Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

FINaNCe mINISteR FRaNC kRIŽaNI»: I announce
a »developmental turnaround« and spending on
infrastructure as the main measures to counter the
financial and economic crisis
If spending plunges as a result of the
crisis, the government would accelerate
investment in infrastructure projects such
as new motorways, the modernisation
of the rail network and new energy
facilities that the outgoing government
has already started. But if the crisis is
not deep and long, the main measure
would be to launch a ≈developmental
turnaround«, not by creating a national champion but through
targeted incentives for institutes and development centres at major
Slovenian corporations, KrižaniË said in his presentation. KrižaniË
also announced a redistribution of budget spending. Rapid growth
coupled with unchanged tax rates allowed for high revenue growth,
which has created the opportunity to tweak budget spending
without endangering the standard in other, non-essential areas.
The incoming minister is convinced the crisis can be overcome
quickly: amendments to the public finances act which provide
EUR 12bn in bank guarantees will prevent a contraction of lending
while the budget will be supplemented so as to prevent shrinking
order books from increasing unemployment and reducing living
standards. Other financial policy goals include the introduction
of weekly toll stickers (only six-month and annual vignettes are
currently available). However, KrižaniË said the vignette system had
undermined the funding of motorway construction so additional
financing would have to be found. Tax measures would include
increasing the general income tax relief to the level of the minimum
wage, the reintroduction of the popular tax break for first-time
home-buyers and bringing back relief for reinvestment of profit.
All these measures would be coupled with better oversight of
the financial sector, which would be brought under the room
of a single institution supervised by the central bank. This would
improve oversight in particular of financial holding, KrižaniË said.
The state intends to offload stakes it still holds in private companies,
but it would remain a shareholder in infrastructure and financial
companies. As for EU funds, KrižaniË forecasts a more efficient
spending of EU money, which would also be the task of a special
task force that the ministry will establish. Expecting a coordinated
EU action to boost spending, KrižaniË also hopes for significant EU
funding on the trans-European rail, road and telecoms infrastructure,
as well as in energy projects.
edUCatIoN aNd SPoRt mINISteR IGoR lUkšI»:
I believe in public education
He does not oppose private schools,
but he said he was ≈personally
disinclined« to promote new schools
with public funds. Presenting his
vision for the management of this
key portfolio, LukšiË said schools
should be ideologically neutral. He
said he would strive for the maximum
inclusion of children in kindergartens
and schools. He said some things had been accomplished
by the outgoing government, but the long-term goal is
to have free-of-charge kindergartens. Some subjects in
primary schools would be merged and ≈experimentation«
with end-year tests in primary and secondary schools would
15
WHAtmakEstHenEws
be restricted. To unburden teachers, Luksic proposes the
reactivation of retired teachers, who would teach just a
couple of hours each week.
mINISteR WIthoUt PoRtFolIo IN ChaRGe oF
loCal GoveRNmeNt aNd ReGIoNal PolICy
zlata PloštaJNeR: Slovenia should be divided
into provinces, which would make it easier to
decentralise the country
However, the number of provinces and
their funding should be determined
in a dialogue between experts and
politicians. Provinces were one of
the main projects of the outgoing
government, but the plan collapsed
due to the opposition of parties which
now make up the ruling coalition. In
particular, the parties were claiming
the number of provinces (14) was too high and their funding
unsuitable. According to Ploštajner, provinces should have own
funding so they can direct their development. However, there
should also be a mechanism that ensures richer provinces share
their wealth with less developed parts of the country. Some of
the committee members are mayors and even the opposition
acknowledged that Plostajner was the right person for the job.
But they did grill her on whether the government would only
work with big communities since it used the term ≈inefficient
municipalities« in the coalition accord. She said all communities
would be treated equally. As for the funding of municipalities,
Ploštajner said less developed municipalities should catch up,
but she is not inclined to solutions where ≈the developed would
stand still so that the less developed could catch up.«
the mINISteR WIthoUt PoRtFolIo FoR
SloveNIaNS abRoad boštJaN Žek©: Unified
cultural space is not something directed against
neighbouring nations but a strategy of coexistence
and cooperation
He also emphasised cooperation with
highly educated Slovenians from abroad
and more support to those teaching and
learning Slovenian; Slovenia should support
the learning of Slovenian to the generations
born abroad. Žekš will also strive for
better access to media in areas where the
Slovenian minority lives. He wishes that the
Slovenian media would report more on
ethnic Slovenians living abroad. He is strongly against Slovenian minority
organisations becoming uniform. ≈Slovenians in neighbouring countries
should organise themselves as they wish, while we need to treat them
equally, with regard to the size of their organisation.« Žekš, who is a nonpartisan
candidate and says he perceives himself as politically neutral,
believes that all key decisions should be made in agreement between the
coalition and opposition. The Office for Slovenians Abroad would closely
collaborate with the foreign, culture, education and higher education
ministries. In principle he agrees with the proposal that Slovenians living
abroad would have a representative in the National Assembly. His first
step as minister would be to visit the Slovenian minority in Italy next week.
Commenting on the decision of the Italian MPs to cut the funding for the
Slovenian minority, Žekπ said that the argument that this was the result of
the financial crisis did not stand.
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