Overview of the week's top stories
since 11 March 2002

Ambassador of the United States to Slovenia Johnny Young met with representatives of the insurance firms Sava and Maribor Insurance (ZM) this week in Ljubljana. Sava and ZM representatives familiarized the Americans with Slovene legislation in the insurance sector and possible opportunities for American investment both now and after Slovene accession to the EU.

According to Young, the United States is eager to get a foothold in several key sectors in Slovenia, among them telecommunications, banking and insurance.

Dr. Marko Pavliha, an advisor to Sava, told Dnevnik that "[t]he ambassador mentioned the possibility that Sava could serve American investors as a stable bridge not only into our market, but also into the markets of the former Yugoslavia and Central and Eastern Europe, because we have already been around for thirty years and we know the local cultures and legal environments well."

Though Sava is a major insurance firm, Triglav is by far Slovenia's largest. Asked why the Americans visited Sava and not Triglav, Pavliha said that the meeting was held at the initiative of Sava, not the United States.

Parliament is currently considering amendments to legislation with the intention of at least partially privatizing the insurance sector. However, it is not known what sort of influence foreigners will be permitted to have.

On Friday, representatives of twelve non-governmental organizations held a press conference in which they called on the government to provide more support to civil society.

NGOs in Slovenia suffer from severe lack of funds, which the government does little to assuage. Compounding the problem are the government’s policies towards civil society, which the NGOs called "unsystematic and ignorant."

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Janez Drnovšek made a rare trip out of Ljubljana to pay a visit to Novo Mesto, along with Finance Minister Tone Rop. Though he frequently travels outside of Slovenia, he rarely does so within the country.

The two visited the headquarters of Revoz, Slovenia’s largest automotive firm, and spoke with its managers and with other businessmen from the surrounding Dolenjska region.

The Dolenjska and near-by Bela Krajina regions are among the most successful in the country, insofar as they export more than one half of their total production, with added value per employee at 15 per cent above the national average.

The two regions are home to some of Slovenia's largest companies, including Revoz, Krka and Adria Mobil. Revoz alone accounts for almost ten percent of Slovenian exports.

According to Finance, local business leaders stressed the need for infrastructure improvements during their meeting with the Prime Minister. They believe that the government treats them "like a stepchild," with the poor road and rail connections between Ljubljana and Novo Mesto a prime example.

Drnovšek said he was surprised that highways were such a pressing concern, and promised to give the Dolenjska and Bela Krajina regions priority in building new highways.

Without the backing of a party currently in parliament, Rozman will have to collect some 5,000 signatures to earn a spot on the list of candidates. More than 30 parties are registered with the government, including his League for Slovenia. However, only eight hold seats in parliament.

At a press conference, he dropped hints at his program. He told reporters that he does support Slovene membership in NATO, "but not at any cost." Rozman also wants to improve public education, to increase the number of women in parliament and in leading positions in the economy as well as to finally create autonomous regions.

He also said he will strive to raise the country’s profile by creating an individual agency tasked with promoting Slovenia abroad.

According to the State Testing Center, almost twenty thousand eighth-year students at 438 schools scored an average of 14.73 this week on the exams, out of a total possible 30. The average fell from last year’s 16.10.

Teachers believe that students have never been as disappointed as they are this year. "Those who want to go on to high school were not only disappointed at the test results, but were also frightened about whether they will achieve their goals," a group of teachers wrote in a letter entitled "Slovene, Who will Love You?" which was distributed to the media.

The State Testing Center neither prepared nor evaluated the tests. The Topical Commission, which was responsible for the tests, made no public comment.

Now that the heated debates surrounding the drag trio Sestre’s win at the national Eurosong contest has seemingly passed, Radio-Television Slovenia is getting down to business. On Wednesday, Finance reported on RTVS’s attempts to market the controversial group.

According to RTVS, marketing for the trio is going in two directions: domestically towards local businesses to drum up sponsorships, and internationally to promote Sestre and Slovenia itself.

RTVS began looking for sponsors among local businesses with ties to Estonia even before the national contest, but with little response. Now that the controversy has died down, they are restarting their search. Possible sponsors include pharmaceutical companies Lek and Krka, both of which have offices in Estonia.

In order to promote Sestre and Slovenia abroad, press packets are being distributed to journalists and European radio stations. The packets include a CD-ROM with songs, videos, photographs and the group’s biography. More than 800 journalists were accredited for last year’s Eurosong competition. Two press conferences and a Slovene evening program are also in the works to raise Slovenia’s profile in Tallinn.

The Ministry of Information Society established a program called "e-Schools" last year spread internet access more widely across the country. Statistics from 2001 showed that most of the country’s total internet usage is in its two largest cities. The e-School program focuses on parts of the country where the internet has yet to make significant headway, and is already a success.

According to Dnevnik, the public has taken to the e-Schools. Though the average user is young, even older people interested in the internet and technology are becoming regular visitors.

Ten schools throughout the country have been outfitted with high-tech equipment which the public can use free of charge from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the week and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. A mentor staffs each e-School, and is available to answer questions.