Speaking to the press after a two-day visit to Slovenia, he said that many "erased" non-Slovenians, people originally from the former Yugoslav republics who lost their residential and social rights after Slovenia gained independence in 1991, were still not exercising their rights and that those who were trying to regulate their status still had difficulty doing so.
After 20 years, it is time this issue is solved, said Hammarberg.
He visited Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia as part of his farewell visit to Southeast Europe, since his term is coming to an end.