Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

WHAtmakEstHenEws
laboUR, FamIly aNd SoCIal aFFaIRS mINISteR
IvaN SvetlIk: Our main role is maintaining a dynamic
balance between the social, economic and market
dimensions and care for social reproduction
Among his priorities, Svetlik stressed
the increase of employment, which is
already above European average, but
lower than the EU objectives. He believes
Slovenia has to increase activity of senior
citizens especially, as it stands very low.
He also sees the need for at least a partial
regulation of the currently unregulated
kinds of work like student work, while
the quality of work will also need a lot of attention. Svetlik thinks
employment flexibility is high in Slovenia, though there is still some
space for higher possibilities of firing and employing new people,
but then the level of social security has to be retained. He sees an
answer in increasing social security benefits and investment into
lifelong education. He also said that despite the relatively good
social transfer system, that a reassessment of the mechanisms of
minimal social security of the population in the view of the changes
in the economy. According to Svetlik, the system of assuring the
social minimum is complicated and allows abuse, and thus needs
more control through a suitable information system and a unified
record of all transfers. The candidate establishes that the pension
system reform does not assure social reproduction in the long
run. The ministry will thus have to adjust the lowest pensions in
short-term and take extensive measures in the field as part of a
long-term strategy. Svetlik thinks more stress should be laid on the
active aging policies, but also by including forms of work that do
not contribute to the pension funds into the regulated system and
stimulate personal pension planning. He said the ministry will also
review the possibilities of getting additional money for pensions
through changes of the tax-system. He announced the forming
of a workgroup for adapting the pension system, as he believes
the current system is working and needs no radical changes, but
requires adaptations and improvements so it can hold higher
burdens. Svetlik also said he would focus on the youth, which
holds the higher burden of employment flexibility. Beside all special
programmes and stimulations, he would also like to regulate student
work and make it count in the years of service. The candidate also
stressed the ministry's priorities to assure equality of the sexes, care
for the disabled, control of the realisation of labour legislation,
decrease moonlighting and intensify inspections. He assured that
he will solve most of the issues in dialogue with social partners and
announced a thorough and constant social and intergenerational
dialogue.
deFeNCe mINISteR lJUbICa JelUšI»: A revision
will be necessary in the Patria defence deal if
unacceptable doings are proven
JelušiË pointed out that the 8x8 armoured personnel carriers are
something Slovenia ≈need to get« eventually and that she will wait
for the results of the investigation into the Patria deal to keep the
integrity of the system. The candidate also promised to strive to
avoid the lives of Slovenian soldiers being endangered because
of their unsuitable equipment. JelušiË said in her presentation
that she will strive for gradual changes and mentioned structural
reform of the Slovenian army and expansion of the protection,
rescue and help system. She announced a rationalisation of the
Defence Ministry's administration, while she would also lower
the military budget to 1.5% of the GDP, as she believes Slovenia's
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military spending per capita is large. The
candidate sees the basis of the defence
policy strategy in the acceptability of the
national security system to all citizens.
She pointed out that she will try to find
a balance between national defence and
international expectations. She will also
try to increase patriotism, voluntarism
and solidarity, and she mentioned the
importance of firefighters for the protection, rescue and relief
system. When asked by deputy Robert Hrovat of the opposition
Slovenian Democrats (SDS) on the issue of a higher firefighter school,
she answered it is a good project and that it could start operating
in 2010. The candidate stressed she has been in favour of Slovenian
membership in NATO since the country was a candidate and that
she believes it is politically right that Slovenia is in the organisation,
while Slovenia can also serve as an example for candidate countries.
In the relationship with the US, Jelusic announced she will try to
keep a tight relationship with the US also where its armies are
situated. She also thinks Slovenia can be grateful to the US as many
Slovenian military officers have been educated or trained there.
CUltURe mINISteR maJda ©IRCa RavNIkaR: I
announce changes in cinematography, publishing
and the media
The intellectual work of people working
in culture was not recognised enough
in Slovenia and that it was increasingly
subject to the market. ≈It will be necessary
to introduce mechanisms enabling safe
creativity.« ©irca Ravnikar said she would
work for better status of culture and arts.
Apart from EUR 18m in budgetary funds
for this area, other sources will need to
be looked for at times of crisis, she said, referring to EU funds. ©irca
Ravnikar's priorities in the media policy will be changing the media
act, the law governing the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the
status of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). She will also advocate
journalist autonomy and removing politics from the media. She
deems changes to the public broadcaster act necessary in order to
put it in the service of the public, rather than political power. She said
the changes would need a broad consensus, and would be subject
to public debate. The media act will have to be amended in the
part on the right to reply and correction, the ministerial candidate
said, noting the current solution was too constricting on the media.
She also called for a fairer distribution of money from the media
fund and regulation of the status of freelance journalists, as well as
for protecting the journalists who are victims of a shift in editorial
policy. The STA's status will have to be regulated, ©irca said, while it
would be experts who would answer how exactly. The news wire
should also be ≈optimised and made more development-oriented«.
Speaking about film, ©irca Ravnikar said the national Film Fund was
in ≈ruin«, pledging to work for ≈bigger, more stable and continuous
production, free from biased decisions, which will require a new
law«. She also promised to do what she can to abolish tax on books,
or else returning the taxes collected from books to the authors and
publishers. The nominee also discussed digitalisation of archival
material and archives, which she said lacked space. She said that she
would support activities that would make the arts more accessible,
including amateur artists and cultural associations. In the five-hour
debate following the nominee's introduction, deputies asked many
questions and voiced many reservations. The nominee declined to
specify planned changes to the media legislation, saying these were
up to experts and the civil society.