Schedule of Events from 26 January to 1 February

MONDAY, 26 January

LJUBLJANA - Lawmakers are scheduled to begin the January session of parliament with questions time. Twenty items are on the agenda of the session - expected to run until Thursday - including the ratification of the EU Accession Treaty and the bilateral agreement on legal matters with the Holy See, both of which are due to be debated on Wednesday. The appointment of the Court of Audit president is scheduled for Thursday, the same day that the bill on cooperation between the parliament and government on EU matters is due to undergo a general debate.

LJUBLJANA - The deepening of ties between the ombudsmen of Slovenia and the EU are to top the agenda as European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamanduoros launches a two-day visit to Slovenia. The visit will also be aimed at informing Slovenian people of the possibility to seek assistance in the EU. Apart from meeting with Slovenian Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek, Diamanduoros is also scheduled to hold talks with President Janez Drnovsek, Prime Minister Anton Rop, National Assembly Speaker Borut Pahor, and European Affairs Minister Janez Potocnik. A press conference is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Transport Minister Jakob Presecnik is to host a meeting of his counterparts from the Quadrilateral - a four nation partnership involving Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Hungary. The meeting will focus on the progress in the construction of the fifth pan-European transport route from Barcelona to Kiev, which runs through all the countries of the Quadrilateral.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU Foreign Minister are set to meet. Slovenia's Dimitrij Rupel is due to attend the meeting as an observer.

LJUBLJANA - Commander of the Armed Forces' First Brigade, Colonel Branimir Furlan, is to present the brigade's activities in international peacekeeping operations.

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Two-day consultations with representatives of the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry on matters concerning the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are set to get under way. The Slovenian side is to be headed by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Samuel Zbogar.

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana City Council is scheduled to hold a session on this year's budget of the capital city.

LJUBLJANA - Representatives of Slovenica, Slovenia's fifth-largest insurance company, will hold a press conference to outline 2003 business results and business plans for this year.

MARIBOR - A remembrance ceremony for author Rudi Seligo, who died last Thursday, is set to be staged. The ceremony is scheduled to be attended by Culture Minister Andreja Rihter.

LJUBLJANA - A day of rest at the 6th European Men's Handball Championships.

TUESDAY, 27 January

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker is scheduled to visit Slovenia at the invitation of Slovenian counterpart Anton Rop. Apart from meeting with Rop, Juncker will also be received by President Janez Drnovsek.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is expected to meet with the new Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Regional Development Minister Zdenka Kovac is scheduled to begin a four-day visit to Belgium.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy committee and the European affairs commission are scheduled to hold a joint session to debate the nomination of Europe Minister Janez Potocnik for the post of European commissioner.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Export Corporation will present last year's business results.

LJUBLJANA - Officials of the Slovenian Tourist Board are to put on a press conference to present national tourism statistics for 2003.

LJUBLJANA/CELJE - The second stage of the 6th European Men's Handball Championships is to get underway. The teams will play a game each day for the next three days; the top two teams from each of the two second-stage groups will then go on to the semi-finals.

WEDNESDAY, 28 January

LJUBLJANA - President of the Canadian Senate Dan Hays is to begin a two-day visit to Slovenia. Hays is scheduled to meet the President of the National Council Janez Susnik, National Assembly Speaker Borut Pahor, President Janez Drnovsek, Prime Minister Anton Rop, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the deputy director of the Government European Affairs Office Rado Genorio, and Mayor of Ljubljana Danica Simsic.

LJUBLJANA - Portuguese Foreign Ministry State Secretary Costo Neves is due to meet Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar. On Thursday, the two officials are to lead political consultation between the countries.

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Writers' Associations is to hold a remembrance ceremony for author Rudi Seligo, who died last Thursday.

LJUBLJANA - The "Dance Highway" is to get underway with the presentations of "More Than Just" by Sandra Harnish-Lacey of Great Britain. The two-day dance festival will feature choreographers from seven countries.

THURSDAY, 29 January

LJUBLJANA - The government is set to hold its weekly session.

FRIDAY, 30 January

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Prime Minister Anton Rop is to host a meeting of counterparts from the Quadrilateral - a four nations partnership involving Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Hungary. The political situation in the region and the future role of the partnership following the upcoming EU enlargement is to top the agenda of the talks. PM Rop is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader. The participants of the meeting will be received by President Janez Drnovsek.

LJUBLJANA - Austrian Minister of the Economy and Labour Martin Bartenstein is due to visit Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Tea Petrin. Bartenstein is also due to hold talks with Europe Minister Janez Potocnik.

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry is to confer awards for exceptional achievements in enterprise.

RADENCI - The association of employers in the trade crafts sector is to put on a two-day forum on the challenges of EU membership for Slovenian trade crafts.

CELJE - The curtain will be raised on the "Days of Comedy", a two-week festival of theatre comedy.

SATURDAY, 31 January

LJUBLJANA - The semi-finals of the 6th European Men's Handball Championships are scheduled to be played. The match to decide the seventh-placed team is also scheduled to take place.

SUNDAY, 1 February

LJUBLJANA - The finals match of the 6th European Men's Handball Championships is to be played. Matches to decide third and fifth place are also scheduled.