A further notch for Slovakia

Though accession to the European Union is considered to be a benchmark for candidate countries, particularly those that had once been part of the Communist bloc, there is probably no other prestige that can be endowed to such newly transformed nations as being invited to join the Eurozone.

Tiny Slovakia, a nation right at the heart of Central Europe, is currently revelling in this reality. It would appear that the fears and ambivalence surrounding the Premiership of Robert Fico -- notably his coalition government involving two anti-establishment parties with a track record of trouble, irresponsibility and semi-authoritarian forms of governance -- has not been as problematic as observers and skeptics had thought.

Fico was elected in 2006, on a slightly left-of-centre platform, whereupon he reversed many of his predecessor's economic and social policies. Apparently, many Slovak voters were concerned that economic reform had been too rapid for them to keep up, and he tapped into this sentiment quite effectively. He had popularity and credentials backing him, including a stint as a human rights lawyer, but also made disparaging statements about Slovakia's prominent minorities. Many votes that had once gone to former Premier Vladimir Meciar's party swayed to Fico.

Acceptance to the Eurozone has been made all the more significant for Slovakia because it is the only post-communist country, but for Slovenia, which already uses the Euro, to have passed such thresholds. As the BBC story reports: "It is only the second former communist country after Slovenia to pass the euro's strict criteria and is likely to be the last for some time...Poland, Hungary and the Baltic states are not expected to join the euro until well after 2010."

It is part of a succession of good news for Slovakia. Ten years ago, when the country was in the throes of economic, political and diplomatic meltdown thanks to Meciar's tenure, of which I recently explored and wrote about, this would have been a mere pipe dream. No more, thankfully. I can imagine that many pints of studene pivo will be consumed over this news!