I wish you a pleasant evening, dear viewers.
Here Cankarjev Dom Congress Center,
we're awaiting the ceremony marking
the Day of Independence and Unity.
Slovenia's independence plebiscite took place 31 years ago.
It was one of the great historic steps to Slovenia's independence.
Slovenian voters decided whether Slovenia should become
an independent state.
The results were announced on December 26.
The turnout was higher than 93 percent,
and 95 percent of the voters opted for independence,
which amounts to 88.5 percent of all eligible voters.
The result bound Slovenia's government
to realize the decision within six months,
and that's precisely what happened.
Slovenia is now celebrating its Independence and Unity day.
The leaders of the DEMOS coalition believed that independence
cannot be a project of merely some political forces,
but a national project with broad political
and public support.
Let's remember the historic words of the late Dr. Jože Pučnik,
spoken on today's date 31 years ago:
"Yugoslavia is no more. Now it's all about Slovenia."
Among those attending today's ceremony will be
Prime Minister Janez Janša, who'll be the featured speaker,
and President Borut Pahor.
The focus of the ceremony is the culture of seven regions:
Primorska, Prekmurje, Dolenjska and Bela Krajina, Koroška,
Gorenjska, Štajerska, and Notranjska.
The cultural heritage will be conveyed
through seven Slovenian dialects, seven poems,
as well as through music and dance.
Ivan Pirkovič conceived the ceremony,
which will be directed by Roman Končar.
Patrik Greblo will be the musical director.
As we're waiting for President Pahor to arrive,
we can remember that not everything went according to plan
31 years ago. DEMOS representatives presented
their plans for the plebiscite on November 10, 1990,
at a meeting of their parliamentary faction.
That's when they presented December 23 as the date
of the plebiscite, as well as the question:
"Should Slovenia become an independent country?"
Despite the disapproval of the opposition Renewal Party...
Dear guests, now entering the auditorium
is President Borut Pahor.
Jože Pučnik, November 9, 1990: "We're going right away.
Yugoslavia is collapsing into eyalets
and each republic will soon have its army.
Let's surprise them. We'll be the first,
and we'll do it before Belgrade becomes aware of it."
These measures helped to protect the political decisions
that the inner circle of DEMOS, led by Pučnik, helped to shape.
On December 17, 1990, we showed off our new units and weaponry
at that parade in Kočevska Reka.
This helped to raise the people's self-confidence
as they were preparing to vote.
The Territorial Defense is not a trick. It's a real organization
ready to withstand pressure. If necessary, Slovenia
will show that it doesn't allow threats from anyone.
If we want the world to recognize us, we must recognize ourselves.
We're not looking for any compromises.
We'll set up our own statehood and set
the foundations for our economic independence.
We Slovenians are a stateless people and we want
to change that.
On December 23, the citizens of Slovenia
will decide on an independent and sovereign country.
I hope many people will go out, cast a vote
for a new chapter in Slovenian history,
and express their determination to build a better future together.
My land is our country. Slovenia.
The plebiscite will be the realization of wishes
expressed by different segments of society,
and Slovenian communities around the world.
By opting for statehood, the Slovenian people
will finally get a homeland that won't be dependent
on foreign entities.
I came back home because of this.
There were several buses bringing people from Germany
so they could cast their vote for independence.
Everyone who says "no" or fails to vote will hurt us.
The entire world will praise our unity.
Ms. Marija, here is your ballot.
Today we're deciding whether Slovenia should become independent.
-Yes. -We'll leave you... -I'm for it.
We'll leave you alone -Just wait for us to leave.
Then fold the ballot and we'll place it in an envelope.
If we want the world to recognize us,
we must first recognize ourselves.
May God bless us and grant us a nice life in our Slovenia.
In favor, in favor, in favor...
What more could you wish to experience when you are 92
than Slovenia being able to decide its own fate.
With today's plebiscite in Slovenia, a crucial period
for Yugoslavia's restructuring is beginning. It's clear that most
Slovenians have voted for independence.
Dr. Pučnik, what will happen to Yugoslavia?
Yugoslavia? Yugoslavia is no more. It's all about Slovenia now.
And in Slovenia, politicians have received an order from the voters.
It must execute the decision. This means that Slovenia's
independence is no longer up for debate.
I think the politicians will be able to carry it out.
We're a group of young Carinthian Slovenians. We have been around
for several years, working to preserve our identity.
Today, we brought over the Princes' Stone
as a symbol of Slovenian statehood,
which is what it was in Old Carantania.
Today, we brought it because we share your happiness,
as do Slovenians around the world.
Christmas is about new beginnings and even though winter has begun,
spring is here for the Slovenian people. I hope that spring
is fertile and that Christmas will give us new hope and new life.
We've been waiting for this moment for 45 years.
Our kids are waiting too and it's crucial how they'll live.
This is extraordinary. Things have never been this nice before.
This referendum result allows me, on the basis of Article 10,
to solemnly declare, in front of this assembly, the Slovenian,
the Yugoslav, and the international public, that the Slovenian people,
on the basis on the right to self-determination,
decided that Slovenia should become an independent nation.
Yugoslavia is gone. It's all about Slovenia now.
Dear guests, our featured speaker,
Prime Minister Janez Janša.
Mr. President, the people of Slovenia,
dear compatriots in Slovenia and around the world.
The holidays are about to begin.
It seems that the crisis is preventing us from celebrating
and forcing us to go around in circles without hope.
After three decades, are we really a valley of tears and conflict?
Or is this merely a self-image created by opinion makers,
an imposed self-image built on of a sense of inferiority
that had been imposed on us from the capitals of multinational
countries, which we once inhabited?
In those solemn days 30 years ago, we believed that this false sense
of inferiority had become a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, it's still with us,
as we had forgotten the central message of the plebiscite.
If we want the recognition of others,
we need our own recognition first.
This raises the logical question:
Do others also see us as a valley of tears and unhappiness?
On Independence and Unity Day, we remember a time
when we were the masters of our own destiny for the first time ever.
We showed our unity in the most democratic way possible.
We carried out that decision despite all the hurdles.
Slovenia's independence was an innovation.
It was something special.
History tells us that no other nation became independent,
defended itself against aggression, and stood on its own two feet
precisely the way we did.
Our independence with a plebiscite as the central political act
and a successful defense of the new state was unique, never before
carried out in a similar way.
Just as Dr. Pučnik had predicted or wished,
a big surprise, especially in its final execution.
That's why it was a success despite the unfavorable balance of power,
within Yugoslavia, Europe, and the world.
We said that no one was counting on our success,
but we knew that we had to recognize ourselves
before others would recognize us. That's why we succeeded.
We could do it, and history has proven us right.
Nowadays, Slovenia produces more than any other Yugoslav
successor state, even though some are three times Slovenia's size.
Slovenia is among the world's ten safest countries,
and safety is a fundamental social good.
We're the seventh greenest and the ninth most sustainable country.
Lonely Planet ranked Slovenia as the fifth best destination
for the following year.
In 2000, Slovenia was ranked eighth in the world
on an index of childcare and preschool care.
Slovenia is now ranked tenth on the UNICEF index
of childhood well-being.
Since Slovenia's admission into the EU in 2004,
we can compare ourselves with our EU partners on an equal basis,
because we are active in a single market.
This year, Slovenia leads the EU in terms of per capita
sports achievements.
This has surprised many, and we're proud of our athletes.
Slovenia is among the top three EU countries in terms
of the percentage of university students in the 20-24 age group.
In the time after independence, even though we sometimes
hear otherwise, became a more egalitarian society
than we were under one-party rule.
We are the second best in the EU in terms of income differences.
Slovenia's risk of poverty and social exclusion
is the third lowest in the EU.
Last year, the risk of poverty and exclusion among children
was 12% in Slovenia.
Even one percent is too much, but this is the least in the EU,
where the average in 24%.
It's now particularly relevant that Slovenia also has
Europe's fourth lowest share of households that cannot
afford proper heating.
Much richer countries have bigger problems in this regard.
Slovenia has the seventh's lowest gender gap in employment,
and it leads the EU in employment programs
that fall under the responsibility of the state.
Slovenia is the EU's leader in the employment of women
with children.
The dull statistics that we often use to praise ourselves
also tell us who carries the biggest everyday burden
and does two jobs at once: mothers with children.
Your excess work, which is valued far too little,
enables our high ranking in other social indicators.
Someone is making great sacrifices for this.
That's one reason why Slovenia has the EU's second-lowest
child mortality rate below the age of one.
Contrary to commonly heard claims, Slovenia ranked seventh in the EU
in satisfaction with the healthcare system during the pandemic.
Slovenia spends the fourth highest share of the GDP
on healthcare and social services,
right after Germany, France, and Belgium.
Slovenia is in fifth place in expenditure for culture,
which far surpasses the EU average.
For the first time since 1992, we're spending more than 2%
of the GDP on culture.
This is practically unheard of.
Slovenia has the EU's highest share of Natura 2000 protected areas.
Thirty-eight percent of Slovenia is protected this way.
The EU average is 18 percent.
Slovenia is also number two in recycling household waste
and is Europe's third most forested country and the fourth
most forested in the northern hemisphere.
We have a tremendous wealth that we don't know how to make use of.
Despite the pandemic here and around the world,
we managed to make up last year's fall in growth,
and we did it before the end of the year.
Slovenia now has a higher employment rate
than before the pandemic. In fact, it's the highest in history.
More than 900,000 people now have employment.
That's almost 20,000 more than before the pandemic.
The average wage is higher than before Covid-19.
The same is true for pensions.
In the period since December 2019,
household savings in Slovenian banks alone
increased by €3.5 billion, while the savings of businesses
increased by almost €2 billion during the pandemic.
We managed to retain our potential and even improve on it.
We took on a fifth less debt than the average EU member.
In the field of introducing digital technology to businesses,
which is a hot trend in Europe,
Slovenia shot up from 15th to 8th place in the EU.
Despite all the positive trends, the data shows that we Slovenians
don't feel entirely free,
and we're not among the happiest and most content.
According to the Freedom Index, we're 33rd in the world,
but we're 126th according to the Happiness Index.
There's a mismatch with the other data,
which is a challenge for our experts.
Still, we did gain seven places on the Happiness Index.
On the global Innovation and Competitiveness Index,
we sadly rank only between 35th and 40th place.
Our progress is too slow in areas where we should have an advantage,
besides our wonderful nature and our geostrategic position.
People are our greatest competitive advantage.
This is reflected in our values if we are innovative.
We have every chance to improve in this area
because we can do better.
We have to keep in mind
that we became independent in an innovative way.
That's why we don't owe anything a thing historically speaking--
not neighbors, not Europe, and not the world.
We achieved everything ourselves.
Different successes came at different costs.
The costs were smaller when we were united and innovative.
Nowadays, we know that. We know we succeeded then,
and we can do at least as much today.
We don't just know that, we keep proving it.
We don't feel second-rate, either in Europe or the world.
We also know that the world is moving much faster now
than 30 years ago. We've all noticed that.
We live in a time when we have much better access to timely
and accurate information about Slovenia and the world.
More information and knowledge is accessible to ever more people.
If you don't believe me, just watch your kids look up information.
They'll do it before you finish asking the question.
The century we entered a while ago,
will move at a different pace than what those of us
who spent parts of our lives in the 20th century are used to.
Science tells us that in our expanding universe,
there are between two and 12 trillion galaxies.
Our own Milky Way galaxy is just one of them.
We share this galaxy with 100 billion other solar systems
and at least as many planets. From one edge of our galaxy
to another, light travels 100,000 years.
For comparison, light needs two seconds
to get from the Earth to the Moon.
It needs 100,000 year to cover the distance from one edge
of the galaxy to another. Scientists tell us that about seven
percent of stars in the known universe resemble our Sun.
As a consequence, there are billions of planets
that are similar to our Earth. This means that the future
space for humanity is practically limitless.
and we already live in a time when we can reach
other solar systems.
And so on. We've already reached other planets.
We are also facing a time that will determine whether humanity
is capable of working together to protect the environment
of our wonderful planet, eliminate hunger, unite our knowledge,
and aim for the stars.
Literally so. When we follow world events, we see that this
can be humanity's only common goal
in the foreseeable future. This common goal can
unite the human race, despite our differences,
for the good of the generations to come.
They are, as far as we know, the only alternative
to radical divisions, even though they are flaring up again,
to hybrid warfare, an arms race in space, and the risk
of nuclear warfare.
This challenge will be a test for both politics and science.
It will be a test for all nations, including us Slovenians.
Everyone can and must contribute here.
Throughout history, we have shown that we can succeed and innovate.
The author of the theory that allowed man to walk on the moon
was our fellow Slovenian, Herman Potočnik Noordung.
The Law on the Thermal Radiation of Black Bodies was discovered
by Jožef Stefan. Inventor France Rode developed
the pocket calculator. The steering system for the rocket
that took the first American astronaut to space in 1962
was developed by France Puhek. Anton Mavretiič contributed
to the Voyager program by developing a plasma device.
This device continues to measure solar plasma in many instruments.
Janez Repar, a Slovenian, developed ethylene propylene rubber,
which allows spacecraft to travel to other planets,
and that is happening in front of our eyes.
Measuring instruments from a Slovenian company are built
into most spacecraft. John Hrastar developed weather and surveillance
satellites and received NASA's most prestigious prize.
Marija Strojnik developed a system
now built into all GPS satellites.
A Slovenian company's innovation drastically reduced the time
needed for real-time satellite photos.
Maruša Bradač worked on NASA's new Webb Telescope.
A Slovenian company is working on balloons for storage in space.
Another company is helping NASA develop an electrical airplane.
When revolutionary photos of black holes were taken in 2019,
Slovenian scientists were among those who took part.
Former Kranj High School student Dušan Petrač
is a top expert in space technology and NASA's Sun Ambassador.
He took part in many of NASA's successes.
These days, Slovenian satellites can be found in orbit.
And we could go on.
We know where the challenge lay 30 years ago
and where it lies today. But we also know
that all the science and smarts and prosperity cannot help us
if there are no people. That's why demography is one of Slovenia's
and Europe's top priorities.
We need more love of life and more children.
Without our people, our language and our culture, we can still
have a country of some sort, but it won't be Slovenia.
Let's never forget that we voted for an independent Slovenia.
And let's not forget that members of the Hungarian, the Italian,
and other communities also voted for independence,
and that for 30 years, we built Slovenia as a homeland
for everyone.
Decades ago, still in the dark ages,
Franc Jeza wrote the following: "We can take solace in knowing
that many little, unknown people live in Slovenia, who remain
real, unknown soldiers of freedom
and national consciousness, who will emerge miraculously
like flowers in springtime, even though everything
seems dead under the midwinter snow, and play a decisive role."
Jeza, who died in 1985, I believe,
was seen as a dreamer even by some of his friends.
But he turned out to have been a visionary.
His predictions came true during the Slovenian Spring
and the watershed year that was 1990.
That's when we made the fateful decision to have our own country.
Miraculously, the unknown soldiers of freedom emerged,
and there are thousands of quotes like the ones we saw in the video.
Based on what is happening, we face great challenges
and even tests. We hope otherwise, but they can be even greater
than those three decades ago. That's why we should once again,
or for the first time as the case may be, recall Jeza's words
or those of Solzhenitsyn:
Let's rise to the occasion. Slovenia needs the everyman,
with no one excluded. It needs giants.
Not just the exceptional, but truly great people.
Therefore, dear guests, find the hero of freedom in your hearts.
Find him in your souls. Find him in the depths of your homeland.
And miraculously, something exceptional can reemerge
from any of us like flowers in springtime
even though everything seems dead under the midwinter snow,
and play a decisive role.
I wish you a blessed and merry Christmas and a proud
day of remembering the bravest among us.
I wish you wise decisions, health, goodwill,
and courage in the New Year.
God bless Slovenia the brave. Thank you.
Dear viewers, this was the ceremony marking Slovenia's Independence
and Unity Day. The main speaker, Prime Minister Janša,
reminded us of the various accomplishments
that put Slovenians on the global leading edge.
This poses the logical question, he said: Do others also see us
as a valley of tears and unhappiness?
It's as if we forgot the message of the plebiscite:
If we want others to recognize us, we must recognize ourselves.
On Independence and Unity Day, we remember a time
when we bravely, for the only time in history,
decided our own fate.
Slovenia's independence was an innovation.
It was something special, the Prime Minister stated.
Dear viewers, one behalf of everyone at TV Slovenia,
I bid you goodbye and wish you a blessed Christmas
and a happy, healthy New Year.
I'm Vida Petrovčič.