Schedule of Events from 3 to 9 November

MONDAY, 3 November

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Rado Bohinc is to give a press conference on "the erased", people from former Yugoslav republics who were erased from Slovenia's population register in 1992.

PORTOROZ - A two-day international conference, Telecommunications 2003, is to open, focussing on telecommunications in SE Europe.

ZAGREB, Croatia - Slovenian-Croatian defence consultations are to take place, headed by Defence Ministry State Secretary Milan Jazbec on behalf of Slovenia and Deputy Defence Minister Zlatko Gareljic on behalf of Croatia.

PORTOROZ - A two-day international conference on the employment of people with disabilities is to open. Sponsored by the British Embassy and the Slovenian Labour Ministry, the conference is to be addressed by British Ambassador to Slovenia Hugh Mortimer and Labour Minister Vlado Dimovski.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary committee for finance and monetary policy is to discuss the 2005 budgetary documents.

TUESDAY, 4 November

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Finance Ministry State Secretary Sibil Svilan is to attend a meeting of the EU finance ministers.

RAKITJE, Croatia - A workshop on the effect of natural disasters on the safety of the environment in SE Europe will be underway within the SE Europe Stability Pact until Thursday. Also participating in the event will be Branko Dervodel, deputy director of the Slovenian Administration for Protection and Disaster Relief.

LJUBLJANA - Parliament Speaker Borut Pahor is to continue talks with heads of the deputy groups and the chairs of the foreign policy committe and the European affairs commission about a bill on the co-operation between the parliament and the government on EU-related issues.

LJUBLJANA - A public debate "Slovenia's Literacy - A Disaster?" is to be held at the Cankarjev dom congress centre.

WEDNESDAY, 5 November

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission is to release the final reports on the preparedness of Slovenia and nine other acceding countries for EU accession, scheduled for 1 May 2004.

LJUBLJANA - The Europe Centre will be transmitting live from Brussels the release of the reports on the progress Slovenia and other nine acceding countries have made towards EU accession. Following will be a press conference with Europe Minister Janez Potocnik and EU Ambassador to Slovenia Erwan Fouere presenting the report.

NEW DELHI, India - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is to pay an official visit to India from 5 to 7 November.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Chief-of-Staff of Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Ladislav Lipic is to attend a meeting of his EU counterparts.

LJUBLJANA - One of the leading Kosovar intellectuals Adem Demaci is to give a lecture "Kosovo - the Current Situation" as part of a series of lectures on SE Europe organised by the Slovenian International Relations Society.

LJUBLJANA - Mayor of Ljubljana Danica Simsic is to hold a public debate with interested citizens, municipal services and investors on the construction of an Islamic religious and cultural centre.

LJUBLJANA - The 17th show of foreign literature "Frankfurt after Frankfurt" is to open at the Cankarjev dom arts centre. It will run until 11 November.

THURSDAY, 6 November

PIRAN - The 5th international conference on the challenges and opportunities for small and mid-sized companies in the Central European Initiative (CEI) at the upcoming EU enlargement is to kick off. EU Ambassador to Slovenia Erwan Fouere is to discuss the importance of entrepreneurship for the future EU members at the event, which is to wrap up on Friday.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Rado Bohinc and Justice Minister Ivan Bizjak are to attend a meeting of EU ministers in charge of justice and home affairs.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Attended by directors of civil protection of the member states and the acceding countries, a two-day plenary session of the NATO Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committe is to discuss further activities and co-operation in civil emergency planning in NATO.

LJUBLJANA - A comprehensive debate on the problem of court backlogs and the efficiency of the judiciary is on the agenda of the home policy committee.

LJUBLJANA - The commission probing the February 2001 attack on the journalist Miro Petek is to interrogate Vlado Kun, labelled by the media as the chief of the criminal underground in the northern Korosko region.

LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.

LJUBLJANA - An international seminar on the perspectives for marginal groups to participate in the society is to begin. Organised by NGOs, the event is to close on Saturday.

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia/BOLOGNA, Italy - The Slovenian basketball teams Union Olimpija and Krka will play their Euroleague openers. Olimpija, playing in group A, will clash with Partizan Mobtel at home, while Krka will play an away game against Skipper Bologna in group B.

FRIDAY, 7 November

BRDO PRI KRANJU - A meeting of PMs of the CEFTA signatory countries is expected to be attended by PMs of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. On the agenda will be forms of further economic co-operation and the signing of a joint declaration.

LJUBLJANA - Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Gustav Haegglund is to visit Slovenia at the invitation of the Chief-of-Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Ladislav Lipic. He is also to be received by Defence Minister Anton Grizold.

ROME, Italy - Deputy Parliament Speaker Rudolf Petan is to attend a meeting of parliament speakers of current and future EU member states.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary economics committee is to discuss the implementation of technology policy with Swedish officials.

LJUBLJANA - The 14th international Ljubljana film festival LIFFe will open. It will be underway until 21 November.

VIENNA, Austria - Days of Slovenian literature will be open from 7 to 9 November. Slovenian Culture Minister Andreja Rihter is to donate to the Austrian national library in Vienna a bundle of Slovenian works of fiction on the occasion.

BRIANCON, France - The Slovenian hockey team will play against France in their first match of the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge.

SATURDAY, 8 November

RADECE - The United List (ZLSD) is to hold a conference on health reform.

FLENSBURG, Germany - Slovenian handball champions Celje Pivovarna Lasko will play with Flensburg-Handewitt in the third round of the Champions League, group F.

BRIANCON, France - Slovenia will play Austria in the second match of the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge.

SUNDAY, 9 November

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana's Prule 67 handball club will play Denmark's Kolding in the third round of the Champions League, group C.

BRIANCON, France - Slovenian hockey players will clash with Italy at the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge.