This book addresses a range of aspects essential to a better understanding of Slovenia's 20 years in the EU and its exposure to the European integration process, including changes to its policies on e.g. competitiveness, industry, innovation, foreign policy and diplomacy, security and defense, but also its relations to neighboring countries, its experience with European elections, and different forms of Euroscepticism and citizens' trust in EU institutions. Subsequent chapters explore how Slovenia has been coping with the Maastricht criteria and EU law more generally in its polities and politics, benefitting from EU funds, and defending its language as an official language of the EU. In concise contributions, the authors with diverse scholarly backgrounds and hailing from Slovenia and abroad assess these aspects and share their perspectives on Slovenia's experiences after 20 years of full EU membership.

Offers a unique focus on Slovenia Combines academic and practical viewpoints Written by leading authors and experts on Slovenian and EU politics

Autorentext

Dr. Michael Kaeding is the Professor for European Integration and European Union Politics at the Institute of Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He is a senior research fellow at the University of Ljubljana and visiting fellow of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht, member of the flying faculties of the College of Europe in Bruges, and the Turkish-German University in Istanbul.

Dr. Botjan Udovi is the Professor of Diplomacy at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He has been a guest professor at the Department of Political Sciences at the PLUS University of Salzburg (Austria), and for years member of the Strategic Council of Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- Part I: Economics.- 2. Has Twenty Years of Slovenia's EU Membership Boosted Competitiveness and Foreign Direct Investments?.- 3. Financial Aspects of Slovenia's Membership in the EU.- 4. Practice Makes Progress, Not Perfect: Twenty Years of Slovenian Participation in the EU Internal Market.- 5. Significant Improvement but Also Missed Opportunities: Slovenian Innovation Policy from 2004 to 2024.- 6. A Proactive Approach to Co-creating the European Research Area: The Case of Slovenia in the Last Twenty Years.- Part II: CFSP.- 7. Twenty Years in the EU (CFSP): From Now What? to Finding a Distinct Voice for Slovenia's Foreign Policy.- 8. All good-neighbourly? Bilateral relations with Croatia during 20 years of Slovenian EU membership.- 9. Slovenia and Common Security and Defence Policy: Is There a True North for Slovenia in the Strategic Compass?.- 10. A Good Pupil in an Unpredictable Classroom: The Impact of EU Membership on Human Rights Protection in Slovenia from 2004 to 2023.- Part III: Europeanisation.- 11. Slovenian Public Opinion on Europe.- 12. European Elections in Slovenia: Who Ran and Who Was Elected in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019?.- 13. Gradual, Pragmatic and Flexible: The Europeanization of Institutions and the Coordination of EU Affairs.- 14. Slovenia(ns) in the European Union: Reflecting on Missed Opportunities and Lessons Learned Two Decades Later.