Slovakia
The Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic went their separate ways after 1 January 1993, an event sometimes called the Velvet Divorce. Slovakia has remained a close partner with the Czech Republic. Both countries co-operate with Hungary and Poland in the Visegrád Group. Slovakia became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004 and of the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 1 January 2009, Slovakia adopted the Euro as its national currency.
Miljenko Licul
One of his most prominent career highlights was in 1991, when he won the contest for designing new Slovenian currency, the tolar. The banknotes, which were in circulation from October 1991 until the end of 2006, featured portraits of prominent Slovenian personalities, the work of painter Rudi Španzel. When Slovenia adopted the euro as the national currency, Licul designed the national side of Slovenian euro coins, together with Maja Licul and Janez Boljka. Licul and Boljka designed tolar coins together, as well.