Schedule of Events for Friday, 19 January

SKOPJE, Macedonia - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is to pay an official visit to Macedonia, where he is to meet his counterpart Antonio Milososki (9:20 AM) to discuss bilateral cooperation and Macedonia's progress towards the EU and NATO. Rupel is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski (at 10 AM), President Branko Crvenkovski (at noon), and Speaker of Parliament Ljubisa Georgievski (12:35 PM). Milososki and Rupel are to address the press at 11:35 AM. (STA)

BERLIN, Germany - Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman is to attend an informal meeting of EU ministers in charge of employment and social affairs. The ministers are expected to exchange views on the further development of the European social model, devoting special attention to reconciling the principles of employment flexibility and job security.

*LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Transport Committee is to meet at 10 AM to discuss amendments to the railway act whose aim is to restructure the sector by setting up a new regulatory body and turning the Slovenian Railways into a single company again. The government-sponsored measure, which also transposes the relevant EU directive, was on the agenda already in December, but the committee decided to postpone it until January although the EU's legal service has already launched a procedure against Slovenia at the European Court of Justice for its failure to implement a key European law on the deregulation of the railways in its legislation.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary EU Affairs Committee and Domestic Policy Committee are to convene a joint session at 10 AM to discuss the implementation of the Hague Programme. The main focus of the five-year programme is on setting up a common immigration and asylum policy for the 25 EU member states. The EU Affairs Committee is meanwhile scheduled to hold a separate session at 12:30 PM.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Interior Minister Dragutin Mate and the head of the Slovenian police force, Joze Romsek, are to visit the Europol headquarters. Meeting Europol director Max Peter Ratzel, Mate is expected to present the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency related to the role of Europol.

LJUBLJANA - President Janez Drnovsek is to receive the credentials of incoming Ghana's Ambassador Charles Agyei Amoam and Moldova's Valeriu Bobutac at 11 AM and noon, respectively.

LJUBLJANA - European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik and leading Slovenian managers are to meet at a panel at 10 AM as part of a strategic conference entitled Day of Technological Platforms. The conference gets underway at 2 PM with an opening address by Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) head Samo Hribar Milic.

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Milan Zver is to participate in a 10 AM panel on the development of education in Slovenia. At 1 PM Zver is to meet representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) to discuss open issues concerning vocational education.

LJUBLJANA - Jules Massenet's opera "Don Quixote" will premiere at the Cankarjev dom arts centre at 7 PM in a major co-production between the Ljubljana opera house and Cankarjev dom. The opera was directed by Thomas Schulte-Michels, a leading German director.

POKLJUKA - The women's 10 km pursuit event is to get underway at 14:15 PM as part of the biathlon World Cup meet at Pokljuka, Slovenia.

LJUBLJANA - Press review. (STA)

In case of further queries please contact duty editor at +386 1 241 0109:

8:30 AM to 3:30 PM: Ela Petrovcic
3:30 PM to 10:00 PM: Gregor Zamuda

Comments and suggestions may be sent to: english@sta.si