The slogan of the upcoming year of celebrations is “From the Plebiscite to the Constitution”. 23 December 2010 marks 20 years since a plebiscite was held at which an overwhelming majority of the population voted for an independent Slovenia. A year later, on 23 December 2011, it will be 20 years since the country’s Constitution was adopted.

The year-long activities will seek to include the widest public possible to commemorate the historic events that led to the country’s independence and the progress it has made in the past 20 years.

From a statehood point of view, Slovenia has achieved its key goals in a short time period. It has achieved international recognition and regard, become a member of the UN, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the OECD and NATO and was the first EU member state that joined the EU in 2004 to adopt the euro as its currency.

It is these achievements, in addition to raising awareness of how the country’s independence was the joint achievement of the entire population, will be the focus of next year’s activities. 

The first big events of the “From the Plebiscite to the Constitution” year of celebrations will be tomorrow’s ceremonial session of the National Assembly along with a formal celebration on the occasion of the Day of Independence and Unity (23 December), when an exhibition on the plebiscite prepared  by the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and other institutions will be opened in Cankarjev dom.

Another important part of the activities is the special website www.twenty.si  dedicated to the anniversary which will provide an overview of chronological and historical  information about Slovenia and a broad selection of interactive contents. The purpose of the website is to present Slovenia’s 20th anniversary to our friends around the world.

www.twenty.si  will also feature a comprehensive calendar of events organised in Slovenia and elsewhere, which will be promptly updated. New contents will also be regularly added to the section called ‘My Slovenia’, which will present the thoughts and opinions on the past 20 years of certain intellectuals, business representatives, artists, athletes, Slovenes living abroad and others.

The 20th anniversary of the country’s independence is also an opportunity to upgrade www.slovenia.si , which is an Internet entry point for everyone wishing to become familiar with Slovenia and Slovenian culture.