SLOVENIAN STUDENTS DEBATE ABOUT THE EU IN THE SLOVENIAN PARLIAMENT

2nd April, 2004 was an exciting day for 120 Slovenian students. At 9:00, they, along with their mentors met in the Slovenian parliament in Ljubljana to discuss and debate upon the future of the EU and the role that they will play as future European voters and possibly members of the European parliament as well. The meeting, organized by last year's Spring teacher, Mrs. Janja Jankoncic Faganel, from Gimnazija Poljane, was hosted by Mr. Alojz Peterle, former member of the European Convention and president of the Slovenian Parliamentary Commission for European Affairs, who was very tolerant and didn't let any question go by without an answer. He didn't leave anyone disappointed.

There were 10 student speakers from the attending schools who focused on the advantages and disadvantages of Slovenia's entry into the EU as they see them and highlighted some of the key issues that are on the agenda in the European parliament today.
The students acted like real politicians, questioning and giving their opinions about recent developments in the EU and their expectations after the enlargement. Their greatest interest lay in the possibility for further education in another EU country.

Eva Ule from Osnovna sola Pivka was quite optimistic about the whole event. She focused on the importance of events like Spring Day that bring young people of Europe together. Here is part of her speech.

'Spring Day is a relatively new, but important and necessary project. I was already enthusiastic about it last year, because I think that presenting Europe and the EU is interesting and at the same time educational. Judging from experience, I can say that young people learn a lot more from activities that are not compulsory. Days like Spring Day play a very important role in our future lives. We will live in an environment that is unknown to our parents. We will be able to take a walk through this continent and admire its beauty without any major obstacles in our way like borders. It will be easier for us to get to know our peers in different countries and compare our schools with theirs. Collaboration and participation between schools will be more important more than ever before. So, we should get to know our neighbours better and accept them for what they are. Our school has been making efforts in this direction in many international projects.
Even though Europe is quite a small continent, its inhabitants are very diverse and don't know very much about each another yet. Each country has its own traditions and customs, its own way of life. What we have to learn is to judge a person from the inside. That is why values like tolerance, equality, solidarity and others play such an important role in learning to live with one another in the same European space. My friend, Ana, said that the EU will be important for us, because our future will grow and develop in it. That is why we have to prepare ourselves now for what is to come. A better time couldn't have been chosen to celebrate Spring Day in Europe than Spring itself. The beginning of Spring and the beginning of a new era for us and for the new EU countries. As nature revives itself, so will Europe be reborn and begin living a new life.'

Miha Schnabl from Gimnazija Poljane analysed the history of Slovenia and gave his view of our country's position after the enlargement.

'The history of the Slovenian people is a history of a people who have for decades and centuries suffered because of their smallness and subjugation to the rule of other nations. On 1st May, 2004 Slovenia will become a fully authourized member of the EU. She will become a part of the 'new' united Europe, which is based on the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights.
Despite the just recent birth as a completely independent county, Slovenia has been able to attain a level of democracy and respect for human rights that places her among the highest in the world. With her quickly obtained democracy and economical recognition, Slovenia has succeeded in becoming a country which is spoken of as a success story. However, we must not be too easily satisfied. We must continue to strive for newer and higher goals.
Of course, we cannot maintain that everything in Slovenia is in order. The high level of unemployment is one of the biggest problems. We realize that it is not possible to completely do away with unemployment. Together with corruption and the growing of social differences, unemployment has become a joint European problem. Europe is, however, a new challenge, a challenge which has required considerable adjustments and compromises on the part of Slovenia.
There are many reasonable doubts surrounding our membeship in the EU. We must realize that inspite of equality and equal rights on paper, within the EU there are still large discrepancies regarding the strength of individual countries. There are the large countries with a little more influence and thus more rights, and the small countries with a little less influence and thus fewer rights.
1st May will not bring any major changes to the average Slovenian family. The effects (positive or negative) will be felt after some months, even years. The EU, of course, is not ideal. But for the moment it is the best alternative. In fact, it is the only alternative. Isolation would be an economic disaster for Slovenia. Slovenia must become an active partner in the EU. She must be ready to express firmly and clearly her point of view on any dilemma or question that arises. Indecisiveness and non-participation will not give Slovenia the status she needs as a country with definite goals and as a good partner with clear and firm points of view that she is prepared to and capable of arguing and, of course, always open to compromise.'

Giving young people the opportunity to express their thoughts and views on important issues is a vital necessity in today's world. They must not be left in the dark. It is not only the young who benefit from this guidance, but also the society in which they live. We must remember that they will be the leaders of tomorrow.

prepared by:

Spring Teacher 2004
Magdalena Bobek