Practice Makes Progress, Not Perfect: Twenty Years of Slovenian Participation in the EU Internal Market

The date 1 May 2024 marks two decades since Slovenia started participating in the EU internal market. During this period, Slovenian citizens, businesses, and state authorities have gained considerable experience with EU membership, both positive and negative. Judging by examples of case law analysed, Slovenia is not known for serious breaches of EU law; however, practice shows that companies and state authorities are still poorly informed about EU internal market rules, creating barriers that remain unchallenged. There are numerous examples from various areas of the internal market that demonstrate not only that Slovenian businesses and authorities are still not fully aware of the internal market, but that authorities in other member states frequently do not view Slovenia as an equal participant, creating barriers that are incompatible with the internal market.