Overview of the week's top stories
since 1 March 2003

The results of the European Union’s latest Eurobarometer survey were released this week, and show that Slovenia is the least-welcome of the states which are set to join the EU next year. Just 38 percent of EU citizens support Slovenia’s membership, while 40 percent oppose it. Overall, 52 percent support EU expansion, with 30 percent opposed.

Slovenia has ranked near the bottom on the Eurobarometer poll each time it has been conducted. Once again, only Romania and Turkey rank lower.

EU citizens offered the highest support to the candidacies of Malta, Hungary and Poland. Even Bulgaria, which is not among the first group of ten countries expected to join in 2004, ranked higher than Slovenia. EU citizens, however, would much rather see Switzerland, Norway or Iceland join, rather than any of the current candidates. None of those three countries plan to join in the near future.

In individual countries, support for Slovene membership is higher. In Sweden, 62 percent support Slovenia, while just 24 percent oppose the country’s membership in the EU. In Greece, the figures are 57:25, followed by Austria (54:33), Denmark (53:30), Spain (52:20) and Ireland (50:21).

French citizens are most opposed, 59 percent, against just 23 percent who are in favor of Slovene membership. Elsewhere, low support was recorded in Germany (30 percent for, 49 percent against) and the UK (31:36).

The Eurobarometer poll was conducted between October and November 2002, among 16,000 citizens of EU member countries. The poll is done twice annually.

With a vote of 54:3, the National Assembly promulgated the amendments to the constitution, which it passed last week. The amendments were required to allow the country to join the European Union and NATO.

A new article 3A is added after article 3 of the constitution in order to allow the country to transfer a portion of its sovereignty to international organizations and alliances. Other changes introduced define both the relationship between Slovene legislation and that of supranational organizations, e.g., the European Parliament, as well as the relationship between the National Assembly and the government.

Amendments to article 47 permit extradition in accordance with international agreements. Also, article 68 is amended to abolish the principle of reciprocity, whereby EU citizens have been treated in Slovenia the same way Slovenes are treated in individual EU countries. Now, EU citizens will all have the right to own property in Slovenia regardless of whether Slovenes can own land in the various EU countries. This article was also amended in 1997.

This marks only the third time the Slovene constitution has been altered since it entered into force in December 1991. In 1997, article 68 was amended to allow foreigners to own property; and in 2000, article 80 was amended to reflect changes to electoral procedure.

On 1 March, the new Law on the Presidency entered into force. The law sets out the benefits awarded to presidents both while in office as well as after they have stepped down. It also provides guidelines for the organization and work of the president’s office.

The law also gives former presidents the right to participate in state ceremonies. Among the law’s other provisions are guidelines for the salaries and pensions of former presidents, as well as criteria for the provision of an official residence, office space and access to protocol sites for both the sitting and former presidents. Former presents also are entitled to a diplomatic passport, and state security at home and abroad while on official business.

Despite market conditions, all of the country’s major newspaper publishers ended 2002 in the black. According to the 4 March issue of Delo, all met or exceeded their business plans for the year and have high expectations for 2003.

Delo, the country’s largest newspaper publisher, turned a SIT 10.1 billion (USD 48 million) profit from sales of Delo, Slovenske novice and other titles. Profits were up seven percent over 2001.

Delo head Jure Apih said that market conditions for advertising last year were sub par, but readers were satisfied with the products. Despite the market, Delo’s profits from ads actually rose six percent over 2001.

Dnevnik, which publishes the newspaper of the same name, made a profit of SIT 5.7 (USD 27 million) last year, which is SIT 800 million (USD 3.8 million) more than the previous year. In 2002, Dnevnik paid more attention to expanding its distribution activities, which brought in more money. Until last year, the company only distributed its own titles.

Head of Dnevnik Branko Pavlin told Delo that as with other newspaper publishers, sales have been declining as more and more people turn to the internet. This requires publishers to turn to other activities to ensure the profitability of their endeavors.

Finance made SIT 980 million (USD 4.6 million) last year, five percent more than expected and 39 percent more than in 2001. Although they operated at a loss throughout 2002, it was 50 percent less than in 2001. Profits were boosted by high sales of the daily Finance, which sold 35 percent more than the year before.

Slovenia’s Office for Slovenes Abroad funds several projects in the Porabja region of Hungary, which has seven villages with ethnic Slovene majority populations. The region is contiguous to northeastern Slovenia.

The most important event to be held this year in Monošter will be an astronomy camp. The annual camp usually attracts about a dozen young Slovenes. Organizers are hoping to include day trips to Pahor and the Slovene coast to entice more young people to participate.

• Prime Minister Rop told a press conference on Tuesday that the government will wait to answer a United States request to transport military equipment across Slovenia to Turkey. "Aside from the fact that the negotiations are still on-going, it is much more important to wait for the United Nations Security Council, which is to convene on Friday, and wait for its decisions," Rop said.

• On Tuesday, Kosovo Albanian war-crimes suspect Fatimir Limai was sent to the Netherlands, to stand trial at the ICTY, based in the Hague. Limai, a leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), was arrested in Kranjska Gora on 18 February. He and three others are accused of illegally detaining, torturing and murdering 22 Serb and Albanian civilians at a prison camp in 1998. He is denying all charges.