First days in the European Union

Slovenes also had problems along the country’s border with Austria. Many tried to cross without showing personal documents, mistakenly believing that the border disappeared on 1 May. However, the borders will remain in place until Slovenia enters the Schengen border regime, which may not take place until 2007. According to STA, many Austrians did the same thing and were likewise turned away.

In brighter news, the European Parliament met on 3 May for the first time after expansion. The Strasbourg-based institution itself enlarged, from 626 members to 732, including seven from Slovenia. The delegations from the new member states were unofficial, however; elections to the Parliament will be held throughout the EU from 10 to 13 June and formal delegations will be elected in the new member states at that time.

World Press Freedom Day

The Slovene Association of Journalists (DNS) released a statement on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, joining other journalist organizations in Europe to warn that ownership concentration and threats against journalists are major problems even within the EU. According to DNS, the fact that Italy suffers from significant lapses in press freedom shows that EU membership does not mean a country’s problems disappear.

Speaking directly about Slovenia, DNS wrote "it is a shame that Slovene legislation currently in force still does not guarantee clear oversight and limits on media ownership, and does not define conflicts of interest clearly enough. However, the law which the government has submitted to parliament has the potential to improve the situation somewhat, but we at the Slovene Association of Journalists fear that the law will be passed too late and will not bring with it the necessary effects due to poor preparation and misunderstandings of the significance of the media on the part of oversight intuitions."

First place was shared among Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, while the US took 15^th place and Russia was near the bottom at 147. Estonia and Latvia (tie, 28) were the highest ranked among new EU members, followed by Cyprus and Lithuania (tie, 33). Among current EU members, the lowest-ranked was Italy, at 33^rd, below Austria (50) and Greece (64). None of the other former Yugoslav republics fared very well – Croatia was highest at 37, followed by Serbia and Montenegro (91), Bosnia and Herzegovina (48) and Macedonia (111).

Slovenia to host Cultural Capital of Europe in 2012

Together with Portugal, Slovenia will host the European Cultural Capital in eight years’ time, in 2012. The honor of being Cultural Capital of Europe has been bestowed upon one city in Europe since 1985, but the European Parliament’s committee for culture has decided that the honor will go to two cities each year after 2009 – one in a country which was an EU member state before 1 May 2004, and one which became a member after that date.

In 2009, the honor will go to one city in Austria and another in Latvia, Germany and Hungary in 2010, Finland and Estonia in 2011, Portugal and Slovenia in 2012, France and Slovakia in 2013, Sweden and Latvia in 2014, Belgium and the Czech Republic in 2015, Spain and Poland in 2016, Denmark and Cyprus in 2017 and the Netherlands and Malta in 2018. The individual cities have yet to be named.

Record number to study abroad in 2004-2005

At a 4 May press conference, Education Minister Slavko Gaber said that 549 Slovene students are studying abroad in the 2003-4 academic year, and the number is expected to jump to 820 in 2004-5. Gaber also said that students of social studies, economics, languages and law are the most likely to opt for study abroad, and that females go abroad more frequently than males.

Males are less likely to study abroad since they are more likely to enter technical programs and be employed during their studies, according to Madja Širok, head of the Center for Mobility and European Education Programs.

Most students find study abroad opportunities through the EU Socrates-Erasmus program. The program sends students to European countries for three to six months, and each university student can participate in the program once. Germany hosts the largest number of Slovene students, followed by Italy and Austria.

Around 120 students are currently studying abroad through the CEEPUS program.

In 2004, about 200 students are expected to come to Slovenia, while in 2005 the number should double. Students most frequently come from Italy, France and Spain. The most frequent problems among foreign students in Slovenia are difficulties finding housing and a higher cost of living.

And in other news…

• A new Criminal Code came into force on 5 May which introduces higher penalties for a variety of offences, among other innovations. Deadbeat dads, sexual predators, pedophiles, organized criminals, copyright infringers, bribe givers and takers and illegal border crossers all face increased penalties under the new law.

• Tourists in Slovenia will surely benefit from a new promotion from the Ljubljana Tourist Board, the Tourist Card. The card entitles the holder to free usage of the city’s bus system, free or reduced admission to museums and a wide variety of events and discounts at participating hotels and restaurants as well. Each card is valid for 3 days and costs SIT 3000. The Tourist Card is available at Tourist Information Centers and selected hotels.

• The 4^th of May marked the 24^th anniversary of the death of Josip Broz Tito, former president of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito died in 1980 in Ljubljana’s Clinic Center and is buried in the Dedinje neighborhood of Belgrade, in Serbia. In 2003, some 15,000 people visited his tomb at the House of Flowers, and more are expected this year: so far in 2004, 5000 people have visited, of which 2000 were from Slovenia.