Slovenia News - May 2006

Slovenia News 30 May 2006

Prime Minister Janez Jansa started a three-day official visit to Russia on Monday. He is expected to hold talks with a number of senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. He is accompanied by a government delegation as well as over 100 businessmen. Several agreements on economic cooperation are to be signed, as well as a programme of cooperation in culture, science and education in the 2006-2008 period, and a memorandum of understanding between the defence ministries. Economic topics will top the agenda, especially cooperation in energy projects, where there have recently been concrete talks between Russian oil giant Lukoil and Slovenian energy companies Petrol, Nafta Lendava and Geoplin. Economic cooperation between Slovenia and Russia is good, but there are plenty of unexplored opportunities, Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak said after Monday's session of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation in Moscow. Students staged the second protest rally in the last two months this week after talks with the government on a list of demands aimed at preserving and improving the students' social status broke down. Miha Ulcar, the head of the Slovenian Student Organisation (SOS), said at the 24 May protest that students in the country are ready for dialogue or a fight with the government over student rights. More » Well-developed infrastructure in a part of the region would facilitate the development of logistics and industry, while more extensive investments should also be made in tourism, PM Janez Jasna said during the cabinet's visit to the Notranjsko (SW) region. More » The Slovenian cabinet has decided to lift all restrictions on EU workers in line with Slovenian efforts to see the principle of the free movement of labour implemented across the EU. More » The Slovenian cabinet has concluded that the construction of an off-shore liquefied gas terminal in the Gulf of Trieste would have an impact on the Slovenian environment which is why the country has a vested interest in the plans. More » The National Assembly started on Monday an extraordinary session on the government's response to the planned construction of two gas terminals in the Gulf of Trieste, near the Slovenian border. More » The National Assembly passed the disputed changes to the media act. The government says that the law will promote media pluralism, a claim that the opposition disputes. The amendments deal with many issues but only a few are disputable, most notably the significantly expanded right of stakeholders to demand the publication of corrections, and the creation of a fund for the promotion of pluralism. More » Retailer Mercator remained the biggest Slovenian company in 2005, while pharma company Krka was, again, ranked as the best Slovenian company, according to the "101 Biggest and Best Slovenian Companies" survey in business daily Finance. More » The government's macroeconomic think-tank has found "good progress" in Slovenia's development in its annual development report. More » Logistics company Intereuropa is planning to build a logistics centre near the Russian capital of Moscow and the company's CEO Andrej Lovsin was looking at suitable locations for the EUR 8m to 10m investment on Monday, Intereuropa said on Tuesday. More » Europe needs new energy for the continuation of development and the process of integration, President Janez Drnovsek said on Saturday as he received representatives of the International Paneuropean Union. "This is our historical responsibility," he was quoted as saying. More » "The EU is currently moving away from the constitution, and is focusing foremost on concrete projects," Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on the margins of a meeting of the EU's foreign ministers on Sunday. More » The Slovenian gallery "A+A" in Italy's Venice will on Thursday open an exhibition of works by acclaimed painter Zoran Music (1909-2005), who died one year ago. More » The Tone Tomsic Academic Choir, under the leadership of choirmistress Ursa Lah, staged a concert on Sunday evening in the Cankarjev dom concert hall in Ljubljana to mark its 80th anniversary. More » Slovenia stages a Slovenian village at the Europa-park theme park in Rust near Freiburg, Germany, between 28 May and 6 June, Slovenian MEP Lojze Peterle told a press conference in Celje on Thursday. More » The world today is confused and the individual is confused as well. Until people do not change their ways and start solving global conflicts, nothing will change, President Janez Drnovsek said on Thursday at the presentation of his new book entitled "Misli o zivljenju in zavedanju" (Thoughts on Life and Awareness). More » Slovenian gymnast Mitja Petkovsek has capped the spring season with a new win. He virtually demolished the competition in the parallel bars event at the World Cup in Moscow and, scoring 16 points, got a gold medal. More » Health Minister Andrej Brucan has decided to accept the offer of a Ljubljana-based medical supplies company for a donation of 18 operating tables with all the necessary equipment to five Slovenian hospitals. More » Schedule of Events from 30 May to 4 June More »

Slovenia News 23 May 2006

The European Commission has said in its report that Slovenia is ready to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007. The thumbs up paves the way for Slovenia to become the first among the countries that joined the EU in May 2004 to adopt the euro. According to the Commission's convergence report for Slovenia, released in Strasbourg, the country is in compliance with all the membership criteria, which is why it should be allowed to join the eurozone on 1 January 2007. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has said that "Slovenia has received good news" as he responded to the European Commission's decision to recommend that Slovenia be admitted to the eurozone on 1 January 2007. More » Slovenia's member of the European Commission has said that today is "a historic day for Europe and Slovenia" as he commented on the European Commission's decision to recommend that Slovenia be admitted to the eurozone on 1 January 2007. More » For all what happened at Pekre, this was not just a local incident. It was a major drama which shocked entire Slovenia, PM Janez Jansa said on Saturday as he addressed a ceremony marking 15 years since the first clash between the emerging Slovenian armed forces and the Yugoslav People's Army (JLA). More » To mark 15 years since the events which led to independence war a month later, a ceremony will be staged this afternoon near the city of Maribor to remember the first clash between the emerging Slovenian armed forces and the Yugoslav People's Army (JLA). More » In an interview published in an Italian daily on Thursday, President Janez Drnovsek proposes a reconciliatory meeting to his newly-elected Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano. More » Milos Budin of the Left Democrats will be the first ever member of the Slovenian minority in Italy to get a post in the Italian government. Budin, 56, was on Wednesday appointed an undersecretary at the Ministry of International Trade and European Affairs. More » The special UN envoy for Kosovo status talks, Martti Ahtisaari, arrived on a two-day visit to Slovenia on Monday, 15 May, to consult with President Janez Drnovsek, PM Janez Jansa and FM Dimitrij Rupel before the fifth round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo begins in Vienna on 23 May. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa has welcomed the fair and democratic implementation of Montenegro's independence referendum. "The choice of the voters is clear, and all parties involved have a responsibility to respect it and contribute to its implementation," the PM said in a press release. More » "Slovenia is entering the club of the most developed states in Europe," Bank of Slovenia Governor Mitja Gaspari said in his response to the decisions of the European Commission and European Central Bank to recommend that Slovenia be admitted to the eurozone on 1 January 2007. More » Slovenian household appliance maker Gorenje is selling two versions of its top-of-the-line Premium Touch refrigerators at London's prestigious department store Harrods, the business daily Finance writes on Wednesday. More » President of Russian oil giant Lukoil Vagit Alekperov has expressed his company's interest in partnership with Slovenian companies as he met Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » Slovenian companies are very well prepared for the euro switch, set to happen in January 2007, Nina Presern of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) told the press in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » Austria and Slovenia have extensive potential in producing biomass and using solar energy, the head of the international department at the Austrian Energy Agency Alois Geisslhofer said in Celje on Wednesday. More » The European Commission has said in its report that Slovenia is ready to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007. The thumbs up paves the way for Slovenia to become the first among the countries that joined the EU in May 2004 to adopt the euro. More » A correct and realistic choice of the priority tasks and good cooperation between the parliament and the government will be of key importance for the success of Slovenia's stint as EU president, the head of the Government Office for European Affairs (SVEZ) Janez Lenarcic said on Wednesday. More » Slovenia's GDP per capita stood at 76% of the EU average in 2003, putting the country above the 75% threshold for receiving EU funds under Objective 1, according to Eurostat data published on Thursday. More » When reflecting on their employment features, workers in Slovenia find the most satisfaction in the level of job security, in their co-workers and the work itself, but are less enthusiastic about their working hours and wages, according to a survey conducted as part of the SiOK project. More » The new Centre for a European Future (CEP), designed to support countries from SE Europe and countries neighbouring the EU, opened on Tuesday at Jable Castle near Menges. The centre, opened by PM Janez Jansa, is Slovenia's contribution to EU enlargement and Euro-Atlantic integration, says the Foreign Ministry. More » Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways launched a regular route between Ljubljana and Rome on Wednesday. With the help of Italian partner, carrier Air One, the route is to be serviced four times a week. More » Slovenia's biggest advertising festival is to stress the importance of the sense of touch as it is put on for the 13th time this year. The Golden Drum, which places special emphasis on advertising in the former Eastern Bloc, will be held this year between 1 and 6 October in the seaside resort of Portoroz, the organisers said on Thursday. More » Serbian poet Miodrag Pavlovic will receive this year's Vilenica Grand Prix when the traditional festival of Central European authors gets under way in September in Slovenia. More » A team of archaeologists has found a Bronze Age sword, assessed to be over 3,000 years old, in Lake Bled, one of Slovenia's premiere resorts. The completely preserved sword was discovered earlier this week and dates back to 13th or 12th century BC. More » The English translation of the cookbook "The Cuisine of Slovenia" has earned a special mention award given out as part of the annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The jury of the acclaimed gastronomic magazine Gourmand praised the book for its "versatile uniqueness". More » Main thoroughfares in major Slovenian towns were turned into giant dance floors on Friday as thousands of school-leavers danced to the music of Strauss's "Fledermaus" to celebrate their last day at school. More » A special ceremony with a mass in the centre of Celje marked the inauguration of a new diocese in this eastern city and the appointment of its new Bishop Anton Stres on Sunday. More » The third Slovenian brown bear, a five-year old female named Hvala (Thank You) was successfully released in the Arbas region of the French Pyrenees early on Wednesday. More » To honour the white horse breed of Lipizzaner, the Slovenian Association of Lipizzaner Breeders has been marking Lipizzaner Day for the past four years remembering 19 May 1580 as the day when Archduke of Austria Charles II bought a stud farm and a deserted mansion in Lipica. More » While the Slovenian police believe that the EU Schengen evaluation team was pleasantly surprised with the country's preparedness to join the Schengen zone, they still expect some recommendations, especially regarding infrastructure, Danijel Lorbek of the border police department has said. More » Schedule of Events from 23 to 28 May More »

Slovenia News 16 May 2006

PM Janez Jansa, who was on an official visit in Bulgaria, and his host, Bulgarian PM Sergei Stanishev called for stronger cooperation between the two countries, and shared a view that Bulgaria will join the EU on 1 January 2007. It is important for the date of Bulgaria's EU entry to remain 1 January 2007 to encourage it to pursue its reforms, necessary for Bulgaria to enter the EU, Jansa said at a press conference in Sofia on Wednesday, 10 May. PM Janez Jansa, who was on an official visit in Bulgaria, and his host, Bulgarian PM Sergei Stanishev, called for stronger cooperation between the two countries, and shared the view that Bulgaria will join the EU on 1 January 2007. More » PM Janez Jansa said that participating at the EU, Latin American and Caribbean countries summit was a valuable experience considering that the next such meeting, presumably hosted by Peru at the beginning of 2008, will take place with Slovenia as EU president. More » The government confirmed the privatisation plan for Slovenia's second largest bank, the Maribor-based Nova kreditna banka Maribor (NKBM), under which the state would keep 25% plus one share in NKBM. More » The cabinet adopted on Thursday a bill to change the Constitution in order to allow for the appointment of judges with a fixed five-year term as a means of tackling the backlog of pending court cases, Justice Minister Lovro Sturm told the press. More » The Slovenian Armed Forces have made significant progress over the last 15 years. Proof of this is the successful participation in various international peace-keeping missions, President Janez Drnovsek has said at a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the Slovenian army. More » To have a competitive economy we must first ensure the effectiveness of our capital market, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk told the participants of the two-day stock market conference that opened in the seaside resort of Portoroz (SW) on Thursday. More » Numerous politicians, artists and other opinion leaders took the pen in their hand on Tuesday to join 27 writers of the "Story of Europe" across the continent in celebration of Europe's cultural, literary and culinary diversity, the focal point of this year's Europe Day. More » Slovenia will contribute two soldiers to the EU's civilian-military support action (AMIS II) in the Sudanese region of Darfur, Slovenian Army Chief-of-Staff, Major General Ladislav Lipic, said at the end of the spring meeting of NATO and EU chiefs of staff. More » The menu of the 22nd annual Druga godba festival of world music to be held in Ljubljana between 30 May and 3 June will offer 15 performances from 12 countries, including India, Indonesia, Peru, Nigeria and Mali. More » Ljubljana Festival 2006 will open on 19 June with the famous New York Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Lorin Maazel. The concert will honour Mozart by playing his Symphony No. 41 in C-Major, KV 551 "Jupiter" and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D-Minor. More » A leading German daily has labelled Slovenia a "cultural nation" in its overview of the 25 EU member states and two accession countries published on Europe Day. More » In another successful day for Slovenian gymnastics team, Aljaz Pegan won gold on the high bar and Mitja Petkovsek bagged silver on parallel bars at the Gymnastics World Cup meet in Belgium's Ghent on Sunday. More » The 11th international boat show Internautica opened in the seaside resort of Portoroz on Tuesday. The show's main attraction is some 200 vessels, including super-yachts that are over 26 metres long. More »

Slovenia News 9 May 2006

Prime Minister Janez Jansa has announced that the government would discuss the plans to privatise the country's second largest bank, NKBM, and the national talco Telekom Slovenije at its next two sessions this week and next. Speaking after Monday's meetings of the signatories of the six-party Development Partnership and the coalition parties respectively, Jansa said the government would adhere to the formula where the state keeps a 25% stake plus one share. "That way it (the state) retains decision-making power in strategic decisions but does not influence business decisions, which are up to the majority owners," the prime minister explained. Prime Minister Janez Jansa has announced that the government would discuss the plans to privatise the country's second largest bank, NKBM, and the national talco Telekom Slovenije at its next two sessions this week and next. More » The signatories of the six-party Development Partnership managed to set the technical foundations for cooperation at the maiden meeting of the Development Partnership council on Monday, and confirmed a list of laws that they will work on together. More » Slovenian and French preparations for their respective stints as EU president were in the focus of Friday's separate round of talks between Foreign Ministry State Secretary Bozo Cerar and the new head of the Government European Affairs Office (SVEZ) Janez Lenarcic with the director for European cooperation at the French Foreign Ministry, Gilles Briatta. More » Long-running speculations about the arrival of German media conglomerate WAZ to Slovenia have come true: WAZ and Slovenian publishing house DZS have decided to form a 50:50 joint venture which will take charge of DZS's 51.05% stake in the daily Dnevnik. More » German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck, who was on a two-day visit to Slovenia, and his Slovenian counterpart Andrej Bajuk signed on Wednesday a bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation. More » The European Commission has upgraded its 2006 economic growth forecast for Slovenia by 0.3 percentage points to 4.3% in its spring report on economic outlook in the EU. More » Slovenians are relatively happy with the EU two years after accession, and they have clear expectations about the future, according to the latest Eurobarometer public opinion survey. More » Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk has assessed the 2007 budget proposal presented this week by the European Commission as overall satisfactory. More » Europe Week, set to take place between 5 and 12 May, is being celebrated with numerous cultural festivities, public debates, meetings with the young and other events. More » The Slovenian capital celebrated the anniversary of the end of World War II on Saturday with a traditional 35-kilometre hike following the track of the barbed wire which enclosed the city during the war. More » Twenty young people from the northern Slovenian town of Slovenj Gradec are on their way to breaking a 28-year-old Guinness world record in the distance covered by pushing a Citroen 2CV for 50 hours. More » Slovenia's Mitja Petkovsek topped the parallel bars competition at the European Gymnastics Championships in Greece. The World Champion (16.025 points) beat Yann Cucherat of France (15.675) and Ivan Ivankov of Belarus (15.550). More » A one-minute advertisement presenting Slovenia as a tourist destination was broadcast for the first time on the CNN International Europe news network on Monday. More » Schedule of Events from 9 to 14 May More »

Slovenia News 3 May 2006

The first two years after the historical 1 May 2004 EU enlargement have been largely shock-free for Slovenia, so it remains forward-looking, focused on the challenges ahead. It is expected to adopt the euro in 2007 and join the Schengen zone the same year; in the first half of 2008 it will become the first newcomer to assume the rotating six-month EU presidency. According to Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Slovenia is "well anchored in the Union and it is the undisputed favourite among the new member states." Life has not changed fundamentally since EU entry, and support for membership remains high, he noted recently. It is time that Slovenia became mother to all its children and that it was able to recognise genuine patriotism in various uprisings of Slovenians, regardless of their ideology, Speaker of the National Assembly France Cukjati said in his address at the central national celebration of Resistance Day. More » Resistance day is a chance to leave behind the ideological disagreements of the past. It should serve as a holiday for all Slovenians and all of Slovenia's citizens, PM Janez Jansa has written in his address to Slovenians as the country celebrates Resistance Day. More » Ahead of 1 May, International Labour Day, PM Janez Jansa has released a message on his official website wishing all citizens and especially all workers well and wishing them a happy holiday. More » The Constitutional Court has stayed the implementation of provisions of the act on incompatibility of holding public office with profit-making activity that abolish the independent anti-graft body and replace it with a parliamentary corruption oversight commission. Responding to a motion from the two biggest opposition parties, the court ruled that the provisions abolishing the independent Commission for the Prevention of Corruption should not be enforced until the court issues a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law. More » Political divisions over recent history again reigned prominent as the Association of WWII Veterans celebrated on Saturday the 65th anniversary of the launch of the resistance movement against the occupying forces. More » Slovenia has in 15 years of its independence succeeded in preserving the social dialogue, as the trade unions have kept their role and are social partners, President Janez Drnovsek said at a meeting in Maribor, one of a number of festivities marking Labour Day around Slovenia. More » At its session on Wednesday, the cabined adopted an opinion on the recent report by the Council of Europe's former Commissioner for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles on the state of human rights in Slovenia and on progress in implementing his recommendations. More » The cabinet adopted amendments to the higher education act at its session on Wednesday, Higher Education Minister Jure Zupan told the press after the session. More » The cabinet has adopted a bill setting down the conditions under which physical and legal entities from EU candidates can buy property in Slovenia. The new legislation would also allow Slovenians to purchase property in these countries. More » The cabinet has adopted the report on Slovenia's preparations for its stint as EU president in the first half of 2008 that states that the preparations are proceeding as planned, the government wrote in a press release on Wednesday. More » As the majority of the EU15 states are expected to extend their restriction of free movement of workers from eight EU newcomers on 1 May, Slovenia will try to conclude separate bilateral agreements with Italy and Austria to facilitate labour visa procedures for its nationals in those two countries. More » The number of travelling Slovenians increased by 4.3% in the last three months of 2005 in comparison with the same period in 2004, according to the National Statistical Office. More » Slovenia is closing the GDP gap to the EU, but the process is too slow from the vantage point of objectives enshrined in the National Development Strategy, according to a report by the Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD), a government think-tank. More » The first two years after the historical 1 May 2004 EU enlargement have been largely shock-free for Slovenia, so it remains forward-looking, focused on the challenges ahead. It is expected to adopt the euro in 2007 and join the Schengen zone the same year; in the first half of 2008 it will become the first newcomer to assume the rotating six-month EU presidency. More » Slovenia is one of the most economically successful countries to have joined the EU in the most recent round of enlargement in 2004. Among other things, it is expected to become the first of the ten newcomers to join the eurozone, expectedly on 1 January 2007. In order to continue this economic success, Slovenia must now implement reforms, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk is convinced. More » The new head of the Government Office for European Affairs says he expects to have his hands full this year with preparations for Slovenia's stint as EU president in the first half of 2008. More » Architect and professor Vojteh Ravnikar will be among those receiving the prestigious Herder Prize at a ceremony scheduled for 5 May in Vienna. The prize is awarded each year for achievements in the field of culture, the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture said on Friday. More » Interior Minister Dragutin Mate has said that he expects Slovenia to join the Schengen border agreement in October 2007, in line with plans. More » Schedule of Events from 3 to 7 May More »

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