Now and then we are still too fond of saying modestly that we were lucky. That a web of historical circumstances worked in our favour. Perhaps this is true to a certain extent, but certainly not in any decisive sense - only in as much as fortune favours the brave. Of course, we understood the historic opportunity, but the credit for our ability to turn it to our advantage belongs to the political and spiritual boldness and determination of the entire nation.

But even in this regard I would risk saying the following: precisely because of the challenges of the future and the responses to them, we need to recognise the importance of the farsightedness of those cultural, intellectual and political circles whose penetrating vision laid the foundations for this national unity. In this solemn moment, they in particular deserve our sincere gratitude.

It is not a matter of auctioning off political credit. This is something we should fear, just as our prudent leaders did when ten years ago they formed an inter-party alliance to ensure the success of the plebiscite. They were aware that that our common future was more important than narrow-minded political infighting. This wisdom has not been outgrown in the period since then; the passing of time has made it still wiser and more relevant to the tests that face us now.

It is a question of realising that big ideas do not happen on their own, and even more of recognising that in order to realise them we need to build mutual trust and consensus. It seems to me that this is perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from the great events of ten years ago. It is moreover a matter of awareness that in the period that lies ahead, big ideas, courageous decisions and bold action will be equally important and equally dependent on us ourselves.

If we can say that in the past the greatest responsibility for our home and our world rested on the shoulders of cultural activists, today it must branch out to universities, institutes, science and the professions, and establish a policy. The intellectual, business and political sections of Slovene society and the Slovene state must enter into a creative alliance to ensure balanced and sustainable development, to allow our independent country to step courageously and confidently onto the world stage, ready for competition with the best.

Ten years down the line Slovenia is once again faced by new challenges. The whole world is. Is it an exaggeration to say that new information and communications technology, the new economy, and the decoding of the human genome represent the dawning of a new age? And where are we?

In the middle of these epoch-making events, that is where we are. At home, in the world, and on the world-wide web. There is no reason for us not to view these changes with hope and expectation. There is no reason for us to be afraid. We have given ourselves the right to place ourselves at the centre of these events.