May 1, 2024, marks the 20^th anniversary of the Republic of Slovenia’s accession to the European Union. In 2024, Slovenia met all the conditions it had to fulfil to join the community of European states and become its full member. By doing so, Slovenia achieved one of its main goals it had been striving for ever since the gaining of its independence in 1991.

In 1993, the Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the former European Economic Community was signed. In June 1996, Slovenia applied for full membership and signed the European Association Agreement and the request for a membership in the European Union. Official negotiations began at the end of March 1998. On February 1, 1999, Slovenia officially became the associate member of the European Union, and membership negotiations successfully concluded in December 2002. On March 23, 2003, Slovenia held a referendum on the country’s accession to the European Union, where 89.64% of voters voted “yes”. Accession of new members then had to be confirmed by all the European Member States and the European Parliament. On May 1, 2004, European Union witnessed its largest expansion in all of its history, following the accession of ten new states; in addition to Slovenia, new member states included also Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovakia.

Before joining the EU Slovenia had to adapt its legislation and its legal order. In addition to financial and development benefits of membership and open employment opportunities in other member states, Slovenia also got the right to elect members to the European Parliament, the EU legislative body. Its members are elected by the voters of the EU Member States in direct elections every five years.

The first direct European Parliament elections were held on June 7 to 10, 1979. At that time the European Union consisted of only nine member states. After the elections the members of the parliament began to form pan-European political groups rather than national ones. European Parliament at the time consisted of 410 members.

Slovenia elected its first representatives for the European Parliament on June 13, 2004. In all other member states the elections were held between June 10 and 13. The Decree on the Calling of the Election for Slovenia’s Representatives in the European Parliament was published in the Official Gazette on March 26, 2004, but various election-related activities had begun months prior to the actual elections. The National Assembly adopted relevant legislation that allowed all citizens of the Republic of Slovenia, who had the right to vote, as well as citizens of the EU who had a permanent residence in the Republic of Slovenia and whose rights to vote had not been revoked in their country of origin, to participate in the elections to the European Parliament. The Ministry of the Interior was tasked with compiling electoral rolls and registering not only all Slovenian citizens eligible to vote, but also citizens of other European countries, who wished to cast their vote in Slovenia. The same procedures were carried out in other European countries as well. Each EU Member State through its diplomatic and consular representative bodies then send information about the election method in their state.

To be eligible to vote in Slovenia, you had to be 18 years old on the day of the election and had to have a permanent residence registered in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia. Voters who were not Slovenian citizens, but citizens of one of the other EU Member States, were entered into the voting rights register for the European Parliament elections based on the request they submitted to the administrative unit in the area where their permanent residence was registered. They could submit such requests in person or by post at any time up until the day that election was called. The request had to include the following information: surname and name, maiden name, date and place of birth, gender, citizenship, address of their permanent residence in Slovenia, information about the country/place or electoral district where they were last registered in the electoral roll, and a statement that they wished to exercise their voting rights for the European Parliament elections in the Republic of Slovenia. In addition, the request had to be accompanied by a proof of citizenship, a certified photocopy of a public document with a photograph, and a statement that the voter’s right to vote had not been revoked. Administrative unit, through the Ministry of the Interior, notified the country in which the voter was last included in the electoral roll, about the voter’s request to be entered in the Slovenian voting rights register for the elections to the European Parliament. After receiving the confirmation, the voter was deleted from the electoral roll of his/her country and was entered in the voting rights register for European Parliament elections in the Republic of Slovenia. This was valid until the voter requested entry in the voting rights register in another country.

Slovenian citizens who had no permanent residence registered in Slovenia and did not reside in the territory of any other EU Member States either, could vote only in Slovenia. However, Slovenian citizens who had permanent residence in Slovenia, but temporarily resided abroad based on residence permit, which did not allow their registration in the voting rights register in their country of temporary residence, were automatically entered into the electoral roll in Slovenia. They could choose whether they wished to exercise their voting rights at polling stations in Slovenia, by mail or at Slovenia’s diplomatic representations and consular posts abroad.

The whole country of Slovenia constituted one electoral unit. Voters decided between 13 electoral lists and 91 candidates. Based on the proportional electoral system with preferential votes, seven members of the European Parliament were elected. The procedure for nominating candidates and determining election results was governed by the Election of Slovenian Members to the European Parliament Act (Official Gazette of RS, no. 96/02 and 22/04). First Slovenian members of the European Parliament were: Lojze Petrle and Ljudmila Novak (New Slovenia – Christian People’s Party), Jelko Kacin and Mojca Drčar Murko (Liberal Democracy of Slovenia and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia), Mihael Brejc and Romana Jordan Cizelj (Slovenian Democratic Party), and Borut Pahor (United List of Social Democrats).

Between June 6 and 9, 2024, citizens of EU Member States will once again have a chance to elect new members of the 720-seat European Parliament. Elections of members from Slovenia will be held on June 9, 2024. Slovenia will elect 9 members, one more than in the last elections. The elected members of the European Parliament will not be representatives of the country in which they are elected, but will represent the interests of their voters, as well as the political interests of the European political parties.

Maja Povalej