The government released on Friday, 7 October, its blueprint for structural reforms which would affect practically all major sectors of the economy and society in general. In a bid to make the Slovenian economy more competitive and raise the standard of living, the proposed reforms, drafted by a government reform committee, include some 60 measures to implement Slovenia's Development Strategy, a document the govt adopted in June.
The government reform committee outlined its proposals for economic and social reforms to the government at Thursday's cabinet session. According to the head of the committee Joze P. Damijan, the proposals are "a good basis for reforms aimed a boosting economic competitiveness and speeding up economic growth, while maintaining or even improving the welfare state and the security of workers". More »
Soon after the Slovenian parliament unanimously passed a law declaring a protective ecological zone and continental shelf in the Adriatic on Tuesday, 4 October, Croatia officially proposed that an international body should make the final decision on the disputed maritime border in Piran Bay. More »
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has not excluded the option that Slovenia might carry out activities towards a referendum on Croatia's EU membership if "Croatia continues with the negative politics towards Slovenia." More »
Slovenia will help Pakistan, which was hit by a major earthquake on Saturday, with SIT 100m (EUR 420,000) in goods and money, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told the press on Monday. More »
The government has adopted a staffing plan for Slovenia's EU presidency in 2008. The document, which was outlined on Thursday, says that existing employees have to be utilised as much as possible, whereas gaps will be covered by additional staff and experts from the outside. More »
Prime Minister Janez Jansa told parliament on Monday that the main objective of the 2006 and 2007 budgets is to create macroeconomic conditions which will allow Slovenia to adopt the euro 2007. More »
The Finance Ministry and the central bank unveiled on Friday the layout of Slovenia's euro coins, which are due to become legal tender on 1 January 2007. What mainly sets them apart from the euro coins of other countries is the inscription "Slovenija" running in the circle along the outer rim of the coin. More »
Camper and caravan maker Adria Mobil imarked its 40th anniversary by moving its production to a new, state-of-the-art plant, a EUR 35m worth investment. Company's manager Sonja Gole told that the past year was the most active yet for the firm. More »
The government adopted a new wine bill last week which, according to Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Marija Lukacic, will boost the competitiveness of Slovenian wineries whilst also ensuring consumer protection. More »
Under a reform of the health care sector, five doctors from Slovenia's leading hospital were awarded a state license to go private as of November, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. More »
The Slovenian telecommunications market has a new Internet service provider, the Maribor-based company T-2, which is the first to offer the new broadband technology VDSL (very high speed digital subscriber line). More »
Slovenia will coordinate the national reform package for the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy with the government's reform proposal before it submits the document to the EU. The paper will therefore be sent with a one-week delay on 21 October, according to national Lisbon coordinator Janez Sustersic. More »
In addition to the EU framework programme on research and EU initiatives, Slovenia needs a carefully drafted state strategy for successful development of research, EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik said in his address Monday to the Ljubljana-based Jozef Stefan Institute. More »
After the premiere at this year's Salzburg Summer Festival, the staging of "Alamut", a landmark 1938 novel in which Slovenian author Vladimir Bartol portrayed radical Islam, premiered before the home audience at the Ljubljana National Drama Theatre on Saturday. More »
The major European network of arts festivals has selected the managing and artistic director of the Ljubljana Festival Darko Brlek its new president for a four-year term. More »
An EU-sponsored project for the preservation of the brown bear population in Slovenia has wrapped up. The project defined "peace areas" that are crucial for the bears' survival in the animals' two largest natural habitats, the Kocevski Rog forest and the Sneznik mountain. More »