Yearbook 2010
Slovenia. According to COUNTRYAAH, Slovenia has a population of 2.081 million (2019). The bourgeois opposition considered that an agreement with Croatia to resolve a border dispute through international mediation constituted “capitulation” and called for a binding referendum on the issue. Although Prime Minister Borut Pahor signed an agreement on mediation with his Croatian colleague, and Parliament approved the agreement, the government agreed in March. The outcome was uncertain to the last before the referendum held in June. But a close majority of voters, just over 51 percent, approved the deal. Thus a sigh of relief was drawn in Croatia; the conflict over the border crossing into the sea was an obstacle to the country’s entry into the EU. According to softwareleverage, Slovenia, which became an EU member in 2004, had long blocked the membership negotiations.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see how the two letter abbreviation of SI stands for the country of Slovenia in geography.
In 1993, Slovenia defined itself as a European country, not belonging to the Balkans. Trade relations with the EU and the openness of the Slovenian authorities opened up the possibilities for accession to the EU. The increase in tourism and the dollar exchange rate stabilization led to an increase in exports and in GDP.
Italy opposed Slovenia’s accession to the EU. The Italian authorities demanded compensation for the expropriation of 150,000 Italians’ property during the period 1945-1972. The Catholic Church also demanded the restoration of the possessions that had been nationalized under the former communist rule.
In May 1995, the European Commission welcomed the application of the Slovenes, but the Italians maintained their demands. During the year, Croatia and Slovenia continued the discussion on the conclusion of an agreement on the Piran coast and on the Croatian deposits in Ljubljanska Banka, the country’s largest bank since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia.
In June 1996, Slovenia signed an Association Agreement with the EU, as a first step towards its inclusion as a regular member, to take place in 2001. One of the EU’s requirements – perhaps especially the Italians – to achieve this agreement was an addition to the Constitution, whereby foreigners should be able to acquire property in Slovenia. Economic policy took into account the new requirements of the EU, especially as regards finance law.
In the November general election, the center-party, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Drnovsek, succeeded in conquering a modest majority – 25 of the parliament’s 90 seats. After lengthy negotiations, the Conservative People’s Party, which had gained 19 seats, agreed to join a new government, led by the outgoing prime minister.
Demography and economic geography. – Central European state. The population of the Slovenia at the 2011 census was just over 2 million residents, almost unchanged compared to 2002; in 2014, according to an estimate by UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), the population was 2,075,592 residents, with a demographic increase of 0.2% per year (2010-15), which entails a substantial aging of the population. No new assessments regarding the ethnic background have been carried out, so the data remain firm to 2002: the Slovenian ethnicity is compact (about 90%), although in 2011 there was a presence of 229,000 foreigners in the country, of which more than 128,000 from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The urbanization rate is not very high (50%) and, with the exception of the capital Ljubljana (227,500 residents), No center exceeds 100,000 residents. The socio-economic conditions of the population are good and Slovenia registers one of the GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPA) higher than in the Balkan region ($ 29,359 in 2014); The number of third grade students is also on the rise, more than doubled since the 1990s. In the years of the new millennium, the Slovenian economy has demonstrated such stability and diversification as to allow the country to access the euro zone since 2007, just three years after joining the European Union. However, access to the Union, if on the one hand led to greater integration in the international market, on the other hand represented a factor of dependence that exposed Slovenia to the fluctuations of the European market, with a consequent setback in 2009 (−8%) and again in 2012 (−2.5%) and in 2013 (−1%), with a rise in 2014 (+ 1.4%); the percentage of unemployed is 9,
The economy is mainly based on the industrial sector (29% of GDP in 2013) and on services (68%), while the contribution of agriculture is negligible. The industry is well diversified into chemical, metallurgical, iron and steel plants, and the pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors are of particular importance. Exports mainly concern electrical and electronic equipment, machinery and pharmaceutical products, and the main trading partners are Germany, Italy, Austria and Croatia. Significant revenues also come from the transit through Slovenian territory of traffic to Eastern European countries. The rapidly growing tourism sector is fueled by the offer of seaside resorts, ski resorts and spas, and recorded over 2 million entries in 2012. From an energy point of view, Slovenia 50% of its demand depends on hydrocarbon imports, while 20% is supplied by the Krško nuclear power plant, co-owned with Croatia. Since 2007, Slovenia has adhered to the Schengen agreements and, after the signing of an international arbitration for the definition of land and sea borders with Croatia, in 2009 it revoked the veto that prevented Croatia’s access to the European Union.