NEWS

Prime Minister’s press conference

At today’s 82nd regular session, the Slovenian Government, along with other decisions adopted the Platform for the supplementary state budget for 2010 and the Operational and financial plan of the Slovenian Human Resources Development and Scholarship Fund for 2010. In addition, the Government adopted the proposal to amend the Action Programme for Disabled Persons for 2007 – 2013. Prime Minister Pahor and Minister of Work, Family and Social Affairs Svetlik outlined the major decisions, and Prime Minister then answered some topical questions.

    

(Photo: Tamino Petelinšek, vir: UKOM)

     

At today’s regular session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Platform for the supplementary state budget for the year 2010. Main reasons for the supplementary budget are new less optimistic predictions about macro-economic aggregates differing from those valid for the previously adopted budget, new trends in some key categories of tax revenues and inclusion of financial assistance to Greece (concerned loans).   
    
In parallel, the ministerial corps adopted the Operational and financial plan of the Slovenian Human Resources Development and Scholarship Fund for 2010. The above mentioned fund is a public financial fund established with the intention to award funds for investing in human resources for greater employability and competitiveness, knowledge transfer, and the linking of the education system and the scientific research sphere with the field of economy and scholarships. The Operational plan for 2010 presents the envisaged implementation of programmes and/or new activities for 2010. Within the international mobility promoting programmes – Ad futura - 15 public tenders are to be launched covering the following thematic fields: education and scientific cooperation by Slovenian citizens abroad, education and scientific cooperation by foreign citizens in Slovenia, return of Slovenian experts.
   
Today, the Government also adopted amendments to the Action Programme for Disabled Persons for 2007 – 2013. The Government objective is to provide the possibilities of living independently to the elderly and the ageing disabled persons and to enable them to freely access all physical and constructed environments, information and communication available, as well as information and other technology facilities. The aim is also to ensure provision of institutional care and incentives to self-help, living in the home environment for as long as possible, and provision of long-term care.
    
At the end of the session, Prime Minister Pahor stressed that it was the Government’s intention to keep the budget deficit just below the threshold of five percent GDP since its further reduction would mean a drastic cut in the expenditure.  This led to a prevailing view that for the time being any interference with the budget expenditure should be done in moderate terms. Prime Minister Pahor continued by saying that in spite of such situation the Government’s policy was clear and pointed out that »this year, we can still afford a budgetary intervention, what we will do, however, the budgets for 2011 and 2012 will simply not be possible without the necessary structural budgetary reform«. 
     
When asked about the referendum on the Arbitration Agreement, Prime Minister Pahor pointed out that the referendum result was to bring a very important decision telling of which policy was to be given the legitimacy. On this point he noted that Slovenia, in the event of a refusal of the referendum would find itself in »a totally unpredictable situation« and in a situation of international isolation. In addition, the Slovenian Prime Minister went on to say that the referendum is to bring a decision on »not only the manner of resolution of the border issue between Slovenia and Croatia but on the whole range of questions, including the one concerning which policy was about to be given the legitimacy – the one that tries to resolve the problems or the one that puts them off.  I am a politician who works in favour of the solution of problems, I may not always be as fast and successful as one would wish, but I work on them and I do not sweep them under the carpet. I resolved the most capital one. I did this together with other ministers, the President of the Republic and with all those who took part in the negotiations with Croatian authorities«.
     
Prime Minister Pahor then went on to note that »if at the referendum the Arbitration Agreement is rejected, this would not only mean the refusal of a solution to the border issue with Croatia, the refusal of preventing the risk of border incidents from growing into conflicts and these into some unnecessary and risky security situation, but the isolation of Slovenia in international politics. Slovenia will not be understood. In particular, this will be even more so when either on grounds of the unresolved border issue, during accession negotiations or on Croatia’s ratification of the Accession Treaty, Slovenia decides for a new blockade of Croatia«. According to Prime Minister, those who claim that the Arbitration Agreement should be rejected at the coming referendum are expected to tell the alternative. »They must answer the question whether they would call for a blockade of the accession negotiations, that is, an immediate blockade, or whether they plan to vote against the Accession Treaty should the border issue not be resolved. For, if the things take such course, this will put Slovenia in an isolated position. And let not anybody doubt about that«, concluded by pointing out the Prime Minister.