Friday, December 19, 2008

EU calls for end to Croatia-Slovenia border spat

"France urged Slovenia and Croatia Friday to end a 17-year-old border dispute amid worries it could hamper Croatia's bid to join the EU.

Slovenia on Friday used its veto power as an EU member to prevent the 27-nation bloc from speeding up membership negotiations with Croatia, apparently because of the border dispute.

The dispute, which involves a dispute over sea rights and various smaller tussles over land borders, dates back to 1991, when the two nations seceded from the former Yugoslav federation.

Bruno Le Maire, France's European affairs minister, urged Slovenia not to use the border dispute as an excuse to continue blocking entry talks with its Balkan neighbor."

Source: International Herald Tribune

Friday, December 12, 2008

Al Gore Promotes Climate Change in Slovenia

According to the Slovene News agency STA, "Former US Vice President turned environmental activist Al Gore paid a highly publicised visit to Slovenia on Wednesday aimed at promoting the debate on climate change. He met with the highest Slovenian officials, including President Danilo Tuerk and Prime Minister Borut Pahor."

The 'highly publicized' visit of Al Gore did not receive any international coverage, however, and local media journalists were keen to point out that many of the VIPs and other guests who attended Gore's presentation had arrived in SUVs and other gas guzzlers!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

D&B: Direct impact of the crisis on Slovenia minor

"The rating agency Dunn& Bradstreet preserved Slovenians DB2b risk rating in December, while the ratings trend is deteriorating as in most countries.

The Agency established that the direct impact of the global financial crisis on Slovenia is minor, largely due to the dominance of traditional and relatively simple financial instruments in the country, adequate supervision of banks, low balance of payments deficit, and the fact that the country is in the euro area."

Source: emportal

Thousands on Facebook want Slovenia's Rupel out

"More than 13,600 people have joined an Internet group urging Slovenia's 'perennial foreign minister,' Dimitrij Rupel, to retire from political life.

Rupel, who held the post in several governments after independence in 1991, attracted criticism when he swapped parties to allow him to retain the post from 2004 to 2008, a period that covered Slovenia's presidency of the European Union.

Now, despite being a member of the defeated centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party, his fourth party since 1991, he has been made special foreign policy adviser by the new ruling party, the centre-left Social Democrats.

A day after the announcement, his critics set up the 'Together Against Dimitrij Rupel' group on the social networking website Facebook."

Source: Reuters