AT HOME IN EUROPE – SAFE IN NATO
With this motto, which is still valid today, the people of the Republic of Slovenia unanimously decided to join NATO and the EU in a referendum on 23 March 2003. Slovenia became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance on 29 March 2004, and, since 1 May 2004, it has been a fully-fledged member of the EU. On the one hand, NATO membership has provided Slovenia with a stable security and political environment, and brought a new dimension to the Slovenian Armed Forces, while, on the other, NATO has been given a credible partner with whom it can share its burden. The Republic of Slovenia defends itself with its own forces and adheres to the principle of collective defence, defined by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which stipulates that an attack against one or more Member States is considered an attack against all Member States.