A SERIES of reforms, a year of minority government and less social pessimism were some of the main features of Slovak life in 2004.
This is according to the Institute of Public Affair's (IVO) Global Report on the State of Society - Slovakia 2004.
The IVO's Martin Bútora said that Slovakia was a country of paradoxes - although politicians divide the country amongst themselves as if it were loot, they still manage to push through reforms that improve people's lives, reported to the daily SME.
In 2004 the country joined NATO and the EU and "democracy irreversibly took root" according to IVO president, Grigorij Mesežnikov.