Schedule of Events for Monday, 18 July

LJUBLJANA - Members of the government-appointed tax reform task force are to outline at a news conference scheduled for 11:30 AM a proposal to change a package of tax laws, which they have recently handed to the finance minister. (STA)

BRUSSELS, Belgium - FM Dimitrij Rupel is to attend a session of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, with enlargement onto Croatia and Turkey as well as Great Britain's plans for the EU's next budget period to top the agenda. (STA)

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU agriculture ministers are to launch talks on sugar reform at a session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, to be attended also by Slovenia's Marija Lukacic. Some 5,000 representative of the sugar industry, including from Slovenia are expected to stage a protest.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak is to attend an informal dinner of EU ministers in charge of trade to discuss liberalisation of world trade.

GRAZ, Austria - Parliamentary Speaker France Cukjati is to visit Austria's Styria to discuss regional and economic cooperation, the EU and the situation of the Slovenian minority in Styria with the president of the provincial parliament; press conference at noon. (STA)

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro - A Madrid Club-sponsored conference on Serbia-Montenegro's EU and NATO integration to be attended on Monday and Tuesday by Slovenia's Former President Milan Kucan. Kucan is to chair a round table on European integration.

LONDON, the UK - The conference of parliamentary EU affairs bodies (COSAC) is to discuss the EU constitution and the status of COSAC guests - the non-EU members that wish closer cooperation with COSAC; to be attended by Slovenia's Tomaz Stebe.

KRANJ - The development council of the region of Gorenjsko, northwest, is to discuss a government-sponsored bill on the division of Slovenia into two cohesion regions at 5 PM.

LJUBLJANA - The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) is to mark its 5th anniversary, with leader Andrej Bajuk as key-note speaker at a ceremony scheduled for 7 PM.

PODGORJE - The Podgorje/Jelovica international border crossing is to open at 6 AM on the Slovenian-Croatian border.

LJUBLJANA - The minister of higher education, science and technology and the culture minister are to speak to the press at 12:30 PM about the delayed construction of a new National and University Library building.

PALIC, Serbia-Montenegro - "Suburbs", the psychological drama about xenophobia directed by Slovenia's Vinko Moederndorfer, is to open the competition section of the 12th international film festival in Voivodina's Palic.

LJUBLJANA - Press review. (STA)

In case of further queries please contact duty editor at +386 1 241 0109:

8:30 AM to 3:30 PM: Eva Horvat
3:30 PM to 10:00 PM: Sebastijan Macek

Comments and suggestions may be sent to: english@sta.si