Slovenia

Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 15 October 2012

The Republic of Slovenia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 27 October 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 April 1999. Slovenia never produced, imported, or exported antipersonnel mines. It inherited its stockpile of antipersonnel mines from the former Yugoslavia. Legislation to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically was passed in December 1998 and April 1999. On 20 May 2012, Slovenia submitted its 13th Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report.

Slovenia completed the destruction of its stockpile of 168,898 antipersonnel mines on 25 March 2003, just ahead of its 1 April 2003 treaty-mandated destruction deadline. Slovenia initially announced it would retain 7,000 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes, but later reduced the quantity to 3,000; as of April 2011, Slovenia had reduced the number of mines retained to 2,978.[1] There is an apparent discrepancy in Slovenia’s Article 7 report submitted in 2012, which indicates that Slovenia retains 2,982 mines for training, an increase of four mines.[2] Slovenia reported that it consumed three PMR-2A mines and three PROM-1 for training during calendar year 2011.[3] However, Form D of the Article 7 report indicates that Slovenia increased the number of PROM-1 mines it retains by seven.[4]

Slovenia served as co-rapporteur and then co-chair of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance (2004–2006) and the General Status and Operation of the Convention (2008–2010).

Slovenia attended the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in November–December 2011 in Phnom Penh, where Slovenia was designated as the president of the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties. In May 2012, Slovenia attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva.

Slovenia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines and Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Mine clearance in Slovenia was completed in the early 1990s; there are now no known mined areas in Slovenia. Slovenia is contaminated by unexploded ordnance from World War I, World War II, and the independence war of 1991.

 



[1] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 April 2011.

[2] Ibid., 20 May 2012.

[3] Ibid., Form G, 20 May 2012.

[4] Ibid., Form D, 20 May 2012.