The new Slovenian President Danilo Turk took over from his predecessor, Janez Drnovsek, on Sunday, a day after his country joined Europe's border-free Schengen zone and a week before it assumes the rotating presidency over the EU, DPA reported. A leader of the centre-left, Turk defeated the conservative Lojze Peterle in the November 11 election run-off, in what was seen as a defeat of the embattled Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Coming from a career in teaching economics and in diplomacy, Turk has scarce political experience - his work at the UN may however be appreciated during Slovenia's six-month presidency over the EU, which starts on January 1. The office of the president is mostly ceremonial in Slovenia. Turk is the third head of state since Slovenia broke away from the former Yugoslavia in 1990, after two-time president Milan Kucan and Drnovsek, who was elected in 2002. The small Alpine-Adriatic nation of 2 million reformed quickly, managing to join both EU and NATO in 2004. At the start of 2006 it also joined the European Economic and Monetary Union and, by joining the Schengen zone on Saturday, it became a fully integrated member of all elite European and Euro- Atlantic clubs.
