Slovenia News (21 December 2004)

At the EU summit in Brussels Slovenia has expressed backing for the launch of EU membership negotiations with Croatia and also the launch of EU accession talks with Turkey under the set conditions. Slovenia's economic growth this year will probably somewhat exceed 4 percent, yet it will be below the 4.5 percent reached in the first three quarters of the year. The work of the new government reached full pace this week as the cabinet took important decisions, including that to streamline the public administration. The advent period is also associated with the placing of creches around houses, churches and sometimes even in public places. The first documented creche in Slovenia was created by the Jesuits in Ljubljana in 1644, although it was not preserved to this day. The Jesuit creche was obviously not the first artistic representation of a Christmas event in our region. The oldest scene of the birth of the Lord in Slovenia is recorded on a document dating back to 1242, in fact bearing the seal of the Benedictine monastery at Gornji Grad in Savinjska dolina, explains Janko Svetina, an expert on creche tradition and creche enthusiast. More » The government has reorganised public administration bodies in a bid to rationalize the work of ministries and avoid the doubling of tasks. The cabinet has also decided to remove from the agenda some bills already in parliamentary procedure, among others the systemic bill on the erased, the local self-government bill and changes to the constitution concerning referendums. More » Ivan Zagar was appointed minister without portfolio in charge of regional development and local self-government in a 50-to-11 vote in parliament. The 16th minister of the Janez Jansa cabinet has already been sworn in. More » Slovenia has expressed backing for the launch of EU membership negotiations with Croatia and also the launch of EU accession talks with Turkey under the set conditions, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said at the conclusion of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel on Wednesday briefed the parliamentary foreign policy committee on Slovenia's preparations for the 2005 OSCE presidency. The committee pointed out that the OSCE presidency was a national project that must be carried out in collaboration with the National Assembly. More » The transport ministers from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Hungary on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in establishing the fifth pan-European transport route. More » The office for Slovenians living abroad, which used to be under the domain of the Foreign Ministry, has become an independent government service whose job it is to follow the work of other state bodies that cover the relations with Slovenians abroad, the issue being now a direct responsibility of PM Janez Jansa. More » "Slovenia's economic growth this year will probably somewhat exceed 4 percent, yet it will be below the 4.5 percent reached in the first three quarters of the year," the director of the national macroeconomic institute told the press on Monday. More » Mercator is the biggest business group in Slovenia with its SIT 331.5bn (EUR 1.4bn) of consolidated revenues and SIT 5.9bn (EUR 24.6m) of net profit in 2003. The group also anticipates a 12 percent increase in revenues to SIT 40bn (EUR 166.8m) in 2004. Its net profit in the same year is expected to reach around SIT 6bn (EUR 25m). More » The government appointed Marcel Koprol as the head of the Government Office for European Affairs on Tuesday. Koprol, who has so far served as consul general in Cleveland, was already appointed state secretary in the office of prime minister by the government last week. More » Slovenian MEPs backed the adoption of the EU budget for 2005 on Thursday, but stressed that Slovenia would have to pay great attention to drawing EU funds so as not to become a net contributor to the European budget as early as next year. More » Artist Matej Andraz Vogrincic, known for his dressing of houses and other site-specific projects, has been setting up an "Enchanted Forrest" in a park in the centre of Ljubljana. His latest installation, consisting of 1,000 potted fir trees, opened in Zvezda Park on Sunday afternoon. More » Three Christian churches have held a special joint service in Ljubljana to welcome the Peace Light from Bethlehem to Slovenia. More »

Archive

year month 2009 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2008 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2007 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2006 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2005 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2004 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12

© Government Communication Office

To receive our weekly newsletter by e-mail subscribe here.