Slovenia Bulletin

Slovenia takes over OSCE presidency

On 1 January, Slovenia has become the leader of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the OSCE. According to officials, this is the country’s greatest foreign policy challenge since its leadership of the United Nations Security Council in 1997 and good practice for the country as it prepares to assume the mantle of the presidency of the European Union. [SN / 03.01.05 / Slovenia Assumes OSCE Presidency, SN / 05.01.05 / Jansa and Rupel Bring Diplomats’ Attention to Top Challenges, SN / 05.01.05 / Drnovsek: Presidency of OSCE and EU Are Tough Tasks, STA / 14.01.05 / Slovenia "to face numerous obstacles" as OSCE chair – paper].

According to Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, leading the OSCE will be based on a "triple-R agenda: revitalize, reform and rebalance" the organization. He is also hoping that the country’s position between East and West will allow it to play the role of mediator in a number of disputes, most significantly between Russia and the West. Other focuses will be internal reforms of the OSCE, trafficking in human beings, and flashpoints such as in the Caucasus, Transdniestra in Moldova and Kosovo [SN / 13.01.05 / Rupel Says Slovenia Wants to Revitalise, Reform and Rebalance OSCE].

The website of the Slovene presidency of the OSCE can be found at http://www.osce.org/cio/slovenia/.

posted by editor @ 1:52 pop. 0 comments

Slovenia set to ratify EU constitution

In early January, the government approved a bill on the ratification of the European Union constitution and sent it to parliament for a final vote, expected before the end of the month [SN / 06.01.05 / Bill Ratifying EU Constitution Sent to Parliament].

The EU constitution treaty was signed on 29 October 2004, and must be ratified by all 25 member states before it can enter into force. Although ten member states will ratify the constitution based on popular referenda, Slovenia and the others have opted to ratify it with a parliamentary vote. So far, only Lithuania and Hungary have ratified it.

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EU Presidency working group established

The government has created a working group to prepare for Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union in the first six months of 2008. The group is chaired by Prime Minister Janez Janša, and also includes Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk, Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant and head of the government's Office for European Affairs (SVEZ) Marcel Koprol.

The group is tasked with drafting policy guidelines and setting the presidency’s priorities, as well as overseeing preparations being made throughout the Slovene public administration.

Slovenia will be the first of the ten new members of the EU to assume the bloc’s presidency. If the Constitutional Treaty is not in force by 2008, the country will lead the EU alone; if the treaty has entered into force, however, Slovenia will be joined by Germany and Portugal as the first "presiding troika," an institution enshrined in the Constitutional Treaty [SN / 06.01.05 / Govt sets up EU presidency working group].

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To sem jaz update: Again no vote, while show might be sued

Once again, the expulsion of two of the housemates based on call-in voting has been put off, this time for ten days. The delay is, according to the organizers, intended to maintain the show’s dynamic [Index.hr / 17.01.05 / To sam ja: O nacionalnim predrasudama, pornićima i masturbiranju].

Meanwhile, the Dutch company Endemol has announced that it is suing the organizers of To sem jaz for copyright infringement. The company says that the show is a blatant rip off of Big Brother, to which Endemol owns the rights. The company has also filed similar suits in Brazil, Israel and France [Index.hr / 19.01.05 / "To sam ja" pred tužbom, Novi List / 19.01.05 / Nismo kopija "Big Brothera"].


Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks
20.01.05 Two girls replaced…temporarily

posted by editor @ 1:48 pop. 0 comments

To sem jaz update: Two girls replaced…temporarily

On 12 January, To sem jaz organizers announced that the two most boring girls would be ejected from the house and replaced by two new contestants, in an attempt to make the show more interesting. The voting was left to the contestants in the house, and it was Serbia’s Dijana and Slovenia’s Jana who had to leave.

The two new candidates – from Bulgaria – then came into the house and surprisingly began a striptease for the boys. Miro was the first to jump into the game, breaking his streak as the laziest of the housemates. The boys then began stripping themselves, though Edis refused to play along since he thought something was not quite right.

In the end the organizers announced it was a joke, that the two strippers are not going to stay and that Dijana and Jana will remain on the show. Dijana immediately assailed Miro for forgetting about her so quickly and trying to get the strippers’ attention [Index.hr / 13.01.05 / Bugarske striptizete u showu "To sam ja"].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks

posted by editor @ 1:47 pop. 0 comments

To sem jaz update: Slovene Miro on the rocks

According to the Croatian media (since the Slovene media seems to have forgotten all about the show), the Slovene contestant on To sem jaz, Miro, is about to be disqualified because he is not fully participating. Viewers have noticed as well: "On the show, one Slovene viewer wrote in that the Slovene representative is lazy, just lies around and is not representing Slovenia in a good light" [Index.hr / 06.01/05 / To sam ja: Slovenac pred diskvalifikacijom].

Meanwhile, a few days later, the Croatian media reports that Miro is concentrating on being the biggest "stud" in the house, and that – at least according to him – all of the women in the house want to sleep with him. So far, though, only the Serbian contestant, Dijana, has. "Josipa has said that she likes Miro, while Mateja has said that she feels a special chemistry with Miro…"
However, "Miro is still sleeping with Dijana regularly, and the noise they make is bothering the Croatian representative Edis, who cannot sleep because of it" [Index.hr / 10.01.05 / Raste sesksualna napetost u showu "To sam ja"].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off

posted by editor @ 1:45 pop. 0 comments

UK press names Slovenia top destination

The British dailies The Guardian, The Observer and the Guardian Unlimited awarded Slovenia the title of "Favorite European Country" at a recent travel awards ceremony. The award was granted based on a vote by the papers’ readers.

The award comes just as Slovenia is preparing to celebrate 100 years of organized tourism in the country. In 1905, a group of 25 local tourist boards joined forces as the Slovene Tourist Association, which remains the central tourism organization in the country today. The centenary will be marked by nearly 10,000 events throughout the country this year [ICE / 14.01.05 / Slovenia tops poll of prime destinations].

posted by editor @ 1:44 pop. 0 comments

Ptuj gearing up for local Carnevale, Kurentovanje

Carnevale will be held in early February this year all around the world, and Slovenia is no exception. The most significant celebration in the country is centered on Ptuj, and is called "Kurentovanje," after the Kurent, a mythical creature associated with wine and partying.

Kurentovaje in Ptuj will run from 3 to 8 February and will open with the parade of Kurents, people dressed in traditional costumes made of sheepskin with bells around their belts, long red leather tongues and horns. The parade will take place at midnight on the 3rd. Later that day, the mayor of Ptuj will ceremonially transfer his authority to the Carnevale Prince, who will be accompanied by more Kurents. The central location of the celebrations will be a carnevale tent on the left bank of the Drava near Ptuj Bridge.

One of the highlights of Kurentovanje is the nightly concerts. The schedule is as follows: D' Kwashen Retashy, Fredy Miler and Boštjan Konečnik (3 February), Vlado Kreslin with the Romany group Halgata and Marko Potrč (4 February), Roc'k'n band and Davor Borno (5 February), a parade of the best folk and entertainment ensembles (6 February), Čuki (7 February) and Jasmin Stavros (8 February).

During the day, events will be held at the carnevale tent for children, with a special children’s Carnevale Masquerade on 7 February. Various ethnographic groups will be represented by street performers throughout the city during Carnevale, both from Slovenia and from abroad. On 6 February from 2 to 5 p.m., a number of ethnographic groups from throughout Slovenia and seven from abroad will perform in a special show [STA / 17.01.05 / Kurentovanje se bo začelo 3. februarja].

posted by editor @ 1:42 pop. 0 comments