Schedule of Events from 8 to 14 December

MONDAY, 8 December

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU foreign ministers and their counterparts from the acceding countries, including Slovenia's Dimitrij Rupel, are to meet for the last round of intergovernmental talks on the constitutional treaty ahead of the EU summit in Brussels. Europe Minister Janez Potocnik will join Rupel in debates on other decisions to be taken at the summit.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Health Minister Dusan Keber is to attend a final meeting of the process titled "High Level Reflection Process on Patient Mobility" and future health care development in the EU at the invitation of European Commissioner David Byrne.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary home policy committee is to discuss the initiative to call a referendum on the erased, and the finance and monetary policy committee is to discuss the amended 2005 budget bill.

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana city council is to hold a session to discuss a bill on the Slovenian capital and decide whether to give a go-ahead to the construction of an Islamic religious and cultural centre.

LJUBLJANA - Joerg Haider, the governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, is to officially present a Christmas tree to the city of Ljubljana at 6 PM as a gift at Slovenia's upcoming EU accession.

LJUBLJANA - The Labour Ministry is to give a press conference to present the 2004 national employment action plan.

LJUBLJANA - The mobile telephone provider Simobil is to present its business results and future plans to the press.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Centre for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes (CMEPIUS) is to present European language certificates.

LJUBLJANA - The Labour Ministry's council dealing with violence against women is to present an analysis about violence suffered by women.

LJUBLJANA - The European Club - a joint project of Bank Austria Creditanstalt and the Kranj-based Enterprise Institute - is to hold a panel debate on the visions of globalisation and the future of the world trade system.

LJUBLJANA - An assembly of the Young European Federalists is also to be attended by European Ambassador to Slovenia Erwan Fouere.

LJUBLJANA - A Greek week will kick off at the Ljubljana Municipal Museum as part of an exhibition "Ljubljana in the Eyes of Europe". The event will feature an exhibition of works by painter and sculptor Dimitris Vathis and photographer Dimitros Tampouris, and a concert of Greek songs.

LJUBLJANA - Branko Djuric is to receive a Golden Roll award for his film Kajmak and marmelada (Cheese and Jam), which was seen by over 51,000 Slovenian moviegoers.

KRANJ - The Slovenian Swimming Association is to give a press conference at noon before leaving for the European Championships.

TUESDAY, 9 December

ROME, Italy - Prime Minister Anton Rop is to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently presiding over the EU, to discuss open issues from the intergovernmental talks on the EU constitutional treaty and present Slovenia's positions.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Europe Minister Janez Potocnik is to meet European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economics Minister Tea Petrin is to attend a conference on the challenges to European competitiveness organised by the European Commission.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign ministers of the EU and the acceding countries, including Slovenia's Dimitrij Rupel, are to discuss foreign affairs.

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Anton Rop will present the progress on the intergovernmental conference on EU reform to parliament, which will convene for an extraordinary session. The MPs are also to discuss an initiative to call a referendum on the technicalities bill on the erased.

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andrej Logar is to receive the credentials of Tanzanian Ambassador to Slovenia Costa Ricky Mahalu.

LJUBLJANA - The Regional Environment Centre for Central and Eastern Europe is to hold a panel debate on the agreement on the Sava river basin, which was signed in December 2002 by Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and today's Serbia-Montenegro.

LJUBLJANA - The Environment Ministry is to present to the press its 2003 report and the 2004 programme.

LJUBLJANA - A two-day international seminar "Women Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation" is to open.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek is to present to the press a publication on how to protect one's rights.

LJUBLJANA - The assembly of the Institute for Pension and Disability Insurance is to hold a session.

LJUBLJANA - A public debate titled "Slovenian Journalism - a Disaster?" is to be held.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Writers' Association will present the Jenko Award for the best book of poems published in the past two years.

WEDNESDAY, 10 December

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Europe Minister Janez Potocnik is to meet Jaime Garcia Lombardero, who is in charge of Slovenia and Hungary at the European Commission Enlargement Directorate-General.

MILAN, Italy - Environment Minister Janez Kopac is to attend a two-day ministerial meeting taking place as part of the 9th conference of the countries signatories of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

GENEVA, Switzerland - Information Society Minister Pavel Gantar is to attend the first part of the World Summit on the Information Society between 10 and 12 December.

LJUBLJANA - A debate on the role of knowledge and science in Slovenia is to be staged in what will be the third panel on Slovenia's future organised by President Janez Drnovsek.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Forum on the Future of the EU is to hold a session to discuss the progress of the EU intergovernmental conference. The session is to be attended by Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy committee is to discuss the bill on the ratification of a Slovenian-Croatian defence cooperation agreement and EU intergovernmental conference.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary finance and monetary policy committee is to discuss changes to the 2004 budget and the bill on the implementation of the 2004 and 2005 budgets.

LJUBLJANA - The mobile telephony provider Mobitel is to give a press conference ahead of the launch of the UMTS network.

LJUBLJANA - A public debate on balanced representation of women and men on Slovenia's and Europe's political scenes is to be held by the SE Europe Stability Pact's task force on gender equality, the Government Office for Equal Opportunities and the Council of Europe Information and Documentation Centre.

LJUBLJANA - The Amnesty International Slovenija is to draw attention to uncontrolled trafficking with weapons at World Human Rights Day.

MARIBOR - Janos Tisovszky of the Vienna-based UN Information Service is to hold a talk on the role of the UN in protecting human rights.

THURSDAY, 11 December

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Anton Rop is to attend a traditional meeting of the European Liberals (ELDR) ahead of the EU summit.

LJUBLJANA - The parliament is to convene for an extraordinary session to discuss the 2004 and 2005 budget documents.

LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.

LJUBLJANA - The Agricultural Markets and Rural Development Agency is to present to the press its activities in 2003 and it plans for the coming year.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Insurance Association is to present a development study on the current situation and the possibilities of further development of insurance in Slovenia.

LJUBLJANA - The capitals of the ten acceding countries and Brussels will hold selection tests for first EU administration employees from the newcoming member states who will be employed by EU institutions.

FRIDAY, 12 December

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Anton Rop, accompanied by Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Finance Minister Dusan Mramor, is to attend a two-day EU summit.

PODCETRTEK - The opening of a youth hostel in Podcetrtek.