Slovakia: membership application and partnership, 27 June 1995

This Regular Report for 2000 on Slovakia is largely similar to that of the Commission's 1997 Opinion and of the subsequent regualr reports; however, it differs from that used in previous years on three minor points. Firstly, the part of the present report assessing Slovakia's ability to assume the obligations of membership has been structured to follow the list of 29 negotiating chapters covering the acquis. Secondly, this part has been broadened to cover also Slovakia's administrative capacity to apply the acquis under each of the negotiating chapters (previously discussed in a separate section of the report). Thirdly, the report includes, for the first time, a section assessing the progress made by Slovakia in trnaslating the acquis into its official language. This Regular report takes into consideration progress since the 1999 regular report and looks at whether intended reforms referred to in the 1999 regular report have been carried and it also examines new initiatives. With regard to the relations between the EU and Slovakia, Slovakia has continued to implement the Europe Agreement correctly and contributed to the smooth functioning of the various joint institutions. Moreover, Slovakia's trade with the EC has remained high and continued to grow in 1999, while it has not shown any significant changes in the first six months of 2000. The Council decided to terminate without the imposition of measures the proceeding concerning imports of solutions of urea and ammonium nitrate originating in the Slovak Republic, since it was found that Slovak exports had no material impact on the injury caused to the industry. The safeguard measures on the imports of pigmeat that had been introduced in April 1999 were discontinued according to schedule. In April 2000 Slovakia introduced quotas on expôrts of corn (till the end of October) and barley (till the end of July). in late July it was decided, on the grounds of a severe drought, to prolong the quotas till the end of 2000, while extending them, for the August-December period, to other products. With regard to Community aid, in the years 2000-2002, total annual financial assistance to Slovakia will amount to EUR 49 million for Phare, EUR 18.3 million for SAPARD and between EUR 36.4 million and EUR 57.2 million for ISPA, per year. It should be noted that Slovakia continues to meet the political criteria for accession which the last report had recognised, for the first time, as having being fulfilled. Slovakia has further advanced in the consolidation of its democratic system and in the normal functioning its institutions. However, the speed of the reform process has lost some momentum due, in part, to dissension within the ruling coalition. Certain legal steps were taken to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. However, key parts of the reform have not been adopted. Progress was also achieved in the fight against crime and corruption and in developing approaches to tackle the problems of minorities, but there still remains a gap between policy formulation and implementation on the ground. Tangible improvement of the situation of the Roma minority in particular by implementing specific measures. Slovakia has also made progress in the following areas: marketeconomy, macroeconomic stability; legislative alignment; statistics; industrial sector; telecommunications and the audiovisual sector and justice and home affairs. Whereas further progress is needed in areas such as: the adoption of the civil service law; public administration reform; health, pension and social security; agriculture, transport, regional policy, company law; the environment and financial control. �