Slovenia News - February 2006

Slovenia News 28 February 2006

Pope Benedict XVI announced during a general audience on Wednesday, 22 Feb, that Slovenian Archbishop Franc Rode will be one of the 15 dignitaries to be made cardinal at a consistory on 24 March. Last week also saw Slovenian soldiers leaving for Iraq, and the recent bird flu scare calming down despite a second case of deadly H5N1 virus confirmed in a wild bird. President Janez Drnovsek proposes in a public letter to Defence Minister Karel Erjavec that members of the Slovenian Armed Forces should take part in planning new peace operations, instead of participating in a military parade. More » The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said it was unable to comment the new Italian citizenship legislation because it was not yet signed into a law. The amendments passed earlier this month by Italian parliament enable Slovenians and Croatians whose ancestors were Italian citizens or belonged to the Italian minority in Slovenia or Croatia, to ask for dual citizenship. More » French PM Dominique de Villepin stressed France's diplomatic engagement in resolving the humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, as he responded to the recent initiative by Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek. More » The government approved on Thursday the signing of the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings, a document which complements the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. More » The parliamentary committee for local government and regional policy endorsed the government's decision to divide Slovenia to two regions for the purposes of EU cohesion funds, as it met in Ljubljana on Tuesday. More » The parliamentary finance and monetary policy committee unanimously passed the government-sponsored amendments to the bill on succession and the high representative for succession as it met in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk has said that Slovenia's leap from 45th to 38th of 157 countries on the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom is very encouraging for the country. His comments came after Tuesday's meeting with Marc Miles, an editor of the survey. More » A survey published on Saturday by the daily Delo shows that bird flu has not caused any major alarm among Slovenians. The people moreover trust anti-bird flu measures, and believe to be relatively well informed about bird flu developments. More » The National Centre for Disease Control expanded on Wednesday a three-kilometre quarantine zone near Maribor, linking the quarantine zones of Maribor and the nearby village of Spodnji Duplek. More » Poultry breeder Perutnina Ptuj expects the state and the EU to act in a determined manner regarding bird flu, chairman Roman Glaser told Agriculture Minister Marija Lukacic on Wednesday. More » A working group composed of vets and food-processing industry representatives must make a risk analysis of poultry vaccination against bird flu by next week, the head of the group Milan Pogacnik of the Veterinary Faculty said on Monday. More » "I hope Slovenia will be a good example of Europe's big ambitions," said the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso as he summed up his expectations about Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008 and in general. More » European Parliament President Josep Borrell met President Janez Drnovsek, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk and members of the parliamentary committees for EU affairs and foreign policy on the final day of his two-day visit to Slovenia on Tuesday. More » Slovenian Environment Minister Janez Podobnik has assured his counterparts from the two federations of Bosnia-Herzegovina that his ministry stands ready to assist the former Yugoslav republic in its bid to join the EU. More » Officials from Slovenia, Germany and Portugal, the countries scheduled to chair the EU in 2007 and the first half of 2008, met in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss cooperation on the procedural level, Katja Rejec Longar of the Government Office for European Affairs has said. More » Slovenia would like to see the tripartite talks between the European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council on the 2007-2013 EU budget result in a speedy finalisation of the document, a Slovenian official has said. More » Flag carrier Adria Airway has announced it would add three new routes - Rome, Barcelona and Tirana - to its scheduled flights at the end of March. That way Adria expects to profit from the increasing interest of Spanish and Italian tourists for Slovenia, and cater to business travellers on the Tirana route. More » Mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink received the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art in Vienna on Tuesday. The singer, who was born in Buenos Aires of Slovenian parents, was presented with the award by Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. More » Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti and his Hungarian counterpart Andras Bozoki met in Budapest to sign an agreement regarding cooperation in education, science and culture for the 2006-2008 period, the Slovenian Culture Ministry said Friday. More » Pope Benedict XVI announced during a general audience that Slovenian Archbishop Franc Rode will be one of the 15 dignitaries to be made cardinal at a consistory on 24 March. Rode headed the Slovenian Roman Catholic Church for seven years as archbishop of Ljubljana and Slovenian metropolitan before he was summoned to the Vatican in the spring of 2004 to become prefect of the congregation for religious orders. More » Some 55,000 visitors gathered in Ptuj (NE) on Sunday to watch the central carnival procession at Slovenia's largest Shrovetide festival. More » Schedule of Events from 28 February to 5 March More »

Slovenia News (21 February 2006)

The appearance of the avian influenza in Slovenia caused severe measures. But the Ministry of Health and the Institute of Public Health emphasised that the discovery of the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus strain in wild birds in Slovenia poses no danger to the health of Slovenian citizens. At press conference, the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Growth presented its draft programme of work for 2006. The top priorities of the Office for Development in 2006 are tasks related to the coordination of government ministries and offices in the implementation of the reforms aimed at increasing employment, competitiveness and welfare in Slovenia. More » The Prime Minister Janez Janša briefly presented the government's comprehensive programme of work for 2006, which the government has been implementing, and which is harmonised with its medium-term objectives for the current term of office. More » The Photography of the Year competition is an annual Slovenian photography project organised by Emzin, Cultural Magazine. The fact that the 2006 event was the twelfth in a row shows that this award has become a prestigious recognition of Slovenian achievements in photography. More » Between 23 January and 18 February the third Fabula International Story Festival took place in Ljubljana, Maribor, Postojna, Izola and Koper. In three weeks the festival hosted ten world-famous writers, who presented their work at more than twenty literary events. More » On 16 February 2006 at 11.16 hrs, the Veterinary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia received from the National Veterinary Institute of the Veterinary Faculty the results of further tests conducted in the Community Reference Laboratory Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (The Tri-Veneto Region Experimental Animal Health Care Institute) in Padua, Italy, on the samples taken from the swan which the National Veterinary Institute discovered to be carrying the H5 Avian Influenza virus strain on Saturday, 11 February 2006. The sample was sent to Padua on Monday 13 February 2006. More » The European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules on local border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States, which was passed on Tuesday, in fact re-defines the rules. More »

Slovenia News 14 February 2006

Slovenia's veterinary agency has said it would extend measures to guard against the outbreak of bird flu to the whole country. A day after news broke that a dead swan was found near the city of Maribor had the H5 strain of the avian flu, the Veterinary Administration said it was drawing up a decree to declare the whole country a "risk zone". President Janez Drnovsek sent on Monday an upgraded peace agreement to the warring sides in the western Sudanese region of Darfur since peace talks between the warring sides in the Sudanese region of Darfur, scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday in Slovenia, have been postponed indefinitely. The violent reactions of Muslims over cartoons of prophet Mohammad could intensify and everything must be done to calm the protesters, including apologies by Western politicians, President Janez Drnovsek said on Thursday. More » The Government Office for Development, whose task is to coordinate the implementation of economic and social reforms, will take part in drafting 67 measures from the adopted reforms package, Development Minister Joze P. Damijan said on Monday. More » In response to the controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed recently published by several European newspapers, including Slovenian, the Meshihat of the Islamic community in Slovenia has condemned the misrepresentation of the prophet. More » President Janez Drnovsek met European Enlargement Commissioner Oli Rehn in Ljubljana on Friday. Earlier in the day, Rehn also talked with the members of the parliamentary EU affairs committee. More » Peace talks between the warring sides in the Sudanese region of Darfur, scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday in Slovenia, have been postponed indefinitely. More » The government adopted on Thursday amendments to the act on parenthood care and family income, which expands the right to shorter working hours to self-employed parents, Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Drobnic told the press after the session. More » The parliament voted down an opposition motion to call on the government to reverse its decision to send four military instructors to Iraq. More » In 2005 the European Investment Bank (EIB) gave Slovenia EUR 282m worth of loans under favourable terms, which is 0.7% of all last year's loans to the EU member states, according to a report the EIB released in Brussels on Thursday. More » The February report of the international rating firm Dun&Bradstreet (D&B) keeps the country firmly at the top in Eastern Europe alongside Slovakia. Both have a DB2c rating, whereby Slovenia's trend is still pointing upwards. More » The measures taken by relevant institutions in the wake of the confirmed case of bird flu in Slovenia were timely, adequate and harmonised with the EU. However, the system of informing the public did not function well enough, PM Janez Jansa said on Monday. More » Slovenia's veterinary agency has said it would extend measures to guard against the outbreak of bird flu to the whole country. More » The management of Slovenia's largest poultry producer Perutnina Ptuj believes that Slovenians are well informed about measures against bird flu and will not alter their eating habits due to the discovery of bird flu in the country. More » The Institute of Public Health has said that the discovery of a swan infected with the H5 strain of bird flu virus has not increased the risk of infection among people. More » Around a third of Slovenians believe globalisation means companies are moving their production to countries with cheaper labour, according to the results of the autumn Eurobarometer survey. More » A 49-strong Armed Forces unit is scheduled to head for Afghanistan in what is the country's largest contingent to take part in the ISAF peacekeeping mission so far, the Defence Ministry said. More » Parliament has passed the act on state guarantees for over one billion euros in loans that the Motorway Company (DARS) can take out, clearing the last legislative hurdle for the record loans. More » Essayist and writer Milan Dekleva and film director Karpo Godina received the Preseren Awards, the highest national awards for outstanding achievement in arts and culture, at a ceremony held Tuesday, on the eve of Culture Day. More » While the English original has been available for some 7 months, Slovenian fans of Harry Potter can now also enjoy the book in their language. More » Biathlete Tadeja Brankovic was carrying Slovenia's flag at Friday's opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin. More » Police are technically prepared for entry into the Schengen zone. The only open issue is the Schengen Information System, which however depends on the readiness of the EU, Andrej Rupnik of the General Police Directorate told the press on Monday. More » Schedule of Events from 14 to 19 February More »

Slovenia News 7 February 2006

President Janez Drnovsek was grabbing all the headlines last week. First he shocked the public by announcing on Monday that he was quitting the opposition Liberal Democracy (LDS), a party he led for over 10 years until 2002. His second bombshell came only days later, when he announced he was granting a pardon to Danilo Kovacic, the former chairman of gaming chain Hit, who had been found guilty of a massive embezzlement ring. And on Thursday, he announced he had drafted a peace plan for the western Sudanese region of Darfur. In other news, Slovenia was told by European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia that it was on track to join the eurozone as of 1 January 2007. President Janez Drnovsek has drafted a ten-point umbrella peace plan for the western Sudanese region of Darfur. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa's economic affairs college on Tuesday reviewed the proposals for the privatisation of the banks NLB and NKBM, telco Telekom Slovenije and the energy sector, which the government has received from expert groups it appointed last year. More » The government has adopted a draft declaration on Slovenia's EU policy guidelines for 2006 and an action plan of EU-related activities. The document sets priorities for activities in the EU Council, including preparations for EU chairmanship and the introduction of the euro, the implementation of Schengen border standards and the overhauled Lisbon Strategy, as well as preparations for the next financial perspectives and efficient use of EU funds. More » Speaking to local business representatives in Celje on Wednesday, Labour Minister Drobnic said the Slovenian labour market was rigid and over-regulated and in need of reforms. More » The Finance Ministry and the Institute for Economic Research signed on Tuesday an agreement whereby the institute will carry out a simulation of the government-sponsored economic and social reforms. The results will be used by the cabinet in the implementing phase. More » If Slovenia's economy continues to grow at the rate as it did in 2005 relative to the 15 old EU members, it could achieve the average EU GDP sooner than in 8 years, according to the Economic Institute of the Ljubljana Faculty of Law. More » The key goals of the Economics Ministry in 2006 are to facilitate economic growth through legislative changes and to provide development-based financial incentives, Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak said on Wednesday in Ljubljana. More » "Euro - for All of Us" will be the slogan that Slovenia will use in the information campaign in the run-up to the adoption of the euro in 2007. More » The European Commission has assessed Slovenia's convergence programme as based on a plausible macroeconomic scenario, however it also made two recommendations: the country has to take concrete measures to reduce public expenditure, and to improve the long-term sustainability of public finances, particularly in relation to pensions. More » Joaquin Almunia, the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, has said that Slovenia is currently fulfilling all criteria for the adoption of the euro, which it plans to introduce on 1 January 2007. More » Competition on routes from Ljubljana to London and Brussels is about to get fiercer, as Wizz Air, the biggest no-frills carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, will start operating scheduled flights on the routes in May. More » Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk has spoken up in defence of the government's decision to allow the Motorway Company (DARS) to take out loans in excess of EUR 1bn until 2010. More » The Transport Ministry wants to increase the mobility of the Slovenian population, facilitate cargo transport and link up national and international transport routes, said Transport Minister Bozic as he outlined the ministry's agenda for 2006. More » In an unbroken tradition spanning six decades Slovenians will be celebrating Culture Day, a bank holiday taking place on 8 February, the day Slovenia's most celebrated poet France Preseren died in 1849. More » Slovenian writers Evald Flisar and Andrej Blatnik read on Monday from an anthology of contemporary Slovenian short stories which has been translated into Hindi this January, at the India Habitat Centre, a well-known cultural centre in New Delhi. More » Marking 100 years of the death of poet and priest Simon Gregorcic, publisher Mladinska knjiga has published the "Simon Gregorcic Golden Book", a monograph bringing reprints of his manuscripts and the first edition of his 1882 collection "Poetry". More » An American cultural and information centre opened in the seaside town of Koper on Monday aimed at bringing the culture of the US closer to Slovenians, especially students. More » Schedule of Events from 7 to 12 February More »

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