An international scientific symposium marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Restoration of an Independent and Democratic Austria (Austrian State Treaty – ADP) was held in the SAZU Hall on November 27, 2025, organized by the Institute for Ethnic Studies, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana, and the Committee for the Study of National Minorities at SAZU. The event was designed as an interdisciplinary discussion with invited experts who shed light on the historical context of the ADP’s creation and its special significance for the Slovenian national community in Austria and for the formation of the post-war European order.
In their introductory presentations, the participants emphasized the importance of Article 7 of the ADP and the decades of efforts by the Republic of Slovenia to implement it. The discussions drew attention to the (non)implementation of minority rights and to the diverse research perspectives that have shifted over the decades between examining the legal basis, political interpretations, and social consequences for the Slovenian national community in Carinthia.
Special attention was also paid to contemporary challenges: the topicality of the issue of the Slovenian national community in Austria, the (non-topicality) of the Slovenian notification of succession to the ADP, the importance of education and cultural cooperation, and the relationship between Article 7 of the ADP and broader European minority standards. The discussions also touched upon broader political relations between Slovenia and Austria, with a comparative reference to the Osimo Agreements and the further strengthening of bilateral ties after 1955.
The symposium concluded with the finding that the ADP remains a key legal and historical document that goes beyond a mere post-war diplomatic arrangement and still has a significant impact on the position of the Slovenian national community in Austria today. The participants agreed that further research into minority rights and their implementation in practice is essential for understanding contemporary political and social conditions and for strengthening cross-border cooperation.
-Dr. Danijel Grafenauer
