Law Regime

Upon accession to the EU, the acquis communautaire became an integral part of Slovenian national legislation, therefore, it is necessary for the national authorities to follow and study it regularly. The Department manages the coordination of infringement procedures, one of the most significant instruments of the European Commission to control the compliance with the Community law. It also follows the proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the Court of First Instance, and participates in the drafting of pleadings lodged by the Republic of Slovenia with the Court of Justice. On performing its work, the Department collaborates with both Coordination Departments of the GOEA and externally with ministries and other government offices concerned by every particular case.

It provides expert assistance to ministries and government offices regarding the acquis communautaire.

Language Regime

Upon accession to the EU, Slovene became the EU official language. The preparation of the Slovene version of the EU legal acts is now within the competence of the translation and legal-linguistic services of the EU institutions.

The former Translation, Revision and Terminology Unit of the GOEA was one of the two main national coordinators of the preparation of the national linguistic version of the acquis communautaire before joining the EU; on 1 June 2005, the majority of its former staff joined the Translation, Interpreting and Revision Service of the Secretariat-General of the Slovenian Government.

The small department left within the GOEA that is dedicated to language issues monitors the issue of Slovene as the EU official language in the first post-accession period, when the Slovene departments of translation, interpreting and legal-linguistic services in the EU institutions have to become fully operational.

In this context, the Department monitors the issue of language reservations made by Slovenian representatives in the EU legislative procedures, participates in the elaboration of positions regarding language issues for Coreper, coordinates inter-institutional cooperation of Slovene departments of the translation, interpreting and legal-linguistic services of the EU institutions and with the Slovenian line ministries in relation to expert-terminological revision of proposals of EU acts and to their needs for interpreting within the EU Council Working Parties.

Within the GOEA, the Department provides support to all other organizational units with translations and linguistic revision of current documents and participates in various projects of the GOEA (twinning, EU Presidency).

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