The OSCE ministerial council did not adopt a ministerial declaration today. Instead, OSCE chair Dimitrij Rupel just circulated the chairman's statement, which is not politically binding. The ministerial did however adopt the road-map for a reform of the organisation, which was the subject of intense debates at the Ljubljana ministerial.
The 13th OSCE ministerial council was opened Monday in Ljubljana by Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.
The two-day meeting is a culmination of Slovenia's one-year stint as the chair of the security organisation.
The key foreign affairs event for Slovenia in 2005 is the country's presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The one-year presidency was crowned with the organisation's Ministerial Council, which is taking place these days in Ljubljana. The presidency has taken a lot of time and effort, especially burdening Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. Nevertheless, top Slovenian politicians assessed that heading a 55-countries strong organisation increased Slovenia's reputation and recognition among the international community. Meanwhile, the country has also been gearing up for a new project, as it is to head the European Union in the first half of 2008. More »
"To join the EU, Bosnia-Herzegovina needs more stable institutions which would be not depend on their national affiliations," FM Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE chairman, told the opening of an international conference devoted to the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement. More »
The OSCE ministerial council did not adopt a ministerial declaration on Tuesday. Instead, OSCE chair Dimitrij Rupel just circulated the chairman's statement, which is not politically binding. More »
The government has adopted amendments to the securities market act to include provisions prescribed by the EU prospectus directive. The amendments, adopted at Tuesday's correspondence session, are expected to improve investor protection and the effectiveness of the securities market. More »
The cabinet adopted on Thursday a decree which deals with cooperation and coordination between the government and other institutions responsible for Slovenia's foreign policy. More »
Joze P. Damijan, the economist who authored the government's economic reform package, has agreed to take over as minister without portfolio for the coordination and monitoring of Slovenia's development strategy. More »
Slovenian gaming company Hit and US casino operator Harrah's Entertainment have formed a joint venture to build a major new gaming and entertainment centre near Nova Gorica, an investment worth US$ 700m scheduled for completion in 2009 provided that the government loosens gaming legislation. More »
The European Commission approved an EUR 185m financial package to fight animal diseases in the EU in 2006, with EUR 900,000 going to Slovenia, the Commission said on Wednesday in Brussels. More »
Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak said at Thursday's session of the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council that small transit countries, like Slovenia, are faced with having to invest heavily to ensure reliability of the entire region's electricity infrastructure. More »
Slovenia on Tuesday proposed to the EU the establishment of a European innovation centre that would network in one place all subjects which take part in an innovation process, as well as form a support environment on the national level. More »
Slovenia got off well in the European Environment Agency (EEA) report "The European Environment - State and Outlook 2005". Although the agency has noted a two-fold increase in greenhouse gas emissions attributed to traffic, it praises Slovenia for the high share of renewable energy sources and a slight reduction of municipal waste. More »
An institution promoting Slovenia and Slovenians is opening its doors in Brussels on 1 December. The opening ceremony of the Slovenian House, "the window to Slovenia" in the administrative capital of the EU, however, was marked last Wednesday. More »
Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk outlined the tax changes being prepared in Slovenia as he took part in the Luxembourg Financial Forum meeting on Friday. He also presented his views on proposals for tax harmonisation in the EU. More »
Slovenia's largest bank, NLB, is to spend SIT 18.4m (EUR 77m) this year and the next for upgrades to its information technology system connected to the changeover to the euro, international accounting standards and Basel II capital-adequacy rules. More »
Ciril Stokelj, former Slovenian ambassador at the EU, took up the office of European Parliament General Secretariat director responsible for inter-institutional cooperation and foreign policy on Thursday. More »
The 21th Book Fair was opened with an award ceremony at the Cankarjev dom art centre on Tuesday evening. The key speaker Boris Pahor, acclaimed Slovenian writer from Trieste, used the occasion to express concern for the evaporating language awareness. More »
A two-week exhibition on Maks Fabiani, a pioneer of modernism in Slovenian architecture, is to open at the Museum of Architecture in Ljubljana on Tuesday. More »
Architect and professor Vojteh Ravnikar is the recipient of the prestigious Herder Prize, awarded each year for achievements in the field of culture, the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture said on Friday. More »