Schedule of Events from 8 to 14 March

MONDAY, 8 March

LJUBLJANA - The Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe (CoE) Parliamentary Assembly is due hold a meeting at the invitation of its chairman Roman Jakic, who also heads the Slovenian parliamentary delegation to the Assembly. The meeting will be addressed by Speaker of Parliament Borut Pahor and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who will both be having separate meetings with CoE Secretary General Walter Schwimmer, also due in Ljubljana.

LJUBLJANA - Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland continues a three-day official visit to Slovenia; she is due to meet FM Dimitrij Rupel and chair of the parliamentary foreign policy committee Jelko Kacin. Talks with President Janez Drnovsek, PM Anton Rop, Speaker of Parliament Borut Pahor and head of the delegation to the CoE Parliamentary Assembly Roman Jakic are scheduled for Tuesday.

LJUBLJANA - The President Janez Drnovsek-sponsored forum on the future of Slovenia continues with a debate themed "Slovenia and SE Europe, European Prospect of Western Balkans".

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of the agriculture and food committee of Irish Parliament is set to begin a four-day visit to Slovenia.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Information Society Minister Pavel Gantar will be joining a session of the ministers of the EU and acceding countries in charge of transport, telecommunications and energy. On Tuesday, the session will be attended by Transport Minister Jakob Presecnik.

LJUBLJANA - Several events are to be held around the country to mark International Women's Day.

STRASBOURG, France - Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Vlado Dimovski is due to appear at a conference traditionally organised by the CoE to mark International Women's Day. The conference entitled "Working life, private life: getting the balance right" is to be chaired by the CoE Deputy Secretary General, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio. The event is aimed at promoting the equality of the sexes.

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Religious Communities is to hold a closed-door forum with representatives of religious communities. Head of the Institute for Human Rights Law Lovro Sturm is due to speak about regulating the issue of religious communities and present a bill on the freedom of conscience and religious communities.

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food is to hold a press conference to present a regional development programme and other topical events.

AJDOVSCINA - Beverages producer Fructal is to present 2003 business results.

LJUBLJANA - A press conference ahead of the guest appearance by Belgrade theatre companies Atelje 212 and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre (JDP).

TUESDAY, 9 March

LJUBLJANA - CoE Secretary General Walter Schwimmer will be holding a press conference.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU finance ministers and their counterparts from the acceding countries are scheduled to hold a regular monthly session focusing on preparations for the EU's spring economic summit and the implementation of the EU economic stimulus package. Minister Dusan Mramor will be attending the meeting on behalf of Slovenia.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Transport Minister Jakob Presecnik is due to attend the session of the ministers of the EU and acceding countries in charge of transport, telecommunications and energy.

MURSKA SOBOTA - The European Commission delegation to Slovenia and the municipality of Murska Sobota are to hold a public debate about Slovenia's future in the EU.

LJUBLJANA - Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Hans-Horst Konkolewsky and head of the agency's international network Finn Sheye will be paying a visit to the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs.

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Energy is to talk to the press about the achievements of the national programme of environmental protection.

LJUBLJANA - The 9th Stock Market Focus is to discuss the impact of EU membership on Slovenia's capital market, premature changes in management line-ups of companies and bills on takeovers and securities market.

KRANJ - The play "Mestirix" by KUD Metrix of Ljubljana is to unofficially raise the curtain on the 34th Week of Slovenian Drama.

LJUBLJANA - The arts centre Cankarjev dom is to stage a press conference ahead of the the festival of West African culture, to be held between 22 March and 18 July.

WEDNESDAY, 10 March

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament will be debating the final report on the readiness of Slovenia and the other nine acceding countries for upcoming full-fledged membership of the EU. The vote on the report - drawn up by chair of the foreign affairs committee Elmar Brok in cooperation with rapporteurs for individual countries - is scheduled for Thursday.

LJUBLJANA - Social partners are due to continue negotiations on the 2004-2005 wage policy agreement for the private sector.

BLED - An international event is to mark the 100th anniversary of Bled and Slovenia's entry to the EU. Organised by the IEDC Bled School of Management and the Bled municipality, the event is expected to be attended by FM Dimitrij Rupel, Europe Minister Janez Potocnik and head of the European Commission delegation to Slovenia Erwan Fouere.

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce is to outline an analysis of the IT and telecommunications sector.

PORTOROZ - The 13th Slovenian Advertising Festival (SOF) begins (until 12 March).

MURSKA SOBOTA - Representatives of border regions of Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia will be holding a joint meeting to discuss last year's border cooperation activities and put forward activities in prevention of natural and other disasters for 2004.

THURSDAY, 11 March

PARIS, France - President Janez Drnovsek will be paying a two-day official visit to France and the invitation of President Jacques Chirac. The president's entourage includes FM Dimitrij Rupel.

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament is due to take a vote on the final reports on the preparedness of Slovenia and the other acceding countries to join the EU.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economics Minister Tea Petrin will be attending a session of ministers of the EU and acceding countries in charge of competition.

LJUBLJANA - A regular weekly session of the cabinet.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy committee is scheduled to discuss several ratification bills and reports on the work of parliament's delegations to parliamentary assemblies.

PORTOROZ - Slovenian, Italian and Croatian foreign ministry officials are due to hold a second meeting on expansion of jurisdiction in the Adria. Slovenia will be represented by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andrej Logar.

PORTOROZ - The 5th conference on public contracting is due to begin, hosted by the Agency for Management in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, Public Contracting Association and the Ljubljana Euro Info Centre.

LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry is to talk to the press ahead of an international conference on crisis management in Europe to be held between 12 and 14 March.

LJUBLJANA - The assembly of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute is to hold a session, whose agenda includes a report on the 2003 operations and a report on last year's operations of the mutual insurance fund Vzajemnost.

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Energy and the Regional Centre for Central and Eastern Europe are to hold a workshop as part of the project on national self-assessment of the needs in boosting capacities for global environmental management.

CELJE - Four automotive industry fairs will open at the Celje fair grounds: the 14th Car and Maintenance Fair, the 6th Moto Boom Fair, the 4th Commercial Vehicles Show and the 5th Logotrans fair.

LJUBLJANA - The 10th festival of performing arts Exodos is to be presented to the press. The festival will be held in Ljubljana from 15 to 23 May.

LJUBLJANA - Union Olimpija will take on Turkey's Efes Pilsen in the playoff of the Euroleague.

FRIDAY, 12 March

LJUBLJANA - Parliament is to host a two-day seminar on the effects the EU entry will have on national legislation.

POLJCE/BLED - An international conference themed "Crisis Management in Europe - Problems and Prospects" will kick off at the defence training centre of Poljce. The conference is expected to attract experts and administrative officials from Slovenia, Sweden, neighbour countries, SE European countries and Partnership for Peace nations.

BLED - A ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the senior coalition party of Liberal Democracy (LDS) with PM Anton Rop as the key note speaker.

KRANJ - The official opening of the 34th Week of Slovenian Drama.

SUNDAY, 14 March

LJUBLJANA - Head of the German Arms Control Agency, Brigadier General Jens Zimmermann, will be paying a working visit to Slovenia until 16 March.