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In the period since the last parliamentary elections in the Slovak Republic, in 2006, we can identify two main trends in Slovakia’s activities in the European Union (EU). First of all Slovakia is showing significant continuity in the fulfillment of integration priorities of the previous governmental coalition of Mikuláš Dzurinda. The governmental coalition of Prime Minister Robert Fico has focused on the successful finalization of Slovakia’s full-fledged membership to the EU mainly through accession to the Schengen area and the Euro zone. Secondly, the current government has not introduced any new Slovak strategic priorities in the EU except for the activities of the European Nuclear Forum which the SR initiated in cooperation with the Czech Republic in 2007. Since the cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Fico assumed its mandate there has been tension in the area of Slovakia’s external relations between the officially proclaimed foreign policy goals and the behavior of top political representatives on the Slovak domestic scene. The main role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR is often reduced to explaining the positions of the Prime Minister or the Chairmen of other coalition parties (SNS and ĽS-HZDS) instead of the real formulation and promotion of the foreign policy concept of the country. After years of fulfilling the letter of the Treaty of Accession to the EU the Slovak Republic now faces a period when it can contribute to the transformation of the EU according to its own interests. It remains an open question how well the country is prepared for this new role.
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It has become a certain cliché to describe the security situation of Slovakia and Europe as relatively calm but at the same time changeable and hardly predictable. However this cliché is based on reality. It is true that Slovakia is not facing an existential threat. However on the other hand, Europe is being periodically startled by new forms of vulnerabilities which make the entire concept of security much more complex: cyber attacks – for example those which targeted Estonian servers in 2007 or the threat to energy security posed by interruptions in natural gas supplies like in Ukraine in 2006 (and again in 2008). Furthermore we can observe the growing doubts about the development in Russia whose foreign policy can probably be best described as a ‘soft’ confrontation with the West. In Russia’s closest neighborhood, for example Georgia, Moscow has already used military force against an independent state.
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In international circles, Slovakia is branded a successful and dynamic European country; especially in the region of the Western Balkans. In Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the entire Western Balkans, Slovakia has a good reputation. It is admired for a peaceful split from former Czechoslovakia and equally for the capacity to solve big national questions by way of political compromise and agreement. The whole of the Western Balkans recognizes Slovakia also in the bigger picture of new EU members’ achievements. And it is increasingly capable of distinguishing in the collective picture.
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The tension on the global energy markets grew gradually throughout the year 2007 as a result of the steep increase in oil and natural gas prices as well as due to the fear of an impending lack of energy. Even renowned expert institutions throughout the world published studies and prognoses which state that, among the other global threats we must prepare to face, the following decade will dramatically increase the pressure on the stable delivery of energy resources and the pressure of the great powers focused on the control over the world’s key production regions. Many perceive this as a direct consequence (among others) of the modernization and the fast economic growth of multiple large and until recently – developing countries like India, China or Brazil. The evident depletion of European deposits of energy resources is the second serious cause.
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The Official Development Assistance (ODA) is an important pillar of the Slovak foreign policy. Its importance is still growing; therefore an attempt should be made to expand its scope in the years to come. The year 2007 can be marked as a significant one for the development assistance. This article analyzes mainly the institutional and the legislative changes in the Slovak ODA and compares the territorial and sectoral focus of bilateral projects in the periods before and after these changes took effect. According to the document Slovakia’s Foreign Policy Orientation 20071 , the development assistance is an important part of the foreign policy of the European Union (EU) and its member states. Slovakia provides its official development assistance on the basis of principles of international development policy, including the EU development policy, and in line with the foreign and economic policy priorities of the Slovak Republic (SR). The goal of the Slovak ODA is to contribute to the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the key areas, including alleviation of poverty and hunger, achievement of universal elementary education, support of gender equality, reduction of infant mortality rate, focus on the struggle against the HIV/AIDS and relief of global environmental problems. Besides the assistance itself, the bilateral development projects help to strengthen the bonds of these countries with the SR, support establishment of Slovak actors (institutions, businesses) abroad, create institutional and expert capacities in the SR and influence the public opinion.
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After three years of EU membership, we may see Slovakia as a careful member state, which, with a few exceptions, defers rather than acts. The explanation lies not only in the change of the government in 2006, but also in worthlessness, lack of willingness and inability to create and enforce a sustainable integration strategy of the country.
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From January 2006, Slovakia has been carrying out its two year mandate as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UN SC). It bears – in accordance with the UN Charter – still an exclusive responsibility for international peace and security, despite an increasing number of surfacing opinions about the failure of the initial hope (in the intentions of chapter VII. of the UN Charter), that “the new world order could be founded on the UN” and its “centre” (i.e. the UN SC). This doubt represents (quite rightfully), that the UN has simply not become a binding warrant or of the post-war world order, as spoken of in the UN Charter. Nevertheless, the exclusive position of the UN (especially the UN SC) is still formally in force and the Slovak republic (SR) officially considers its membership in this exceptional body as “something that increases the prestige of the country”.
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The shifts in the global security environment and new security threats have brought a deepening of intergovernmental cooperation within the existing integration groups. Besides the reform of NATO, they have also brought about the strengthening of the security and defense dimension of the European Union. On the grounds of their experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 1995), Kosovo (from 1999), and Afghanistan (from 2003) and under the pressure of the current security threats, the member states of NATO are gradually coming to terms with the fact that the deployment of military instruments of crisis management represents the most effective means in the case of extensive future crises and high-intensity conflicts, if diplomatic efforts were to fail. Appropriate attention is also dedicated to civil instruments of crisis management considering that their coordinated deployment along with military instruments represents the most effective means of prevention and elimination of security crises and conflicts. The Slovak Republic began to materialize these current trends which were taking place in NATO after its accession. NATO and the EU have become the most important platforms for the realization of Slovakia’s foreign, security and defense policies as well as instruments for the implementation of Slovakia’s interests and goals. In these terms, it is the prime interest of the Slovak Republic to contribute to the effective distribution of work between both organizations and prevent their mutual competition and subsequent weakening. From Slovakia’s point of view the rivalry between individual member states of NATO and the EU, which could lead to the paralysis of their operability and a loss of credibility of both organizations, represents the greatest threat.
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Even though the Slovak Republic officially supports the policy of further enlargement of the European Union, this support has its limits. In view of the main aspects of Slovakia’s involvement in the EU during the year 2005, the then Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda stated in front of the members of the Committee on European Affairs of the National Council of the SR that a year and a half after joining the Union, it has become apparent that Slovakia is not only a consumer but also a creator of EU policies. While submitting the comprehensive report on the first year of Slovakia’s membership in the EU, from 1 May 2004 to 30 April 2005 M. Dzurinda highlighted the contribution of Slovakia especially to the opening of accession negotiations with Croatia. Considering the strategic decisions on the political arrangement of the EU, it would seem that Slovakia’s representatives are mainly adopting a supranational approach, according to which the Union is an autonomous unit “primarily designed for finding policy solutions in the interest of a common European good”.
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