Weekly Review of the Slovene Economy from 23 February to 1 March

Ljubljana, 3 March - After the Italian bank SanPaolo IMI acquired a 62.1-percent stake in Banka Koper in its successful attempt to takeover Slovenia's fifth largest bank, the council of the Bank of Slovenia granted the Italian bank voting rights for up to 32.9 percent of Banka Koper shares. A meeting of Slovene and Croatian experts over Croatia's measures limiting the road transport of oil failed to bare any fruit last week. It was agreed, however, that another meeting take place in mid March. Changes were passed to the insurance act in parliament, doing away with extremely strict conditions of insurance companies capital adequacy and balancing reservations. The High Court annulled the temporary ruling by the Ljubljana District Court, handed down in December, that interdicted the leading Slovene brewer Pivovarna Lasko to freely use the 12.15-percent stake in another Slovene brewer, Pivovarna Union, acquired from the state-owned Slovene Reimbursement Company (SOD).