Slovakia or the Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The capital and largest city is Bratislava. The country is subdivided into 8 partially autonomous regions. Each of these regions is named after its prime city. Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic. Here, the prime minister holds executive powers while the president is the head of state.
The first step towards the accession of Slovakia into the EU began with the signing of the Association Agreement in 1993. Later, in 1999, the European Council approved the matter of beginning negotiations of the integration of Slovakia and five other countries into the trade bloc.
On the basis of this, the first session of talks commenced in the beginning of the following year, 2000. The EU – Slovakia Association Council, at its meeting on 14 June 2000, reviewed the current status and various other aspects regarding the merging of the country into the EU.
Slovakia finally became an EU member on 1 May 2004. It has been a Schengen Area member since 21 December 2007. The European Parliament has 13 Slovakian representatives.
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