Slovakia celebrates the 19th anniversary of its accession to the European Union on 1 May. The Slovaks joined the EU in 2004, along with nine other countries, in the EU's biggest enlargement to date. In addition to Slovakia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia joined the EU that year.
Slovakia is enjoying many practical benefits as well as investments worth billions by virtue of its EU membership, President Zuzana Caputova said in a post on social networks on Monday. "The most important thing cannot be quantified. We're part of one of the most successful peace projects in history, a project that has replaced centuries of conflict with cooperation, trade, free movement and, above all, freedom and democracy," Caputova said. The head of state added that Slovakia may not agree with everything, but what matters is that it helps shape the EU and sits at the table as a full partner. "We have the opportunity to vote, to veto, to propose and to negotiate our common future," she said.
According to interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger, Slovakia has proven in recent years that it's not just a younger sibling to other EU member states, but an equal partner with concrete ideas on how to contribute to building a strong and resilient EU. "We have been a full member of the EU, our extended homeland, for 19 years. We treat it not only as the source of the opportunities it has opened up for us, but also as our home that we have to take care of," Heger wrote on Facebook. According to him, the EU has shown that it is more than just a political and economic organisation. "The level of solidarity, determination and unity has never been stronger than in the crises we face together today," he stressed.
In Heger's view, as long as the strong values on which the EU is built are "kept alive '', it will be indestructible. “I hope that this is a strong motivation for all the other countries that want to join us. And they'll be welcome," he added. Interim head of Slovak diplomacy Rastislav Kacer pointed out that Slovakia is one of the most integrated countries in the EU, as it joined the Schengen zone in 2007, adopted the euro in 2009 and held the EU presidency for the first time in 2016. He said that EU membership hasn't just brought economic benefits and prosperity to Slovakia, but has also confirmed where the country belongs in terms of its values, culture and history. "In the first years after our accession, we mainly emphasised the economic benefits of membership - how much money we get from European funds or how many goods we export to European countries. But the war in Ukraine shows us that our EU membership is much more than that. We also need the EU to ensure that we stay where we belong in terms of history, culture and values. For us, the Union today, more than ever, is about peace, stability, security and freedom," said Kacer.
Source: TASR
