Slovenia News - July 2007

Slovenia News 31 July 2007

Prime Minister Jansa said on a press conference on Monday that the cabinet had been extremely active in meeting the goals of Slovenia's development strategy, even surpassing them in the first half of 2007. The Slovenian economy managed to grow 4 percentage points faster than the EU and the countries of the eurozone in the first half of the year. The unemployment rate meanwhile dropped by 20% in comparison with the same period last year, Jansa said. Among the other news, we also write about the open issues between Croatia and Slovenia. PM Jansa is optimistic about the initiative on solving all these open issues that Slovenia put forward recently, and he expects Croatia to answer soon. Representatives of three parliamentary parties have met Jan Jones, senior vice president of US gaming company Harrah's Entertainment, exchanging views on a mega gaming centre that Harrah's is planning to build in the border city of Nova Gorica in partnership with the local gaming company Hit. More » Slovenia hopes to use its 2008 spell as EU president to break the impasse over the UN-administered Serbian province of Kosovo, by trying to persuade Serbia to give Kosovo independence in exchange for a chance to join the EU, Financial Times says on Tuesday. More » Slovenia and Serbia still have great potential for cooperation in agriculture and the food industry, Slovenian Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc and his visiting Serbian colleague Slobodan Milosavljevic agreed in Ljubljana on Tuesday. More » Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak and the head of the Ukrainian Kharkiv Regional State Administration Arsen Avakov who is visiting Slovenia, signed on Wednesday a memorandum on economic cooperation between Slovenia and the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Vizjak said at a press conference. More » The initiative on solving open issues with Croatia that Slovenia put forward recently is an internal document and more about it will be disclosed after Croatia responds to it, Prime Minister Janez Jansa told the press on Monday. He said he expected Croatia to answer soon. More » Slovenia has established diplomatic relations with the African Republic of Burundi. The documents to that effect were exchanged in New York on Friday between Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Sanja Stiglic and her Burundi counterpart Joseph Ntakirutimana. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Monday the cabinet had been extremely active in meeting the goals of Slovenia's development strategy and had been able to surpass them in the first half of the year. More » Health Minister Andrej Brucan has quoted data which refute allegations of haphazard privatisation of the national health care system. "During my term, when I'm being reproached for privatising health care, private enterprise in the health sector has gone up from 25% to 29%," Brucan told Saturday. More » Development Minister Ziga Turk received Aart Jan de Geus, deputy secretary general of the OECD, on Tuesday, discussing with him Slovenia's OECD accession process, the effects of OECD membership on Slovenia and key factors for the success of social reform, the Government Growth Office said in a press release. More » Slovenian energy company Petrol and Montenegrin oil company Montenegro Bonus signed on Tuesday a contract on a 50:50 joint venture, Petrol Bonus. More » Slovenia's biggest mobile operators Mobitel and Simobil announced on Friday new roaming euro tariffs required by EU regulation that cuts charges for cross-border calls in the EU. Both operators set their rates at the topmost limits of 58.8 cents per minute for outgoing and 28.8 cents per minute for incoming calls. More » Abanka Vipa generated EUR 19.23m in net profit in the first half of the year, up 32.1% over the same period last year and 33.1% above the target figure, the third largest Slovenian bank said in a press release on Friday. More » While consumer prices stayed put in July over June, inflation on the annual level rose to 3.8%, the Statistics Office said in a press release on Tuesday. More » The European Commission adopted on Tuesday the Slovenian Rural Development Programme for 2007-2013, the Agriculture, Forestry and Food Ministry said. Slovenia is to get almost EUR 1.16bn in the period, of which almost EUR 900m will come from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has said that Monday's launch of the intergovernmental conference on the new EU reform treaty was important for Macedonia. The launch of the conference means that Macedonia, an accession candidate, can now be more relaxed regarding its future, Rupel said in Brussels on Tuesday. More » The London-based Financial Times writes on Tuesday about Slovenia's approaching spell as EU president, saying that assuming the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2008 is a sign and a test of Slovenia's growing maturity. More » Defence Minister Karl Erjavec said on Friday that Macedonia met all the criteria for NATO membership. Macedonia will be invited to join the bloc at next year's NATO summit in Bucharest, Erjavec said after meeting his Macedonian host and counterpart Lazar Elenovski in Skopje. More » Some 300 speakers of Esperanto are expected in Maribor for the 7th Congress of the European Esperanto Union (EEU), which will take place between 28 July and 4 August, EEU secretary general Zlatko Tisljar told the press on Monday. More » Human Rights Ombudsman Zdenka Cebasek Travnik presented to the press on Tuesday the 2006 Ombudsman's Report, highlighting violations of children's rights and the need to introduce a special spokesman to safeguard the rights of children, the elderly and the disabled. More » Preschool care for second and all other subsequent children is to be free of charge from September 2008, Mojca Skrinjar, the director general of the Directorate for Pre-School and Primary Education at the Education Ministry told a press conference on Thursday. More » Slovenian gymnast Aljaz Pegan has made a successful comeback to international competitions, sharing top place in the horizontal bar in the World Cup meet in Shanghai on Sunday. More » Slovenian track and field star Jolanda Ceplak denied for STA on Thursday the use of banned substances, announcing she would fight to prove her innocence. Testing positive for the blood booster erythropoietine (EPO), Ceplak has already been temporarily suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). More » Slovenia attracted 269,254 visitors in June, which is up 8% year-on-year, and 1,148,906 since the beginning of the year. The majority were foreign visitors, their numbers increasing by 10% over the first half of 2006, the freshest figures from the Statistics Office show. More » Health Minister Andrej Brucan and general manager of the Ljubljana university hospital Darinka Miklavcic laid a foundation stone for a new, state-of-the art emergency ward in Ljubljana on Tuesday, symbolically launching a project estimated at EUR 95.2m. More » Schedule of Events for 31 July - 5 August More »

Slovenia News 24 July 2007

The Parliament Speaker France Cukjati signed the election writs on 20 July, thus making official the date of 21 october as the Presidential Election day. A total of nine candidates have so far announced they would stand to replace incumbent President Janez Drnovsek, who has said he would not run for a second five-year term. All of the candidacies are unofficial at the moment, with presidential hopefuls given until 26 September to file their candidacies with the National Electoral Commission. Among other news we write about the visits of Albanian FM and Serbian Parliament Speaker, who stressed the importance of Slovenia in making tangible the European future of Western Balkan countries during its spell at the helm of the EU. Parliament Speaker France Cukjati has called the presidential election for 21 October. Cukjati told the press on Friday that election procedures would begin on 20 August. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel met his Albanian counterpart Lulzim Basha on Tuesday, the meeting showing that both countries support UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's proposal for the future of Kosovo and have reservations about putting off a solution. More » Serbian Parliament Speaker Oliver Dulic payed a working visit to Slovenia for meetings with his counterpart France Cukjati, Prime Minister Janez Jansa, deputy groups leaders and parliamentary EU Affairs Committee chair Anton Kokalj. More » Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Riman and Slovenian Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak met on Tuesday to discuss EU issues, Slovenian preparations for its stint at the helm of the EU in 2008 and economic cooperation. More » Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimtrij Rupel and his Cypriot counterpart Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis signed in Brussels on Monday a memorandum on cooperation between the two countries. More » The government set limits on budget expenditures for 2008 and 2009 on Thursday, capping spending at EUR 8.572bn for next year and EUR 8.835bn in 2009. These are the frameworks within which budget users must now make their plans, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk told the press. More » Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti presented on Monday bills on cultural heritage protection and on founding the Public Book Agency, adopted by the government on Thursday. More » Social partners - government, employers and trade unions - managed on Thursday to agree in principle on the new social agreement. "We can say that the social agreement has been agreed upon," said the head of the government's negotiating group Dusan Krajnik. More » The Hungarian energy company MOL wants to enter Slovenia by purchasing a stake in energy group Petrol. The idea was put forward by MOL chairman Gyorgy Mosonyi at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday. Petrol meanwhile said it had not yet received an official notice from Mol about a possible tie-up or takeover. More » Port operator Luka Koper said on Friday its half-yearly net profit shot up 55% compared to last year to EUR 14.9m. The company generated revenues of EUR 56m in the first six months of the year, a 13% rise over the same period last year. More » The biggest Slovenian cinema operator Kolosej has decided to shut down its multiplex cinema in Celje by the end of the month and focus instead on investing in foreign markets, primarily in Serbia and Romania. More » Gender pay gap in Slovenia is approximately a half of the EU's average. While women in Slovenia earn about 8% less than men, women in the EU earn on average 15% less than their male colleagues, a report by the European Commission says. More » Slovenians are very happy with their lives and exceedingly optimistic about the future, according to the spring Eurobarometer report for Slovenia. They are also pleased with membership of the EU and very optimistic about the future of the bloc. More » Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc opened on Monday in Koper the Fisheries Monitoring Centre, which is part of a EU directive that envisages the setting up of a Vessel Monitoring System and the centre. More » French Minister of State responsible for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet said in Ljubljana on Thursday that France was standing by Slovenia and wanted the country's presidency over the EU to be another successful chapter in Slovenia's EU history. More » Slovenia wants the process of drafting the new reform EU treaty to be carried out as soon as possible as reaching agreement on the document will greatly facilitate the country's approaching spell at the helm of the EU, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said in Brussels on Monday. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel was adamant on Monday that Slovenia would insist on EU member states being exempt from the provisions of the Croatian ecological and fisheries zone. More » Slovenia supports Macedonia in its EU accession efforts but cannot guarantee that it would be given a date for launching accession talks with the EU during Slovenia's stint at the helm of the bloc, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Monday. Macedonia's fate is in its own hands, he stressed. More » Slovenian Transport Minister Janez Bozic and his Italian counterpart Antonio di Pietro signed on Tuesday in Rome a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a railway section between the Italian port city of Trieste and the nearby Slovenian transport hub of Divaca. More » Education State Secretary Dusan Lesjak, the head of the project group for a Euro-Mediterranean University, and MP Aurelio Juri, a member of the parliamentary delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, argue in favour of a Euro-Mediterranean University based in Slovenia. More » The government adopted at Thursday's session the report of a task force for setting up a Centre for Slovenian Studies in Cleveland, US. The centre is to deal with interdisciplinary studies, preservation and promotion of Slovenian culture, language and research in the United States. More » The 12th annual Music Summer in Bohinj, a festival of classical music, will get underway on Thursday with a concert by the world renowned Salzburg Chamber Soloists orchestra. The festival, taking place in church of St. Martin in Srednja vas near Bohinj, will run until 23 August with performances scheduled every Thursday. More » Slovenia's top shooter Rajmond Debevec won the gold medal in the 50 m standard rifle three-position event at the European Sport Shooting Championship in Spain's Granada on Thursday. More » Slovenia is the first among the nine candidates for entering the Schengen passport-free zone to have established a full link to the central Schengen Information System (SIS), Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said on Friday in Bratislava. More » A Joint Visa Centre will open in autumn at the Slovenian embassy in Podgorica, allowing Montenegrins to apply for visas for EU members, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry told on Monday. More » Schedule of Events for 24 - 29 July More »

Slovenia News 17 July 2007

The Cabinet's visit to the Savinjska region began with a morning meeting in Rogaška Slatina at which the cabinet discussed which of the projects agreed upon in September 2005 when the government first visited the region have been realised. They also focused on new development opportunities and expressed their satisfaction at the fact that the region has progressed, which is supported by statistical data. It currently ranks fourth in the country in terms of development, and the number of the companies has significantly increased. Among other news we write about the op-ed for Thursday's issue of UK daily Independent, in which the Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel wrote that the "EU should stabilise its southern flank" by including as soon as possible the countries of SE Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The cabinet confirmed on Thursday, 12 June, a deal reached between the government and the trade unions on wages in the public sector. The majority of public sector trade unions on Monday, 16 June, initialled the collective bargaining agreement for the public sector, which has been hailed by Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant as the most important step after the implementation of the public sector wage system. Savinjska is a region with above average industrial development for Slovenia. In the last two years the number of companies in the region has increased, and unemployment has fallen by 24.5 per cent. More » The For Real (Zares) group of unaffiliated MPs will endorse law professor Danilo Tuerk in the 2007 presidential race, For Real head Matej Lahovnik said at a press conference on Thursday. The group backed Tuerk ahead of the other centre-left candidate, Mitja Gaspari, who has the backing of the Liberal Democrats (LDS). The presidency of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) formally confirmed on Friday the party's endorsement of Tuerk for the presidential race. More » Rosvita Pesek, a journalist and editor of public broadcaster TV Slovenija, has written the book "Osamosvojitev Slovenije" (Independence of Slovenia), which describes events between 1989 and 1992 and is based on recordings of national assembly meetings and the archives of TV Slovenija. More » State Secretary for Slovenians Abroad Zorko Pelikan wrapped up on Friday his two-day visit to Slovenians living in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he discussed current issues with representatives of Slovenian organisations in Prijedor, Banja Luka and Sarajevo. More » Former central bank governor Mitja Gaspari will run for president in the autumn elections. Announcing the decision on Tuesday, Gaspari told the press that the high support expressed to him in public opinion polls was the key factor in him deciding to enter the race. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel wrote in an op-ed for Thursday's issue of UK daily Independent that the "EU should stabilise its southern flank" by including as soon as possible the countries of SE Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. More » A senior Croatian Foreign Ministry official has told a Slovenian paper that arbitration is the cheapest option for solving the Slovenian-Croatian border dispute. State Secretary Hido Biscevic told Saturday's Dnevnik that he was certain Slovenian-Croatian relations would take a turn for the better "the instant we opted" for arbitration. More » Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Monday that the "EU bears the greatest responsibility for the future of the Western Balkans, Serbia and Kosovo". Speaking after he met Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic, Rupel pointed to the importance of ensuring that the EU was united on the issue of Kosovo's future. More » Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vuk Jeremić. They discussed bilateral cooperation, which has been developing well since the countries established diplomatic relations seven years ago. They agreed that the dynamics of economic relations was positive and had increased. More » The government has adopted a bill aimed at promoting the creation of conditions conducive to enterprise. The new enterprise support bill will help micro, small and medium-sized companies overcome key obstacles, Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak told the press. More » Parliament passed on Thursday in a 52:5 vote amendments to the courts act that will allow judges to migrate between courts as well as the amendments to the personal data protection act (55:2). More » The cabinet confirmed on Thursday a deal reached between the government and the trade unions on wages in the public sector. It also reviewed a document assessing the costs of the new wage package, which according to Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant will not cause public spending to go up. More » The recent deal on the amendments to the employment relationship act was signed on Friday by the Chamber of Crafts Industries (OZS) and the OZS employers' association, the Labour, Family and Social Affairs Ministry said. More » The average gross wage in Slovenia was up 2.1% in May over April and 5.8% year-on-year, reaching EUR 1,263.57, the Statistics Office said on Monday. More » The majority of public sector trade unions on Monday initialled a new collective bargaining agreement for the public sector, which has been hailed by Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant as the most important step after the implementation of the public sector wage system. More » Interior Minister Dragutin Mate believes the latest meeting of the Salzburg forum, a Central European security initiative, has resulted in progress in security cooperation in the region. Cooperation helps provide answers to challenges that may be too big for individual countries to tackle, Mate told STA following the meeting in Innsbruck on Friday. More » Defence Minister Karl Erjavec held talks with his Portuguese counterpart Nuno Severiano Teixeira on the margins of Bastille Day celebrations in Paris on Saturday, with the pair voicing the desire for a continuation of efforts to resolve the status of Kosovo and a unified EU position on the issue. More » The Prime Minister Janez Janša presented to MPs the draft revised budget 2007 at the 30th regular session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. More » The government on Thursday changed the plan for the privatisation of Telekom Slovenije, raising the stake that will be sold to a strategic investor from 39% to 49% and removing the limitation that companies in state ownership may not take part in the privatisation. More » Home appliance maker BSH Hisni aparati is to build a state-of-the-art coffee machine plant worth EUR 7m, director of the company Bostjan Gorjup told the press in Nazarje on Thursday. More » Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak welcomed on Friday the fact that the Solvit system that allows mediation of issues filed by EU citizens and companies against public administration bodies in the area of the internal market is being used by an increasing number of people in Slovenia. More » The priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency topped the agenda as For eign Minister Dimitrij Rupel held talks on Thursday with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, with Rupel asking for the UK's assistance in climate change, the Middle East and the Western Balkans. "We will need British help here," Rupel said. More » The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met João Vale de Almedia, Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Commission, and Catherine Day, Secretary-General of the European Commission on Friday. The discussion focused on Slovenia's preparations for the EU presidency in the first half of 2008. More » Medieval times returned to Grad Zuzemberk castle in this small SE Slovenian town on Sunday as part of an annual cultural event. The fanfare at the castle drew hundreds of spectators to the family event. More » The 19th congress of the International Organisation for the Study of the Old Testament (IOSOT) officially got underway in Ljubljana on Sunday with a concert of serious music at one of Ljubljana's squares. The participants were addressed by Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who pointed out the Bible's message and the importance of the translation of the Bible for the Slovenian nation. More » The third programme of the national radio broadcaster Radio Slovenija is dedicating its repertoire on Tuesday to the works of Samo Hubad, to mark the 90th birthday of this former long-time chief conductor of the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra. More » Gasper Vincec of Slovenia has finished third in the finn class at the Sailing World Championships in Portugal's Cascais. Vincec finished with an overall score of 30 points, eight points behind the winner among the 77 competitors from 25 countries, Rafael Trujillo of Spain. Second place went to Pieter Jan Postma of the Netherlands, who finished with a score of 25 points. "Third place is like the gold to me. The top seven competitors were within six points of each other ahead of the last regatta and none of them were outsiders," said a delighted Vincec following the competition. The 26-year-old did not have the best of starts to the competition as he was hit with a penalty turn even before the opening regatta had begun after he touched an opponent's boat prior to the start. He managed to recover and was seventh following the first three days of competition. The ensuing performances would allow him to climb up the rankings to be tied for second ahead of the final regatta. This is Vincec's second top-three finish at major competitions, after he finished second at the European Championships in Kalmar in 2005. He was 20th at the Olympic Games in Athens and finished fourth in last year's European Championships in Palamos. More » Slovenia's celebrated rowing duo of Iztok Cop and Luka Spik has taken third place in a World Cup meet in the Swiss town of Lucerne, losing out to the Estonian and British boats. More » Ljubljana was visited by 12% more tourists in the first half 2007 over the same period last year, according to data by the Ljubljana Tourist Board. A total of 274,235 overnight stays were recorded in the Slovenian capital, the Ljubljana Tourist Information Centre meanwhile said on Thursday. More » Schedule of Events for 17 - 22 July More »

Slovenia News 11 July 2007

Foreign ministers from Mediterranean EU countries concluded a two-day informal meeting in Koper on Friday after discussing the Middle East peace process, immigration, the EU neighbourhood policy, as well as the French idea on establishing a Mediterranean union. The ministers also addressed a letter to the newly-appointed Middle East envoy Tony Blair. Among other news is a report of the visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša to Lisbon. Following an invitation by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal, José Sócrates, he attended the first EU-Brazil Summit, organised under Portuguese Presidency. Prime Minister Janez Jansa also opened a new passenger terminal at the Ljubljana Airport, which was also renamed into the Joze Pucnik Airport Ljubljana on the occasion. Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Friday appointed Peter Groznik new chair of the Strategic Council for Economic Development, Jansa's office said. Groznik, who was deputy chair of the advisory body to the PM until now, will succeed Marjan Senjur, who stepped down as the chair but remains a member of the council. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa disagrees with the view that the Savinjsko region has not made progress since the cabinet's last visit two years ago. The region remains the fourth best in the country, he said in Tuesday's interview for local radios Celje and Stajerski val. More » Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and his Serbian opposite number Vuk Jeremic discussed Slovenia's approaching spell as EU president and the future status of Kosovo as they met in Bratislava late on Tuesday. More » Foreign ministers from Mediterranean EU countries concluded a two-day informal meeting in Koper on Friday after discussing the Middle East peace process, immigration, the EU neighbourhood policy, as well as the French idea on establishing a Mediterranean union. The ministers also addressed a letter to the newly-appointed Middle East envoy Tony Blair. More » Slovenia never has and never will hinder Croatia's EU accession, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Friday at the sidelines of an informal meeting of foreign ministers of the Mediterranean EU member states. Slovenia only wants "Croatia to meet European standards", Rupel added in Koper. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel met in Ljubljana on Monday President of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Bojan Pajtic. The pair discussed EU topics and Slovenia's role in Serbia's accession to the NATO and EU, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a press release. More » Economic cooperation with Italy was the main item on the agenda of Monday's separate meetings between Slovenian Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel with Undersecretary at the Italian Foreign Ministry Milos Budin. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Midori Matsushima agreed on Wednesday that there were still many possibilities to strengthen economic cooperation between Slovenia and Japan. Meeting in Ljubljana, the pair also talked about Slovenia's EU presidency and the EU-Japan summit scheduled next year. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov agreed in Thursday's phone conversation on Lavrov visiting Slovenia in October this year, dispelling speculation that there was a rift in Slovenia-Russian relations. More » Today, the Prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met Bernard Kouchner, the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, who is attending the 4th informal meeting of Mediterranean states of the European Union which is being held on the Slovenian coast. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Tuesday that the governments of Slovenia and Hungary would hold their first joint session on 17 October. They are expected to discuss numerous topics and sign 13 bilateral agreements, Rupel said after meeting his Hungarian counterpart Kinga Goncz in Budapest. More » Slovenians living outside the country have a special consulting body for the first time in history, as the Government Council for Slovenians Abroad was formally established at the inaugural session on Tuesday. More » Chair of the government commission for religious communities, Justice Minister Lovro Sturm, and Mufti Nedzad Grabus signed on Monday an agreement on the legal status of the Islamic Community in Slovenia. More » Parliament Speaker France Cukjati has stressed the importance of minority protection in the planned alliance of regions from Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Attending a meeting of parliament speakers from the region, Cukjati said the Euroregion needed to respect the rights of minorities. More » The government and trade unions concluded late on Wednesday negotiations on the collective bargaining agreement for the public sector. Trade unions have until 16 July to sign the agreement, according to Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant. More » The state and the Brezice municipality will cooperate in the reconstruction of the Cerklje ob Krki airbase based on an agreement that Defence Minister Karl Erjavec signed on Tuesday with Brezice mayor Ivan Molan. More » The government on Wednesday adopted a statement on principles of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, a joint initiative announced in July 2006 by US President Bush and Russia's President Putin. More » Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways carried 478,372 passengers in the first half of the year, up 7% over the same period last year, the company said in a press release on Thursday. More » The Finance Ministry has released draft amendments to the gaming act and the tax on gaming act, which pave the way for the construction of a huge casino resort by US casino operator Harrah's Entertainment and Slovenian gaming company Hit. More » The former chair of the Strategic Council for Economic Development, Marjan Senjur, believes the tax reform is a good enough first step for the government. "It is now a matter of surviving without causing difficulties in public finances and without an increase in the budget deficit," Senjur told Tuesday's edition of business daily Finance. More » MEP Alojz Peterle and former central bank governor Mitja Gaspari would enter the run-off if presidential elections were held this week, but Peterle would emerge as the winner, according to a survey published by the daily Dnevnik on Friday. More » Environment Minister Janez Podobnik said on Friday at the international development conference of timber workers in Nazarje (NE) that the Slovenian wood processing sector played an key role, not only in terms of the economy and job creation, but also from a cultural and environmental standpoint. More » Slovenia took over in July the presidency over the international network of industrial R&D Eureka, during which it will focus on four areas, including the expansion of Eureka to Western Balkans, the network's new communication strategy and the results of finalised projects, head of the presidency Ales Mihelic told the press on Monday. More » Mobile operator Simobil said on Tuesday that the new tariff for roaming in the EU would become available on 29 July in accordance with the new EU directive on international mobile roaming. The biggest Slovenian mobile operator, Mobitel, said on Thursday that the new EU roaming tariff for would become available next month. More » Household appliance group Gorenje has revealed plans to launch a design centre that would serve as a hub for Slovenian design know-how and would increase the competitive edge of Slovenian industry. The centre is designed to become a trendsetter in the field of industrial design, the company said in a press release on Thursday. More » Portuguese Ambassador Maria do Carmo Allegro de Maglhaes presented to the parliamentary committees for foreign and European affairs in Ljubljana on Tuesday Portugal's EU presidency priorities. The MPs were also curious as to Portugal's take on the US missile defence shield in Europe and its stance on EU enlargement. More » Following an invitation by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal, José Sócrates, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, attended the first EU-Brazil Summit organised under Portuguese Presidency in Lisbon today. More » Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008 will be an opportunity to make "at least a few meaningful steps forward" in terms of realising the European future of the countries of the Western Balkans, Prime Minister Jansa Jansa said after Wednesday's EU-Brazil summit in Lisbon. More » The Core Working Group for the EU Presidency chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met at the July session and discussed the preparations for Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2008. More » Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant met Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding and Commissioner responsible for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Siim Kallas in Brussels on Monday, discussing e-government, administration reform and Slovenia's EU presidency. More » Portuguese Ambassador to Slovenia Maria do Carma Allegro de Magalhaes acquainted on Monday Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel with the priorities of Portugal's EU presidency, emphasising the successful conclusion of the intergovernmental conference on the new EU treaty, implementation of the Lisbon Strategy and strengthening of relations between the EU and Africa, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. More » Transport Minister Janez Bozic and Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, European Commission coordinator for priority project No. 6 on the Trans-European Transport Network, discussed on Friday Slovenia's activities on the project, which is part of the 5th transport corridor between Lyon and Ukraine. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa opened on Monday a new passenger terminal at the Ljubljana Airport, which was also renamed into the Joze Pucnik Airport Ljubljana on the occasion. More » "Prince Caspian", the sequel to the successful "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and this year's biggest project by Walt Disney and Walden Media studios, is currently being shot in Slovenia. Providing the scenery for one of the film's most dramatic scenes is the beauty of the Soca river in the Julian Alps. More » The first Catholic primary school in Slovenia is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2008. Its programme will be based on the latest know-how in modern education and will be topped with a Christian outlook on life, the body overseeing primary and secondary education was told at Thursday's session by the head of Slovenia's sole Catholic secondary school. More » Slovenians living abroad can contribute to building bridges between countries, chair of the parliamentary Committee for Slovenians in Neighbouring Countries and Abroad Janez Kramberger said at the 7th meeting of Slovenians in neighbouring countries and abroad on Thursday. More » US Ambassador Thomas B. Robertson concluded on Saturday his walk across Slovenia, undertaken in order to collect money for a Slovenian run demining fund. Slovenia is blessed to have walking paths which allow one to walk freely and not worry that one could step on a mine, the ambassador said. More » Slovenia looks likely to receive a nod for compliance of the Ljubljana Airport with Schengen standards. "The reactions and informal statements from our colleagues in the evaluation team make me believe that they were pleased with what they saw," Marko Gasperlin of the General Police Directorate said in Ljubljana. More » Schedule of Events for 11 - 15 July More »

Slovenia News 3 July 2007

Retired Archbishop Alojzij Sustar, who served as Ljubljana archbishop and Slovenian metropolitan between 1980 and 1997, was buried in Ljubljana on Monday after a requiem mass given by Cardinal Franc Rode and attended by relatives, friends, Church dignitaries from Slovenia and abroad, as well as several eminent political figures. In other news Prime Minister Janez Jansa told the press in Kiev on Thursday, 28 June, that the focus of his talks with Ukrainian officials over his two-day visit was Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO and the early general election. The discussion also revolved around the European dimension and possibilities of Ukraine getting an official invitation for EU membership in the near future. Slovenia will be ready to take over at the helm of the EU by January 2008, European Affairs State Secretary Janez Lenarcic has told STA. The presidency is estimated to cost EUR 62m, however, it is guaranteed to raise the country's visibility, Lenarcic said. More » Retired Archbishop Alojzij Sustar, who died on 29 June, was buried in Ljubljana on Monday after a requiem mass given by Cardinal Franc Rode and attended by relatives, friends, Church dignitaries from Slovenia and abroad, as well as several eminent political figures. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa told the press in Kiev on Thursday that the focus of his talks with Ukrainian officials over his two-day visit was Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO and the early general election. The discussion also revolved around the European dimension and possibilities of Ukraine getting an official invitation for EU membership in the near future. More » Slovenia's EU presidency in 2008 topped the agenda as Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc met his Czech counterpart Petr Gandalovic on Thursday, with the pair concluding that Slovenia and the Czech Republic occasionally had differing views on agriculture policy. More » The government on Tuesday adopted a supplementary budget bill for 2007 which envisages only two changes that will however raise the projected budget deficit from 1% to 1.2% of GDP. More » The government adopted on Thursday macroeconomic guidelines for changes to the 2008 and 2009 budgets which project a raise of the budget deficit to 1.3% of GDP in 2008 and a drop to 0.6% the following year. More » The government adopted on Friday a bill on international protection which regulates international protection of refugees and asylum seekers and introduces a unified asylum procedure which is a fundamental element of the common European asylum system. More » German shipowner Peter Doehle has become the majority owner of Slovenian shipping company Splosna plovba after acquiring on Tuesday a 29.65% stake put up for sale by the state-run funds KAD and SOD. More » Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak, visiting Ukraine alongside Prime Minister Janez Jansa, opened a Slovenian-Ukrainian business conference in Kiev on Wednesday. Vizjak also met his counterpart Anatoliy Kinakh, with whom he discussed Slovenian experience with small and medium-sized companies. More » Retailer Mercator opened on Friday in Belgrade a 22,000 square metre shopping mall M-Rodic, one of the biggest such facilities in Serbia, the company said in a press release. More » Slovenia's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) measured by purchasing power parity stood at 87% of the EU average in 2006, data from Eurostat shows. More » Slovenia is joining the EU-wide liberalisation of the energy market for households, making it possible for household consumers of electricity or gas to freely choose their supplier. More » EU institutions hired 149 Slovenians in the three years since the country joined the bloc on 1 May 2004, three of them taking senior posts in Brussels, the European Commission said on Tuesday. More » Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said on Thursday that migration would feature on the agenda of the Slovenian EU presidency in the first half of 2008. Many key issues in the field will be tackled during that time, Mate said at the workshop on asylum and migration, organised by the International Association of Refugee Law Judges. More » As Portugal took over as the presiding EU country on Sunday, Slovenia will start to actively participate in presiding EU troikas which typically comprise the presiding country, representatives of the EU Council Secretariat and the European Commission, and, upon invitation, the next country to hold the presidency. More » A part of Slovenian troops serving in the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo assumed control of some 350 sq. square kilometres of territory in northern Kosovo on 29 June along with Hungarian soldiers, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. More » The Slovenian Philharmonics, conducted by George Pehlivan, opened the Summer in Old Ljubljana Festival with a concert at Ljubljana Castle on Saturday. A number of events, mostly musical, are aimed at attracting people to Ljubljana's squares, churches and bridges in a bid to revive the old city centre. More » The Slovenians in the World association of Slovenian expatriates pointed to the importance of promoting ties between Slovenian towns and Slovenians living abroad who have origins in these towns as part of the 14th jamboree in Ljubljana on Saturday. More » Some 400 ethnic Slovenians living abroad convened the traditional annual "Meeting in Our Country" at Bohinj on Sunday. "With your valuable experience, you are enriching creativity in Slovenia," they were told by State Secretary for Slovenians Abroad Zorko Pelikan. More » Archaeologists unearthed a grave containing bronze and iron objects as well as ceramics dating back to the beginning of the 7th century B.C at a site near Novo Mesto (SE) on Monday. This is the second major archaeological discovery in the area this year. More » Schedule of Events for 3 - 8 July More »

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