Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

errors. He announced that he would
appoint an advisory committee for
penal law which will pore over the penal
code. The legislation was overhauled
by the outgoing government despite
strong protests from the ranks of law
experts. The nominee said that he would
upgrade the Lukenda project launched
by the outgoing government to speed
up elimination of court backlogs and that the ministry would
encourage alternative resolution of disputes, including through
mediation. Certain powers, such as probate cases in which the
parties are concordant, should be transferred to notaries, while
Zalar will wait for the constitutional ruling regarding the changes
to lawyer fees.
mINISteR WIthoUt PoRtFolIo FoR
develoPmeNt aNd eU aFFaIRS mItJa GaSPaRI:
My main tasks in the upcoming term will be boosting
of Slovenia's development, coordination of EU affairs
and the drawing of EU funds
In development, the aim will be sustainable
economic growth accompanied by
environment-friendly conduct and
preservation of social cohesion, he said.
According to Gaspari, this will require
comprehensive planning of Slovenia's
development based on the development
strategy adopted in 2005, which
envisages financing from EU cohesion
funds. It also calls for coordination of ministries' work on laws and
documents required for the strategy's implementation, Gaspari said.
The structure of drawing of EU funds will be upgraded, including
by posting the staff responsible for this to three other ministries.
Gaspari believes this will reduce the role of the Government Office
for Local Government and Regional Policy and speed up the
process of acquiring EU money. Several MPs were concerned that
a reform of the system could make the drawing of EU funds more
complicated and time consuming. Gaspari however assured them
that the system would be transformed only if that does not delay
the procedures and if there are enough arguments supporting the
change. In EU affairs there would be better coordination at home
and transformation of Slovenia into a player co-shaping the bloc's
policies. This would be achieved by placing greater emphasis on
EU affairs, which would be put on the top of the agenda of the
cabinet's sessions. He believes that EU issues should be debated at
open session of the National Assembly and parliamentary bodies.
≈This way people will see that the EU also brings benefits and not
only obligations.« Listing the challenges ahead of Slovenia and
the EU, such as competition of developing economies, pressure
on energy prices, climate change and financial crisis, Gaspari said
that the bloc and Slovenia would need to adjust their development
policies. One of Slovenia's aims is also to try to get among ten most
competitive EU countries, he said and added that the state-owned
export bank SID was an important financial lever here, which
however needed to be recapitalised and linked up with other such
institutions. Gaspari believes that Slovenia could reach the average
eurozone GDP in the following six to seven years.
INteRIoR mINISteR kataRINa kReSal: The
priorities are fight against white-collar crime and
independent
13
WHAtmakEstHenEws
The president of the Liberal Democrats
(LDS) also announced she would
immediately tackle the issue of the
erased - about 18,000 people from the
former Yugoslavia who were crossed out
of the permanent residency register after
failing to apply for Slovenian citizenship.
Kresal believes that the issue should be
concluded during the term of the new
government, announcing that the permanent residence status of
the erased would be reinstated.
Among the goals related to the fight against white-collar crime,
Kresal emphasised a specialisation of prosecution authorities,
adding that an elaborate examination of the possibilities for
introducing financial police would also be conducted. Kresal also
announced the establishment of a body independent from the
executive authority which will supervise the work of the police. She
said she would also examine certain provisions of the acts on the
police and national border control. According to her, an analysis
will be carried out a year after the amendments of the road traffic
safety act have been in force and possible changes will be proposed.
Kresal is also to examine the possibility of establishing a public
agency for road traffic safety. She said she would make efforts for
increasing the physical presence of the police and boosting their
cooperation with local communities, adding that she would also
propose amendments to the private security act and the act on
detective activities.
eCoNomy mINISteR mateJ lahovNIk: The key
problem of Slovenia's economy is the burden put on
labour costs by contributions
≈We will not achieve anything by merely
cutting taxes,« said Lahovnik, who
instead suggests boosting the economy
by reducing social security contributions.
Cutting the contribution rate by 5
percentage points would save employers
around EUR 650m. ≈If the budget really
is balanced, I don't see why we could not
do this,« he said. He warned that export
orders had fallen to levels last seen in 1997, which means Slovenia is
entering recession. This is the biggest threat to companies that are
considered the flagships of Slovenia's development. The ministerial
candidate said Slovenia was entering the recession with increased
labour costs, including due to the 2008 public sector wage reform.
He said any measures in this respect were subject to dialogue
with social partners. Lahovnik, who already served a short stint as
economy minister in the run-up to the 2004 election, also sees the
promotion of free markets and competition as a key priority.
He highlighted the need to boost innovation, invest in science and
technology in closer cooperation with the economy, cut red tape,
and create a favourable business and tax environment. Lahovnik
feels legislative changes are unavoidable in this field.
The candidate would also strive for stability in power supply, saying
a second reactor of the Krsko nuclear power plant and an expansion
of the Sostanj Thermal Power Plant were necessary.
As regards the state's withdrawal from the economy, Lahovnik said
that the country's biggest bank NLB should remain state-owned.
Given the current circumstances, he also does not see a reason
for the state to revive procedures for the privatisation of Telekom
Slovenije. Turning to tourism, Lahovnik stressed the need to focus
on sustainable tourism. He wants to boost know-how and quality,
and provide more funds for public tourist infrastructure.
14 sinfo