Slovenia: United in the European Union
Q&A with Stanislav Vidovič, Ambassador of Slovenia
Name: Stanislav Vidovič | Age: 54| Hometown: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ambassador to the U.S. since: July 21, 2017
Tell us a little bit about your family and personal background.
I grew up in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. My parents were part of the working class — my mother worked in a factory producing magnets and my father worked in a warehouse. Before university, I did my compulsory military service in the Former Yugoslavia from 1982–1983. It was not easy living in socialism — there were stark differences between social classes, we had no political parties, no political freedoms, no free elections, and no free market economy.
When did things start to change?
In the middle of the 80s prominent Slovenian writers, artists, and musicians were trying to draw the attention of the population to the fact that we were living under oppression in communism and that change was needed. It was very interesting times for me as a student of political science to be present in the middle of everything. My university classmates included our current prime minister and the current president.
What was it like living through this period of transition?
The transformation was not easy, but the period was very interesting to live in. I witnessed the fall of the Berlin wall — I went there by train and personally carved out a piece of it in 1989. I was 28 years old at the time we gained our independence in 1991. We had a small-scale war that lasted 10 days and several people died, but Slovenia was lucky enough not to suffer from a longer war. Without going through those times, I would not have the same views on the world as I have today.
You held a variety of positions both in government and in the private sector before joining Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs — tell us about your career path and what inspired you to make the switch.
After working as an assistant professor for three years, I decided that a career at the university wasn’t the right one for me so I joined the Slovenia intelligence service in 1991, just ten days before the war started — it was a very challenging and uncertain time. After four years I decided to move to the private sector because I was also thinking about earning some money. I went to work for a newspaper and later worked in public affairs and lobbying for a private company. After some time I realized that the private sector was very demanding and I wanted to find something where I could at least have my weekends and thought maybe diplomacy would be it. Of course, I made a mistake because in diplomacy you have to work hard, seven days a week. But I never regretted it. I came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996 to help establish the analytical department and find ways to incorporate analysis in foreign policy decision making. After accomplishing the task of redesigning the analytical department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was offered a position at NATO and served there as deputy head of mission for five years.
Thinking back over your career, what has been your most interesting posting?
I hope it will be Washington, of course, but the NATO period was very interesting because I was involved in the preparation for Slovenian membership to NATO. When you become a member of NATO, it’s not just the military that needs to be ready. You have to work on the readiness of the whole society. You have a huge responsibility as a NATO member. You are not just consuming security; you have to do everything to share in the responsibility for the security. It was a very demanding job because we had to coordinate all the efforts between different parts of the Slovenian government and do a lot of persuading in Ljubljana, but at the end of the day we succeeded and became a member of NATO in 2004, together with membership in the EU and I was very happy about that. Serving in NATO was the best period of my life because I also met my wife there, who at the time was serving in the Croatian mission to NATO. After I went back to Ljubljana she followed me and we were married in 2004 and our son was born the same year.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
For me, there are three very important things. First, you have to be very patient. No result will come at a glance. Goals have to be carefully chosen, you have to be persistent, and you have to be patient. Second, which is even more important, is that you have to take care of your people. You have to take care of your relationships and show your humanity — personal touch is very important.
Third, when you are in diplomacy, whenever you think you only represent yourself, you are not. You are always representing and serving your country.
If you were not a diplomat, what would you be?
When I was very young everybody thought I was going to be a priest. But after I saw that I could fall in love I decided not to be a priest (laughter). In my career I have been able to have different kinds of professions — teaching at university, dealing with spies, working in journalism, public affairs, and lobbying. But my real passion is analysis. Maybe in the next life I will establish a company dealing with political analysis.
What would you say is the most important characteristic that has helped you be successful?
Patience and prudence. We have a saying in Slovenia that no broth is eaten as hot as it is cooked. It means that whenever you see that something is going on, you should not panic or make conclusions about it.
Whatever is going right or wrong, you always have to give it time, be very reflective, and wait to see to judge. Gut reactions are bad, especially in diplomacy.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Study more and study harder. I would devote even more attention to languages. Besides Slovenian, English, and German, I speak Serbian, Croatian, and have a fair understanding of Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovak, and Czech. I would study more French — I started but never finished it.
Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2007. What is something you wish that Americans could understand better about the EU?
Becoming a member of the EU as a nation is actually having your cultural space extend across borders.
This is especially important for small countries like Slovenia, where we have Slovenians living in Italy, Hungary, Austria, and other countries. In Europe, the borders and divisions were not drawn on the basis of the nations living on the territory. We are united in the EU as a Slovenian nation across borders. Nobody is afraid to speak Slovenian in Italy or Austria. Nobody from an Italian or Hungarian minority in Slovenia is afraid to speak Italian or Hungarian. This is very important for us.
What does Slovenia’s EU membership mean for you personally?
As a servant of the state, it was very important for me personally that Slovenia became a member of the EU because you can’t become a member of the EU without fulfilling certain criteria for membership. It proved that what we had accomplished was very good. In Slovenia we had a public referendum on EU and NATO membership and the people voted in favor of both — it was not decided by politicians. We are very proud that Slovenia is a part of the Eurozone. We are also a part of Schengen, which means that between the Schengen countries we don’t have any borders. In 1989 you had the iron curtain and now, 25 years later, you have countries which do not have borders between them. These are very important elements because allow the possibility for people to do business, travel, and enjoy much easier than it was in the past.
What would you like to see happen in the EU in the next 5–10 years?
For us as Slovenians, the enlargement of the EU is not finished business.
We would like to have a more united Europe and would like to see all the former Yugoslav countries join the EU in the next 10 years to conclude this story about a Europe free and whole.
What are some of your hobbies?
Last week I became the proud owner of a Maryland fishing license and I hope I will have enough time to go fishing at least once a month. I also like to grow vegetables. I have arugula and paprika here at the embassy and hope to plant a real garden this spring.
In your biography it says you are into DIY projects — what are you working on now?
I just bought a jewelry box at the Georgetown antiques market that I’m refinishing. I’ve already stripped off the old paint and am trying to find the right paint color so my wife will be happy with it. I’m also thinking of renovating some pieces of furniture I have found around the embassy.
Anything quirky that most people don’t know about you?
I would never sign a document without a fountain pen. It has to be real ink.
What is one thing you’d like to share with Americans about Slovenia?
There are many things that Americans are surprised by when they come to Slovenia. First of all, they don’t need to know any foreign languages because everyone speaks English, including the older generation. They can drink the tap water all over the country without filtering it. The variety of food for such a small country is so huge that they would need to live a year and eat something different every day to try half of the food. We have Mediterranean, Hungarian, Austrian, German, Dalmatian influences. If you want to eat the best pizza in the world you will not eat it in Italy, you’ll eat it in Slovenia. For the last few years our pizzaiolos (pizza makers) have won all the awards. The best female cook in the world, Ana Roš, is from Šempeter pri Gorici in Slovenia.
What are your favorite Slovenian dishes?
Kranjska klobasa — a Slovenian traditional sausage. It’s a little bit smoked and there’s a special national recipe which prescribes how much meat should be in the sausage. It can only be 20% fat, and only the good fat from the pig. I love them! Then of course, potica, Slovenian walnut cake, which was mentioned when President Trump visited the pope in Rome.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my son. He is now at his third school after living in Bratislava for four years and Ljubljana for four years. He’s making friends and showing great ability in taking in all the different cultures he’s experiencing. He’s becoming a very serious young man and absorbing everything very fast. I’m very proud of him because he’s eager to learn and help others with a very open heart.
We are also very proud of the first lady. She is a Slovenian and we know she loves Slovenia. After she became the first lady, even though she never said anything in favor of Slovenian tourism, the number of American tourists went up by 40%. She is doing a great job for Slovenia and we praise her for that.
This story is part of the @EUintheUS “Ambassador Spotlight Series,” featuring in-depth, personal interviews with ambassadors from the European Union’s 28 Member States. Follow our publication and stay tuned for the next story.
