Saturday will mark 17 years since Slovakia joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. In 1995, the application for EU membership was submitted by the then Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. Nevertheless, the European Commission expressed several objections and concerns regarding his government's insufficient democracy. Meciar's defeat in the 1998 general election changed the discourse and in 1999 Slovakia joined the process of accession talks making European integration its priority. The Slovak Republic's accession negotiations were concluded in 2002 with the 1st of May, 2004, set as the final date for joining the EU. In 2007, the country became a member of the Schengen area while in 2009 it adopted the Euro, meeting the Maastricht criteria. In 2016, Slovakia presided over the Council of the European Union.
Source: RSI
