
Media
Slovenia's media scene is diverse and free, and the constitution supports freedom of expression. The main papers are privately-owned. The broadcasting sector is a mix of public and private ownership. The TV market is mainly shared between public service RTV Slovenia and private stations Pop TV and Kanal A. There are scores of commercial and public radio stations. Many households are connected to cable, satellite, or internet protocol TV (IPTV). There is an advanced digital terrestrial TV (DTT) network. There were 1.3 million internet users by June 2010 (Internetworldstats). The press
Television
- RTV Slovenia - public broadcaster, operates two national TV channels and regional services
- Pop TV - commercial
- Kanal A - commercial
- TV3 - commercial
Radio
- RTV Slovenia - public broadcaster, operates national radio stations A1, Val 202 and Ars, regional services and a tourist station with news in English and German
- Radio Hit - commercial
- Radio City - commercial
News agency
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One-Minute World News
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Timeline: Slovenia
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