Slovenia News - March 2008

Slovenia News 25 March 2008

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk payed on 20 March an official visit to Slovenia, where he met his Slovenian counterpart Janez Jansa. The talks between the two Prime Ministers mainly focussed on EU issues, such as the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the relations between Russia and the EU. Tusk said he believed that the Lisbon Treaty would most likely be ratified in parliament, despite the gap between the opposition and the coalition, before July. With regards to the relations between Russia and the EU, Tusk said that Poland received sufficient answers as regards the recent trade dispute with Russia. Prime Minister Tusk added that Poland will also refrain from setting new conditions and will not hinder talks between the EU and Russia. In this issue we also write about Foreign Minister Rupel's visit to Israel, where the current President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council rounded off a three-day tour of the Middle East. The purpose of the visit was to collect information and evaluate the Middle East peace process, which will be one of the issues on the agenda of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) which will be hold in Slovenia on 28 and 29 March. The current President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, rounded off a three-day tour of the Middle East in Israel today. The purpose of the visit was to collect information and evaluate the Middle East peace process, which will be one of the issues on the agenda of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Slovenia next week. Dr Rupel was accompanied on the tour by the EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Marc Otte. More » Justice Minister Lovro Sturm and Parliament Speaker France Cukjati met in Ljubljana on Tuesday Cuban Justice Minister Maria Esther Reus, who is paying a working visit to Slovenia. More » Justice Minister Lovro Sturm presented on Friday a draft bill on WWII restitution, which would allow some 150,000 people to claim compensation for damage to property caused by the occupying forces and collaborators as well as the partisan resistance and the Allied forces. More » The government adopted on Thursday changes to the minimum wage act, increasing the minimum wage by EUR 28 to EUR 566.53 gross as of 1 March. The changes now need to be endorsed by parliament. More » Slovenian Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and the visiting Swiss Defence Minister Samuel Schmid expressed a desire to boost cooperation in defence on Tuesday, with Schmid saying that the countries share numerous interests. More » Grocer Mercator, home appliance maker Gorenje and pharma company Krka were the top three Slovenian multinational corporations in 2007, according to the rankings presented on Tuesday by the Centre for International Relations at the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences. More » Telekom Slovenije made the first commercial connection to the wireless broadband WiMAX network in Ljubljana at the end last week, marking the launch of commercial service on a network that will cost around EUR 10m. More » Representatives of European NGOs meeting in Ljubljana urged decision-makers on Thursday to improve the proposed changes the EU Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). The environmental efficiency of the system is the theme of a two-day international conference that kicked off at the parliament building on Thursday. More » The president of the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences Bostjan Zeks and Robert Kaptein, Secretary General and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, signed a letter of intent on Thursday. The document is to promote joint projects and exchange of scientists, Zeks told the press. More » A group of Slovenian scientists, taking part in the Belle Collaboration, a large-scale experiment at an electron-positron collider in Japan, have published a paper on anti-matter in the latest edition of the prestigious science journal Nature. More » Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak and CEO of power producer Savske elektrarne Drago Polak on Wednesday symbolically launched the Vrhovo solar power plant and a mini hydro plant near Radece in central Slovenia. More » Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met his Slovenian counterpart Janez Jansa in Ljubljana on Thursday, with topical EU issues and relations between the EU and Russia high on the agenda. Talking to the press after the meeting, Tusk said he believed that Poland would ratify the Lisbon Treaty before July. More » The European Police college (CEPOL) concluded on Wednesday a three-day conference where representatives of the EU and candidate countries agreed that CEPOL expand its activities to Western Balkan countries. More » The EU is a political dwarf and economic giant; the Lisbon Treaty is offering a framework for the bloc to strengthen its political dimension and take a leading role in the world, Polish MEP Bronislaw Geremek said in Ljubljana on Tuesday. More » The visiting Montenegrin Parliament Speaker Ranko Krivokapic announced on Thursday that Montengro would apply to become a member of the EU in the coming weeks, counting on Slovenia's support in the matter. More » The Slovenian government has adopted a plan with which current system of motorway toll stations for personal vehicles will be replaced with a toll sticker as of 1 July. More » The Ljubljana City Museum is showcasing an exhibition of sculpted dresses by top Italian fashion designer Roberto Capucci. The highlight among some 40 robes on display are dresses that were featured at the Venice Biennial in 1995. More » The 38th Week of Slovenian Drama will start at the Kranj-based Presernovo gledalisce theatre on Tuesday, featuring 16 plays, eight of which will be competing for the Seligo Award. These will be handed out at the end of the festival on 6 April. More » Slovenia's Sara Isakovic won the 200-metre freestyle event at the 29th LEN European Championships in Swimming, Diving and Synchronised Swimming in Eindhoven on Sunday, while Peter Mankoc bagged silver in 100-metre butterfly. More » Calendar of Events for 25 - 30 March More »

Slovenia News 18 March 2008

The agenda of the first of two EU summits under Slovenia's presidency has been dominated by economic and development issues. The EU leaders, who met in Brussels on 13 and 14 March, paid particular attention to the launch of the second cycle of the renewed Lisbon Strategy (2008-2010), climate change and energy, and the stability of financial markets. Heads of State and Government approved the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs and, at the same time, issued some important guidelines on the next cycle of the Lisbon Strategy. They also devoted special attention to the concept of flexicurity within the social dimension of the Lisbon Strategy. In this issue we also write about the EU-US troika meeting on justice and home affairs. In Brdo pri Kranju the two sides agreed a common approach to talks on the US visa waiver system, determining that matters falling within national responsibilities would be discussed by national authorities while those that fall in the scope of EU powers will be negotiated at the EU level. The Environment Ministry presented on Tuesday its activities related to the floods that hit parts of Slovenia in September last year, highlighting a draft damage repair programme which is expected to be adopted by the government next week. More » Slovenian Parliament Speaker France Cukjati and his visiting Norwegian counterpart Thorbjorn Jagland agreed on Thursday that the two countries held similar views on Western Balkans, Middle East and energy policy. More » Slovenian Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Albin Gutman and visiting French counterpart, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, discussed in Ljubljana on Wednesday cooperation in peacekeeping operations and bilateral cooperation. More » Slovenia's exports totalled EUR 1.59bn in January, up 9.5% from the same period last year. Imports soared by 15.4% to EUR 1.8bn, the Statistics Office said on Tuesday. More » The Agriculture Ministry is to tender out EUR 55m for the development of small and medium companies (SMEs) in the next seven years and the Slovene Enterprise Fund has so far in 2008 earmarked EUR 10m for companies with up to nine employees, Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc told the press in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » Slovenia's registered unemployment rate edged 0.1 percentage points higher to 7.4% in January, which brings it back to the level recorded in October 2007, the Statistical Office said on Tuesday. More » “The conclusions confirm the tasks we have set ourselves in three key areas. With them we have given the European Union the wherewithal to continue to tackle the most pressing challenges we face at the moment,” said Janez Jansa, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and current President of the European Council, at the press conference at the end of the spring European Council meeting in Brussels. The new three-year Lisbon Strategy cycle has been launched, fundamental principles for the adoption of the energy and climate change package have been confirmed and responses to current challenges relating to increasing the stability of the financial markets have been agreed. More » The EU and US agreed on Thursday a common approach to talks on the US visa waiver system, determining that matters falling within national responsibilities would be discussed by national authorities while those that fall in the scope of EU powers will be negotiated at the EU level. More » EU interior ministers have expressed support for an integrated strategic approach to the management of the EU's external borders, Commissioner Franco Frattini said after Wednesday's meeting in Brdo. According to Slovenia's Dragutin Mate, the ministers are also favourably inclined towards the Eurosur system of joint border surveillance. More » A four-day conference of the Parliamentary Assembly ACP-EU kicked off in Ljubljana on Monday, with the signing of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and five regions in the club of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations topping the agenda. More » A joint informal meeting of EU sports ministers and chairs of national Olympic committees (NOC) closed at Brdo pri Kranju on Monday with the adoption of the "Ljubljana Declaration", which presents the basis for a joint EU policy for cooperation between the civil society and government bodies in the field of sports. More » The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra marked its centenary with a gala concert in Brussels on Wednesday evening in a ceremony that the Slovenian presidency staged as a prelude to the spring EU summit, to be chaired by Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Thursday and Friday. More » The legendary Slovenian gospel outfit New Swing Quartet, which has recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, was conferred the Viktor award for life-time achievements as Slovenia's biggest media industry awards were handed out in Ljubljana late on Saturday. More » Education and Sport Minister Milan Zver signed a letter of intent with Kranjska gora Mayor Jure Zerjav on the sidelines of Saturday's World Cup ski flying event at Planica which is a step towards a modern nordic centre that is to be built there. More » Slovenian freestyle snowboarder Matevz Petek finished fourth in the final Big Air World Cup event of the season in Valmalenzo on Friday, which was enough to secure him third place finish in the overall Big Air rankings for this season. More » Slovenian skier Ales Gorza finished third in the last men's Super-G race of the season in Italy's Bormio on Thursday, clinching 13th spot in the World Cup standings in the discipline. More » Norway won Saturday's World Cup ski flying team event on the giant hill at Planica with 1,715.1 points, ahead of Finland (1,615.1) and Austria (1,482.1). Slovenia, who were third after the first round, placed fourth. More » The European Commission has endorsed a programme of cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and Croatia for 2007-2013. The available pre-accession funds for the period until 2009 amount to EUR 15.72m, the Government Office for Local Government and Regional Development said on Tuesday. More » Calendar of Events for 18 - 23 March More »

Slovenia News 11 March 2008

On 5 March the Slovenian Parliament voted to recognise the independence of Kosovo. Out of the 67 deputies present at the vote, 57 backed the government proposal and four voted against. Addressing parliament on behalf of the government, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said that in its decision to recognise Kosovo the government had followed the conclusion of the Kosovo negotiations troika that a continuation of talks between Pristina and Belgrade would not yield a new solution due to differences in views when it came to the key question of Kosovo's sovereignty. The government was also guided by the finding that the Kosovo Assembly adopted on 17 February the declaration of independence as a legitimate expression of the will of the majority of Kosovo's population. The decision was moreover based on specific historical circumstances, such as the status of an autonomous province within Yugoslavia given to Kosovo by the 1974 constitution, the systematic repression of Kosovo Albanians and the years of international administration of Kosovo. Rupel added this were circumstances that made Kosovo a "unique" case, and which suggested that "no alternative solutions were possible or realistic". Slovenia definitely supports the expansion of NATO to Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday. More » Parliament voted to recognise the independence of Kosovo on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority. Out of the 67 deputies present at the vote, 57 backed the government proposal and four voted against. More » Slovenia will send up to 15 police officers to the EU justice and policing mission in Kosovo, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed for STA. Deployed for a year, the Slovenian police will be involved in monitoring, training and advisory roles. More » Driven by exports, the Slovenian economy expanded at an annual rate of 4.7% in the last quarter of 2007, while GDP growth for the whole of last year is estimated to have reached 6.1%, the highest rate since 1991 independence, the Statistical Office said on Monday. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Wednesday in Ljubljana that the government would push ahead with the privatisation of nearly 50% of the national telco and that "all options are still open". More » Telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije said it intends to expand to Croatia and Serbia this year. "We are keeping an eye on these and other markets in the region," chief executive Bojan Dremelj told the press on Thursday. More » The Slovenian police successfully investigated 43.3% of crimes registered in 2007, a 2.4% percentage point rise over 2006. The total number of crimes decreased by 2.4%, Police Commissioner Jože Romšek told the press. More » The parliament passed on Wednesday amendments to the act on the Agriculture and Forestry Chamber (KGZS), raising the threshold for membership and relieving thousands of small farmers from having to pay mandatory membership fee. More » A developed research infrastructure is key for meeting Lisbon objectives as it creates an attractive environment for researchers and high-tech companies, participants of a two-day conference on research infrastructure agreed in Brdo pri Kranju on Thursday. More » A small software company from the industrial town of Trbovlje, some 50 km east of Ljubljana, has proved that even a small firm in a relatively remote place can score an important international contract, helping develop NASA's new data transmission software. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel was upbeat following the meeting of the EU Troika with Canada on Wednesday, saying the EU officials heard "much encouraging and positive news" about Kosovo and the Western Balkans from Canada. The country insists the declaration of independence by Kosovo is a case "sui generis", he said. More » Slovenians respect the European Parliament and their knowledge of its work is above the EU average, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey, which was presented at a conference in Brussels discussing the turnout in European elections. More » The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and President of the European Council, Janez Jansa, met on 4 March the President of the Committee of the Regions, Luc Van den Brande. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to stress the importance of cities and regions in the implementation, monitoring and assessment of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. More » Slovenian Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told his Montenegrin counterpart Bora Vucinic on Friday that Slovenia would support Montenegro in its efforts to join NATO. At the NATO summit in April Slovenia will push for the launch of political dialogue with Montenegro, Erjavec told the press. Erjavec also commended Montenegro's decision to have a professional army, labelling it and the law on participation in allied missions as major steps on the way to NATO. More » The government adopted on Thursday the annual plan for motorway construction and maintenance for 2008, which projects spending of EUR 832m, up 13% over last year and the biggest sum since motorway construction began in the 1990s. More » Transport Minister Radovan Zerjav and his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Mansour agreed in Koper on Friday that economic cooperation between Slovenia and Egypt was good, emphasising transport services as the most prospective area of cooperation contributing to better trade between the two countries. More » An exhibition on the 500th anniversary of the birth of Protestant priest Primoz Trubar (1508-1586), which opens on Thursday, will feature a rare gem, as the Vatican Library has loaned the only remaining copy of his 1564 book "Cerkovna ordninga", a kind of rules-of-procedure for the Slovenian Protestant Church. More » Higher Education Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar said on Friday that the construction of an extension to the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana was expected to be launched this year and completed by mid-2011. More » A production of Georges Feydeau's "A Flea in Her Ear" by the Nova Gorica theatre won the jury award for best theatrical comedy as the Days of Slovenian Comedy wrapped up in Celje on Sunday. More » Slovenia's Petra Majdic, the winner of three cross-country sprint World Cup events this season, posted another top three finish in Drammen, Norway, on Wednesday. The 28-year-old finished second behind Virpi Kuitunen of Finland, while Norway's Astrid Jacobsen was the third strongest sprinter of the day. More » Marija Sestak of Slovenia finished third in the women's triple-jump at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Valencia. Sestak's best jump in Saturday's competition was 14.68 metres, putting her behind Yergelis Savigne of Cuba (15.05m) and Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece (15m). More » Slovenian experts from the police, Foreign Ministry and the information commissioner will lead the team of experts which will evaluate Switzerland preparedness for entering the Schengen passport-free area. More » Calendar of Events for 11 - 16 March More »

Slovenia News 4 March 2008

Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk and his Swiss counterpart Pascal Couchepin praised relations between the two countries as they met in Ljubljana on 3 March, while also touching on the Russian presidential election and the Swiss tax policy. The Swiss President also met Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Parliament Speaker France Cukjati. PM Jansa and President Couchepin assessed as positive the development of cooperation between the two countries, also laying hopes into the agreement signed on Sunday. PM Janez Jansa outlined the current challenges facing Slovenia in its role as holder of the EU Council Presidency. He devoted particular attention to energy and climate issues and the situation in the Western Balkans. President Couchepin also signed on 2 March an agreement on cooperation in research and science with Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar. In this edition we also write about Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's working visit to Slovenia. Talks between PM Ahern and his Slovenian counterpart Janez Jansa mainly focused on Kosovo and the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk and his Swiss counterpart Pascal Couchepin praised relations between the two countries as they met in Ljubljana on Monday, while also touching on the Russian presidential election and the Swiss tax policy. More » Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern told his host, Slovenian counterpart Janez Jansa, on Tuesday that Ireland would decide on whether to recognise Kosovo's independence in the coming days, whereas a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is expected to be held in Ireland in June. More » Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom told Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk in Budapest on Wednesday that the issue of representation of minorities in the Hungarian parliament looked set to be resolved soon. More » Topical EU issues and the situation in Serbia following Kosovo's declaration of independence topped the agenda as Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel received his Danish counterpart Per Stig Moller in Ljubljana on Thursday. More » The Economic and Social Council, an industrial relations forum, confirmed on Wednesday a Labour Ministry proposal for issuing 24,600 work permits to foreigners in 2008. The decision now needs to be endorsed by the government. More » Slovenia's largest retail chain, Mercator, has reported generating revenues of EUR 2.45bn for 2007, a rise of 18.4%. The group said its profit soared 45.3% to EUR 43.8m. More » Slovenia's biggest spa operator, Terme Catez, reported on Thursday a 10% rise in revenues for 2007, which stood at EUR 30.3m. The company's net profit rose by 24.4% to EUR 4.7m in 2007. More » National flag carrier Adria Airways generated EUR 180m in revenues in 2007, a 17% rise over 2006 and 7% above plans. Net profit amounted to EUR 425,000, six times more than in 2006, the company wrote in Thursday's press release. More » Business sentiment in Slovenia has improved slightly, according to the national Statistics Office, as the seasonally adjusted business sentiment indicator was up 1 percentage point in February over January. It dropped 6 percentage points year-on-year and was 5 points above the long-term average. More » Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar and Swiss President Pascal Couchepin signed an agreement on cooperation in science and technology in Ljubljana on Sunday. Kucler Dolinar said the agreement was the result of mutual efforts of the two countries to strengthen cooperation in this field. More » Participants of the 11th Europe Forum, taking place in Austrian Lech, agreed on Saturday that there is a consensus in the EU that the countries of the Western Balkans needed a prospect of joining the bloc. More » The second EUROMED ministerial conference on information society has given new impetus to Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, Slovenia Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar said on Wednesday, as the two-day conference wrapped up in Cairo, Egypt. More » Radio Slovenia International will be among 16 radio stations from 13 EU countries associated in the European Radio project, which will as of April prepare and simultaneously air programmes focused on social issues in all 27 EU member states, the European Commission said on Tuesday. More » Italian budget carrier Volareweb will start operating on the Milan-Malpensana - Ljubljana route on 6 May, Aerodrom Ljubljana, the operator of the Joze Pucnik Ljubljana Airport, said in Thursday's press release. More » The government adopted on Thursday decrees proclaiming the Brdo pri Kranju estate and the Orpheus monument in Ptuj cultural monuments of national importance. More » An exhibition of the Kobarid Museum of WWI 'Great War in Krn Mountains' opened on Monday evening at the museum of Military History Arsenal in Vienna, after being showcased in Ljubljana and Zagreb. More » An exhibition of old Slovenian posters from between the World Wars will open on Tuesday at the International Centre of Graphic Arts (MGLC) located in Ljubljana's main Tivoli park, Meta Kordis and Bozidar Zrinski, curators at the centre told the press on Monday. More » Ljubljana looks set to finally get a much needed new football stadium, as construction company Gradis skupina G was selected Thursday for the construction of the stadium and a multi-purpose indoor arena on the outskirts of the city. More » Slovenia's best cross-county skier Petra Majdic finished second in Wednesday's classic sprint event at the World Cup meet in Sweden's Stockholm. The victory went to Virpi Kuitunen of Finland, whereas Madoka Natsumi of Japan took third place. Majdic already won three sprints this year. More » The health purse had revenues of EUR 2bn and expenditures of EUR 1.94bn in 2007. Compared to a year before, revenues were up 4.2%, while expenditures increased by only 1.5%. More » Calendar of Events for 4 - 9 March More »

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