Slovenia News - November 2006

Slovenia News 28 November 2006

Prime Minister Janez Jansa paid a working visit to Finland, stressing the importance of the timely launch of the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) for Slovenia in talks with his host and counterpart Matti Vanhanen and added that the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans would be one of the main topics not only of the December EU summit, but also of Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008. Protests continued amidst the search for a new location for the Strojan family, with people living in places that were rumoured to become the Strojan's new home organising watches to prevent their potential arrival. More » A group of people who were crossed out from Slovenia's population registry in 1992 set on a journey to Brussels on Monday to "show the EU what kind of legacy Slovenia brought to the block". Speaking on behalf of the group, Anton Debevec explained that Slovenia's erased now became the erased of the EU. More » Forensics started on Monday with exhumation works at a concealed post-WWII mass grave which was found a week ago during works on the construction site of a future motorway in Gorenjsko. More » Honouring Rudolf Maister Day, a holiday marking the day in 1918 when General Rudolf Maister took control of Maribor and in effect secured what later became Slovenia's northern border, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec laid a wreath on the general's monument at the entrance to the Defence Ministry building on Thursday. More » President Janez Drnovsek conferred on Thursday high state decorations on military staff who were instrumental in Slovenia's independence war of 1991, including two former chiefs-of-staff, Ladislav Lipic and Iztok Podbregar. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa paid a working visit to Finland, stressing the importance of the timely launch of the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) for Slovenia in talks with his host and counterpart Matti Vanhanen. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has reassured his Serbian counterpart Vuk Draskovic of Slovenia's support for democratic Serbia and its European future. "I cannot imagine an EU without Serbia. The EU needs Serbia too," Rupel said after meeting Draskovic in Ljubljana on Tuesday. More » President Drnovsek received on Wednesday the credentials of the new French Ambassador to Slovenia, Chantal de Ghaisne de Bourmont, and the non-resident North Korean Ambassador, Kim Kwang Sop. More » Slovenia sees Austria as a role model in tackling court backlogs and the speedy resolution of court cases, Justice Minister Lovro Sturm told the press on the sidelines of a visit by his Austrian counterpart Karin Gastinger in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » Governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia Joerg Haider angered Slovenia on Wednesday by replacing yet another bilingual town limits sign with a German-language sign that contains a separate inscription of the Slovenian name of the village. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel wrote Tuesday a letter to his Austrian counterpart Ursula Plassnik, expressing his worries over a recent event when Austria's local political representatives and uniformed federal officials left a new municipal building during its bilingual consecration. More » The Slovenian cabinet confirmed on Thursday amendments to the railways act whose aim is to restructure the sector by setting up a new regulatory body and turning the Slovenian Railways into a single company again. More » The government on Thursday adopted a semi-annual report on preparations for the EU presidency in the first half of 2008 which says that preparations are on track and Slovenia will be ready by 1 January 2008. The cabinet also endorsed the draft programme of the successive presidencies of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, which is to be adopted at the EU Council in December. More » The government gave the go-ahead on Thursday the deployment of the 10th motorised battalion to Kosovo, where it will be operating from March to September next year as part of the NATO-led KFOR peace-keeping mission. More » The government endorsed on Thursday Slovenia's participation in the purchase of four C-17 military transport aircraft together with 14 other NATO members, the Government PR and Media Office said in Thursday's press release. More » The cabinet adopted on Thursday a bill on the financial instruments market. According to Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk, the bill transposes four EU directives and tackles various transitional specifics of the Slovenian capital market. More » The government on Thursday adopted the bill on the Roma, which is designed to comprehensively regulate the status of the Roma in Slovenia based on positive discrimination and is required by Article 65 of the Constitution. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa filed in parliament on Friday a motion to dismiss Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Drobnic after he publicly defied Jansa's request to step down over failures at his ministry. More » The parliament passed on Thursday a package of public procurement laws, including the framework act on public-private partnership which is designed to boost private investment in infrastructure projects. More » The National Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the new banking act, which introduces stricter and more complex mechanisms for capital adequacy in line with what is known as the Basel II standards. More » The act on the euro, which defines the procedures during Slovenia's changeover to the euro as a national currency on 1 January 2007, enters into force on Friday. More » The British investment fund Salford is expected to conclude its due diligence at dairy Ljubljanske mlekarne on Friday. This means that negotiations on the takeover of Slovenia's leading dairy could begin in about two weeks, a Salford representative said. More » Slovenia believes that fresh investment and systematic funding are the essential components of efforts to boost energy efficiency, in addition to a uniform interpretation of regulations on state aid for energy efficiency projects, a Slovenian official said Thursday after a meeting of EU energy ministers. More » The EU's budget framework for 2007-2013 offers good possibilities for Slovenian farming, agricultural consultants agreed on Monday at a meeting entitled "How to Efficiently Use the Money Offered by the EU". More » Household appliance makers Gorenje and BSH hisni aparati, chemical company Regeneracija and electronics company F3 are the recipients of this year's environment excellence awards, handed out on Monday by the business daily Finance, Slovenia's Eco Fund and the Environment Agency. More » Klinicni Center (KC), the Ljubljana-based university hospital, is to introduce next year the artificial heart method to treat patients with heart failure. More » Three of Slovenia's highest ranking Roman Catholic Church dignitaries called for a greater role for the lay congregation in spreading Church values in society at a conference in Maribor on Monday. More » Fifteen years have passed since research institution Jozef Stefan Institute (IJS) established an internet connection with the Dutch Institute for Physics and Mathematics (NIKHEF). This was the first internet connection in Slovenia and one of only 200 internet points of that time. More » Slovenia is following the EU in reforming its cohesion policy, as witnessed by the National Development Strategy that follows the goals of the Lisbon Strategy to the fullest possible extent, Local Self-Government and Regional Policy Minister Ivan Zagar has said. More » Four Slovenian military instructors who are training security forces in Iraq will stay there in 2007, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told the press in Ljubljana on Wednesday as he presented the ministry's activities in the past year. More » Defence Minister Karl Erjavec visited ski equipment manufacturer Elan on Friday and discussed its potentials in production of military equipment for Slovenia and the rest of NATO. More » Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek delves into the potential development of NATO in the latest posting on the website of his Movement for Justice and Development. He believes that NATO is not and must never be an "armed force of capital" which some have accused it of being, however, it can become a "common force of advanced humanity". More » Parliament passed in emergency procedure on Thursday an act on approval and state guarantee for a EUR 300m loan that the Slovenian Motorway Company (DARS) is to take out with the European Investment Bank (EIB). More » Package delivery company UPS launched on Tuesday a daily cargo flight from its hub in Cologne to Ljubljana international airport in Brnik that is part of efforts to turn the airport into a regional logistics centre. More » Conductor Karmina Silec, who has won world acclaim with her Carmina Slovenia choir project, and Maribor-based band Kebataola are set to present a new project entitled Miracles. It involves the works of Estonian composer Arvo Paert and mediaeval music pieces. More » Slovenians have a high level of trust in police as an institution and feel safe in their communities. However, the effectiveness and the local presence of police forces could be improved, according to the results of a public opinion survey presented at the Police Academy in Tacen on Wednesday. More » Slovenia's top cross-country skier Petra Majdic won the sprint event in Finland's Kuusamo on Saturday. More » Slovenia has a rich sports tradition and the facilities, to organise the 2011 Winter Universiade, International University Sports Federation (FISU) Secretary General Roch Campana said on Tuesday as a FISU delegation inspected Maribor's bid to host the sports event. More » The district of Spodnje Podravje in NE Slovenia is hoping to become a new tourist force in Slovenia through the realisation of two projects from the resolution on national development projects for 2007-2023. More » Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti and Igor Bavcar, CEO of food, energy and tourism holding Istrabenz, laid a foundation stone on Tuesday in a symbolic gesture marking the renovation of the Palace Hotel. The investors expect that the hotel will reopen in the spring of 2008. More » Schedule of Events from 28 November to 3 December More »

Slovenia News 21 November 2006

The relocation of a Roma family from their home under pressure from locals continued to make headlines in Slovenia as CoE Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammerberg concluded his visit to the country by calling the move "unacceptable". On the foreign policy front, PM Janez Jansa drew attention by making a stop in Iraq during a trip to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Jansa and his hosts agreed that Iraqi security forces needed to be trained as soon as possible so that they would be capable of providing security in Iraq on their own. Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg payed a three-day visit to Slovenia amidst ongoing debate about the situation of the Roma family which had been relocated under pressure of the majority population from their village to the disused army barracks in Postojna. Hammarberg met with several government representatives and also with the afflicted Strojan family. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa, accompanied by four ministers and a delegation of more than 60 executives, payed a five-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He concluded the tour on Wednesday, 15 November, by making an unscheduled stopover in Iraq to visit four Slovenian army instructors who are training Iraqi security forces in a base near Baghdad More » Nebojsa Radmanovic, the president of the Bosnia-Herzegovia tripartite presidency, has asked Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek for Slovenia's support in the country's EU accession. Drnovsek confirmed the support as the pair met in Montenegro on Thursday. More » Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku held talks in Slovenia on Friday with Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak as part of his mini tour of European countries. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is optimistic about future relations with Croatia, Austria and Italy. He said on Monday that he expected positive changes regarding open issues with Croatia and the situation of the Slovenian minorities in Austria and Italy. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and the head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Joachim Ruecker agreed in talks on Monday that it was necessary to keep the momentum in the talks on the status of Kosovo. The status of the province has to be determined at the beginning of next year, Ruecker told the press. More » Slovenia will open a consulate in Tel Aviv, to be headed by Honorary Consul Eival Giladi. The decision was taken at Thursday's government session. More » Ernest Petric, Slovenian ambassador to Austria and chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was elected on Thursday to the International Law Commission at the UN General Assembly. More » Amidst a continued walkout by the three opposition parties, the MPs of the ruling coalition provided the necessary quorum on Monday to allow a vote on the 2007 and 2008 budgets. The document for 2007 was passed with 48 votes; the 2008 budget got the backing of 47 lawmakers. More » Slovenia is not considering closing its labour market to workers from Bulgaria and Romania once these countries join the EU in 2007. "On the contrary, Slovenia is making efforts to convince the EU countries which have restricted the flow of labour to lift or curb the restrictions," Prime Minister Janez Jansa told the press on Thursday. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa praised the work of Slovenian soldiers on missions abroad as he addressed Monday's ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the first line-up of what was the predecessor of the modern-day Slovenian Armed Forces. More » Representatives of Slovenia's Luka Koper and Malaysia's Port Klang have signed a sister port agreement, giving the sole Slovenian seaport a chance to strengthen cooperation with the world's 13th largest port. More » Just over a month before the introduction of the euro in Slovenia, 700,000 households across the country will receive pocket calculators that would help them converting tolars to euros. More » Aluminium rolling mill Impol-Sevanj, in the majority ownership of Slovenian aluminium maker Impol, opened on Monday a new production facility in Sevonj, Serbia. The new foundry with the capacity of 50,000 tonnes of aluminium a year is the largest in Europe and one of the three most modern in the world, said Impol CEO Jernej Cokl. More » Slovenia has won approval from the European statistical office, Eurostat, for reclassification as two cohesion regions. More » The 9th Slovenian Wine Festival opened in Ljubljana on Thursday, featuring more than a hundred Slovenian and foreign vintners, who will present and offer about three hundred brands of superior wines. More » Attending at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Monday, Slovenia's Marija Lukacic said Slovenia was very much in favour of proposals concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean and the electronic operating and reporting on fishing activities. More » Cooperation between countries and between companies, research and educational institutes, and the authorities is vital for the effective protection of the Mediterranean Sea, Environment Minister Janez Podobnik told STA Monday at the sidelines of the 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Partnership environmental conference in Cairo. More » The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning presented on Wednesday two new projects to be included next year in the LIFE - Nature programme, which distributes EU subsidies for environmental protection projects. The projects involving the protection of biotic diversity of the river Mura and the vanishing Cerknica Lake are estimated at over EUR 3.8m. More » All stakeholders in Slovenia have welcomed the European Parliament's confirmation on Wednesday of the services directive, a set of measures designed to make it easier for service providers to do business in other EU countries. More » Almost all Slovenians have already seen euro banknotes or coins and 85% have already used them, which is the highest percentage among EU newcomers, according to the results of the latest Eurobarometer survey. More » Justice Minister Lovro Sturm has met his Portuguese and German counterparts in Lisbon to coordinate the working programme of their countries' 18-month presidency over the EU in the domain of justice. More » Transport Minister Janez Bozic assured European Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot on Monday that Slovenia was taking all the measures needed for the implementation of the project that would connect the French city of Lyon with the Ukrainian border. More » One of Ljubljana's best known landmarks, the Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers, will start shining in new glory where it has stood for centuries, in front of the Ljubljana City Hall. However, this will only be a copy, for the original is being restored and will be permanently exhibited at the National Gallery. More » An exhibition of mediaeval manuscripts from the Zice Monastery (1160-1560) in NE Slovenia opened at the National Gallery on Thursday. The exhibition will showcase 29 manuscripts and 15 works of art connected with the monastery. More » Russia's SEDOV, the largest training tall-ship in the world, sailed into the port of Koper on Friday. More than 15,000 Russian navy cadets have done the training on this four-masted vessel which was launched in 1921 in Germany as a cargo ship named Magdalene Vinnen. More » The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) is to open an office in Brussels on 1 January, to be headed by Rok Klancnik, the national tourism organisation said on Monday. More » Interior Minister Dragutin Mate and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Petkov have agreed to set up a joint commission that would draw up annual cooperation plans. The agreement was reached during Monday's talks in Sofia. More » Schedule of Events from 21 to 26 November More »

Slovenia News 14 November 2006

The relations between key macroeconomic indicators have never been so good in Slovenia, PM Janez Jansa told the press on Wednesday, after the European Commission projected that Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth will reach 4.8% in 2006, while the inflation rate is to stand at 2.5%. Respected economist France Krizanic believes that Slovenia's economic growth will remain for the rest of the decade two to three percentage points above the growth in its main trade partners in western Europe. The Roma family that was moved from its home to an obsolete army barracks near Postojna two weeks ago chose on Monday a new location to live after viewing several plots of land offered to them by the government. The family also announced it would file a lawsuit against the local community that forced them to move. More » The position of the Roma community in the northeastern Slovenian region of Prekmurje can serve as an example not only to Europe but also to the US, head of the Slovenian Roma Association Jozek Horvat Muc stressed after meeting Roma representatives in New York. More » Slovenia and Saudi Arabia signed a general cooperation agreement and a memorandum of understanding between their foreign ministries in Riyadh on Saturday, as part of Prime Minister Janez Jansa's three-day visit to the kingdom. The development has been labelled a milestone for Slovenian foreign policy in the Middle East by Slovenian FM Dimitrij Rupel. More » Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek and his Croatian counterpart Stipe Mesic agreed in Zagreb on Thursday that the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of three Croatian savers of the defunct Slovenian bank LB against Slovenia, should usher in a "new chapter" in the resolution of this issue. More » The relations between key macroeconomic indicators have never been so good in Slovenia, PM Janez Jansa told the press on Wednesday, after the European Commission projected that Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth will reach 4.8% in 2006, while the inflation rate is to stand at 2.5%. More » The parliament's finance and monetary policy committee on Monday endorsed the 2008 budget bill that was amended by the government last week. Since the amendments envisage only minor re-distributions of funds, the debate focused on the still open option that value added tax might be raised next year to compensate for the projected shortfall of revenues due to lower income and payroll tax. More » Slovenia will contribute a 128-strong combat unit plus logistics and command staff to a European battlegroup which will also include soldiers from Italy and Hungary, Defence Ministry State Secretary Franci Znidarsic told EU defence ministers in Brussels on Monday. More » Slovenia's leading power producer HSE opened a subsidiary in Budapest. HSE Hungary will operate on a large and transparent market, something that is not the case for other countries in the region, the company said in a press release on Monday. More » The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has expressed an interest in taking part in the planned capital injection at home appliance group Gorenje. More » The latest data suggest that the pace of GDP growth is as brisk as it was at the beginning of the year, however the Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) believes the pace will slow down somewhat early next year, in particular due to the VAT hike in Germany. More » The Supervisory Authority of the European satellite navigation system Galileo has witnessed the dedication of the Slovenian government regarding the country's bid to host the body, Pedro Pedreira, executive director of the authority said in Ljubljana on Wednesday. More » Nearly half of Slovenians use the Internet at least once a week, which is on par with the average in the EU, a European survey has found. More » Slovenia supports continued enlargement of the EU as the enlargement policy and the prospects of joining the 25-nation bloc have proved an effective instrument for the promotion of reforms, the Government Office for European Affairs (SVEZ) said on Wednesday in response to the release of the Union's enlargement strategy. More » The working group tasked with Slovenia's preparation for its stint at the helm of the EU confirmed on Wednesday a joint 18-month presidency plan drafted by Germany, Portugal and Slovenia in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the EU Council. More » The European Commission has commended Slovenia's practical preparations for the adoption of the euro, however it also issued the recommendation that further measures be taken to ensure price stability. More » An exhibition that showcases Slovenian and Croatian cultural ties that was jointly organised by the Slovenian and Croatian national libraries, opened at the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » An environmental pressure group has announced it will launch preparations for a referendum on the construction of two liquefied natural gas terminals in the Italian part of the Gulf of Trieste, which had also come under fire from authorities in Slovenia. More » Slovenian extreme skier Davo Karnicar is counting down the days until the final stage of his attempt to become the first person to ski down the highest peaks of the world's seven continents. After making it down six mountains so far, his sights are now set on Antarctica's Vinson Massif (5,140 m). More » While 38% of Europeans believe that they are overweight, the percentage of Slovenians sharing this belief stands at 46%, according to the results of a Eurobarometer survey, presented in Brussels on Thursday. More » Slovenia was celebrating on Saturday St. Martin's Day, when according to tradition, unfermented grape juice, called must, transforms into wine. On this holiday with pre-Christian origins, shepherds used to hold celebrations to express gratitude for a successful grazing season. More » Sprinter Matic Osovnikar and 800-metre runner Brigita Langerholc were selected on Saturday Slovenia's best track and field athletes of 2006 by the Slovenian Athletics Association (AZS). More » "I Feel Slovenia" (with "love" bold) is the new tourist slogan that a special government commission has selected for Slovenia along with a new logo that combines Mount Triglav, linden leaf and heart. More » Schedule of Events from 14 to 19 November More »

Slovenia News 8 November 2006

The European Court of Human Rights has decided to throw out the case brought by three Croatian savers of the defunct Slovenian bank LB against Slovenia. In its ruling the court said there was no grounds for examining the case any longer after two of the claimants had been reimbursed their savings, while the third was found to have failed to exhaust all legal means in Croatia. The prime minister's Strategic Council for Economic Development convened the first session in its new composition on Tuesday. The council's priority would be the withdrawal of the state from business, the labour market, the investment climate in Slovenia and other topics. After tests confirmed BSE infection in a cow from Slovenia which was slaughtered in Austria's Graz in late October, Slovenian veterinary authorities have already enforced safety measures at the farm the cow originated from. Deputy Parliament Speaker Marko Pavliha stressed the need to know the past as he addressed on Wednesday a three-nation ceremony in the Italian town of Gonars in memory of over 400 Slovenians and Croats who died in a Fascist camp there during WWII. More » Member of the European Parliament Alojz Peterle (EPP/NSi) has officially announced his candidacy for the 2007 presidential poll. Slovenia needs a president who understands globalisation, who is sensitive to the problems of minorities and who is interested in the status of Slovenian culture at home and abroad, Peterle told the press on Friday. More » As Slovenia, Italy and Hungary concluded agreements with Croatia that allow Croatians to cross the border with their identity cards, the three countries are now looking for a solution to keep such a regime in place in the upcoming expansion of the Schengen zone to Slovenia and Hungary. More » The decision by the European Court of Human Rights to throw out the case brought by three Croatian savers of the defunct Slovenian bank LB against Slovenia has been greeted by Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel as a confirmation that Slovenia's policies in this field have been correct. More » Slovenia has welcomed the verdict in the case of former Iraqi president Saddam Husein as proof that justice works. However it has joined the EU in saying that Hussein should not be hanged. More » The European Court of Human Rights has decided to throw out the case brought by three Croatian savers of the defunct Slovenian bank LB against Slovenia. More » The office of the prime minister has scolded Human Rights Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek, who notified the Council of Europe (CoE) about the relocation of a Roma family from their village of Ambrus in central Slovenia to Postojna, labeling his move as "irrational and irresponsible". More » The cabinet adopted the amended 2008 budget bill on Monday, agreeing to the changes recently adopted by the parliament's finance and monetary policy committee, and rejecting the changes put forth by the opposition parties. More » The prime minister's Strategic Council for Economic Development convened the first session in its new composition on Tuesday. The previous sitting of the council masterminded the government's reform package, but the new chair, economist Marjan Senjur, downplayed any high expectations today. "We would not like excessive expectations," he said. More » The Slovenian parliament on Thursday passed the act on inheritance and presents to wrap up the package of seven tax laws that the government has drawn up in a bid to simplify the tax code and cut taxes. More » Speaker of Parliament France Cukjati, currently on an official trip to Canada, has attended a reception in Toronto at the conclusion of the first convention that brought together all Slovenian associations in Canada. The event also marked the 15th anniversary of Slovenian radio programme in Canada. More » Slovenia's labour force is among the least geographically mobile in the EU, as only 2.2% of Slovenians said that they wanted to work abroad in the next five years. The number meanwhile stands at 7% in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, according to data released by the European Commission on Monday. More » The Slovenian army loaded onto a cargo plane at the Ljubljana airport on Monday 10,000 decommissioned automatic rifles and some two million pieces of ammunition, which it is donating to the Afghan National Army in order to help stabilise Afghanistan, Defence Ministry representatives explained. More » Slovenian sports goods maker Elan is in the middle of a big investment cycle that is designed to raise output in its ski and yacht divisions. A EUR 2.8m construction of a facility for big yachts is already underway, while a EUR 6m investment in ski production and the construction of a new logistics centre, worth EUR 1.5m, are to start in early November. More » Dat-Con, a developer and maker of measurement regulation equipment and specialised electronics, is the winner of the 2006 Golden Gazelle award for the fastest growing company in Slovenia. More » The municipality of Bovec, NW Slovenia, has established a joint venture with France's Transmontagne to build a EUR 27m worth tourist complex in a disused army barracks in the town by the Soca river by 2008. More » The food, energy and tourism holding Istrabenz has adopted a strategic plan for the 2007-2011 period which stresses as a priority a consolidation of the tourism and food divisions. Although new investments in tourism are not excluded either, money will be channelled primarily in the energy division, CEO Igor Bavcar told the press in Koper on Monday. More » Top European statisticians have estimated that Slovenian statistical practices are completely compatible with EU standards. The assessment was made as the 2006 Statistics Days opened in the NE town of Radenci of Monday, bringing together 200 participants, 23 of them from abroad. More » A team of students from the University of Ljubljana won the Grand Prize at the international competition Genetically Engineered Machine, which was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National Institute of Chemistry said on Tuesday. More » Slovenian inventors were successful at the IENA 2006 international fair "Ideas, Inventions, New Products", as they received three golds, two silvers and one bronze medal, an association of inventors has said. More » The Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy is quite optimistic about the use of EU cohesion funds given that government departments expect all the available funds will be used by the end of 2008. More » The European Commission has projected Slovenian gross domestic product (GDP) growth to reach 4.8% in 2006, while the inflation rate is to stand at 2.5%. More » Participating in a conference on global alliance in Brussels on Monday, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec said that NATO wants "partners with which it shares values and which are deeply rooted in democratic processes". More » The Ljubljana airport, located at Brnik, suffered no delays after the European Commission regulations on liquids allowed on airplanes entered into force across the EU on Monday. More » Slovenia plans to allocate EUR 8.89bn for modernising its railroad network between 2008 and 2020 in what will be the most expensive of the projects in the 2007-2023 resolution of national development programmes, Transport Minister Janez Bozic has said. More » The Attendants' Gallery - Stories of Europe music theatre project in which five actors from different European countries give us their view on 20th century European history, will have its first performance in Slovenia on Friday, co-producer Exodos Ljubljana said on Thursday. More » Bookworms can look forward to the 20th annual "Frankfurt after Frankfurt" exhibition of foreign literature, which will be staged at Ljubljana's arts and conference centre Cankarjev dom from 8 to 13 November. More » Slovenia has been chosen as the partner country to be featured at an international book fair in Zagreb this year. The 29th Interliber fair, running between 7 and 11 November, will showcase 40 award winning authors from Slovenia. More » Ceremonies and masses are being held across Slovenia on Wednesday, as people remember the dead on All Saints Day. Slovenians traditionally bring flowers and candles to their family graves and spend time in the cemeteries, while politicians lay wreaths at memorial parks and other important sites of remembrance. More » Slovenians are rather conservative when it comes to savings, however their habits have changed considerably lately. More » A total of 874,225 Slovenian and 306,593 foreign tourists used Slovenian tour operators in 2005, with the largest number of Slovenians (40.5%) going to Croatia, according to data by the National Statistical Office. More » Slovenia will showcase the Hapsburg-era railway line connecting the Alpine resort of Bohinj with the Primorsko region at the one of the premiere tourism shows, the World Travel Market. More » One of the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming stint as EU president will be the fight against cancer, Health Minister Andrej Brucan said as he addressed the participants of a European Cancer Patient Coalition congress, which began on Saturday in Ljubljana. More » After tests confirmed BSE infection in a cow from Slovenia which was slaughtered in Austria's Graz in late October, Slovenian veterinary authorities have already enforced safety measures at the farm the cow originated from. More » Schedule of Events from 7 to 12 November More »

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