SFRY succession: achievements in 2015 and plans for 2016
At today’s session, the government discussed the 2015 report of Slovenia's High Representative for Succession Issues.
The High Representative for Succession Issues oversees the implementation of the Agreement on Succession Issues in the Republic of Slovenia and represents the government’s positionson this matter. She cooperates with the Succession Fund of the Republic of Slovenia and other government bodies and institutions responsible for individual issues related to the implementation of the agreement; the implementation of the different annexes is the responsibility of committees established by the government as working groups to supervise operational matters related to implementation.
The implementation of the agreement is a priority of Slovenia’s foreign policy. The comprehensive solutionsin the agreement and resolution of open succession issues were highlighted as priorities in the Declaration of the Foreign Policy of the Republic of Sloveniaadopted by the National Assembly on 10 June 2015.
The major events of 2015 also include the fourth meeting of the Standing Joint Committee of high representatives of successor states to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which met in Sarajevo in November after a six-year deadlock, at which high representatives unanimously issued twelve recommendations to government to enable faster and more effective resolution of contentious issues.
The activities of the High Representative in 2015 also focused on theexecution of the pilot judgement of the European Court of Human Rights. The High Representative is involved in implementation as the head of legal experts and a member of the interdepartmental expert working group for implementation. She attended the meetings of the committee of ministers’ deputies at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and was actively involved in drafting documentation in this area, including reports for the Slovenian government.
In February 2015, the High Representative attended thejoint session of the Slovenian and Serbian governments. In terms of succession, the meeting was successful, because it received a significant share of attention from prime ministers and ministers,who also urged the acceleration of the process of distributing diplomatic and consular representations, access to the archive of the National Bank of Yugoslavia, respect for international agreements, cooperation on executing the judgement in the Ališić case and other matters.
Priority tasks and events in 2016
In 2016, succession priorities will includeSlovenian cultural heritage, the application ofinternational treatiesthat refer exclusively to the territory of Slovenia, assisting Slovenian companies that face difficulties in the Serbian courtsin recovering nationalised property, and the continuation of the project todigitalisethe SFRY’s shared archives.
On 1 December 2015, Slovenia’s succession fundbegan to accept requests for the verification of unpaid oldforeign currency deposits of savings account holders of Ljubljanska banka in the Zagreb and Sarajevo main branches. In accordance with the Act on the Method of Execution of the Judgement of the European Court of Human Rights, beneficiaries will be able to file requests by 31 December 2017. In 2016, the High Representative will continuework on the execution of the judgement in the Ališić case, with an emphasis on acquiring information from the former branch of Ljubljanska banka in Sarajevo, which is a prerequisite for executing the judgement.
The main event of 2016, which is primarilyintended for the public, is a conference on the 15th anniversary of concluding the Agreement of Succession Issues, which will be held in June. The conference will host respected foreign and domestic experts, who will discuss the significance of the agreement from today’s perspective. The emphasis will be on the positive aspects of succession, which we would also like to illustrate by exhibiting assets that were returned to Slovenia during this time.