Slovenia News 6 May 2008

At the Informal Meeting of EU Transport Ministers, held in Brdo pri Kranju on 6 May, the European Commission called for additional spending for priority transport infrastructure projects. The morning session of the meeting was dedicated to the progress in building the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). According to European Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, who attended the meeting, additional spending is needed to complete the TEN-T priority projects in time. The Comissioner stressed that the completion of the network was essential for the achievement of EU's ambitious goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Slovenian Transport Minister Radovan Zerjav, who chaired the meeting, stressed that Barrot's department had prepared a thorough report on progress in TEN-T, with the aim of highlighting delays, which the ministers examined at the meeting. According to the minister, the EU had to be aware that a high-quality transport network was needed to promote trade with the rest of the world, including with the rapidly developing Asian economies. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel received his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Ljubljana on Wednesday, ahead of the plenary meeting between the EU troika and New Zealand later in the day. The ministers discussed the potential for cooperation, particularly in trade and tourism. More » Slovenian and Croatian prime ministers, Janez Jansa and Ivo Sanader, met briefly on Wednesday at the Obrezje border crossing as part of a Labour Day meeting organised by the unions. They stressed the need to build on mutual interests. More » Attending a summit of presidents of Central European countries in Ohrid, Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk held several bilateral meetings on Friday and Saturday. He also met Croatian counterpart Stipe Mesic, with whom he expressed support for the latest joint efforts to solve open issues between the two countries. More » President Danilo Tuerk addressed the 27th Labour Day meeting near Mirna on Thursday, saying in his speech that workers contribute considerably to economic stability and company profits but are not always adequately awarded for doing so. More » Labour, Family and Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman said on Wednesday that demands by workers for a secure, humane and justly rewarded work are still topical in her Labour Day address. More » EU transport ministers heard a strong call from the European Commission for additional spending to be provided for priority transport infrastructure projects at their informal meeting at Brdo pri Kranju on Tuesday. More » Tuesday's signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Serbia will attract foreign investors to the country and bolster trust of the international public and economic organisations in Serbia, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Wednesday. More » Participating in a meeting of EU officials and religious leaders in Brussels on Monday, Slovenian Prime Minister and President of the EU Council Janez Jansa pointed out that climate change was a fact and that it was high time to act. What Pope John Paul II called an "ecological conversion" is crucial, he told a press conference. More » Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel summed up his talks in Ankara on Tuesday by saying that Slovenia thought full-fledged EU membership was the only alternative for Turkey, while it should obey the same rules as other candidate countries. More » The policy of the EU is completely in tune with the policy of New Zealand and vice versa, Foreign Minister and the current chair of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, Dimitrij Rupel, said in Brdo pri Kranju on Wednesday after a meeting between the EU troika and New Zealand. More » European Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said he views Slovenia's plans to introduce a motorway toll sticker as a transitional measure on the way to the speedy implementation of electronic tolling. More » The European Commission has urged Slovenia and Italy to settle on the course and funding of the cross-border railway link between Divaca, Slovenia, and Trieste, Italy, which forms a part of one of the EU's 30 priority transport projects. More » Uros Krek, one of the most important contemporary Slovenian composers, died on Friday in Jesenice, aged 85, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) confirmed on Monday. Krek composed virtually all forms of music, also incorporating into his pieces elements of folklore. More » A film by up-and-coming Slovenian director Matevz Luzar has been nominated for a Student Oscar, conferred by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. More » Slovenia will in the summer again be awash with music festivals featuring all types of music from jazz, to pop and metal. A jazz festival in the north western town of Cerkno will open the season in May. More » French culture, from classic film to hiphop, will enliven Slovenia's streets and theatres, as the second French-slovenian Spring Festival gets underway in Ljubljana today. More » Slovenia and 16 other EU countries announced on Tuesday that they would make it easier for Serbian citizens to obtain visas. The initiative, timed to support pro-European parties in Serbia ahead of Sunday's general election, will enable about 80% of Serbs to get visas free of charge. More » Calendar of Events for 6 - 11 May More »

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