Slovenské priority v Európskej únii
Slovak Priorities in the European Union

Author(s): Vladimír Bilčík
Subject(s): Politics, International relations/trade, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA)
Keywords: Slovakia; 2007; foreign policy; EU; priorities; integration;
Summary/Abstract: In the period since the last parliamentary elections in the Slovak Republic, in 2006, we can identify two main trends in Slovakia’s activities in the European Union (EU). First of all Slovakia is showing significant continuity in the fulfillment of integration priorities of the previous governmental coalition of Mikuláš Dzurinda. The governmental coalition of Prime Minister Robert Fico has focused on the successful finalization of Slovakia’s full-fledged membership to the EU mainly through accession to the Schengen area and the Euro zone. Secondly, the current government has not introduced any new Slovak strategic priorities in the EU except for the activities of the European Nuclear Forum which the SR initiated in cooperation with the Czech Republic in 2007. Since the cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Fico assumed its mandate there has been tension in the area of Slovakia’s external relations between the officially proclaimed foreign policy goals and the behavior of top political representatives on the Slovak domestic scene. The main role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR is often reduced to explaining the positions of the Prime Minister or the Chairmen of other coalition parties (SNS and ĽS-HZDS) instead of the real formulation and promotion of the foreign policy concept of the country. After years of fulfilling the letter of the Treaty of Accession to the EU the Slovak Republic now faces a period when it can contribute to the transformation of the EU according to its own interests. It remains an open question how well the country is prepared for this new role.

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