Slovenia and EU Accession - Race and Ethnicity

After only 12 years as a sovereign state, Slovenia’s currency, the Tollar, is stable, and the EU deems the conditions of its democratic and judicial institutions acceptable for membership. How was this nation, set in the midst of a region plagued by political, ethnic, and religious strife, able to establish a market economy and a thriving democracy in so little time? One factor is the government’s commitment to the peaceful cohabitation of its diverse population through purposeful protection of minority identities and rights.

When discussing ethnic relationships in Slovenia, it is important to first note that Slovenia’s population is rather homogenous. About 88% of Slovenia’s 2 million inhabitants are Slovene. Italians and Hungarians comprise only 0.1% and 0.3% of the total population, respectively, and have the status of indigenous minorities. Serbs and Croats outnumber these groups, but do not have such status because they mostly emigrated from the former Yugoslavia following WWII. However, while the minority numbers are indeed small, the minorities are formally recognized and respected by the state.

The Slovenian government, knowing that its treatment of its minority citizens is crucial to its relationships with its neighbors, particularly Italy and Hungary, has taken steps to ensure that these and other minority groups are protected.

The Slovene Constitution specifically protects the Italians and Hungarians in Slovenia by protecting their rights to use their national symbols, to form their own organizations, and to bring their children up in their native languages. In fact, in regions with high concentrations of minority groups, bilingual education is compulsory.

Italian and Hungarian groups are guaranteed representation in Slovenian government at both the local and national levels. Two of the 90 seats in the Slovenian National Assembly are reserved for the Italian and Hungarian representatives, as well as in ethnically-mixed municipalities.

While there are too many minorities for each to have a seat in the Assembly, the Slovenian Constitution’s protection of minorities extends beyond the Italians and Hungarians. Article 61 states, “everyone has the right freely to identify with his national grouping or national community, to foster and give expression to his culture and to use his language and script.”

This support is not only moral, but also substantial, as the Slovenian government has established the Government Office for Nationalities, which monitors minority rights in the various municipalities, reports problems, drafts proposals for the betterment of minority rights’ protection, and provides financial assistance to this end.

The Slovenian government recognizes not only national minorities, but also simply ethnic minorities (that is, definable ethnic groups without a national identity). The most obvious case is that of the Romany ethnic community. Unofficially, between 7,000 and 10,000 people living in Slovenia are identified as Roma, and in 1995 the Slovenian government established the Programme of Measures for the Assistance of Roma. This programme aims to provide social support for the Roma community, integrate this group in local-level politics, and improve its living conditions, which are typically below the Slovenian standard.

According to the Copenhagen criteria for membership in the EU, a country must demonstrate a respect for human rights. Considering the above measures that the Slovenian government has taken to protect the rights of all its minorities (not just the “nationally indigenous” Italians and Hungarians, though they do receive more governmental attention than other groups), the Council of Europe has declared Slovenia more than adequate in this criterion.

Alojz Peterle, former prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia, addressed a meeting of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs on December 16, 2002. His speech dealt with EU enlargement, Slovenia’s upcoming accession, and specifically Slovenia’s role as bridge to other Balkan states. He said, “Slovenia is one of the bridges to the unstable Balkan region and can use its neighboring position and political experience to contribute to the lasting stabilization, normalization, and general development of the region.” High on the list of attributes that Slovenia has to offer its Balkan neighbors is its recognition of minority groups and a state commitment to the protection of their identities and rights.

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