Weekly Review of the Slovene Economy from 23 to 29 March

Ljubljana, 31 March - The Slovene steel industry is bracing for the possible effects of the latest protectionist measures taken by a leading global economic player. Only three weeks after the U.S. announced it was implementing measures to protect its steel market, it was the European Union's turn to announce measures in a bid to protect its steel market of excess imports. Slovene steel industry officials warned that such a move by the EU will prove to be much more damaging than the U.S. move, since Slovenia exports most of its steel to the EU. Some trade union officials even went as far as warning of a collapse of the Slovene steel industry, if such measures remain in place. The decision of the European Union and the reactions in Slovenia overshadowed news that the Slovene government finally adopted a new bill aimed at privatising insurance companies.