Schedule of Events for Thursday, 20 October

LJUBLJANA - The government is to amend five tax laws in a mini reform ahead of a major overhaul of the tax code scheduled for 2007. Amendments to the personal and corporate income tax acts, the VAT act, the tax procedure act and the payroll tax act could enter into force in 2006. Press conference at 2 PM. (STA)

NOVO MESTO - A panel on the situation in the EU following a double referendum "no" on the EU constitution is to be organised by several business and development organisations, to be attended also by State Secretary for European Affairs Marcel Koprol; begins at 6 PM.

CATEZ OB SAVI - A two-day seminar organised for representatives of chambers of commerce from the Western Balkans by Slovenia's Chamber of Commerce (GZS) is to begin with an address by British Ambassador to Slovenia Tim Simmons at 9 AM.

LJUBLJANA - A two-day conference on customs cooperation is to gather representatives from 18 countries from SE Europe and representatives of the European Commission, which organises the event alongside Slovenia's Customs Administration; begins at 9 AM.

LONDON, Great Britain - Slovenian Health Minister Andrej Brucan is to attend a two-day informal meeting of EU health ministers, who are to discuss the Union's readiness for an avian flue pandemic in Europe.

LJUBLJANA - Delegations from civil protection and disaster relief authorities from Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia are to finish a three-day meeting with signing a joint statement and a statement to the press at 12:10 PM.

ZAGREB, Croatia - Slovenian Defence Minister Karl Erjavec is to attend a two-day ministerial meeting of the Central European Nations' Cooperation in Peace Support (CENCOOP) that will see an exchange of views on the role of the organisation.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - A protest in front of the Slovenian Embassy has been announced by representatives of the deposit holders of the defunct Slovenian bank LB in a bid to force Slovenia to repay the debt. Slovenia insists the matter should be resolved as part of succession issues regarding former Yugoslavia.

LJUBLJANA - President Janez Drnovsek is to receive the Polish MEP Jerzi Buzek, who served as Poland's prime minister from 1997 to 2001, at 4 PM.

LJUBLJANA - The FIDES trade union of medical doctors and dentists is to speak to the press at noon about alternatives to the privatisation in the health sector.

LJUBLJANA - A press conference ahead of the 16th Ljubljana International Film Festival, to run from 10 to 24 November, is scheduled for 11 AM.

FRANKFURT, Germany - The launch of a two-day promotion of Slovenian publishers and literature at the 57th Frankfurt Book Fair. Today's programme features a talk with this year's Vilenica laureate Karl-Markus Gauss of Austria, the promotion of books by 10 authors and a panel with foreign guests on European publishing and global trends.

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: Gorazd Jukovic

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