Weekly Review of the Slovene Economy from 9 to 15 February

Ljubljana, 17 February - Only a few days before the announced strike, employers and trade unions of the electronics and metal industries managed to reach a compromise on the wage-increase. Slovene banks were also in the focus of attention last week, as the Bank of Slovenia has still not given the Italian bank SanPaolo IMI the go-ahead for the purchase of a stake in Banka Koper, Slovenia's fifth largest bank. The negotiations on the sale of a 34-percent share in NLB with the Belgian bank KBC were prolonged until 28 March. The government gave a green light to the closure of the Slovene Development Corporation (SRD), and finally, the bankrupt Maribor Airport got a new owner for EUR 2.25 million.