Bridges Torn Down on Slovenia-Croatia Border

"With Slovenia entering Schengen territory, there will be 60 border crossings left, 27 of them for border traffic, on the 670 km long border with Croatia, and 115 different bridges and roads used by the local population will be either blocked or torn down, writes Ljubljana daily newspaper Delo.

Delo writes that bridges on Sutla, built by the local population, with continue to be torn down, which the Slovenian police justifies with the introduction of the Schengen system of border supervision and danger of illegal immigration or crime across the border.

Bridges being torn down will not affect any of the citizens who live next to the border with Croatia. Only the crossings that are not used very often or are abused for illegal migrations and crime will be removed, Ljubljana police spokesman Drago Menegalija tells Delo in response to the inquiry about the bridges between Dobovac and Bistrica na Sutli being torn down, which Slovenian and Croatian media had reported. "

Source: Javno

Slovenia Third Safest Country in Europe for Foreign Investors

"Slovenia ranks third among 31 European countries included in a rating evaluating investment risks for foreign investors from a human resource perspective conducted by the Federation of European Employers (FedEE).

According to FedEE's web site, Poland was the safest choice for foreign investors, followed by Denmark, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The survey, which included 27 EU members, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, rated the countries on the basis of 15 quantifiable factors related to labour supply, human capital, employee relations, inflationary pressures, labour costs and labour flexibility, according to FedEE's web site."

Source: STA

Slovenia First to Be Connected to SIS

"Slovenia is the first among the nine candidates for entering the Schengen passport-free zone to have established a full link to the central Schengen Information System (SIS), Interior Minister Dragut in Mate said on Friday, 20 July in Bratislava.

Slovenia will be followed by Hungary and Estonia in establishing the full link. 'This means that the system is working,' Mate said.

Mate, attending a meeting of the candidate countries, added that the country's preparations for joining the zone are proceeding according to plan, as the draft report on the additional evaluation of the air border shows that the Ljubljana airport complies with Schengen standards.

Slovenia's main airport underwent the evaluation in early July after the airport failed the check last June."

Source: STA

Gender Pay Gap in Slovenia among Smallest in EU

"While women in Slovenia earn about 8% less than men, women in the EU earn on average 15% less than their male colleagues, a report by the European Commission says.

Only in Malta and Belgium was the gender pay gap smaller than in Slovenia, according to a Eurostat survey from 2005 that had been included into the report, which was presented in Brussels on Wednesday, 18 July."

Source: STA

Slovenia sets new presidential election for Oct. 21

"Slovenia will hold new presidential elections on October 21 when the five-year term of President Janez Drnovsek expires, parliament speaker France Cukjati announced Friday.

Drnovsek, 57, said he would not run for the post again. But three prominent public figures — a former Central Bank governor, an ex-assistant to former U.N. Secretary General and a member of the European parliament — have already announced their candidacies.

The elections would be the fourth since the country of 2 million declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004 and is to take over EU's rotating six-month presidency on Jan. 1, 2008.

All of the three main candidates will run as independents, although each has political backing. The new president takes office in December."

Source: IHT

FM Tells Independent SE Europe an Opportunity, not a Burden

"Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel wrote in an op-ed for Thursday's issue of UK daily Independent that the 'EU should stabilise its southern flank' by including as soon as possible the countries of SE Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

'We should start thinking of south-east Europe as an opportunity, not as a burden,' Rupel wrote in his commentary and pointed to not only tourism and cultural attractions but also to energy connections and the diversity of the region's human resources. According to him, the EU needs 'to fill the gap between Slovenia and Greece sooner rather than later - or risk paying a much higher price in the future.'"

Source: GCO

FM Rupel Asks Miliband for Assistance in EU Presidency

"The priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency topped the agenda as For eign Minister Dimitrij Rupel held talks on Thursday with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, with Rupel asking for the UK's assistance in climate change, the Middle East and the Western Balkans. 'We will need British help here,' Rupel said.

Great Britain wishes to work closely with the Slovenian presidency, Rupel said after the talks. 'They are a lot more experienced than we are in presiding the EU, and they expect us to tell them what we know about the 'Balkans quarrels' and issues underway regarding the UN Security Council resolution on Kosovo.'

Rupel also invited Miliband and Gordon Brown, the new British prime minister, to attend several events taking place in Slovenia during its stint as EU president."

Slouce: GCO