1. THE JOURNEY OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC TO THE EUROPEAN UNION Obchodná akadémia LEVICE

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 1/5/2004 – The Slovak Republic entered the European Union