Slovenia News - May 2005

Slovenia News 31 May 2005

Slovenia's history was back in the spotlight last week as police brought genocide charges against Mitja Ribicic, a former high ranking Slovenian communist official, who is suspected of taking part in summary killings of alleged Nazi collaborators at the end of WWII. The police official leading the investigation denied that the charges had anything to do with a change in government, adding that the task force he leads had been working hard throughout to investigate cases of summary killings. "Europe must take the message of the French referendum on the constitution seriously, yet this is no reason for a general uncertainty on the European political or business scene." This is how Slovenian PM Janez Jansa reacted to the French 'no' to the European constitution on Sunday evening. Police filed genocide charges against a former high ranking Slovenian communist official who is suspected of playing a role in the summary killings of alleged Nazi collaborators at the end of the Second World War. More » Educational systems in the EU must answer the needs of the European economy and be adequately responsive. They cannot, however, depend solely on those needs, said Education Minister Milan Zver on the margins of the session of the EU Council for Education, Youth and Culture on Tuesday. More » Slovenia needs to reform its tax system in order to provide fresh impetus for development, participants of Wednesday's panel on strengthening Slovenia's competitiveness in the EU underscored. More » A leading official on the public administration has underscored the need to make the public administration both user-friendly and efficient. More » Europe must take the message of the French referendum on the constitution seriously, yet this is no reason for a general uncertainty on the European political or business scene. This is how Slovenian PM Janez Jansa reacted to the French 'no' to the European constitution on Sunday evening. More » Slovenian exports of goods and services to Austria amounted to EUR 930m last year, while imports stood at EUR 1.6bn. An official of the Chamber of Commerce (GZS) presented the figures at Monday's debate on business partnership between Slovenia and Austria in Celje. More » With 57% backing in May, the Janez Jansa government's approval rating remains high, a survey shows. Nevertheless, the support for the government was by 1% stronger in April. The Jansa-led Slovenian Democrats (SDS) enjoy the highest support among the parties with 34%, the results of the Politbarometer opinion poll show on Monday. More » A range of modern technologies and services were featured at the Hevreka fair, which opened at the Ljubljana fair grounds on Wednesday. The event combined three so far separate IT and telecommunications fairs. More » The five-day spring meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly culminated today with a plenary session. Prime Minister Janez Jansa has highlighted the role of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at a meeting of legislators and public-opinion makers for the alliance's mission. More » Schedule of Events More »

Slovenia News 24 May 2005

The Slovenian Democrats of Prime Minister Janez Jansa and the junior coalition Pensioners' Party held congresses last week to decide on party leadership and programmes. Jansa was reelected president for a fifth consecutive term, while Karl Erjavec became the new leader of DeSUS. The parliament held regular May session, while Health Minister Andrej Brucan unveiled the long-awaited changes to the health care act. He promised that the poorest parts of the population will be given full health insurance for free. The changes would also see an offset scheme introduce for supplementary health insurance companies and lower sickness benefits for long-term absence from work. Health Minister Andrej Brucan has unveiled the long-awaited changes to the health care act that would see the poorest parts of the population given full health insurance for free. The changes would also see an offset scheme introduced for supplementary health insurance companies and lower sickness benefits for long-term absence from work. More » Members of the first democratically elected Slovenian government met on Sunday at Brdo near Kranj to mark the government's 15th anniversary. The idea for the meeting was given by the first PM Alojz Peterle, now a MEP. More » The government has endorsed an amended bill on local self-government, which according to State Secretary Franci Rokavec sets forth new regulations for the establishment of municipalities or change in their territory. More » The government took a decision Thursday to donate funds of SIT 4.8m (EUR 20,000) for boosting the stability and development in Kyrgyzstan. More » The government has accepted the offer for the purchase of the 3.36% stake in the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) that it does not own already. The owner himself offered to sell, and the government agreed after negotiations to purchase it, government spokesman Jernej Pavlin told the press on Thursday. More » A body advising the government on economic matters has made an official recommendation that Slovenia adopt a flat tax rate of 20%. More » Dravske elektrarne Maribor, the manager of hydro plants on the Drava river, on Friday celebrated the end of comprehensive upgrade works which increased the capacity of 6 overhauled plants by a quarter. More » The Economics Ministry will allocate SIT 900m (EUR 3.7m) for the promotion of foreign direct investment this year, as well as SIT 1.05bn (EUR 4.4m) for the promotion of competitiveness and SIT 150 (EUR 0.6m) for technological parks, a senior ministry official told the press on Thursday. More » The Koper-based logistics group Intereuropa opened a new logistics centre near Split on the Croatian coast on Thursday in an investment worth of 7.3 million euros. More » The goal of the general manager of Sandoz in Russia, Metod Dragonja, is to take this generics group from third to first place in terms of sales on markets of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Dragonja's successor at Ljubljana's Lek, which is part of Sandoz, said. More » The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Slovenian leading bank Nova Ljubljanska banka (NLB) signed an agreement on Saturday on joint capital investments in the countries of Southeastern Europe. More » Janez Jansa was unanimously elected president of the ruling Slovenian Democrats (SDS) for a fifth consecutive term. More » Minister of Local Government and Regional Policy Ivan Zagar said Friday that Slovenia was in favour of the guidelines proposed by the European Commission for the EU cohesion policy in the next financial period. More » Audiences in Ljubljana will be able to see a total of 62 concerts, opera, ballet and other performances as the Ljubljana Summer Festival takes place between 4 July and 18 August. More » The opening of an exhibition of situlas, ancient metal or pottery vessels from Slovenia, marked International Museum Day. The festival, hosted by the Slovenian National Museum and Ljubljana Castle, opened on Thursday evening. More » Slovenia's secondary school graduates broke another world record in quadrille dancing on Friday, as 18,268 filled the streets of 21 towns all around the country. More » Slovenians are overall more satisfied with life than is the average for new EU member states. This is according to a survey carried out by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. More » The 425th anniversary of the world renowned Lipica stud farm was marked with a lavish ceremony, celebrating the Lipizzaner horse as an symbol and integral part of the Slovenian national identity. More » Schedule of Events More »

Slovenia News 17 May 2005

Although economic topics grabbed the headlines this week, notably the adoption by the government of the 2005 supplementary budget, the political scene was by no means dull. Debates thus continued over the proposed bill on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, while speakers at many ceremonies marking the anniversary of the end of WWII voiced appeals for reconciliation and the removal of the post-war events from the daily political agenda. The controversial bill on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija continued last week, pegging opponents of the bill against those who decry the institution as biased and politically motivated. More » The Council of Europe (CoE) must tap into the rich expertise, synergies and resources of Europe in facing modern-day challenges, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said as he addressed the CoE summit in Warsaw on Monday. More » The incoming British Ambassador Tim Simmons on Monday handed over his credentials to President Janez Drnovsek, highlighting that the British stint as the EU president in the second half of this year would provide further opportunities to boost the already good relations between the two countries. More » The government visited the northeastern region of Podravje last week as part of its tour of Slovenian regions. More » The government adopted Thursday the amendments to the act on local elections which allow EU citizens to run at the local elections and introduce women quota. More » The government has adopted a supplementary budget bill for 2005 which sets the budget deficit at SIT 91.9bn (EUR 383.49m) or 1.4% of GDP. The original 2005 budget, passed by parliament in December 2003, anticipated budget deficit of SIT 112bn (EUR 467.37m) or 1.7% of GDP. More » The government adopted on Thursday a spring report of the Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD), which forecasts the country's inflation to stand at 2.5% and economic growth at 3.8% this year. More » Every citizen should know the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy, since their implementation will determine the sustainable development of the EU and Slovenia, as well as the fate of the EU, stressed participants of Wednesday's debate on the Lisbon Strategy. More » The group associated around the home appliance manufacturer Gorenje increased operating net revenue by 13% to SIT 53.8bn (EUR 224.5m) in the first quarter, compared with a year before, while net profit went up by 4% to SIT 903m (EUR 3.77m). Gorenje chairman Franjo Bobinac assessed these results as good on Thursday. More » The ruling Slovenian Democrats (SDS) updated their programme at the electoral congress on Saturday, emphasising core values such as freedom, human dignity, justice, solidarity and patriotism, as well as rapid economic reforms in the general framework of sustainable development. More » Countries in SE Europe have made considerable progress in fighting corruption, but should further intensify their efforts. In doing so, they can count on help of the Group of State Against Corruption (GRECO), GRECO president Drago Kos has stressed. More » Happy with a surge in visitor numbers that may be largely attributed to the arrival of budget carriers in Slovenia, the Ljubljana tourism authorities have entered negotiations on opening new low-fare flights that would link Ljubljana with Barcelona, Rome and Malmoe, in Sweden. More » Karmina Silec, a leading Slovenian chorus conductor, and her girls' choir Carmina Slovenica will make guest appearances in Prague and Dresden later this week. More » Some 300 writers are expected to turn up at the lakeside resort of Bled in mid-June for the 71st world congress of International PEN, the worldwide literary and human rights association founded in England in 1921. More » The biggest boat show in Slovenia came to an end on Sunday after drawing nearly 40,000 visitors since Tuesday. More » Most shops will have to close on Sundays as of 2006 under a ruling of the Constitutional Court published on Friday. The court decided that Article 17 of the trade act, which restricts opening hours, is not in violation of the constitution. More » The 12th international advertising festival "Golden Drum" will be taking place between 2 and 7 October in Portoroz. The slogan of this year's festival, organised by the Slovenian Advertising Chamber, is "New Vision". More » Schedule of Events More »

Slovenia News 10 May 2005

Slovenia is celebrating the 60th anniversary of liberation from the Nazi occupation this month. At least 90,000 people are believed to have perished on the Slovenian territory during the four-year war and its aftermath. A public debate on Slovenia's first year in the EU and on ways of bringing the EU closer to its citizens was also held in Ljubljana on Monday, as part of events marking Europe Day. Sixty years ago, to the day, the first post-WWII Slovenian government was formed in the town of Ajdovscina, south-west. More » Slovenia is celebrating the 60th anniversary of liberation from the Nazi occupation this month. At least 90,000 people are believed to have perished on the Slovenian territory during the four-year war and its aftermath. More » President Janez Drnovsek has decorated George Voinovich, a US senator of Slovenian-Serbian descent, for his merits in Slovenia's international affirmation and in the promotion of friendship between Slovenia and the United States. More » Transport Minister Janez Bozic held a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Hubert Gorbach on Tuesday, discussing ways to boost cooperation between Austrian companies and the only Slovenian commercial port. More » An e-registry of births, deaths and marriages was brought online on Monday, which Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant said would make public administration more efficient. More » New EU member states set an example for the older and richer EU members at implementing environmental protection legislation, established World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a report published a year after the last round of EU enlargement. More » A library containing 11 million documents from nine European national libraries has been launched online at www.theeuropeanlibrary.org, with Slovenia one of the countries that took part in the project launch. More » Slovenia will have to wait another year to be included in the Brussels Mini Europe, where EU states are represented with miniature replicas of their greatest monuments. According to plans, Ljubljana Triple Bridge, representing Slovenia, will be put up in 2006. More » Representatives of 17 members of the EU, among them Slovenia, have come to a conclusion that an agreement on the Union's financial arrangements for the 2007-2013 period must be reached in June, i.e. still under the Luxembourg presidency. More » The European Investment Bank (EIB) anticipates the level of its lending in the new EU member states to increase. The reason is that development needs in these countries are much higher than in the EU15, which has benefited from almost 90% of all EIB lending in the EU25, Wolfgang Roth, EIB vice-president, explained in an interview with STA. More » A public debate on Slovenia's first year in the EU and on ways of bringing the EU closer to its citizens was held in Ljubljana on Monday, as part of events marking Europe Day. More » The International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) has received a donation of US$ 4.64m for 2005, the Slovenian-run ITF said in a press release on Tuesday. More » The EU has given Slovenia EUR 2.49m for two projects in the framework of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN). A total of nine projects were awarded EUR 14.8m. More » Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti highlighted the close cultural ties binding Slovenia and the Czech Republic throughout history as he opened the 11th international book fair in Prague on Thursday. Slovenia is in the spotlight of the event this year. More » One of the most inventive theatre and film directors of our time, Canadian Robert Lepage opened the 11th annual Exodos festival of performing arts in Ljubljana on Thursday with "The Busker's Opera", a show adapted from "The Beggar's Opera" by John Gay. More » The fourth Spring Festival began in Ljubljana, with central events taking place in Tivoli Park. According to the organisers, this is "the only open-air international festival of electronic music and visual arts". More » Ljubljana organised a number of events to mark 9 May, the 60th anniversary of the victory over Fascism and Nazism. On the same day, the Slovenian capital celebrates Peace Day to remember the liberation of the city. More » Slovenia is one of the most popular destinations among Italian tourists, a survey of an Italian tourism and transport market research agency has shown. More » Calendar of Events More »

Slovenia News 3 May 2005

Life slowed to a holiday pace last week as Slovenia celebrated Resistance Day on Wednesday and got ready to mark the May Day holiday weekend and one year since Slovenia joined the European Union. Topping the headlines was the desecration of a WWII memorial near the town of Nova Gorica by unknown vandals. The act prompted wide condemnation from Slovenian officials as well as politicians from the nearby Italian province of Gorizia. Unknown perpetrators desecrated a monument to the WWII victims near Nova Gorica, by the Italian border, as Slovenia was celebrating Resistance Day on Wednesday. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa highlighted in his speech at Wednesday's national ceremony marking Resistance Day that a number of crimes were committed in the second half of WWII by both the communist movement and the anti-communist side. More » Slovenian and Iraqi ambassadors to the UN, Roman Kirn and Samir Sumaidaie, signed an agreement on Friday at UN headquarters in New York establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. More » The government on Thursday rejected as unsubstantiated the request of mobile operator Vega that the authorities create a normal competitive environment in telecommunications. Vega had said it would sue the state for EUR 337m if nothing is done to improve the market situation. More » The government has confirmed amendments to the act on public sector wages that were finalised by the social partners on Monday. The amendments crack down on excessive wage packages of directors, make all wages public and introduce sanctions for unlawful payments. More » Slovenia's position in the exchange rate mechanism ERM II is stable, and so it is highly probable that despite unpredictable oil prices Slovenia will introduce the euro at the outset of 2007, the central bank governor believes. More » Celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the study of the Slovenian language in Nottingham took place at the University of Nottingham. The events were organised by the Department of Slovenian Studies at the university and the Slovenian Embassy in London. More » A safety test of road tunnels has found that two new Slovenian tunnels are among the safest in Europe. More » A total of 83 Slovenians were recruited by the European Commission during the first year of Slovenia's membership in the EU, suggest the figures released by the Commission on Wednesday. More » First of May marks one year since Slovenia joined the European Union. It is too early to draw a line and sum up the advantages and disadvantages, but the overall estimate is that Slovenia positioned itself well in the European family of nations, and that the benefits far outweigh the shortcomings. It seems, however, that EU membership has not yet translated into changes in everyday life for the people. More » A cruise ship carrying over 620 passengers docked in Koper on Thursday as plans to make the city a cruise ship destinations start to take shape. This is also the first step towards the construction of a passenger terminal. More » The gallery of the concentration camp in Dachau is hosting an exhibition of Slovenian painter and graphic artist Anton Zoran Music (1909) under the title "Painter Music and Dachau" between 26 April and 28 August. More » The seaside resort of Portoroz is hosting the first Festival of European Film. The festival will try to establish itself as a forum for high-quality European films which are usually not shown on general release in Slovenia. More » A leading US non-governmental organisation has ranked Slovenia's media as free, although it found some shortcomings, including self-censorship owing to political pressure. More » After countless bonfires were lit on Saturday, May Day celebrations continued across the country on Sunday, with many festivities also marking the first anniversary of EU entry. More » Historian and musicologist Primoz Kuret is one of the recipients of the prestigious Herder Prize, awarded each year for the promotion of cultural ties in Eastern and Southeast Europe. More » Schedule of Events More »

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