Slovenia News 27 November 2007

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip payed a two-day official visit to Slovenia on 26 and 27 November, where he met his host the Prime Minister Janez Jansa, the Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk and the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia Marko Kranjec. The two Prime Ministers assessed that Slovenia and Estonia were the best-performing EU newcomers, while they also noted that they shared views on all major EU issues, such as enlargement and the ratification of the reform treaty. Asked to comment on Estonia's plans for the changeover to the euro, Ansip said his government was keen to adopt the euro as soon as possible. According to him, Estonia meets all Maastricht criteria, except for inflation. The Estonian Prime Minister also discussed Slovenia's experiences in adopting the European single currency with central bank governor Marko Kranjec and Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia Valentin Inzko signed in Ljubljana on Friday a new agreement on mutual representation, adding ten new locations to the list of embassies and consulates which represent both countries in visa issuance, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. More » The parliament passed on Thursday an agreement with Macedonia regulating the adoption of children, the first such bilateral accord for Slovenia. More » Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his Estonian counterpart Andrus Ansip praised each other's countries as they addressed the press following talks in Ljubljana on Tuesday. While Jansa quoted Estonia as a role model in reducing administrative barriers, tax reform and investment in R&D, Ansip hailed Slovenia as the most successful newcomer to the EU. More » Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant announced in Brussels on Thursday that Slovenia would cut the administrative burden by 25% with a programme that the government is expected to adopt next week. More » Well paid workers are motivated workers, Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman said on Wednesday. "Productivity can not be based on low wages, just the opposite," she said at the sidelines of a two-day working visit to Brussels. She reiterated that workers' demands expressed at the 17 November protest were legitimate. More » The government decided on Thursday that the Slovenian army would send a single soldier to take part in the EU-led mission in Chad and the Central African Republic tasked with the protection of refugees from Darfur. Separately, the government decided to donate 60 mortars and ammunition worth around EUR 800,000 to the Afghan army. More » The chairs of the Slovenian and Austrian parliamentary defence committees, Anton Anderlic and Peter Fichtenbauer, met in Ljubljana on Monday to exchange opinions on the planning and implementation of the two countries' joint projects. More » Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip met Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk on Monday for talks that focused on Slovenia's experience with the euro and also broached Slovenia's plans for the EU presidency in the first half of 2008. More » The government has adopted a decree introducing regional tax breaks for companies investing in research and development. The tax breaks will apply to companies in the least developed regions and will be available for the 2007 fiscal year, Finance Ministry State Secretary Andrej Sircelj told the press after Thursday's session of the cabinet. More » The Surveying and Mapping Authority has launched a real estate market database that will enable public access to real estate deals in Slovenia. The registry will include details of real estate transactions provided by the Tax Administration, notaries, real estate agencies and local administrations. More » Proposed changes to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) that would raise the current 0.3 hectare minimum area eligible for direct payments could present a problem to Slovenia, Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc said in Brussels on Monday. More » EU ministers responsible for science reached a political agreement on the European Institute of Technology (EIT) in Brussels on Friday in what Slovenia's Mojca Kucler Dolinar sees as an opportunity for Slovenian partners working in research, development and business. The only issue that remains open is funding. More » Slovenia as the next EU presiding country will give its full attention to cooperation with Russia in all areas that are of priority for both sides, Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said after an EU-Russia ministerial in Brussels on Friday, quoting safety of documents, illegal migrations and trafficking in drugs and people. More » The European Commission on Wednesday tabled a proposal for the funding of priority projects on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) in the 2007-2013 period which includes EUR 50.7m for studies for the rail link between the Italian port city of Trieste and the Slovenian railway hub Divaca. More » "Windows on Monday" by German director Ulrich Koehler is the winner of the Kingfisher Award, the top award handed out at the 18th Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe), which ended on Wednesday after two weeks featuring 100 films. More » The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Slovenia Peran Boskovic presented to the press on Thursday plans for the construction of an Orthodox metropolitan see in Ljubljana, which is also to serve as a cultural and pastoral centre of the Serbian community. More » Education Minister Milan Zver underscored the value of patriotism as he addressed tonight's high-profile ceremony upon Rudolf Maister Day, honouring the day in 1918 when General Rudolf Maister took control of Maribor and in effect secured what later became Slovenia's northern border. More » The Maribor Faculty of Arts has joined forces with the Faculty of Humanities at the Budapest ELTE University, the Polish University of Bielsko-Biala and the American University of Kansas to establish an international publishing house. More » Slovenia will encounter San Marino, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic in Group 3 in qualifying for the 2010 football World Cup, according to the FIFA qualifying draw in Durban on Sunday. More » Slovenian Health Minister Zofija Mazej Kukovic attended on Thursday the Food Safety Summit of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), stressing in her closing speech that the way people treat the environment affects the quality of food. More » Calendar of Events for for 27 Nov - 2 Dec More »

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