The Slovenia Times 148

GUEST STAR 2011: Read all about the Nominees & Campaign

The Slovenia Times, Slovenian magazine in English Language, volume 9, number 148, EUR 4,80

March 2012

y t i r e t s u A e Hav s e r u s a Me d e t a r e Gen the Interview: Gianni Pittella, Vice President of the European Parliament

e p a Sh e h t of ? s i s Cri

CONTENTS 3

March 2012 Business Partners

POLITICS

6 7

Seeking the Political Balance for Urgent Decisions Confusion on the Left

European Union

8

Interview: Gianni Pittella, Vice President of the European Parliament EU News

10

12 13 14

16

ECONOMY Double Dip Recession is the ‘Official’ Reality Government ‘Means Business’ with Spending Cuts Interview, Mario Ingo Soos, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Company News

Information Technology 18

Interview, Niels Soelberg, Microsoft EMEA Public Sector Vice President

FDI 100

19

Hella Ready to Invest Additional EUR 60m

95

20

DIPLOMATIC SOCIETY

75

Embassy Diaries

Guest Star 2011 Special

100

23

95 25

24

75 5

The capital of Culture, Business, Diplomacy and Sport Guest Star 2011 Nominees

LIFESTYLE 28 30

0 25

32

5

Lifestyle News Experience: Beauty with a Capital ‘B’ at Kozmetika Afrodita Cook Me Some Art and He Did: the Famous Trio

CULTURE

0

36 37

Interview, Reza Mirkirami, Iranian film director The Event Guide

SPORTS Slo times avgust 230x95 mm 11. junij 2009 10:43:56

41 41

Crown for Kranjec A Man of Steel

42

Every Picture Tells a Story March 2012

4

PANORAMA

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

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Enthusiasm for Incompatible Ideas On 22 February, most parliamentary parties welcomed the idea of constitutional change after the parliamentary Constitution Commission opened the debate on two proposals designed to shorten the government appointment procedure and include the golden fiscal rule in the Constitution.

While the majority of parties support the changes in principle, many have taken the opportunity to submit their own proposals.

The coalition parties proposed the abolition of the National Council and the Upper Chamber of Parliament, change the legislation on referendums and introduce a probation period for judges amongst other things, while the coalition Virant

List and the opposition Positive Slovenia (PS) and SocDems also proposed easing the workload of the Constitutional Court. The most elaborate with their proposals were the ruling Democrats (SDS), who submitted 15 ideas in addition to the proposal to streamline the appointment of the government. These included judicial reform, a ban on the glorification of totalitarianism, obligatory secondary education and a ban on media monopolies.

Constitutional law experts, Janez Čebulj and Andraž Teršek, in the meantime suggested caution and are against rash changes to the Constitution, saying that any changes should be subject to extensive debate and reflection.

Local elections

Family law

Executive at Heart

Let Mother’s Day be the Decision

Positive Slovenia President, Zoran Janković, announced he will enter the contest for Ljubljana mayor, a post he had to vacate in December after he was elected to parliament.

He said that being mayor would allow him to do the most for his party and for Slovenia.

Janković recalled how he had said prior to the general election that he saw himself in the executive branch, not as an MP. However, he hinted that he still sees himself as a potential prime minister in the event of another early election. Janković won the last mayoral election in 2010 in a landslide victory, picking up nearly two-thirds of the vote and securing an absolute majority in the city council for his Zoran Janković List.

However, New Slovenia (NSi) and the Democrats (SDS), which fielded separate candidates two years ago, have now joined forces and backed Mojca Kucler Dolinar, a former Higher Education Minister.

The local elections will be held concurrently with the family law referendum in a few towns across Slovenia whose mayors were elected as MPs in December.

The proponents of a Family Law proposed by the former government can be optimistic, polls suggest a strong turnout and a result in favour of the law, in what will be the first referendum in 2012. It will also be the first under the government of Janez Janša, whose party is among the opponents of the family law.

The referendum, scheduled for 25 March, was requested by a conservative pro-family group which sees the definition of a family in the new law, in dispute with the traditional idea of a family as a male-female couple with children.

The family law, adopted by the former centre-left government in June 2011, updates legislation dating as far back as 1976. The majority of the provisions are not controversial: a ban on corporal punishment of children, a children’s rights ombudsman and the transfer of decisions on children’s rights in custody disputes from social centres to courts.

But the focus of debate has been on gay couples having almost the same rights as heterosexual couples. Most notably, allowing gay couples to adopt their partner’s children.

The proposed law is a toned down version of the original proposal, some of the most controversial provisions, including full equalisation of gay and heterosexual marriage, had been thrown out due to protests by conservative groups. But the definition of family remains contentious; the law defines it as a union of a child and one or both parents or other adult caregivers.

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Front page by Maja Kaplan

UNDER THE PRESS 5 Adventure

Around the World Matevž Lenarčič, who is on his way around the globe in Pipistrel’s ultra-light plane, has successfully crossed the Pacific and landed in Auckland. Such a distance, with no place to land, has been one of the major challenges: he faced a difficult storm on the way to Totegegie, while the longest flight was 15 hours from the Cook Islands to New Zealand.

When I listen to government representatives it seems they are increasingly using my sentences. In a shy manner, but they do. They don’t speak just about saving, but also how 400 million should be saved while another 400 million should increase the budget. I’m sure they will finally also propose to raise VAT in order to fill the budget. Apart from that, we have not seen action by this government, except for staffing changes.

Zoran Janković, Party President, Positive Slovenia and Ljubljana Mayor Candidate about the current government (Dnevnik).

We will keep opposing those who, in the 21st century, see a chance for saving only with workers. It destroys a welfare state and does not contribute to the growth of economy. The pressure from the interpretation of credit rating houses and fiscal pacts often result in wrong decisions which will not pull us out of the crisis.

Lenarčič embarked on his solo flight around the world from Ljubljana airport on 7 January after the start of his adventure had to be postponed several times due to different problems. As part of his solo flight around the world, dubbed World Green Flight as the plane is the most efficient in its class, Lenarčič has already landed in the Antarctic in what was the first landing of a Slovenian plane on the continent. He plans to travel 80,000 kilometres and fly over 60 countries, 120 national parks, three oceans and the highest peaks of five continents.

Meanwhile, a four-man team led by Slovenian Marin Medak, completed a 4,700 kilometre challenge crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat. The team of rowers - none of which is professional - arrived at Bridgetown, Barbados after 45 days, 13 hours at sea. Medak is the first Slovenian to take on such a challenge and is also the youngest leader of any such expedition to date.

Accompanied by his three teammates from the UK, he started from the Canary Islands on 12 January.

Unionist, Dušan Semolič, commenting on the readiness for compromise. (Mladina)

There are a few different reasons for unemployment among the young. One of them is the parents’ attitude, they push kids into a school just to finish it without checking whether such profiles can get a job. Now we have a bunch of graduates, while we have neglected expert high school and job-oriented education. This cannot be repaired overnight.

Labour, Family and Social Affairs Minister, Andrej Vizijak, on disproportions in the labour market. (Delo)

ACTA

Wait or Cancel?

The government has decided to freeze the ratification of the AntiCounterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) as soon as possible. The agreement has been decried by the public because of the lack of transparency when it was adopted and the imbalance between the protection of copyright and the rights of citizens at the expense of the latter. With the decision to halt the ratification procedure, announced by the Economic Development and Technology Minister, Radovan Žerjav, Slovenia joined a growing number of EU countries that have either suspended ACTA’s ratification or did not sign the document. The government’s decision was prompted by calls and protests from the public and experts. A public debate, held in parliament, showed virtually all participants shared the view that the ratification of ACTA must be suspended or even rejected. During the debate around 200 protesters gathered in the centre of the city for a second anti-ACTA rally in two weeks. They hailed the decision to put the agreement on hold as their ’first victory’ but announced that the protests are not over - they plan to take them to the European level.

Events

Forgetting the Univerisade The new government decided not to invest fresh money to bail out the organisers of the 2013 Winter University Games in Maribor, effectively cancelling plans for the event in Slovenia. The Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sport, Žiga Turk, said the government was not willing to “fund ill-managed projects” in the current economy.

The budget for the games was set at EUR 33m, of which the State pledged to provide 30%. However, the organisers, the Slovenian University Sports Association (SUSA) and the City of Maribor, admitted recently that they would not be able to fund their share and that the construction of infrastructure was running dangerously behind. The government’s announcement was met with disappointment from the organising committee.

At this point I think that the blame is on the States. All of them somehow create conditions for creation of such groups.

Take Wikileaks. The more closed a State is, the sooner it will get its Wikileaks. The Anonymous I do not entirely approve of because of their cyber terrorism, breaching the boundaries of good taste and creating damage. But still - the less a State communicates with its citizens, the more Robin Hoods appear.

Information Commissioner, Nataša Pirc Musar, on the Anonymous threats. (SiOL)

As you probably know, it is difficult to be an example. I believe that we, in the Church, will do our best. Taking responsibility is a great act of our human nature.

Priest Bogdan Knavs, who openly demanded responsibility for the Maribor diocese’s financial fiasco from the Catholic church as an example for believers. (MMC RTV Slovenia)

Two thirds of new faces in the parliament are not contaminated with negative habits from the past, therefore, the discussions are held at a very cultural level. Perhaps we need to calm down a couple of old boys who have adopted bad habits from the past.

Parliamentary Speaker, Gregor Virant, about the speaking culture in parliament. (Delo) March 2012

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR 6 POLITICS

Coalition

Austerity needs credibility

by Tilen Majnardi

After the first month of the new Government, we can conclude that we have seen a mixture of a few good, credibile steps and a rather worrying amount of distracting and for the reputation of fresh Government, harmful actions. Urgent austerity measures for the stabilisation of public finances, which is the first step toward building a new platform for renewed economic growth, critically needs credible and trustworthy government policy overall.

It shouldn´t be forgotten that credibility was the key issue with Borut Pahor´s cabinet, who prepared quite a number of good projects that were ruined by inter-coalition disputes and low credibility.

It can easily be agreed that the first general steps of the new Government have somehow stopped the trend of the falling economic image of Slovenia in international markets and within the EU. Quick steps toward rebalancing the budget, lowering the deficit toward 3% of GDP, signing the social pact with the unions and preparing constitutional changes incorporating the golden fiscal rule. All this indicates is that in terms of urgent economic measures, the Government seems to be on the right track. Even the decison to stop the controversial Universiade project to be held in Maribor in 2013, shows that the Government means business, regardless of whether politically ‘friendly’ projects are the question. Considering all of this, particularly the efforts of the ‘calm’ Finance Minister, the economic functioning of the Government can, for now, be assessed as good.

The first real test for the Government will be the implementation of all of the measures with the same amount of creativity and calmness, defining the proper combination with measures to stimulate economic activity. At this point, it is obvious from general comments from the unions and the opposition, that the proposed austerity will not solve the crucial economic questions - falling GDP, rising uneployment... are populist statements but can become reality in the long term. The first step is clear, the Government must balance public spending with real fiscal income, the unions will just have to accept that we have run out of resources for financing the existing organisational structure of the public sector. The State Treasury is simply empty, we can deal with that or wait for a Greek scenario. But they are right in where they expect solutions, realistic and operational projects for new growth. Here we will see if the ‘development’ part of the new Government is as comparable in creativity as the ‘austerity’ part.

The second real test for the new Government is to establish general credibility among citizens. If, with the announced austerity measures, we have somehow stabilised our external financial image, we can observe a disturbing erosion of general credibility of the leading Government officials at home. Employing an excessive number of new cabinet employees in some cases, raising the wages of new cabinet employees in some Ministries whilst at the same time announcing layoffs in the same departments, for example, the police. In addition, endless disputes between Lista Virant and SDS about moving prosecution from the Justice Ministry to the Interior Ministry and on the top of that, the affair of the counterfeit high school certificate of the DeSUS Party MP, where we witnessed surprising hypocrisy from the DeSUS Party Leader and Foreign Minister, Karl Erjavec and puzzling silence from the Prime Minister. If the Government does not immeditaly put the brakes on and take a self critical look in the mirror, we will probably see that Borut Pahor was not the only problem in the recent years.

Seeking the Political Balance for Urgent Decisions The new government of Janez Janša has, immediately after their confirmation in the Parliament, come under alot of pressure from all possible sides. Apart from an enormous amount of work connected to stabilising public finances, tackling the consequences of the economic crisis, preparing the platform for new economic growth and job creation, it seems that they just did not succeed in avoiding some controversial and non-urgent political moves. It has quickly become apparent that the government seems to understand the volume of urgent decisions ahead, but more questionable is whether they will be able to agree on the nature of the problems and proper solutions.

Outrage from the opposition after the first cabinet meeting

Among the most exposed, the new government immediately dismissed the Director of the intelligence agency SOVA, Sebastjan Selan and appointed Damir Črnčec in his place. Aleš Gulič in the meantime, was dismissed as the Head of the Government Office for Religious Communities and replaced by Stane Baluh as Acting Head and Darijan Košir, the Head of the Government Communications Office, was replaced

by Anže Logar as Acting Head. The change in the Communications Office is more than logical, but removing Aleš Gulič from the Office for Religious Communities is definitely not an urgent, anti-crisis action, especialy considering the new coalition announced that the Office will shortly be integrated into one of the newly formed Ministries.

The smallest cabinet ever facing some serious ‘reorganisation’ questions

The centre-right cabinet has 12 ministers with Janša as the Prime Minister - four from the main coalition partner, the Democrats (SDS) and two from each of the remaining partners, the Virant List, the People’s Party (SLS), the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) and New

Slovenia (NSi). The most controversial decisons of the new coalition are connected to the reduction in the number of ministries and the reorganisation of parts of the ministries: the integration of the Culture Ministry into the new ‘super’ ministry for Education, Science, Culture and Sport; and moving prosecution from the Justice Ministry to the Ministry for Internal Affairs. It appears the integration of culture into the new ‘super’ ministry is final but the latest information indicates that the leading coalition party, SDS, is prepared to take a step back on the reorganisation of prosecution. The Executive Council of the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) agreed to keep the prosecution service under the auspices of the Justice Ministry. However, unless the prosecution service shows successful performance within a year, it will be moved to the Interior Ministry. The Interior Ministry is headed

by Vinko Gorenak of SDS and the Justice Ministry by Senko Pličanič of the Virant List. From the initial response of the Virant List, it is clear that they are not very happy with this type of blackmail from the SDS side and so the outcome of this inter-coalition dispute is not yet clear. The planned transfer of the prosecution service had been harshly criticised by the opposition,

POLITICS 7

Opposition

Confusion on the Left After Zoran Janković with his party Pozitivna Slovenije, was not able or did not know how to form a new centreleft government and his subsequent decison to run again for the mayor of the capital city, Ljubljana, it is very apparent that the future of the young political party, Pozitivna Slovenija, is unclear. On top of this, we are hearing more and more speculation that the leader of the Social Democrats, Borut Pahor, is seriously considering becoming a candidate for the President of the Republic against current President, Dr Danilo Turk, thus opening the search for a new leader of the left.

Janez Janša nad Gregor Virant, Inter-coalition dispute between old »friends«

who had asked the Constitutional Court to review the corresponding article in the Government Reform Act. The move was also opposed by the State Prosecutors’ Council and the Corruption Prevention Commission, while Pličanič announced he would strive to keep prosecution in the Justice Ministry, as he introduced himself as a candidate for a Minister in the Parliament in early February. Two weeks ago, the Virant List, which initially proposed merging the home and justice departments including the prosecution service, proposed changing the coalition agreement to retain prosecution as part of the Justice Ministry.

Crucial task: the balance between urgent austerity measures, social cohesion and stimulating growth

T h e n e w g o ve r n m e n t quickly presented their plans for cost cutting in public finances. The optimistic goal of the new Finance Minister is to lower the budget deficit to 3% in 2012. It´s more than obvious that this cannot be achieved without cutting the volume of wages in the public sector. This can be done by lowering wages or laying off employees in the public state administration. This was very quickly questioned by public sector unions and also by the Head of the Government Fiscal Council, Marjan Senjur,

who warned against extreme ‘meddling’ in the public sector. If the government wants to reduce some taxes it will need to increase others, he added. Although the public sector is the touchstone of the economy, it is the right target for reducing the budget deficit but only on the expenditure side, Senjur noted, adding that the income side of the budget is often disregarded.

Overdramatisation could be counter productive, the key is credibility

Commenting on the assessment of the government that Slovenia may run out of budget funds for the salaries of teachers and police officers in the last quarter of 2012, Senjur stressed that painting a dramatic picture of the situation may seem reasonable for the national public, but was counter-productive for the foreign public.He further said that there was no point criticising the cabinet’s fiscal policies of 2009 and 2010, as “the government of Borut Pahor did what it had to do and what it could”and Slovenia had negative economic growth only in 2009. The new government has more choice because Slovenia now has experience with the crisis and he also noted that it was crucial that the cabinet improve its credibility, which was damaged because the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) had undermined the main anticrisis proposals of the previous government.

Janković´s trip from Ljubljana to Parliament and back

As was very clear prior to the elections and even moreso after the suprising win of Zoran Janković, the ‘classic’ left in Slovenia, more or less concentrated in the Social Democrats, was not very happy with Zoran Janković taking over the left pole of the Slovenian political spectrum. Disputes exploded between the search for the President of the Parliament when it became clear that Janković simply did not know how to credibly approach the building of a new coalition. The comedy surrounding the election of the President of the Parliament continued in the coalition negotiations, or more correctly ‘games’, with Lista Virant, and the result was a centreright coalition with Janez Janša as President of the Government. Even taking account of the strange and at the time, bizzare negotiation tactics of Lista Virant, we can conclude that Zoran Janković showed he was not prepared for the position he was seeking. His decision to go back to Ljubljana is more than rational, however, the question is whether he will, once again, win in the first round of voting. His advantage is definitely that the other candidates are just not proper competition, at least it appears so at first look.

Political dribling around the election of the President of the Republic

Following the total election fiasco of the Liberal Democrats (LDS) and ZARES, which are practically erased from political life in Slovenia, we can expect that the most interesting moments will come in the weeks and months ahead when it will become clear whether Borut Pahor will run

against Dr Danilo Turk for President of the Republic, until now the undisputed favourite for President for the next four years. It is important not to forget that Dr Danilo Turk exposed his preference with his strong support for Zoran Janković, promoting him for the post of Prime Minister, which for some may have been even too strongly. Borut Pahor is definitely a good candidate who can expect votes from the left and the centre, meanwhile Danilo Turk is perceived to be more a left that centre candidate which can be concluded from his, sometimes less than diplomatic, rhetoric in recent months. Crucial will be the result of the first round of voting where a very close result between Turk, Pahor and the SDS candidate, Milan Zver, can be expected. Speculation is that if Borut Pahor makes it to the second round, he can win against either of the other candidates: against Danilo Turk by receving votes from the left, centre and right; against Milan Zver receiving all the votes from the left and from part of the centre.

Looking for the ‘third’ person unifying the left

Apart from the question of whether Borut Pahor will run for President, there is still the open question of who could be his successor in the Social Democrats and even who the third ‘person’ is that can unify the left, SD and Pozitivna Slovenija which, without a leader and icon in the form of Zoran Janković sitting in the Parliament, faces a slow decomposition. For now, we cannot see any appropriate candidate that could garner enough support inside SD and Pozitivna Slovenija and more importantly, from voters who are always desperately seeking new faces and are constantly stuck with old ones.

March 2012

8 EUROPEAN UNION

Interview: Gianni Pittella, Vice President of the European Parliament

The Obsession with Austerity is Misleading EU Leaders Europes top proirity is definitely to tackle the consequences of the financial crisis which threatens the future of the euro. Europe has generally accepted that short term financial consolidation is neccessary to create a new foundation for sustainable economic growth. But what these new solutions are for new growth, job creation... is still not clear. Following old recipes will probably not work, austerity measures urgently need systematic upgrade through development initiatives that will bring new confidence amongst European citizens. We discussed these challenges with Gianni Pittella, Vice President of the European Parliament.

By Tilen Majnardi, M. Sc. How do you see the current situation in the EU? Do you think that European governments, together with the European Commision, are using the right ‘tools’ for solving the financial and economic crisis in Greece and other countries with budget problems?

Europe is facing the toughest economic crisis since 1929. The root cause of this crisis is financial and it is related to a lack of regulation of the financial markets. Therefore, in order to solve this crisis, the top priority should be a reform of the financial markets with the goal of making them more transparent.

In this regard, the adoption of the Tobin tax may be an important step to better regulate and control international financial flows. In terms of macro policies, I welcome the loose monetary policy carried out by the European Central Bank The Slovenia Times

aimed at providing liquidity for the banking system, thus limiting the risk of a new credit crunch.

However, I think that the we need a change in budgetary policies.

The austerity measures supported by the European Commision and adopted by many European countries might be counterproductive.

Unfortunately, there is an obsession with austerity measures even though they are likely to hurt GDP growth. I strongly believe that the EU, alongside national governments, should put forward a set of expansionary measures to strengthen GDP growth. In this regard, eurobonds are a critical tool that should be implemented as soon as possible.

In recent decisions of the European Commision and EU countries, we do not see solutions to the real long term problems of

the European economy - moving traditional industrial production to more ‘flexible’ countries often with poor democratic, ecological and social standards, resulting in growing unemployment, social inequality in the EU, ecological problems... Do we understand what the real problem is?

As I stated before, the obsession with austerity measures is somehow misleading many European leaders. When we speak of structural reform we only think about debt reduction, cuts in social spending and shrinking the welfare state. However, in my opinion, structural reform should accompany the transition from a traditional development model, based on quantitative growth, to a new economic model. Europe needs a new, appropriate growth policy, focussed on innovation

and capital intensive production.

Growth comes from innovation improving quality. As Harvard scholar Philippe Aghion pointed out, there are three policy areas that are potentially relevant for growth in Europe: competition, education and macro policy.

Higher company turnover and special attention paid to higher education are growth enhancing in countries closer to the technology frontier such as many European countries. Counter cyclical budgetary policies might also be growth enhancing for European economies. I know that the European Commission and the national authorities are working on a European programme to support growth and I will do my best to influence this process to support a model of economic development based on innovation.

EUROPEAN UNION 9 Are you satisfied with the role of the European Parliament in decision making connected to instruments that are used for solving the financial crisis? The EU is obviously strenghtening the political union with its fiscal pact, is this something that should be discussed more frequently inside the European and national Parliaments?

The European Parliament plays a pivotal role in the EU decision making process. Following the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, approximately 90% of EU bills have to be approved by the EU Parliament. Unfortunately, these new powers have frightened some nationalist forces who are seeking to weaken the Parliament and as a result, many projects seeking to reform economic governance in the EU have been prepared by the Commission and the European Council without taking account of the central Parliament. However, I am confident that things are changing for the better. In this regard, the EU Parliament has substantially contributed to improving the new European Fiscal Pact.

I am also confident that the new President of the EU parliament, Martin Schulz, will strengthen the role of the Parliament in the EU arena.

How do you see the role of the United States in today´s global situation, it seems that on the one side they are strong allies of the EU, on the other we can see that they do not want a too strong and too independent Europe maybe also more closely connected to the Arab countries, China and Russia?

The US is not in good shape. The current financial crisis was born and bred in the US. US debt is higher than that of the eurozone and they have an impressive account deficit. All these elements are weakening the dollar and many observers predict that the dollar is about to lose its ‘exorbitant privilege’ as the leading international currency. The rise of China will probably pave the way for a structural change of the international monetray system which will turn the page of the Bretton Woods system and the dominance of the dollar. Faced with this prospect, the US will need a strong Europe in order to create a critical mass to balance China’s

emergence. In addition, any split of the eurozone will undermine global financial stability and this will have negative effects on the US economy. Barack Obama is not G.W. Bush. The Obama Administration is aware of the importance of a stable Europe and it has always reiterated its willingness to support deeper economic and political integration in Europe. The US needs a stable and more integrated Europe and this is why I believe that cooperation between the EU and the US will be fruitful and mutually beneficial.

What is your position on the ACTA Treaty, latest information indicates this is another area where the EU is blindly following the interests of one sector of the economy?

The ACTA proposal is wrong in both content and process. It does not reflect the interests of citizens but rather, the interests of large corporations and profit margins: it confers on them alarmingly broad powers to punish and restrict. We cannot allow legislation to privatise internet governance and limit fundamental freedom. Intellectual property rights must be guaranteed, but not at the expense of the rights of citizens. The statement adopted at the PES Presidency on 9 February 2012, commits PES to a long term campaign to remove the stated risks from the draft. Mr. Stanishev added that; “PES does not support the type of extreme censorship proposed by ACTA and regrets that the conservative majority in the European Parliament has shut down the opportunity to conduct a clear and fair debate at the social and political level”. PES Secretary General, Philip Cordery stated: “ACTA will have a huge impact on the lives of citizens and yet, the European Commission discussed the text in absolute secrecy. This is unacceptable. Any debate related to ACTA must be transparent, publicly accountable and faithful to our most democratic values”. ACTA is set to be voted on by the European Parliament in June and ratified at the national level. In the meantime, a massive, EU-wide demonstration against the agreement took place on 3rd of March. The online petition calling for the rejection of ACTA was endorsed by almost two million signatures.

European Parliament

How do you see the future of the North African countries that recently stepped on the way of democracy? What kind of role should the EU play in their future democratic and economic development? Do you support Turkey entering the EU? I am a friend of the Mediterranean countries. I come from a Mediterranean region. What happened in Northern Africa last year was something incredible. Jean Pierre Filiu, Professor at Sciences-Po in Paris, compared the Arab Spring to the storming of the Bastille.

Do you think that further enlargment of the EU with the countries from the Western Balkans is reasonable before we solve our financial problems and improve the institutional structure in a more efficient and democratic way?

The Western Balkans are the heartland of Europe. Their history and their culture are part of European civilisation. However, I do not want to gloss over the social, economic and political complexities of these countries. Much has still to be done to stabilise the countries of the Western Balkans.

We should not underestimate the progress accomplished by this region. The poison of nationalism was put into the hearts and minds of the Balkan people but has now been rejected. For example, Serbia is fully cooperating with the International Criminal Court. Many challenges remain to be addressed such as transnational crime, corruption and sluggish economies. I do believe that Europe cannot say

to the Balkans : “Do all the work yourself and later maybe you can join the EU” This is the wrong message. The EU should support the process of democratic deepening through the dissemination of good practice on a daily basis.

EU Accession is not an end in itself but rather a long term process of institutional transformation.

In this regard, I welcome the decision to recommend Serbia for membership candidacy.

How do you assess the functioning of Slovenia in the European Union. Are we down in the average or have you seen some fresh ideas from our representatives at EU institutions?

When I think of Slovenia, I think of great European intellectuals such as Boris Pahor and Drago Jancar. Based upon this cultural European background, Slovenia’s accession to the EU has been a success story. Until the crisis, Slovenia was experiencing strong economic growth, the country modernised and ‘Europeanised’ its economic structure and the population was fully supportive of the EU as shown in the eurobarometer polls. Slovenia has given a very good impression at EU institutions. In politics, trust and credibility are the most important assets and over the past 8 years the Slovenian leadership has proved itself to be amongst the most credible and serious stakeholders in the EU. The EU has really benefited from the Slovenian accession and we have to thank Ljubljana for its contribution.

March 2012

10

EU

NEWS

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

Enlargment

EU Summit

Slovenia Welcomes Serbia’s EU Candidate Status

Controversial Belarus Blacklist

The Foreign Ministry hailed the EU’s decision to grant Serbia the status of candidate country.

With Serbia getting EU candidate status, the psychological barrier has been transcended, considering that on the path now to the EU is a country whose size and role in history make it a special case in the region of the Western Balkan, Prime Minister Janša said on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels. He believes that this step can be expected to speed up the resolution Serbian President Boris Tadić of other issues in the region related to decisions that still need to be taken

by Belgrade.

The Foreign Ministry believes that the decision sends a clear signal to all countries in the region that the enlargement policy remains one of the most efficient instruments of the EU to ensure the strengthening of freedom of space, security and sustainable development. Serbia’s case proves that even the toughest challenges can be tackled by reform, responsible and constructive dialogue and mutual respect, the Ministry said in a written statement. The Ministry also congratulated Serbia for the effort it has so far devoted to the cause which can serve as “an incentive and also the responsibility for continuing the reform process and solving other open issues”.

EuroBusiness

Slovenia: Only EU Member with No Reform Progress BusinessEurope, an association representing over 20 million companies from 35 countries, said in its Reform Barometer report that Slovenia was the only EU member that had not made any progress in implementing reform in 2011, although its reform programme got top marks. The report says that EU members, in general, managed to define their key issues quite well. Slovenia ranked at the top with the Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal.

However, the situation is completely different when it comes to actual implementation of reform, where Slovenia ended up bottom in all five evaluated fields. Slovenia failed to boost production and investment and was placed at the bottom alongside Denmark, Italy and Iceland. It failed to improve trade and competition and ended up at the bottom with the Czech Republic and Denmark. Slovenia also got low scores for boosting the labour market alongside Luxembourg, while in the field of public finance and financial stability, Slovenia was the only country with the lowest grades.

The Slovenia Times

Slovenia’s rejection of an attempt to blacklist a single Belarus businessman as part of EU sanctions against the country’s regime was “absolutely accepted”, Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press after the EU summit in Brussels. Janša said Slovenia was not mentioned in the debate on sanctions against Belarus during the summit. He stressed that after informal talks with his European counterparts, there had been “no more misunderstandings” with regard to Slovenia’s opposition of the blacklisting of oligarch, Yuri Chizh.

Slovenia’s Foreign Minister, Karl Erjavec, blocked the Karl Erjavec inclusion of Chizh in the list of persons to be affected by sanctions aimed at the regime of Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko. Reports suggested that Slovenia blocked the blacklist because Chizh was involved in a EUR 100m construction project in Minsk awarded to Slovenian company, Riko.

However, Erjavec said Slovenia opposed the blacklisting of Chizh because it believed a comprehensive blacklist needed to be drawn up. “This does not mean Slovenia does not support sanctions, we support them, we believe human rights violations must be prevented, but we also advocate a comprehensive approach and that economic sanctions should be effective,” Erjavec said. EU member states decided in January to broaden the reach of sanctions against Lukashenko’s regime by extending the list of persons and companies, punishing them by freezing their assets in the EU and banning entry. Due to Slovenia’s veto, EU Foreign Ministers settled on a compromise, formally adopting sanctions against 21 judicial and police officials and deferring until March the list of businessmen and companies to be sanctioned.

Fiscal pact

Slovenia Signs Fiscal Pact The fiscal pact, agreed at the end January, will enter into force when at least 12 members of the eurozone ratify it in their national parliaments The pact is by far the most important step toward stabilising the eurozone and will require strong participation from member countries stressed Prime Minister Janša, adding that Europe will not be able to rely on ad hoc measures in future. “The fact is that the eurozone crisis has stabilised, at least for the time being, with PM Janez Janša both the fiscal pact and the action of the European Central Bank, but of course this does not paint an identical picture for all member states“.

12

Economy

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency; IMAD; SORS

Double Dip Recession is the ‘Official’ Reality Slovenia has officially slid back into recession as its economy contracted by 2.8% in real terms, in the final quarter of 2011, it shrank at a rate of 0.2% for the year according to the Statistics Office. Seasonally and working-days adjusted, Slovenia’s GDP contracted 0.7% in Q4 from the previous quarter and 1.5% year on year although it grew 0.2% overall.

External demand continued to have a positive impact on economic growth but the growth in exports slowed to 3.0% year on year in Q4, significantly lower than the growth rates in the second half of 2010 and first half of 2011. “We recorded growth rates above 10% in some of the quarters in that period,” Hren recalled, but given the situation in other EU countries she said the impact on the Slovenian economy was not surprising.

GDP Growth in 2011 (quarterly) Current prices, EUR m1

Real growth in %, Q /Q-4

Real growthin %, Q/Q-1(seas.)

Q4, 2011

8.870

-2,8

-0,7

Q3, 2011

9.183

-0,5

-0,4

Q2, 2011

9.223

0,7

-0,1

Q1, 2011

8.362

2,1

-0,3

Source: Statistics Office of the Republic of Slovenia - SORS

T

he contraction in the last quarter followed a 0.5% reduction in economic activity, in real terms, in the third quarter of 2011. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. “The rather pronounced fall in economic activity was the product of two factors”, the public was informed by Karmen Hren, who is responsible for the national accounts at the Statistics Office; she pointed to external and domestic demand.

Commenting on the figures, the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD), said that the fall in final domestic consumption, coupled with the slowdown in export growth, increase the risks to growth this year. The government think-tank noted that the 2.6% fall in government consumption was a result of fiscal austerity and the freeze on budget expenditure in the final months of last year. “The deterioration in the international environment, the higher then expected contraction in domestic economic activity at the end of last year and the announced fiscal consolidation increase the risk that the economy will contract further this year,” IMAD boss Boštjan Vasle noted.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) highlighted the significant fall in construction investment which last year hit a 10-year low. It called for measures to restart investment in the sector and urged companies to seek contracts outside the EU as

Dušan Mramor, Faculty of Economics

export remains the main motor of growth.

The Dean of the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics, Dušan Mramor, says that his projection of a double-dip recession is now becoming a reality, a development shown by models relevant to the structure of the Slovenian economy with the bulk of companies supplying final producers. Future trends will depend on economic policies.

Energy

Public Finance

South stream pipeline operational in 2015

Fiscal rule goes into the Constitution

President Danilo Türk and PM Janez Janša met the head of Russian gas company Gazprom, Alexei Miller, in Ljubljana. Miller told the new Prime Minister that the estimated cost of the investment in Slovenia is approximately EUR 1bn. Janša in turn highlighted the role of the Infrastructure and Spatial Planning Ministry in the implementation of the project, while the pair underlined the business opportunities that the project will bring to the Slovenian economy.

Gazprom decided in January to move the start of construction on South Stream forward, from 2013 to December 2012. While the final Alexei Miller route is not yet determined, the pipeline is expected to run through Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia and Hungary. However, apart from these four, Greece, Croatia and Austria have also signed international agreements for cooperation. In December 2011, Russia signed an agreement with Turkey and at the beginning of February 2012 with Montenegro. The gas pipeline, which will cost around EUR 16.5bn and enable transport of 63 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year, is expected to be finished in 2015.

Heads of parliamentary parties agreed to include the golden fiscal rule into the Slovenian Constitution, under which the budget must be balanced or in surplus while debt is not allowed. After the meeting, Prime Minister Janez Janša said that all Slovenian parliamentary party representatives are prepared to negotiate and vote in favour of Slovenia incorporating a balanced budget rule into its Constitution. According to the Prime Minister, the amendment to Article 148 will include only what is necessary, that is, “that the Slovenian budget is balanced or in surplus, meaning that borrowing is not permitted”.

The Prime Minister also said that the implementation of the golden rule would be regulated by an implementation law, which would also be a constitutional act and therefore require a two-thirds majority vote. He added that the implementation law would determine an anti-cyclical budget policy, specify when the rule has been violated and provide a schedule for meeting the golden rule, i.e. the number of years the rule is to be in force and budgets balanced.

The Slovenia Times

13

Government ‘Means Business’ with Spending Cuts The Government adopted guidelines for an austerity budget for 2012, capping the deficit at 3% of GDP or about EUR 1bn, substantially less than in recent years. Finance Minister, Janez Šušteršič, is convinced that reducing expenditure and quickly was a must, particularly as Slovenia has slid back into recession.

“Considering the low economic growth, we are aware public expenditure as a whole needs to be adjusted to economic abilities and that we can no longer be confident that the situation will turn for the better in a year or two and that we can survive with transitional measures,” Šušteršič said (Picture: Finance Minister Janez Šušteršič). According to him, budget expenditure could amount to about EUR 8.9bn this year, that is EUR 450m less than last year.

Revenue to the tune of EUR 7.8bn is expected which Šušteršič said was a very cautious projection, as reserves are factored in should there be a deterioration in the economic situation following the report from the Statistics Office that Slovenia’s GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2011.The return to recession came as a negative surprise for Šušteršič as the the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) had forecast growth. IMAD will now is-

sue a new forecast for this year, probably as early as mid March.

The Government also plans EUR 150m worth of tax breaks. These have not, as yet, been fully determined but will be drawn up in a month with the aim to stimulate growth and job creation.

The Government decided against participating in the planned capital injection in Slovenia’s biggest bank, NLB. “If we want to consolidate public finances, recapitalisation of NLB needs to be carried out without public money” stated Šušteršič. To cut spending, the Government has adopted several measures including a review of all contracts between State bodies and service providers. “The heads of all bodies must check the contracts and verify whether they were concluded with due process,” he said, adding that a company in a similar situation would do the same: ask suppliers to renegotiate the conditions. Additionally, all public agencies, institutes and funds have been requested to use any surplus from last year for the financing of activities in 2012.

Until a supplementary budget is adopted, all public contracts will be checked by the Government while the Public Administration and Justice Ministry will check the economics

NLB, Searching for strategic partner

of spending on cars, real estate, IT, work contracts and travel expenses. Šušteršič acknowledged that internal spending cuts will not be enough, saying that “areas in the domain of social dialogue” would be tackled if necessary.

Additionally, the emergency act freezing public sector wages and pensions in the first half of this year will be extended until the end of the year.

Energy

FDI

Green light for ‘non-green’ TEŠ 6 project

Pomurje among top 10 regions

by FDI Strategy

The Government decided to support a bill for a State guarantee for the construction of a new generator at the TEŠ coal-fired power plant under certain conditions, including a long-term contract between TEŠ and the Velenje coal mine for the supply of lignite at a fixed price. Prime Minister Janez Janša said the Government had endorsed the SocDem sponsored bill that would grant a EUR 440m loan guarantee, but that TEŠ must now negotiate the reduction of project costs. It must also reach agreement with the Velenje coal mine that the maximum price of lignite, set in the latest investment programme, would remain EUR 2.25 per gigajoule, according to Infrastructure and Spatial Planning Minister Zvonko Černač. The project must be finished within the set time frame, meet all the conditions regarding profitability for the energy sector and reduce CO2 emissions, as envisaged by the investment programme.

The TEŠ 6 project was launched more than six years ago when its estimated cost stood at EUR 600m.

However, the cost of the project gradually rose, most notably in 2009 and have now doubled to the current EUR 1.3m. The new generator is expected to enter test operation in 2015.

Representatives from over 40 cities and 23 regions assembled for the prestigious fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future awards ceremony in Cannes. The audience included more than two dozen mayors as well as other government officials. The event celebrated the success of cities and regions across Europe that feature in fDi Magazine’s European Cities and Regions of the Future ranking.

Finance

State pulling out from NLB, NKBM, Zavarovalnica Triglav The Ministry of Finance has announced the state would reduce its stakes in the two largest Slovenian banks, NLB and NKBM, and in the largest insurance company Zavarovalnica Triglav, keeping a minimum of 25% plus oneshare. In mid-2011, the state held a 45.62% stake in Slovenia’s largest bank, NLB, while together with the state-run KAD and SOD funds, the figure reached 53.72%.

This means that Slovenia could divest as much as 28% of NLB. The Finance Ministry is to draft a new management strategy for its stake in NLB by 20 April, while further government plans are expected to be revealed before the 30 June deadline when NLB needs to be recapitalised to meet the 9% Tier 1 capital threshold as required by Brussels.The government however seems unlikely to take part in the required capital injection. In Slovenia’s second-largest bank, NKBM, the state holds a 27.66% stake, while the figure with the KAD and SOD funds included stands at 35.65%. This means Slovenia could sell a 10 % share in the bank. NKBM is listed on the Ljubljana and the Warsaw stock exchanges, where the price per share stands at about EUR 3.

March 2012

14 ECONOMY

Interview, Mario Ingo Soos, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

The organisation of economic diplomacy is currently a big issue in Slovenia. The new Government announced a reorganisation, moving economic diplomacy from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the Ministry for Economic Development and Technology. But after an agreement between the new Foreign Minister, Karl Erjavec and the Economy Minister, Radovan Žerjav, it is more or less clear that economic diplomacy will stay in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. We spoke with Mario Ingo Soos, the Deputy Head of the Mission of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany about their system, which is obviously very successful.

By Tilen Majnardi, M. Sc.

Success Lies in Information Sharing and Good Coordination What is the basic organisation of economic diplomacy in Germany, is it within the structure of the Foreign Ministry, Economics Ministry or do you have a special institution or organisation?

Germany’s system of external economic promotion is supported by both the Government and the business sector. It is structured in three pillars: diplomatic and consular missions abroad; Chambers of Commerce Abroad - such as the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce in Ljubljana; and the offices of German Trade and Invest mbH (GTaI), the agency for investment promotion and information sharing. All three are present in the world’s key export markets. In other countries, companies can always rely on the help and support of the German diploThe Slovenia Times

matic or consular mission. Within the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is the lead ministry for external economic promotion Aside from the Foreign Office and the other Federal Ministries, there are also many other players involved in external economic promotion, including the Federal Länder, the regional initiatives of German business (contact via the Federation of German Industries), the country associations (associations of businesses and institutions: German-African Business Association, Ibero-America Association, German Near and Middle East Association, Eastern and Central Europe Association, German Asia-Pacific Business Association, Australia and New Zealand Association and the German

Chamber of Industry and Commerce). Additionally, more than 60 external trade institutions join in operating the German foreign trade internet portal ‘iXPOS’.

Altogether this is a comprehensive, but also rather complex system. Its functioning depends on good coordination and information sharing.

How do you coordinate work between the economic diplomats/ counsellors in the field in a specific country and the economic interests within Germany (in a specific Ministry, company...)?

Abroad, the Federal Foreign Office with its 229 foreign missions plays a pivotal role in providing services to German companies.

They offer consultation and information on political and eco-

nomic developments, socio-cultural characteristics, business conduct, potential business partners and so on. In practical terms, this means that we offer advice to German companies who ask for it and if necessary, support them in dealing with government agencies to which we have good access given our function as diplomatic mission. In those countries, where we also have a German Chamber or a representative of the GTaI, the respective Embassy will closely cooperate and coordinate its activities with them.

German Chambers of Commerce Abroad are voluntary groupings of companies from Germany and a partner country, based in the latter. They lobby in the interests of businesses from both countries and promote commercial activity

ECONOMY 15 in both directions. One of their most important tasks is to promote external trade for members and non-members alike. This is why they receive funding from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Under the service “DEinternational”, the Chambers of Commerce Abroad offer (for a fee) a broad range of globally comparable basic services as well as country-specific specialist services. They thus assist German companies based both in Germany and abroad with seeking concrete business opportunities and carrying out business.

The German Chambers of Commerce Abroad are present at 120 sites in 80 countries.

Germany Trade and Invest mbH (GTaI) provides all sorts of business information, thus making it easier for German companies to get involved in foreign markets.

Its services range from information on requests for tender, assessments of business sectors, country reports and market analyses to information on import rules and practical tips for business. One of its core tasks is to attract foreign investors to Germany.

At home, the Foreign Office, together with the leading Ministry for Economics, is actively involved in the ongoing dialogue

with all relevant associations, institutions, and committees in the field of economic promotion. It is represented in the Supervisory Board of the GTaI, it acts as president of the advisory committee for foreign trade, participates in the advisory committee for investor recruitment, the Strategy Circle for market development, it cooperates with the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), and is a member of the Interministerial Committee for export credit guarantees (Hermes) and investment guarantees.

How do you measure the effectiveness of economic diplomacy?

By looking at the feedback we receive from our client, the German companies and business representatives abroad. We notice a high level of satisfaction, so we do believe that we are on the right track. However, since ‘better’ is known to be the enemy of ‘good’, we constantly seek to improve our services and adapt to the needs of the German economy.

How are you coordinating activities with other German institutions promoting the German economy, for example in Slovenia with the German-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce AHK?

In Germany, the Ministry of Economics and Technology is the lead ministry for external economic promotion

The Embassy has very close working relationships with the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and the GTaI-representative responsible for Slovenia.

Apart from many ad-hoc contacts, we meet 4 -6 times per year in order to coordinate our activities and exchange information.

Do you think that the EU needs some common EU economic diplomacy in the region where the EU can or should have a common interest? Is this, at this time, with different national interests prevailing in foreign policy of the biggest EU countries even possible?

The EU Embassies in third countries already have the task to promote and protect European economic interests. However, this approach is applicable only under certain circumstances. In general, “common EU economic diplomacy” is only possible in those cases where there is a corresponding “common European economic interest”. In other instances however, where there are competing interests of different companies or economic sectors from different EU member states, the hands of “common EU economic diplomacy” would be tied. In such cases a national system of economic promotion abroad would still be needed.

Maribor, Slovenia | 4th - 5th April 2012

March 2012

16

CompanY

NEWS

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

Telecommunications

Logistics

Telekom Slovenije Out of the Red

Intereuropa Slowly Neutralising ‘Russian Adventure’

The group of incumbent telco, Telekom Slovenije, returned to profit last year although its operating revenue dropped 2% to EUR 824.5m. The company reported a net profit of EUR 34m for 2011, after a EUR 210m loss the year before and also announced the launch of television channel, Siol TV. The group saw EBITDA rise 3% last year to EUR 255.6m with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 63.25m, which compares to EUR 178.5m in operating loss in 2010 due to substantial write downs of its investments.

The group’s business plan for 2012, with projections to 2016, is focused on the search for new sources of revenue and in the short-term, cost cutting. For this year, Telekom Slovenije plans EUR 55m in profit with EBITDA of up to EUR 280m and capital expenditure of EUR 120-135m. The group is continuing with its transition from being a provider of mainly infrastructure services to become a provider of the most demanding IT and multimedia services. Part of this effort is the project of the TV channel - Siol TV.

Finance

Impairments Cause Heavy Losses at NKBM Slovenia’s second largest bank, NKBM, made a group net loss of EUR 53.66m in 2011, with the parent bank’s net loss at EUR 59.63m due to higher then expected provisions and impairment losses.

The group’s profit before provisions and impairment losses was EUR 76.31m, or 75% of the figure planned for last year. Net loss was EUR 53.66m, EUR 15.39m lower than the loss from continuing operations due to the positive effect of deferred taxes. The State run Capital Assets Management Agency (AUKN) has requested a shareholders’ meeting to replace the full Supervisory Board, who are currently looking for a new Chairman. Unofficially, the candidates invited include the boss of postal company (Pošta Slovenije), Aleš Hauc and the former Chairman of the State run Pension Fund Management (KAD), Tomaž Toplak.

Post

Telecommunications

Postal Service Not in Crisis

Simobil Going Strong

The State owned postal company, Pošta Slovenije, registered a pretax profit of EUR 10.5m in 2011.

Revenue was down 1% to EUR 1.12bn, according to unaudited results. The profit figure included a write down of its investment in NKBM bank, reducing pre-tax profit

by EUR 9.9m The head of Pošta Slovenije, Aleš Hauc, labelled the company’s results as ‘still strong’ despite the NKBM impairment. In 2010, Pošta Slovenije generated 16.3m in net profit, down 13% from 2009

The Slovenia Times

Slovenia’s No 2 mobile operator, Simobil, made EUR 51.7m in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in 2011, up 14.6% from the previous year. Revenue rose 10.7% to EUR 192.7m, according to the earnings report of Simobil’s owner, Telekom Austria.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) meanwhile increased 26.2% to EUR 30.2m, the company said, adding that the increase was mainly due to the expansion of Simobil’s user base, which grew 3.4% to 639,700 last year. Milan Zaletel of Simobil said that the company had “achieved growth in all key financial and non-financial indices”. “We expanded our user base...and subsequently our market share, which stood at 29.7% at the end of 2011,”. The wireless carrier increased its market share by five percentage points compared to 2010.

Logistics concern, Intereuropa, exceeded plan in 2011 as its sales revenue of EUR 211.9m was up 11% from the year before.

Intereuropa made an operating profit of EUR 6.8m, its first since 2008. The operating profit was an improvement over the 2010 operating loss of EUR 27.2m. Net loss was below plan also, amounting to EUR 7.6m.

All three of the concern’s main departments saw their sales increase in the past year: logistics solutions generated nearly EUR 30m in revenue, 20% more than in 2010; transcontinental transport generated EUR 49.4m in revenue, up 15%; while land transport generated EUR 127.5m, an 8% increase. The management presented to the supervisors the progress of negotiations with the creditor banks who approved a moratorium on capital payments until 30 September. Creditor banks expect that the concern will continue to sell off the real estate of the Russian subsidiary IntereuropeEast and other assets. The supervisors also called upon the shareholders to support a possible conversion of claims into capital. Banks have shown their willingness to convert debt into capital. They expect that the owners will lower capital stock by decreasing nominal share value to EUR 1 and approve fresh capital with conversion of the banks’ claims.

Construction

Home appliances

Riko Wins EUR 100M Construction Deal in Minsk

Gorenje is Moving from Finland to Czech Republic

The Slovenian engineering company, Riko, will build a EUR 100m complex featuring a five-star Kempinski Hotel, apartments and offices, in the Belarus capital, Minsk. The Kempinski hotel, valued at EUR 57m, will be approximately 23,000 m2, the flats around 14,000 m2 and the offices 15,000 m2 the company said, adding that it will also build service areas of another 23,000 m2.

The complex was designed by the Moscow-based studio, SPEECH LCC with the investor, Elite Estate JLCC, setting the deadline for completing construction of the Kempinski by the end of 2013 and for the entire compound by the end of 2014. Elite Estate will secure more than half of the funding from its own resources, with the remainder funded through a loan from an international consortium of banks.

Riko, which has a strong presence in the countries of the former Soviet Union and in particular Russia, has been active in Belarus for over a decade.

Home appliance maker Gorenje, announced they will close a plant in Finland producing cooking ranges and move production to the Czech Republic. The plant in Lahti, Finland will close by July this year, with the Czech, Mora Moravia plant commencing production of the cookers in September. In a release posted on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, Gorenje stated that the move is in line with their strategy for production plant restructuring to optimise costs and increase competitiveness. The Finnish plant, which Gorenje acquired with the purchase of its Swedish rival, Asko Appliance Group in 2010, produced about 53,000 range cookers in 2011 and employed 106 people.

Separately, in early March, the home appliance maker held the official opening of its production plant in Zaječar, Serbia. Gorenje’s third factory in Serbia was launched in October 2011 and is expected to produce 70,000 washing machines and 30,000 basins by the end of 2012.

17 Automotive

Beverages

Grah Automotive Launches its Second Plant in Serbia’s Batočina

Serbia’s Nectar Acquires a Further 4% in Fructal

Car parts producer, Grah Automotive, the Serbian subsidiary of Slovenia’s SGA, opened in early March a new production plant in Serbia’s Batočina.

Spreading over 4,500 m2, the new plant will employ about 400 people.

The construction of the EUR 11.2m plant was partially subsidised by the Serbian government, who contributed EUR 1.6m or EUR 4,000 per employee. The new plant, which will feature high-tech equipment worth EUR 7m, is Grah Automotive’s second plant in Batočina. In 2006, the company launched production in Serbia with a 2,500 m2 plant.

Serbian drinks and jam maker, Nectar, acquired a further 4.06% of Fructal, raising its stake in the Slovenian beverage maker to 97.79%. The latest acquisition comes after Nectar bought in December last year a 93.73% stake in the company from indebted beverage company, Pivovarna Union. Nectar was then required to publish a takeover bid for the remaining 6.3% of the company which was owned by small shareholders, including Fructal’s current and former employees. Nectar offered EUR 15.03 for each of the 157,143 shares. Pivovarna Union, part of the debt-ridden beverage group, Pivovarna Lasko, sold Fructal on 25 July 2011. The Serbian company also committed to taking over the EUR 13m debt of Fructal, overall enabling Lasko to reduce its debt by EUR 48m. Nectar financed the takeover with EUR 7m of its own funds and loans taken from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Together with Fructal, which employs about 370 people, the company is expected to generate annual sales of around EUR 140m.

Sports industry

Elan Group: Good Ski Sales Sport equipment group, Elan, generated EUR 90m in revenue last year and posted a EUR 1m loss. The core company generated EUR 60.7m in sales revenue and posted a profit which exceeded the plan, Elan said in a press release on Wednesday. The core company saw its sales increase 14% from 2010, mainly due to the strong sales of skis and a new programme for wind turbines. While the exact amount of the 2011 profit was not revealed, the Supervisory Board of Elan said at the end of December, that the company would end the year with EUR 500,000 in operating profit, a turnaround from last year’s operating loss of EUR 800,000. According to preliminary data, Elan group generated EUR 90m in revenue, which was above plan, but posted a EUR 1m loss, mainly due to unexpectedly low sales in the snowboard division. New projects for this year include a new boat the Elan I494, which will be launched ahead of the summer season and will be the largest vessel produced by Elan in its premium segment.

Logistics

Adria Back to London Adria Airways will resume flights between Ljubljana and London this summer. In order to offer passengers more convenience, the company will fly to London Luton Airport.

Adria Aiways will be flying to London again starting with the summer timetable on 25 March 2012 and will fly on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings and on Sundays in the afternoon.

March 2012

18 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Interview, Niels Soelberg, Microsoft EMEA Public Sector Vice President

Renaissance for eGovernance Under the patronage of the Republic of Slovenia, the Centre for eGovernance Development for South East Europe organised a three day Renaissance for eGovernance Envisioning event on the future of eGovernance.

One of the important contributors to the overall success of the event was Niels Soelberg, Vice President for the Public Sector at Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa. We had a chance to speak with him about his view on eGovernment in times of economic challenge and cloud computing.

By Jure Mesarič, editor Agencijanet.si and then you can also see that other countries are rapidly learning from them. That’s the beauty of it – countries learning from one another.

Mr Soelberg, you were a speaker at the first Envisioning event hosted by the Centre in 2010.

How do you see the development of e-Government in the region? Do you see any progress? What is Microsoft’s role in such initiatives?

I think there is. In the past, IT projects could take 3 or 4 years before you could see results. Today you see much more rapid implementation of e-Government solutions, whether they are e-tax or e-education systems and some of them have already started working on patient record systems .

Some projects use the data that exists in their existing IT environments but projects are moving forward with much more agility and higher speed. That requires two things so to speak: it requires political decision making and it requires the technologies that are in place today.

You can say Microsoft has played a significant role throughout the years when we talk about the innovation of technology. We see that as a part of our obligation - to be relevant for the countries The Slovenia Times

we are operating in when it comes to delivering IT services and in supporting the local economy by developing a partner ecosystem to deliver services. We also see ourselves as a part of the whole education development and if we look at the Lisbon Agreement, all EU members are very keen to raise the bar from an education perspective. Based on our experience, we believe that we can contribute.

You cover a very wide area.

Would you say that there are some general differences between different countries and different regions?

Obviously there are. I also cover the African region and you see what is happening in the northern part of Africa. There are different development stages, but the desire to develop the countries and make them even more innovative and more competitive exists everywhere. Again, if you look at the development, some countries are further ahead, some of them have already reached the second generation of e-government solutions

Because of the ongoing economic crisis in most European countries, governments are forced to implement strict austerity reforms. How is this affecting the development of e-Government?

I think there are two ways to look at it and I always try to simplify to my own private and family situation. There is obviously the economic benefit of having an efficient administration in the government. Take the tax system.

If you can collect money faster and do the yearly statement faster, then it doesn’t have to take six or nine or twelve months to close the previous year. That’s what I call efficiency from the tax perspective.

But then there’s the other side that you and I also need. For a new driver’s license I used to have to go down to the local police station myself, with my license or passport picture, fill out a form, wait in a queue and then wait another two weeks to get my driver’s license.

Today I can do that online. I can click and paste my picture into the passport, I have my digital secure signature that the government has set up and so it is a kind of selfservice that I can do right now. I then get my passport three days later in my mailbox. I can do many more services online now.

So if you look at some of the challenges that Greece has been facing, you see that they don’t have that infrastructure in place today which obviously leads to uncertainty about how to create a foundation, at least from the financial perspective, that can help Greece move forward. So I think we can say this is not only a government issue, it is also a citizen issue. If

they continue raising taxes, you and I will say ‘enough is enough’ and governments also need to optimise their administration.

Another hot topic in the past few years is cloud computing.

Cloud solutions are being implemented in many business environments. What about the public sector, are their needs different?

It’s true what you are saying about cloud. I think it’s important to demystify what cloud computing is – it sounds like something disappears out there into cyber space. My view and Microsoft’s view, is a strong belief in the public cloud and the private cloud.

The private cloud is for the government because you get data privacy and the regulation that you need to maintain. There are also public cloud services that are available today and I will give an example from my own country of how the Danish government is using a public cloud. They take satellite pictures of a property to see how it has changed in the past year and then, if I haven’t changed anything, the house will be the same size as it was the year ago.

Then I have to pay property tax on that. This is how you mix public information with private information and you’ll see, in many cases, there is a lot of information today that is not sensitive at all. You just have to use the benefit of the public cloud.

How do you see the future of e-Government?

I am very optimistic. The financial crisis is not yet over yet but the politicians from the EU and other countries have stepped up to face the challenge. I realise that if we don’t change some things we have been doing, such as service for citizens and businesses, we will not be competitive moving forward.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT 19

Hella Saturnus Slovenija

Hella Ready to Invest Additional EUR 60m A key player in the automotive industry, Hella Saturnus Slovenija, is one of the most successful companies in the country. It’s clear business strategy with straightforward vision and the constant pursuit of innovative products have contributed to them becoming one of the most important companies inside the Hella Group and also resulted in new jobs, now employing nearly 2,000 people. However, a principle trait defining the company is its investment plan with long term projects ahead.

By Polona Cimerman Despite these times of economic downturn, Hella Saturnus Slovenija operates successfully.

Is this a consequence of upgrading quality products or constant expansion of production volume?

One of the crucial things is continuous improvement. It means not only going for new products and technology, but also for innovative processes. Our philosophy is simple: ’second to none‘. This is difficult to achieve and even more difficult to maintain. However, the latest award our company received places us among the three best-rated companies in Slovenia and we see it as proof that we are on the right path.

What are the key investments in the next few years and what will be their financial structure?

We will continue to invest in the development capacity and new technology, especially in electronics (LED) and definitely in completely new projects. One idea is to invest in a new lacquering plant, inside our current plant, for the inner lacquering of lenses.

In January we started building a competence centre for single function lamps. In addition to our two existing competence centres for fog and auxiliary lamps, this will be the third competence

Christof Droste, General Manager of Hella Saturnus Slovenija

centre in Slovenia and our company was chosen because of our great performance in the last few years. Since 2008, Hella Saturnus Slovenija has invested EUR 55m in research and development and

the company plans to invest another EUR 60m in the next three years. This includes investment in our three pillars – new headlamp and auxiliary lamp projects, new know-how and new technology for lacquering the inner side of headlamp lenses. We are negotiating very hard to make it happen here in Slovenia, however our disadvantages are the high labour costs and the fact that in Slovenia, it is difficult to get incentives for new investments, unlike in other CEE countries. We are primarily compensating the first issue through innovation and productivity.

The new government announced stronger and more effective support of foreign investors. Have you reached any kind of agreement on financial incentives with the Ministry of the Economy?

We started discussions about this with the former government and are continuing them with the new one. At the moment, things are looking quite positive but it is too early to discuss any details.

The added value of your products and the products with your inbuilt components result from new technology, innovation and creation of trends. What are your most trendy products and projects?

We are a company which keeps innovating and which, at the same time, reacts to customer’s wishes and needs. The current trend in automotive lighting is LED which is in extremely high demand. LED is where the future lies as it has a quality which surpasses a mere fashion gadget, it enhances safety issues and is also a big energy saver which is essential for our environment and future generations.

March 2012

20 DIPLOMATIC SOCIETY

EMBASSY DIARIES Hungarian embassy

UK embassy

Hungarian Cultural Month Opening

Business Breakfast Round Table

The Embassy of Hungary marked the grand opening of the Hungarian cultural month with Gergely Bogányi’s concert. Bogányi is one of the most prestigious pianists of his generation and he gave a concert in the beginning of February in Maribor’s Union Hall, playing pieces from Chopin and Liszt. The event which was part of Maribor’s Cultural Capital scheme was followed by a reception, attended by important representatives of Maribor’s economy, culture and politics, among them deputy major Tomaž Kancler, university of Maribor chancellor Danijel Rebolj and Gábor Dóka from the Hungarian Hungarofest.

British Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia (BCCS) in cooperation with the British Embassy Ljubljana organised the British Business Round table on the development and liberalisation of the Slovenian financial services market with special emphasis on the insurance sector. The guest speaker at the event was Sergej Simoniti, the new director of the Slovenian Insurance supervision Agency (AZN) who presented the future of the Slovenian market of financial services from his point of view and later on answered the questions of the public. The event was held on 14th February at Hotel Slon in Ljubljana and was attended by approximately 70 guests, among them by the representatives of the British House in Slovenia, British ambassador to Slovenia Andrew Page, British Council director James Hampson and BCCS president Kevin Morrison alongside numerous other countries’ ambassadors, bank and insurance companies’ managers and other important guests.

UK embassy

German embassy

London 2012 Photo Exhibition in Celje

Donation to Science

British Ambassador Andrew Page and Celje Mayor Bojan Šrot opened an outdoor exhibition ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. The exhibition tells a story about London Olympic and Paralympic Games which will take place this summer. The organisers embedded sustainability in their planning from the start. This means far more than being ‘green’: it is changing people’s thinking, setting new standards, creating positive, long lasting change for the environment and communities.

Werner Burkart, the German Ambassador to Ljubljana has presented a donation in the amount of 20,000 EUR to a Professor Maja Rupnik, an alumna of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and her research team at the Centre for Microbiology at the Institute for Public Health in Maribor. The donation was granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation which supports excellent scientists all over the world. The research institute in Maribor will use the donation to finance new research equipment to research the DNA and RNA molecules of several epidemic diseases. The newly installed equipment will enormously improve research conditions, as it will able to analyse several specimens simultaneously with more accurate results.

No cost, just benefits: Conference on Energy Efficiency Improvement in Buildings The Slovene-German Chamber of Commerce will, on 2 April in cooperation with the German Ministry of Economics and Technology, host the 4th Slovene-German conference on Energy Efficiency Improvement in Buildings at the Austria Trend Hotel in Ljubljana. Delegates of the conference will be given specific and valuable information about the development, business opportunities and the latest technology in this sector. The conference will be attended by German and Slovene experts and numerous German and Slovene companies will be represented, offering a unique opportunity to make new business acquaintances.

There is no participation fee.

To apply please refer to the web page: www.dihk.si Tomšičeva 3, 1000 Ljubljana Tel.: +386 1 252 88 60 ahk@ahkslo.si, www.dihk.si

The Slovenia Times

Hungarian embassy

UK embassy

Contemporary Dance Performance

Going for Green

The Embassy of Hungary coorganised a contemporary dance performance Tao Te with Fernc Fehér, one of the most successful Hungarian dancers. The event took place in the Amphitheatre of the Druga gimnazija Maribor grammar school. The experienced and extremely successful dancer and choreographer has performed with the Finita al Commedia group and Anika Juhász over the years.

The Tao Te performance has been awarded with the Rudolf Laban award for the best contemporary dance performance. Also it received an award at the Masdanza 2010 competition. Also screenings of the best Hungaria short dance films was organised in the same venue, among them Waiting and Shadow Film.

In mid-February, British Embassy in cooperation with the Urban Planning Institute of Slovenia organised a screening of “Going for Green: London’s 2012 Dream” film at the Urban Planning Institute of Slovenia. The documentary focuses on the creative approach to building and designing the Olympic Park that had legacy at its core. Showcasing the businesses, architects, engineers and construction staff behind the build, the film displays the work undergone to transform one of the most deprived parts of London into a state-ofthe-art Olympic Village. After the screening, the company Lumar presented its energy efficient construction and design project House of Slovenia, which is to be built by the National Olympic Committee and UKOM in London for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

UK embassy

Hilton visits Slovenia Firstborns in the Olympic Year James Hilton, Deputy Head of Mission visited Slovenia’s first-born baby girl and boy of 2012, the year Britain will host its third Olympic Games and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, marking the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne. To always remember the special year, Hilton presented Špela and Mark, the 2012 firstborns, with Olympic themed baby T-shirts which the pair will wear on the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony in July.

DIPLOMATIC SOCIETY 21 Hungarian embassy

Another Bridge between the Countries István Szent-Iványi, Hungarian ambassador to Slovenia, congratulated the president of the Association of Slovenes in Hungary Jože Hirnök on obtaining the Slovenian citizenship. In his letter, the ambassador expressed his joy over the fact that a member of the Slovenian minority in Hungary decided for such an act which he sees as “the sincerest expression of faith in his mother tongue, culture and tradition of his predecessors and also as an expression of loyalty and devotion to his ethnic community.” The Hungarian embassy in Slovenia firmly believes that this deed will add to strengthening the relationship between Hungary and Slovenia as they hold an opinion that the Hungarian community in Slovenia and the Slovenian community in Hungary are a bridge which links their mother nations and brings them together. Hirnök’s act is thus an important step, essential for harmonic coexistence of nations in Central Europe.

Do you have leadership potential and high ethic principles, do you wish to develop personally and professionally and are you aware of the importance of communication and social networks?

If so, we kindly invite you to join us at the AmCham Young Professionals program, which enables you to be a part of interactive work-shops, trainings, lectures, meetings with top business leaders, field excursions, inter-branch, multi-professional social network and integration into AmCham Slovenia business environment.

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8.3.12 11:34

Only 5 seats available for outstanding individuals who are non-members of AmCham Slovenia.

For more information write on: young@amcham.si.

UK embassy

Slovenia vs Scotland Football Match On the last day of February, Scotland and Slovenia met at an international challenge football match in Koper. The friendly match kicked was attended by the Deputy Head of Mission James Hilton. The Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal, the longest established charity funded by Scotland fans, pledged to donate 1,000 GBP to a local children’s charity. The Tartan Army aim is to make such a donation to identified children’s charities in every country in which the Scottish National Football Team plays matches.

Hungarian embassy

Exhibitions and a Concert As part of the Hungarian cultural month and Cultural Embassies Cultural Capital 2012 programme, the Hungarian embassy opened a photo exhibition Budapest Positive and an exhibition Zsolnay: A Legend Reborn. The opening ceremony took place in Maribor in the exhibition space of Vetrinje Mansion Gallery and was followed by a concert given by a Hungarian violinist Félix Lajkó. The photo exhibition, organised in cooperation with Mai Mano House of Photography and Center for Contemporary Photography Photon, represents a vision of Budapest through the eyes of ten prominent photographers, former grantees of the Budapest Photography Grant, capturing the diversity of the Hungarian capital’s population and its rich cultural and social milieu. The second exhibition portraits Pécs, a city of many legends, a porcelain factory being one of them which was turned into the largest cultural quarter of Central Europe in the course of the European Capital of Culture title-year in 2010. The opening ceremony ended with a violin performance of Lajkó who has worked with many prominent bands and musicians, among them Alexander Balanescu and Boban Marković.

German embassy

“Man spricht Deutsch” exhibition German Ambassador to Slovenia Werner Burkart opened an exhibition entitled “Man spricht Deutsch” at the Druga gimnazija Maribor grammar school. The exhibition is a project of the Goethe-Institut Ljubljana and it focuses on the influences on the German language in different sociological surroundings. Over 500 different exhibits inform visitors about the evolution of the German language in various social environments and give examples from its earliest beginnings up to the modern youth language which is influenced by Anglicisms and cultural and technical phenomena. It also presents the influence of German on other languages through words such as “Zeitgeist”, “Wunderkind” and “Realpolitik”. The exhibition closes on 11th March.

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UK embassy

UK embassy

Taste of Britain Curry Fest

Exhibition opening in Koper

The British Ambassador attended the Taste of Britain Curry Fest, a national project to showcase British curry cuisine abroad. Chefs who took part in the festival, held in Ljubljana, were selected from hundreds of hopefuls to showcase British talent and specialities.

The event was organised by Curry Life magazine and Hotel Park in Ljubljana with an aim to promote creative and artistic culinary skills of the best curry chefs across the world.

The British Ambassador Andrew Page and Mayor of Koper Boris Popovič opened a London 2012 Olympics exhibition in Koper, entitled “London 2012: Be a Part of It”. The exhibition tells a story about London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the sustainability embedded in the planning from the start.

Business Conference

India and Slovenia as Business Partners Wednesday, March 28, 2012 from 9.30 to 13.30 at IEDC Bled School of Management

Embassy of India Ljubljana

Keynote speaker: Mr. Dilip Chaudhary, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India followed by a discussion panel with Slovenian companies about their experiences with doing business in India There is no admission fee. Registration is mandatory.

More info: www.iedc.si

March 2012

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The C Culture, Business, Guest Stars 2010: Ahmed Farouk (Diplomacy), Hannah Mancini (Culture), Ayhan Öztürk (Economy) and Andrea Masi (Sports).

reasons and their contribution, whatever it is, making Slovenia a more pleasant place to live.

The first

The eighth Guest Star Campaign is heading towards its finale: the award ceremony. This year the event will revisit the region of its first appearance, The European Cultural Capital 2012 - Maribor.

By Jaka Terpinc

The host and star performer of the 2010 final event was the eccentric singer Andja Marić.

It was in 2005 when The Slovenia Times and Radio.Si launched the Guest Star campaign.

Instantly it became clear that it was not just another popular ’most wanted‘ recognition but an event with special goals and ideas. Clearly, an open society as Slovenia wants to see itself, needed a special media treat for its foreigners foreigners who came to the country for various

In 2005 the idea was basically the same as it is today.

However there were only three categories: business, diplomacy and sport. Surprisingly, the winner of the popular vote in the business category was not a notorious entrepreneur but a small business owner, artistic jeweler Christoph Seidl Porenta. This humble businessman, but moreso visionary artist and hand craftsman, found it awkward competing with managers from large companies and his victory created a truly unpleasant situation, not only for Cristoph, but also for the other nominees who were indeed managers, and particularly for the organisers. The ad-hoc solution making everyone happy was to award the runner up in the business category and Mr Siedl Porenta received a special prize which went on to become a regular prize in a new category - culture. Since then, the four categories have been represented in the Guest Star campaign, although sometimes the nominees cross the blurry line between certain categories as there is a bit of economy in sports and diplomacy in culture etc.

The first event was held in the fabulous environment of Rogaška spa’s old crystal hall and surprisingly many people attended. Surprisingly because it was the first and not much advertised event and most of the visitors had to drive from Ljubljana where the majority of diplomatic and business foreigners reside. There must have been something about that night!

...and the last

Throughout the next six campaigns the Guest Star ceremony was held at six different venues, five of them in Ljubljana. At the same time, the event grew in importance and recognition, whilst its message remains the same: although the nominees may be foreigners by origin, may not speak the language, Slovenia appreciates their efforts and contribution whether they are here for a limited term or for life.

Last year the well-attended event was held at Ljubljana’s castle and it was the best event to date. The venue, the audiovisual treat, the entertainment and the after-party brought together the vivid commu-

The after party is traditionally a moment for socializing in an atmosphere of good music, delicious food and selected offer from dedicated winemakers.

The Slovenia Times

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Capital of Diplomacy and Sport

Enchanting City of Culture by the Drava river.

nity of ‘guest stars’ and local business people.

The event, hosted by Croatian-Hungarian singer Andja Marić, featured the guest star nominees and distinguished guest speakers on the stage. The winner for diplomacy was Egyptian Ambassador, Ahmed Farouk. Among the business people, the laureate was taken by Turkish Airlines President, Ayhan Öztürk. Singer Hannah Mancini won the culture award and in sport, a person whose responsibilities are also business, took the prize: Andrea Massi, team manager and trainer of Slovenian skier, Tina Maze.

Not just about winning but to take part

Over seven years the Guest Star campaign has honoured many individuals, some of them appearing several times. The principle behind the campaign has not changed, although the rules have undergone slight modifications. While the nominees themselves have been put forward by a special Guest Star committee who also consider proposals by readers of The Slovenia Times, the final result depended on popular vote via the website. This has been an advantage for those who are able to launch their personal voting campaign through social networks and mailing lists and so, from last year on, the Guest Star committee contribute 60% of the voting decisions. Additional rationale for this change was to adjust the result and take account of the level of the candidate’s contribution, not just their media popularity which in most cases influenced the vote. The system, although not perfect, has proven to bring a more balanced vote. The Guest Star committee includes editors of the most influential Slovenian media.

Nonetheless, since there is no way to impartially evaluate the value of an individual’s contribution, the organisers want to take every opportunity to stress that the final vote only brings a dramatic moment to the finale of the campaign - the nomination itself should be considered a honourable achievement.

Back to the East

As mentioned, the first Guest Star event took place in the eastern Slovenian health resort of Rogaška Slatina. Since then, the event has taken place in Ljubljana or to the west. Maribor, as the European Capital of Culture is the only logical choice for this year’s event. Maribor is also the

hometown of The Slovenia Times organising partner: Radio Slovenia International.

All in all - the pieces for this year’s event have come together neatly. The venue will be the new, prestigious City Hotel and as in all years, we look forward to a fabulous evening with many interesting people, both foreign and Slovene.

Guest Starring: Hannah The final event of the Guest Star campaign is traditionally hosted by someone who can bring to the audience both the serious and entertaining elements of the campaign. This year, the choice could not be any better, with singer Hannah Mancini kindly accepting this role. Hannah moved to Slovenia from Los Angeles where she already had a successful career in music. Currently involved in several music projects, she is best known among the Slovenian audience for her singing performances in the band, Xequtifz.

The recipient of last year’s culture award, which she received with much appreciation saying it somehow rounded up her transitional time after coming to Slovenia. She is looking forward to hosting in Maribor and for her part, she assures an entertaining event.

www.gueststar.org

March 2012

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DIPLOMACY Anunciada Fernández de Córdova Ambassador of Spain

Jos Douma Ambassador of the Netherlands

A career diplomat who has devoted much of her professional activity to culture, Fernández de Córdova has organised writers’ meetings, theatre forums, publications and exhibitions.

She is credited for organising events including an exhibition of the Spanish painters, Clave and Picasso; a concert by Paco de Lucía; a concert from the Spanish tenor José Carreras; and the friendly match between the Slovenian and Spanish basketball teams which opened the Stožice stadium. Her devotion to culture is also reflected in the Spanish-Slovene website, Espanacultura.si, where you can follow practically everything about Spanish related culture and education in Slovenia.

Ms Fernández de Córdova arrived in Slovenia in May 2009 and speaks of the country and its mountains with great passion. Her hobbies include hiking, golf and travelling, all of which are why she appreciates enormously Slovenia’s nature and central European location. She has published three novels and three collections of poems which received several literary awards; one of the novels is about her thoughts on Slovenia.

The Dutch Ambassador has had a vivid diplomatic career which has taken him from African countries to Russia, where he was appointed before coming to Slovenia in 2009.

Speaking of his diplomatic life, he often uses ’we’, meaning also his wife Aleid, who has actively followed him in his efforts to be immersed into Slovenian society, taking on the role of President of SILA. As the leader of a small embassy of seven staff members, he is devoted to building bridges between the countries with a special focus on trade partnerships and investment opportunities, although not neglecting other bilateral aspects such as culture.

“I’m impressed by the energy of many business people – quite often not that well known to the general public - who have swum against the tide and contributed to design, research, development and exports. I look forward to the rest of my posting, to meet more of these inspiring people who do not give into threats like inertia, complacency and defeatism, but want to use the best Slovenia has to offer,” he says.

Joseph Adamo Mussomeli Ambassador of the USA

Igor Popov Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia

Ambassador Mussomeli is a popular, yet in a way, controversial personality in Slovenian diplomatic circles, mostly because he has taken a few opportunities to express his opinion on Slovenian politicians and politics.

As the Head of the Embassy, his task is to improve and deepen their “outreach to the Slovene people.” He believes that people-topeople ties are the most crucial of the bilateral relationship, rather than just governmentto-government links. That’s why he seeks opportunities to enter into genuine dialogue with both the government and the people of Slovenia, raising issues ranging from Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Slovenia’s role in NATO, to more sensitive domestic issues such as the Roma, the erased, the mass graves post WWII and the need for fundamental economic reform.

He considers that Slovenia is undergoing an identity crisis: it looks forward, but still yearns for the past. In a similar manner it is “a very open, hospitable place but at the same time there is a tinge of xenophobia to it.” Prior to this assignment, Mussomeli was the Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan and the Ambassador to Cambodia.

Mr Mussomelli’s spare time activities are occupied by backgammon, poker, tennis, poetry and playing with his seven year old son, Thomas.

The Macedonian Ambassador came to serve in Slovenia after a vivid career of several diplomatic posts for his country, from the USA to Turkey.

The list of his activities to promote bilateral cooperation is far from short: initiation of the sister city programme to stimulate economic cooperation between municipalities from Macedonia and Slovenia; promotion of the Slovenian experience in geo-thermal water exploration and in rural tourism to encourage activities in his home country; promotion of the wine trade in both directions etc. As a member of the Board of the Slovenian-Macedonian Business Club, he is strengthening business cooperation between the countries and assists various Slovenian companies doing business in Macedonia. He is also working closely with the IEDC-Bled School of Management to enlarge the network of students and attendees from Macedonia. His personal and professional goal is to bring Slovenia closer to the Macedonian citizens and enable them to learn more about achieving excellence in all aspects of their lives, from building democracy and good business practices, to environmental care and a healthy life.

The Slovenia Times

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ECONOMY Nadya Zhexembayeva Professor, IEDC-Bled School of Management, Kazakhstan

Brian King President at Mozdev Community Organization, Ireland

Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva is the Coca-Cola Chair of Sustainable Development at IEDCBled School of Management, where she teaches courses in leadership, organisational behaviour, design thinking and sustainability.

In 2007, she joined US-based Sustainable Value Partners, one of the oldest sustainability consultancies in the world, focusing on embedding social and environmental issues into the core of business strategy, products, and operations. She also serves as Vice-President of Challenge: Future, a global youth think-tank and innovation competition, founded in Slovenia in 2009. With frequent appearances in the media, Nadya’s first book is titled ’Embedded Sustainability: The Next Big Competitive Advantage.’

It is now her ’fifth winter‘ in Slovenia, where she moved with her family from the USA: “I still fall in love with the hills and mountains of Slovenia every time I leave my little village. The people, the nature, the food, the water – you name it, it is simply amazing. Skiing, running, skating, swimming–the choices are many and they keep us fit.”

As for the business environment, she praises the honesty, hard work and immense perseverance of Slovene business people. She sees Slovenia as an innovative place, ready to compete and win at the global level. “So, perhaps, the only thing to improve is to share our stories of success louder and more often.”

After 14 years in software, Brian is devoted to giving users the optimal experience by ensuring quality at all stages of development. For his job title he quotes: ’Founder and Senior Developer at Briks Software. Mozillian. Web Enthusiast.’ As an active member of Mozilla Slovenija, he is proud to see Slovenia amongst the first countries to reach 50% market share of Firefox. He is a big advocate of Open Source: “The idea of being able to tinker with and be in control of the software you are using fosters a fairness and spirit of collaboration that should be applied to other industrious areas of life as well.”

Apart from the computer business, he considers his biggest achievement to be integration into Slovene society - including learning the language.

He admires Slovenia for its self-sufficiency, in terms of the goods and services available, many of which were made in Slovenia. He sees Slovene people as independent, hard-working, who like doing things for themselves. With a wide range of ecological diversity in a relatively small geographic space it is great for the outdoors enthusiast - such as himself.

Klaus Josef Holeczek Managing Director of Odelo Slovenija, Germany

Thierry Villard Managing Director of Goodyear Dunlop CSEE, France

Klaus Holeczek’s first encounter with the Slovenian economy dates back to 2004, when the company Schefenacker established its daughter company SAPS d.o.o.

The leading manufacturer of lights, blinkers and loudspeakers for the automotive industry (Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, VW etc.) chose Slovenia for a set of benefits to establish a hi-tech facility for manufacturing lights. Today, the company renamed to Odelo Slovenija d.o.o., employs over 700 people and has turnover of more than EUR 100m.

Mr Holczek is an expert with decades in organisational processes and logistic concepts. During his post in Slovenia, he has established connections with many companies and organisations, as well as the University and Institutes. He is an active member of the SloveneGerman Chamber of Commerce.

He feels very welcome among Slovenes, in fact he says it has actually become a real home for him and his family. He also thinks that Slovenia, with all its young and well educated people, has great potential to become a country of prosperity.

In his free time he enjoys his motorbike, music and golf

Mr Villard graduated from EDHEC Business School in France in 1984 and has almost 30 years of work experience in local and international business management. He has General Management expertise in highly competitive industries and strong knowledge of the markets of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. His key strengths come from his rich B2B and B2C experiences. Nonetheless, his career path led him through many posts in Eastman Kodak and Goodyear Dunlop before being appointed to Kranj in 2010.

In his opinion, Slovenians are well educated, very results-driven and dedicated to their jobs, but they still know how to find the balance between their professional and personal life to ensure the best of both worlds He admires Slovenia for its accessibility and friendly character and loves to introduce the country to his guests: “I realise I am becoming a very good tour operator... when I was recently discussing Slovenian history and famous spots in the country with our Slovenian associates, I realised I knew some of the tourist spots of Slovenia better than they do.”

He is married and has three children, spending his free time with his family; he loves motorcycles and skiing and has a passion for music.

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CULTURE Christopher Wurst Cultural attaché at the US embassy, USA Wurst holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and History from the University of Minnesota.

He also studied literature at Birmingham University in England. Prior to joining the US Foreign Service he was a high school history and literature teacher. Apart from his jobs in the US Administration, Wurst has had a variety of writing jobs, including contributing scriptwriter for Mystery Science Theater 3000, a nationally televised comedy program. As a photographer, he has had exhibitions in four different countries and has published numerous photographs.

On a list of many, his most important projects since being appointed to Slovenia is the Bob Dylan Project that featured a music CD with 14 of Slovenia’s best musical artists, each performing a Bob Dylan song; a nationally televised documentary film by Maja Weiss and Peter Braatz (Forever Young Slovenija); a film festival at Kinoteka; and a huge concert at Križanke that was also broadcast on national television and radio. This project aimed at raising awareness about volunteering and civil society but it also resulted in some really cool music.

As a photographer he is “eternally thankful for Slovenia’s natural beauty”. He loves to pick a random spot on a map and get there using only back roads.

Irek Mukhamedov Ballet Artistic Director, SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, Russia This Russian with a British passport has seen all the famous stages around the world and transformed into many characters of classical ballet and contemporary dance while working with people like Yuri Grigorovich, Kenneth MacMillan, Frederick Ashton, G Rudolph Nureyev, David Bintley, and William Tuckett.

Apart from dancing, his career involves teaching and choreography. In his current role, his ambition is to “bring Ljubljana Ballet to the international level with challenging and exciting performances, not only for the dancers but also for the audience.” He thinks highly of the Ljubljana audience who appreciate dance and understand ballet.

With his wife Masha, a ballet mistress in the company, he enjoys being in Slovenia but unfortunately finds no time for some hobbies outside his work responsibilities.

Koen Van Daele Program Director at Kinodvor, Belgium

Joseph Rakotorahalahy Musician and Storyteller, Madagascar

His first visit to Slovenia in 1992 was in response to an invitation from the Ljubljana Video, Film Dance Festival to present the work of his art video and film distribution company.

The next summer he moved to Ljubljana and for the past twenty years he has been active as curator, critic, programme organiser and coordinator, both as a freelancer for independent non-profit arts projects and for various cultural institutions.

Since the summer of 2008 he has been an assistant director in charge of programming at the art-house cinema, Kinodvor.

His achievements include a number of festivals and congresses including the City of Women, Izola Cinema, Cinematheque or D (for documentary)-Day. Still he considers his major achievements are the renovation projects of two cinema halls (Kinodvor and Kinoteka); the establishment of a film distribution label for art-house cinema; and the hosting of the 61st FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) World Congress.

Koen Van Daele is married with two children: a boy of seven and a girl of three.

This Madagascar-born artist, multi-talent, arrived in the then Yugoslavia in 1978 to study architecture. Whilst applying for post-graduate studies, he was already working in several areas of architecture, design and scenography.

During these years he actively performed as a musician, music had been his great passion in Madagascar where he played in a band Vahine known for several local evergreens. In 2000 he published a CD of his own music.

This was also the time when he moved into cultural education: his successful children’s performance introducing the culture of Madagascar was meant not only to entertain, but also to educate and stimulate intercultural sensitivity. It was motivated by the very poor and stereotypical knowledge about African culture which Rakotorahalahy had encountered in Slovenia. The project and its ideas are known as Drevo sozvočja (Tree of Harmony) with a website drevomadagaskar.org.

In Slovenes he notices a few controversial points: traditionalism and principled, which has the effect of a narrow view of other cultures.

Similarly he admires the diligence that can also turn into stiffness and seriousness, while excessive benevolence tends to overlook one’s dignity and ability for self-initiative.

He is married and has three daughters. His hobbies he cites as football, painting, dance and handicrafts.

The Slovenia Times

27

SPORTS Dejan Mezga Football Player at NK Maribor, Croatia

John Hughes Hockey Player at HDD Tilia Olimpija, Canada

Dejan Mezga, 26, is one of those foreign football players who has made a strong mark on the Slovenian football scene. Besides winning national championships and cups with Maribor, he played his part in a major achievement – qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. His fighting spirit on the pitch earned him the title of ‘Violet Warrior’, given to him by the club’s supporters. Dejan, a husband and a father of a one year old son, has lived in Slovenia since 2007. In his free time, he plays tennis and billiards. He sees Slovenia as a country of friendly, communicative people who are always there if one needs help. In his own words, he got used to the local life quickly, no differences are made among people. “In my time in Slovenia, I haven’t had a single negative experience and have never felt like a foreigner,” he says.

Regarding the sporting atmosphere, he believes that sport plays a major role in people’s lives. “A small country with big success,” he says when he watches the performances of Slovenian athletes. “Although they train in poorer conditions than many of their counterparts abroad – due to the small population and limited financial resources – they often outdo them with their incredible efforts, making their successes even greater. When the biggest sports events are on the schedule, one can feel the heartbeat of the nation rise.”

HDD Tilia Olimpija ice hockey club has nursed quite a few foreign players who have found a second family in the club. It looks like John Hughes, 24, might be the next one, at least judging from his own words: “I have loved Slovenia since the first time I was here. I love the atmosphere and the people. I’m happy to be here and I would like to get my Slovenian citizenship so that I can play on the National team.” A native of Ontario, Canada, Hughes has proved to be one of the key players for Olimpija in the EBEL league quarter finals against Sapa, which Olimpija won, triggering hockey mania in Ljubljana and evoking the good old times of the late 1980s. After moving to Europe, Hughes spent brief periods in Austria, Finland and Germany but it now seems that he has settled down in Ljubljana, where he is a favorite of the fans which is difficult to achieve, but has often resulted in a player’s decision to make Ljubljana his permanent residence. In his free time, John plays golf and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Igor Kolaković Head coach of ACH Volley, Serbia

Milorad Krivokapić Handball Player HC Cimos Koper, Hungary/Serbia

Igor Kolaković, 47, had big shoes to fill when he became head coach of the ACH volleyball club in the autumn of 2010. Only a few months earlier, ACH Volley had participated in the Champions League Final Four tournament.

In his first year in Slovenia, he won the Middle European League and was among the top 12 Champions League clubs. National titles and cups were taken for granted. Born in Montenegro, Kolaković has, since 2006, also worked as head coach of the Serbian national team, which became European champion last year and won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2010. He lives in Slovenia with his wife and two sons. In his free time he loves jogging. When asked about Slovenia, he said: “It is a wonderful country with pleasant and lovely people and very nice and well preserved nature.” Regarding the sporting atmosphere – volleyball in his case – in Slovenia, he believes that it is on the up, both in terms of quality and interest, but he doubts whether it will be able to keep the momentum without more assistance from the State. “Slovenia is a small country but has great sporting potential, especially in volleyball. However, things should not be left only at the mercy of the wonderful volleyball enthusiasts.”

Milorad Krivokapić joined Cimos Koper handball club in July, 2010 and soon became one of its key players. Like his legendary Uncle Radivoj, who played for Ljubljana’s Slovan 30 years ago, Milorad is a true bombardier with his 190 centimetres and 115 kilos. Born in Senta, Serbia and holding also Hungarian citizenship, Krivokapić is an experienced player at 32 years of age. He lives in Koper with his wife and two children and according to him, they all find Koper a beautiful place to live and feel very comfortable in Slovenia. “Slovenia is a very well organised country. In summer, it is close to a beautiful seaside, in winter you can choose where you want to ski. What I admire and appreciate most is the attitude to keep the country clean,” Krivokapić says about his current home. He also feels that athletes are highly regarded and sporting success is something that every citizen is very proud of. “With more flexible and innovative marketing, things could be even better,” he says. Outside handball he likes travelling with his family and his personal hobby is fishing. “I believe this is the best activity to relax after an intensive and very long season,” he says.

March 2012

Scandinavian perfection

Air France KLM was pronounced ‘Business Airline of the Year’. The award recognises and celebrates the achievements of the industry’s leading companies which have outstanding performance in their respective fields in the past 12 months.

The independent panel of judges included experienced buyers, leading consultants and journalists from the Business Travel industry.

The soft, rounded lines are not just aesthetic, they also have a functional value when it comes to children furniture.

Scandinavian furniture maker, Leander, pays special attention to the real experiences of children using their furniture, enabling them truly friendly and useful creations. Leander is now available in Slovenia at Babadu in the shopping gallery of Ljubljana’s BTC.

The Idyllic Atrium

Terme Zreče is a popular thermal resort, whose latest novelty realises their ambition to expand their lodging capacity and separate the health resort from the wellness centre. The new hotel, Atrij, offers a hundred new beds in a variety of room configurations, from simple family bedrooms to two floor apartments with their own sauna and jacuzzi.

The soul of this hotel is Idila, a wellness & spa complex with four ‘worlds’ and a team of massage and cosmetic experts.

Interior Design

Fly the Business Airline of the Year

Like Adele

Fashion

Wellness

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Travel

28

Burberry is a fashion brand that looks great on the red carpet. One of the celebrities who is well aware of this, is this year’s Brit Award winner, Adele. However it is in London that the pieces come together, since both the singer and Burberry designers take inspiration from its cosmopolitan spirit. You can get your Burberry at the XYZ Premium Fashion Store in Ljubljana’s Citypark shopping area.

Green, Active, Healthy – It’s Slovenia At the beginning of March, Slovenia took part in the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin, presenting itself as an attractive, green destination for active holidays with special emphasis on the broad offer of Slovenia’s natural health resorts.

By Polona Cimerman This year’s theme was developed by the Slovenia Tourist Board (STO), presenting Slovenia to the experts as an excellent destination for a green, active and healthy holiday as the country has employed sustainable development trends and can boast an abundance of water resources the basis for ‘greenery’ in the very heart of Europe.

Holidays in Unspoilt Nature The role of tourism in Slovenia is significant and Slovenia is directing its efforts to become even more competitive in the future. The German market is the third largest market for Slovenian tourism and after a decade of stagnation and a declining number of guests, last year it once again started to bloom.

“German tourists appreciate active holidays in unspoilt, green nature; they value the versatile offer of the Slovenian coast and enjoy the breadth of Slovenian natural health resorts. We have started numerous promotions in Germany to attract The Slovenia Times

German tourists to Slovenia,” says Maja Pak, Director of STO. The systematic promotion is the first, comprehensive internet advertising campaign of Slovenia with a clearly stated theme and a special emphasis on the country’s water resources which can restore one’s health and strengthen it.

The 172m2 Slovenian stand at the fair, put the country’s natural health resorts in the spotlight and presented 13 tourism companies including the Natural Health Resorts Association of Slovenia as the major partner. The wealth of Slovenian water resources was presented in animation with additional emphasis on the unique mineral waters of the resorts, exhibited as a virtual spa park with a fountain in the centre.

The Alpe Adria Trail and EgoZero projects were also presented. The new hiking route, the first trilateral tourist project connecting three countries:, Austria, Slovenia and Italy and the second project promoting a new way of responsible tourism, enjoying and exploring by

offering a model of ecological tourist journeys generating a very small carbon footprint.

Partner Country in Munich The ITB tourism exchange is among the top international tourism trade shows, hosting more than 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries in 2011. Another important fair

is f.re.e. from Munich, the largest Bavarian fair for leisure and travel. This February, Slovenia was a partner country and under the patronage of STO, presented itself as an attractive green destination for active holidays with the emphasis on the coastal towns of Portorož and Piran, presenting them as close, charming and quality Mediterranean destinations.

Beauty with a Capital ‘B’ at Kozmetika Afrodita

Miss Universe Slovenia, NataĹĄa Pinoza, visited Kozmetika Afrodita to discover the secrets of the popular beauty products that have been part of her life since she was a child.

The Slovenia Times

Gold 24 Ka range can be purchased in selected beauty salons and welness centers in Slovenia.

For more information please call on 03 812 11 96 or write email to ana.kukovec@kozmetika-afrodita.si

experience

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31 When we talk about beauty, there is one name that appears over and over again – Aphrodite. But Aphrodite, or Afrodita in Slovenian, is not only the name of the Greek goddess of beauty and love, born from the foam of the sea. Afrodita is also a leading Slovenian cosmetics house – a proven, natural and trusted brand to which I have been loyal, with good reason, for many years. My mother used Afrodita products before me and now I love them too. As a Miss Universe pageant winner, I devote a lot of attention to maintaining a beautiful and healthy appearance and I choose my beauty products carefully. I like Afrodita products because of their high percentage of natural active ingredients and because they do not contain parabens, paraffin, silicones and other ingredients that are not kind to the skin.

I also like the fact that they are not tested on animals. I was therefore more than happy to accept the invitation of owner and director, Danica Zorin Mijošek, to represent their new range of products made from pure gold. I visited them in Rogaška Slatina, where Kozmetika Afrodita was founded in 1970.

‘Golden girl’ Nataša Pinoza, Miss Universe Slovenia Nataša Pinoza won the Miss Universe Slovenia title in 2006. It is no coincidence that we have chosen her to be Kozmetika Afrodita’s ‘golden girl’, since Nataša is known for her elegant style and her dazzling appearances at public events. Despite her celebrity, her name has never been linked to scandals and she has carefully cultivated an image as a self-confident young woman who is beautiful but at the same time natural.

Her natural beauty radiates personal satisfaction, which is why we believe that she will be the perfect ambassador for our new GOLD 24 Ka range.

The products in the GOLD 24 Ka range contain tiny flakes of pure gold that infuse the skin with positive energy from the hidden depths of the earth, wrap the complexion in a soft light-reflecting sheen and give it a glamorous appearance.

And that is exactly how we at Kozmetika Afrodita see the beauty of Nataša Pinoza, Miss Universe Slovenia.

Beauty as a guiding principle

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by my visit. Just walking into the building that would normally be known as the ‘company headquarters’, I was fascinated. Believe me, in the case of Kozmetika Afrodita it is more than just a ‘company headquarters’. This ultramodern building with its bright, stylish interior immediately conveys the message that beauty is the guiding principle here.

This positive first impression was further strengthened when I met the ‘Aphrodites’ (meaning, of course, the director Danica Zorin Mijošek and her staff). I was overwhelmed by the friendly reception they gave me and above all, by the commitment and energy they put into their work.

I have to admit that I was also surprised – in a good way – at the size of their product range. A special mention here goes to the big innovations that Kozmetika Afrodita has introduced in recent years.

They have started to incorporate increasingly attractive natural ingredients into their product formulas, including extracts of champagne, honey, hyaluronic acid and gold.

Products worth pure gold

Gold symbolises the sun and its glittering colour has attracted people like a magnet since the dawn of time. Thanks to its rarity, its brilliance and its durability, it has been prized as a symbol of power, wealth and beauty in every culture that has ever existed. The staff of the Kozmetika Afrodita product development laboratory told me that, with the development of new technology, they are able to exploit its excellent properties, the use of gold in the cosmetics industry has taken on new dimensions. Gold is proven to be effective in rejuvenating the skin, smoothing lines and wrinkles and improving skin

Did you know that gold has following positive effects: • reduces the breakdown of collagen and elastin, two key factors of skin strength and elasticity, • stimulates circulation in the skin, • reduces the level of free radicals and establishes protection against the external stress factors that cause skin ageing, • refracts light, creating the optical illusion of brighter, younger skin and covering irregularities.

Thanks to its electric charge, gold stimulates vital energy, so skin care with gold is a privilege for the skin. For skin that wants and deserves more.

tone. Skin treated with gold becomes visibly smoother and has a wonderful sheen.

The products in the new GOLD 24 Ka professional cosmetics range contain tiny flakes of pure gold that give the skin a gorgeous lustre and soy isoflavones that ensure a smooth, rejuvenated appearance.

The GOLD 24 Ka range consists of four products that give astonishing results. I tried them at the Afrodita Beauty Centre, where experienced and professionally trained cosmeticians prepared a special care programme for me using gold and gold foil. I tried LUXURY AMPOULES with flakes of pure gold for all skin types, ‘golden years’ LUXURY DAY CREAM for normal, mixed and dry skin and ‘golden years’ LUXURY MASK for tired skin for the face, neck and décolleté.

My experience? An unforgettable, luxurious experience that I will prolong at home with LUXURY NIGHT CREAM. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone who wishes to experience an ANTI-AGE FANTASIA OF PURE LUXURY to ‘gild their skin’ and make their years golden.

Founded more than 40 years ago, with a history that I have no hesitation in calling a ‘success story’ and with a range of highquality products, Kozmetika Afrodita leaves an indelible impression both on its Slovenian customers and on its many customers outside the borders of Slovenia.

It’s easy when you know what you want and what makes you happy. In my case, Kozmetika Afrodita Kozmetika Afrodita makes me happy.

Kidričeva 54, 3250 Rogaška Slatina T:+ 386 (0)3 812 11 60.

www.kozmetika-afrodita.com March 2012

32

Dine

wit h St yle Restavracija MAK Osojnikova ulica 20, Maribor T: +386 (0)2 620 00 53 info@restavracija-mak.si www.restavracija-mak.si Open Monday to Saturday: 11.30am – 9.30pm

MAK Cook Me Some Art and He Did: the Famous Trio

Maribor’s Mak restaurant is a unique and essential experience for anyone who wants to be taken to the final frontier of culinary art.

The Slovenia Times

Mak opened its doors in early April of last year. The young chef, David Vračko, has taken his global experience and brought it back to his home town of Maribor. This is not your average restaurant or your average Slovenian chef. Mak is more like an atelier (a workshop of an artist). Its concept is not meant for business people popping in for a quick bite to eat or for anyone who has time restraints. This is a restaurant that will thrive from its patrons.

People who enjoy David’s creativity and food will make his restaurant a culinary gathering spot. He has no menu; he is inspired by local farmers and his own experience to create daily dishes for his guests. To ensure you do not wait too long, I would suggest a reservation. The chef also encourages his guests to suggest a type of dish they would enjoy eating for their lunch or dinner. Just be sure to give him advance notice so he can get the supplies.

There is a lot of creativity in his food but unfortunately, not so much in the décor. The ambience of the restaurant is mediocre, but those who appreciate the art of cooking will certainly be surprised.

You will be left focusing on the culinary journey you have taken with this budding chef. You will also not be disappointed in the wine list, it’s excellent. The wine list is full of Slovenian hidden treasures and a good representation of some global wines. Many, I am sure, from David’s own journeys.

David prides himself on using no additives, bio products when he can and his mother’s garden for vegetables and herbs.

I started with a cup of Mak’s homemade mint tea, a scrumptious cup of tea with a hint of lemongrass and fresh mint leaves from his mum’s garden. It left me refreshed and curious to see how the rest of this secret menu would evolve.

Freshly made bread on arrival, literally!

Homemade loaves, sprinkled with an array of seeds. It was worth the wait, delicious.

We were soon served several trio appetizer plates. Eye candy for this famished writer.

Beautiful presentation, with such attention to detail - a trio of beef: carpaccio, seared fillet beef mignon and cannelloni of beef stuffed with chervil and goat cheese.

Dollop’s of celeriac puree, crushed peanuts and sprigs of fresh baby chervil with edible petals. A pet peeve of mine is never to put anything on a plate that you can’t eat. David did not disappoint me; it was lovely to see a plate garnished with all yummy, edible food.

The second trio was just as detailed.

Homemade chicken liver pate served with drops of spiced apple compote, perfectly seared chicken liver and again, the spiced apple. A poached marinated chicken roulade, sprinkled together with brunoise of sautéed vegetables. This dish was accompanied by a soufflé of mashed potatoes and a poached quail’s egg in the centre.

The mashed potatoes were the lightest I have ever come across. I have my own ideas of how he created it but would like to have a chat about it with the chef to confirm, exquisite! I do love it when a chef

uses the same proteins, but manipulates it for different textures and flavours to showcase the variety of the meat or fish.

A real experience and a delight to find this style at Mak. The next dish was soup. A curried beef consume with sautéed frog legs with tiny bites of fresh vegetables. The soup is poured tableside to give the diner first-hand experience of breathing in the fragrant liquid.

My next dish was braised pork loin in an onion sauce, served with slow cooked corned ham, chorizo sausage and spiced salami accompanied with a horseradish puree. Again, it was really nice to see pork used in a different way. The corned ham was by far my favourite, but the whole dish worked really well together.

The sweeter things in life:

We were handed a very playful chocolate mousse with colourful pearl candy balls. It was a fun dessert with a rich and creamy mousse however, I think my daughter would have appreciated it and enjoyed it a bit more then I did. We were also presented with a chocolate hazelnut torte with raspberry sorbet, cumquats, marinated baby grapes and a raspberry macaroon. This was a very nice dessert and I was particularly taken with the raspberry macaroon. It was so light and airy to look at and exploded in my mouth like a raspberry cloud - fantastic!

I applaud chef David Vračko for doing something different and for sticking to his beliefs in what food means to him. I hope that his unique approach is appreciated by people and Mak has a prosperous future. If you are going to Maribor or live there, definitely check out this talented chef, just be sure to call and make a reservation; although still feel free to drop by even if you haven’t.

Top choice Promenada Gourmet Restaurant Cesta svobode 15, Bled Tel: +386 (0)4 579 18 39 restavracija.promenada@hotelibled.com www.sava-hotels-resorts.com Open: Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm–10pm In Issue 134

Bled Castle Restaurant Grajska cesta 6, 4260 Bled Tel: +386 (0)4 579 44 24 restaurant@vgs-bled.si www.hotelastoria-bled.com/castle restaurant Open: Every day, 10am –10pm In Issue 136/137

City Restaurant - BTC CITY Ljubljana Poslovna stolpnica, 13th floor, Šmartinska 140, Ljubljana Tel: +386 (0)1 585 19 97 www.btc-city.com Restaurant open: Mon-Fri, 11am – 4pm Bar open: Mon-Fri, 7.30am – 6pm

In Issue 138 JB logo 4/15/08 4:32 PM Page 1 C

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JB Restaurant

Miklošičeva 17, Ljubljana Tel: +386 (0)1 430 70 70 restavracija.jb@siol.net, www.jb-slo.com Open: Mon-Sun, 11am – 11pm Sat, 5pm – 11pm In Issue 139

Otočec Castle Restaurant

Grajska cesta 2, Otočec Tel: + 386 (0)7 384 89 00 booking.grad-otocec@terme-krka.si www.castle-otocec.com Open: Every day until midnight

Composite

In Issue 140

Kavarna Restavracija Nebotičnik

Štefanova 1, Ljubljana T: 0590 70 396 info@neboticnik.si, www.neboticnik.si Open: Sun to Wed: 9am – 1am, Thu to Sat: 9am – 3 am (Restaurant operates until 10pm, Sun closed)

In Issue 141

Smrekarjev hram Nazorjeva 2, Ljubljana T: +386 (0)1 308 19 07 smrekarjev.hram@gh-union.si www.gh-union.si Open: Every day from noon till 11 p.m.

In Issue 144

Restavracija Proteus Titov trg 1, Postojna T: +386 (0)81 610 300 info@postojnska-jama.si Open: Monday to Sunday: 8am – 10pm In Issue 145

Restavracija MAK Osojnikova ulica 20, Maribor T: +386 (0)2 620 00 53 info@restavracija-mak.si www.restavracija-mak.si Open: Monday to Saturday: 11.30am – 9.30pm In Issue 148 133

March 2012

More culinary hedonism and savings than ever!

The Cubo restaurant, on Šmartinska cesta in Ljubljana, offers amazing Mediterranean specialities. Their unique menu is changed every month to assure only the best of the season.

From their premium culinary offering, guests can enjoy a wide selection of sinfully delicious desserts. In a pleasant and warm ambience, visitors are served by the lovely staff and professional gourmet masters. Definitely a restaurant not to be missed!

Cubo

A revolutionary gourmet guide including more than 100 of the best restaurants in the region is offering even more.

The revolutionary dining PREMIUM card, with the exclusive culinary guide including more than 100 of the best restaurants in the region.

A family run restaurant where guests can experience an explosion of wonderful tastes.

Superior fish specialties, indigenous premium wine and wonderful nature will make this an unforgettable experience. Guests are strongly recommended to visit this restaurant for a culinary treat in beautiful surroundings, served by kind staff.

pikol

The Pri Mari restaurant is located in the coastal town of Piran. This place attracts traditional littoral and Venetian food lovers of fish and meat specialties. Mara’s delights are not to be missed and Tomaž is always at the guests’ disposal for some suitable wine recommendations. At Pri Mari, the house specialties are a must!

Every day we make progress in catering, including developing new flavours with culinary experts from around the world. The Alpe Adria region, encompassing Bavaria, the Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Austria’s Carinthia, Croatia, Upper Austria and Slovenia, has always been known for its culinary masterpieces, the finest ingredients, highly ambitious individuals and a mix of various cultural flavours.

In the first issue, the Restaurant Club guide introduces only the best of the Alpe Adria region. We present over 100 carefully chosen restaurants, according to quality, service, price and location. There’s an explorer in all of us. For this reason, we have created an easy to use website and mobile web with navigation system, offering the best, particularly for when you are away or on a trip. The Restaurant Club is not just a general guide, it is one of the most advanced restaurant management systems of the world, offering you, dear readers, amazing savings and a lot of pleasure, more than you have ever had before.

Restaurant Club introduces four products which offer numerous options for the pleasure of you and your loved ones.

The Premium programme, with its black pages, is for the most pretentious gourmet and includes the annual membership card with exclusive discounts of up to 20% and luxurious service from staff in every restaurant. Premium users also get all the Explorer programme bonuses.

The Explorer programme, with its white pages, is for all those who love quality food, includes the annual membership card which offers 2 for 1 discounts and makes it possible to visit the finest restaurants at the most reasonable prices with minimum limitations.

The Explorer coupons are for culinary explorers who only visit restaurants occasionally but still get most of it at a reasonable price.

The Gift programme of the Restaurant Club is for everyone you give gifts too. It offers a wide range of locations and flavours to the value of the gift voucher.

Last but not least, the Restaurant Club is a system assuring more guests for restaurants, increasing their income and introducing savings with a modern marketing approach using the latest technology; web, mobile phones, Facebook and Google. Everything that used to be unattainable for most restaurants is in the entire system of the Restaurant Club. Restaurant Club is an individual project and restaurant network, entry is free of charge for all catering employees. The only criteria is the quality of service and food. We believe in only one future, where all the good, tasty and free things lead to success. Bon appetit!

Your Restaurant Club The Slovenia Times

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The Istranova restaurant is perfect for all who are longing for indigenous cuisine, a cup of aromatic coffee, a glass of a good wine and adore looking at a distant horizon of olive trees. A perfect place to lunch, Istranova creates a story of partnership and friendship and is located in Slovenian Istria. Welcome to a place where time has stopped!

istranova

In the centre of Novigrad stands the restaurant, Pepenero. Its space is filled with a gastronomic symphony under the guidance of Marin Rendić. Only fresh produce is used every day and the utmost care is given to the appropriate choice of olive oils and the highest quality salts, resulting in a distinct taste impression for the guest – it is a definite return.

In the picturesque town of Verteneglio awaits the numerously awarded San Rocco Hotel. There you will find the finest Adriatic fish, truffles, mushrooms and game, complemented by more than 200 premium quality wines. San Rocco also offers an olive oil cart and dish-based recommendations.

In the summer, there’s an outer terrace with a panorama of the gorgeous Istrian countryside.

SAN ROCCO

Angel Art Caffe Tivoli BBQ piknik Bistro Avšič Cubo El Clasico Element Evergreen Favola Gostilna pri Zgornjem Kirnu Govindas Grad Kodeljevo Grajska kavarna Hombre Kaval Catering Kaval Club Kavalino Klub gurmanov Skaručna Lolita Lunch cafe Marley & Me Mačja kavarnica Namaste Nebotičnik-Skyskraper Rožna hiša Salon Sempre Shambala Taverna Tatjana Yildiz Han

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Dama Gostilna pri Lojzetu Gostilna Rahela Gostilna Žeja Grad Kromberk Hiša posebne sorte Peperoncino Pikol Restavracija Dam

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Apetit Boban Duje Giardin Gradska Vijec´nica Noštromo Zrno soli

The gourmet guide presents quality restaurants in the region on more than 200 pages with photos and a range of information. In the selection of restaurants you will find well known names in your area and hidden gems, acclaimed chefs or chefs you may not heard of before. The guide takes you on a journey, enjoying a mix of ambience and carefully selected wines in the restaurant of your choice. It is easy to search by region, type of cuisine or other information and it includes maps that will be of great assistance in discovering new culinary experiences.

Restaurant selection Restaurants included in the Premium programme are carefully selected according to several criteria, but dominated by two - absolute excellence in cuisine for its price range and friendly staff. The criteria is verified by the editorial team of the Restaurant Club, at our own expense, and to ensure complete objectivity in evaluation we surveyed a number of websites, which we then combined with the impression of individuals.

How much will you save?

Go to www.restaurantclub.si and answer a few short questions to calculate your annual saving with membership of the Premium Club www.restaurantclub.si

Find your restaurant Search among the chosen restaurants by region, city, type of cuisine or rating on www.restaurantclub.si or on your mobile device m.restaurantclub.si.

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Gourmet guide including the 100 best restaurants in the region

March 2012

36 Culture

Interview: Reza Mirkirami, Iranian Film Director

Culture Should Lead the Way and the Politics Should Follow The acclaimed Iranian film director, Reza Mirkarimi, visited Slovenia to present his work to the audience of Kinoteka. He spoke to The Slovenia Times the morning after Iran had won its first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature.

By Jaka Terpinc

Congratulations to your country for its first Oscar! How does that make you feel?

We were all very excited however I think it should have happened earlier.

The films which represent Iran at international festivals do not rate among the local blockbusters.

Is this due to the notable differences between popular and artistic cinematography?

There is no general rule. I’m aware that this is a scheme for many countries around the world, that the directors who have gained international recognition may not share equal fame in their homeland. For a few years now, Iranian cinematography has moved in the direction where so called ’cultural‘ movies attract a solid share of the general population. Directors such as Majid Majidi and Asghar Farhadi have managed to both sell tickets and impress foreign audiences . The Oscar awarded ‘Separation’ was number three at the Iranian box office last year.

Slovenia has a very small audience for domestic movies. It is perhaps one out of ten or fifteen films which earn enough to cover expenses, the rest is sponsored by institutions. Can film be a profitable business in Iran?

The Slovenia Times

Iranian cinema has developed significantly under government sponsorship and in response to the limitations of screening foreign films. The State grants loans, provides financial and various other means of support for the film industry. It is safe to say that now is the time the State can decrease its support for cinematography as it is currently standing firmly on its own feet.

Who decides whether to sponsor a particular film?

Nearly all films are sponsored.

More extensive help from the cultural fund are the responsibility of organisations which define priority topics and support the scripts accordingly.

Does that mean the artist should be ready for compromise in order to get funding?

In exchange for financial subsidies we need to face certain issues.

It is a matter of the taste of the people in charge. Some artists are flexible enough to adapt to them, others seek alternatives to avoid such conditions.

International awards probably make these things easier...

Of course. Like anywhere, there is an elite class of filmmakers whose criteria for getting funding is less strict.

Your topics do not relate to some heroic acts, but rather to existential situations and dilemmas of everyday people. Where do you seek inspiration?

In everyday life around me.

There is no single hero in the real Iranian stories of today. These are stories of desire or ambition.

An individual is in doubt, cannot make a choice, lacks self-confidence. This is the kind of hero the audience is ready to accept.

After the revolution, we witnessed a period full of propaganda and paroles but people tend to identify with their real environment and the real people, the kind of characters who cannot change their world.

Western media display a very distorted picture of Iran. It portrays a backward country whose only concern is to develop nuclear weapons... Do you, as a filmmaker, feel obliged to send a different signal to the world?

Its a concern of all Iranian filmmakers. In any place I have been around the world, people ask me if it is the real Iran I put on film.

I would like to say that the western media have indeed succeeded in spoiling the image of Iran. I think it is cinematography which deserves credit for portraying the true Iran. We should not forget that film is a medium with a lasting influence, while news can create momentary hype.

Film takes time to get inside a viewer and then leaves a mark.

What about the audience itself? Are westerners receiving your work differently than the audience closer to home? Is attention paid to different elements and details?

There are certain differences but my experience is that people in different parts of the world have a greater number of things in common than differences between them. Some elements that interest western audiences, an Iranian viewer would not pay much attention too - and vice versa. However, all the essential questions we ask ourselves about the world around us turn out to be universal.

What about the Slovenian audience? How did they respond to the screening of your films?

It’s a very interesting crowd.

After the show, at the official discussion, nobody from the audience asked a thing. It makes you feel that people perhaps could not make much sense of what they had seen. But afterwards, when you speak to them in a more private situation, you figure they have a very thorough knowledge of arts.

I think that according to your position in Europe, the best thing you can invest in is culture. The politics and the economy should follow the culture. Slovenia is ready to host a festival from around the world every day! It is the capacity of the people and the geographic position. In general, my experience of the visit is very positive and I hope to maintain the contacts I have made here.

EVENTS 37 Architecture

Unfinished Modernisations Fri 10 Feb–Sun 22 Apr, Maribor Art Gallery, Maribor The presentation of architectural projects and large-scale urban planning which denote the period of (socialist) Yugoslavia is a longexpected project that will focus on the milestones and visions of the (unfinished) modernisation of cities during socialism as well as answer the questions about their role and legacy in the successor countries.

The exhibition focuses on the physical space, e.g. on the production of city or town planning respectively as one of the fundamental means of socialist modernisation; and on the role that architecture had in this production.

Metal

Blaze Bayley (ex- Iron Maiden) + supports Sun 18 Mar, 9pm, Mc Pekarna, Maribor, EUR 10–13 Mon 19 Mar, 9pm, Gala hala, Ljubljana, EUR 14–18

Blaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999. After that experience he also built a solid solo career, recording studio albums first as Blaze and the following with a selftitled band.

World music

Painting

Yamandu Costa

Open Horizons

Tue 20 Mar, 7.30pm, Union Hall, Maribor

Tue 20 Mar–Sat 30 Jun, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, no admission Slovenian Painters from Trieste 1945 – 1960

Forum

To Discuss UBI in Times of Crisis?

Mon 19 Mar, 5.30pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, no admission Integrating economic, social and moral arguments into a proposition for a new mode of the social state, the proposal to introduce the universal basic income can be seen as one of the most promising answers to contemporary challenges. Guests: Igor Pribac, Valerija Korošec, Bernard Brščič, Srečo Dragoš, Goran Lukič, Renata Šribar, Rok Svetlič. The discussion will be hosted by Luka Omladič.

Yamandu Costa is a Brazilian guitarist and composer. His main instrument is the violao de 7 cordas, the Brazilian seven-stringed nylon guitar. Yamandu began to study guitar at age seven with his father, Algacir Costa, leader of the group Os Fronteiriços (The Frontiersmen) and mastered the instrument after studying with Lúcio Yanel, an Argentine virtuoso who lived in Brazil. At age fifteen, Yamandu began study Brazilian Southern folk music, Argentina and Uruguay. Influenced by the music of Radamés Gnattali, he began to study the music of other Brazilians, such as Baden Powell de Aquino, Tom Jobim and Raphael Rabello.

The greater part of the most prominent painters from the Slovenian Littoral was, or still is, based in Trieste, a city that after the WWII became a true political and cultural centre of Slovenian community in Italy. The artistic lexicon of the Trieste artists was grounded in the tradition of Slovenian modernism and avantgarde and influenced by the Italian artists and the western culture. A stimulating environment prompted the Trieste artists to abandon the figurative realism and encourage the younger generations of Slovenian fine artists to open up to the impulses of modernism, which was then gaining ground in the world.

24. march 2012 March 2012

38 EVENTS Puppet show

Doctor Faust Wed 21 Mar and Sat 24 Mar, 8pm, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, Ljubljana The show, performed by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, is intended for children above the age of 12, young people and adults.

The puppet show Doctor Faust is based on a famous 1938 production of Goethe’s Faust conceived

by Milan Klemenčič, the founding father of Slovenian puppetry. The 1938 production, performed in front of an audience made up only of Klemenčič’s family and friends, is considered to be a treasure of Slovenian puppetry history. In 1982, a modernized version of the show was staged by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. The puppet show is held in Slovene with English subtitles.

Rock

Kings of Strings Wed 21 Mar, 8pm, Festival Hall Lent, Maribor Kings of Strings is a concert for real music enthusiasts, with guitar legends Tommy Emmanuel, Stochelo Rosenberg and Vlatko

Stefanovski on display. This Australian-Dutch-Macedonian combination gives us an insight into various guitar styles and techniques, as each player demonstrates his own strong points and special skills on the guitar.

An evening of guitar virtuosity and passion combined together into an exciting and often unpredictable mix.

Metal

Obscura Thu 22 Mar, 7.30pm, Gala hala, Ljubljana, EUR 20–25 The German progressive death metal band Obscura was founded in 2002 by guitarist/vocalist Steffen Kummerer. The band caused a stir when they – out of nowhere – toured as support for Suffocation on their European tour in 2006 and when they independently released their debut album ‘Retribution’ that same year. A European headlining tour followed in 2007. After several line-up changes, Kummerer enlisted a new team of virtuoso musicians.

Together they create their vision of the future of extreme metal, a symbiosis of death, thrash and black metal merged with progressive and technical elements.

Film

World music

Ljubljana International Documentary film Festival

Konono No. 1

Thu 22 Mar–Thu 29 Mar, Cankarjev dom and Kinodvor, Ljubljana Each year, Ljubljana’s International Documentary Film Festival offers an insight into contemporary documentary film production. The festival has made it its mission to strive valiantly to reach into the core of the greatest social and political problems. It brings together political and portrait documentaries and films on myths, icons, the media and other themes. The festival includes a competition section. In collaboration with Amnesty International Slovenia, a prize will be awarded to the best film on the theme of human rights.

Jazz

Tobias Delius Booklet Thu 22 Mar, 8.30pm, Narodni dom, Maribor, EUR 9 Tobias Delius: tenor saxophone, clarinet Joe Williamson: double bass Steve Heather: drums The name of the trio Booklet comes from a small book they refer to in their concerts filled with influences and most beloved songs from composers such as Herbie Nichols,Louis Armstrong, Louis Tebugo Moholo, Misha Mengelberg, Kachamba, and Jimmy Hendrix. The band uses these songs as springboards for their improvisations, never knowing when they’ll come nor when they’ll leave.

Comedy

CABAres CABArei Thu 22 Mar, 8pm, Club KGB, Maribor CABAres CABArei, the cult life comedy by the actor and director Zijah A. Sokolovic, and was performed for nearly two decades (the premiere was staged in Vienna’s Interkultheater in 1993 and has seen more than 1,000 performances till today), is caricaturized and analysed in an imaginative way – a modern man who believes that the guarantors of his happiness are the state (country) and his marital status. Two and a half hours, without a break, simply fly by.

The Slovenia Times

Thu 22 Mar, 8pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 16–19

A cross-genre phenomenon from Congo that managed, more than anyone, to integrate the world music scene with the avant-garde electronic music scene. The band that attracted similar enthusiasm both at the referential WOMEX world music festival as well as the Barcelona based Sonar festival, a Mecca for avant-garde electronic music. Konono No.1 rose to fame in 2005 with their breakthrough Congotronics album, which was released on the renowned Belgian label Crammed Disc and in Šiška they will be presenting their second album on the label, “Assume Crash Position”.

Blues

Rosie Ledet Thu 22 Mar, 8. 30pm, Jamski dvorec mansion, Postojna, EUR 20 Rosie Ledet is undoubtedly the queen of zydeco music. With her energy she puts this fiery music from Louisiana on the festival map. With her Zydeco Playboys she quickly became one of the leading zydeco performers. Her fresh and energetic music has roots in the Creole tradition of the American South. Rosie Ledet is one of the few performers who still sings and creates in the French Creole language.

Literature

Stories Today Fri 23 Mar–Sat 31 Mar, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 6.5 Stories Today (Pravljice danes), a storytelling festival whose thirteenth edition is held this year, offers a wide and varied spectrum of carefully selected stories for listeners of all ages. Performers include professional storytellers from all over the world, actors, writers, illustrators, musicians, researchers of the storytelling tradition and librarians.

EVENTS 39 Fair

Collecta - Ljubljana International Collectors’ Fair Fri 23 Mar–Sun 25 Mar, Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, Ljubljana Collecta brings together philatelists, numismatists, cartophiles and collectors of fossils and minerals, militaria, antiques and other small collectables from around Europe.

Visitors to the fair can view, examine and trade in collectors’ items from all over the world. One of the goals of the fair is to gather companies and individuals from all over the world with interesting collections at their disposal.

Dance

Dance workshop for the hearing impaired Sat 24 Mar, 4pm, Tkalski prehod, Maribor It is true that deaf people cannot hear music, but they do feel vibrations of low-pitched and loud sounds. Their sense of rhythm is incredible and they learn how to mimic dance moves very quickly.

Dance, however, can occur in silence as well, for it is self-sufficient, the hidden language of the soul, as some may put it more poetically.

Deafness is an invisible disorder, which is why deaf people are not often noticed in the hearing environment. Dance workshops are scheduled as part of the learning process and offer a possibility to be a part of a professional dance performance.

Slovenia Times recommends

Spanish Outlook in Maribor March is bringing bring Spanish theatre, film, dance, photography, architecture and cuisine as part of monthly presentations of foreign cultures during the city’s stint as the European Capital of Culture. The presentation will merge traditional and modern Spanish culture.

The month of Spanish culture starts with the international premiere of contemporary dance production “The Mountain around You” (La Muntanya al teu voltant) at the SNG Maribor theatre by the Gelabert Azzopardi dance company of Barcelona. This will be followed by the opening of the photo exhibition Urbscapes: Hybridization Spaces next week, which explores the differences between the city and the country.

The Udarnik cinema will host a Spanish film week between 12 and 16 March and mark the 25th anniversary of the Goya film awards and present the Madrid festival of short film.

Spanish architect Gines Garrido will be guest lecturer at “More Geography, Less Architecture” events organised by the embassy and the Ljubljana and Maribor universities between 19 and 22 March.

National Spanish language competition for secondary school students will be held on 17 March. Three days later an international festival of Spanish theatre will take place, where over 200 secondary school

the night – the band The Subways who also headlined last year’s Rock Otočec festival. The band is famous for its exceptional energy on stage and positive interaction with the audience.

World music

Teresa Salgueiro Tue 27 Mar, 9pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 20–32

students and 31 teachers from Slovenia, Spain, Brazil, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Serbia are expected.

The Cultural Embassies programme of the European Culture Capital will feature a concert of ethno band Los Faycanes from the Canaries at the Ptuj Castle on 29 March.

The Spanish culture month will close with Spanish food and wine tasting in an evening of Spanish cuisine at the Rožmarin restaurant in Maribor on 30 March.

Marko Mrše is a freelance street photographer. Mostly through the medium of photo collage, he has been examining diverse aspect of street life in Europe and Asia, the places he has visited or resided in. Within the last five years he has held a number of one-man and group exhibitions, while in Croatia his photos have been forming part of interior design. With this photo collage series he is investigating what travelling is today – at a time when moving around the Earth is cheaper than ever.

Rock Classical

The Subways Sun 25 Mar, 7pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 10–23 The concert featuring The Subways and other bands is somehow the “pre-concert” of this year’s Rock Otočec festival and also the closing event of the Slovenian Music Week. The event will be opened by the band Adam, only to continue with the Italian electro funky band PassoGigante, then the extremely hot recent band from the territories of our former common country – S.A.R.S., leading to the climax of

A new solo project and promotion of the new album O Mistério by the former singer of the legendary Portuguese band Madredeus! In August 2011, Teresa Sagueiro withdrew to the mountain monastery Arrábida together with four musicians and in the mystical mountain landscape they recorded seventeen new original songs – which brought about O Mistério, the album that will be officially released just before her concert in Ljubljana.

Photography

Marko Mrše: Stories Tue 27 Mar – Sun 15 Apr, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, no admission

Amael Piano Trio Wed 28 Mar, 7.30pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 8–18 The Amael Piano Trio was established in October 1999. Stunning virtuosos and internationally acclaimed, award-winning artists, the pianist Tatjana Ognjanovič, violinist Volodja Balzalorsky and cellist Damir Hamidulin perform as soloists or as members of diverse chamber ensembles. Also holding teaching positions, they are active in Slovenia and abroad. Boasting a twelve-year history of appearances and tours of Europe and the USA, the trio has gained international prominence as a chamber ensemble which also plays new Slovenian music. Its international reputation has recently been solidified at various prestigious festivals.

Workshop

Creative Re:Cycling Thu 29 Mar, 4pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, no admission This creative recycling workshop is intended for youth and everybody else. Using scrap fabric, colourful cartons, old posters, packaging cardboard and office paper, we will be folding and sewing practical, useful and completely individual notebooks of various sizes to fill with fresh ideas, lists, projects, recipes, sketches, drawings and collages. The workshop will be hosted by Petra Gosenca (GUMB Association).

Rock

Orlek Thu 29 Mar, 9pm, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, EUR 14–16 The Orlek band is active again. In January they recorded their new album, Repete, in Novo Mesto. It will be released on Klopotec in mid March and presented at a major

March 2012

40 EVENTS nities in Europe, one of the most difficult questions in the modern era.

EN-SPA Conference MEET THE EXPERTS, GAIN NEW KNOWLEDGE, SHARE EXPERIENCE at the 1st European Natural Spas and Wellness Conference, that will take place in Laško, at the Wellness Park Hotel Thermana from April 18 – 20, 2012.

The aim of EN-SPA conference is the transfer of knowledge, good practice examples and new ideas in the circle of experts and spa employees. Invited speakers from Slovenia and abroad will try to clarify the distinctions and connections between the medical treatment and wellness tourism. We are expecting discussion on rehabilitation on the secondary levels, balneology, nutrition, spa standards, requirements of insurance companies and other related topics. At the end of the second

gig in Kino Šiška. This promotion will be followed by a number of concerts around Slovenia, and in October they are embarking on a tour across South America that will take them to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The promotional concert will be supported by the exhibition of art works by Milan Razboršek – to be launched in the Komuna hall.

Thu 29 Mar and Fri 30 Mar, 7.30pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 10–33 It is well known that in the first edition of the score of the Pastoral Symphony Beethoven wrote that the work is “more an expression of emotion than [sound] painting”. It is possible that Beethoven found part of his inspiration in Justin Heinrich Knechat’s composition A Musical Portrait of Nature, in which the composer attempts to illustrate the peaceful countryside, an unexpected storm and gratitude at the end of the storm.

The Slovenia Times

Hans Magnus Enzensberger Mon 2 Apr, 7pm, Slovene National Theatre, Maribor

More information about the programme can be found at www.en-spa.eu EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION FEE IS AVAILABLE UNTIL MARCH 20, 2012 Organisers: Slovenian Spa Association and GO.MICE, congress agency

Pop

Janez Bončina Benč & Friends Fri 30 Mar, 8pm, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, EUR 18–28

Classical

Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra

Lecture

day we will open a round table debate with guests and invited speakers!

An evening featuring Benč’s finest songs –The Best Of – from his decades-long music career, will feature many forgotten classics and many hit songs till remembered today. The original line-up of the legendary band September will reunite especially for this occasion. Among the featured artists, Murat & Jose represent some of the most recent collaborations.

Dance

Dance Workshops of Egyptian Folk Dances

Sat 31 Mar, 11am, Zahir House, Maribor This workshop is based on the intensive introduction of Arab traditional group dances. We will learn about the group folk dance Dabke, the basics of a dance with a stick, Khaleegy, and a group ritual dance known as Zaar. Each of these dances will be presented in detail with regard to its respective history, costumes and rhythmic structure.

Workshop mentor: Karim Nagi (Egypt-USA).

Festival

When will the Romani Write about Us? Mon 2 Apr, 6pm, Vetrinjski dvor Mansion, Maribor At the opening of the fourth Romano Čhon Festival for Roma Culture, two researchers of Romani culture, social anthropologist Martin Olivera and Romani specialist Patrick Williams, will present the difficulties of European policies and non-governmental organisations when dealing with Romani commu-

Each month in 2012, Maribor will host an exceptional, leading international figure in their field form a creative area of the arts or philosophy. The guests were chosen on the grounds that they are all foremost representatives of their discipline; they were each asked to present their perspective on a selected topic concerning the future. This edition will feature Hans Magnus Enzensberger.

Film

6th International Festival of Mountain Film Mon 2 Apr–Fri 6 Apr, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana The festival will contain approximately 40 first-rate mountain and adventure films, lectures by foremost mountain climbers, promotions of new books on mountaineering, exhibition of mountain-climbing literature and photography. Besides the main award, bestowed by the City of Domžale, the Festival also presents Best Film Award, Best Mountain Culture Film Award, Best Environmental and Mountain Sports Film Award as well as an Audience Award.

SPORTS 41

Ski Jumping

Crown for Kranjec Slovenian ski jumping witnessed a rarely seen comeback this year, culminating in Robert Kranjec’s gold medal and the team’s bronze medal at the ski flying championship in Vikersund, Norway.

By Simon Demšar

A

fter years of struggling and mediocre results, the team virtually exploded this year. One man has always been there – Robert Kranjec. Being a part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games and also the team that could not find its way out from the doldrums, he has been from heaven to hell and back.

It seems everything changed with the arrival of a new coach, Goran Janus. Kranjec, 30, has been regularly finishing in the top 10 in the World Cup and fireworks were anticipated ahead of the ski flying championship. “I would have been happy with a bronze, too, but being the champion is something special, something that every ath-

lete dreams about. I hope I am not dreaming. I hope that someone will not wake me up, saying, ‘Come on, let’s go, the event will start soon’”, said Kranjec immediately after the competition. With a jump of 217.5 metres, he was third after the first round. His second jump of 244 metres (a new Slovenian record, just 2.5 metres shy of the world record) secured him gold after second placed Austrian, Martin Koch, fell on landing and Rune Velta of Norway was simply not good enough to beat Kranjec.

Interestingly, he also became the oldest ski flying champion at 30 years, 224 days.

To make things even better, Slovenia won a bronze medal at the team competition the next day,

behind Austria and Germany and comfortably ahead of Norway. In addition to Kranjec, the team included Jurij Tepeš, Jernej Damjan and Jure Šinkovec. The team showed great team spirit when they displayed a ’Get well soon, Pero‘ sign on television, to wish all the best to Peter Prevc, who was on par with Kranjec until his injury in Obersdorf when he fell on landing.

Ski jumping mania in Slovenia is great news for the World Cup finals to be held in Slovenia, at Planica, from 16-18 March. It has

traditionally been the best attended sporting event in Slovenia, attracting tens of thousands of people. Nobody dares to predict what will happen this year. Probably, never in its history, has Slovenia had so many competitive jumpers aiming for the very top. It seems that 2012 could finally see the first Slovenian victory at Planica.

Whatever happens, it will be a true celebration of ski flying and a chance for the fans to see the World Champion and the bronze team at work.

Biathlon

A Man of Steel Jakov Fak won the first biathlon World Championship gold medal for Slovenia, with the team coming in second after a controversial incident.

By Simon Demšar

J

akov Fak is a man with nerves of steel. In the World Cup his best achievement is a third place but he has also won an Olympic silver medal, a bronze World Championship medal and now the World Champion title in the 20 kilometre race in Ruhpolding, Germany. He finished ahead of Simon Fourcade of France and Jaroslav Sokoup of the Czech Republic. Fak missed only one of the 20 targets, the same as his closest rivals and gained the decisive advantage on the last lap (4 kms), where he started 15 seconds behind Fourcade but eventually won by 7 seconds.

“It is a great feeling. I was really suffering but it was worth it.

It takes a lot of work to become the World Champion. There were no shortcuts for me; I have been through a lot of things, which makes me even happier today.

Otherwise, I was relaxed and I

adopted the right tactics,” the 24 year old said immediately after he realised he was the World Champion.

Jakov Fak is no ordinary champion. Originally from Croatia, he officially joined the Slovenian biathlon team this year. When he switched sides, it caused a major controversy and for a while it seemed that Fak would hang up his skis and rifle. Eventually, an agreement was reached between the Croatian and Slovenian Ski Associations.

Having been spotted by Slovenian biathlon coach, Uroš Velepec, Fak has spent his entire competitive career as a member of the Slovenian national team but representing his native Croatia. After the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Fak and Croatia were given an ultimatum: either we say our farewells or you become a Slovenian citizen and begin racing for Slovenia.

Despite the traditional rivalry between Slovenia and Croatia, Fak has virtually no ‘enemies’ in Slovenia. This is mostly due to his proficiency in Slovene, which he learnt during the time he spent with the Slovenian team. This, coupled with his down to earth attitude, meant he soon became one of the most highly respected athletes in Slovenia.

Adding to Slovenia’s success in the 20 kilometre race was Klemen Bauer who finished fifth, just four seconds behind the bronze medallist.

A few days earlier, Slovenia took a silver in the mixed relay event, although the team of Fak, Bauer, Andreja Mali and Teja Gregorin actually crossed the finish line first. The Norwegian team, who took the gold, had been deducted 30 seconds when one of their targets hadn’t gone down even though Ole Einar Björndalen

had hit it, he then completed a penalty loop, which he shouldn’t have had to and to compensate for the mistake, he was given back the lost time.

March 2012

...and the winner is: Eva Boto, after being chosen Slovenia’s 2012 Eurosong contestant with the second placed Prusnik twins duo.

The superheroes return: Tomaž Čižman, Jure Franko, Boris Strel and Bojan Križaj - the nineteen-eighties’ ski champions in their retro outfit at a reunion at Krvavec.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

The ambassadors of great taste: Diplomats and chefs at Hotel Park’s Curry Festival.

Two cellos: World famous cellists Luka Šulič and Stjepan Hauser after their performance in Maribor Always vital: A folklore performance in Maribor accompanying the ritual pruning of the world’s oldest vine.

Late vintage: picking of naturally dried grapes for a special wine Steyer Vaneja, named after the winemaker’s daughter.

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