Schedule of Events from 14 to 20 October

MONDAY, 14 October

        PORTOROZ - Foreign ministers of six Central European countries - Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - are to hold their third meeting in the frame of what has become known as the regional partnership.

        LUXEMBOURG - EU ministers for interior and justice affairs are to meet their counterparts from the EU applicant countries - among them Slovenian Interior Minister Rado Bohinc - on the sidelines of their two-day meeting. The Schengen border regime is expected to be the focus of the talks.

        LJUBLJANA - A government and business delegation from the Philippines, headed by the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Thomas Aquin, is to begin a two-day visit.

        PORTOROZ - The official opening of the "Golden Drum" international advertising festival.

        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission for the constitution is to stage two more public debates in a series of exchanges on the proposed constitutional amendments. The newest debates are to examine changes dealing with the equality of human rights irrespective of disability and the right to a pension.

        LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs is to stage the first meeting with journalists about Slovenian family policy. Minister Vlado Dimovski is expected to deliver the opening address.

        LJUBLJANA - The Jozef Stefan institute of research is to host the fifth conference entitled "The Information Society". The week-long event is one of the largest such events in Central Europe.

        LONDON - A Slovenian delegation, led by the head of Slovenia's defence policy office Uros Krek, is to take part in bilateral defence talks at the British Defence Office.

TUESDAY, 15 October

        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's parliament is to begin an extraordinary session aimed at discussing the budgets for the upcoming two years. MPs are to be presented with the changes to the 2003 budget and the proposed 2004 budget bill by Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek and Finance Minister Anton Rop.

        LJUBLJANA - Luxembourg's Labour Minister Francois Biltgen is to pay a visit to Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Vlado Dimovski.

        LJUBLJANA - President Milan Kucan is to hold consultations with leading officials from the parliamentary deputy groups and the parliamentary representatives of the two minorities on Slovenia's candidate for judge at the International Criminal Court.

        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's central bank, the Bank of Slovenia, is to present a new publication entitled "Direct Investments 1994-2001".

        LJUBLJANA - The launch of the eighth Slovenian festival of science. The three-day event is to be put on by the Slovenian Science Foundation.

        SARAJEVO - Two subsidiaries of Slovenian home appliance maker Gorenje, Gorenje Notranja Oprema and Gorenje Commerce, are expected to officially open a new production line of kitchen furnishing on the outskirts of the Bosnian capital.

WEDNESDAY, 16 October

        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian President Milan Kucan is to receive the credentials of newly-appointed Venezuelan and Canadian ambassadors to Slovenia.

        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Defence Ministry is to host the traditional autumn meeting of foreign defence attaches accredited in Slovenia.

        LJUBLJANA - A presentation entitled "Equal Opportunities for Men and Women - the Slovenian and European Reality" is to take place in the frame of the European Wednesday's.

THURSDAY, 17 October

        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission for the constitution is expected to adopt the first concrete decisions on individual proposals for changes to the Constitution.

        LJUBLJANA - The regular weekly government session.

        LJUBLJANA - Knut Kirste from the office of information and press at NATO is to hold a lecture on the role of NATO and its internal structure. Meanwhile, James Apparthuar from the political affairs section at NATO is to examine the political plans and reasons for NATO enlargement in his lecture.

        LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR/NOVA GORICA - The first festival of Slovenian non-governmental organisations is to kick off, lasting until 22 October.

FRIDAY, 18 October

        BRUSSELS - Slovenian Agriculture Minister Franci But is to head to the European Commission, where he is to meet with Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler. Accession negotiations in the chapter on agriculture are expected to top the discussions.

        BOVEC/KOBARID - The head of the European Commission delegation in Slovenia Erwan Fouere and Slovenian Minister of the Information Society are to open treatment plants that were constructed with assistance of EU funds.

        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Samuel Zbogar is to receive a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse.

        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Tourist Board is to stage the Slovenian Incoming Workshop 2002.

        PORTOROZ - The Golden Drum international advertising festival is to be wrapped up with the presentation of awards.

SATURDAY, 19 October

        BEIRUT - Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is expected to attend the two-day summit of the Francophonie. Slovenia holds an observer status in this agency.