The week in review:

• Public Administration package enters into force
• US freezes assistance to Slovenia
• Ombudsman for Human Rights reports to parliament
• Controversy in the run-up to the 6^th Festival of Slovene Film
• Slovene summer school begins in Ljubljana
• Carinthian Slovenes found third organization

• Dušan Lajovic dismissed
• 51^st Ljubljana Summer Festival opens on 6 July
• DJ Umek prime draw to the Meet Me electronic music festival

On 28 June, the Law on Civil Servants and several related laws entered into force, and changed the face of the national civil service. The package, which also included the Law on the Salary System in the Public Sector, the Law on Government Administration and several other pieces of legislation, is intended to fulfill the country’s public administration reform obligations to the European Union.

Though the Law on Civil Servants is binding on the entire public sector, it particularly affects the organs of state and local administration. It foresees a renovation of the system of human resources planning and hiring practices; a new, more objective, system for hiring and promotion; a new system of career planning for employees; an increase in internal mobility opportunities; new mechanisms for the rationalization of work; the separation of politics from high administrative functions; and a strengthening of social partnership.

The law has established the Administrative Council, which convened for the first time on 30 June. The council is an independent body which is mandated with the selection of the highest administrators. It consists of twelve members: three named by the President of the Republic, four by the government, two by the unions, three by high state officials in state administrative organs.

Six ordinances based on the Law on Civil Servants also entered into force. One of the most important is the Ordinance on the Organs of Ministries, which determines that 10 of the 53 existing bodies under the various ministries do not fulfill basic criteria laid out in the Law on State Administration, and must be dissolved by 1 January 2004. Those bodies’ human and financial resources, as well as responsibilities, will be given back to the Ministry to which the body reported.

Another is the Ordinance on the Internal Organization, Systematization, Posts and Nomenclature in Organs of Public Administration and in Judicial Organs, which introduces several changes meant to raise transparency and efficiency in the internal structure of state bodies.

The United States has decided to freeze military assistance to dozens of countries, including six which will join NATO next year – including Slovenia– because they are refusing to sign a bilateral treaty exempting US citizens from extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On 1 July, State Department Press Secretary Richard Boucher, as well as the US embassy in Ljubljana, confirmed the news, according to Radio Slovenija.

Slovenia was expected to receive more than USD 4 million next year, but now that money will not come through. However, as Mladina pointed out, the funds amount to little more than USD 2 per head, which is a small price to pay for one’s principles.

Based on US budgeting practices, assistance to Slovenia and the other five countries in question will continue to be dispersed for 2002. The 2003 funds will be frozen until Slovenia signs, ratifies and implements a bilateral agreement.

However, military assistance to NATO member states was not affected, regardless of whether they signed a bilateral treaty. Slovenia could once again be eligible for US assistance in just under one year, when it becomes a member of NATO.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Radio Slovenija that the country’s position on the bilateral agreement remains unchanged, despite the US move.

In 2002, the Office of the Ombudsman handled 2870 cases, a 13 percent drop over the previous year. Similar to 2001, most cases related to judicial and police matters (26.4 percent) and administrative matters (16.3).

The biggest difference over 2001 is with cases relating to constitutional rights, which showed an 89.5 percent increase. The report states that this is the result of new working groups on children’s rights and the security of private data. The biggest drop – some 42.1 percent – was in the number of cases dealing with limitations on personal freedoms.

The Office of the Ombudsman is mandated by the constitution to be responsible for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in matters involving state bodies, local government bodies, and statutory authorities.

Controversy ensued, since Jovanović, as head of the national Film Fund, is the man who decides which films receive funding from his institution. Applicants now fear that if the Film Fund did not support their projects in the past, Jovanović will not include their films in the festival line-up.

Nearly 300 foreigners from 32 countries are taking part, and according to STA about half of them live in Slovenia. Most come from Argentina, Germany, Austria and the United States, and are participating for business, educational or other personal reasons.

During the day, students receive six hours of Slovene-language instruction. Afternoons are dedicated to special subjects, such as business Slovene, conversation and such. Also, special programs, including field trips to Štajerska and Dolenjska, as well as special lectures and concerts, are on the agenda.

Last Friday, leaders presented a new general organization, the Carinthian Slovene Community (SKS), to the public in Klagenfurt (Celovec). The organization is the third such in Austria’s Carinthia province, after the National Council of Carinthian Slovenes (NSKS) and the Union of Slovene Organizations (ZSO).

The NSKS has already issued a press release lamenting the formation of the SKS. According to the release, "further divisions within the national group is not in its own interests, and is only useful to those who are trying to play both political organizations against each other."

And in other news…

• Honorary Consul for Australia and New Zealand Dušan Lajovic was dismissed late last week. Lajovic was responsible for the controversial UDBA.net website, which published the secret files of the former Yugoslav state police for the first time, in April. The official reason for his dismissal, however, was that on the basis of a forthcoming directive on honorary consuls he is simply too old to continue. The UDBA.net controversy was not mentioned.