Schedule of Events for Friday, 30 September

LJUBLJANA - Parliament is to continue its September session at 10 AM behind closed doors as it debates the confidential report on the activities of the parliamentary intelligence and security services oversight commission for 2004. The parliament's press service is expected to issue a press release after the debate.

POSTOJNA - French Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Nelly Olin is to sign a cooperation agreement with Environment Minister Janez Podobnik on the transport of brown bears from Slovenia to France; at 10:30 AM. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy committee (9 AM) and committee for EU affairs (2 PM) are to hold separate closed-doors sessions to debate Slovenia's standpoints for next week's session of the EU's General and External Relations Council, which is to discuss the launch of EU accession talks with Croatia and Turkey. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Vladimir Spidla is scheduled to pay a visit to Slovenia. He is set to take part in the opening of the 18th International Congress of EURAG - European Federation of Older Persons (at 10 AM). Around 400 participants from 27 countries are set to take part in the meeting. He is also expected to hold an informal meeting with Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Drobnic. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Hungarian Labour and Employment Minister Gabor Csizmar is scheduled to visit Slovenia. He is set to meet his Slovenian host and counterpart Janez Drobnic at 10:15 AM for talks on the free movement of workers and EU employment programmes.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest grocer Mercator is expected to disclose the participants of a planned EUR 100m capital injection. The state-run Restitution Fund (SOD) and Pension Fund Management (KAD), as well as financial giant KD group and the management have been invited to take part, with the first two the only ones to have confirmed their intent to take part so far.

ROGASKA SLATINA - The autumn session of the Manager Association is to draw to a close with the presentation of tax reforms by head of the government's reform committee Joze P. Damijan; at 10 AM.

LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office is to unveil inflation data for September at 10:30 AM. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - A number of trade unions are to hold a press conference at 11 AM to present their response to the decision of the Slovenian Employers' Association to rescind the general collective agreement for the corporate sector. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce is to debate the issue at a session scheduled for 1 PM.

LJUBLJANA - The opposition National Party (SNS) is to hold a closed-doors meeting with the four coalition parties on its proposal for a constitutional change that would abolish permanent judicial tenures. Representatives of the involved parties are to issue press statements after the meeting.

LJUBLJANA - An international conference is to be held on banning smoking at workplaces. Health Minister Andrej Brucan is set to deliver the opening address at 9 AM.

LJUBLJANA - The leader of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) Borut Pahor is to speak about topical developments at a press conference scheduled for noon.

LJUBLJANA - Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Jure Zupan is to outline the proposed bill on academic titles.

LJUBLJANA - A press conference is to be held at 11 AM ahead of the 11th international festival of contemporary arts City of Women, to be held between 7 and 14 October. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Press review.

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: Gorazd Jukovic

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