1. Recently Slovenia has undergone some very important changes. Firstly, it is the reform of our school system which brought about great emphasis on teaching and learning foreign languages. Secondly, on 1st May Slovenia became a member of EU. We are perfectly aware that teaching and learning foreign languages is not only enabling our young people to communicate with other people but also getting them to know and respect other people, cultures and habits.

2. The area of teaching and testing foreign languages is gaining more and more importance. The need for experts and practical teachers to join forces and share experience in order to make the instruction and assessment as good as possible is becoming greater every day. The large number of participants of this conference is the proof.

3.  One of the most important goals of Slovenian school reform is to achieve internationally comparable standards of knowledge. With the introduction of external examination in Slovenia in 1994 the process started.  The present conference which brought to Slovenia so many people involved in testing is the opportunity for us to share experience and learn.  Thank you for coming. We wish you a pleasant stay in our country and a lot of pleasure in creative work.