Slovenia and the EU in the Global World,

Twenty Years Later

His Excellency Roman Kirn, Slovenian Ambassador to the U.S.

With Welcome and Introduction by James L. Oberstar

In the December 1990 plebiscite, Slovenes voted for a sovereign and independent Slovenia.  The Declaration of Independence followed in June 1991.  H.E. Roman Kirn, the Ambassador of Slovenia to the United States, will discuss Slovenia after 20 years of independence shaping its role in the European Union and the global economy.  Roman Kirn was appointed Ambassador of Slovenia to the United States on May 26, 2009.  Ambassador Kirn most recently served as Director of the Department for North and Latin America and the Caribbean for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and head of Transatlantic Relations and Preparations for the EU-U.S. Summit during Slovenia's European Union presidency in June 2008.  He was also Slovenia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (2002-06) - during which time he was Vice President of the U.N. General Assembly, Vice President of the 2005 NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Review Conference, among other positions - as well as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE; 2000-02).