The EU Ministers in charge of competitiveness met in Brdo pri Kranju at an Informal Meeting hosted by the Slovenian Presidency on 15 an 16 April.
On the first day of proceedings, chaired by Slovenian Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar, the Ministers launched the "Ljubljana Process" aimed to the formation of a single and efficient European research area through better coordination of all stakeholders at all levels of decision-making. The initiative arose from the conviction that more cooperation and synergy are needed to improve research in order to create a globally competitive Europe able of competing with the likes of the US and Japan, as well as the rising powers of India and China. EU Commissioner Janez Potocnik, who attended the first day of meeting, said that the EU was trying to change brain drain into the positive concept of "brain circulation", which is essential to the functioning of research. He said there were a number of policies to attract researchers who have left Europe and policies aimed at making Europe more attractive.
The second day of meeting, chaired by the Slovenian Minister for the Economy, Andrej Vizjak, focused on issues related to industry. The Ministers voiced broad support for two major initiatives mulled by the European Commission - the Small Business Act and sustainable industrial policy. European Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen positively assessed the Ministers' support for two policy initiatives which are considered the key drivers to the EU's effort to improve competitiveness.
Slovenian Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar discussed on Monday efforts to bolster Slovenian-Argentinean cooperation in science as she held talks with her visiting Argentinean counterpart Lino Baranao. More »
Slovenian Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc concluded on Monday his three-day working visit to Macedonia. The aim of the visit was to boost cooperation in agriculture and Jarc signed several agreements with Macedonia. More »
Austrian Minister for Education, Arts and Culture Claudia Schmied paid a visit to Slovenia on Monday, discussing with her hosts, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti and Education Minister Milan Zver, topical issues in the light of bilateral and regional cooperation and Slovenia's EU presidency. More »
The government amended on Thursday the environment protection act with the provisions of the EU directives on environmental liability and remedial measures for the environment and with the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, Environment Minister Janez Podobnik told the press. More »
EU ministers in charge of competitiveness voiced broad support Wednesday for two initiatives mulled by the European Commission - the Small Business Act and sustainable industrial policy - which are considered the key drivers to the EU's effort to improve competitiveness. More »
EU accession is the only way to tear down the borders between Western Balkan countries, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Wednesday at the opening of the Slovenian Business Week, a series of business conferences in Ljubljana. He told economists from the region that joining the EU was worth the effort. More »
Senior officials for trade and investment from EU and Asian countries have called for progress in negotiations on free trade agreements between the two regions at a two-day meeting in Slovenia's Maribor. They exchanged views regarding some global issues and called for liberalisation of world trade. More »
The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises presented at a conference in Bled on Thursday specific proposals to reduce administrative barriers by 25% by 2012. The document was submitted to the Slovenian EU presidency and the European Commission. More »
Slovenia's biggest bank, NLB, said on Wednesday it would issue 898,204 new shares at EUR 334 apiece. The EUR 300m issue will increase the bank's share capital by 11.2%, NLB said, adding that the proceedings are to be launched on Thursday for existing shareholders. More »
EU ministers in charge of science launched at Brdo pri Kranju on Tuesday the "Ljubljana Process", which would lead to the formation of a single and efficient European research area through better coordination of all stakeholders at all levels of decision-making. More »
Structured cooperation in implementing the EU health strategy topped the final day of a two-day informal meeting of EU health ministers at Brdo pri Kranju. The ministers backed a proposal by the Slovenian presidency to have a group of officials deal with coordinating efforts in health between the member states and the European Commission. More »
Joseph Daul, the head of the European People's Party (EPP-ED) deputy group in the European Parliament, told the press on Friday that one of the main topics of the party's two-day meeting was the increase in living expenses, which he believes should be of priority concern for the EU. More »
Slovenian parliamentary Speaker France Cukjati assured his Turkish counterpart Koeksal Toptan in Ljubljana on Tuesday that Slovenia supported Turkey's progress in the lengthy, multi-step EU accession talks. More »
Issues related to the European law enforcement organisation, Europol, and negotiations on the visa regime with the US topped the agenda as Slovenian Interior Minister Dragutin Mate met his Czech counterpart Ivan Langer in Prague on Wednesday, according to a press release from the Slovenian presidency of the EU. More »
The Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2008, a three-day conference on road transport development, started in Ljubljana on Monday. According to European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, the event aims to strengthen cooperation in the area of transport development. More »
The Slovenian Music Days, a festival dedicated to Slovenian composers of contemporary music, will this year focus on the works of avant-garde composer Vinko Globokar, including his best known work "Angel zgodovine" (Angel of History), a three-part concerto for two orchestras and two conductors. More »
Slovenia's Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti is one of the three historians who wrote the first comprehensive overview of the Slovenian history in a foreign language. More »
EU directors general for youth have underlined dialogue with youth as the main vehicle for improving the situation of young people in the EU. Meeting at Brdo pri Kranju on Monday, the participants discussed the future of EU youth policy and the working methods for the next ten years. More »
The "Promoting the Participation of Young People with Fewer Opportunities in Society" event took place in Ljubljana from Friday to Sunday, with Slovenian Education Minister Milan Zver and EU Education, Training, Culture and Youth Commissioner pointing to the importance of the young. More »
A delegation of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) which has visited venues in and around Maribor that are to host the Winter Universiade in 2013 on Wednesday expressed full support for the only candidate for the event. More »
Health Minister Zofija Mazej Kukovic said in Brdo pri Kranju on Thursday that her EU counterparts agreed interdisciplinary approach was required for a disease such as cancer, as well as other diseases. More »
Slovenia launched the national breast cancer screening programme on Monday, with the first mammography being performed in Ljubljana. The programme, dubbed Dora, is aimed at reducing breast cancer mortality by 25%, director of the Ljubljana Oncology Institute Aljosa Rojec told the press. More »