Slovenia News 20 March 2007

Slovenian diplomats had a busy week, topped by the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who came to Slovenia following a letter by President Drnovsek to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran's nuclear programme and efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly economic ties, dominated talks held by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki with Slovenian officials on Wednesday, 14 March. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel also held talks with European Parliament's rapporteur for Croatia Hannes Swoboda over balancing the MEP's draft report on Croatia's progress towards EU accession, soon to be debated by European Parliament. It is not history that is dividing Europeans, but above all the political and ideological interpreting of it, Former President Milan Kucan said in Strunjan on Friday as he addressed a memorial ceremony devoted to victims of Fascism prior to and during WWII. More » Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek told the Austrian public broadcaster ORF on Saturday that he was against the expansion of Slovenia's sole nuclear plant in Krsko. According to a report on Sunday by TV Slovenija, Drnovsek told ORF that there were enough nuclear plants in Europe and that he preferred "different, cleaner energy". More » President Janez Drnovsek is on his way to New York, where he is to meet on Wednesday UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for talks that will focus on global crisis spots, foremost Darfur and Iran, the president's office said. More » The Foreign Ministry issued on Wednesday a rebuke against Croatian political and media depictions of Slovenian-Croatian relations, saying that "certain Croatian politicians and journalists" have been providing untrue pictures of bilateral relations, whereby they have been "harshly, intolerantly as well as unjustifiably attacking Slovenian officials." More » Iran's nuclear programme and efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly economic ties, dominated talks held by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki with Slovenian officials during his visit here on Wednesday. More » The European Parliament's rapporteur for Croatia Hannes Swoboda has said he has no intention of withdrawing a proposal in his draft report on Croatia's readiness for EU membership that Slovenia and Croatia consider arbitration in efforts to solve their border dispute. More » Croatia's Ambassador to Slovenia Mario Nobilo was summoned to the Slovenian Foreign Ministry on Monday for talks about his recent statement that Croatian citizens were not allowed to buy real estate in Slovenia. The ministry refuted the claim and Nobilo told STA that the two countries were very close to resolving the issue of reciprocity. More » The Joint Committee for the Distribution of Diplomatic and Consular Property of the former Yugoslavia agreed in Ljubljana on Friday on the schedule for the division of the assets. While residences are to be handed over by the end of June 2007, embassies and consulates will get new owners by the end of this year. More » The Government Office for Local Government and Regional Policy sent to deputy groups on Monday five draft bills that deal with establishing provinces. The documents propose that the country be divided into 14 provinces. More » The cabinet decided on Thursday to set up a national power distribution company (SODO). The company will get a license to manage the network of the current five power distributors and will be headquartered in Maribor, the Economy Ministry wrote in a press release. More » Slovenia will enter the European market of debt securities on 22 March with its first issue of benchmark 11-year Eurobonds in a nominal value of one billion euros and with a fixed interest rate of 4%, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. More » Eight Slovenian executives received on Thursday awards for exceptional business and entrepreneurial achievements in 2006, handed out by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS). The award ceremony saw Prime Minister Janez Jansa praising the companies. More » The European Central Bank (ECB) has found "significant budgetary imbalances" in Slovenia in its March bulletin on the economic situation in the eurozone, placing Slovenia among the countries which are "not yet in safe budgetary positions". More » A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Slovenia to undertake "substantive reforms of the pension system sooner than later" in order to ensure its sustainability. "If nothing is done now to improve the parameters of the system, calculations show that the system would be completely unsustainable by 2050," the head of the delegation, Piritta Sorsa, said at the end of the annual IMF mission on Friday. More » The state-run KAD and SOD funds, and the DSU management and consultancy enterprise on Friday published an invitation for bids for their shares in 96 companies, among them printworks Cetis, Slovenia's largest dairy Ljubljanske mlekarne and chemical company Cinkarna Celje. More » The Austrian Central Bank organised a special event in Graz on Monday to honour Slovenia's adoption of euro. The event was attended by Austrian Central Bank Governor Klaus Liebscher and Slovenian Central Bank Governor Mitja Gaspari. More » Three quarters of Europeans and 63% of Slovenians support warning labels on alcohol products that would highlight the hazards drinks have for pregnant women and drivers, according to the results of the latest Eurobarometer poll, published in Brussels on Wednesday. More » Of the 57,360 Slovenian farmers who received EU subsidies in 2005, some 95% (54,610) received less than EUR 1,250, while none received over EUR 50,000, according to data published by the European Commission on Tuesday. EU subsidies for Slovenian farmers totalled EUR 24.5m in 2005. More » EU agriculture ministers struck on Monday a compromise on voluntary modulation, a scheme which had been rejected by the European Parliament last year, effectively blocking 20% of the EU's rural development aid. Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc said Slovenia welcomed the agreement. More » A joint proposal of the Slovenian government and the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) on the establishing of a Mediterranean university received wide support at the third Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly meeting held this weekend in Tunis, the Ministry of Higher Education said in a press release on Sunday. More » Addressing parliamentary EU affairs committee in Ljubljana on Monday, European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik said the European Commission would continue in 2008 the path it has set last year. The future lies in competitiveness supported by a knowledge-based society, Potocnik said. More » A political party that could come out of the Zares (For Real), a recently established society of six former deputies of the opposition Liberal Democrats (LDS), could take 16.9% of the vote at the 2008 general elections, show the results of a survey published in Saturday's edition of weekly Mladina. More » The president of the Social Democrats (SD), Borut Pahor, was in Berlin on Monday to explore the workings of Germany's "grand coalition", which he believes might take shape in Slovenia considering the current balance of power. More » Simobil, Slovenia's second largest provider of mobile services, generated operating revenues to the tune of EUR 131.2m in 2006, 30.2% more than in 2005. Its operating profit meanwhile soared by 149.6% to EUR 11.2m, the company told the press in Ljubljana on Wednesday. More » Slovenia will considerably increase the share of renewable energy sources by 2020 in accordance with the recently adopted EU Directive for Renewable Energy Sources, Hinko Solinc of the Environment Ministry said on Monday at the opening of a three-day conference on district energy in Portoroz. More » The government is to address to the European Commission an initiative for an extension of the reduced VAT rate on construction, renovation and maintenance work for residential housing, the Finance Ministry confirmed on Wednesday. More » The chairman of the British House of Lords EU Committee, Lord Grenfell, praised Slovenia's role in the EU as he held talks with Slovenian officials in Ljubljana on Thursday. "Slovenia is playing an important role in the EU, as it will be the first new member state to preside the EU and the first newcomer to adopt the euro," he said. More » The participants of a meeting on the construction of the third development axis, a transport link between northeastern and southeastern Slovenia, agreed in Slovenj Gradec on Wednesday that the construction of the NE part of the link should begin as soon as possible. More » The cabinet adopted on Thursday the programme for the construction and maintenance of motorways in 2007. The EUR 734.5m plan includes opening 17.7 kilometres of new motorways and construction of over 100 kilometres of existing and new sections. More » The development of transport infrastructure between Slovenia and Macedonia, and new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in transport, topped the agenda as Macedonian Transport Minister Mile Janakieski held talks on Thursday with Slovenian counterpart Janez Bozic. More » The Kranj-based Presernovo gledalisce Kranj will showcase eleven Slovenian plays as part of the Week of Slovenian Drama. The 37th annual theatre festival will see six plays competing for the Seligo Award for the best play, while five will be vying for the Grum Award for the best Slovenian theatre text. More » The Ljubljana Opera and Ballet House marked the 400th anniversary of opera as a genre in Ljubljana on Saturday. The event was marked by a concert performance of the opera "Samson and Delilah" by French composer Camille Saint-Saens. More » Slovenian Literature will get a prominent place at the Leipzig book fair which will take place in the German city between 22 and 25 March. The fair that has its roots going all the way to the second half of 15th century will focus on Slovenia as part of presenting literature from Central and Eastern European countries. More » Slovenians perceive entrepreneurs from the EU as the most suitable foreign owners of Slovenian companies, a survey published by financial daily Finance on Wednesday has shown. Americans, Russians, Serbians and Croatians on the other hand enjoy far less trust. More » Ziga Turk, the recently appointed development minister, has said that his office would nurture direct relationships with people responsible for development in all the ministries and on the regional level. We want to spur creative and entrepreneurial spirit, Turk told the Friday edition of daily Dnevnik. More » Slovenia lacks trained doctors and nurses with Klinicni center, Ljubljana's central hospital, assessing that retirements will force the institution to look for 230 doctors by 2015. The Health Ministry has meanwhile said that the NE regions of Stajersko and Prekmurje are facing an shortage of family doctors. More » After the warmest winter on record, Slovenia was taken by surprise on Monday. Morning rain turned into heavy snow throughout the country by the afternoon, causing major traffic problems on many main roads in the country and congestion in city centres. More » Slovenian police achieved a breakthrough in fighting white-collar and organised crime as well as corruption in 2006, but its record on petty crime and road safety was worse, police director general Joze Romsek said on Monday as he presented the annual report on police activities. More » Slovenian cross-country runner Petra Majdic finished second in the World Cup sprint in Norway's Drammen on Wednesday, clinching the third podium finish of the season and reaffirming her standing as one of the strongest competitors in the sport this year. More » Even though there was not much snow and despite the fact that the number of skiers dropped by half, the 2006/2007 winter season was a success, the head of the Slovenian Tourist Board Dimitrij Piciga told the press on Tuesday. More » The world's oldest vine was pruned as part of a traditional tourist event in Maribor on Friday, as the city vinedresser Tone Zafosnik dealt the expert cut which will ensure this 400-year-old Guinness World Record-holding lady gives a plentiful crop. More » Schedule of Events from 20 to 25 March More »

Archive

year month 2008 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2007 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2006 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2005 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12 2004 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12

© Government Communication Office

To receive our weekly newsletter by e-mail subscribe here.