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Slovenia into the EU limelight
EU Precidency Slovenia is the first former communist country to take charge of the EU. It will face a tough test with the question of Kosovo's independence as the biggest challenge. But what country could be better suited to handle this crisis than a former Yugoslav republic with a deep understanding of the situation in the region? Slovenia is the most developed of the former Yugoslav republics, a member of the Eurozone and the Schengen area – and of NATO. It is in most respects an insider. But the country is more than a European success story. In a selection of articles painting a broad picture of the life of a nation, Eurozine offers an often critical insight into Slovenian culture and politics. [ more ]
Portrait of a moment in the life of a nation
Politics and culture A decade and a half after Slovenia's declaration of independence and three years after EU accession, political and cultural life in the country is stagnating, writes Peter Rak. A moderate sense of national spirit and collective self-love may be the only way forward. [French and German versions added] [ more ]
From the archives In 2002, as Slovenia was emerging from its first decade of independence, Ales Debeljak asked what kind of role the then aspiring EU member could and should play within such a framework: European forms of belonging. A view from Slovenia [ more ]
When will words become actions?
Reflections on hate speech in Slovenia
Human Rights Homophobia and xenophobia, falsely parading as free speech, have entered the Slovenian political mainstream. Slovenia's former Human Rights Ombudsman warns that it is only a matter of time before words become actions. [ more ]
Background Philosopher Boris Vezjak on the attacks on Slovenia's former Human Rights Obudsman: The Human Rights Ombudsman needs an Ombudsman. [ more ]
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Europe revisited
Neighbourly conflict and the return of history
Slovenia and Austria Austrian diplomat and historian Emil Brix tells how a stone – depicted on the Slovene two-cent coin but located in present-day Austria – has triggered a fight over memory and identity. [ more ]
Sport and Nationalism
The shifting meanings of soccer in Slovenia
Just a game? A closer look at the heady mix of nationalist pride, ethnic minorities and soccer throughout the recent history of Slovenia. [ more ]
Media Policy in Slovenia
Regulation, privatization, concentration and commercialization of the media
The press New media laws in Slovenia and its impact on the monopolization and commercialization of the broadcasting- and printmarket. [ more ]
Literature and culture
Literary perspectives: Slovenia
A hollowed-out generation
Essay Slovenian novelists are developing original responses to the experience of post-communist society, writes Ales Steger. While male novelists take a hyper-realist, social-critical approach, their female counterparts are creating fictions only loosely connected to contemporary time and space. [Lithuanian version added] [ more ]
Poetry From Protuberances: poems by Ales Steger. [ more ]
Prose The first chapter of Fuzine blues, by Andrej E. Skubic. [ more ]
Slovene cultural figures and the political elite
The intellectuals Slovene artists, especially literary figures, speak out only when government subsidies for their creative activity are under threat, says Boris Vezjak, whereas threats to the human and constitutional rights of asylum-seekers, Roma, and homosexuals go unnoticed. [ more ]
Link The official site of the Slovenian Precidency of the EU 2008. [ external link ]
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