Slovenia News 30 October 2007

Following meetings with Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Jean Lemierre said the bank would continue to support Slovenia in processes involving the state's withdrawal from the economy and financially back projects in fields where the EBRD can use its experience and know-how to add value. Rupel meanwhile expressed support for the new EBRD strategy on expanding activities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. In this issue we also write about two important steps for the Slovenian minority living abroad. While in Italy the regional parliament of the Autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia passed a bill protecting the Slovenian minority, in Ljubljana the SLOMAK coordinating body of the Slovenian minorities in Austria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia held on 26 October its first all-minority assembly. The SLOMAK coordinating body of the Slovenian minorities in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia held its first all-minority assembly on Friday in Ljubljana at which participants agreed that SLOMAK had done a lot in the first four years since its establishment in January 2004. More » The Slovenian-run International Trust Fund For Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) and Colombia signed on Tuesday a memorandum on cooperation in demining. The cooperation will include rehabilitation of mine victims, expert training and social reintegration programmes for mine victims, the ITF said on Tuesday. More » Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia Valentin Inzko presented in Ljubljana on Thursday a project entitled Weeks of Cross-Border Cooperation, which is to take place between 4 and 15 November on various locations in Slovenia and Austria. More » Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel presented the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency as he held talks on Tuesday with Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey in Bern. Switzerland expects that as the presiding country Slovenia will speed up certain procedures, especially as regards the Schengen no-border zone, Rupel said. More » The regional parliament of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia has passed a bill protecting the Slovenian minority which many view as the final step to implementing state legislation passed on the matter in 2001. More » The government on Thursday labelled as unnecessary the opposition-crafted motion that envisages stiffer penalties for the incitement of hatred and intolerance as well as a prison sentence for Holocaust denial. More » The chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Henri Bentegeat, discussed the participation of the Slovenian army in EU missions as he met in Ljubljana on Monday Slovenian Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Albin Gutman. More » The government on Thursday changed the privatisation programme for Slovenia's no. 2 bank, NKBM, to incentivise retail investors to take part in the first part of the privatisation - an initial public offering involving 49% of the share capital. More » Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak told the press after a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Vera Rafajlovska on Monday that Slovenia and Macedonia should increase cooperation in a number of fields. More » Agricultural Minister Iztok Jarc wrapped up on Wednesday a working visit to Luxembourg, where he discussed with his counterpart Fernand Boden Slovenia's priorities for the agricultural sector during its stint at the helm of the EU in the first half of 2008. More » The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Jean Lemierre concluded a two-day visit to Slovenia on Friday. Following meetings with Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, Lemierre expressed a wish for close cooperation and offered the EBRD's support during Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. More » The government has proposed tougher fines for traffic violations that have been the main cause of the worst road accidents in a bid to curb road deaths. Interior Minister Dragutin Mate explained on Thursday that amendments to the road safety act were just a short-term measure until the government put forward a more comprehensive motion. More » Sezana, a town in southwestern Slovenia which serves as the last rail interchange before the Italian border, is to become home to a European distribution centre. A letter of intent for the project, which some estimates value at EUR 80m, was signed on Thursday by government and local officials as well as the operator of the sole Slovenian commercial port. More » A revised version of a modern building which is to be put up at the site of Kolizej, the dilapidated building in the centre of Ljubljana, was presented at Ljubljana City Hall on Wednesday. The building, which will also be home to a new opera house, is expected to be completed by 2012. More » A bust of Azerbaijani national hero Mehti Huseynzadeh - Mihajlo, who fell in a World War II battle in the village of Vitovlje, was unveiled on Thursday in Sempas in western Slovenia. "Mihajlo fought against Fascism, so he is also a Slovenian hero", Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Elchin Efendiyev said at the ceremony. More » The 18th Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe), the biggest event of its kind in Slovenia, will feature over 100 films from around the globe between 7 to 21 November. The festival will open with the independent US production "The Darjeeling Limited" by Wes Anderson. More » Slovenian Ambassador to the US Samuel Zbogar has completed the latest in a series of marathons as part of his fund raising campaign for the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF). Zbogar has raised over US$ 65,000 for six Bosnian mine victims. More » Ukrainian Olexander Sitkovsky and Tatyana Filonyuk took victories in the Ljubljana Marathon on Sunday. Sitkovsky set a new course record of 2:12.49 in the pouring rain to clinch the men's title, whereas Filonyuk held off Slovenian champion Helena Javornik to take victory in the women's race in a time of 2:34.58. More » Slovenia's Mitja Petkovsek topped the parallel bars competition at the gymnastics World Cup meet in Stuttgart on Saturday. Petkovsek, who took the World Champion title in Stuttgart two months ago, beat today world championship bronze medalist Anton Fokin of Uzbekistan and Slovakia's Samuel Piasecky. More » An independent group of Schengen evaluators established that all candidates for entry into the Schengen no-border zone fulfiled all the required criteria, Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said on Friday, coming out of a meeting of EU interior ministers in Prague. "The door to the final decision is now open," said the minister. More » Calendar of events for 30 October - 4 November More »

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