Slovenia

Abstract

The Slovenian Constitution has been amended four times to facilitate the country’s entry into the European Union. Article 3a of the Constitution defines the material and procedural conditions for Slovenian membership in the EU and subjects the latter to substantive constitutional limitations. Slovenia became a member of the euro area on 1 January 2007 after the European Commission and the European Central Bank released convergence reports on 16 May 2006 assessing Slovenia’s fulfilment of the Maastricht criteria. There is no specific constitutional provision relating to Slovenia’s membership in the Economic and Monetary Union. However, the amendment to the Constitution of May 2013 is a direct response to Slovenia’s eurozone- related duties. Fulfilling the requirements stemming from the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union constitutionalising the so-called golden fiscal rule, the Parliament amended Article 148 of the Constitution concerning the budget in May 2013. The Slovenian membership in the EMU has so far not posed any specific constitutional problems and the political branches have been generally supportive of EMU’s deepening and further development. This declaratory commitment to EU law, however, has not always been present in practice.