SLOVENIA QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP
Slovenia secured their second-ever appearance at a World Cup on 18 November as they surprisingly defeated the favourites Russia 1:0 in a crucial play-off in Maribor. Chasing a 1:2 deficit from the first play-off game in Moscow four days earlier, Slovenia needed but one goal to tie the score at 2:2 on aggregate, which put them ahead on the away goals rule and earned them a berth for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The victory, which send Slovenia up 16 places to 33rd on FIFA's world rankings, ended a 14-month qualifying cycle in which Slovenia went from strength to strength. It lost only twice from 12 matches and conceded only six goals. Manager Matjaz Kek described the achievement as a "dream come true...a fairytale ending from a Hollywood film". The outcome sparked mass celebrations across Slovenia and Prime Minister Borut Pahor kept his promise of shining the players' boots after the match.
The play-off provided a good opportunity for Slovenian-Russian political relations too. While the countries signed a deal on the Slovenian leg of the South Stream pipeline prior to the Moscow match, the encounter in Maribor attracted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Slovenia. He met his Slovenian counterpart Danilo Tuerk during the half-time break and the pair exchanged invitations to official visits.
ARBITRATION TREATY FACING THREE HURDLES
The government endorsed the border arbitration agreement with Croatia on 17 November and sent it to parliament for ratification. However, before deputies can vote on it, the agreement will undergo a review at the Constitutional Court and a vote in a consultative referendum, the government decided. Croatian parliament overwhelmingly endorsed the agreement on 20 November.
To speed up procedures at the court, the government asked it to review only a part of the agreement signed by Slovenian and Croatian prime ministers in Stockholm on 4 November. The article in question is 3a, which tasks the arbitral tribunal to rule on the land and sea border between the two countries. The Constitutional Court said it would give the case an absolute priority.
According to insiders, the court is expected to take at least until the end of the year to hand down its ruling. Legal experts also say it could rule on any part of the agreement regardless of what the government deems problematic or disputable.
All three Slovenian opposition parties remain opposed to the agreement, while they are also critical of the government's decision to support a consultative referendum and to refer part of the agreement to the Constitutional Court. The opposition also insisted parliament should decide on the ratification with a two-thirds rather than simple majority, which the government rejected.
Along with the agreement, the government also adopted a unilateral statement to the agreement in a bid to neutralize a similar statement by Croatia.
PIPELINE DEAL SIGNED WITH RUSSIA
After negotiating for a year and a half, Slovenia and Russia signed an agreement on the construction of the Slovenian leg of the South Stream gas pipeline on 14 November. The document was signed by Slovenian Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik and Russian Energy Minister Sergey Ivanovich Shmatko in Moscow, in the presence of prime ministers Borut Pahor and Vladimir Putin.
The accord was the last in the series of agreements with European partners Russia needed to round off the EUR 10bn project, which will deliver gas from Central Asia and Russia to Central Europe and Italy through the Balkans. Set for completion by 2015, the pipeline is seen as competition to the EU-backed Nabucco project.
The Slovenian section will have a capacity of about 8 billion cubic metres and will transport gas into northern Italy or Austria. The company constructing the pipeline will be based in Slovenia, owned 50-50 by the Slovenian gas pipeline operator Geoplin Plinovodi and Russia's gas company Gazprom. A feasibility study will show whether the existing pipeline network would be used, which Slovenia had advocated in the talks.
The signing coincided with a 2010 World Cup play-off match between Slovenia and Russia, which Pahor and Putin watched together from the VIP seats. The pair also took the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations.
PARLIAMENT BACKS COURTS REFORM
The National Assembly endorsed two government-sponsored motions introducing important changes in the judiciary. Amendments to the courts act, passed on 17 November, transfer the appointment of court presidents to the Judicial Council and introduce court directors and a special court department for trying complex cases of organised and white-collar crime. Deputies also passed an alternative dispute resolution bill (19 November) which requires courts to offer mediation to parties in dispute.
The changes are extending the Judicial Council's role from giving opinion on candidates for judges and presidents of courts to giving it power to appoint court presidents in place of the Justice Ministry. The council will also monitor the work of courts and have the power to replace presidents at courts not meeting set goals.
The changes were welcomed by most of the deputy groups bar the opposition People's Party (SLS) and Democratic Party (SDS). They proposed a number of amendments, including the crossing of provisions introducing court directors. However, this was turned down by the coalition. Supreme Court President France Testen voiced his opposition to court directors too, while he explained in an interview that he was the only person at the Supreme Court to support establishment of the specialised court department.
DEPUTIES FAIL TO RENOUNCE MAYORAL POSTS
The National Assembly rejected coalition-sponsored amendments to the deputies act on 19 November which would prevent deputies from simultaneously serving as mayors, deputy mayors or city councillors after the next general election in 2012. In a fourth attempt to change the legislation, only 34 deputies backed the amendments, while 46 voted against. There are 24 mayors among 90 members of the incumbent assembly, and an additional 29 are also serving as deputy mayors or city councillors.
The powerful mayoral lobby in parliament once again prevented the passage of the changes, even though they were put forward by the coalition and endorsed by the government in October. The proponents' main argument was that holding both offices at the same time should be abolished to prevent a conflict of interest.
While support for the law was not secured even in the coalition ranks, the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) wanted to ban only mayors of city municipalities from serving as MPs, and the People's Party (SLS) was against the changes outright. On the other hand, the opposition National Party (SNS) backed them unanimously.
CHRONOLOGY:
SATURDAY, 14 November
MOSCOW, Russia - Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik and his Russian counterpart Sergey Ivanovich Shmatko signed an agreement on the construction of the Slovenian leg of the South Stream gas pipeline. Also on hand were PMs Borut Pahor and Vladimir Putin.
KATHMANDU, Nepal - Slovenian climber Tomaz Humar was found dead in the southern face of the Langtang Lirung peak (7,227 m), where he got stranded with a broken leg on 9 September. He will be buried in the Himalayas.
MOSCOW, Russia - The Slovenian national football team lost to Russia 2:1 (1:0) in the first of the two play-off matches for the entry to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Borut Miklavcic underwent endovascular coiling at the UKC Ljubljana clinic for the treatment of a brain aneurysm which doctors detected after he suffered a minor stroke in August.
STUTTGART, Germany - Four Slovenian gymnasts celebrated top-three finishes in the season standings in the Gymnastics World Cup; Mitja Petkovsek placed first on the parallel bars, Aljaz Pegan second on the horizontal bar, while Saso Bertoncelj and Adela Sajn finished third on the pommel horse and the balance beam, respectively.
SUNDAY, 15 November
ZARAGOZA, Spain - "Dar Fur - War for Water", a documentary about the restless Sudanese Darfur region which was made by Slovenian director Maja Weiss and activist Tomo Kriznar, won the award for best documentary at the ECOZINE International Environmental Film Festival.
LJUBLJANA - A poll in Nedelo, the Sunday edition of Delo, showed that 83.5% of those questioned did not intend to get vaccinated against swine flu.
MONDAY, 16 November
LJUBLJANA - PM Borut Pahor said during questions time in parliament that he had received all necessary assurances from the US that it did not act as a witness to Croatia's unilateral statement regarding the border arbitration agreement with Slovenia.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar called on Bosnia-Herzegovina to keep up efforts to adopt constitutional changes as he visited the country. He also expressed support for a proposal under which the EU would to abolish visas for Bosnia by mid-2010.
ROME, Italy - President Danilo Tuerk addressed the Food and Agriculture Organisation world summit on food security as one of few European leaders to take part in the event. He also met Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
LJUBLJANA - The leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Jansa suggested that the first non-rotating president of the European Council should be selected in direct elections.
LJUBLJANA - Environmental activists handed to Prime Minister Borut Pahor a petition calling for his personal engagement in a bid to reach an ambitious agreement at the Copenhagen climate summit in December and to lead Slovenia to become a low-carbon society. The petition was backed by more than 9,000 signatures.
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly marked 20 years of the convention on the rights of the child by becoming the first parliament in the world to gain the status of a UNICEF Safe Point for children.
TRIESTE, Italy - The assembly of the struggling Slovenian theatre in Trieste appointed a two-member crisis management to run the SSG theatre for the season and draw up a rehabilitation programme.
TUESDAY, 17 November
LJUBLJANA - The government referred the border arbitration agreement with Croatia to parliament for ratification, while it asked the Constitutional Constitutional court to review the agreement first.
BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Danilo Tuerk and his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias discussed ways to boost bilateral economic cooperation and expressed support for Western Balkan countries' accession to the EU as the Greek president started a three-day official visit.
LJUBLJANA - Transport Minister Patrick Vlacic told the press that Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani had notified his ministry he would propose the EU stop proceedings against Slovenia over motorway tolling.
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the courts act that transfer the appointment of court presidents to the Judicial Council, introduce court directors and a special court department for trying complex cases of organised and white-collar crime.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia placed 27th among 180 countries on the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, published by Transparency International. The country's rating deteriorated by 0.1 index point to 6.6 from 2008.
LJUBLJANA - The Board of Governors of Banka Slovenije confirmed a report on the central bank's claims to the bankrupt US investment bank Lehman Brothers. The bank did not disclose their value, but the online database of claims indicated it had registered US$ 54.1m worth of claims with the bankruptcy administrator. The database shows financial institutions and individuals in Slovenia have filed US$ 113m worth of claims.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's registered jobless rate in September remained flat for the third month running at 9.4%. The unemployment total was 88,366, up 0.3% on August and up 49% year-on-year.
LJUBLJANA - The government nominated its incumbent secretary general Milan M. Cvikl for a member of the European Court of Auditors, a decision criticised as cronyism by the biggest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS).
LJUBLJANA - Culture Minister Majda Sirca signed a EUR 8.8m contract on the renovation and extension of Moderna galerija's premises in the Metelkova street in Ljubljana, where a museum of contemporary art is to open in March 2011.
WEDNESDAY, 18 November
MARIBOR - Slovenia qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by beating Russia 1:0 in the return play-off after a 1:2 away loss on 14 November.
MARIBOR - President Danilo Tuerk and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met during the half-time break of the football match between their countries, assessing bilateral relations as good and hailing the agreement that will take part of the South Stream pipeline through Slovenia.
RADENCI - The government visited Pomurje, Slovenia's poorest region, in its first regional visit. Ways to overcome the crisis in the aftermath of massive layoffs topped the agenda.
STRASBOURG, France - Slovenia finished its six-month stint at the helm of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, handing the chairmanship over to Switzerland.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Defence Minister Ljubica Jelusic attended a two-day meeting of Western Balkan defence ministers, who signed a joint statement to boost regional cooperation at Slovenia's initiative.
LJUBLJANA - President Danilo Tuerk and his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias addressed a Slovenian-Greek business conference, urging better use of potential for cooperation.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways reported EUR 800,000 in third quarter net profit, the first positive quarter this year.
THURSDAY, 19 November
LJUBLJANA - The government confirmed a coalition-sponsored motion to put the border arbitration agreement with Croatia to a referendum held prior to ratification in parliament. The Constitutional Court said it would start examining the border arbitration agreement immediately.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Borut Pahor rued a missed opportunity by the EU to appoint a "strong European leader", as European leaders selected Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy as the first full-time president of the European Council and Britain's Commissioner for Trade Catherine Ashton as the new foreign policy chief.
LJUBLJANA - In the fourth such foiled attempt, the National Assembly rejected coalition-sponsored amendments to the deputies act that would prevent deputies from simultaneously serving as mayors, deputy mayors or city councillors.
LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed an alternative dispute resolution bill which requires courts to offer mediation to parties in dispute.
LJUBLJANA - Leader of the junior coalition Pensioner's Party (DeSUS) Karl Erjavec emerged as the winner of an ongoing dispute with the head of the party's deputy faction, as five of the seven DeSUS deputies voted to replace Franc Znidarsic.
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted changes to the police act determining conditions for the work of the future National Investigation Office as an independent body for the investigation of white-collar crime and other serious form of crime.
PARIS, France - The OECD forecast a 7.9% drop in Slovenia's GDP in 2009, while projecting a moderate 2.7% growth rate fuelled by exports in 2010, rising to 3% by 2011.
LJUBLJANA - A crowd of around 10,000 gathered in Preseren Square to greet the Slovenian football team after it had qualified for the 2010 World Cup. The team was received by President Danilo Tuerk.
RADECE - Around 450 employees of paper mill Radece papir and sheltered workshop Muflon staged a six-hour strike after talks on higher wages failed.
LJUBLJANA - Environmental group Alpe Adria Green said it had filed a complaint with the Trieste Administrative Court against the Italian government's decision to allow the construction of a gas terminal at Aquilinia.
LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health (IVZ) said the number of confirmed cases of swine flu surged almost five-fold in the past week to reach 624.
LJUBLJANA - Angola opened a honorary consulate in Ljubljana, headed by Honorary Consul Andrej Tos.
FRIDAY, 20 November
LJUBLJANA - Coalition parties welcomed Croatian parliament's endorsement of the border arbitration agreement, while the opposition said it was expected, as the agreement primarily served Croatia's interests. Slovenia sent to Croatia a document saying Croatia's unilateral statement to the agreement has no legal bearing.
LJUBLJANA - Marko Simoneti, a former chairman of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange operator, was appointed head of the supervisory board at the state-controlled NLB bank after Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo stepped down on 16 November in the aftermath of her dismissal as the head of the Finance Ministry's treasury department.
BLED - State Prosecutor General Barbara Brezigar condemned political interference in prosecution's independence and warned against excessive legislative changes as she addressed prosecutors' training days.
LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik announced that the planned second reactor at the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) would be completed between 2020 and 2025.
LJUBLJANA - Telco Telekom Slovenije reported 55% fall in profit year-on-year for the first nine months of 2009 to EUR 34.1m.
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected the closing account of the 2008 national budget after the Court of Audit issued an adverse opinion on the draft account in September saying it should show a deficit of EUR 43.1m instead of EUR 65m surplus in the 2008 budget.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission debated the discovery of hidden cameras at the headquarters of the national railway operator Slovenske zeleznice the week before. MPs were told police could not continue investigation because nobody had filed a complaint.
RAVNE NA KOROSKEM - National Council President Blaz Kavcic addressed the main ceremony marking Rudolf Maister Day, remembering how the general took control of Maribor in 1918, in effect securing what later became Slovenia's northern border.
PORTOROZ - Employees in two casinos of gaming company Casino Portoroz staged a five-hour strike after failing to agree tariff part of the collective bargaining agreement.
