The enforcement of all legal rights of the Slovenian national community in Austria remains Slovenia’s priority

At the meeting with the representatives of the Slovenian national community, President Pirc Musar emphasised that Slovenia would continue the dialogue with Austrian officials at all levels. "I am convinced that national minorities are ‘the salt of democracy’ and that their presence benefits society as a whole, which is why I believe in the possibility of a more productive, closer dialogue between the minority and the Austrian provincial and federal governments. An essential element of the community’s existence is bilingual education from preschool to the end of the secondary level," said the President, adding that a step forward must also be made in ensuring a bilingual judiciary and expanding it to the entire bilingual area.

The President therefore expects clear answers from Governor Kaiser, as well as concrete guarantees as to when the rights of the Slovenian community will be established. Above all, Slovenia expects the anticipated amendments regarding the required level of German knowledge for childcare workers from Slovenia to be implemented as soon as possible.

On this occasion, the President thanked all representatives of the Slovenian national community for their engagement and dedication: "All of our national communities are a bridge to our neighbours. In bilingual schools and kindergartens, children learn from one another and grow together. It is through them and these institutions that the vision of a united and increasingly connected Europe comes true."

In light of the recent anniversary of the signature of the Austrian State Treaty, the President stresses that Slovenia is a protector of the Slovenian national community. In accordance with international customary and contract law (the Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties), Slovenia is legitimately considered the obvious successor to the Austrian State Treaty. Based on regular bilateral dialogue, Austria also recognises Slovenia as a partner when it comes to enforcing the rights of the Slovenian minority as provided by the Treaty. Minority organisations warn that additional efforts must be made for the full implementation of Article 7 of the Treaty.

As Slovenia and Austria have close economic ties, the President will today also meet with business representatives from Austrian Carinthia and hear their views on cooperation between Slovenia and Austria. "I am pleased that the second tube of the Karavanke tunnel is now becoming a reality. I hope that the project is completed within the set timeframe and that the long lines outside the tunnel will soon be a thing of the past. I therefore expect Austria to lift its controls on the border with Slovenia," said the President.
Talks with the students of the Bilingual Commercial College and the Slovenian Gymnasium in Klagenfurt focused on future challenges before the EU, mainly in relation to the green transition and gender equality. At the gymnasium’s evening ceremony, the President will highlight the importance of preserving the Slovenian language, borrowing the words of writer Florjan Lipuš, who once said: "Language becomes visible through signs, the printed word, local bilingual publications."

She will also call attention to the Kugy class, for which the Slovenian Gymnasium received the 2000 European Language Label for innovative language projects: "The Kugy class is the best face of Europe, as it promotes tolerance, curiosity and understanding by spreading multilingualism and knowledge about cultures on the crossroads between three European language groups."