Overview of the week's top stories
since 2 November 2001

With the first snowfall of the year this week, ski season is just around the corner. But the country's major ski resorts are not priming themselves for a busy year. Barring last year, the number of visitors to Slovene resorts rose by 20 percent over the past five ski seasons. Some 80 percent of that represented foreign guests. However, last year there was not enough snow, which resulted in a 50 percent drop over the previous year.

The attacks on the United States and continuing operations in Afghanistan are expected to affect this year’s season, albeit indirectly. The majority of skiers coming to Slovenia are Italians, Austrians, Croats and Germans. However, less foreign tourists in Europe will mean heightened competition among resorts all over the continent overall.

Perhaps an indicator that all hope is lost for the 2001-2002 ski season is the fact that the daily Finance tried unsuccessfully to speak to the head of Maribor's Sports Center Pohorje resort all week. The same held for the director of the popular Rogla resort, who promised a written response that never materialized.

Amendments to the Law on Police were sent to parliament this week which will provide a legal basis for parliamentary oversight of the legality of operations and use of special measures by the criminal police forces. The vote at the parliamentary Committee for Internal Affairs was controversial, but the amendments were submitted under the accelerated procedure, showing a degree of urgency on the part of its supporters.

The amendments are based on a Constitutional Court decision from last year which requested the passage of special legislation to enact constitutional provisions for parliamentary oversight of some aspects of criminal police.

Controversy erupted this week when Igor Vezovnik was named head of the national press agency, STA. Vezovnik, a former official in the Slovene Security-Information Agency (SOVA), was proposed by Tadej Labernik, who held the post from 1994 until earlier this month when he was named ambassador to Bosnia.

On Tuesday, NSi protested, fearful that the move will bring about further limits on the plurality of the media, and a drop in the trustworthiness of Slovenia in international politics.

"I didn't realize I was dangerous," Vezovnik told Finance on 7 November. Though he insists his work with SOVA is nothing of concern, he refuses to release any details. Vezovnik holds a degree in law from the University of Ljubljana. In 1991, he bought into Kanal A, and became the director until last October.

Vezovnik sees no problem with his work at SOVA and his new job at STA. As he told Finance: "Both are connected to information."

Last year, the daily suffered losses of some USD 800,000. The situation is so dire that employees staged a strike this week demanding their unpaid August salaries.

In July, audit reports conducted by Ernst & Young vindicated the Society of Journalists when they found irregularities in several areas of RTVS operations, including employment policies, financing of programs and co-productions, and procurement. The Society is calling for further investigation and even litigation against their deposed boss.

Former State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy Boris Šuštar and Helsinki Watch are planning a press conference next week where they hope to prove Šuštar has been a "sacrificial lamb."

This spring, Šuštar was convicted to three years in prison and a fine of SIT 7 million (USD 30,000) for accepting a bribe. At the end of last week, the court once again extended a freeze on his assets for an additional six months.

Šuštar maintains that bribery between corporations and the government is common, even among some prominent politicians. Helsinki Monitor believes that the Šuštar case has been exploited to demonstrate to the European Union that the government is serious about tackling corruption.

Documents presenting Šuštar's side of the story will be ready next week, and Helsinki Monitor will present both the documents and its analysis of them at the press conference on Wednesday.

Kiberpipa officially opened on Friday after four months of "under construction" operations. The computer center located at 6 Kersnikova in Ljubljana is now open every day from 10 to 10. The center offers free computer access and hopes to promote technology awareness, art, research and networking among young people across the country.

Free guidance is offered by the staff at all times, and Kiberpipa is also planning a wide range of free or inexpensive classes from basic computer literacy to advanced technology.

Minister of Information Society Pavel Gantar was at the opening, and commented that the ministry will support this and similar projects, since the ministry’s goals are the same as theirs. "Kiberpipa is more than just internet access, it is a cultural connection to the internet" he told Mladina.

Kiberpipa is a project of Zavod 6/4 in cooperation with Ljudmila Digital Media Lab, Ljubljana University's KISS, Galerija Kapelica, KUD Trave in misli, Slovenska Demo Scena and Klub K4.

The November Research on the Internet in Slovenia (RIS) shows that 61 percent of all internet users in Slovenia are male, and 53 percent are aged 18 to 30. While 51 percent are employed, 37 percent are students. Some 48 percent have higher education.

Of the 15,000 who participated in the survey, 63 percent use the internet daily and 33 percent almost daily. About 40 percent have used the internet for 5 or more years, and 33 percent for 3 or 4 years.

Their main source of information is still television, however, at 46 percent. Only 14 percent consider the internet their main source of information.

The internet is sharply focused on Ljubljana, with 40 percent of total usage. Maribor is in second place with 26 percent. But outside of the two biggest cities, internet access is rare. The Ministry of Information Society has established a program called "e-Schools" to begin to address this problem.

Working in cooperation with local authorities, businesses and NGOs, the e-Schools offer free internet access to the general public. They also have full schedules of training and educational programs, including workshops and lectures. Each is manned by a mentor to assist visitors.

The University runs until 30 May 2002 and will sponsor almost 30 lectures by local and foreign academics, as well as seminars and debates. This year's theme is Utopistika, "utopian studies."

The thematic program begins with the history of the concept of utopia, continues with analyses and criticism of social systems and alternatives and concludes by investigating the possibility of creating an entirely different society.

• On the World Day Against Racism, 9 November, at Metelkova's Menza, Media Watch presented their latest book: Report of the Group for Changing Intolerance No. 1. The book is a collection of studies, analyses and historical documents and covers intolerance against such groups as refugees, women, drug users, same sex relations, communists, liberals, "Balkans," and others.

• The conference: "Perspectives on Media Policies in the States of Southeastern Europe" will take place in Ljubljana on 22 and 23 November 2001. Participants will review the reforms of the past ten years and explore perspectives for the future. The program includes topics such as media legislation, accountability, market development, content and agenda, education of media professionals and the implications of Southeastern European states of membership in international organizations on media policy. The conference is organized by the Mirovni Inštitut and the Open Society Institute, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe.

• "Andy Warhol: Life and Work (1928-1987)" opened on 6 November at the Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana. The exhibit, featuring more than 70 drawings, illustrations, objects and photos, was organized by Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum. Warhol's parents were Rusyns from Czechoslovakia, and so the exhibit has special resonance for the region. The Moderna Galerija has organized a full array of public programming, including tours, children's workshops, videos, films and a roundtable on modern art. Programs also include cooperation with the Festival of Lesbian and Gay Film that will take place in Ljubljana next month. The exhibit runs until 9 December 2001.