Benjamin Ravaud S00065433
Niels Petzold S00065442
Simulation Game
Republic of Slovenia
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General overview, Economy and Politics
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenian: Republika Slovenija), is a
coastal Alpine country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the
Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the
northeast, and Austria to the north.
Throughout Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the
Duchy of Carantania (only Slovenia's modern northern part), the Holy Roman
Empire, Austria-Hungary, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between
the World Wars, and the SFR of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in
1991. Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, NATO,
and has observer status in La Francophonie.
History
Slavic ancestors of the present-day Slovenians settled in the area in the 6th century.
The Slavic Duchy of Carantania was formed in the 7th century. In 745, Carantania
lost its independence, being largely subsumed into the Frankish empire. Many Slavs
converted to Christianity.
The Freising manuscripts, the earliest surviving written documents in a Slovenian
dialect and the first ever Slavic document in Latin script, were written around 1000
AD. During the 14th century, most of Slovenia's regions passed into ownership of the
Habsburgs whose lands later formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Slovenians
inhabiting all or most of the provinces of Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, and parts of
the provinces of Istria, Carinthia and Styria.
In 1848 a strong programme for a United Slovenia (Zedinjena Slovenija) emerged as
part of the Spring of Nations movement within Austria.
With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Slovenians initially
formed part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which shortly joined the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed (1929) the Kingdom of
Yugoslavia. Following the re-establishment of Yugoslavia at the end of World War II,
Slovenia became a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, officially
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declared on 29 November 1945. Present-day Slovenia was formed on 25 June 1991
upon its independence from Yugoslavia, defeating the Yugoslav Army in the Ten-Day
War. Slovenia joined NATO on 29 March 2004 and the European Union on 1 May
2004. Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the
first half of 2008, being the first "new" member state to do so.
Politics
The Slovenian head of state is the president, who is elected by popular vote every 5
years. The executive branch is headed by the prime minister and the council of
ministers or cabinet, which are elected by the parliament.
The bicameral Slovenian parliament consists of the National Assembly or Drţavni
zbor, and the Drţavni svet or National Council. The National Assembly has 90 seats,
which are partially filled with directly elected representatives, and partially with
proportionally elected representatives (two seats reserved for autochthonous
Hungarian and Italian minorities). The National Council has 40 seats, and is made up
of representatives of social, economic, professional and local interest groups.
Parliamentary elections are held every four years.
Geography
TriglavFour major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the
Dinarides, the Pannonian plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is
Triglav (2,864 m; 9,396 ft); the country's average height above the sea level is 557
metres (1,827 ft). Around one half of the country (10,124 km²; 3,909 sq mi) is covered
by forests; this makes Slovenia the third most forested country in Europe, after
Finland and Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in
the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 square kilometres (2,159 sq mi) of the
country and fields and gardens 2,471 square kilometres (838 sq mi). There are also
363 square kilometres (140 sq mi) of orchards and 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi)
of vineyards.
Its climate is Submediterranean on the coast, Alpine in the mountains and continental
with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east.
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The average temperatures are -2°C (28°F) in January and 21°C (70°F) in July. The
average rainfall is 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) for the coast, up to 3,500 millimetres
(138 in) for the Alps, 800 millimetres (31.5 in) for south east and 1,400 millimetres (55
in)for central Slovenia.
Economy
Slovenia is a high-income economy which enjoys the highest GDP per capita
($23,250 in 2006 [2]) of the newly joined EU countries. The country's relatively high
rate of inflation (3.6% in 2004) declined to 2.5% in 2005 and is now comparable to
the average in the European Union. Slovenia's economy has started to grow more
strongly in the last few years (5.0% in H1 2006, 4.0% in 2005, 4.4% in 2004), after
relatively slow growth in 2003 (2.7%). Overall, the country is on a sound economic
footing.
During 2000, privatisations were seen in the banking, telecommunications, and public
utility sectors. Restrictions on foreign investment are slowly being dismantled, and
foreign direct investment (FDI) is expected to increase over the next few years.
Slovenia is the economic front-runner of the countries that joined the European Union
in 2004 and is the first "new" member which will adopt the euro as the country's only
currency on 1 January 2007. Moreover, Slovenia will be the first new member state to
hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008.
Demographics
Slovenia's main ethnic group is Slovenians (83%). Nationalities from the former
Yugoslavia (Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks & Muslims by nationality) form 6.3% and the
Hungarian, Italian and Roma minorities 0.6% of the population. Ethnic affiliation of
8.9% was either undeclared or unknown. Life expectancy in 2003 was 72.2 years for
men and 80 years for women.
With 99 inhabitants per square kilometre (256/sq mi), Slovenia ranks low among the
European countries in population density (compare with 320/km² (829/sq mi) for the
Netherlands or 195/km² (505/sq mi) for Italy). The Notranjsko-kraška region has the
lowest population density while the Osrednjeslovenska region has the highest.
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Approximately 51% of the population lives in urban areas and 49% in rural areas.
The official language is Slovenian, which is a member of the South Slavic language
group. Hungarian and Italian enjoy the status of official languages in the ethnically
mixed regions along the Hungarian and Italian border.
By religion, Slovenians have traditionally been largely Roman Catholic. The pre-
1945, pre-socialists' rule, percentage is estimated at as high as 88%, while by 1991
this had already dropped to 71.6%, and the number of followers is still falling (57.8%
in 2002).
Culture
Slovenia's first book was printed by the Protestant reformer Primoţ Trubar (1508-
1586). It was actually two books, Catechismus (a catechism) and Abecedarium,
which was published in 1550 in Tübingen, Germany.
The central part of the country, namely Carniola (which existed as a part of Austria-
Hungary until the early 20th century) was ethnographically and historically well
described in the book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (German Die Ehre deß
Herzogthums Crain, Slovenian Slava vojvodine Kranjske), published in 1689 by
baron Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693).
Slovenia's two greatest writers were the poet France Prešeren (1800-1849) and
writer Ivan Cankar (1876-1918). The most important Slovenian painters are Ivana
Kobilca and impressionist Rihard Jakopič. The most famed Slovenian architect is
Joţe Plečnik who worked in Vienna as well as in Prague.
Slovenia is a homeland of numerous musicians and composers, including
Renaissance composer Jacobus Gallus (1550-1591), who greatly influenced Central
European classical music. In the 20th century, Bojan Adamič was a renowned film
music composer.
Contemporary popular musicians have been Slavko Avsenik, Laibach, Vlado Kreslin,
Zoran Predin, Pero Lovšin, New Swing Quartet, DJ Umek, Siddharta, Magnifico and
others.
Slovenian cinema has more than a century-long tradition with Karol Grossmann,
Janko Ravnik, Ferdo Delak, France Štiglic, Mirko Grobler, Igor Pretnar, France
Kosmač, Joţe Pogačnik, Matjaţ Klopčič, Jane Kavčič, Joţe Gale, Boštjan Hladnik
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and Karpo Godina as its most established filmmakers. Contemporary film directors
Janez Burger, Jan Cvitkovič, Damjan Kozole, Janez Lapajne and Maja Weiss are
most notable representatives of the so-called renaissance of Slovenian cinema.
Slovenia's learned men include chemist and Nobel prize laureate Friderik Pregl,
physicist Joţef Stefan, philosopher Slavoj Ţiţek, linguist Franc Miklošič, physician
Anton Marko Plenčič, mathematician Jurij Vega.
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Name: Benjamin Ravaud
Student-No. S00065433
Slovenia and the European Union
* History of its relationship to the EU
In 1992, Slovenia applied for an association agreement with the EU and has been
receiving assistance from the EU since this year. The most important instrument
through which it has been channelled is the Phare programme. Between 1992 and
1997, pre-accession financial assistance was in operation with the main emphasis on
promoting economic development (to support privatisation and enterprise
restructuring, banking sector reforms, to boost research and development capacity).
On 10 June 1996, the Europe Agreement on Association between Slovenia and EU
(in short, Europe Agreement or Association Agreement) was signed. Immediately
following the signing of the Agreement, Slovenia formally applied for EU membership.
The Agreement entered into force on 1 February 1999. In the preamble to the
Agreement, EU membership is described as the final goal. In September 1997, the
Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Strategy of Accession to the
EU. At its session in Luxembourg on 13 December 1997 the European Council, on
the basis of a positive opinion by the European Commission, gave a green light for
the commencement of accession negotiations with Slovenia (alongside the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Cyprus). In March 1999, the European
Council spoke favourably of Slovenia. On 13 December 2002, at the Copenhagen
European Council accession negotiations with the ten acceding countries were
completed with the final financial agreements. The European Council at the same
time confirmed that these ten countries will become EU members on 1 May 2004. On
16 April 2003, Slovenia and other accession countries signed the Accession Treaty
(as mentioned above) in Athens. The Slovenian National Assembly ratified the Treaty
on 28 January 2004. The Accession Treaty will enter into force on the day of
Slovenia's accession to the EU: 1 May 2004. Slovenia also joined N.A.T.O. (the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) on 29 March 2004.
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Among the political benefits of EU membership, Slovenia expects increased security
and stability, a stronger position in the international community and the chance to
take part in decision-making in relation to various European policies and the
formulation of Europe's future image. Moreover, EU membership will also bring many
economic benefits to Slovenia. For example a larger internal market with additional
consumers; increased opportunities for exports of investment goods; increased
investment opportunities; better access to equipment…
Slovenia is the economic front-runner of the 10 countries that joined the European
Union in 2004 and is the first "new" member which will adopt the euro as the
country's only currency on 1 January 2007. Moreover it enjoys the highest GDP per
capita of the newly joined EU countries and will be the first to state to hold the
Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008.
* Cultural factors (pro or anti European sentiment)
The Slovenian government decided to combine 2 referendums: the first on the
approbation at (N.A.T.O.) and the second on the approbation at the European Union.
It was the 23 March 2003. In 2001 and 2002, the Slovenian people were sceptical.
For example a historic poll publication in spring 2002, said that only 56% of the polled
people answered in favour of the European Union. In the second half of 2002, the
trend changed and all the political party supported the European Union. Without
surprise, after the referendum organized in Slovenia, the finding was 89.6% of the
people of Slovenia in favour of the country entering the European Union, with a
turnout of 60.4%.
* Voting weight and coalitions of like-minded states
Elections to the European Parliament were held in Slovenia on 13 June 2004. The
biggest surprise was the victory of the New Slovenia Christian People's Party over
the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia and the defeat of the Slovene People's Party,
which did not win a seat. The parties on the right of centre that form the opposition in
the Slovenian national parliament won this election. There are seven Member of
Parliament in the European Parliament: 2 seats for the “New Slovenia”, 2 seats for
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the “Liberal Democracy of Slovenia”, 2 seats for “Slovenian Democratic Party” and
one seat for “the United List of Social-Democrats”.
Slovenia has reached an agreement (in 2001) on co-operation in culture, education
and science built in the future of Slovene-Austrian relations. The strategic partnership
offered by Austria to several Central European countries. "Slovenia understands the
partnership as a form of co-operation between Central European countries within the
EU as well as a new beginning of a debate on coalitions and co-operation in the
future EU," according to Rupel (who was the Slovenian Foreign Minister in 2001).
* Attitude to the new Constitution
On February 1st Slovenia became the third State (after Lithuania on 11th November
and Hungary on 20th December) to ratify the European Constitution. The Drzani
Zbor, the lower Chamber of the Slovenian Parliament, approved the draft treaty
establishing a Constitution for Europe by 79 votes in favour, four against and seven
abstentions.
In order to ratify the European Constitution the Alpine Republic had the choice
between the
referendum or parliamentary means. The Slovenian National Party (SNS) – that has
six representatives- had demanded the organisation of a popular consultation
whereas the other political parties in the National Assembly were against this. Since
the Slovenians approved their country’s membership of the European Union by
89.66% on 23rd March 2003 the government deemed it unnecessary to call the
electorate back to ballot and chose to ratify the Constitution by parliamentary means.
“According to the magnitude of the “yes” vote to the referendum on the entry of
Slovenia into the Union I find it sensible for the ratification of the European treaty to
be undertaken by the National Assembly,” declared the President of the Republic
Janez Drnovek.
In Slovenia there has been no public debate on the European Constitution. According
to an
opinion poll undertaken by the Faculty for Social Sciences in Ljubljana in January,
half of
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Slovenians said they were in favour of their country’s ratification of the European
draft treaty
(54%, versus 10% who said they were against and 36% who had no opinion).
Moreover
according to the most recent Eurobarometer in October and November last one third
of
Slovenians maintained that they had not been informed about the European
Constitution, 43%
said they were “slightly informed” and 25% “well informed”.
“I welcome with satisfaction the result from the Slovenian Parliament which has voted
overwhelmingly in favour of ratification of the European Union Constitution. Slovenia
gives a strong signal to other Member States on the benefits that the Constitution
brings” said the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margot Wallström on
the ratification of the European Union Constitution by Slovenia.
* Levels of support for the EU and for further European integration
Slovenia supports further EU enlargement and sees its role in bridging the gap for the
participation and gradual accession of the West Balkan countries in the various forms
of European integration, which can be the only guarantee of the stabilisation of the
conditions in South East Europe.
Slovenia wishes to take an active part in the preparation of the new EU financial
framework for the period after 2006. It supports the Lisbon Strategy, adopted by the
EU, according to which by 2010, Europe is to become the most competitive and
dynamic knowledge-based world economy, and believes that one of the central goals
of the new financial perspective is to assure the proper role and adequate funding for
programmes directly contributing to the realisation of the Strategy.
Slovenia wishes to be directly involved in decisions on the future of Europe and
played an active role in the Convention and at the inter-governmental conference. It
has already presented its position regarding the reform of EU institutions in the joint
contribution by the "group of sixteen like-minded countries within the Convention".
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Name: Niels Petzold
Student-No. S00065442
Waste Policy in Slovenia and implementation of
EU Directives
Present waste policy
The average amount of municipal waste in Slovenia in 2005 was 422 kg per capita,
which means 1.16 kg of municipal waste per capita per day. In 2005, 844,949 tons of
municipal waste was generated in Slovenia, of which 1,000 tons of hazardous
municipal waste. Compared to 2004, the amount of non-hazardous municipal waste
increased by 1.5% while the amount of hazardous municipal waste was up by 10%.
In 2005, public waste removal services collected 1.1% more municipal waste than a
year before. They mostly collected other municipal wastes (88%), 6% were
separately collected fractions, 3% were wastes from garden and park and 3% was
packaging waste including separately collected municipal packaging waste.
In 2005, Slovenia land filled 329 kg of municipal waste per capita and 376 kg of all
wastes per capita. The majority of land filled waste was land filled on the municipal
landfill sites (80%), 19.8% of waste was land filled on the industrial landfill sites and
only 0.2% of waste was land filled on the hazardous landfill sites. In 2005, the
amount of waste land filled on the municipal landfill sites increased by 3.4%, while
the amount of municipal waste land filled on the municipal landfill sites was up by
5.4%.
Amount of waste land filled on the municipal landfill sites,
Slovenia, 2002 - 2005
1000
800
1000 t
600 municipal
waste
400
non-municipal
200 waste
0
2002 2003 2004 2005
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SWOT-Analysis:
In summarizing the information from the strengths and weaknesses it is worthwhile
pointing out the combination of two explicitly unfavourable properties: non-
sustainable operation and the poor current position of Slovenia compared to other
European countries, due to the failure of attempts to reduce air pollution, water stress
and ecosystem stresses, and due to ineffective regulation and management.
Moreover, it is also worth pointing out other, still unfavourable combinations, i.e. the
combination of non-sustainable operations and a positive position for Slovenia
compared to other European countries, due to soil degradation and the failure of
attempts to reduce waste and consumption pressures.
The opportunities and threats are composed from results of SWOT analysis. In the
future it must devote careful attention to opportunities and threats that arise outside
Slovenia, i.e. increased pollution and burdening of water sources, migration to
regions of protected countryside, the pressures of environmental competition on
Slovenian enterprises, the harmonization of energy prices and the abolition of
subsidies for energy and material use.
Strengths:
Relatively low soil degradation and degradation of habitats in the region
Effective waste reducing and reducing of consumption pressures
High availability of water resources
Effective reducing of population growth
Good environmental health
High level of eco-efficiency
Adequate drinking water quality (WEF assessment)
Effective satisfying of basic human needs
Favourable state of science and technology
High responsiveness of private sector (ISO 14001)
Weaknesses:
Ineffective reducing of air pollution in populated land area
Ineffective reducing of water stresses
Ineffective reducing of ecosystem stresses
Ineffective regulation and management
Bad air quality in urban areas
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High proportion of threatened species (mammals)
Inferior role of discussion in society
Ineffective reducing of public choice distortions
Non-availability of environmental information
Opportunities and Threats:
Eco-efficiency: Development of technologies for using alternative energy
sources
Compliance with international agreements
Global-scale funding/participation
Contribution to protecting international commons
Increasing the burden on water sources in the future
Migrations to regions of protected countryside
Private sector responsiveness: pressure of environmental competition on
Slovenian enterprises
Reducing public choice distortions: harmonization of energy prices and the
abolition of subsidies for energy and material use
Fulfilment of international commitments
Private sector responsiveness: placing enterprises on international scales of
sustainable enterprises
The waste material management in Slovenia needs to conform to the norms imposed
by the European Union by 2008. There are 30 waste material treatment plants in the
country. Though there would be only 13 such plants in the country by 2008 but these
would be highly modernized. Progress needs to be made in the treatment of medical
and organic waste material. 100 million euros would also be spent for the
construction of 2 waste disposal centres probably at Kidricevo and Trbovlje.
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European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of
20. December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste
By way of derogation from Article 6(1) (a) and (b) of Directive 94/62/EC, Slovenia
shall attain the recovery and recycling targets for the following packaging materials
by 31. December 2007 in accordance with the following intermediate targets:
Recycling of plastics: 9% by weight by the date of accession, 12% for 2004,
13% for 2005, and 14% for 2006;
Overall recovery rate: 36% by weight by the date of accession, 40% for 2004,
44% for 2005, and 48% for 2006.
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