Foreign Affairs Minister Eduard Kukan ceremonially opened Slovakia's permanent representation to the European Union in Brussels on April 27.
Four days before the EU accession on May 1, the status of the permanent mission to the European community was thus changed to permanent representation, which is common among EU member countries, the news wire TASR wrote.
Slovak diplomats did not have to move from the building, and Kukan only unveiled a plaque with a new name, but he said he considered it to be more than a symbolic event.
"This is not just a symbolic change. It means that we are reaching the level of the member countries in this aspect and that our relations within the EU are becoming equal, and it marks the beginning of our position as a standard EU member," Kukan said.
"We intend to act as a full-fledged EU member from the outset and this is why we need this form of representation," he added.
The building of Slovakia's permanent representation is on the Avenue de Cortenbergh, near the main EU institutions in Brussels - the European Commission, the EU Council, and the European Parliament.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
