The Sloveni Times 124 by Slovenia Times

LIFE STYLE: The Great Alpine Outdoors

The Slovenia Times, Slovenian magazine in English, volume 7, number 124, EUR 4,80

January 2010

All Together Now Looking for the Right Energy Mix

CONTENTS

January 2010 4

Panorama

POLITICS

Top of the pops 2009

Controversial awarding of ex-police boss

Visa free Europe for ex-Yugoslavs.

Partners

ECONOMY

Car parts supplier Prevent in trouble

Interview: Jani Soršak, the boss of Slovenia’s competition watchdog

Slovenia gets its economic diplomacy in shape

ENERGY SPECIAL 16 18

Dealing with climate change

Ljubljana gets ACER seat

Energy investment on the rise

Believe the hype: Solar energy

LIFESTYLE: The Alpine Northwest

Hit the slopes: Kranjska Gora

The heroes of Vitranc ski cup

Dine With Style: Fabula

World Winter Masters Games for everyone

Winter fairytale at Bled

PEOPLE 34

Peter Florjančič, inventor

CULTURE 36

The path of Siddharta’s rock career

25 years of Mury the Cat

The event guide

SOCIETY 43

Guest Star reloaded

SPORTS

Dejan Zavec’s victorious knockout

Slovene snowboarders to invade Vancouver

Every picture tells a story January 2010

PANORAMA

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

The Destructive Power of Arms Deal Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and former Chief-of-Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces Albin Gutman were charged with abuse of office in connection with the EUR 278m defence deal with Finnish contractor Patria. In a related development, leader of the opposition Democrats (SDS) Janez Janša, who has been named a suspect in the case, accused the boss of the Corruption Prevention Commission Drago Kos of being the mastermind behind the corruption allegations in the scandal related to the purchase of 135 armoured personnel carriers from the Finnish company. Kos denied the allegations, saying that everybody knew the first information in the Patria affair came from Austria, where police flagged a suspicious transaction. According to the reports Kos also talked to the Finnish police about Tone Krkovič and Darko Njavro, two alleged associates of Janez Janša, the prime minister at the time of the deal in 2006. Kos allegedly told the Finnish investigators that Krkovic and Njavro had been lobbying with a number of people for the Finnish contractor. Leader of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) Karl Erjavec announced on he would not go quietly should Prime Minister Borut Pahor dismiss him as environment minister due to charges he is facing over a controversial 2006 defence deal.

Saying that the charges were political, Erjavec, who was the defence minister when Slovenia bought 135 armoured personnel carriers from Finnish defence contractor Patria in late 2006, said that he would call for DeSUS to rethink its participation in the coalition if he were to lose his job. Pahor responded by saying that he would make his decision “based on what is right”, regardless of the consequences for the coalition. He also called on Erjavec not to rush to decisions before he received the charges.

Responding to the report, Janša said that the claims that he or his party, the Democrats (SDS), had received bribes were untrue. He said that notes mentioned by Delo were “chatter among lobbyists” and said that they had been eliminated from the corruption probe because they were not reliable.

Latest developments suggests DeSUS intents to find a replacement minister of the environment and spatial planning in case Erjavec is dismissed in parliament. Meanwhile, daily Delo continued its series of revelations regarding the Patria deal. Among others it ran a report saying that those involved in the 2006 Patria defence deal did indeed use “J” for former PM Janez Janša. Quoting notes of a Patria representative, it says that “’J’ indeed expects money for his pension”. The author of the notes from June 2005 was Patria’s chief representative for Slovenia Rei Niittynen, the first suspect arrested in the Patria investigation by the Finnish police. A TV report by Finnish YLE broadcaster suggested back in September 2008 that “J”, which was used for Janša, received a bribe to award the 2006 defence deal to Patria.

Drago Kos - corruption watchdog for some, conspirator for others.

Nature

Internet

Floods Instead of Snowy Fairytale

The best of Slo www

Christmas floods left a trail of destruction in parts of the country and initial estimates put the damage into millions of euros. Some parts of the country saw precipitation in excess of 300 liters of rain per sq. metre - and rivers swelled to dangerous levels. The situation was worst in NW Slovenia, where the Soča river saw an all-time record flow rate. Yet flooding was by and large limited to non-populated areas. The danger shifted from the west to the east of the country late on Christmas day, as the Sava and Krka rivers began to breach their banks. An evacuation of several towns in SE Slovenia was in the making, but the rain abated just in time to prevent a potentially catastrophic situation. The state begun to survey damage and estimates suggest the damage will exceed EUR 3m in the Gorenjsko region alone. The floods were caused by torrential rains and the melting of snow between 22 and 26 December. Slovenia’s biggest insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav estimated its share of the damage would stand at around EUR 2m. The government decided that damage estimates should be concluded by the end of January. Defence Minister Ljubica Jelušič said after the government session that the cabinet wants to discuss the damage reports at the beginning of February.

November 2009 data

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UNDER THE PRESS Crime preveniton

The Untouchables? Following the changes to the police act, a national investigation office was set up. The Interior Ministry also nominated its boss - the former deputy director of criminal police Robert Črepinko The new office of between 70 and 80 investigators will be an independent body dealing with the most serious forms of white-collar crime and other serious crimes. The opposition Democrats (SDS) pointed out that the national investigation office the government is setting up on 1 January lacks a legal basis, as changes to the police act that the government adopted have not yet been passed by parliament. The party believes the lack of legal basis will weaken the fight against white-collar crime instead of strengthening it, allowing criminals to get away with their deeds, as all the evidence gathered by the office will be useless in court.

Legislation

Homophobic Referendum The government adopted in December a new family law bill which expands the rights of children and equalises same-sex unions with other unions, including by legalising gay marriage and adoption by gay couples. The new rights for gays in the bill have prompted criticism from conservative groups. Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Minister Ivan Svetlik stressed the goal was to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation in line with a ruling by the Constitutional Court. While the coalition and human rights organisations have endorsed the bill, the opposition is against it. Moreover, several civic groups and the Catholic Church have joined the opposing camp. As a result, the bill could face a referendum over provisions dealing with gay couples. The Democrats (SDS) said the government wanted to put same-sex couples’ right to adoption before the right of children to be adopted by a traditional family. The People’s Party (SLS) and the National Party (SNS) stressed they would endorse a referendum unless equalisation of same-sex unions was dropped from the bill.

Personalities

And the Man of the Year Is... Surgeon Erik Brecelj, as chosen by Slovenia’s leading daily Delo. The list of other nominees includes the parents of Bor Nekrep, a boy whose death in 2008 is suspected to be related to doctors’ negligence. Other nominees were entrepreneur Ivo Boscarol, the author of controversial best novel of the year Goran Vojnovič, national football team captain Robert Koren and alpine skier Tina Maze. Brecelj first found himself in the limelight in 2006, when he published an open letter outlining the unbearable situation at the old Oncology Institute building. After the move in 2007 to the new building, which took almost 11 years to build, the problems persisted. In October 2008, Legionella bacteria were found in the water supply system of the new premises for the second time. Brecelj went public again with details of the problems. His public appearances, however, did not go down well with his bosses and after a series of exchanges, Brecelj accused his employer of mobbing and announced a lawsuit against the institute. His actions won him the support of many of the hospital’s patients and a number of his colleagues. Brecelj already received a similar title from public broadcaster RTV Slovenija’s radio station Val 202.

“The glorious project of United Nations ended with the ignoring of thirty thousand activists, while ninety official delegates were unable to find any agreement. Leaders of five countries in a hotel room then quickly composed something what would be easier to do by email. No optimistic action plan was made. Nobody knows how to construct a giant fridge that would set the Earth back into the frameworks of normal weather forecasts. Instead of we got “Avatar,” a nice movie which is at the same time precisely analyses the Copenhagen problems... Jounralist Ervin Hladnik Milharčič in Dnevnik on the fate of global climate action.

“…the debate made us Slovenes a bit uncomfortable, because we were faced with questions how it is possible that Slovenia smuggled into the EU – the union that values respect for human rights – so much nostalgia for a certain totalitarian regime in which these values were drastically violated.”

SDS leader Janez Janša, still shocked over the presidential awarding of the former regime’s police-boss, telling his memories of meeting the EPP colleagues.

“If today all the developed economies are licking their wounds after a severe crisis, by next Christmas we will know more precisely which ones will be winners and losers. The race will be a merciless one. Slovenes have enough power, knowledge and self-confidence to be aiming for success...” PM Borut Pahor in his Christmas speech about the competition between against nations.

“At this point, the Slovenian government aims to become too modern, too advanced, which isn’t always good for citizens. I’m afraid we will want to become as modern as the Czech Republic with its legalization of drugs. According to my information – who benefits from this? – It wouldn’t surprise me if such a proposal came to light in Slovenia as well. Anti-new-family-act activist and the NSi party president Ljudmila Novak drawing parallels between Slovenia, samesex partnerships, illegal drugs and the Czech Republic.

“The values of the DNS apparently aren’t my values anymore. As a journalist, I protect my sources and seek information legally and fairly. I also prefer writing features rather than snitching to the police and prosecution. The association, in contrast, rewards those journalists with appetites for sensational information, who are willing to breach formal and informal professional rules.” Journalist Blaž Zgaga explains the reasons for his cancellation of Journalist Association (DNS) membership, after it failed to condemn the controversial report on Patria arms deal bribery, written by the society’s award nominee Dejan Karba.

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

POLITICS

In Memoriam .... 2009

The Year 2010

By Jaka Terpinc

The new decade started predictably.

It was rainy and foggy under the flashing pyrotechnic sky. The winter scenery then came after a two-week delay, suggesting that the Orthodox had a smart reason for keeping their holidays to the old Julian calendar. Anyhow, despite our best wishes, the future of this year is no clearer than its beginning – foggy and smoggy. But let’s keep the climate issue aside and focus on what Slovenia can expect. Our Prime Minister was reserved but optimistic as he turned to us on Christmas Eve. He expressed his humble hope that economy would soar again by at least one per cent in GDP and that the unemployment trend would reverse. He forget that being humble is rarely a virtue in terms of what the voters want to hear, and he seemed to believe that a divine power actually confers miracles to those who restrain from greed. The opposition immediately slammed him for a lack of ambition. However, as the political world woke up after the holidays were over, no miracle happened. All things were still in place. Karel Erjavec was still in place: The leader of Desus, the Slovenian Pension Party, a party collecting votes from them whose political ambitions are motivated mostly by protecting the near-crippling pension system: Reflecting the population structure and political apathy of the nation, Desus holds a stable share of the parliament. It is so pragmatic that it can pair with any of the traditional party groups, conservative or socio-liberal, and no traditionally tied party block can form a majority without Desus. Karel Erjavec has no political ambition other than to stay in power. Well, who doesn’t, but Karel not picky. His demand from the present government was a ministry – any ministry. And he was finally appointed to where he could seemingly do less harm: environment. Erjavec was a defence minister during the previous government, at the time of Patria, the famous arms deal corruption affair. Few believe that Erjavec was anything but a pawn in the affair, but still exposed enough to become the first target for the prosecution. Additionally, his new ministry also fouled in the eyes of the Court of Audit: enough faults for a red card. So, Pahor’s first challenge this year seem to be kicking Erjavec out of the government, but at the same time keep his party in coalition.–a warm-up exercise. In December, the President of the Republic gave an award to Tomaž Ertl, the last communist police chief, because he took the right side when it came to the critical moments of the struggle for independence. It is not difficult to agree with those who see this as an unnecessary act, claiming that Ertl was already fairly compensated with a peaceful retirement and a good pension. Whatever sentiments people have for this man, who professionally followed the expectations of a totalitarian regime, President Türk’s act itself opens an ideological front, which we will hardly escape in this year: one full of 20th anniversaries of crucial events leading to Slovenian independence. The line is drawn. There is a revolutionary, anti-communist, militant interpretation of national independence and the fall of socialism embodied in the opposition right-wing leader and former PM Janša. However, there’s another side, which seems to be more reconciled with the socialist Yugoslav past and less furious in determining the good guys from the bad ones. Türk himself said opening a debate around Ertl was a right time to do so and that it is the right thing to take a broader look at these events. Cheers to a good debate! But the problem with debaters is that they sometimes find it hard to remain sober and academic, especially in a time of a general dissatisfaction, when external factors such as economic crisis are so generous as this year. Janez Janša has already called the people out on the streets…

Top of the Pops The year has been a busy year for Slovenia’s politicians as well as the country’s economy. A new government was inaugurated just in time to see the economy take a dive. Is this government up to the job? We bring you the very best (and some of infamous) events of Slovenian politics in the last twelve months (or so), so that you can decide for yourself. By Aljaž Pengov Bitenc

little more than a year has passed since the September 2008 parliamentary elections ushered in a left-wing government in Slovenia. Three months earlier, Slovenia (under the government of Janez Janša) more or less successfully concluded its first-ever six-month EU presidency, which signalled the start of political hunting season. Whether it culminated in last year’s elections or was that just an appetizer of things to come, remains to be seen. Elections brought about a much-needed (or much-feared, depending on one’s political persuasion) change in government. Thus was – by the narrowest of margins – the seemingly authoritarian political style of Janez Janša

was replaced by seemingly indecisive political style of the current Prime Minister Borut Pahor.

The fall of tycoons One of the many pieces of baggage transferred from Janša to Pahor, “tycoon” (think of a severely scaled-down Russian oligarch) was a term reserved for a select few. Igor Bavčar of Istrabenz and Boško Šrot of Laško Brewery launched debt-fuelled MBOs of their respective companies (following what appeared to be a silent nod by the previous government) and failed, more or less miserably. Bavčar crash landed of his own accord, mostly by mismanaging Istrabenz’s assets, while Boško Šrot played hardball

European elections: Low turnout, all-satisfying results.

Patria APC - Impenetrable for everything but corruption.

and was stopped only by a combination of the credit crunch and the lack of any political support whatsoever. He fell out with Janša while the latter was still in power, while the new government (especially Zares, a junior coalition party) flat out denounced him and his methods. Consequently, the largest state-owned bank, NLB, refused to extend his credit line, which brought down his house of cards.

Just rhetoric Not that Zares, then clearly a political party on the rise, did not have its share of problems. Just as it was on a roll with its anti-tycoon, pro-transparency rhetoric, documents were leaked showing that Ultra, a Zagorje-based hightech company strongly connected to Zares president Gregor Golobič,

got a very cosy credit line with NLB, the same state-owned bank whom Zares forced to stop loaning money to Boško Šrot. In the PR fiasco that followed, it transpired that Golobič, when divulging his assets to the press, neglected to mention that he owned a small share of Ultra. In accordance with legal requirements, he did report the share to the anticorruption commission, but failing to tell the press about it unleashed journalistic fury, and he was extremely close to resigning. In the end, he stayed his post, but earned another black eye for the coalition.

No country for bankers Speaking of shooting oneself in the foot, there is something to be said for the way Katarina Kresal, the boss of LDS, the smallest of the coalition partners in the government, and Draško Veselinovič, a well-known banker, performed that particular feat. Veselinovič ran on the LDS ticket and was supposed to become an MP after Katarina Kresal was appointed minister of the interior. But since Veselinovič was already earmarked for the post of CEO of NLB, he took a pass and was appointed to the top of NLB. Having achieved that through what still seems like a deal between PM Pahor and Katarina Kresal, Veselinović earned the ire of Zares, which threatened to quit the coalition if appointments were to be made without tenders and in a non-transparent way. The newly minted CEO came under even more intense fire after the bank renewed the credit line to Boško Šrot for his MBO of Laško Brewery. This proved to be the straw which broke the camel’s back, and Zares (fanned by public outrage over the renewal of credit) went after Veselinovič with everything they had. He offered to resign, hoping that the gesture would take

some of the heat off his back, but he was surprised to see the bank’s supervisory board accept his resignation. Since his fall from grace preceded that of Golobič, some speculate that the Ultra affair was payback for bringing Veselinovič down.

Good times are over As if coalition infighting – intermittently threatening to erupt in a full-scale civil war – wasn’t enough, there seems to be some confusion about how to tackle the economic crisis. Granted, Pahor’s government inherited an overheated economy that was as prepared for the crisis as New Orleans was for Katrina. As the crisis struck with great vengeance and furious anger in the US, Slovenia was just entering the final stages of the election campaign. Former PM and now the leader of the opposition Janez Janša played down the crisis threat, famously saying that “you don’t cure a cold by administering antibiotics,” but even though the left bloc turned out to be correct in forecasting near economic doom, that apparently did not translate into them knowing how to go about it. Some results have been achieved and one can argue that situation would have been much worse if the government hadn’t done what it had. A nagging feel-

ing of chronic underachievement remains, however.

Pro patria ... And thus we end on a military note. No recap of the year would be complete without mentioning the Patria affair, which started back during Janša administration. Granted, arms deals are always shady; just ask Willy Claes. However, when Slovenia set out to buy two battalions-worth of these Finnish armoured personnel carriers, people started paying attention. Not in the least because the other bidder (Slovenia-based Sistemska tehnika) cried foul early in the game, and because the combination of Janez Janša and an arms deal always spells interesting times. No one, however, could imagine just how interesting this one would get. A Finnish journalist investigating the ways in which Patria did business abroad claimed that the company bribed PM Janša into approving the deal. Janša naturally denied the accusations and sued a number of people; the Slovenian Court of Audit said that the arms deal was anything but economical and failed to meet most of its objectives, but the majority of people are just waiting to see what (if anything) will Finnish police, which is investigating Patria, will discover. January 2010

POLITICS Photo: BOBO

Controversial past

The Award Stops Here Presidential awards rarely draw much attention. But an award given out recently by President Türk has opened old wounds, caused unprecedented controversy – and even raised a serious call for impeachment. By Jaka Bartolj

he centre-right opposition has made its view clear: The President has crossed the line and may soon face impeachment. If the impeachment effort gains enough support in the Parliament, the matter will go to the country’s Constitutional Court. Most legal experts predict little chance for success, but a major political showdown could well be in the works. The controversy erupted in early December, when President T ürk announced his decision to award a Silver Order for Services to Tomaž Ertl, Slovenia’s Communist-era Secretary of the Interior. The story, however, begins much earlier.

A secret past

In 1989, Slovenia, which was slowly democratizing at the time, was under onslaught of the Serbian regime led by Slobodan Miloševič. The Serbian strongman had engineered virtual coups in several parts of Yugoslavia by organizing mass public rallies. In early 1989, one such demonstration was set to take place in Ljubljana. Many perceived it as a threat to Slovenia’s reform-minded government,

which had been taking an increasingly hard line towards Belgrade. Slovenian authorities responded with Operation North, designed to intercept Ljubljana-bound trains and prevent the rally from taking place. Only a handful of people eventually turned up on the capital’s Republic Square and they were quickly escorted away by the police. Operation North had worked. The problem, however, is that Türk’s award did not go to Operation North, but to specific people. And the fact that Tomaž Ertl was among those who received it left a large segment of Slovenia’s public very angry. Ertl, after all, had run Slovenia’s police for 12 years, most of which came before the country’s political liberalization. Slovenia’s much-hated National Security Service was under his command. The security services had been responsible for extensive political repression, including the persecution of dissidents and the silencing of critical media. During his watch, Slovenian operatives were even arrested in Austria for setting a bomb, whose explosion they had attempted to pin on an anti-Slovenian group in the province of Carinthia.

Do you think this guy is: a) responsible for human rights violations; b) Slovenian patriot

Even more significantly, at least in symbolic terms, Ertl was allegedly the one who approved the investigation against Janez Janša, now head of the centre-right SDS party, and three other people accused of having a role in the leaking of a Yugoslav Army document. The trial of the four men enraged the Slovenian public in 1988 and is now widely seen as a prelude to the country’s independence. According to former government minister Gregor Virant of the centre-right SDS, the decoration is a “spit in the face” of democracy, independence and statehood. Türk rejected such arguments, as well as the comparisons drawn with Stasi, the notorious East German secret police. According to Türk, such a comparison may have been

Belgrade: The biggest populist-hypnotized crowd that has ever gathered in the Balkans screaming out support to their leader Slobodan Milošević’s politics. The Slovenia Times

valid in the distant past, but not in 1989, when the police was actually protecting Slovenia’s democratic reforms from the Belgrade government. “This comparison is completely misplaced,” said Türk. Besides, according to Türk, Ertl received the award solely for his role in organizing Operation North. This was not a lifetime achievement award, stressed the President. To the critics, however, this is essentially irrelevant. What really matters is the symbolism: the leader or a repressive police mechanism receiving an award from the head of state. Besides, in helping to organize Operation North, argue the critics, Ertl had just been following orders given by Slovenia’s reform-minded po-

Instead of thousands Milošević believers, only a group of the most fanatic ones came to Ljubljana and soon they had been escorted back by a well prepared police force.

POLITICS

Old wounds

The controversy reveals a deep-seated divide in how the Slovenian public views the period before independence. The centre-right political bloc emphasizes the role played by anti-communists in the democratization movement and the scepticism some one the left expressed when the country first moved towards independence. The centre-left view, on the other hand, focuses more on the actions of reformers within the official, communist-led organizations. To many on the left, the abuses of the communist era are balanced by the self-reforming attitude adopted by many established politicians by the late 1980s. And that’s precisely what Türk was saying when he responded to critics by saying “independence efforts cannot be monopolised.” While acknowledging the role played by Demos in Slovenia’s independence drive, Türk was quick to add that the right-leaning bloc cannot take all the credit. Still, this case is more somewhat more complicated. Ertl never became a dissident; he personified the unreformed, hard-line wing of the old regime and disappeared from the political arena as Communist rule came to an end. That’s one reason why even some centre-left personalities, such as former Health Minister Dušan Keber, publicly expressed strong reservations about Türk’s decision. The split extended even to veterans. The head of a major association of independenceera veterans, Janez Pajer, publicly supported Turk’s decision, saying that Ertl and the others recognized for their roles in Operation North were rightfully honoured for their achievements. However, a number of other veterans condemned the decision. The Ertl controversy may be a peripheral event on the Slovenian political landscape. However, it may have long-term consequences for President T ürk. Even if the centre-right’s threatened impeachment is not successful – and it almost certainly won’t be – Türk’s controversial decision may have damaged his reputation as a fundamentally thoughtful and pragmatic statesman, a uniting force in the public forum. And for him, that could end up being very bad news indeed.

Southeast Europe

Back to the Future

After almost 20 years of travel restrictions, on 19th December the people of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia awoke to an era of visa-free travel to European Union countries. By Marija Dragović

fter decades of isolation and bad press, the move to lift visa requirements is understandably seen by all three countries as a significant step closer to the EU community. Norway, Iceland and Switzerland have also lifted the visa ban even though they are not part of the European Union, but visas are still required for Great Britain and Ireland. As Jelko Kacin, Slovenia’s Member of European Parliament (MEP) in Brussels who pushed for the visa restrictions to be lifted, points out, “The war has damaged much of the image of certain countries in the region, but this is being repaired by their commitment to the reform process.”

Gesture of goodwill, but caution remains Visa liberalisation has been a long time coming, with more emphasis placed on the issue since Slovenia put it on the agenda during its EU presidency in 2008. All countries were required to meet strict standards and undergo substantial reforms for this to happen. This included improving border security, modernising the border crossings, improving the fight against crime and issuing new biometric passports in order to satisfy the demands for the lifting of the visa requirements. The ban was due to be lifted in January 2010 but Slovenia successfully pushed for it to be lifted before Christmas as a gesture of goodwill, recognition of hard work and stimulus for further reforms to those countries. “I hope that all Western Balkan countries, particularly Serbia, will speed up their reforms and thereby improve their image in the EU,” Kacin added.

Party like it’s 1999 To mark the occasion, celebrations have been organised in all three countries. In Serbia, one minute after midnight, fireworks were set off above the national parliament and a plane took off from Belgrade to Brussels with 60 passengers from all walks of life, together with Božidar Djelić, the deputy prime minister. On their

MEP Jelko Kacin, a man who has accelerated a visa-free passage across the European Schengen border.

trip, they also visited Paris, Berlin and Rome. Macedonians celebrated with a huge party in the Skopje’s main square where popular British DJ Fatboy Slim entertained the crowd. A state lottery was also organised; 100 lucky winners will join a state delegation on a oneday trip to Paris. In Montenegro, the occasion was marked in somewhat more low-key manner. There were neither official fireworks nor parties, but Montenegro Airlines is giving out free tickets to Rome, and the government is treating students of University of Economic Studies in Podgorica to a free trip to Ljubljana. On the other side, Slovenia has also been preparing an the influx of travellers from those countries by tightening its border controls – there is a fear that Slovenia might be used as an entry point to other Schengen destinations for those seeking work rather than travelling for vacations. Hence, citizens of all three countries have been warned to travel with proper documentation – this includes proof of address where they are travelling to and enough money to support their trip – since they can be refused entry at a border crossing.

Photo: BOBO

litical elite, which was determined to stop Milošević. The initiative was not his.

However, tourist agencies are hoping the new policy will encourage more visitors to come to Slovenia this winter.

Not everyone’s a winner The decision to lift the visa ban does not, however, extend to the Serbian citizens living in Kosovo. According to Kalcin, “That is why the European Parliament has insisted to start visa liberalisation program for Kosovo as soon as possible.” The visa ban also remains in place for the citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kalcin asserts that in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “...the sole responsibility rests with the Bosnian politicians. “I would like to see Bosnia, Albania and Kosovo on the White Schengen list sooner rather than later. However, it is up to the governments of these countries to make this happen. In the case of Bosnia, we need to assist its govern ment in necessar y reforms of the state by employing the instruments of the Office of High Representative (OHR) and its head, Valentin Inzko. Without positive development, there will be no conditions to lift the visa regime.” January 2010

Economy

FACTS AND FIGURES

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

A Sensible Anti-Crisis Measure?

While the unions demand an immediate rise, the government is proposing a gradual approach. “We would first raise the minimum wage to 510 euros and in the next two steps reach 562 euros plus inflation, which is forcing the costs of living up,” minister for social affairs Ivan Svetlik said. The unions were disappointed by the offer. The proposed increase is insufficent, the boss of the ZSSS union association Dusan Semolic said, adding that he could not believe the full rise to the cost of living would only happen in 2012 under the current proposal.

Source: SURS

Looking at the original demand of trade unions for a 43% increase of the minimum wage to EUR Too expensive? average gross wage, in EUR Oct. 2004 Oct. 2005 Oct. 2006 Oct. 2007 Oct. 2008 Oct. 2009 0

300

600

900

Business

1200

1500

600 net, leading Slovenian economists share the view that the raise could be tricky and that the problem lies in the structure of the Slovenian economy. Joze Mencinger, a former economy minister, told the web portal of the public broadcaster that the increase of net wages is only possible with redistribution through a more progressive tax income system. However, even if the government adopted legislative changes immediately, “which is not likely”, this could only take effect next year.

Photo: BOBO

The government proposes raising the minimum wage from EUR 431 to EUR 510 net as of 2010, followed by a gradual increase to EUR 562, according to the draft bill it presented to social partners at the Economic and Social Council at the end of December.

Gorenje, Slovenia’s second biggest exporter, had to deal with a revolt of workers,

Seeing no viable sources for addemanding higher wages ditional funds, Mencinger said that Tajnikar added that an increase in the minimum sources mentioned by politicians (90% taxation of wage must not entail a general wage increase, the highest manager wages, higher profit tax and since the situation on the job market will not allow the introduction of asset tax) only follow a demait. If it happens it will be swallowed up by inflation. gogic purpose while having little value in terms of Moreover, the signal needs to come gradually to tax revenue. allow the economy to adapt. Tajnikar believes a Maks Tajnikar, also a former development minrealistic period is one year and that this needs to ister, said that while economists have different be imposed through legislation. views on whether increasing the minimum wage Rado Pezdir begs to differ, arguing that in the leads to higher unemployment, he is familiar with absence of markets for certain products, a wage two studies which both showed this is not the case. However both increases examined were car- increase cannot happen, irrespective of what the unions and the government agree on and what ried out in periods when employment was generkind of law the government adopts. ally on the rise. He believes that a minimum wage rise in Slovenia is necessary, since this would send a clear signal that the Slovenian economy does not need companies which create needy people and do not contribute to prosperity.

“If the assessments of employers are correct, the unions will have to accept responsibility for mass layoffs and the government for its efforts to hold on to an economic structure dating from the times of Karl Marx.”

Telecoms

Taxes

Gorenje Planning EUR Telekom Sells EUR 300m Bond Issue Telekom Slovenije, the telecoms in10M Profit in 2010

No Tax Hikes Until Recovery

The supervisors of household appliance maker Gorenje confirmed the targets for next year, projecting EUR 1.24bn in sales revenues and a net profit of EUR 10.09m. According to a press release by the Velenjebased company, sales revenues are expected to reach EUR 1.16bn this year, a 12.8% decrease on 2008. The Gorenje group is looking at a EUR 13.18m net loss by the end of the year, which comes after a EUR 10.18m profit last year.

Finance Minister Franc Križanič told the press Monday there would be no increases in tax rates in Slovenia as long as the economic crisis persisted in Slovenia. Once the recovery is fully underway, changes could be made to tax laws depending on how quickly the economy grows, added Križanič. The minister said that the Finance Ministry was weighing up measures to alleviate taxes on lowest income earners. There would be no new income tax brackets, but rather an increase in the tax breaks.

cumbent, wrapped up a EUR 300m seven-year bond issue Thursday. The proceeds will be used to to refinance existing debt, the company said. The euro-denominated bonds were sold to investors following a European roadshow. The banks BNP Parnibas and Credit Suisse acted as joint bookrunners. Telekom has held the Moody’s A3 rating since April 2007, while the outlook on its latest rating is negative.

Business

State-Run KAD Wants to Enter Mercator Eight banks that own a combined 36% stake in retailer Mercator have reportedly invited prospective investors to make bids for the stake. An interest in buying the shares was announced by the state-run Pension Fund Management (KAD). A press release from KAD said that the activities related to the bidding for the purchase of Mercator shares would be presented in detail on Wednesday. According to media reports, the group of banks (NLB, Banka Celje, Unicredit banka, Gorenjska banka, Abanka Vipa, NKBM, Banka Koper and Hypo Alpe Adria) would be collecting unbiding offers for the stake until 8 February and expect binding bids by the end of April. The Slovenia Times

11 Economy

Retail

Economy

Slovenia’s GDP 9% Below EU Average

Mercator Opens Hypermarket in Montenegro

Unemployment Rate Hits 10%

Source: Eurostat

Nearly there GDP as % of EU 27 average, 2008 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Austria Poland Slovenia Czech Rep. Germany

Business

Slovenian and Iranian Businessmen Meet The Slovenian and Iranian chambers of commerce signed as part of a Slovenian-Iranian business forum an agreement setting up a joint business council. The body will provide a formal framework for the forging of new business ties between companies from the two countries. The agreement was signed in Ljubljana by Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) head Zdenko Pavcek and Ibrahim Jamili, board member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM) and head of the Zanjan Chamber of Commerce.

Retailer Mercator has opened its largest hypermarket in Montenegro. The EUR 5m store covering 4,400 square metres will employ over 100 people, Slovenia’s No 1 retailer said. Mercator has been present on the Montenegrin market since 2007 through the company Mercator-Mex, in which it holds a 81% stake. It currently has 11 stores in Montenegro. Mercator-H, the retailer’s Croatian subsidiary and Croatia’s retailer Getro signed an agreement under which Mercator will take over Getro’s 16 shopping centres, brand name and its employees. The merger agreement will create the second-largest retail chain in Croatia, with over 4,500 employees, 110,000 square metres of shopping and an estimated 9% market share. The Balkan markets are a priority for Mercator, which is planning to open two more shopping centres in Serbia by the end of the year. It will also launch the first store in Albania this year.

Transport

Banks

Serious CostCutting, Layoffs at Railways

NLB Boss Denies Capital Supply Rescue Package

IPTV

Inflation At 1.8% in December

A steep fall inflation, y-o-y, in % 7

Source: SURS

Slovenia’s annual inflation rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 1.8% in December despite a 0.5% monthly drop in prices. The average inflation rate in Slovenia this year stood at 0.9%.

6 5 4 3 2 1 -0 -1

Jul 08

Dec 09

Cable Losing out to Internet TV Cable TV is being rapidly superseded by the internet-based IPTV technology. In the third quarter of this year IPTV had a market share of 38.3%, up over ten points year-on-year, whereas the share of cable shrank from 72.3% to 61.7%, according to a quarterly report on the electronic communications market. The state-owned telecoms incumbent, Telekom Slovenije, remains the biggest IPTV player with a market share of 61.3% in the third quarter of 2009, according to the latest quarterly report of the Agency for Post and Electronic Communication (APEK).

Touching new heights registered unemployment, in % 10

Jan 08

Oct 09

Air travel

Adria Airways to Fly to Belgrade

The boss of state-owned railway operator Slovenske zeleznice has announced far-reaching cost-cutting measures to turn the troubled company around, including the temporary layoff of nearly a tenth of the workforce. In the absence of measures the railways would post a loss in excess of EUR 82m, but with lower material and labour costs it will save EUR 32.4m, chief executive Goran Brankovic said.

Economy

Slovenia’s registered unemployment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 10% in October, reaching double digits for the first time since April 2006. A total of 94,591 people were out of a job in October, which is 3,300 (7%) more than the month before and 51% more than the same month in 2008, the Statistics Office said. Source: SURS

Slovenia’s gross domestic product per capita was 9% below the EU average last year, according to figures released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office. Apart from Slovenia, Cyprus and Greece were also up to 10% below the EU average in terms of GDP per capita. Ranking below Slovenia, with their GDPs between 20% and 30% below the EU average were the Czech Republic, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia.

Chairman of NLB Božo Jašovič has told business daily Finance that the proposed capital injection for Slovenia’s top bank does not amount to a rescue package. He said that NLB needed the fresh capital for its operations. “This is by no means a rescue package,” Jasovic said. Every bank needs capital, even more so in time of crisis, he explained the decision to seek EUR 250m in fresh capital. According to him, the need for fresh capital is also necessitated by new banking regulations that seek to shore up the capital adequacy of banks. Spain’s bank Banco Santander, has reportedly expressed interest in the 30% stake in Slovenia’s biggest bank NLB held by Belgian banking group KBC.

Flag carrier Adria Airways will relaunch a regular line between Ljubljana and Belgrade after nearly a decade on 1 March 2010, flying to and from Belgrade several times a week. Regular flights between the Serbian capital of Belgrade and the Slovenian coastal resort of Portoroz two times a week will be launched on 15 April, the Portoroz Tourist Association said. The route operated by JAT Airways’ ATR 72, which can carry 50 passengers, will be on trial for the first ten weeks, and the number of flights will be increased if there is enough interest, the association said.

The Festive Season Discounts – Real Bargains

Translation, Consecutive Interpreting, Proofreading Experts on Technical, Legal, Medical and Other Texts GRAH PREVODI, s.p., Užiška ulica 6, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia T: +386 (0)31 731 006, E: info@grahprevodi.com, www.grahprevodi.com January 2009

12 ECONOMY

Car industry

Preventing Disaster The economic downturn of 2009 is continuing in the New Year, affecting car manufacturers in distressing ways. Prevent Global, a car seat cover manufacturer, employing thousands of people in one of the poorest regions of Slovenia, is no exception to the rule.

Photo: Revoz

By Lucija J. Millonig claimed, “The street will not tell the management to resign.” Two days later, he did just that.

Crack in the foundation With employees returning back to work, a rift still remains open between the two largest owners of Prevent Global, Janko Zakeršnik (owning 52% of the shares) and Nijaz Hastor (45% shareholder as well as owner of Prevent Dev). The two leading players in this corporate drama seem unable to agree on any mutual course of action. Hastor refuses to invest new equity into the company battered by losses, fearing that it will not help the company and saying that savings measures should have been instituted by the previous management. This standoff could result in insolvency, causing job losses: a devastating outlook for the already hard hit Koroška – the region with the highest unemployment rate in Slovenia.

Hard times Although Revoz, the Slovenian subisidiary of French car maker Revoz, is doing pretty well, falling orders from German car producers have hurt Prevent

imes are not good for Prevent Global, which has amassed EUR 60m of debt. The company has been plagued by ownership feuds, CEO resignations, threats of production relocation, and employee revolts.

Proxy battles

If Prevent Global files for insolvency, it could cause 1,800 workers to lose their jobs. Prevent Global’s future, therefore, heavily depends on the business plan of Prevent Dev. If the German company decides to move production elsewhere, only an estimated 750 positions would be kept in Slovenia. The Slovenia Times

Major problems arose between Prevent Global and Prevent Dev, the latter being the second largest owner of the former and (simultaneously) its main customer, supplying Prevent Global’s car seat covers to German carmakers. Prevent Dev’s boss and owner Nijaz Hastor felt that his interests were not being adequately considered by the (now former) CEO of Prevent Global, Igor Majcen. The latter, Hastor complained, was more concerned with pleasing the biggest owner, Janko Zakeršnik. The disagreement grew to such an extent that all cooperation between the two entities was suspended, causing the 1,800 employees of Prevent Global to fear for their jobs. Fear turned into

action, and the employees staged a strike, which eventually forced Majcen to resign, making way for Renato Krajnc.

Strike your luck Majcen’s departure came after more than 1,000 workers went on strike at the Prevent Global plant, as well as two other subsidiary companies. The strike started after Majcen had failed to announce to employees that Prevent Dev was terminating its cooperation with Prevent Global. When it became clear that the company failed to pay November’s salaries and that Prevent Dev sent trucks to the company’s head quarters in Slovenj Gradec to retrieve raw materials as a part of the scheme to relocate production, the disagreement escalated further. The workers went on strike, holding Majcen a prisoner of his own office, while demanding that he leave his post immediately. The disgraced CEO was trapped until police intervened and still then

According to official statistics, the unemployment rate lingers at 9.5 percent. In Slovenj Gradec, the region’s major city, the unemployment rate is 10.7 percent, while in the adjacent town of Ravne the figure is close to 12 percent. These are also the towns where Prevent Global is one of the biggest employers. If Prevent Global files for insolvency, it could cause 1,800 workers to lose their jobs. Prevent Global’s future, therefore, heavily depends on the business plan of Prevent Dev. If the German company decides to move production elsewhere, only an estimated 750 positions would be kept in Slovenia.

A slumping industry Car companies will still be dependent on government bailouts for at least another year, while at the same time engaging in radical cost cutting. The demand for vehicles is likely to contract in 2010 as well. The Prevent group provides products to Volkswagen, Renault, BMW and PSA (Peugeot, Citroen); all of which marked a decrease in sales in 2009.

ECONOMY 13

Interview: Jani Soršak

The Wind of Change Since becoming the director of the Competition Protection Office in 2007, Jani Soršak had a few wellpublicized cases against large corporations suspected of illegal deals and actions. We talked to him about the problems Slovenia faces in achieving a more transparent and more competitive business climate. By Marija Dragović You had a highly publicised case with the retailers Tuš, Mercator and Špar about alleged cartel agreements. This has now been concluded with a commitment from retailers to end coordination of supply prices. Has your decision resulted in fairer prices from those retailers? Hopefully yes. However, we never use the words “fair prices,” as, in our opinion, there is no such thing as a “fair price.” Nevertheless, prices have lowered; for the most part, this can be attributed to the recession. But the suppliers to the retailers are telling us that the retailers have amended their contracts in negotiations as a result of the case we brought against them. There is ongoing follow-up supervision for the retailers for the next five years so, basically, we are well acquainted with the situation. The preliminary data is good and points to the fact that we have – in fact – changed something for the better. You also fined the electricity suppliers for cartel agreements. Could you explain why you fined them? We fined them because there was a breach of the law – cartels

are penalized in all jurisdictions and not only in the EU; it is pretty much a global thing. The Supreme Court concluded that there was a concerted rise of prices, which was attributed to some sort of collusion. Is the energy market in Slovenia now more competitive? Yes, it is. There are new entrants on the market, in part as a response to our decision, and electricity prices are much lower. The recession may be a partial cause for this; however, there is at least one major new entrant – GEN-I, an international company from Slovenia – to the market for domestic consumers, which was not the case previously. Do you think that state ownership of the majority of energy companies is a problem and how does this compare to other EU states? The ownership structure of Slovenian energy companies is very similar to the structure in other EU states. If you compare us to the Austrians, Germans, French, or Czechs for example, the major energy companies are all state owned. I think this is neither an advantage nor disadvantage.

Soršak made sure that electricity distributors stopped ripping off their customers by colluding on prices

What matters is not ownership but corporate governance. The state-owned companies may have good or bad corporate governance, but this also applies to privately owned companies. It could be that state ownership is in some ways an advantage, because in a network economy you need some strong centralization. Also, look what happened in Great Britain. After privatising their energy companies, the British are now saying this damaged their system.

The tycoon problem has not been solved; it is still there. While Boško Šrot and Igor Bavčar have been removed from their positions, the problem of leveraged buyouts has remained. So, such companies, due to these management buyouts, will have to restructure financially and, potentially, also business-wise. Financially, it is also a big problem for the stateowned banks because they are providing money for leveraged buyouts. But somebody will have to pay for this eventually.

Is the EU competition law being strictly implemented in sectors such as telecommunications and energy? Yes, this is not only our opinion, it has also been confirmed by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), which we are trying to join. Our law on energy and communications businesses is essentially an EU law, so there is strict supervision from European Commission as well. There is not much leeway for national authorities.

What sectors do you see as most problematic in terms of competition in Slovenia at the moment? We have several ongoing cases but I don’t think these are sectorspecific, that there are more problems in these sectors. When we are able to identify a potential problem, and when we look into those cases, I wouldn’t say that the problems we see are specific to a particular sector. I would say, with the kind of problems we see, cartels are still a big problem. Abuse of dominant position is also a problem, primarily in the energy and telecommunications sectors.

What would you say about the tycoon problem in Slovenia?

January 2010

14 REAL ESTATE

Economic diplomacy

The Name of the Game Is Expansion The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is stepping up its efforts to help Slovenian companies expand their business abroad. After setting up the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy in September, the ministry, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), organised a two-day conference at the beginning of January. Photo: BOBO

By Maja Dragović the further growth of Slovene business. Hence, companies have been invited to give suggestions to the government on how it can help them to penetrate these markets.

Picking the winners The participants also examined how different industries are performing in terms of exports. The IT industry was recognised as having a great potential for further expansion. ZITex, a group of Slovenian export-oriented IT companies, all of which are already present on foreign markets, both in the region and beyond, plans to achieve a 100% increase in exports for Slovenian IT companies in the next five years. Slovenia also has much to offer in the architecture and engineering fields according to the experts. Azerbaijan, Russia and Kosovo are just three of the countries where significant engineering projects have been completed by Slovene companies. Vladimir Gasparič, the head of Foreign Ministry economic diplomacy and development cooperation directorate

iplomats and executives excha nged v iews a nd highlighted the problems of the current business climate in the country. The aim was to help the government find new ways in which to help Slovenian companies expand their businesses abroad.

Mapping the territory “To establish where Slovenian exports stand and what areas need to be examined, we need to look at our exports and business activities in individual countries as well as individual industries,” commented Aleš Cantarutti of GZS. “We also need to look at what industries are traditional yet remain active, and what can we expect from new industries in the future,” he added. In the analysis presented at the conference, it was noted the export value in the first nine months of 2009 fell by 22.3% compared to The Slovenia Times

the same period the previous year. Further analysis revealed that 24% of all Slovenian businesses that export to the European Union have exported 69% of total Slovenian exports. In addition, figures showed that 84% of all Slovenian exports are present on the markets of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, which represents 17% of all Slovenian exports. The conclusion? The main markets for Slovenian businesses abroad are the EU countries and the countries of western Balkans.

Diversification needed It was noted, however, that Slovenia does not export to all 26 EU countries, but only seven. These countries include Germany, Italy, France and Austria – currently Slovenia’s main export destinations overall. The participants at the conference agreed that this indicates a clear gap in the exploitation of EU markets.

Furthermore, the great reliance in terms of exports on the countries of the former Yugoslavia shows that Slovenian economy is reconstructing too slowly. This is why, it was argued, Slovene export markets stay mainly the same. According to Cantarutti, “Slovene businesses have achieved as much as they can in the southeast European markets, and I can’t see new opportunities there.” “Nevertheless, it is important to keep the current trend of exports, which will be challenging since Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are opening up, and Albania too,” he added. The conference also put a lot of emphasis on the markets of so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Currently, only 3.8% of all Slovenian exports are to those countries, and 75% of that is to Russia alone. The need to develop the possibilities there is seen as essential to

Energize! However, the biggest potential for growth was identified in the fields of new energy production. In Slovenia, a perfect example was given in the form of Bisol, a company producing photovoltaic modules. The company was set up in 2000 and by 2008 and it had grown on average 46% each year. Its CEO, Uroš Merc, said this is not surprising, “It is the industry’s tendency for cost cutting that is increasing its revenue.” Vladimir Gasparič, the head of Foreign Ministry economic diplomacy and development cooperation directorate, described the conference as a success. “Crisis times bring exceptional responsibility, we now know how we can help, the companies have also told us, very clearly, how we can help,” Gasparič said. “We have the right department, the real ministry, and we need to have good coordination to be able to see this through successfully.”

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16-19 March 2010 France, Cannes, Palais des Festivals

16 ENERGY SPECIAL

Energy

Krško nuclear power plant will probably be getting a second reactor

Considering the inventory of global energy resources, Europe is in an awkward position. Around 86% of the world’s energy is supplied by fossil fuels, which Europe desperately lacks; the continent thus finds itself in a permanent state of energy dependence. Europeans have opted for a common response to this challenge, while simultaneously trying, to incorporate environmental concerns into their strategy. By Roman Oberč

Securing safe supplies... The North Sea oil and gas fields have been exploited beyond their peaks and even coal needs will mostly be covered by imports by 2030. A further hindrance is the lack of a common foreign policy, with member states unwilling to look past their national interests in favour of a more unified stand. The inefficiency of the EU’s energy policy was exposed in 2006 and 2007, when a number of European countries faced energy shortages in the wake of a Ukraine-Russia gas dispute.

Energy SPECIAL

…and reducing emissions The EU has been putting increasing emphasis on renewable energy, not just as a means of breaking free from the embrace of exporters such as Russia, but also as a means of reducing greenhouse emissions. Driving the policy is the EU’s bid to achieve a 20% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 (compared with 1990 levels), mainly by boosting the use of renewable energy The Slovenia Times

and curbing energy consumption. The measures will also reduce dependence on imports of gas and oil as well as helping shelter the economy from volatile energy prices and uncertain supplies. The singling out of one clean energ y-producing tech nolog y over the others is difficult. Should hydroelectric power or ever-unpopular nuclear power be considered? Thermal power plants should not be a serious option in this day and age, but they are difficult to replace; with the advent of clean coal technologies (CTT), however, they may even enjoy a renaissance.

A daunting task Where is Slovenia in all this? Considering all the factors, the majority of effort will be put in upgrading and expanding of what the country already has in terms of energy-generating capacities. This means that one of the biggest investments will be the expansion of the Šoštanj thermal power plant (TEŠ). The other projects that have the support of the government are the second block of the Krško nuclear power plant (NPP2) and new

Photo: NEK

Getting It Right

hydroelectric power plants (HPP) on the Sava River. For more detail on other projects, we will have to wait for the unveiling of the national energy program, which will be made public in March.

ner by which it will finance water infrastructure until the middle of this year, the tender to build an accumulation lake at HPP Krško was annulled, causing unnecessary delay.

Water-bound

The backbone

A large part of the investment cycle will consist of hydroelectric power. Having both mountains and karst regions, Slovenia is one of the most water-rich countries in the world. There are three rivers large enough to support hydroelectric power plants, which is remarkable for such a small country. In addition to increasing national energy production, the HPPs will also work toward meeting Slovenia’s environmental commitments. The 25% share of renewable sources in final energy consumption by 2020 is a commitment that will be hard to meet, however. The government will have to make a concerted effort to achieve this goal. A worrying example is the construction of HPPs on the lower Sava River. Because the government will not specify the man-

The plan is to build six HPPs on the lower Sava first, and then proceed to build nine more on the middle Sava. This will create a continuous chain of power plants on the entire length of the river. Once complete (together with the already complete Drava river chain of HPPs) they will constitute the backbone of Slovenia’s renewable energy production. However, even if the concession agreement for the mid-Sava plants were signed today, the last plant in the chain would not be completed until 2028. Add to that environmental questions that have suddenly arisen with regard to fish migratory routes, and the completion date is pushed even farther into the future. A 38% (from 2009 figures) increase in final consumption of renewable encontinued on page 19

18 ENERGY SPECIAL

Climate change forecast

Gloomy with a Sunny Spell (or Two) Recently, the media have been full of catastrophic predictions about climate change and its impact on our lives. Information about the constant rise of temperatures, melting ice and lack of clean fresh water seems to be popping up everywhere, but regarding the outcome of the recently finished climate summit in Copenhagen one could doubt whether they have truly been heard. By Polona Cimerman

The countries that took part in the conference arrived to anything but groundbreaking conclusions; they did not agree to take any serious action to improve the current state of affairs, which does not come as a surprise to the respected Slovenian climatologist Lučka Kajfež Bogataj who received a Nobel prize for peace in 2007 as part of the International Panel on Climate Change. “The countries did neither prepared domestic legislation nor a strategy of how to cope with fossil fuel use. It is impossible to sign a global agreement in such circumstances.” Slovenia, unfortunately, is no exception. “The acts from the Kyoto Protocol have not been carried out. Transport is the domain that went out of control most seriously, followed by the inefficient use of energy in industry and construction engineering. Furthermore, the emissions from electricity generation in thermal power stations that use coal have been increasing,” says Kajfež Bogataj. The estimated amount of greenhouse gases in 2008 exceeded the target emissions by the worrying 10%. “Slovenia does not respect the agreement, nor does it have a clear strategy of how to act after the Protocol,” adds the climatologist.

Photo: Dreamstime

Lack of resolve

Spewing fumes: Slovenia lags behind its committments on emissions reduction

“Slovenians like to use cars at all times; also they love big houses. But bigger houses automatically mean bigger expenses,” he adds. Kajfež Bogataj agrees: “We are extremely energetically inefficient. The chief culprits for emissions are transport and coal burning.”

Energy SPECIAL

Sober up!

The heat is on

Slovenia contributes more than 10 tons of CO2 per capita yearly to the atmosphere. Kajfež Bogataj claims that “If everyone on Earth lived like we do, two planets would be necessary to cater for these immense needs.” Some experts think that the first step towards the goal of lowering the emissions is increasing energy efficiency. Tomaž Fatur, executive director for development and strategy at Solvera Lynx, company specializing in industry and energy sector, states, “Energy-efficient thinking comes first.” One should think about their needs and the things they require.

The effect of climate change is already visible in Slovenia. The temperatures have been rapidly rising since the mid-1980s. “Temperatures in Ljubljana have risen by exactly 2 ˙C in the past 57 years,” says Kajfež Bogataj, continuing, “Climate change, however, does not merely mean this: it includes changes of all weather phenomena. These are precipitation amounts, humidity and the ever more destructive meteorological disasters. Besides that, we are faced with summer heat waves, greener winters, more intensive droughts and floods, new pests.”

The Slovenia Times

Moreover, energy and agriculture are the two fields most severely affected, followed by tourism and health care due to new diseases and the more frequent occurrence of allergies. “Slovenia will surely feel the consequences of the global water bankruptcy. The fact is that by 2030, 4 billion people will have serious problems getting fresh water. This triggers migrations, international crises and probably also military conflicts,” she goes on to explain the broader context of climate change.

Going bio The situation is serious and some measures are imperative. “In order to lower the emissions, lowcarbon energy technologies need to be promoted together with rational and well-considered use of energy,” says Fatur. According to him, Slovenia needs a combination of more than only one energy product. “We require a constantly developing system which would

include a mixture of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.” He sees great potentials in solar energy for indoor and water heating and in photovoltaic systems for electricity production. Slovenia is one of the most heavily forested countries in the world; it would therefore be wise to use wood biomass, made from sawdust and other wood waste. “Unfortunately, our country’s wood industry is badly organized and there is not much waste to use,” says Fatur. Other potentials he points out are the use of biogas in a biogas facility, which should exist on every bigger farm; and electricity production by using organic waste, which, like wood industry, still needs better organization. Both experts positively welcome nuclear power. “It is wise to maintain this type of energy,” says Kajfež Bogataj, while Fatur adds continued on page 19

ENERGY SPECIAL 19 The estimated amount of greenhouse gases in 2008 exceeded the target emissions by the worrying 10%.

continued from page 18

that it is one of the future’s most important energy sources.

Renewables to the rescue

ergy by 2020 is looking like a tall order indeed.

Road to energy independence For some time, debate raged in the governmental circles as to whether the dividing of Slovenia’s energy sector into two pillars was warranted. The proponents argued for the benefits of a competitive environment, while opponents warned that Slovenia would be unable to undertake several large-scale projects like NPP2 and TEŠ, and that the situation would come to a choice between the two. As it turned out, the prime minister seems to recognize the need for both of them as they are both likely be included in the new national energy program.

The coal burner Block 6 of TEŠ will be a 600 MW block that has an estimated price tag of EUR 1.1 billion. It utilizes the latest coal technology and will replace some of the older facilities, while at the same time emit 35% less CO2. As has become the norm

of power depending on the reactor chosen. It would be by far the largest investment in the energy sector, costing at least EUR 3.5 billion. GEN Energija is ready and waiting on the political decision due in 2010. If the decision is favourable, the preparations for an international tender will get underway in 2011, allowing construction to start in 2015. The plant would thus be connected to the national power grid in 2020, at which time Slovenia would produce more energy than it consumed.

Despite the seemingly adamant support of the prime minister, you can never rule out public opinion when it comes to nuclear power. Despite zero emissions, NPPs are even more frowned upon than thermal power plants. What will finally prevail however is the necessity of nuclear power. Deep down people know it is, in fact, irreplaceable in terms of power output and ecology. Nuclear waste, while deadly, will not change the climate to the detriment of all. Fossil fuels are doing just that.

Around a third of Slovenia’s electricity demand is supplied by hydro power plants dotting the nation’s rivers

Where there’s a will... However, much work is yet to be done. Kajfež Bogataj believes that the key to solving climate problems is a clear and thorough vision, which Slovenia just like most of other countries lacks; it is crucial that it gets one. Some sceptics would argue that Slovenia’s efforts would not make a significant change in the global picture. “Every contribution counts,” counters Fatur. “The state should create mechanisms

in Slovenia, TEŠ has been heavily criticized, sometimes by the same people who initially proposed the project. Having been reduced to the level of daily political bickering, it was starting to look like the project will remain at a standstill for some time. However, business leaders were determined and in the end, they triumphed. Borut Meh the director of HSE, an energy holding that owns TEŠ, had an honest and insightful comment about the matter. He stated that all of the bickering is about reducing the emissions and pollutants, while no one is talking about the underlying issue, which is how to reduce energy consumption.

Splitting atoms

ENERGY SPECIAL

continued from page 16

that would guide its citizens into the correct direction.” Kajfež Bogataj believes that despite its size, Slovenia has one vote in international community just like any other country. “We have a chance to contribute top scientists and good politicians who can make a notable global change. We should not forget that the new European environment commissioner, Janez Potočnik, is Slovenian,” she adds. Hope therefore exists, but time is seriously running out. Everybody should take action – now.

Photo: iStock

Twenty to twenty-five percent of the energy Slovenia produces come from renewable sources. “The Goals for 2010 are 10 % higher, yet the actual percentage varies greatly due to the fact that most of it is produced in hydroelectric power plants. They depend on the amount of water in rivers. In more arid years, the share falls rather drastically,” explains Fatur. According to the REUS survey, Slovenians are increasingly aware of the importance of the use of fossil fuel energy alternatives. Fatur says that there is still much more room for improvement, but praises the increased interest and concern Slovenians express, asserting “We are witnessing a process of constant improvement, also in industry. It is true that the latter cannot be the best example of implementing the renewable energy sources in its activities, yet it is commendable that factories have gradually switched to natural gas, which is the cleanest energy product. Smaller companies have greater chances for using energy from renewable sources, e.g. solar energy for heating and reusing the heat generated as a by-product of certain activities.”

GEN energija, the other pillar of Slovenia’s energy sector and the operator of the country’s sole nuclear power plant, has also showed an interest in cooperating in the TEŠ project, demonstrating good relations between the pillars on a business level. GEN energija’s own project is a bit more long term than HSEs. The Krško NPP second block would produce either 1,000 or 1,600 MW Wind turbines are not a common sight in Slovenia January 2010

A future low and intermediate level radioactive waste repository in Vrbina

Radioactive waste

Site Selected, Problem Solved The government of the Republic of Slovenia passed a decree at a session on 30th December 2009, confirming the location intended for a low and intermediate level radioactive waste repository in Vrbina, in the municipality of Krško. The construction of the repository will begin in about two and a half years; its completion will place Slovenia among the countries that have provided a long-term solution for the disposal of radioactive waste.

A thorny issue In the second half of the 1990s, the Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ARAO), authorized by the state to choose the location and construct the repository, created the so-called mixed-mode site selection process that not only observes technical norms, but also makes social acceptability a key standard. Usually, people do not tolerate facilities that are

perceived as hazardous near their dwellings; this is a general tendency common to Slovenia and in other parts of the world. In order to achieve social acceptability for a repository, the mixed mode approach includes the voluntary involvement and co-operation of local communities in the procedure, a high level of participation of the local public in the decision-making process (since the ver y beginning in accordance with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention) and financial incentives.

Who wants it? The Ionizing Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act stipulated

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Two silos will have the capacity to accept as much as 9.400 m3 of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, which comprises half of the radioactive waste produced in the nuclear power plant in Krško.

lovenia’s nuclear program produces one third of the country’s electrical energy. This results in a relatively small amount of radioactive waste, for which a safe long-term solution needs to be found.

that the location must be selected by 2008, whereas the repository must start operating on a regular basis by the end of 2013. In December 2004, ARAO invited all Slovene municipalities to offer potential locations on their territories. Eight municipalities responded, three of which, however, withdrew their applications after only a few weeks, owing to opposition of the local public. In 2005, after comparing all the remaining sites on the level of passive safety, the functional-technical, economic, environmental and spatial aspects, and the aspect of social acceptability, the government decided that the procedure should continue on three potential locations in three different municipalities. A few months later, another municipality withdrew the application, which limited the location selection procedure from 2006 on to two potential locations: Vrbina, situated in the municipality of Krško, and Gornji Lenart, located in the municipality of Brežice; the distance between the two locations is about 1.5 km.

Talking to the public ... The repository will be located in Krško municipality (left), in the vicinity of Krško nuclear power plant (right)

The Slovenia Times

In the following two years, extensive field surveys were carried

ENERGY SPECIAL 21

ACER

Ljubljana Wins the Race For four years, Agency for Radioactive Waste Management, the municipality and the locals debated various aspects of the project

Another factor that contributed to the social acceptability of the repository was an amendment related to financial compensation. A new regulation, passed in October 2009, not only doubled the original compensation of EUR 2.568 million per year, but it also expanded the area in which the local communities are entitled to the compensation, which is distributed among them by special criteria.

Play off The procedure practically came to a standstill in 2008 on the location in Brežice, owing to a negative assessment of the site by

the Department of Water due to its position on a flood area. The procedure for the location in the municipality of Krško continued, albeit at a slower pace than envisaged by the law. The crucial step was made when the Municipality Council of Krško granted consent to the proposal of the national spatial plan for the repository on 6th July 2009 and thus made the final decision to allow the construction of the site in the local area. The procedure, which lasted for five years, was successfully concluded with the passing of the regulation by the government.

Fit for the future Slovenia attempted to choose the location for a low and intermediate level radioactive waste repository between 1990 and 1993; those attempts were unsuccessful, probably due to a technical approach that did not include the public. The construction of the site will be carried out in phases. The infrastructure and administrative sections will be the first, followed by the technological part and, finally, the repository area. Two silos will have the capacity to accept as much as 9,400 m3 of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, which comprises half of the radioactive waste produced in the nuclear power plant in Krško; the site will also be used for storage of all the institutional waste created in Slovenia. In case of an expansion of the Slovene nuclear program or an agreement between Slovenia and Croatia (owning a 50-percent share in the nuclear power plant of Krško) on disposing of the entire amount of the waste, the capacity of the site can be increased.

Agency for Radwaste Management Parmova 53, Si-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: +386 1 236 32 00 Fax: +386 1 236 32 30 public.arao@gov.si www.arao.si/EN

All smiles: The Prime Minister Borut Pahor’s lobbying was successful

“

We know Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and now we will also know Ljubljana,” said European Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs, who compared ACER to the European Central Bank in the field of energy. However, the scope for adopting binding decisions will be limited, as ACER will solve disputes involving cross-border pipelines and networks if national operators will not be able to agree on a solution. It will also monitor and report on developments in energy markets and create European network rules in order to support the concept of a single EU energy market. ACER will prepare technical decisions on helping electricity and gas circulate freely within the EU, but will not restrict the powers of national regulators. The agency’s yearly budget will be around EUR 7m; it should be fully operational from March 2011. In the coming months, the location for the agency’s premises will have to be chosen as officials will be moving in by the end of this year. In the meantime, the agency’s head and around 50 experts who will work in ACER will be

selected. A small number of Slovenians have good chances of getting technical support jobs in the agency, although they will not be privileged over other Europeans. Slovenia’s Prime Minister Borut Pahor said that Slovenia put in a lot of effort to bring ACER to Ljubljana. Minister of Economy Matej Lahovnik explained that the decision was a result of the coordinated work of Slovenian diplomacy, the Ministry of the Economy and the personal engagement of the prime minister. He added, however, that getting the agency’s seat involved promising reciprocal support to other similar projects. Because Slovenia is also a candidate for the seat of Galileo, the European satellite navigation agency, his statement indicates that some other country might have better chances of obtaining the seat of this agency. “We estimated that ACER is going to be so important that we needed to do everything to get it, whereas the situation with Galileo is more complicated, as you will also see in the future. Slovenia gave certain promises in this regard and we will stick to them,” Lahovnik explained. January 2010

ENERGY SPECIAL

… and sweetening the deal

By Luka Vodopivec Photo: M. Botte

out on both locations, yielding the information necessar y to plan the repository and to perform safet y analysis. At the same time, a national spatial plan was being prepared for the locations. In both municipalities involved in the procedure, Krško and Brežice, local partnerships were established at the beginning of 2006, with the view of achieving social acceptability of the repository. Local partnership represented a special form of co-operation between the municipality, the local public and ARAO, which kept the public thoroughly informed about the site selection process in the area. It ensured that the public could take part in the decision-making process on equal terms by offering opinions and introducing initiatives, order independent studies and seek advice or order investigation from independent sources that were deemed trustworthy.

A new European Union agency, designed to help liberalize and integrate the EU’s energy markets, will have its seat in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, according to the decision made by the EU ministers in charge of energy. Considering the growing importance of the energy field, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has the potential of becoming a key EU body.

22 ENERGY SPECIAL

Solar Energy

Here Comes the Sun For several decades, opinions have been divided on solar energy. Could it be a solution to the problem of increased global energy demand, while simultaneously taking care of carbon emission problems? Or has its potential been overestimated? As with many other issues, the truth lies somewhere in between. By Luka Vodopivec

Efficient, but expensive Solar energy is an unlimited, environmentally friendly energy source. In the past, practical issues regarding harnessing the energy of the sun presented certain problems. Firstly, many experts doubted that solar energy could be used as efficiently as other, more conventional energy sources. Today, with solar power plants boasting a more than 50 percent higher efficiency than thermal power plants, these doubts are no longer relevant. The only problem is that these highly efficient plants are extremely expensive and are currently used only in the realm of space technology. Thus, the relatively high price of electricity produced from solar power plants also remains an issue.

Explosive growth Less than ten years ago, photovoltaic systems, arrays of cells able to convert solar radiation into electricity, were mainly found in laboratories. Today, however, the photovoltaic industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. The statistics of the past 25 years show that every time the production of photovoltaic modules doubled in volume, the cost of production for each unit was lowered by 22 percent. Uroš Merc, the CEO of Slovenia’s leading photovoltaic company, Bisol, explains that the mass production of photovoltaic systems has been the main reason for lower prices. “In the past few years we had been witnessing strong market demand, which influenced pric-

Energy SPECIAL

A solar farm in the US The Slovenia Times

Solar panels can help you build a very sustainable house

es; last year, however, the market stabilized. We have to separate the market price and production costs. Raw materials get little cheaper every year, while production costs also fall by a few percent every year.”

Ambitious plans Merc mentions two other factors that contribute to price competitiveness of photovoltaics. The first is the fact that ever-smaller amounts of material are required for producing solar cells. A couple of years ago, cells were 300 micrometers thick; today, this has fallen to only 160 micrometers. The second factor is the increasing efficiency of photovoltaic systems.

Merc points out that no new technological breakthroughs are needed for photovoltaics to compete successfully with conventional energy production on more than 90 percent of the European electricity market, asserting, “Better processes and small innovations will of course help lower the prices, but these goals will be met even without them.” By 2020, Europe plans to cover 12 percent of its electricity demand by tapping solar energy.

Clear skies? Djani Brečevič, Head of Energy, Ecology and Technology cautions that the fact that solar power plants are produced abroad is hindering the increased take-up of photovoltaics in Slovenia. “Germany has come the farthest in solar energy. There they not only assemble the final product, but also manufacture all the necessary elements for solar power plants. In this regard, Slovenia finances other countries.” Merc explains that Bisol already makes some basic elements, but sees things differently. “The future of photovoltaics in Slovenia does not have to include the domestic manufacturing of solar

cells. I think that this segment will mostly move to the east. What is more important is that the final product, a solar power plant, has local warranties and full customer support.”

Plug and play Merc believes that solar power plants must become more like TVs. “When we bring a TV set home, we just plug it in and the then it sets itself up automatically. Solar power plants should be very simple for users; customer support should make sure that it functions flawlessly and becomes profitable.” Merc says that the amortization period for solar power plants is currently 15 years, which is much shorter period than for thermal or hydro power plants that take 40 years and more to pay off the investment. He expects that Slovenian authorities will introduce incentives to stimulate more investment into the photovoltaic industry. The money that Slovenia would have to pay in fines if it does not reduce carbon emissions in line with the EU goals should be used to support this investment, thereby creating jobs.

LIFE STYLE

North by Northwest Slovenian alpine world holds many wonders and secrets. Snowy peaks and valleys. Pine trees and frozen waterfalls. A perilous beauty: In the past life here was difficult, particularly merciless during the winter. Today, tourist opportunities are bringing money to the region. It became a place of hospitality and good time. Wedged between Austrian and Italian border-no-more, the mountain part of Gorenjsko region offers an abundance of spectacular natural settings, such as lakes and mountains as well as everything winter resorts should offer its guests. From ski slopes to skating rinks and sledge tracks, from wellness facilities to highend restaurants...

e h t t i H es Slopwith Jure Košir

Jure Košir, multiple world cup slalom winner, Olympic medallist and Slovenian ski legend:

“Kranjska Gora is my home ski slope. I know every single bump on it. It is extremely nice place, offering enough challenging parts for tougher skiers as well as some very pretty slopes for learners and family skiers. Personally, I prefer Kranjska Gora early in spring, when it gets more sunshine. The scenery of the surrounding mountains is simply spectacular.”

Kranjska Gora

Something for Everyone

40km

h 810 - 1295 m

125 ha

10 km

hchildren

€ full day

21.200

8 km

youth

adults

2 km

senior

18 EUR

24 EUR

28 EUR

24 EUR

morning

15 EUR

20 EUR

24 EUR

20 EUR

night

12 EUR

16 EUR

19 EUR

16 EUR

RTC Žičnice Kranjska Gora Borovška 103 4280 Kranjska Gora T: +386 (0)4 580 94 00 infok@kr-gora.si www.kr-gora.si

Features artificial snow

ski rental

snowboard park

sledging

ice skating

ski school

childrens park

snow kindergarten

night skiing

cross country skiing

The Slovenia Times

Welcome to the only place in Slovenia combining a pleasant skiing environment, good tourist infrastructure, idyllic surroundings and great tradition.

ranjska Gora had its first hotel in 1903. People had already been very interested in going there for fresh air and in seeking adventure in the surrounding mountains. The village was a magnet for the nobility from Yugoslavia i.e. the Kingdom of Yugoslavia established in 1918. Soon after the nearby Italian Travisio got its first chair lift in the thirties, Kranjska Gora realised that it needed this innovation for itself and, more significantly, that it could change its future. In the second half of the 20st century, tourism boomed along with international skiing competitions, which placed it onto the world map. The return of the market economy 20 years ago increased its development into a modern, advanced skiing resort. Kranjska Gora is within an hour drive of Ljubljana, representing a nice opportunity for a daytrip if you cannot stay longer or run out of lodging options (which can

easily happen during the most attractive winter months). Speaking of lodging, Kranjska Gora has many hotels, apartments, private rooms, offering various levels of service, yet one of the best attributes may still be the vicinity of the slopes. Since the village is relatively small, no place is far from the skiing slopes; the privilege of wearing skis right from your room still beats any kind of ultramodern plasma screen in your hotel room. The skiing area facing the village is one wide, continuous slope with hotels and restaurants placed alongside its bottom. The slopes in Kranjska Gora are easy to intermediate with the exception of the Podkoren race slope, which is steep, fast and wide: all an expert could desire. Unfortunately, it is the only place where advanced skiers would feel truly comfortable, which means they could get a bit bored after a while. The same cannot be said for the beginners

who can start at the Mojca lift and then progress towards the other slopes, which are, one after another, gradually longer and steeper. The evidence that the Mojca platter is usually the busiest lift leads

Hit the es SlopSeries Members

RTC Žičnice Kranjska Gora Borovška 103 4280 Kranjska Gora T: +386 (0)4 580 94 00 infok@kr-gora.si www.kr-gora.si

STC Stari Vrh, d.o.o. Zapreval 3 4223 Poljane nad Škofjo Loko T: +386 (0)4 518 81 36 info@starivrh.si www.starivrh.si

Rekreacijsko turistični center Krvavec, d.d. Grad 76 4207 Cerklje na Gorenjskem T: +386 (0)4 252 59 30 info@rtc-krvavec.si www.rtc-krvavec.si

KTC Rogla Cesta na Roglo 15 3214 Zreče T: +386 (0)3 757 71 00 rogla@unitur.eu www.rogla.eu

us to the conclusion that Kranjska Gora is popular for learners and ideal for people who come from countries with less snow and lower elevations, or less-established skiing traditions. The variety of guests can also be heard in the languages the skiers speak. Kranjska Gora is perhaps the most international resort in Slovenia.

Kranjska Gora boasts state-ofthe-art infrastructure. All the chair lifts are new, comfortable and fast. The facility is capable of producing enough artificial snow to cover the slopes all in case of a “green” winter. The exception is the Podkoren II section, a wide, gentle slope, which operates only in conditions of sufficient natural snow. A solid share of Kranjska Gora’s slope can be illuminated, meaning that skiing also is possible in the evening. This is particularly handy for those who can’t afford to take a day off but can spend the late afternoon and evening of the working day enjoying a ride down the slope. Beside the already-mentioned vicinity and good connections to central Slovenia, Kranjska Gora also links well to the skiing resorts in Austria and Italy. Tervisio and Arnoldstein are right across the border, and just a bit further, within a less-than-hour drive range you can find additional variety of hundreds kilometres of ski slopes.

Shortly Kranjska Gora has a large skiing area of wide and short slopes on the village side and a difficult part on the other side of Vitranc Hill, but lacks longer slopes that would add some variety for more demanding skiers. That, of course is the skiing perspective. But if we consider everything else, we can speak about a neat, friendly and all embracing complex, including the ambience of an old alpine village with a well-developed infrastructure – from a skating rink, thermal pool to quality restaurants and casinos. The surroundings are also very rich in services and facilities, as you can try organized sledding or even night sledding with torches or something even more exotic such as snowshoeing or a sled dog ride. If we also take into consideration the tradition of world cup events, we can understand why for many people skiing in Kranjska Gora is not just any winter holiday – it means having been there.

ŠC Pohorje, d.o.o. Mladinska ulica 29 2000 Maribor T: +386 (0)2 220 88 21 info@sc-pohorje.si www.pohorje.org

Smučarski Center Cerkno Hotel Cerkno, d. o .o. Sedejev trg 8, 5282 Cerkno T: +386 (0)5 374 34 00 info@hotel-cerkno.si www.ski-cerkno.com

Žičnice Vogel Bohinj, d.d. Ukanc 6 4265 Bohinjsko Jezero T: +386 (0)4 572 97 12 marketing.vogel@siol.si www.vogel.si

ATC Kanin Dvor 43 5230 Bovec T: +386 (0)5 389 63 10 kaninski.center@siol.net www.boveckanin.si

26 Life Style

Vitranc Cup

A Skiing Classic The Vitranc Cup in Kranjska Gora has established itself as a classic event of the men’s World Cup in alpine skiing. Since first being held in 1961, it has been the place to shine for the brightest stars of this sport. Some of them have developed a special relation to Kranjska Gora. Who, when and why...? By Igor E. Bergant

The quiet Swede

Ingemar Stenmark (born in 1956) is still the most successful alpine skier of all time, regarding individual World Cup victories (a total of 86). At the peak of his career, he was adored by his Slovenian fans as much as his fierce Slovenian rival Bojan Križaj was (see below). The reason: Stenmark collected all his victories while on skis produced in Slovenia. He was “Mr. Elan,” the superman of the slopes and was therefore even forgiven the fact that his excellence prevented Križaj from winning more races. The fans even developed a belief in Stenmark’s and Križaj’s fate being strongly connected. Whenever Stenmark failed to finish the race (which was rarely) and therefore opened the way to the top to other skiers, Križaj fell, too. The other reason for Stenmark’s popularity among Slovenians was his quiet and reserved public appearance. His modest approach, limiting himself to his views of skiing only, suited very much the prevailing mentality of the ‘70s and early ‘80s in Slovenia. Ski races were performances of the highest skill rather than fun spectacles; therefore, Stenmark was regarded as pure sporting champion, the ultimate master of the art of skiing. That’s The Slovenia Times

why spectators in Kranjska Gora were once even ready to protect his image by throwing snowballs into his US rivals Phil and Steve Mahre during a race, because the American twins added some showmanship to their skiing. So, in Slovenia, Stenmark became the personification of the perfect alpine skier, although his success in Kranjska Gora was far from the greatest. He didn’t win more than two races, one each slalom and giant slalom, both in 1979, and added merely a total of four podium places. It was pure underachievement according to Stenmark’s usual standards. But in the eyes of many, this fact is only another proof that the Swede was indeed human, but in any way perfect on his (Slovene) skis.

The Blonde Joy Bojan Križaj (born in 1957) was the first Slovenian star of alpine skiing, the leader of the first successful generation in this sport, which inspired the public. In fact, when Križaj & Co. were racing, schools stopped their lessons and factories halted production in or-

der to give everyone the possibility of following them on TV or at least radioThis was more of an editorial decision than a proofing one. Is this author a sports journalist or a Lacanian sociologist? In any case, Križaj was a champion, although with a slight tragic note. He had to compete against Stenmark (see above), sometimes was afraid of winning in the decisive moment or had simply bad luck when hundredths of a second divided the winners from the losers. However, much of this was compensated by two victories in Kranjska Gora, both in slalom. The first took place on the old course in 1982, ahead of more than 30,000 fans, when Križaj beat Stenmark for by a mere 0.04 seconds. Five years later, Križaj won again on the new course in Podkoren. It was a dream scenario, because Rok Petrović (see below) completed a Slovenian triumph by coming in second and the semi-Slovenian Swedish champion Stenmark joining the home duo on the podium as third. That year Križaj, named “Our B l o n d Joy” by the Slovenian c u lt r o c k b a n d Lačni Franz in a popular song Bela simfonija (The White Sy mphony), followed Petrović by winning the overall slalom title in the World Cup.

The Philosopher on skis While Bojan Križaj was the longlasting-and-suffering idol of the nation, Rok Petrović (1966-1993) emerged as a sensational international shooting star of slalom in the 1985-1986 World Cup season. He won a total of five slaloms in that racing year, one of them was in Kranjska Gora. It was not only his dominance that shocked his fellow skiers and the media, or even his unorthodox style: he was racing and searching for a new way of skiing in the same time. For young Petrović, winning seemed to be only a method of looking for new skiing techniques and searching for answers of philosophical questions. However, this kind of research by the first Slovenian winner of the World Cup title in a single discipline (slalom in 1986) lasted only one year. Later, Petrović struggled to find his way back to the top and gave up skiing in favour of studying and exploring the human rights aspect of modern sports. He died in a diving accident in 1993.

his total of three World Cup victories would suggest. But they were extremely efficiently collected: a fortnight after his emotional success in Kranjska Gora, Košir won for his third and last time – in the Austrian Kitzbühel, a sort of Wimbledon of alpine skiing.

Your eyes, your tongue and your ears will never forget this place!

Excellent national and international cuisine Lunch menus and Sunday menus Business dining and degustation menus Call us for your personal celebrations weddings, birthdays, …

The skiing Messiah

Vila Mangart Restavracija Pungaršek Kolodvorcka cesta 2, 4260 Bled Tel.: +386 (0)590 59 136 restavracija@pungarsek.si www.pungarsek.si

The global local hero In 1999, local boy Jure Košir (born 1972) from Mojstrana completed his childhood dream by winning a World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora. He has competed for the local skiing club for his entire life and admired the likes of Stenmark, Križaj and Petrović as spectator. It was the second peak of his career, almost exactly five years after he had won his first World Cup race in Madonna di Campiglio and an Olympic bronze in Lillehammer in 1994. Košir profited from his likeable character and many talents, including music (he was one of the first rappers in Slovenia) and foreign languages. As a result, he was adored by the fans and the media, also for his friendship with his Italian rival, Alberto Tomba (see below). Considering his overall impact, it was quite more profound than

The biggest star of all, at least from the Kranjska Gora perspective, is the Italian Alberto Tomba (born 1966), who was able to win a record total of five races between 1988 and 1996, both in giant slalom (twice) as well as in slalom (three times). Wherever the son of a Bologna-based millionaire went, fanatic (mostly Italian) crowds followed him devotedly and loudly. Tomba’s playboy image was so bright that it (too) often overshadowed his fantastic skiing skills, which brought him 50 individual World Cup victories (51 by his own account, claiming that one was stolen from him due to unjust disqualification) as well as three Olympic gold medals and two World Championships titles. In the times of “Tomba La Bomba,” the world (Slovenia and Kranjska Gora included) was at last ready for entertainers like him, who had the ability to turn the scene into circus. It may seem a bit exaggerated for the modern times of Austrian, Swiss or French domination, but it won’t be easily forgotten.

TEMPFER

Apartments & rooms

Rateče 76, 4283 Rateče – Planica, Kranjska Gora Tel.: +386 (0)51 309 033, borut.tempfer@gmail.com

First class on the road Airport Transfairs to/from Ljubljana, Zagreb, Trieste, Venice, Klagenfurt, Graz, Salzburg *** Private bus and van services, local and school excursions *** Favorite tours around Slovenia and all over Europe *** Holiday Apartments

Primož Oman s.p. Rateče 1d, 4283 Rateče-Planica www.ombus.webs.com ombus.prevozi@gmail.com Mobile: +386 (0)41 922 514 Tel./Fax: +386 (0)4 58 76 179

Fabula restaurant Borovška cesta 100, Kranjska Gora Tel: +386 (0)4 589 20 88 info@hitholidays-kg.si www.hitholidays-kg.si Open: daily from noon to 11 p.m. Food type International with alpine specialties Price range four-course menu from 14 EUR

Dine with style

Reservation recommended

No one like Julia The sweet part of Fabula’s menu is supplied by a nearby sweet shop located in the Prisank Hotel. Sweet Julija’s daily selection displays different specialties made on site by talented confectionary chefs. Cakes, such as black forest, amarena cherry cake, yoghurt cake with blueberries, Špikov peak cake, tiramisu, cream slice, apple strudel and others aim to please every taste. Sweet Julija is exceptionally proud of its excellent chocolate cake with pistachios, as it is prepared without flour and is also appropriate for people with sensitive digestions. Each week, the daily selection is enriched with a different dessert of the week. All gourmets who love to pamper themselves with chocolate pralines can try the various chocolate truffles (with almonds, pumpkin seeds, hazel nuts, cocoa, walnuts, etc.). The beautiful packaging makes them a perfect gift for your loved ones. Pehta, the herbal pharmacist in the Kekec fairytale, wished to contribute to the selection of our Sweet Julija. She prepares various Aunt Pehta’s Cookies in elegant packaging for you to take home.

Fabula restaurant

Enter the Story Dedicated tourist resorts like Kranjska Gora offers an abundance of restaurants, many of which are truly superlative. If you want to be treated to something truly stylish, let the following be your guide.

ccording to the knowledge of ambitious local chefs, the northwest of Slovenia suffers an overabundance of budget priced restaurants, with menus heavily based on fried chicken and squid, served in unhealthily large portions. Kranjska Gora, a gem of an alpine village, of course does not lack such restaurants, but apart from these, there is so much more here to please the palate; you definitely need some

guidelines for separating the wheat from chaff. To cut to the chase, if you want to reach beyond the regular snacks and are looking for the real thing, a sort of ultimate culinary adventure, it can be found. Immediately beneath the ski slopes, near the Kompas Hotel you should come across a stylish house with a typically steep alpine roof, sheltering a large dining hall and a kitchen ready to take you to a world of culinary pleasures.

It is called “Fabula” and the name has a story behind it. The team running the restaurant is innovative in many senses of the word. Their specialities include their so-called Culinary Events, story-driven sequences of meals with a special cultural theme. Memories are still fresh of an evening with Slovenian evergreen king Lado Leskovar, who dedicated one of his memorable songs to every incoming delicacy.

Alpine specialties Although the chefs are ready to fulfil any demand when it comes to special wishes, the cuisine is essentially domestic. Their food is based on the best regional ingredients, the pride of which is game from alpine breeding areas. Another outstanding dish rarely encountered elsewhere is a fish fillet of Arctic char, which (despite its name) is found in nearby alpine lakes, while

The Slovenia Times

Top choice Calypso Restaurant

In Issue 116

Kidričeva 7, Nova Gorica Tel : + 386 5 336 31 35 restavracije.perla@hit.si Open: Sun – Thu, noon – 3pm, 7pm – midnight Fri – Sat (also on Italian holidays), 7pm–1am

Smrekarjev Hram Restaurant

In Issue 123

Nazorjeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana centre Tel: + 386 1 308 19 07 smrekarjev.hram@gh-union.si Open: Every day, noon – 11pm A la carte restaurant in the city centre of Ljubljana

In Issue 124

Fabula Restaurant Borovška cesta 100, Kranjska Gora Tel : +386 4 589 20 88 info@hitholidays-kg.si www.hitholidays-kg.si Open: daily from noon to 11 p.m.

BARVE: PANTONE 194 U PANTONE 401 U

Grad Otočec Restaurant

PANTONE PROCESS BLACK

In Issue 121

Grajska cesta 2, Otočec Tel.: + 386 7 38 48 900 booking.grad-otocec@terme-krka.si www.terme-krka.si Open: Every day until 11pm

Bled Castle Restaurant

groups should definitely consider ordering the breast of veal. Also, the kitchen masters will hardly let you get away without at least a bit of what they seem to be very proud of: Kranjska klobasa, the famous queen of sausages. The wine list holds all the essentials of the Slovenian wine cellar. If you prefer a glass instead of a whole bottle for your company, keeping to Kristaničič’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a regularly served as the “open” wine is a good idea as well. Appetizers take a special role in severe climate conditions – in other words getting in from the cold

or especially after skiing – you might desire a sip of something stronger. Štekar‘s herbal and fruit liqueurs will warm you up and release their healing effect. Fabula is a versatile place. It can serve a delicious après ski meal, either a daily special or a-la-carte dishes. It can treat you to a romantic dinner. It can host a special occasion for groups of up to 80 people and provide cold and warm buffets as well as a special children’s buffet. Kids can also be taken care of by a special entertainer. Above all, you will be offered an excellence in both food, wine and service.

Cesta svobode 11, Bled Tel : +386 4 579 44 24 blejski.grad@zkbled.si, events@vgs-bled.si www.hotelastoria-bled.com, www.zavod-za-kulturo-bled.si Open: Every day, 8am – 8pm (November-April till 6pm) Special experiences for special occasions.

Vila Bled Restaurant Cesta svobode 26, Bled Tel: +386 4 575 37 10 info@vila-bled.si, www.vila-bled.si Open: Every day, 12pm – 10pm Delights of the French, Mediterranean and Slovenian cuisines.

Kapela Traminec 2006 special edition Extracted from grapes which are let to sweeten beyond the regular picking period, this sweet wine keeps a dominant Traminec aroma in front of other other rich flavors. The wine is essential for a holiday table setting.

Pri Lojzetu Restaurant Dvorec Zemono, Vipava Tel : +386 5 368 70 07 zemono@zemono.si Tradition with innovation and creativity.

Top Eat & Party Tomšičeva 2, Ljubljana centre cmyk 0/0/0/100 rgb 0/0/0 Tel (reservations): +386 40 177 775 info@klubtop.si; www.klubtop.si Open: Wed-Sat, 8:30am – 5am Delights of the French, Mediterranean and Slovenian cuisines.

Atrium Restaurant Pot za brdom 55, Hotel MONS (main entrance), Ljubljana ring, Brdo exit Tel : +386 1 470 27 00 info@hotel.mons.si Open: Every day, 12am – 10pm

Cafe & Restaurant Evropa

Kapela winery, Radenci www.kapela.si

In Issue 117

Dvorec Zemono

Pantone Process Black

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In Issue 122

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In Issue 120

In Issue 119

Slovenska cesta 47, Ljubljana centre Tel : +386 1 438 24 20, +386 40 846 681 info@kavarnaeuropa.si Open: Pasta Nona and Lesar a la carte: daily: 11am – 11pm, Saturdays: 5 – 11pm, Sunday closed; Café: daily: 8am onwards, Saturday, Sunday, holiday: closed January 2010

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Life Style 31

World Winter Masters Games

The Challenge Never Ends Almost every athlete who has taken part in Olympic Games will tell you that the Olympic spirit is not just a phrase but also something that can even compensate for sporting disappointments. To open the door to this experience to anyone, the International Masters Games Association (IMGA) created the Masters Games. There has been much progress since their beginning in 1985 in Toronto, Canada. After seven summer editions, Bled will host the inaugural World Winter Masters Games (WWMG), held between 25th and 31st January. By Simon Demšar

he idea behind the Masters Games is to bring together people from around the world for the joy of competing with their peers. Their motto is “sport for life,” which suggests that there is much more to sport than just competing at the highest level. It also provides retired professional athletes with an opportunity to continue to satisfy their competitive spirits. The WWMG are probably the biggest gathering of their type, bringing together almost 30,000 people from all around the world. “The winter edition will be on a smaller scale but will still attract between 3,000 and 4,000 participants from all five continents; something we are particularly proud of,” says Petra Farčnik of the organizing committee. A few former Olympic medal-

lists are expected to take part, including bronze medallists, Austrian skier Christian Maier and Slovenia’s Jure Košir. However, the vast majority are recreational athletes whose sole ambition is to meet their international fellows, compete against them and see some of the world. “Among others, we will see 20 Australian skiers, one from Brazil and one from Israel. Canada and the USA will have strong ice-hockey teams, there will probably be an indoor football team from Ghana and similar,” says Farčnik. One important difference from regular competitions is that teams are not necessarily composed on a national basis and the number of teams from one country is not limited. Athletes compete as individuals and not as members of national teams. One ice-hockey team,

Some Like it Cold Just before the WWMG, between 22nd and 24th January, another event will take place in the ice-cold waters of Lake Bled – the 3rd Winter Swimming World Championships. There are already 660 registered competitors, mostly from Scandinavia and Russia, but also two Slovenes. There are three main categories: 25, 50 and 400 metres. Besides anordinary swimsuit, a woollen cap is the only allowed piece of protective gear. Absolute beginners can try a “dip in the pool” – simply getting into and out of the water. For spectators, group performance will likely be one of the top attractions to see. “It is really interesting to see these people: when they come out of the water they don’t shiver and run for blankets but they behave astoria_oglasdec.pdf 12/20/09 9:01:12 PM as if this was the most normal thing in the world,” says Farčnik.

WWMG: Everyone can participate.

for example, will consist of players from Canada, the USA and Serbia. The highest number of competitors, 500, will take part in Alpine skiing. Other sports include biathlon, ice-hockey, ski jumping, cross country skiing and indoor football (called “futsal”). The host town will be Bled while the events will take place in Kranjska Gora (Alpine skiing), Kranj (ski jumping, ice-hockey, futsal), Pokljuka (cross country and biathlon), Jesenice and Bled (ice-hockey). Organisers promise “an Olympic-style atmosphere” that will include opening and closing ceremonies. In cooperation with local tourist organisations, the participants will have a chance to see the country as tourists.

To illustrate the significance of the Masters Games, it is enough to look at the structure of the IMGA. Its membership includes the most important international sporting federations, such as international football, basketball, skiing, biathlon and other federations. It is also recognised by the International Olympic Committee and the official organisers of the Masters Games are the national Olympic committees. Being the first winter edition, WWMG organisers faced the tough task of promoting the games throughout the world but, according to Farčnik, they managed to do so via contacts provided by the sporting federations that make up the IMGA.

CMY

January 2010

32 LIFE STYLE

Bled

A Winter Fairy Tale

Bled is one of the oldest and most beautiful tourist towns in Slovenia. It is spread around a lake with a charming little island, above which a mysterious ancient cliff top castle is perched, and surrounded by mountains in the distance. By Tanja Goršič

his Alpine jewel has long been a popular holiday destination, distinguished by its mild climate and numerous sporting and wellness options. Bled lies near the picturepostcard perfect Triglav National Park, home to the country’s highest mountain, Triglav.

Blejska kremšnita Bled’s most famous food is undoubtedly the blejska kremšnita (a type of cream cake); in fact, is has become the symbol of Bled. It is a layered pastry made of crunchy butter dough, vanilla cream and whipped cream. It was brought to Bled by Ištvan Lukačevič, former head of the patisserie at the Hotel Park. He made some changes to the original recipe, taking one third of the vanilla cream and replacing it with whipped cream; the recipe was a success, as it remains unchanged to this day. These cakes have been made since 1953 and this year in October, the Hotel Park patisserie celebrated the making of the ten millionth cream cake, by making a giant kremšnita, of course. The Slovenia Times

The iconic image of this lovely town is the lake with its small island, topped with a church set in the midst of the green lake waters. Bled is an extremely popular summer destination, but is increasingly becoming a notable winter destination. The pace slows down and the pretty resort offers a variety of sports and wellness facilities. Bled offers a wide range of wintertime adventures. Take a romantic ride with a horse-drawn carriage with your loved one, or for the more vigorous, take a winter hike to one of the surrounding mountains, which are among Slovenia’s most beautiful. There is a lot more to do, snow shoeing, ice climbing, skating, sledging, and taking a panoramic balloon ride over the idyllic wintery landscape.

Fun in the snow and ice Even though Bled is not a classic ski resort, skiing enthusiasts are well taken care of. Both skiers and snow boarders can speed down the slopes of Straža, located just a few minutes walking from downtown Bled. The slopes are equipped with artificial snow

guns and lit for night skiing; they are perfect for less demanding skiers. In addition, Bled’s position makes it a perfect base for a skiing or snowboarding holiday. It is easy to try a different ski resort

LIFE STYLE 33 White Wedding

each day, especially with transfers organized through the Ski Pass ticket. This ticket grants access to the Bled, Kobla, Vogel, Kranjska Gora and Krvavec ski centres, with a ski bus connecting Bled, Bohinj and Krvavec. In addition, the Ski Pass ticket is also valid as a free pass for the ice skating rink at Bled’s Sports Hall. The indoor skating rink is the perfect recreation, especially for children, as they can safely skate away, without a care in the world - for them or for their parents. In addition, Bled offers other programmes for the children – snow day care and ski school at the Straža ski slope so that the youngest are well taken care of while their parents can relax, knowing they are safe and having fun.

and ice climbing. It is also the setting of the annual Biathlon World Cup, attracting numerous spectators and competitors. The hut at Lipanca, Pokljuka is located on a panoramic southeastern slope of Lipanski Vrh summit, on a ridge rising above the Pokljuka plateau. It is a nice hiking destination, offering basic accommodation and food. There are 32 beds in a dormitory and 12 beds in three rooms, as well as a kitchen serving stews and other simple dishes. It provides a good starting point for hikes to nearby summits. There is a one-hour hike to the summit of Lipanski Vrh (1,965 m); a one and a half hour hike to Debela Peč (2,014 m); and a two-hour hike to Viševnik (2050 m).

Further out

After all the activities in ice and snow, it is wise to balance things out. There are several superb wellness centres to be found in the town, where one can indulge in massages, saunas, beauty salons, pools and fitness centres. Near the lake, a natural thermal well with water of 23°C is used in the pools of two hotels. Wellness tourism started here in the 19th century, after Swiss natural healer Arnold Rikli discovered Bled’s soothing climate, its lake and thermal water as a source of health and well-being. He used the natural resources – fresh Alpine air, healing thermal water and many sunny days – to establish a climatic and thermal health resort. His initial spa and hydrotherapy offer was upgraded by the locals who built first hotels and motels around the lake. At the beginning of the 20th century, Bled was already established as the prettiest spa town in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and attracted aristocratic elite from all over Europe.

Pokljuka, part of Triglav National Park, is a forested plateau just a short drive away from Bled. It is a base point for all those who love cross-country skiing, alpine skiing and tour skiing, as well as hiking, sledding, snowshoeing

Weddings are a romantic ritual and choosing the right setting is one of the crucial points in the organization of such an event. Bled is very attractive in the winter. The lake, glazed with ice, the buildings, streets and trees all white, snow capped mountains in the distance – the town looks like the perfect setting for a fairy tale. What could be more romantic than whispering ‘I do’ in the idyllic setting of a quaint church surrounded by nature? The cliff-top castle offers weddings with a view – the entire valley and the lake spread before you. Many couples decide for this option. A wedding day at the castle is lively and different, and the wedding party at the restaurant a perfect conclusion to the romantic festivities. Another romantic offer at Bled is getting married in the island church. First, you can take a carriage around the lake, and then a boat to the island. Once there, don’t forget to ring the wishing bell, which will bring you a lifetime of happiness and luck!

Wellness equipped to satisfy your hunger and please even the most demanding gourmets. There are numerous inns, restaurants, pubs and cafés, tourist farms, wine bars and brewpubs. The cuisine available at Bled is a good representation of the local Gorenjska gastronomy, but is also looking for innovations in the directions of new discoveries – from local and regional specialities, to experiments with international culinary achievements. Local food is prepared with much emphasis on using organic ingredients and old ways to give an authentic feel. In addition, tourists have realised that eating is not just about fulfilling their stomachs but is also a great way of discovering and getting familiar with local customs, culture and lifestyle.

Festivals and sporting events Bled and its surrounding areas host several prestigious sporting events, such as the World Cup downhill skiing at nearby Kranjska Gora, ice hockey tournaments in Bled, a hot air balloon festival in Bled in February, the World Cup biathlon at the Pokljuka plateau in December and the impressive sky flying at the world’s biggest ski jump at Planica in March. Have you ever heard of the World Championship in Winter Swimming? Well, some people are all up for it. The event takes place at the end of January, when temperatures are low as they go. It attracts international participation; last year around 600 swimmers applied, most of who were – not surprisingly – from Finland.

Culinary Bled So many activities will leave you with a big appetite. Bled is well January 2010

34 PEOPLE

Peter Florjančič, inventor

A Cosmopolitan and Vivid Life Peter Florjančič, an inventor who turned 90 last year, is the holder of more than 400 patents, including a plastic slide holder and a perfume atomizer . Despite his age, he is still very active. By Marjan Žiberna

P In 1943, when he would have had to join German army as a soldier, he escaped to Austria, faked his own death and disappeared into neutral Switzerland.

eter Florjančič is not just an inventor but also cosmopolitan man of diverse experience with an unusally vivid life. In the spring of 2007, his biography, titled Skok v smetano Jump into the Cream (for now available only in Slovene), was published. In this book, he describes himself with the following words: “I’ve had five citizenships, 43 cars and the longest passport. The profession of inventor forced me to spend 25 years in hotels, four years in cars, three years on trains, a year and a half on airplanes and a year on board of ships.”

Gifted young man Florjančič was born 1919 as a son of a relatively wealthy family in the possession of a hotel in Bled, Slovenia, then an internaThe Slovenia Times

tional holiday resort. As a child, he had opportunity to associate with the various important people who spent their vacations in their hotel, including the members of the then Yugoslav royal family. As a child, he showed that he was particularly gifted. He says that his first invention dates back to the age of six, when his mother was often telling him off for using the sleeve of his shirt as a handkerchief. So, the inventive young man made a sleeve-like tube of fabric and slipped it on top of his shirt’s sleeve and continued with his habit without mother’s disapproval... A decade later, when a young Austrian, Sepp Bradl, set a new world record in nearby Planica and became the first man in the world to ski-jump over 100 meters (101 m), Peter Florjančič was also there as a competitor. At the age of 16, he was the youngest representative of the Yugoslav ski jumping team. Less than two years later, he was the owner of textile mill, which was successful on the base of his organizational and promotional abilities and his improvements of the weaving loom. Another of his versatile interests was music; presently he is as attempting to be a music composer. In 1943, when he would have had to join German army as a soldier, he escaped to Austria, faked his own death and disappeared into neutral Switzerland. He married and had his first baby there, but in the late 1940s, after spending short vacations in Monte Carlo, he decided to move to the French Riviera with his family. Although he was a refugee in Switzerland, he was successful in business (he had a textile mill and had already sold some of his inventions), so he was able to move to then very glamorous Monte Carlo. He had an opportunity to meet all kinds of wealthy people there, including those who were ready to invest their money to develop or to buy Florjančič’s patents. Even today, he never misses an opportunity to stress the impor-

tance of practical use of the inventions, especially when addressing young inventors. “There are millions of inventors like me. But I was fortunate to come up with products that sell on the market,” he states. Another important characteristic of Florjančič that most surely added to his success were his selfpromotional skills.

The Monte Carlo Era The next 14 years Florjančič spent in Monte Carlo. In his biography, he admits he always felt the need to be at the centre of attention and so he liked to entertain parties with his story telling. This ability was his ticket to Monte Carlo’s high society. He had always loved to be seen and acknowledged in society. Even if we don’t take everything written in his biography literally, the fact remains that this era of his life was particularly exciting. When reading his biography, one wonders where he found time to work on his inventions; he describes many parties he attained and spent time associating with important people among whom were Orson Welles, the then Egyptian king Faruk, Otto von Habsburg, Rita Hayworth, Onassis, Frank Sinatra, Salvador Dali, Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, Gilbert Becaud, Elizabeth Arden, and others. In Monte Carlo, he designed perfume atomizer bottles, which the beauty industry still uses. “I was observing women with various handbags,” he recalls. “I started thinking about those big perfume bottles they couldn’t carry around and that’s how I made an atomizer bottle, which wasn’t perfect at the beginning. But then we developed the idea and it is popular up to this day. Everybody still uses this system.” He was awarded for the invention by Parfumerie de France and signed a lucrative contract with Elizabeth Arden, a Canadian businesswoman who built her perfume empire in the USA and around the world.

PEOPLE 35 Women, women … The cheerful world of Peter Florjačič was never short of women. It seems they made his world go round; the atomizer perfume bottle was no surprise … As a fit, communicative man who was also a big showman, he never had any problems winning in their hearts, as he describes it. Nevertheless, he remains married to his first wife Verena from Switzerland. After more than 60 years of marriage they are spending their old age together in Bled, where Florjančič returned in 1998, just as he promised his beloved mother. After Monte Carlo, he moved to Austria at the beginning of the 1960s, where he worked mostly with plastic and opened his own factory. Two important inventions date back to this time: one is a machine for injecting plastic, which brought him the then whopping sum of 1.5 million German marks. Nevertheless, as ever the money did not last long. “I had seven houses and squandered them all ... But I had a great time,” he recalls with a smile. The second invention in 1969 was a well-known slide-holder for slide projectors. It sold in the millions in the following three decades, when Kodak, Fuji and Agfa started producing them. It remained a popular and useful product up until the recent advent of digital projectors. Among most interesting and widely used inventions designed by Florjančič are the cigarette lighter with the side system of ignition bought by Dunhill; the ski holder now used in front of hotels in skiing resorts, and a treadmill for skiing similar to those in fitness centres. He also invented a sort of precursor of airbag for cars. developed in the 1950s mostly for the Dutch market where car accidents often ended in water; the airbag was supposed to prevent the car

from sinking . However, in 1957, when he designed it, the car industry was not sufficiently developed to embrace it. “At the time, they still did not have the materials and technique for that. This took another 30 years to develop.”

Peace and playfulness Peter Florjančič says that in order to work as an inventor what one mostly need is peace: “The inventor must not think about getting a sandwich or about what he will eat tomorrow.” He also thinks that the playfulness, mostly inhibited by schools and other educational institutions, is exceedingly important for creative work. His childlike playful spirit was obviously impossible to break. Once, when he was already approaching the old age, he prepared a surprise for a custom officer, who always took time to carefully examine Florjančič’s car each time he crossed the border, and set a mousetrap under the seat. Afterwards, he innocently explained that he had mice at home and that they were crawling into his car. The trick definitely prevented the custom officer from being as thorough the next time Florjančič crossed the border. The child in him was also responsible for another anecdote described in his biography; when he was in Italy, he played recordings of passionate sex in his hotel room for long hours, so that the other hotel guests sent admiring looks his way the next morning.

Still active In 2002, some years after returning Slovenia, the country of his birth, where he had been more or less unknown, the director Karpo Godina made a documentary film about him called The Story of Mr. P. F., which made him known also among his fellow Slovenians. Although it is not easy to establish who are true fellow compatriots of Peter Florjančič considering that he has had five citizenships – French, Austrian, German, Yugoslav and Slovene. Despite his advanced age, he is still active; his inventions are still winning awards and attracting investors. In 2006, at IENA 2006: International Trade Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, his water fitness device won the first prize among 1,500 inventions. He says he has never taken a single day of sick leave; he has also never saved for his pension, so he is in a way obliged to continue to work, but he does so without regrets. After more than 60 years of inventor’s work, he plans to introduce another invention this year.

He has invented a sort of precursor of airbag for cars, developed in the 1950s mostly for the Dutch market where car accidents often ended in water; the airbag was supposed to prevent the car from sinking.

It is not easy to establish who are true fellow compatriots of Peter Florjančič considering that he has had five citizenships – French, Austrian, German, Yugoslav and Slovene.

January 2010

36 CULTURE

Siddharta

A Musical Phenomenon or a Passing Trend? The biggest Slovenian rock Band Siddharta tries to reinvent their musical identity six years after the undisputable peak. Their fifth studio album Saga brings some freshness to their expression, but obviously not enough to buy them back the screaming masses. By Rok Podgrajšek

iddharta is a Slovene band which started out in 1995, when they were rehearsing in their high school in Šentvid. At first they played smaller club venues, but when they released their first album “Id” in 1999, they were already stars. By the time their sophomore effort “Nord” was released, they were already huge and probably already the most popular rock band in Slovenia, with a number of hits playing on both television and radio stations. Over the next few years they became the biggest name on the Slovene musical scene, even performing in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 30,000 people at the Ljubljana stadium, which was unprecedented for a Slovene act. Siddharta is probably still Slovenia’s biggest rock band, despite suffering a great decrease in popularity in the last years. What made them so huge, so that they could even fill the stadium in Bežigrad? Was it luck, being at the right place at the right time, good connections, musical skill, good music, a combination of this or something completely different? We will probably never really know the answer to this, but Siddharta went from playing in high schools to playing large venues with light speed and everybody in Slovenia knew who they were, even if not everybody liked them. From 1999, when they released their deThe Slovenia Times

but entitled ID, Siddharta have been at the top of the Slovene music industry. Every single they released sold massively (only in Slovenia of course), every video they made was featured on just about every show with music videos in Slovenia and every album they released sold large quantities when it comes to the Slovene market. Everybody wanted a piece of them.

The biggest with a reason They did have that big epic sound, especially when it came to the choruses, which were extremely bombastic. But this was true of almost every song and soon they started repeating themselves. But this didn’t seem to bother anyone. They were hot merchandise, even working together with one of the biggest names in Slovene music Vlado Kreslin. They were young and vibrant and made teenage girls (and some boys) weak at the knees. The singer Tomi only had to look in their direction and there was a screaming frenzy. It was Beatlemania all over again! Critics couldn’t decide whether to be enthusiastic about them or to dismiss them offhand. Another element that seems to confuse the critics is the lyrics. Some say they are complete nonsense, while others think there might be more to them than meets the eye. So, is this a case of putting random big words

together to make an impact or are their lyrics so profound that most people cannot make heads or tales out of them? This is one aspect of Siddharta we will most likely never get to the bottom of. The truth is, if you try hard enough, you can make sense of even the most ridiculous gobbledygook, however I am not implying that this is the case with Siddharta. I am merely stating that any work of art can be deciphered if you believe it has a deeper meaning. So, they were the sweethearts of the Slovene public and they were also rockers, which some people saw as the ultimate statement of not selling out to the needs of big corporations. They had artistic credibility, especially with their “profound” lyrics, which were sometimes so profound that almost nobody could make sense out of them. Siddharta were a huge success story with every album they released. The 4 studio albums and the many singles they released kept the countless fans happy, even if many of the songs worked on the same principle and were more or less in the same style. But that was alright as long as they were selling albums and kept their artistic credibility along the way.

Saga continues In 2009, Siddharta released their fifth studio album called Saga.

This new effort seems to divide the listeners. Some like the direction Siddharta are taking, while others seem to think that the men have lost the plot. There is no doubt that they are trying some new things, which naturally upset some of their fans who are set in their ways, but some other music lovers enjoyed Saga exactly because it is slightly different. And that’s exactly what it is – only slightly different. This is still the Siddharta we know, with the big choruses and the slightly dark themes, but the style is a bit more varied. But how can you tell if this is an identity crisis or if this band really is making an effort to break out of its mould and go somewhere they have not yet been? One thing seems clear though. Siddharta will most likely never be as successful as they once were.

Culture 37 So what caused this drop in their success? Was it the album, which was too experimental for the fans who had grown accustomed to a certain style, or was it something else? I think Siddharta simply oversaturated the Slovene public with their music, which was nice but nowhere nearly diverse enough to satisfy even the most lacklustre fan if he or she had been exposed to their music for prolonged periods of time. The nail in their coffin must have been surely their “Maraton” performance, where they performed their entire discography in one evening. This probably overloaded the musical circuits of many fans and sent them running for the door and showed Siddharta’s complete self-indulgence. The Slovene fans simply had enough. So, Siddharta certainly was the biggest Slovene band (not just rock) for many years, but now their popularit y has dipped. Gone are the days when they could fill the stadium in Ljubljana with 30,000 fans and I think it will even be difficult for them to fill a large venue like Hala Tivoli. Their example merely shows that fame is fleeting for most artists. I hope they continue on though. They are still capable of producing good music and putting on good shows. Perhaps if they don’t concern themselves with the days and fame gone by too much, we will see an even more adventurous side to their music in the future. As for them being a truly unique musical phenomenon, I think that is certainly not the case, which is proven by the lack of interest in their music abroad, despite recording an English version of their album RH-. Audiences abroad merely saw them as one more rock band with nothing new to offer, only Slovene audiences considered them fresh and interesting and even that has now worn off. Siddharta will have to go their own way to remain interesting to the audiences, or they will become just one more rock band in Slovenia as well.

Literature

Happy Birthday Mury! Mury (in English the closest name is ‘Murray’– it sounds the same.) the Cat and MatzieCatsie, heroes of the famous children’s fairy-tale and songs are celebrating 25 years since their first television appearance and release of their audio cassette. By Kaja Cencelj

ur y the Cat (Maček Muri) was written in 1975 by Kajetan Kovič, who is one of the finest Slovenian poets, a writer and translator of poetry, and as well a journalist and editor. This picture book was an immediate favourite among children, and became iconic when Jerko Novak set the story to music nine years later. Many know the songs by heart, or at least the beginning of the story: “When his little clock rings, Mury up he springs. He rubs his eyes with his paw. He airs his cat bed and brushes his cat jacket . . . .” Novak’s composition and Falk’s voice have extended cats’ lives by several times. Without a doubt most Slovenians, and not just children, can easily continue the lines of the poem.

For three to 90 years In a documentary about the fairy-tale and its musical project Kovič said that he has always loved cats. But the inspiration for Mury came from a black cat from Styria that lived with his family in Ljubljana. His cat revived the child in him, and thus the story was born. According to the writer, this is a story for children from three to 90 years old, as everyone can find something appealing in it. He portrays the warm atmosphere of a real cat town with great care, where Mury goes to visit his cat friends and have fun every day. In the morning he goes to the tavern ‘The Happy Cow’ for a cup of milk and a special bread for cats. He is an adorable, black tomcat with human characteristics, a true bon vivant, but still a real gentleman when it comes to female cats. He is in love with the most beautiful cat in the

city, Matzie-Catsie (Muca Maca). There are always a lot of male cats around her, but she is interested only in Mury. The other cats get green with envy when they spend time together, chatting and smiling. One day Mury invites Matzie for lunch at the inn ‘At the Black Cat.’ He walks past the cat’s confectionery, shoemaker, jeweller, bookstore, barbershop, and school. He also sees two cops arresting the local crook ‘The Big Chombe,’ who tried to rob a bank. While Matzie visits her friend Mici after lunch, Mury and his friend Mavo go to a football match. When the home team wins, they celebrate the victory with a large glass of milk. Mury’s day ends like every day, when he returns home and writes down all the important events that occurred in ‘The Cat City’ that day in a book for the Mayor.

Rock Bible for Children These short stories and songs about the cat world have attracted young audiences, their parents, and even grandparents. More than 100,000 copies of tapes and CDs have been sold in 25 years, and around a thousand CDs a year are sold today. The music was composed by guitarist and composer Jerko Novak and his colleagues Miro Novak, Tone

Dimnik, Igor Leonardi, Lado Jakša, and Aleš Kocjan. Although the composition is made in various genres, it has many elements of rock so some call it a “rock bible” for children – as this is most likely their first contact with rock music. There might be another aspect of the project. On this special 25th anniversary, the Slovenian poet and essayist Milan Dekleva set a “poetic luminescence,” as he called his psycho-sociological description of the phenomenon of Mury the Cat. For him, this Styrian/Ljubljana cat is a post-socialist bon vivant that personifies local inhabitants in the best possible sense. He is a poet who knows how to enjoy life and play innocent tricks, is both serious and honest, and is also dreamy when it comes to impressing Matzie. These are the reasons this unique character has become universal and eternal in rock songs. So far, Muri has been translated to English, German, Greek, Croatian, Serbian, and Korean. To mark the anniversary, several screenings of the documentary about the musical project and concerts with the original band line-up, including the singer Neca Falk, will be held in Ljubljana soon. January 2010

38 CULTURE

The Slovenia Times Recommends

Dancing to Murder

The Austrian Landestheater from Linz brings their stage sensation “Lorenzaccio” to Ljubljana’s Cankarjev Dom. This ballet performance is yet another international joint venture of the brilliant choreographer Jochen Ulrich, composer Alexander Blanescu and other renowned collaborators.

Alternative rock

Guano Padano Jan 12, 9pm, Menza pri koritu, Ljubljana, EUR 5 Guano Padano could be described as Italians experimental americana. The group combines the typical sounds we associate with Americana with film music, jazz improvisation and many other things. There are many influences in their music, yet their style is quite unique. Although they released their debut album in Octobre 2009, these musicians are far from inexperienced. They’ve all played in bands of various backgrounds before and this helps them create their unique blend of music as a unit.

Opera

The Rhine Nixies Jan 12, 14 and 16, 7pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 14–28

A French play written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, it is set in 16th century Florence, and depicts a stereotypical romantic hero, Lorenzo, who has sworn to kill Florence’s tyrant, Alexandre de Médici. Having engaged in morally debatable actions to gain the Duke’s confidence, he loses the trust of Florence’s citizens, thus earning the insulting surname “Lorenzaccio.” Behind the facade of the Renaissance Drama, the production by Alfred de Musset Jochen Ulrich creates with his choreography a portrayal of the hero who becomes a tyrant and murderer because of political and personal reasons. Ulrich’s ballet describes Lorenzo de Medici’s emotional journey, from being the cousin of the cruel Duke Alessandro de Medici to becoming his murderer. At first, he adores, even loves his cousin and is as disrespectful and unfair to his people as the Duke. When the Duke doesn’t even hold back from assaulting members of his own family, Lorenzaccio changes his mind about his cousin, who desires Lorenzo’s aunt as his mistress. Lorenzo wants to avenge Florence and his lost family honour by planning his cousin’s death. Lorenzo’s moral sense might have changed but not his tender feelings he has for his cousin – a true love-hate relationship. The choreographer of this performance, Jochen Ulrich, is one of the four founders of Tanz-Forum Cologne, Germany’s first Modern Dance Company. The company came to Bitef in the early 1970s and toured the world with its international repertory. From 1979 until 1995, Ulrich was the director of this com-

pany. He created over 100 ballets for the company and worked as a guest-choreographer for Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper, Ballett Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf/Duisburg, the Icelandic Dance Company, Ballett Staatsoper München, Theater des Westens Berlin and others. In 2000, Ulrich directed the company in Innsbruck and formed his new company. In 2006, he moved to Linz, where he developed the company into its present form. In close cooperation with Dennis Russell Davies and the Bruckner Orchestra, he created new versions of the classical ballets and new works with music from Alexander Balanescu, Philipp Glass and Kurt Schwertsik. Balanescu composed his fantastic music especially for this ballet. The ballet “Lorenzaccio,” a creation for Landestheater Linz that premiered April 11th 2007, was performed eight times with great success. The work was chosen to represent Austria at the festival “scene Österreich” on May 18th 2008 at a gala performance at the Dortmund Opera. The dancers are all members of the company in Linz, which is very international with the majority of dancers from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Jochen Ulrich’s artistic policy is to work in strong contact with artists from neighbouring countries. He has worked since 1995 with Bjanka Ursulov as a costume designer and created more than 15 full-length works with outstanding results. For “Lorenzaccio,” Ursulov designed the stage as well.

Jan 18 at 8p.m., Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, EUR 12-24 The Slovenia Times

This great romantic opera was considered to be lost, but in the last few years it has resurrected and intrigued audiences. Jacques Offenbach became famous with his The Tales of Hoffmann. He wrote The Rhine Nixies for the opera in Vienna, where they also saw its first performance in 1864. But then it was not to be seen for a very long time. The second performance of this opera in France in 2002 was completely soldout and so the interest for it was peaked. The story of the opera is set in 1525, during the time of the Peasants’ War in Germany. The story also contains elves and fairies, while the main theme is the misfortune of love and death as the unavoidable fate of men.

Guitar

Aniello Desiderio Jan 13, 7.30pm, Slovenska fiharmonija, Ljubljana, EUR 7–16 Aniello Desiderio is an Italian virtuoso classical guitarist. He has won 18 domestic and foreign competitions and is considered to be one of the greats of the instrument. He has played at the most important festivals and on the biggest stages. In 2003 he formed the World Guitar Ensemble, where he plays with internationally renowned musicians (Zoran Dukić, David Tannenbaum, Gyan Riley, Pablo Márquez, etc.), but he also frequently plays with his brothers Gennaro, who is a violinist and Gaetano, who is a pianist.

EVENTS 39 Rock

Ultra Jan 14, 9pm, Orto bar, Ljubljana, no admission The story of Slovene band Ultra dates back to 2001, with their first noticeable single called Prebudi se, for which a video was also shot. But the promotion was not good enough and it wasn’t presented to a larger audience. Still, they had many concerts all over Slovenia and were on the verge of releasing an album when they split up. In 2005 the band re-emerged with a new line-up. The concert at Orto bar is to promote the latest single from their upcoming album Fuzija.

Hip hop

D.M.C. Jan 15, 9pm, Cvetličarna, Ljubljana, EUR 25–29

Something Holy, Something Divine...

To celebrate the reopening of the town’s Nevskov castle, Maribor council officials have organised an exhibition of two of Salvador Dali’s largest print collections – the Divine Comedy and the Bible. The exhibited works encompass over 200 illustrations and will be on display until 13 March 2010 – not to be missed! The Divine Comedy consists of 101 illustrations and was initially commissioned by the Italian government in 1950, which wanted to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Dante’s birth in 1964. However, the government cancelled the commission after some officials complained about having a Spaniard commemorating the work and life of the most important poet in Italian history. The rights to Dali’s Divine Comedy were then bought by a French publisher; it was rumoured he paid twice as much as the Italian government was going to pay. It took a long time for the works to be finalised, because Dali decided to paint the watercolours into the wood engraving. This technique requires a special type of woodcut as each colour has to be made on a separate plate – 3,500 plates had to be made for 101 illustrations. The exhibition in Maribor has an example of this technique, showing how many plates were made to create one graphic. Dali published an article in the New York Times in 1949 recounting how, having read the Divine Comedy, he wanted to do an illustration of it. However, later, when all the illustrations were done and the publishers wanted him to help them select the texts for each illustration, he said he could not do it since he never read the Divine Comedy. “That was typical of Dali – he wanted other people to break their heads over his art,” explains Ana Kunstelj, an art historian who helped put the exhibition together.

Darryl “D.M.C.” Matthews McDaniels is an American musician. He is one of the pioneers of the hip hop culture and founding members of the legendary hip hop group Run-D.M.C.. He became interested in hip hop after listening to Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. In the early 1980s he combined forces with Joseph “Run” Simmons and Jason “JamMaster Jay” Mizell and formed the band Run-D.M.C., which is considered as one of the most influential hip hop acts ever. They created such memorable pieces as It’s Like That, You Talk Too Much and the superb collaboration with Aerosmith on Walk This Way.

The publishers(with significant trouble) allocated the texts themselves but incorrectly – they followed the logic and allocated an illustration to each chapter, since the Divine Comedy has 100 chapters and there were 101 Dali illustrations. The exhibition in Maribor, however, shows different text placements that were done in the 1980s by Wolfgang Everling, a German scholar.

Biblia Sacra The Biblia Sacra work consists of 105 colour mixedtechnique lithographs. It was made in the 1960s and was commissioned by Giuseppe Albaretto, Dali’s friend and a devout Catholic. Albaretto knew that Dali would need to study the Bible in order to do the illus-

Jan 15, 10pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 8–10 Lollobrigida is a group which consists of members from Croatia and

However, Dali made his own interpretation of the Bible, as was to be expected. “He took an old gun, put the bullets with the paint inside the gun and then shot the paint on the paper,” explains Kunstelj. “The illustration of the Bible was done with his own invention which he called ‘bulletism.’ This is a different Dali that we see here, since he is using an element of randomness in these illustrations – leaving a paint splash on a piece of paper – while in his other works, especially his paintings, he is very calculated and organised,” she added. Another distinction of the Bible illustrations is that Dali also plays with styles of other artists – Rafael, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Kandinsky to mention a few – he has just put some echos of their art into his composition. With so much history and interesting details behind it, these works are a “must see” in anybody’s calendar. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the works of the artist who said, “Every morning when I wake up I experience an exquisite joy – the joy of being Salvador Dalí – and I ask myself in rapture, ‘What wonderful things this Salvador Dalí is going to accomplish today?’” Until 14th March, 9am-7pm, Naskov dvorec, Maribor; EUR 6.50

porn stars, trashy queens, lollipop, Jackie Chan, high heels, Casio synthesizers, sex, pink elephants, Krystle and Alexis, boogie-woogie, yuppies, laptops, speed, Elton John and much more. The whole of former Yugoslavia is crazy about

this band. They regularly have concerts that are sold out, they performed to ecstatic crowds at the Sziget and Exit festivals and also won the “Best Adria Act 2009” at the MTV award ceremony.

Business and social activities in the Festival hall

Disco/alternative

Lollobrigida

trations and he had hoped this would turn Dali into a devout Catholic, too.

Slovenia, namely bands like Pips, Chips & Videoclips, Sphericube and Psycho-Path. It’s a group which fuses disco, punk and all sorts of other alternative approaches. The music of Lollobrigida is for all the enthusiasts of disco, kitsch,

You can hold an unforgettable business meeting, social event, seminar or diplomatic reception in the most beautiful hall designed by Jože Plečnik. You can also spend a wonderful evening dancing every Friday at the Festival hall in Ljubljana.

www.pionirski-dom.si

Pionirski dom – centre for youth culture, Vilharjeva cesta 11, 1000 Ljubljana Tel.: (01) 23 48 200, fax: (01) 23 48 220, tajnistvo@pionirski-dom.si

January 2010

40 EVENTS

Mysterious Skate Masters The ice-skating artistic group known as Holiday on Ice is coming with two massive, spectacular performances: an evening show called “Mystery on Ice” and “Alice in the Land of Dwarfs” for younger audiences.

In a show with 350 costumes, the chorus skaters skate between 6 and 8 km per show, depending on the size of the ice in each venue. For pairs, the most dangerous stunt in the show is the ankle spin, for solo skaters the back flip; for flying acts, it is just about any trick they do. The principals of “Mystery” change their costumes five to six times and the chorus skaters eight to ten times per show. Finally, there are about 10 languages spoken by cast and crewmembers from 17 different nations.

Directed by Anthony van Laast, with choreography from Robin Cousins MBE and musical arrangement by Michael Reed, “Mystery” offers an amazing journey into the imagination – on ice. It also features a unique set design by award winning designer Bart Clement and costumes by French designer Edward Piekny. A gypsy fortune teller leads the audience through the various scenes of the show, including Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and amazing flying sequence called Hypnotica, The Magical Medley, set in an AllAmerican High School, and a visit to the Planet Zodiac (an amusing salute to the zodiac), with a montage of different songs and character costumes ranging from the beautiful to the absurd.

“Alice in the Land of Dwarfs,” a show by the same performers held for the children earlier during the day called, is based on motifs from Lewis Carroll’s famous fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland.” Following the White Rabbit, Alice comes to the Mad Hatter’s tea party, where she meets the disagreeable Red Queen. Afterwards, she visits the planet Zodiac and the so-called “middle world,” inhabited by fairies and dwarfs.

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Mystery: 20th Jan and 29th Jan at 8.30pm, Tivoli Hall, Ljubljana, EUR 45-70 Alice: 30th Jan at 11am and 2pm, Tivoli Hall, Ljubljana, EUR 22-35

Landestheater Linz

Based on the play by Alfred de Musset

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Choreographer Jochen Ulrich Music Alexander Balanescu

18 January 2010 at 20.00 The Slovenia Times www.cd-cc.si

Electronic

David Morales Jan 16, 10pm, InBox, Ljubljana, EUR 15–18

Chicago was a cradle of house, but it was New York where this unique fusion of funk, jazz, world music, disco, soul and new electronic sound really bloomed and became part of the musical mainstream. The 1990s were the golden age of the New York house scene, which introduced the first global superstar DJs – the Kings of New York. Def Mix acted as one of the core pillars of the scene from the beginning. David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Satoshi Tomiie and Hector Romero have rocked the dance floors with dozens of underground and chart topping records, but really made their name as the remixers to the stars. They’ve produced more than 1,000 remixes for Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Britney Spears, Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, U2 and Jamiroquai, to name just a few. They won numerous musi-

cal awards, including the Grammy and defined “Def Classic Mix” almost as a musical subgenre on its own. Their sound is organic, full of vocals and noteworthy for honouring the intended arrangements of recordings. And this is exactly what you can expect from David Morales’ second performance at the InBox. He had the longest set at our club at the first ever Slovenian Fashion TV Party in 2009. This time he’ll introduce some fresh material from his new album that is scheduled for 2010.

Experimental jazz

Good for Cows Jan 18, 9pm, Klub Gromka, Ljubljana, EUR 6 Gromka always makes sure there is an abundance of interesting jazz and experimental concerts in Slovenia. Good for Cows is an experimental jazz outfit from Oakland, USA. They have released four albums so far. The band’s line-up is rather strange, consisting only of drummer Ches Smith and bassist Devin Hoff. They say this is because “no one else would show up for band practice”.

Metal

Bonecrusher Tour Jan 19, 6pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 22 The Bonecrusher Tour will also stop in Ljubljana. We will be able to see some of the most famous names of the modern metal scene. The headliners will be Americans The Black Dahlia Murder, who have already been in Slovenia in 2009. They will present their new album Deflorate and they promise carnage. Assisting them in their bloody war will be 3 Inches Of Blood, who swear by the legendary battles of early metal epics in the style of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Venom, etc. The other groups will also contribute to the metal madness. This is the line-up for the festival: The Black Dahlia Murder, 3 Inches Of Blood, Necrophobic, Obscura, The Faceless, Carnifex and Ingested, but that might not be all. The organisers say we could even be in for a surprise.

Singer-songwriter

Marko Brecelj Jan 19, 8.30pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 11–14 Marko Brecelj first came into the public eye as the front man for

EVENTS 41

the Slovene avant-garde band Buldožer, which later became one of the most popular Yugoslavian bands as well. Brecelj had already released a solo record (Cocktail) prior to his stint with Buldožer and continued making music after leaving them in 1979, most notably with his project Marjanov čudni zajec. Lately he has been making waves more with his political statements and attacks on renowned Slovene politicians than with his music, so this is one of the rare opportunities to see this extravagant artist perform live.

Opera

Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake Jan 19, 7.30pm, Slovenska fiharmonija, Ljubljana, EUR 12–23

Performing Arts in Prague), who collaborated with the young photographer Peter Giordani on this project. This is a project with which the authors want to introduce the way children see the world through photography. The children take these photographs themselves and so we get an actual picture of how they view life in Europe in the 21st century. The exhibition will include children’s photographs from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Austria, Hungary and France.

Cinema

Sicko Jan 21, 5pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 4.50 Yet another movie by the man who loves to provoke – Michael Moore. He directed and produced the movie and also wrote the screenplay. This documentary investigates the American health care system, specifically health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. Moore compares the American system to those of Canada, United Kingdom and even Cuba and it is pretty clear that he prefers these countries’ health care system to the American one.

Rock

Bor Zuljan Jan 22, 8pm, Orto bar, Ljubljana, no admission

Ian Bostridge is an English tenor and is a wonderful performer of various opera roles and an even greater star in the intimate environment of recital halls. He has won many prestige musical awards, like the Grammy, Brit award and the Gramophone. Accompanying on the piano will be Julius Drake and together they will be performing the works of Franz Schubert.

Photography

Jure Breceljnik and Peter Giodani Jan 20, 7pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, no admission The Children of Europe (Otroci Evrope) project is a continuation of a series of photographic projects by Jure Breceljnik (a graduate of the Film and TV Academy of

Bor Zuljan is best known for his long-time collaboration with the legendary Slovene rock band Šank Rock, which he is now no longer a member of. He has also performed with many renowned artists, like on the cult Devil Doll recordings and also writes many songs for several Slovene pop acts (Alya, Big Ben, etc.). At this concert he will be presenting his latest solo album called Funky Rocker.

Chanson

The fourth Plus concert Jan 22, 7.30pm, Slovensko narodno gledališče, Maribor, EUR 12 We will be hearing Sabina Cvilak on soprano and Mojca Zlobko Vajgl on harp performing some French romances and chansons from the 18th century:: L’amoure s’envole, Bergere legere, Jeunes fillettes, Maman dites-moi, Non, je n’irai plus au bois, Philis plus avare que tendre, Venez, Agreable printemps. We will also hear them perform

some other works by the likes of Ravel, Debussy and Schubert.

Experimental

Sole & The Skyrider Band Jan 23, 10pm, Menza pri Koritu, Ljubljana, EUR 10–13 After two triumphant performances in Ljubljana already, the founder of the new-wave avantgarde record company “Anticon” Tim Holland or Sole returns to the scene of the crime with his latest album “Plastique”. He will be accompanied by The Skyrider band. Together they form a cohesive unit and directly criticise the world order. The alternative music combined with the rapping and poetry of Sole make for an interesting yet effective combination.

Electronic

Alex Gaudino Jan 23, 10pm, InBox, Ljubljana, EUR 15 - 17 Head of the influential label Rise Records and the only Italian A&R who toped the UK singles chart

with two dance singles, now classics “You see the Trouble With Me” (Black Legend) and “Feel It” (the Tamperer ft. Maya). In recent years Alex also lifted his artistic profile. He’s the man behind countless of great remixes, hot bootlegs and a household name on the global club circuit. His releases include hit singles such as Watch Out, Little Love, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, Take Me Down (To the Water) and last but not least Destination Unknown. You can hear him Fridays at noon and Saturdays at 5pm on the Ministry of Sound web radio – but you will only have one chance to catch him live this season at the InBox club. Join us for the first ever Mondial Clubbing with Alex Gaudino on January 23rd and check out if Italians really do it better!

42 EVENTS Pop

Michael Bolton (USA)

Darinka Novak Project. The project involves nine interactive installations with many possible meanings, which show us social situations in a comic strip way.

Jan 25, 9pm, Dvorana Tivoli sports hall, Ljubljana, EUR 38–52

Musical

Showtime Jan 27 and 28, 7pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 10

The American singer Michael Bolton, who is nowadays considered the personification of the soft and romantic side of pop music, started out as a hard rock singer. This appearance in Ljubljana will be in support of the release of his eleventh album, One World One Love. Currently one of the most popular American singers, Bolton first made a name for himself for composing music hits performed by other artists. In the second half of the 1980s, however, he released an album of covers of the greatest soul hits and became one of the star artists himself. Let’s just remember some of his most renowned hits: When a Man Loves a Woman, How Am I Supposed To Live Without You and Love is a Wonderful Thing. Michael Bolton has sung in duet with Luciano Pavarotti and Ray Charles, collaborated with Bob Dylan, played guitar side by side with B.B. King and wrote hit songs for Barbra Streisand and many others. His latest album features collaborations with a couple of young rising stars, Ne-Yo and Lady GaGa. To date, Bolton has sold about 53 million records. He has won two Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, six American Music Awards, a Martin Luther King Award and a prestigious Lewis Hine Award for his humanitarianism and human rights activism. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After the very successful musical Feel the beat, we will now be seeing a new show called Showtime. More than 40 young people (all under twenty years old) will perform for more than two hours – dancing and singing in more than 1,000 original costumes. You will be able to hear famous melodies from such musicals as The Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin, Cats, The Lion King, Grease, Queen – We Will Rock You, Feel the Beat and Hair.

Punk

Kuzle Jan 28, 9pm, Orto bar, Ljubljana, no admission Kuzle is a legendary punk band from Idrija. They were active between 1978 and 1980, but they were never able to release an album, Now, more than thirty years after they started out, they are together again and they already have 21 original songs, which will be released next year on an album called Še pomnite Kuzle, tovariši. The show in Orto bar will be to promote this debut album and to show that they are back.

Classical

Symphonic Orchestra Jan 28, 7.30pm, Slovensko narodno gledališče, Maribor, EUR 17

Photography

The Darinka Novak Project Jan 26, 7pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, no admission This is an exhibition of documentary photographs. Peter Rauch, Andreja Rauch Podrzavnik and Gregor Kamnikar present the The Slovenia Times

This time we will hear the symphonic orchestra of the Slovene national theatre (Slovensko narodno gledališče) perform pieces by two renowned classical composers. They will be performing

Beethoven’s sixth symphony and Shostakovich’s first symphony. The evening performance will be conducted by Anton Nanut, perhaps the most famous Slovene conductor.

Ballet

The Temple Dancer Feb 2 and 4, 7pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 14–28

Stand-up comedy

Panč Jan 29, 8pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 9–20 Jan 30, 8pm, Narodni dom, Maribor, EUR 9-20 Panč is a festival of stand-up comedy and is the biggest event of its kind in this part of Europe. In the summer, this event takes place at the Ljubljana Castle and is the most popular event at the castle. In 2008, when the festival first took place at the castle, the shows were sold out for all three nights and reports about the performances were made by all major Slovene media. In 2009 the scene was very much the same, with a crowd of 1,300 people. Now we can see this winter edition of the festival in Ljubljana and Maribor, where we will see 10 comedians, including two from Croatia and two from England.

Electronic

Kiril Džajkovski Jan 29, 9pm, Cvetličarna, Ljubljana, EUR 22–25 Kiril Dzajkovski is a composer born in Macedonia, best known for his solo releases combining ethnic music and electronic music, such as ‘Synthetic Theatre’, ‘Homebound’ and ’Religion & Sex’. In addition to his solo albums, Kiril writes music for film, television and theatre. He wrote, arranged and produced the soundtrack music for the feature films ‘Dust’ directed by Milcho Manchevski, ‘The Great Water’ directed by Ivo Trajkov (Best Soundtrack Award Valencia Film Festival 2005) and Balcancan directed by Darko Mitrevski and additional music for ‘Shadows’ directed by Milcho Manchevski. Kiril has written music for numerous theatre productions, including ‘Proud Flesh’ directed by Aleksandar Popovski (Best Music Award, Voydan Chernodrinski Theatre Festival 2001), as well as the award winning contemporary ballet ‘La Capinera’ directed by Michele Merola (Special Music Award, Purgatorije Mediterranean Theatre Festival 2007). In addition to his solo career, he has also done keyboard work for the most famous Macedonian rock group, Leb i sol.

La Bayadere (The Temple Dancer) is a ballet by Ludwig Minkus, originally staged in four acts. It was first performed at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1877. The story is set in an exotic location, so that we are able to see many lavish decorations and costumes, making for a spectacular show. This will be the Ljubljana premiere of the ballet, which is coproduced by the Slovene national theatres of Ljubljana and Maribor.

Blues

Bob Brozman Feb 2, 8.30pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 11–14 Bob Brozman is a blues shaman and a renowned guitar innovator. He does not play only blues though. He has played a numerous variety of styles throughout his career, including Gypsy jazz, calypso, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. He has worked together with musicians from all over the world, even such exotic locations as India, Africa, Papua New Guinea and Reunion Island. He is a solo performer and the conductor of a guitar orchestra all in one person. Those attending his performance in Cankarjev dom will also be able to see his impressive array of different guitars on stage.

Musical contest

Epic RockLine Fest Feb 4, 8pm, Rock Cafe, Postojna, no admission It’s the middle of the first round of the competition and it’s time for some newer metal acts to introduce themselves. The evening will feature one of the biggest favourites to win – Inmate. Inmate are a well-known name on the metal scene, the only thing missing is a recorded album. It should be interesting to see how the challengers (Use Less and Panikk) perform. Will they be able to pose a threat to Inmate?

SOCIETY 43

Guest Star 2009

Same Universe, New Stars Guest Star, the campaign that awards and puts the spotlight on important foreigners in Slovenia celebrates its sixth annual event.

uest Star has been successful from its beginning. The basic concept behind the event was warmly welcomed by everybody involved and further confirmed by the excitement of the invited attendees at the first event back in 2004, which was a huge success. In the beautiful setting of the Grand Hotel Rogaška, the magnificent background of the Crystal Hall was complimented by distinguished foreigners, the guest stars of the evening. Out of nine nominees, Guest Stars were awarded in three categories: Politics & Diplomacy, Economy and Sports. Cristoph Steidel Porenta, a very successful entrepreneur with his small business, a jewellery shop, received enough votes to make it among the finalists in the Economy category. Since Porenta did not wish to compete in this category alongside managers of large companies and he did not consider himself to be a businessman but an artist, the organization committee respected his decision and granted him a special award. The next year another award for the category of Arts and Culture was added to the list. During the following four Guest Star campaigns, many different people received nominations and awards, some of them more than once. The campaign – well organized and prepared by The Slovenia Times and Radio Slovenia International – continuously followed its goal of creating a more open

The actual Guest Stars - until the next ceremony: musician Chris Eckman, footballer Marcos Magno Morales Tavares, manager Thies C. Bruhn, ambassador John C. Groffen.

and inclusive society. Final events never failed to bring glamour, fun and, most importantly, a chance for the diverse group of foreigners and Slovenians to meet each other. The events have always been well regarded by the media, while the ceremonies themselves excelled with cultural programmes, charitable additions and elegant ambience. The Guest Star ceremony has been held at five different venues and a huge variety of hosts and special guests. It guarantees the same this year.

The five successful years of the Guest Star campaign testify to its importance and significance on the Slovene diplomatic, economic, sport and cultural scenes. The efforts of the organisers are increasingly validated each year. In the relatively young Republic of Slovenia, a campaign of this kind has proven to be extremely valuable for establishing further successful international relations and open-minded cooperation between people of different cultural backgrounds. Above all,

building a multi-cultural and cohesive society is a priority and the Guest Star campaign will continue to hold its meetings and continue to draw attention to the people who are making a positive contribution to Slovenia and its society. This year’s campaign is bringing a new set of nominees, who will choose their favourite by voting at a website. There you can also find all the up-to details about the campaign, information about the nominees and the event.

The nominations for the 6th Guest Star of the Year are open.

2009

Organizers

Suggest expats in Slovenia that you think deserve the nomination for this year’s Guest Star Award. The nominations are open in four categories: Sports, Culture, Economy and Diplomacy. Send us the names of your favourites and the reason why you think they deserve the award to: marketing@sloveniatimes.com January 2010

44 SPORTS

Boxing

Eye of the Tiger Against all odds, Slovenia’s best boxer, Dejan Zavec, won an epic fight against Isaac Hlatshwayo of South Africa and became the IBF welterweight world champion. By Andrej Pirnat

ejan, who is also known as “Mr. Sympathikus,” defeated the 32-year old South African boxer in an extraordinary fashion and, in doing so, he became the first Slovenian boxer to succeed in winning a world boxing title. The 33-year old Dejan managed to strike his opponent with a final blow, from which Hlatshwayo just could not recover, in the third round. The “Boom Boom” man struck again, and he struck fast. The Duel in Johannesburg was over in just under nine minutes; mere moments later Dejan proudly lifted his new championship belt. Normally, professional fights last for twelve rounds, but Zavec just did not want to wait that long for his title. He was convinced that he was coming back home second to none when he sat on the plane to South Africa and he left nothing to chance. He attacked from the first bell and did not drop his guard even for one second. This was his fight, his opportunity of a lifetime and you could see in his eyes that he was not going to let anything keep him from it.

Long road to the top Dejan Zavec was born in Ptuj in 1976 and started boxing when he was fifteen. Before becoming a professional in 2003, he had won no less then nine amateur national boxing championships and added several international victories as well. As he began his professional sporting career, he joined a Ger-

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The Slovenia Times

man boxing club, Sport Events Steinforth. In the beginning, his rank was 1380, but after only one year, he managed to fight his way to the top 100. Prior to becoming a world champion, he also won an intercontinental welterweight title and in 2008, he was crowned as the European Union champion. He came out on top in 28 career matchups; in 16 of them, he won with a knock-out, while only falling to his opponent once. As much as he is a beast in the ring, Dejan is a quiet and peaceful man in his private life. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Magdeburg, Germany, where he also trains, but every time he gets a chance, he loves to return to his hometown Ptuj, where he is a stranger to no one.

Glorious return home Another treat was waiting for the popular boxer when he returned home. Around 100 fans awaited him at the airport in Brnik, while in his hometown a horse-drawn

carriage was waiting for him. Like a king, he strolled down the streets of Ptuj all the way to the City Hall, as people cheered along the way. When he reached his destination, it seemed that the whole town gathered to greet him and welcome him back from a tough battle. The falling snowflakes only made the whole experience feel more like a fairytale.

Not resting on his laurels Not long after returning home for much needed rest, Mr. Sympathikus was also given a champions belt that will forever reside on his shelves. On this occasion, he thanked everybody who had helped him reach his goal, saying, “Each one of us is deserving of this, with their positive attitude everybody added one piece to this success. We proved that with hard work everything is possible.” Since emerging victorious in South Africa, Dejan has enjoyed enormous interest from the public, boxing fans and (of course) the media.

“All this attention is flattering, now I can proudly and confidently say that I am a boxer,” Dejan commented on the commotion spinning around him these days. Nevertheless, at the same time, he is already looking ahead. Next year, he will defend his title against an opponent whom he himself will choose from amongst the challengers. He will probably opt for Rafal Jackiewicz, who is ranked first on the list of challengers and the only man who has ever beaten Dejan in his professional career; so, naturally he also wants a chance to return the favour. “I am looking forward to a possible rematch with Jackiewicz. If it comes to this, I of course expect to win. Dejan is now in a completely different position than back then. He is now a champ and others have to challenge him. But even Dejan still has some room for improvement, while I have some ideas how to tune his performance,” promised Dejan’s trainer Dirk Dzemski.

SPORTS 45

Snowboarding

Too Strong for the Olympics Jure Hafner, 20, is another young gun in the Slovene national snowboarding team. A 15th and a 16th place in the World Cup would have earned him a ticket to the Vancouver Olympic Games but with six qualified snowboarders and only four places allocated to each national team, Slovenes are simply too strong. “Time is on my side, and if others do a better job I will be happy to congratulate them,” says Hafner, a very mature guy for his age. By Simon Demšar

e started his career without any particular ambitions. He joined a recreational national competition and, after winning it, he was spotted by Coach Peter Kotnik, who coached him to his greatest success so far – becoming world junior champion in 2008, followed by a bronze medal the following year. The transition to the World Cup was never expected to be easy but Hafner took the opportunity and (technically) qualified for the Olympic Games. Whether he will actually take part depends on his results before the Games. The other candidates are Rok Flander, Jernej Demšar, Izidor Šušteršič, Žan Košir and Rok Marguč. In Flander, the 2007 world championship in parallel giant slalom, the team could hardly have a better leader. Despite undisputable talent and successes, the team struggles with finances and team members have to cover part of the costs from their own pockets. However, Hafner does not seem to lament that too

Swimming

much. The same goes for any suggestion of missing teenage life. “Yes, my friends go out at the weekend, while I know that I have to be 100% fit for the practice the next morning. On the other hand, snowboarding has given me an opportunity to see and experience the world, cultures and languages. It’s a great school for life: it changes your view of the world, small things become important, you learn to make quick decisions in a stressful environment.” He also quickly dispels the myth that snowboarders are a bunch of easygoing guys, saying, “We might be a little more relaxed than other athletes but being an Olympic sport, snowboarding is still highly competitive. You can only be successful if everything is in its place: the coaching and technical staff as well as your family, friends and personal life in general.” What gives him the energy to go through his workout schedule when the energy is low? “Every success is a boost. For example,

when I was fifth after the first run of a world cup race, it was a signal of what I am capable of although I eventually didn’t quite make it on that occasion. Things like that keep my spirits up.” With recent intense debate in the Slovene media on whether successful athletes should be entitled to annuities, Hafner can share a view from the beginner’s perspective:

“First of all, I do my sport because I love it; however, you sacrifice a lot of your time without any guarantees. When athletes are successful, they are national heroes but when they are not, they are quickly forgotten. I am well aware that education is key and I have every intention of finishing mine. After all, in case of a bad injury, my career can be over tomorrow.”

Football

Mankoč Swims for When the Going New World Record Gets Tough Swimmer Peter Mankoč set a new world record in 100 metres medley in short pools at the European Championships in Istanbul. With the time of 50.76 seconds in the semifinals, Mankoč improved the previous world best, set by Russia’s Sergey Fesikov, by 0.19 second. Mankoč said he knew he was fast, so he told himself to push with all the power until the end.

A draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa placed Slovenia in Group C along with England, the United States and Algeria, raising hopes that it might finally bag some points after a fallow run at the 2002 World Cup. All three opponents are currently ranked higher than Slovenia on the FIFA World Ranking. England, the winners of the 1966 World Cup, are ranked 9th, the US 14th, and Algeria 28th, five spots ahead of Slovenia. England is also the only team in this group that Slovenia has ever played. January 2010

Maribor mayor Franc Kangler with Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik baptizing the new Pohorje cable car. (Photo: Mediaspeed)

Candles of hope for the Copenhagen environmental conference, Prešeren Square.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Diners club sponsored Grandpa Frost brings some joy to the children of socially deprived families.

Ljubljana and Zagreb Mayors Zoran Janković and Milan Bandić at Slijeme skiing competition. (Photo: Mediaspeed) Bunnies pack: Doroteja Premužič, Špela Jereb, Katja Litrop in Barbara Podobnik at the Playboy party. (Photo: Mediaspeed)

Slovenians at St. Moriz glamour show with Urška Drofenik’s collection Couture 2010, featuring a presentation by coreography master Igor Jelen - Iggy.

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