Weekly Review of Events Involving Slovenia from 26 January to 1 February

Ljubljana, 2 February - The main event of the past week was undoubtedly the presentation of the proposed financial framework of enlargement, which the European Commission outlined on Wednesday. The document kicked up a lot of dust, in candidate countries as well as in EU members. While the former claim they are being put in an unequal position, members link the expenses of enlargement with the intermediate review of the implementation of the common agricultural policy and negotiations on its reform.

Slovenia's foreign policy saw lively activity over the past week as well. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel travelled to Sarajevo to talk about Croatia's ban on the road transport of oil, which saw bitter opposition in Slovenia and Bosnia. In the meantime, Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek and Finance Minister Anton Rop were off to the U.S. to attend the World Economic Forum. Also in the U.S., Slovenia was given keys to the former Yugoslav embassy building in Washington, which it received according to the umbrella agreement on the succession to the former Yugoslavia, signed last June in Vienna.

On the home front, nothing marked the week more than events surrounding the 4th congress of the senior coalition Liberal Democrats, which finished quite uneventfully with an expected reelection of Janez Drnovsek to the post of president. Yet another event that passed by without much excitement was the interpellation motion against Environment Minister Janez Kopac, who remains in office after opposition parties failed to shore up the necessary support for his dismissal.