Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

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sinfo 14 2
Borut Pahor /Prime Minister/: New measures to help business
Portorož, 20 November - This government will take measures to
alleviate the impact of the financial crisis, but it will shun blanket
measures in favour of targeted incentives to help healthy
companies. The government will not interfere with individual
corporate decisions, but it takes a strong government to create
appropriate conditions. Slovenia is a part of the developed world.
It cannot provide very original responses to the challenges, but I
think it is dangerous if it only waited for recipes offered by other
countries. The government will not put out fires in individual
companies but instead help healthy companies, especially
exporters, with development incentives. The government will
help struggling businesses, but "nobody should expect we will
throw money into a bottomless bag. Slovenia must also be
open to foreign investment. On the other hand, it is important
that key financial institutions such as the bank NLB and insurer
Zavarovalnica Triglav remain in domestic ownership. The state
would tighten its belt, but not in technology spending. Incentives
would be made available for companies hiring new workers.
Workers who are laid off will be retrained for better-paid jobs.
This is no time for passive social policy, we need to think about
how to create more.
Mitja Petkovšek / Slovenian gymnast /: I'm really happy
Ljubljana, 19 November - Wow, I really didn't know that I was the
first gymnast ever to score the perfect 1,000 points in World
Cup rankings of the International Federation of Gymnastics
(FIG). I'm really happy and proud to achieve something like that.
This is crazy, crazy. I top the rankings on the parallel bars with
1,016.34 points, while another Slovenian, Aljaz Pegan, is leading
the rankings on the horizontal bar after the end of the world cup
season with 714.12. I'm very happy that I have managed to stay
in the first place in FIG rankings for more than two years. It is not
easy to be on the top all the time.
Goran Forbici / Centre for Information Service, Co-operation and
Development of NGOs (CNVOS)/: NGOs welcome government
pledges regarding civil society
Ljubljana, 14 November - We are pleased that the coalition has
committed itself to assuring participation of the public during
its term, that it even wants to adopt a law on this, and support
and promote the development of the NGO sector in general. By
adapting the tax and finance legislation and boosting the number
of employees in the sector the government would in a way realise
the proposals that 207 NGOs addressed to the Prime Minister Borut
Pahor and coalition partners a few weeks ago. We furthermore
welcome Pahor's announcement that he will immediately start
a dialogue with NGOs. Coalition promises should be seen as
"an excellent opportunity to start lasting dialogue between the
government and non-governmental organisations.
Jože Trontelj / SAZU president/: Academy of arts and sciences
marks 70th anniversary
Ljubljana, 12 November - During and after World War II, SAZU
remained creative, in spite of strong influence from the political
authorities. Today, the SAZU is a lively, vital institution, full of
plans. The academy is not burdened with short-term and private
interests and should take part in decision-making processes,
SAZU is not Slovenia's first academy. Its first predecessor,
Academia operosorum, was established as early as 1693.
Academia operosorum was not only the first Slovenian but also
the first Slavic academy. However, the first academy only existed
for 30 years. In 1779, Academia operosorum "rediviva" was
established, which was similarly short-lived. For over a hundred
years, Slovenians did not have an academy of arts and sciences,
until SAZU was founded on 12 November 1938.