Overview of the week's top stories
since 22 December 2002

The media reported this week that the government may be gearing up to hold a referendum on Slovene entry into NATO as early as 9 February. According to 24 ur, 30 March is another possible date. A far less controversial referendum on Slovene entry into the European Union is expected to be held simultaneously with the NATO referendum.

According to the latest Politbarometer results reported this week in Finance, support for Slovene membership in NATO rose in December 2002 to roughly 50 percent. Opposition fell from roughly 36 percent to 31, while nearly 20 percent remained undecided.

"The Americans could invite us in the meantime and then the government would not hold a referendum at all," he said.

Several new laws entered into force on or shortly after 1 January 2003. Among the highlights were new laws on public assembly and working conditions, as well as other laws and amendments introducing new regulations related to various other social and economic issues.

On 3 January, the Law on Public Assembly entered into force. This new law regulates the constitutional right to peaceful public assembly, marches, parades and public events. Among the innovations are the fact that it forbids marches near sites which are protected by special provisions, such as sites connected to parliament, the government or the president.

The new Law on Working Conditions formalizes relations between employers and employees. From now on, the two groups will have to sign an agreement which makes their rights and responsibilities clear. The law is harmonized with European legislation and recommendations of the International Labor Organization.

Amendments to the Law on Parental Security and Social Benefits provide among other things the right to paternity leave. In 2003, new fathers will receive 15 days of leave following the birth of a child, while in 2004 they will receive 45 and in 2005, 90.

Amendments to the Law on Medical Services, which determine new working hours for doctors, also entered into force. Doctors will now begin work at 8 o’clock a.m. at least one-fifth of the country’s doctors must have working hours after 4 o’clock p.m. to enable patients access to medical treatment after normal working hours.

Among the other general changes are amendments to the Law on Rail Traffic, the Law on Energy and the Law on the Protection of Retired and Disabled People, as well as a new Laws on the Ordering of Space and on the Construction of Buildings.

A variety of new laws dealing with business and finance also entered into force, including a new Law on Investment Funds and Securities Management, a new Law on Assistance for Rescuing and Restructuring Economic Associations in Difficulties, and amendments to the Law on Customs and to the Law on Taxes from Profits of Legal Entities.

Also with the new year came a hike in the costs of several goods due to amendments to the Law on Excises. Cigarettes rose by 10 percent and postage stamps by nearly 15 percent. A 20 percent tax will see an increase in the price of wine as well.

The establishment of the new office brings with it a degree of restructuring elsewhere. Henceforth, the Economic Ministry’s service for regional development will be transferred to the new office, along with the sector for foreign aid at the Government Office for European Affairs. Jurisdiction over the new state Agency for Regional Development also comes to the new office from the Economic Ministry.

Dobro jutro premiered in September 2002 in Maribor, Slovenske Bistrice and Ptuj. Advertising makes up roughly half of the paper’s contents, while the remaining space is dedicated to general-interest journalism. Particular attention is paid to local events.

The Ljubljana version would be similar. According to Zorko, "the main concept is to have a local city weekly. And wherever it is published this model would be used."

Zorko said that Dobro jutro, Maribor is doing well. "Currently we do not yet cover all of our expenses, but we also did not expect to do that this quickly. Movements are positive and for now we are satisfied," he said.

Zorko also told Finance that it will be easier to start a new paper in Ljubljana after already having started one in Maribor. The basic structure, concept and distribution channels are all the same. Businesses already know what Dobro jutro does for its advertisers in Maribor, and so in Ljubljana, "it will not be necessary to start from scratch," he said.

Damjan Kozole’s new film Rezervni deli (Spare Parts) will compete at the 53^rd annual international film festival in Berlin, which will be held from 6 to 16 February. The film is about two traffickers of illegal migrants and is set near Krško. Rezervni deli will premier in Slovenia on 5 February at Ljubljana’s Kolosej, after a special preview screening in Krško on 31 January.

The Cati Society conducted a major survey of the frequency of visits by Slovenes to websites, and presented their findings on Wednesday. All Slovene websites have seen an increase in visits in recent years, although the total number of users in the country has risen at a less dynamic rate.

The most-visited websites are the search engines Najdi.si with 282,563 visits per month, and Matkurja.com with 250,347. Slowwwenia.com placed 8^th.

The homepages of internet service providers placed third and fourth: SiOL.com with 106,975 visits per month and Email.si with 86,769. Other service providers, such as TIS Telecom (5^th place), Mobitel (7^th) and Mobisux (10^th) also had strong showings.

Among the websites of popular media, there were several surprises. Pop TV’s 24ur.com news site beat out that of the national RTV Slovenija with 70,670 visits per month to 32,824. The website of the country’s dominant daily newspaper Delo placed 24^th with 22,341 visits per month, far behind Vecer.com (9^th place, 46,955 visits per month), Finance-on.net (17^th, 31,287) and Dnevnik.si (19^th, 27,857). The site of the newsweekly Mladina placed 12^th with 42,608 visits per month.

• Even though the World Economic Forum named Alja Brglez a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" on 3 December, she was fired from her position as head of the government’s Office of Information before the end of the month. According to Mladina, Prime Minister Rop was not pleased with her job performance, particularly as it related to informing the public about the benefits of NATO and EU membership for Slovenia. The new head of the Office of Information is Gregor Krajec, an external advisor to the European Commission delegation in Ljubljana.

• A new magazine called Art.si was released just before the close of 2002. The magazine covers the fields of fine arts, photography, design and architecture and will appear quarterly. Contents include articles, reviews, criticisms, commentaries, special reports and interviews, and cover all periods, from ancient to modern and contemporary art. From the second issue, Art.si will include English-language summaries, with a view towards attracting foreign readers.