Slovenia News 25 September 2007

Heavy rains hit Slovenia on 18 of September causing flash flooding and setting off mudslides. Torrential waters made six victims and ravaged several towns. The Franja partisan hospital, a national monument shortlisted for the UNESCO World Heritage List, has been devastated too. Franja was among the best equipped clandestine partisan hospitals during WWII, boasting an operating room, X-ray apparatus, a disabled care facility, and a small electricity plant. It was gradually constructed between December 1943 and May 1945, and was never discovered by the occupying forces, despite extensive search campaigns. In this edition we also write about the Prime Minister's visit to New York, where Jansa is attending the 62nd summit of the UN General Assembly. On Monday PM Jansa spoke at a round table on adapting to climate change, where he outlined the EU's views on how to respond it and Slovenia's experience with its effects, including the recent devastating floods. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Jansa, who will attend the opening part of the General Debate of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly tomorrow in New York, at UN Headquarters today attended a high-level event on climate change called The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change, convened by the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. Slovenia's participation at this session is all the more important in the light of the country's forthcoming EU Presidency, when climate change is expected to top agendas both in the EU and globally. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel held a number of bilateral meetings ahead of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Speaking after talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, Rupel said developing countries should not be subject to the same environmental standards as developed ones. More » Parliament Speaker France Cukjati met on Friday in Tainach his Austrian counterpart Barbara Prammer, discussing bilateral relations and possibilities for their improvement. Cukjati pointed to the importance of solving open questions regarding the Slovenian minority in the province of Carinthia and the minority's inclusion in cross-border cooperation. More » The head of the Slovenian parliament's upper chamber, Janez Susnik, is visiting Russia until Thursday at the invitation of his counterpart Sergey Mironov. Bilateral cooperation and Slovenia's upcoming spell as EU president are expected to dominate his agenda. More » In the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating flooding, the government on Thursday adopted relief measures and decided to declare Friday a national day of mourning for the victims. More » Retail chain Mercator opened on Thursday a 7,500 sq. metre shopping mall in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, dubbed Zagreb III. The investment is worth EUR 10m, director of the Croatian subsidiary Mercator-H, Alan Krickovic, told the press. More » The president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) Zdenko Pavcek visited Banja Luka on Monday, also holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik and Bosnia-Herzegovina Minister for Trade and Economy Slobodan Puhalac. Both expressed interest in cooperation with Slovenian companies. More » The number of asylum seekers in Slovenia stood at 500 in 2006, 70% less than in 2005, when it stood at 1,550, according to the latest Eurostat data published on Friday in Brussels. More » Slovenian Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant said on Thursday that the results of a recent survey placed Slovenia second in e-public administration in the EU. More » European Affairs State Secretary Janez Lenarcic told the daily Vecer on Saturday that he was "pleased with the positive assessments" Slovenia is getting about its preparations for EU presidency in the first half of next year. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has told the opening of a two-day conference on security in the Western Balkans that giving the countries of the region a European future is the solution to the region's security issues. More » Belgian airline Brussels Airlines is to start flying between Brussels and Ljubljana as of 19 November. The airline will operate the route six times a week, Brussels Airlines said in a press release on Wednesday. More » Slovenian port operator Luka Koper presented last week its activities at the international logistics fair in Thailand's Bangkok, and discussed with the Association of Thai Freight Forwarders (TIFFA) possibilities of using the port of Koper as an entry point for freight transports from Southeast Asia. More » Sabina Cvilak, a 30-year-old soprano from Maribor, has won a standing ovation at the Washington National Opera in her debut as Mimi in Giacomo Puccini's classic "La Boheme". More » Slovenia on Saturday joined the European Heritage Days, a traditional event sponsored by the Council of Europe and the EU, with a series of events focusing on its legendary architect Joze Plecnik (1872-1957). More » A booklet on Slovenian as an European language, aimed at presenting the role, importance, historical development, presence and diversity of Slovenian language was unveiled on Monday in Ljubljana, ahead of the European Day of Languages, on 26 September. More » The government adopted on Thursday an umbrella domestic violence bill as the first document of its kind to define domestic violence, Labour, the Family Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman told the press after the session. More » The city of Novo mesto won the bronze award at this year's Entente Florale Europe, the European Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom, which took place on 21 September in Harrogate, the UK, Novo mesto Mayor Alojzij Muhic told the press on Monday. More » Slovenia, along with Slovakia and Hungary, is expected to sign an agreement with Austria in November for boosting cross-border police cooperation following the expansion of the Schengen border-free zone, diplomatic sources in Brussels said on Friday. More » Calendar of Events for 24 - 30 September 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.