Slovenia News 6 March 2012
Editorial
Leaders of parliamentary parties agreed on Monday to include the golden fiscal rule into the Slovenian Constitution. "There is a goal to reach a balanced budget as soon as possible, definitely within this term," Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press after the meeting."All representatives of parliamentary parties confirmed today that they are ready to debate and also support enshrining the balanced budget rule in the Constitution. We also agreed to ratify the European fiscal compact as soon as possible," Janša said, labelling the meeting as productive.
Glamorous Slovenia, a three-episode documentary that presents stunning and mysterious Postojna Cave, picturesque Lake Bled and elegant ancient capital of Ljubljana to the Chinese audience premiered on Chinese national television documentary channel CCTV-9 on 27 February. It is Chinese Central Television’s first nonfiction program to zoom in on a European country. The series presents Slovenia through a Chinese perspective and offers insights into Slovenian civilization, CCTV's president Hu Zhanfan told the press conference at the documentary premiere in Beijing, which was attended by 40 representatives of the media and embassies. The documentary also pays tribute to the 20th anniversary of Slovenian-Chinese diplomatic relations.
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Kolektor to Develop Key Component for Renault's Electric Car |
Idrija - Slovenian industrial group Kolektor has signed a deal with French car maker Renault to develop and supply one of key components for Renault's next generation electric cars. Kolektor will start supplying sliding rings to Renault late this year, while the cars w... More » |
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| Janša: Rejection of Belarus Blacklist "Absolutely Accepted" |
| Brussels - Slovenia's rejection of an attempt to blacklist a single Belarus businessman as part of EU sanctions against the country's regime was "absolutely accepted", Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press on Friday after the EU summit in Brussels. Janša said Slovenia was not mention... More » |
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| Guillaume: Arbitration Tribunal to Meet in Near Future |
Ljubljana - The tribunal that will arbitrate on the border between Slovenia and Croatia will hold its maiden session "in the near future", the tribunal's president Gilbert Guillaume told an interview with the STA on Friday. The meeting with the two parties wi... More » |
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| Erjavec Receives Croatian Ambassador, Praises Bilateral Relations |
| Ljubljana - Foreign Minister received Croatian Ambassador Svjetlan Berković on Thursday to discuss further strengthening of relations between Slovenia and Croatia as well his upcoming visit to Zagreb, where he is scheduled to meet his Croatian counterpart Vesna Pušić. Erjavec highlighted Slovenia... More » |
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| EU Topics |
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| Slovenia Welcomes Serbia's EU Candidate Status |
| Ljubljana - The Foreign Ministry expressed satisfaction over the EU's decision to grant Serbia the status of a candidate country on Friday, stressing that this decision confirmed the European future for the country as well as open the path for accession negotiations.
The ministry believes that Serb... More » |
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| Janša: Crisis Stabilised, Slovenia Looking at "Tough Steps" |
| Brussels - Prime Minister Janež Janša said the euro crisis was stabilised for now, but certain countries are looking at "tough steps" ahead. "Unfortunately, Slovenia is among these countries," he said in a doorstep statement at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. According t... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| Janša Announces Balanced Budget Within This Govt Term |
| Ljubljana - Leaders of parliamentary parties agreed on Monday to include the golden fiscal rule into the Slovenian Constitution. "There is a goal to reach a balanced budget as soon as possible, definitely within this term," Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press after the meeting."... More » |
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| Janša: Slovenia Lagging Behind in Fiscal Consolidation |
| Brussels - Prime Minister Janez Janša said Friday that comparisons with other EU members in terms of austerity and economic reforms show that Slovenia is falling behind in dealing with the crisis. "Slovenia is lagging especially in terms of fiscal consolidation," the prime minister said a... More » |
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| Govt Determined to Reduce Budget Deficit to 3% of GDP |
| Ljubljana - The government adopted guidelines for an austerity budget for this year on Wednesday, capping the deficit at 3% of GDP or about one billion euros, which is substantially less than in recent years. Addressing reporters after the cabinet session, Finance Minister Janez Šušteršič said r... More » |
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| Business |
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| Minister Says Government to Financially Disburden Economy |
| Ljubljana, 1 March (STA) - The supplementary budget, one of the government's priorities, will include certain measures to financially disburden the economy, Economic Development and Technology Minister Radovan Žerjav said as he met representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and o... More » |
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| Agriculture |
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| World's Oldest Vine Pruned in Maribor |
| Maribor - The world's oldest vine was pruned as part of the annual tourist event in Maribor on Friday. The city vinedresser Stanislav Kocutar, assisted by Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler, applied traditional pruning methods to ensure that the 450-year-old Guinness World Record-holding vine gives a ... More » |
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| Türk Stresses Importance of Co-operatives in Economic Crisis |
| Ljubljanam- Co-operatives are important part of the answer to the question of how to exit the economic crisis, President Danilo Türk told Tuesday's ceremony to mark International Year of Co-operatives. He believes the main task of agriculture and co-operatives is boosting the level of food self-suf... More » |
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| Justice |
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| Conference to Bring Police Cooperation in SE Europe in Practice |
| Moravske Toplice - A two-day conference of police forces from SE Europe kicked off in Moravske Toplice on Tuesday. Slovenian Interior Minister Vinko Gorenak said in his address that such meetings were crucial for the realisation of measures in practice, while successful cooperation only came th... More » |
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| Social Affairs |
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| Labour Minister Presents Priorities, Times Pension Reform for 2013 |
| Ljubljana - Labour Minister Andrej Vizjak outlined on Thursday the priorities of his ministry, highlighting activities related to social legislation and the overhaul of the employment relationships act. He announced the pension reform should be ready next year. According to Vizjak, the first pr... More » |
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| Minorities |
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| Diaspora Minister Hopes Hungary Will Fulfil Obligations Towards Minority |
| Szentgotthard (STA) - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Ljudmila Novak stressed on Friday Slovenia would continue to encourage and fund the programmes of the Slovenian minority in Hungary, adding that she hoped Hungary will also fulfil its obligations towards the minority as per the reciprocal agreemen... More » |
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| Sport |
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| Biathlon Worlds: Slovenia Wins Silver in Mixed Relay |
| Ruhpolding - The Slovenian biathlon mixed relay team of Andreja Mali, Teja Gregorin, Klemen Bauer and Jakov Fak won silver at the Biathlon World Championship in Germany's Ruhpolding on Thursday in what is the first medal for Slovenia in relay at world championships. Slovenia crossed the finish line ... More » |
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| Tourism |
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| Documentary “Glamorous Slovenia” on Chinese National Television CCTV |
| Glamorous Slovenia, a three-episode documentary that presents stunning and mysterious Postojna Cave, picturesque Lake Bled and elegant ancient capital of Ljubljana to the Chinese audience premiered on Chinese national television documentary channel CCTV-9 on 27 February.
The first episode entitl... More » |
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| Events |
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| Schedule of events in the week for 6-11 March |
TUESDAY, 6 March
- LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance and Monetary Policy Committee will go over reports on Slovenia's aid to Ireland and Portugal and debate the approval of the sixth round of aid to Greece.
- LJUBLJANA - President Danilo Türk will decorate with the... More »
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Slovenia News 13 March 2012
Editorial
The government adopted on Thursday a proposal for amending the Constitution to introduce the golden fiscal rule stipulating that the national budget must be either balanced on in surplus. This is in line with the recent EU agreement on a fiscal pact and is expected to enter into force in 2015. This is in line with the fiscal pact, signed last Friday by all EU member states bar the UK and Czech Republic, which says that extraordinary circumstances are events out of the control of the state or a severe economic depression.
Jakov Fak of Slovenia won gold in the men's 20km event at the World Biathlon Championships on Tuesday, finishing ahead of Simon Fourcade of France and Jaroslav Sokoup of the Czech Republic. This is the first world championship or Olympic medal for the Croatian-born Fak since he joined the Slovenian team in 2011.
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| Domestic Policy |
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| Govt Adopts Constitutional Change to Introduce Golden Rule |
| Ljubljana - The government adopted on Thursday a proposal for amending the Constitution to introduce the golden fiscal rule stipulating that the national budget must be either balanced on in surplus. This is in line with the recent EU agreement on a fiscal pact and is expected to enter into force in... More » |
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Turk Meets With Italian Ambassador |
| Ljubljana - Education, Science, Culture and Sport Minister Žiga Turk met on Monday with Italian Ambassador Rosella Franchini Sherifis to discuss current political issues and the preparations for a ministerial meeting which should have taken place last autumn, but was postponed due to the government... More » |
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| Business Conference Promotes Hungarian-Slovenian Trade |
| Szentgotthard - Trade relations with Hungary have been improving over the past few years, bringing the trade up to some EUR 1.5bn per year, President Danilo Türk said at a Slovenian-Hungarian business conference, which he attended together with his Hungarian counterpart Pal Schmitt in Szentgotthard... More » |
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| Türk and Schmitt Provide Boost for Coop among Minorities |
| Lendava/Szentgotthard - Slovenian President Danilo Türk and his Hungarian counterpart Pal Schmitt visited on Thursday representatives of the Slovenian minority in Hungary and of the Hungarian minority in Slovenia in a bid to encourage their future cooperation and get acquainted with the situation a... More » |
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| Ambassador Thanks Slovenia for Help on Japan Quake Anniversary |
Ljubljana - Japanese Ambassador Toshimitsu Ishigure thanked Slovenia in an open letter published in the daily Delo on Friday for aid provided after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on 11 March 2011, claiming nearly 19,000 lives.
More » |
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| Foreign Minister Says EU Needs Common Strategy for Sanctions |
| Copenhagen - The EU needs a common strategy for implementing economic sanctions against third countries. But the sanctions may not affect just one member of the bloc, Foreign Minister Karel Erjavec stressed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Slovenia disagre... More » |
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| EU Topics |
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| Slovenia to Get Sufficient Cohesion Funds for Infrastructure |
| Ljubljana - Slovenia has caught up with other EU members in development in the last 20 years and will get lower cohesion funding in the EU's new financial perspective. But the funds should suffice for environmental and transport infrastructure, European Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn sai... More » |
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| Minister Says EU Commission, ECB Welcome New Fiscal Measures |
| Ljubljana - Finance Minister Janez Šušteršič presented to a delegation of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission on Thursday some of the financial measures adopted by the new government, assessing that they were accepted positively and with the acknowledgement that economic ... More » |
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| Govt Determined to Speed Up Drawing on EU Funds |
| Ljubljana - Slovenia has managed to draw only about EUR 1.2bn in EU funds from a total of EUR 4.8bn it is entitled to during 2007-2013 financial perspective, Economic Development Minister Radovan Žerjav told the press after the government discussed a report for the ongoing period Thursday and decid... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| National Assembly Endorses Changes to Greece Bailout Act |
| Ljubljana - The National Assembly unanimously passed on Friday amendments to the Greece bailout act changing the conditions for the loans that have been paid out to Greece. Finance Minister Janez Šušteršič underlined that this will reduce the danger of an even deeper crisis in the eurozone.
I... More » |
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| Business |
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| Minister Opens Home Fair, Highlights Value of Wood |
| Ljubljana - The advantages and value of wood, which Slovenia is rich in, have been neglected for too long and now is the time to build on that, Economy and Technological Development Ministry Radovan Žerjav said as he opened the international Home Fair of construction and interior design at the Ljub... More » |
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| Nine Firms Given Top Business Achievement Awards |
| Ljubljana - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) revealed on Tuesday the winners of its 2011 award for top business achievements. No less than nine Slovenian companies, ranging from steel production to IT, received the award at the ceremony also attended by President Danilo Türk.
The winne... More » |
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| Agriculture |
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| Tolminc Cheese Gets EU Special Status |
| Ljubljana - The Tolminc cheese has become the eleventh Slovenian food product to get special origin protection in the EU. Cheese production in the area around Tolmin has a very long tradition, the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday.
The smooth-rinded cheese, which was registered in t... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| Slovenian Minority Author Decorated by Carinthian Governor |
| Klagenfurt - Slovenian minority author in Austria Maja Haderlap has been decorated with the great golden medal of Carinthia. She was honoured by Governor Gerhard Dörfler for her novel "Engel des Vergessens" (Angel of Oblivion), an account of the resistance of ethnic Slovenian minority aga... More » |
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| Tourism |
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| Slovenia Pitching to Germany with Natural Spas, Green Diversity |
| Ljubljana - Slovenia is taking part in the ITB travel trade show which kicks off on Wednesday in Berlin, Germany. The Slovenian Tourism Board (STO) said it will be pitching Slovenia as an attractive green destination for active holidays, with an emphasis on its natural spas.
Within a thematic fra... More » |
Slovenia News 20 March 2012
Editorial
Winter season 2011/2012 will be written in Slovenian history as one of the most successful sports seasons of Slovenian Alpine and Nordic skiers: Alpine skier Tina Maze took the second place in the overall standings of the Alpine Ski World Cup for women, ski jumper Robert Kranjec became Ski-Flying World Champion, biathlete Jakov Fak won gold at the world championships and his team won silver, while freestyle skier Filip Flisar won the ski cross World Cup.
Two important donations were given to the Slovenian-run fund for demining and mine victims assistance, ITF Fund: a EUR 200,000 donation from Germany for the removal of unexploded cluster munitions in southern Lebanon, and a CHF 350,000 (approximately EUR 290,000) donation from Switzerland for demining in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Government Suspends ACTA Ratification |
| Ljubljana - The government tasked the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology to freeze the ratification of the ACTA trade agreement. According to chief government spokesman Anže Logar, the government will wait until a decision on the agreement is reached at the European level.
Logar str... More » |
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| International Organisations |
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| ITF Gets EUR 200,000 from Germany for Cluster Munition Removal |
| Ljubljana - The Slovenian-run fund for demining and mine victims assistance, ITF Enhancing Human Security, has received a EUR 200,000 donation from Germany for the removal of unexploded cluster munitions in southern Lebanon.
The donation supports the removal of cluster bomblets in the areas deter... More » |
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| ITF Fund Receives CHF 350,000 from Switzerland for Demining in BiH |
| Ljubljana - The Slovenian-run fund for demining and mine victims assistance, ITF Enhancing Human Security, has received a CHF 350,000 (around EUR 290,000) donation from Switzerland for demining in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The agreement on the donation was signed on Monday by Swiss Ambassador Robert Reich... More » |
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| Business |
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| Germany Company Carthago Successful in Odranci |
| Lendava - Company Carthago Odranci, a subsidiary of Germany motor homes maker Carthago, generated EUR 2.8m in profits on revenues of EUR 56m in 2011. Carthago CEO Karl-Heinz Schuler says the company plans to expand its production in Slovenia and employ 70 new workers.
Speaking at a press conferen... More » |
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| Company Pipistrel Building New Assembly Plant in Italy |
| Gorizia - Pipistrel, a maker of ultralight aircraft, laid the foundation stone on Saturday for a new assembly plant in Italy's Gorizia, its first production location abroad. The event near the Duca d'Aosta Airport was attended by Premier of Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia Renzo Tondo and several local... More » |
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| Photovoltaic Module Maker Bisol Ups Sales by 25% in 2011 |
| Prebold - Slovenian photovoltaic modules producer Bisol generated EUR 80m in net sales revenues in 2011, up 25% year-on-year, to post a EUR 11m profit.
According to Bisol spokesperson Katja Goršek , last year was full of challenges and 2012 will be as well. "However, we are planning to furt... More » |
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| Justice |
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| Police arrest suspects in Slovenia's biggest bank robbery |
| Ljubljana - Two men suspected of carrying out the biggest bank robbery in Slovenian history were arrested on Friday, more than six years after the bold heist.
The police told the press conference on Monday that one of the two suspects arrested in relation to the 2005 robbery of SKB bank... More » |
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| Education | Science & Technology |
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| Broadband Connections Exceed Half a Million in 2011 |
| Ljubljana - There were almost 504,000 broadband internet connections in Slovenia at the end of 2011, 87% of which were used by households, the Statistics Office said on Tuesday.
The household broadband penetration rate was 64.7%, according to the report on the development of the electronic commun... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| Lifetime Viktor Goes to Legendary TV Host Mito Trefalt |
| Ljubljana - Actor, TV host and sports journalist Mito Trefalt won the Viktor award for life-time achievements as Slovenia's biggest media industry awards were conferred in Ljubljana late on Saturday. The Kino Šiška urban culture centre meanwhile won the award for special achievements in 2011.
T... More » |
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| Slovenian Artist Rudi Španzel Makes the Portrait of Jean-Claude Trichet |
| Ljubljana - Slovenian artist Rudi Španzel achieved a great success: the former president of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet chose him for making his portrait among three hundred painters from Eurogroup member states.
Španzel made a few sketches and Trichet chose the composition s... More » |
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| Events |
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| Schedule of events in from 20 to 25 March: |
TUESDAY, 20 March
- VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec will pay a working visit to Austria to meet counterpart Michael Spindelegger.
- LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Constitution Commission will discuss the proposed change to the Consti... More »
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Slovenia News 27 March 2012
Editorial
The government presented its proposal for a supplementary budget and public sector austerity measures to the Economic and Social Council (ESS) on Thursday but would not give concrete figures yet. According to Finance Minister Janez Šuštaršič, a more detailed proposal will be presented in the coming days.
People from all across the country joined forces on Saturday in a nation-wide Clean Up Slovenia campaign. Among them was also President Danilo Türk as well as Prime Minister Janez Janša and several government ministers. According to the most recent figures, the campaign brought together at least 230,000 people or 12% of all Slovenians. The final figure is to be even higher, the current number is estimated to include some 85% of all participants.
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| FM Erjavec Confirms Relations with Austria Excellent |
| Vienna - Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec met his Austrian counterpart Michael Spindelegger in Vienna on Tuesday, confirming the excellent relations between the two countries. The pair focused on the status of the Slovenian minority in Austria and bilateral cooperation. "It is very impor... More » |
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| Defence & NATO |
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| Minister Announces Gradual Withdrawal from Afghanistan |
| Brussels - Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Friday, announced that Slovenia would gradually reduce the number of its troops in Afghanistan in the coming years in line with NATO's strategy. Erjavec pointed out that the situation in Afganistan w... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| Govt Presents Austerity Measures to Social Partners |
| Ljubljana - The government presented its proposal for a supplementary budget and public sector austerity measures to the Economic and Social Council (ESS) on Thursday but would not give concrete figures yet. According to Finance Minister Janez Šuštaršič, a more detailed proposal will be presente... More » |
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| PM Presents Cost-Cutting to Coalition MPs, Govt to Lead Way |
| Ljubljana - PM Janez Janša is meeting late on Wednesday the coalition deputies to present the guidelines for a 2012 supplementary budget and the related austerity measures. The coalition assesses that strict austerity measures and comprehensive cuts are needed, including cuts in certain social tran... More » |
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| EC Reps Examine Slovenia's Macroeconomic Imbalances |
| Ljubljana - European Commission (EC) representatives visited Slovenia on Tuesday as part of an in-depth analysis of Slovenia's economy, the Finance Ministry said in a press release. The visit comes after a February EC report found Slovenia and eleven other EU members potentially facing risks of macr... More » |
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| Business |
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| Vivo, Microsoft, Adria Mobil Named Best Employers |
| Ljubljana - The daily Dnevnik has named catering company Vivo, software company Microsoft Slovenija and caravan maker Adria Mobil the best employers in Slovenia among small, medium-sized and large companies, respectively.
The award ceremony on Thursday was addressed by President Danilo Türk, who... More » |
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| JAPTI Taking Business Reps to High-Tech Conference in China |
| Ljubljana - The Public Agency for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments (JAPTI) is taking a delegation of Slovenian business representatives to a high-tech business conference in Beijing on Friday. The business visit is aimed at boosting the recognisability of Slovenian innovations and transfer o... More » |
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| Environment |
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| Slovenians Joined Forces to Clean Up the Country in One Day |
| Ljubljana - People from all across the country joined forces on Saturday in a nation-wide Clean Up Slovenia campaign. Among them was also President Danilo Türk as well as Prime Minister Janez Janša and several government ministers. According to the most recent figures, the campaign brought togethe... More » |
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| Foreign Ministry Says Slovenia Active on Water Issues |
| Ljubljana - Slovenia's Foreign Ministry highlighted Slovenia's efforts in water-related issues, as UN World Water Day is observed on Thursday. Slovenia is one of the leading countries when it comes to supporting and promoting UN's resolutions on the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitat... More » |
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| Environment Minister, EU Commissioner Discuss Northern Adriatic |
| Brussels - Agriculture and Environment Minister Franc Bogovič said it was time that Croatia, Italy and Slovenia drafted a comprehensive strategy for the Northern Adriatic, as he met EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik to discuss gas terminals in the Gulf of Trieste on Tuesday.
Bogovič s... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| Exhibition "Slovenian Artists in Trieste" in Cankarjev dom |
| Ljubljana - An exhibition entitled "Open Horizons: Slovenian Artists in Trieste, 1945-1960" opened on Monday evening in Cankarjev dom. The exhibition features about 120 works by Slovenian painters who lived and worked in the Italian city of Trieste, just across the Slovenian border, in the... More » |
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| 14th Festival of Documentary Film |
| Ljubljana - The 14th Festival of Documentary Film is set to get underway in Ljubljana on Thursday with a screening "Man, Bloodbrother of Death" by Maja Weiss, a sequel to the film "Boy, Bloodbrother of Death" filmed on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
Running un... More » |
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| Society |
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| Guest Star Awards Conferred on Four Expats |
| Maribor - The Spanish ambassador, a German executive, a Madagascar-born artist and a Canadian ice-hockey player were voted the most notable expatriates in their respective categories as The Slovenia Times newspaper and Radio Slovenia International gave out the annual Guest Star awards in Maribor on ... More » |
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| Sport |
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| Slovenian Climbers Bag Golden Piton Award |
| Courmayeur - Slovenian climbers Luka Stražar and Nejc Marčič have been honoured with the Golden Piton award for top achievements in climbing last year for pioneering the Dreamers of the Golden Caves route as part of the climb on K7. The Slovenian duo were one of two teams selected for the Alpine ... More » |
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| Zavec Wins WBO Intercontinental Welter Title |
| Maribor - Slovenian boxer Dejan Zavec defeated Namibia's Bethuel Uushona in Maribor on Saturday to take the WBO intercontinental welterweight title, returning to winning ways in his first fight after losing the IBF world welterweight title last September. Zavec (32 wins, 18 KOs, 2 losses) defeated U... More » |
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| Events |
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| Schedule of events in the week for 26 March-1 April |
TUESDAY, 27 March
- ROME, Italy - Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec will meet his Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi as part of his working visit to Italy.
- MARIBOR - Slovenia's second largest bank NKBM will hold a press conference to present audited business results for 201... More »
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Archive
Ljubljana - Jure Eržen, a photographer of the daily Delo, won the best photo prize, while Matic Zorman was awarded for t... More »
Ruhpolding - Jakov Fak of Slovenia won gold in the men's 20km event at the World Biathlon Championships on Tuesday, fin... More »
Ljubljana - A number of events took place around the country to mark International Women's Day on Thursday, including ... More »