Meeting convergence criteria for euro zone entry and ensuring efficient phasing of EU funds are the top priorities that the government has set in its 2005 programme, PM Janez Jansa said on Wednesday. The document contains 203 objectives which will require the government to draft 230 pieces of legislation, he explained.
Other key objectives included in the comprehensive programme will be to counter the negative demographic trends, improve competitiveness, ensure equal competitive conditions in the telecoms market, liberalise the energy market and promote foreign direct investment.
To address the negative demographics, the government wants to take measures towards facilitating the coexistence of a career and family, promote parenthood and increase births. According to Jansa, increasing births is not a coincidental top objective: the ageing population and shrinking workforce is the most serious long-term structural problem for Slovenia.
Improving the tax and administrative environment will also feature prominently. Preparations for a comprehensive tax reform are already underway, while the strategic council for economic development, an advisory body, is examining long-term tax reform measures, according to Jansa.
Moreover, efforts will be made to make the electronic communications market more competitive, not only to meet European guidelines but also for the sake of consumers. The development of fixed-line broadband networks will also be accelerated.
The government will additionally tackle the energy market liberalisation, Jansa promised. The current practice that "having a few state-owned enterprises constitutes competition" will not be enough for this cabinet, he said.
A broad policy this year will be subdued public spending, centred around the "objective-directed budget". "Every budget item will have to have a clear purpose and objective, and these partial objectives will have to be synchronised with the overall programme," Jansa announced.
Efforts will furthermore be made to encourage foreign direct investment. However, there are no plans to privatise some major financial institutions such as the banks NLB and NKBM, and insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav.
The government will merely redesign the privatisation model this year. "I am convinced that we will get these models this year and privatise the said institution in the second half of the government term,", Jansa said.
The fulfillment of these objective will require the parliament to pass 150 acts or amendments to existing acts, 68 ratifications of international treaties and 12 national programmes. The government will, furthermore, have to adopt 228 regulations and 477 sublaws.
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