Europaudvalget 2003-04
EUU Alm.del Bilag 173
Offentligt
Comprehensive monitoring report
on
Slovenia’s
preparations for membership
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A.
B.
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 3
ECONOMIC ISSUES ........................................................................................................................... 5
1.
Economic developments............................................................................................................ 5
2.
Implementation of recommendations for improvements ........................................................... 7
COMMITMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS ARISING FROM THE ACCESSION
NEGOTIATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 9
1.
Administrative and judicial capacity ....................................................................................... 11
Public administration............................................................................................................... 11
Judicial capacity ...................................................................................................................... 12
Anti-corruption measures ........................................................................................................ 13
Translation of the acquis into Slovenian.................................................................................. 14
2.
The chapters of the acquis ....................................................................................................... 15
Chapter 1: Free movement of goods ....................................................................... 15
Chapter 2: Free movement of persons .................................................................... 17
Chapter 3: Freedom to provide services ................................................................. 18
Chapter 4: Free movement of capital ...................................................................... 19
Chapter 5: Company law......................................................................................... 20
Chapter 6: Competition Policy................................................................................ 21
Chapter 7: Agriculture ............................................................................................ 22
Chapter 8: Fisheries ................................................................................................ 26
Chapter 9: Transport policy .................................................................................... 27
Chapter 10: Taxation .............................................................................................. 28
Chapter 11: Economic and monetary union ............................................................ 29
Chapter 12: Statistics .............................................................................................. 30
Chapter 13: Social policy and employment ............................................................ 30
Chapter 14: Energy ................................................................................................. 32
Chapter 15: Industrial policy .................................................................................. 33
Chapter 16: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises .................................................. 34
Chapter 17: Science and research ........................................................................... 34
Chapter 18: Education and training ........................................................................ 34
Chapter 19: Telecommunications and information technologies ............................ 35
Chapter 20: Culture and audio-visual policy........................................................... 36
Chapter 21: Regional policy and co-ordination of structural instruments............... 36
Chapter 22: Environment........................................................................................ 38
Chapter 23: Consumer and health protection.......................................................... 40
Chapter 24: Co-operation in the field of justice and home affairs .......................... 41
Chapter 25: Customs union..................................................................................... 44
Chapter 26: External relations ................................................................................ 45
Chapter 27: Common foreign and security policy .................................................. 46
Chapter 28: Financial control.................................................................................. 46
Chapter 29: Financial and budgetary provisions..................................................... 47
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 49
C.
D.
STATISTICAL ANNEX .............................................................................................................................. 51
2
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A.
I
NTRODUCTION
The accession negotiations with Slovenia were successfully concluded on 13 December
2002 and the Treaty of Accession was signed on 16 April 2003. In a referendum held on
23 March, a majority of Slovenes expressed their support for membership of the
European Union. Following ratification of the Treaty of Accession, Slovenia will join the
EU on 1 May 2004.
In its Strategy Paper “Towards the enlarged Union”, which accompanied the 2002
Regular Reports, the Commission stated that:
“Acceding countries need to implement the acquis by the date of accession, except in
cases where transitional arrangements have been agreed. Commitments undertaken
in the negotiations must be fully met before accession. The Regular Reports point to
a number of areas where further improvements need to be made in the context of the
political and economic criteria and in relationship to the adoption, implementation
and enforcement of the acquis. These should be vigorously pursued. In order to
analyse progress and to facilitate successful membership of the European Union, the
Commission will regularly monitor this and report to Council. The Commission will
produce six months before the envisaged date of accession a comprehensive
monitoring report for the Council and the European Parliament.”
The Copenhagen European Council in December 2002 concluded that:
“Monitoring up to accession of the commitments undertaken will give further
guidance to the acceding states in their efforts to assume responsibilities of
membership and will give the necessary assurance to current Member States.”
and the Thessaloniki European Council in June 2003 stated that:
“…the ten acceding States are encouraged to keep up their efforts so that they are
fully prepared to assume the obligations of membership by accession. This also
includes the necessary translation of the Community acquis. With a view to making a
success of enlargement, the monitoring of these preparations has been intensified on
the basis of reports submitted regularly by the Commission.”
As the accession date of 1 May 2004 draws closer, this report presents a comprehensive
state of play of the findings of the regular monitoring carried out by the Commission, and
building upon the findings of the 2002 Regular Report for Slovenia. The report contains
two main parts.
The first part deals with economic issues. It describes briefly economic developments in
Slovenia, and then goes on to assess the implementation of the necessary economic
reforms in the areas highlighted in the conclusions of the 2002 Regular Report for
Slovenia as being in need of further improvements.
The second part gives an overview of where Slovenia stands in implementing all
commitments and requirements arising from the accession negotiations for each
acquis
chapter, both in terms of legislation and from the perspective of implementing structures,
including administrative capacity and enforcement. In view of their importance for the
implementation and enforcement of the
acquis,
the overall state of readiness of the public
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administration and the judicial system and the development of effective anti-corruption
measures are assessed in an introductory section to this part.
This report reflects the situation at the end of September 2003. It records decisions
actually taken, legislation actually adopted, measures actually implemented and structures
actually in place and functioning by that date.
For each chapter of the
acquis,
this report identifies the areas in which Slovenia is
expected to be, or is already, in a position to implement the acquis and the areas where
further action is still needed. Where relevant, the report also points out issues where
lagging or deficient preparations are a cause of serious concern. This assessment starts
from the premise that Slovenia must be fully prepared for membership from the date of
accession. In cases where transitional arrangements have been agreed in the accession
negotiations, their effect on Slovenia’s obligations is duly reflected in the assessment.
Numerous sources of information have been used to compile this report. Slovenia was
invited to provide information on its state of preparedness. The Report also draws on
information provided by Slovenia within the framework of the Association Agreement
and the accession negotiations, as well as on peer reviews that have taken place to assess
its administrative capacity in specific areas. Council deliberations and European
Parliament reports and resolutions have been taken into account in drafting it.
1
Where
relevant, the Commission has also drawn on assessments made by various international
organisations such as the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the international financial
institutions, and by those of non-governmental organisations.
1
For the European Parliament the rapporteur is Mr
Demetrio
Volcic.
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B.
E
CONOMIC ISSUES
In its 2002 Regular Report, the Commission concluded that
“Slovenia is a functioning market economy. The continuation of its current reform
path should enable Slovenia to cope with competitive pressure and market forces in
the Union.
Improvements can be made on reducing the inflation rate by the further elimination
of indexation schemes and by directing the macroeconomic policy mix more
convincingly towards inflation reduction. The competitiveness of the economy would
be supported by speeding up structural reforms, such as the final liquidation of the
Slovene Development Corporation and further privatisation in the financial sector.”
The principal purpose of this part of the Comprehensive Monitoring Report is to assess
the implementation of recommendations for improvements in the areas identified in last
year’s Regular Report. The focus is on the change since last year and not on the overall
degree of functioning of the market economy or degree of competitiveness. The
assessment can be found in Section 2. Section 1 briefly describes recent economic
developments in Slovenia including the continuation of the reform path since last year’s
Report.
1.
Economic developments
Slovenia has exhibited a relatively robust macroeconomic performance.
GDP growth in
2002 at 3.2% was pushed mainly by domestic demand. While consumption growth
remained moderate, domestic investment registered modest positive growth after a
decline in the previous year. At the same time, higher than expected real export growth in
2002 - especially to non-EU markets - combined with some improvement in the terms of
trade, helped maintain GDP growth and led to the sharp improvement in the trade - and
current account. 2002 saw a marked increase in the current account surplus to 1.7% of
GDP, the highest level achieved since 1994. Also, foreign direct investment (FDI)
inflows reached record levels again, mostly linked to privatisation in the banking and
pharmaceutical sectors, and constituted the main part of capital inflows in 2002. Despite
the large capital inflows, growth in monetary mass (M3) was slightly lower compared to
the year before but still rather high at nearly 23%. Closely following the European
Central Bank, in May 2003 the Bank of Slovenia cut interest rates for the second time in
2003. In 2002, the tolar effective exchange rate appreciated by 2.7% in real terms, but
nominally depreciated by 2.9%, adding to inflationary pressure. Although inflation has
been inching downward, concern remains about its persistency. For 2002, inflation stood
at 7.5%, down from 8.6% in 2001. In the course of 2003 some further decline was
registered to 6.3% by August. This is an encouraging development, although it seems
more attributable to special factors - mainly related to caps on administered price rises
and excise tax changes - rather than co-ordinated policy efforts to lower inflation on a
sustained basis. For 2002, the government budget deficit was marginally reduced to 2.6%
of GDP, although the original target had been set to 1.6% of GDP. The budget continues
to be characterised by a high share of fixed commitments, overshooting of targets, and
frequent revisions and budget suspensions, despite the introduction of two-year budgets.
Problems persist in flexibly adjusting Slovene fiscal policy to unforeseen changes as both
the overshooting and the repeated introduction of supplementary budgets in recent years
clearly show. Employment growth in 2002 has been stagnant and the employment rate
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stood at 63.4 %, while the unemployment rate rose to 6.0% (see also the Joint
Assessment of Employment Policy Priorities and subsequent progress reports). Overall
real wage growth followed these modest developments, dropping to 2% in 2002.
Slovenia
Real GDP growth rate
Inflation rate
- annual average
- December-on-
December
Unemployment rate
- LFS definition
General government
budget balance
Current account balance
per cent
per cent
per cent
6.4
7.4
per cent
per cent of
GDP
per cent of
GDP
million
ECU/Euro
Per cent
of exports
of goods
and
services
million
ECU/Euro
Per cent
of GDP
492
486
1950 p
b
:
-2.3
-0.6
-109
25.9
8.1
7.2
-2.2
-3.5
-661
39.0
8.9
6.6
-3.3
-2.8
-576
51.9
7.1
5.8
-2.8
0.1
32
53.2
7.1
6.0
-2.6 p
1.7 p
393 p
:
b
Main Economic Trends
1998
1999
2000
3.8
7.9
5.2
6.1
4.6
8.9
2001
2.9
8.6
2002
3.2
7.5
2003
latest
2.1 Q2
6.3
August
a
5.7
August
7.1 Q1
-54 Jan.-
July
b
Gross foreign debt of the
whole economy
- debt export ratio
2 564
1.5
3 845
1.9
6 001
2.4
6 706
2.2
:
8.3 p
Foreign direct investment
in flow
- balance of payments
data
million
256
351
ECU/Euro
Sources: Eurostat. National sources. OECD external Debt Statistics
Moving 12 months average rate of change.
Source: Website of the National Bank.
P= provisional figures
b
a
The restructuring process has continued to move forward on the reform path, albeit
slowly and with a mixed picture in a number of sectors.
The government has now decided
not to sell its majority share in the three companies of the Slovenian Steelworks referring
to the unfavourable state of steel industry world-wide. Equally, the further privatisation
of the dominant telecommunications operator has been postponed due to bad market
conditions. As regards the privatisation process of the two largest and state-owned banks,
Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) and Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor (NKBM), no further
developments can be observed as the privatisation plans have been changed. The
insurance sector too has so far remained closed and largely unrestructured. However, the
ruling of the Constitutional Court on the implementation of the Law on the Ownership
Transformation of Insurance Companies announced in February 2003 has now opened
the way for the largest state-owned insurance company, Triglav, to be privatised. As yet,
the government has not started preparing a privatisation plan. Efforts aimed at the
introduction of more flexible labour laws, a shift in wage indexation, the further gradual
liberalisation and development of financial markets, and the ongoing liberalisation in the
utilities sector have so far not had a significant effect. Price liberalisation, in particular,
back-pedalled when in March 2003 the government temporarily changed the retail pricing
model of oil prices with the aim of avoiding large jumps, thus effectively removing the
price further from world price levels. Although this measure has now been lifted, the
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temptation to influence price setting still exists. Notably, in May, after the temporary
freeze of administered prices was lifted, the government enforced a comprehensive price
control plan, according to which rises of prices under its control should not exceed the
inflation rate at the end of the year.
Main Indicators of Economic Structure in 2002
Population (average)
GDP per head
a
Share of agriculture in:
- gross value added
- employment
Gross fixed capital formation/GDP
Gross foreign debt of the whole
economy/GDP
c
Exports of goods & services/GDP
Stock of foreign direct investment
d
Long term unemployment rate
Source: Eurostat
a
b
Figures have been calculated using the population figures from National Accounts, which may differ from those used in demographic statistics.
Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing.
b
Thousand
PPS
Per cent of EU average
Per Cent
Per Cent
Per Cent
Per Cent
Per Cent
Million Euro
Euro per head
Per Cent of labour force
1,996
74
3.3
c
9.7
22.9
30.8
57.8
3080
1543
3.3
c Data refer to 2001.
d Data refer to 2000.
2.
Implementation of recommendations for improvements
Although decreasing slowly, the relatively
high and persistent inflation
remains a key
policy concern.
Earlier this year, the government stated that inflation is now considered a
policy priority and that the intention is to move toward a generalised de-indexation of the
economy. Dismantling backward-looking indexation mechanisms is indeed instrumental
in combating inflation. A positive development in this context is a social agreement
concluded by the social partners in April 2003, stipulating a new wage system based on
projected inflation; a forward-looking adjustment scheme accounting for inflation in
Slovenia and the EU has already been transposed into the public sector wage law. Also,
formal de-indexation of interest rates (the ‘basic interest rate’ or TOM) was given an
important push forward in May 2003 when parliament adopted an act on the prescribed
interest rate for delayed payments. With this, TOM has now been abolished for contracts
of over one year while it was already eliminated in 2002 for contracts for less than one
year. The Bank of Slovenia announced in July 2003 that Slovenia intends to enter the
ERM II in the first half of 2005, thereby revoking the initially planned entry date of 1
January 2005. It has set an inflation objective of 5% for this year and below 4% in 2004
in order to prepare for entry into the ERM II under conditions that would allow the
adoption of the euro as soon as possible. However, it is not clear to what extent these
inflation objectives constitute a firm and clear commitment to an inflation rate target, and
given the inflation track record so far it remains to be seen how these goals will be
achieved. In 2002, about half of the price increase was linked to the continuous nominal
depreciation of the exchange rate. Inflation was also pushed up by rises in administered
prices. Inflationary pressures continue to be fed by still prevalent - although now
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weakening - wage and pension indexation, a largely accommodating monetary policy and
lack of competition in various sectors. These issues have to be further addressed.
In order to support competitiveness of the economy, the Government should apply further
structural reforms, such as the
final liquidation of the Slovene Development
Corporation,
set for 2004, and
further privatisation in the finance sector.
In the past,
the Slovene Development Corporation (SDC) played a major but not always transparent
role in the privatisation and restructuring process. The commitment to closing it down by
end-2001 has, however, proven very difficult to put into practice and continues to slip
behind schedule. While the SDC has since December 2001 no longer been providing
state aid to companies, the corporation remains to be finally closed. After various delays,
a formal plan to abolish the SDC was adopted in February 2002. Yet another resolution
on the liquidation of SDC was adopted in July 2002, and the ‘Consulting and
Management Corporation’ was established to act as ‘liquidation administrator’. The
government has indicated that now the liquidation of the SDC is expected to be
completed in 2004 but has again refrained from committing itself to a firm timetable.
Concerning further privatisation in the banking sector, the second stage privatisation of
the NLB, which anticipated the sale of a 9% stake to domestic institutional investors, was
cancelled by the government following a lack of investor interest. The bank has thus been
kept in mixed ownership. The privatisation of NKBM was halted as political resistance
increased. The current official position is that foreign investors are not needed in the
privatisation process of the NKBM, and the intention is now that the bank will be merged
with the state-owned Postal Bank. Although limited and partial privatisation has taken
place in the banking sector, the state remains strongly present in this sector while further
privatisation would promote reform conducive to competitiveness. The insurance sector
has remained closed and largely unrestructured, dominated by one state-owned company.
However, the Constitutional Court announced its long-awaited ruling on the
implementation of the Law on the Ownership Transformation of Insurance Companies in
February 2003. This decision has finally paved the way for the privatisation of the state
owned insurance company, after having been stalled for twelve years. The process of
ownership transformation is now foreseen to be completed by mid-2004.
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C.
C
OMMITMENTS
NEGOTIATIONS
AND
REQUIREMENTS
ARISING
FROM
THE
ACCESSION
As we approach the actual date of accession and the entry into force of the mutual rights
and obligations enshrined in the Treaty of Accession, it is necessary to focus efforts on
ensuring that Slovenia is fully prepared in all areas of the
acquis
from the start of its
membership. In other words, Slovenia must meet its commitments and requirements
arising from the accession negotiations.
In the 2002 Regular Report on Slovenia, the Commission found that:
“Slovenia is generally meeting the commitments it has made in the negotiations.
However, delays have occurred with regard to removing restrictions on foreign
direct investment concerning investment funds and management companies, the
establishment of the Fishing Vessel Register, creating the legislative basis for
restructuring of the railways and transposition of the Integrated Pollution
Prevention and Control directive. These issues need to be addressed.
Bearing in mind the progress achieved since the Opinion, the level of alignment and
administrative capacity that Slovenia has achieved at this point in time, and its track
record in implementing the commitments it has made in the negotiations, the
Commission considers that Slovenia will be able to assume the obligations of
membership in accordance with the envisaged timeframe. In the period leading up to
accession, Slovenia needs to continue its preparations in line with the commitments it
has made in the accession negotiations.”
As regards the administrative capacity to implement the acquis, the overall findings were
as follows:
“Slovenia’s administrative capacity for the implementation of the acquis has been
enhanced further in the reporting period. Most of the institutions necessary for the
implementation of the acquis are now in place and attention should be focussed on
providing them with sufficient resources to carry out their work. Slovenia should
continue its efforts to improve the administrative capacity, in particular in the areas
of freedom to provide services, agriculture, fisheries, rail transport, energy,
telecommunications, culture and audio-visual, environment, consumers and health
protection, and justice and home affairs. Special attention should be given to the
structures necessary to implement the acquis which will be applicable only upon
accession, in particular as regards sound and efficient management of EC funds.”
In order to give further guidance to Slovenia in its preparation efforts and to give the
necessary assurance to current Member States and other future Member States, this part
of the comprehensive monitoring report, in Section 2, gives an overview of where
Slovenia currently stands in implementing all commitments and requirements arising
from the accession negotiations for each of the 29 chapters of the
acquis.
It covers the
whole body of the
acquis,
on a chapter-by-chapter basis, both in terms of legislation and
from the perspective of implementing structures, including administrative capacity and
enforcement.
The principal commitment undertaken by Slovenia in the accession negotiations is to be
fully prepared for membership in all areas by the date of accession. In a number of areas,
however, commitments were made to put in place and implement the acquis according to
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specific timetables even before accession. This report examines the extent to which these
commitments have been met, and where delays have occurred, but the principal focus of
the assessment remains the requirement that Slovenia must be fully prepared as from
accession. Naturally, in cases where transitional arrangements have been agreed, their
effect on Slovenia’s obligations is duly reflected in the assessment. On the other hand, it
should be underlined that, in order for Slovenia to make effective use of its eligibility for
Community structural funds from 1 January 2004, the relevant acquis in areas such as
public procurement, state aid and environmental protection will need to be fully respected
from 1 January 2004 in relation to the implementation of structural funds actions
2
.
For each chapter, a conclusion is provided, which is structured in the following way.
Firstly,
it identifies those areas where Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments
and requirements arising from the accession negotiations and is expected to be, or is
already, in a position to implement the acquis from accession. This does not exclude the
possibility that certain actions are still to be taken, but these should under foreseeable
circumstances not pose particular difficulties.
In a
second
paragraph, the assessment identifies any areas where important further action
is still needed in order to complete preparations for membership. In some cases these
preparations are on-going, but enhanced efforts or quicker progress may be called for.
These are issues which can still be remedied taking into account the accession date of 1
May 2004 but which require the special attention of the authorities.
Thirdly,
where relevant, the assessment also identifies issues that are of serious concern.
These are areas where serious shortcomings exist which are likely to persist after
accession unless immediate remedial action is taken. These issues require the urgent
attention of the authorities. In view of their importance for the implementation and
enforcement of the
acquis,
the
overall
state of readiness of the public administration and
the judicial system, and the development of effective anti-corruption measures, together
with the question of the translation of the acquis into Slovenian, are evaluated in a
separate Section 1.
2
See also the Commission Communication on the implementation of commitments undertaken by the
acceding countries in the context of accession negotiations on Chapter 21 - Regional policy and
coordination of structural instuments, 16 July 2003 (COM(2003) 433 final).
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1.
Administrative and judicial capacity
Public administration
There have been no major changes in the structure of the public administration. However,
the Law on Civil Servants, which was adopted in 2002 and entered into force in June
2003, provides for cuts in the number of government offices and ministerial bodies. A
decree adopted in June 2003 outlines a reduction in the number of ministerial bodies
from 53 to 45 by the end of this year. The number of government offices will be
narrowed down to 16 from the current 21 by transferring their functions to line ministries.
The legal basis of the status of civil servants is the Law on Civil Servants, which aims at
creating a professional, impartial and accountable civil service. The Law aims at de-
politicising public administration by reducing the number of politically appointed
officials. It creates a more transparent and harmonised system of recruitment and career
structures, and introduces promotion based on performance appraisals. A number of
decrees implementing the law were adopted in June 2003. One of them creates a uniform
system of posts in different government bodies by setting up a 16-level career structure,
specifying the titles of civil servants and the work experience required for them.
An Administrative Council with 12 members was established in May with the
responsibility for overseeing politically unbiased selection of senior civil servants. The
Law on Civil Servants also introduces disciplinary procedures, and specifies that
dismissals have to follow strict legal procedures.
The provisions of the law are now being implemented, but it is at this stage still too early
to assess to what extent the legislative changes have brought about the desired
improvements in the way the public administration functions. While the aim of creating a
more independent and professional civil service is welcome, the legislation on
involvement of officials in economic and political activities should be widened to cover
all officials, also politically appointed staff.
In addition to this law, the Code of Conduct for Civil Servants, adopted in 2001, and the
State Administration Act from May 2002, include provisions on the legality, reliability
and predictability of actions taken by civil servants. The Law on General Administrative
Procedures has provisions on accountability of administrative decision-making.
The Access to information of public nature act determines the rights of citizens to obtain
information of a public nature, and includes the obligation of public bodies to actively
provide such information.
Decisions of public administration can be challenged in the administrative courts and in
some cases in courts of general jurisdiction. The Ombudsman can inspect all public
bodies and can propose disciplinary measures against civil servants. The Ombudsman
issues an annual report. The Ombudsman is elected by the Parliament for a period of six
years and is an autonomous, independent and impartial institution. The institution is
functioning well. The majority of cases filed with the Ombudsman in 2002 concerned the
length of court and police proceedings, as was the case also in previous years. The
Inspection Supervision Act sets the general framework for inspection of the public
administration. It is planned to introduce Inspectors of civil servants in 2004 in order to
monitor the implementation of the Law on Civil Servants and the legality and
transparency of procedures.
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Currently the Slovenian administration lacks a uniform wage system and salaries are
determined in different parts of the administration separately. However, the Law on
Wages in the Public Sector, adopted in 2002 and entering into force in 2004, aims at
creating a transparent system of wages in the public sector. A number of wage-groups are
to be set up and performance-related bonuses introduced.
Inter-ministerial co-ordination appears to function well, in particular through the
e-government project. New regulations were adopted in May 2003 for co-ordination of
EU-related work in the government. The Government Office for European Affairs, led by
the Minister for European Affairs, continues to co-ordinate European affairs. In addition,
a European Affairs task force has been set up to support the Government Office and to
prepare strategic documents for the government.
Civil servants receive training, including on EU related issues, in the Administrative
Academy run by the Ministry of the Interior.
Judicial capacity
Slovenia has a three-tier court system consisting of county courts, second instance courts,
and four higher (appeal) courts. The Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court form
the highest level of the court system.
The judiciary continues to have a high degree of independence and is supervised by the
11-member Judicial Council, which consists of 6 members appointed by the judges and 5
appointed by the National Assembly on a proposal by the President. The election and
functioning of the Judicial Council is regulated in the constitution and the Law on Court
Service. The Council monitors the work of judges and can make proposals for improving
their performance. Immunity of judges is guaranteed in the constitution. The Act on
Judicial Service and the Act on Courts include provisions on the transparency and
openness of the judiciary.
There are about 774 judges in Slovenia and about 50 further vacancies to be filled. The
judges are appointed by the Parliament on a proposal by the Judicial Council. The
remuneration and status of judges is relatively high. The number of judges was increased
last year through the appointment of 29 new judges.
Implementation of the Government Action Plan to speed up court procedures, adopted in
May 2002, has continued. The Hercules Project, set up by the government and the
Supreme Court to cut backlogs in courts, continues to provide for the possibility to rotate
judges to assist overburdened courts in dealing with caseloads. However, this possibility
has still been used only to a limited extent, and it alone will not provide a solution to the
problem of backlogs.
Amendments to the Civil Procedure Act, encouraging in-court settlements and
introducing a reconciliation hearing, entered into force in November 2002. Furthermore,
a pilot project on out-of-court dispute settlement is ongoing.
The measures introduced by the Government so far to reduce the court backlogs have not
resolved the problem of long duration of court cases, although the number of backlog
court cases (as defined in the Slovenian Court Rules) has decreased slightly, by about
2%. According to Government figures, the average duration of court cases is 13 months;
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however, for civil cases in the county courts, it is 22 months and for criminal cases in
county courts 20 months.
A more comprehensive approach to the reform of the judicial system is needed to
improve the efficiency of courts, including targeted measures in those courts suffering
most from backlogs. Measures such as increasing the obligatory workload of individual
judges, increasing the number and responsibilities of court support and management staff
and further changes in procedural legislation in order to speed up court procedures have
been recommended.
The Training Centre for the Judiciary continues to provide training, including in
European Law. However, the Centre does not yet have permanent premises.
Free legal aid is available to socially vulnerable people. It covers both civil and criminal
cases.
Alongside the continued backlog in courts, the further increase in the number of pending
land-register cases also gives rise to considerable concern. Despite the computerisation
project for the land register, which started in 2000 and is scheduled to be completed in
2004, the number of backlogs in the land registry is still increasing (by about 2% in
2002). Currently about 70 % of land-registry entries are processed electronically.
Anti-corruption measures
According to surveys, corruption appears to be a rather limited problem in Slovenia.
However, public perception seems to regard corruption as more widespread than shown
by official statistics. No major corruption cases have been detected recently.
The current legal framework for anti-corruption measures consists of provisions in the
Criminal Code, in the Code of Conduct for Civil Servants, and in the Law on Civil
Servants. Slovenian legislation includes provisions on conflicts of interest; however,
these do not cover all officials. Public procurement in particular remains a vulnerable
area, partly due to the small size of the population. Preventing conflict-of-interest
situations, especially in public procurement, should be given more attention.
Further progress has been made in the past year in establishing a coherent anti-corruption
policy. The Office for the Prevention of Corruption has drafted a comprehensive anti-
corruption strategy that has been submitted to the Parliament for approval, and has
continued its work on developing the legislative basis for anti-corruption activities. A
comprehensive anti-corruption law was drafted and is currently in parliamentary
procedure. The draft law provides for the creation of a Commission for Ethics and
Integrity, and the replacement of the Office by an expert task force serving this
Commission. The Office also directs the work of the inter-ministerial co-ordination group
for combating corruption. It does not, however, work on individual cases. It has carried
out training for authorities and for the private sector.
The special anti-corruption units in the police, the Organised Crime Section in the
Ministry of the Interior and the group of public prosecutors for special assignments have
continued their work. Slovenia continues to participate in the Council of Europe Group of
States against Corruption (GRECO). Nine out of the twelve recommendations of
GRECO) from its 2000 evaluation report have been implemented fully. These include
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amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act adopted in May 2003 introducing changes to
the pre-trial procedure to clarify the tasks of the police, the state prosecutor and the judge.
However, while noting progress made by Slovenia, GRECO noted that the
recommendations concerning improvement of the procedures in cases of conflict of
interest of civil servants, establishment of an obligation for public prosecutors to report
on their assets, and adoption of guidelines for the Parliament concerning the lifting of
immunity for judges have been only partially implemented.
Slovenia is a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure
and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and to both the Civil and Criminal Law
Conventions on Corruption. It is a full participant in the OECD Working Group on
combating bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions, and it
has ratified the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in
International Business Transactions. (see also
Chapter 24 – Co-operation in the field of
justice and home affairs).
Translation of the acquis into Slovenian
In accordance with Articles 2 and 58 of the Act of Accession, all acts adopted by the
Union’s institutions and the European Central Bank prior to accession become applicable
to the new Member States and are to be published in the Official Journal of the European
Union in the new official languages. While the EU institutions take responsibility for the
final revision and publication of the translations, it falls to the acceding states to produce
the translations and to ensure a thorough legal and linguistic revision.
Since the beginning of 2003, Slovenia has experienced problems in providing texts for
finalisation. Translation is progressing well but the revision process is slow, especially
the expert revision which takes place in the various ministries. While progress has been
made in the area of customs and fisheries, where texts are coming in regularly but in
small numbers, there are serious delays in the area of agriculture (which represents more
than 30% of the whole
acquis).
At present, there are virtually no revised texts in this area.
The quality of the Slovenian version of the
acquis,
insofar as it is available, is
satisfactory.
The number of revised texts submitted by Slovenia must increase greatly in the coming
weeks, otherwise the publication of the Special Edition of the Official Journal in
Slovenian may not be completed in time for accession.
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2.
The chapters of the acquis
As indicated, the following review of Slovenia’s ability to assume the obligations of
membership has been structured in accordance with the list of 29 acquis chapters.
Accordingly, this section opens with an assessment of the acquis relating to the
cornerstones of the internal market which are known as the “four freedoms”, and
continues with a systematic review of each of the chapters, covering all aspects of the
acquis,
including sectoral policies, economic and fiscal affairs, regional policy,
environment, justice and home affairs, external policies, and financial questions.
Chapter 1: Free movement of goods
The principle of the free movement of goods implies that products must be traded freely
from one part of the Union to another. In a number of sectors, this general principle is
supplemented with a harmonised regulatory framework, following the “old approach”
(imposing precise product specifications) or the “new approach” (imposing general
product requirements). The transposition of harmonised European product legislation
represents the vast majority of the content of this chapter. In addition, efficient
administrative capacity to apply horizontal and procedural measures in areas such as
standardisation, certification and market surveillance is essential. This chapter also
covers detailed EC rules on public procurement, requiring specialised implementing
bodies.
The
horizontal and procedural measures
necessary for the administration of the
Community product
acquis
in the new approach sector are in place. Legislation has been
transposed and is in line with the
acquis.
The implementation structures for
standardisation, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment and market surveillance
are all in place. Operational efficiency of training programmes being carried out by these
bodies should be ensured by the date of accession. Slovenia’s standardisation body is an
associated member of CEN, CENELEC and ETSI but must now seek full membership.
Slovenia has transposed the majority of
sectoral legislation
under the
new approach
and
in general the legislative transposition has been found to be in line with the
acquis.
Transposition of the
acquis
on electro-medical equipment used in veterinary medicine,
lifts, and cableways is still pending.
As regards the
old approach
directives, Slovenia has transposed most of the
acquis
in
these product sectors. Minor changes are still required in the areas of textiles and
footwear. Changes are still required in the area of fertilisers. Transposition of motor
vehicles
acquis
and of drug precursors
acquis
remains partial. Transposition of the
pharmaceutical
acquis
is also partial. Legislation was adopted which aims at transposing
the
acquis
on cosmetics, legal metrology and pre-packaging, chemicals, aerosol
dispensers and round wood. Having recognised that the identification of "new" chemical
substances on its market is a matter of priority, Slovenia should provide for the
appropriate notification of such substances in accordance with the
acquis.
Slovenia has
taken the steps necessary to ensure the creation, reinforcement, and operational capacity
of the institutions required to manage the
acquis
in nearly all of the sectors covered by
the old approach sector directives.
In the area of foodstuffs, the transposition of the
acquis
is almost complete. Legislation
was adopted which aims at transposing the
acquis
on official control, hygiene and contact
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materials. Finally, amendments to the Food Act should also be adopted. In June 2003
Slovenia adopted a governmental decree on co-ordination of the Ministries and bodies
with responsibility in the area of food safety, defining responsibilities between the
various bodies involved in food controls. All procedures for RASFF (Rapid Alert System
for Food and Feed) are laid down in the above decree and the national contact point in
Slovenia has been designated within the Health Inspectorate. As regards the enforcement
of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Systems), the system has been in
force since 1 January 2003 at all stages for foods in general and since 1 December 2002
for products of animal origin. Accreditation of laboratories is well in progress.
In the course of the accession negotiations Slovenia was granted a transitional period
relating to the renewal of marketing authorisations for pharmaceutical products until the
end of 2007.
In the field of
public procurement,
subject to good progress being maintained Slovenia
should have a functioning system for public procurement by accession. However, the
Public Procurement Act still needs to be amended, in order to bring the legislation fully
in line with the
acquis,
in particular as concerns the scope of the directive on utilities.
The Act on the Review of Public Procurement Procedures also requires further
amendments. A Public Procurement Office (PPO) has been established and is
operational. Slovenia’s implementing structure seems to be well organised and efficient
although efforts to further strengthen the human resources of the PPO and National
Review Commission should continue.
In the
non-harmonised area
Slovenia has conducted an initial screening of its national
legislation that could be in contradiction with the principle of free movement of goods,
with satisfactory results. A horizontal mutual recognition clause remains to be adopted.
Slovenia has not yet announced a contact point for administering the regulation on a rapid
intervention mechanism (the so-called "Strawberry Regulation") and for exchange of
information on exceptions from the principle of free movement of goods. Transposition
of the
acquis
as regards cultural heritage objects is also still pending. Legislation aimed at
transposing the arms control acquis was adopted. A co-ordination structure for bodies
responsible for the checks on product safety for imports from third countries has been
created.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the requirements for membership as regards
horizontal
and procedural measures
necessary for the management of Community legislation in
the new approach sectors. Slovenia is also essentially meeting the requirements relating
to
new approach sectoral legislation, public procurement
and the
non-harmonised
area.
Once the remaining aspects of the
acquis
in these sectors are put in place, Slovenia
should be in a position to implement this
acquis
from accession.
Slovenia is partially meeting the requirements in respect of the
old approach sectoral
legislation.
With the notable exception of the area of foodstuffs and food safety, where
compliance is good, Slovenia must complete transposition of the remaining sectoral
legislation in order to complete preparations for accession. Additional efforts should also
be made to provisionally notify "new" chemical substances prior to accession so as to
ensure the continued marketing of such substances.
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Chapter 2: Free movement of persons
The
acquis
under this chapter provides for non-discriminatory treatment of workers who
are legally employed in a country other than their country of origin. This includes the
possibility of cumulating or transferring social security rights, which requires
administrative cooperation between Member States. In order to facilitate the practice of
certain professions, the acquis under free movement of persons also includes specific
rules concerning mutual recognition of qualifications and diplomas; for certain
professions a harmonised training curriculum must be followed to be able to use the
professional title. Furthermore, this area also covers the residence and voting rights of EU
citizens in any Member State.
In the field of
mutual recognition of professional qualifications,
Slovenia’s legislation
is not yet fully in line with the
acquis.
A range of issues remains to be solved, affecting
both the general system of recognition and the sectoral rules. Legislation on the general
system remains to be adopted. As to the sectoral rules, the legislation on architects and in
the health care sector still needs to be amended, in particular the Health Services Act
concerning pharmacists, nurses and midwives and the Medical Services Act concerning
doctors and dentists, co-ordination of training and recognition of qualifications.
Furthermore, legislation concerning lawyers and commercial agents should be amended.
The main administrative structures for implementation are in place in this area.
In the area of
citizens’ rights
legislative alignment has been largely completed. However,
a government regulation concerning the right of residence, based on the Aliens Act, still
needs to be introduced. The main administrative structures for implementation are in
place.
As for
free movement of workers
a transitional arrangement has been agreed. For the
first two years following accession, current Member States will apply national measures,
or bilateral agreements, to regulate the access of workers from Slovenia to their labour
markets. These arrangements may continue up to a maximum of seven years. Slovenia’s
legislation in the area of free movement is largely in line with the
acquis.
However,
implementing legislation based on the Public Servants Act concerning access to
employment in the public sector remains to be adopted.
With regard to
co-ordination of social security systems
no transposition into national
legislation is needed to achieve alignment with the
acquis.
The administrative capacity
and structures are already in place. Bilateral agreements existing with most Member
states, which rely on the same principles as the EU rules in this area, show that
Slovenia’s administration is acquainted with the administrative procedures.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements in the area of
citizens’
rights, free movement of workers
and
co-ordination of social security systems.
Minor
legislative adjustments still need to be made.
The requirements relating to the
mutual recognition of professional qualifications
have
been met partially. Whereas the acquis on lawyers and commercial agents is essentially
aligned, the rules on architects still need to be adopted.
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There are serious concerns about progress relating to the mutual recognition of
professional qualifications in the health care sector and as regards the general system
directives. Unless significant additional efforts are made in the transposition of the
general system directives and regards the sectoral rules on recognition of qualifications of
doctors, dentists, general care nurses, midwives, veterinary surgeons, and pharmacists,
Slovenia will not be in line with the acquis by the date of accession.
Chapter 3: Freedom to provide services
Under this chapter, Member States must ensure that the right of establishment and the
freedom to provide services anywhere in the EU is not hampered by national legislation.
In some sectors, the
acquis
prescribes harmonised rules which must be respected if the
internal market is to function; this concerns mainly the financial sector (banking,
insurance, investment services and securities markets) but also some specific professions
(craftsmen, traders, farmers, commercial agents). Harmonised rules concerning personal
data protection and certain information society services must also be respected.
In the field of
the right of establishment and the freedom to provide non-financial
services,
the screening exercise for conformity with the principle of free provision of
services and the elimination of remaining legal and administrative restrictions should be
speeded up as a priority. Legislation in many sectors remains to be screened, while the
methodology used so far is not satisfactory. The Slovenian authorities should give their
urgent attention to this matter and and dedicate more human resources with the aim of
completing this screening exercise in the nearest future.
In the field of financial services, the
acquis
in the
banking sector
has been transposed
although some fine-tuning is still required. Slovenia has committed itself to ensuring the
full application of the
acquis
in respect of deposit-guarantee schemes by the end of 2005,
in accordance with the transitional arrangement it has been granted. Another transitional
period was granted until the end of 2004 regarding the application of Community rules on
annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions to
Slovenian savings and loans undertakings.
In the
insurance sector,
prior authorisation for compulsory transport and supplementary
health insurance still exists. All systems of prior authorisation must be abolished,
including for these types of compulsory insurance. The requirement to notify certain
information to the Slovenian supervisory authority should also be modified. According to
the
acquis,
the obligation of notification should concern the home Member State only.
The Constitutional Court ruling of February 2003 regarding the act on the ownership
transformation of insurance companies paved the way for the restructuring and
privatisation of the insurance sector, and thus for increasing the competition in the
domestic market. The ownership transformation process is therefore still ongoing.
In the field of
investment services
and
securities markets,
minor legislative
amendments to the securities markets act are needed in order to transpose the remaining
securities directives. In addition, the directives on undertakings for collective investment
in transferable securities have not yet been fully transposed and implemented. Slovenia
has committed itself to ensuring the full application of the
acquis
in respect of investor
compensation schemes by the end of 2005, in accordance with the transitional
arrangement it has been granted. The directive on financial collateral remains to be
transposed.
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As regards administrative capacity, the enforcement powers and resources of certain
supervisory authorities, in particular those of the Securities Market Agency, should be
appropriately reinforced. Out-of-court redress schemes still remain to be established for
banks, insurance companies, as well as for investment firms and stockbrokers.
Transitional arrangements in this area were agreed for savings and loans undertakings
established before 20 February 1999. These concern, in particular, initial capital
requirements related to safe and prudent management (until the end of 2004), the
minimum scope and level of coverage of the deposit guarantee schemes, and investor
compensation schemes (until the end of 2005).
Concerning the
protection of personal data and the free movement of such data,
the
Personal Data Protection Act of 2001 remains to be fully aligned with the Community
acquis,
including as regards independence of the Data Protection Inspectorate. Slovenia
must accelerate progress in this area in order to achieve full alignment, including as
regards administrative structures, by the date of accession.
As regards
information-society services,
the directive on conditional access remains to
be transposed. In addition, some elements of the directive on e-commerce remain to be
transposed. The transparency directive remains to be fully transposed. Enhanced efforts
are required to achieve full alignment with the
acquis
in this area.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the requirements for membership and is expected to be in
a position to implement the
acquis
in the areas of
banking, insurance
and
investment
services and securities markets
by the time of accession, subject to the adoption of the
remaining legislative amendments. Slovenia should complete preparations in the
financial services sector.
Slovenia is partially meeting the requirements for accession in the areas of the
protection
of personal data, the right of establishment and the freedom to provide non-
financial services
as well as
information-society services.
In order to complete
preparations for membership, a number of important directives in the area of information-
society services remain to be transposed.This work must now be accelerated. Unless
Slovenia pays close attention to completing the screening of its legislation and to
removing all administrative and legal restrictions on the freedom to provide services and
the right of establishment, there is a risk that Slovenia may violate fundamental Treaty
principles in this area.
Chapter 4: Free movement of capital
Under this chapter, Member States must remove all restrictions in national law on the
movement of capital between themselves, but also with third countries (with some
exceptions) and adopt EU rules to guarantee the proper functioning of cross-border
payments and transfers of all forms of capital. The acquis under this chapter also includes
harmonised rules on payments systems and the fight against money laundering, requiring
adequate enforcement capacity.
In the area of
capital movements and payments,
Slovenia’s legislation is to a large
extent in line with the acquis. However, restrictions on foreign direct investment
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regarding limitations applying to exploitation of natural resources subject to a concession
still need to be removed.
In the field of
payment systems,
Slovenia still has to amend the Payment Transaction
Act to achieve full alignment on cross border credit transfers and settlement finality
directives. The out-of-court redress scheme needs to be established.
In the area of
fight against money laundering,
Slovenia is in line with the most recent
acquis as well as with the Financial Action Task Force recommendations. The Office for
Money Laundering Prevention functions well and the co-operation with other relevant
bodies is good (see
also chapter 24 – Justice and home affairs).
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the requirements for membership and is expected to be in
a position to implement the acquis in the area of
free movement of capital
from
accession. A limited number of issues regarding legislative alignment need to be
addressed before accession, in particular regarding capital movements and payment
systems. The out-of-court redress scheme in the field of payments remains to be set up.
Chapter 5: Company law
Under this chapter, Member States must adopt and apply harmonised rules required for
the proper operation of companies in the internal market. They concern five legislative
fields: company law in the strict sense, accounting law, intellectual property rights,
industrial property rights, and the recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and
commercial matters as well as of contractual obligations.
With regard to
company law
as such, Slovenia has transposed most of the
acquis.
Alignment with the
acquis
of the amended Companies Act, the Companies Financial
Operation Act, and the amended Law on Business Registry remains to be confirmed.
Administrative capacities are largely in place. However, computerisation and
centralisation of the business registry should be enhanced and the maximum duration of
company registration must be shortened. Slovenia must also ensure that court fees from
the register are just cost-covering.
With regard to
accounting,
Slovenia’s commitments have essentially been met. The
administrative structures are adequate, although minor adjustments are needed to ensure
that the Institute of Auditors is sufficiently prepared to produce accounting standards in
accordance with the Act on Accounting. Alignment with the
acquis
of the Slovenian
accounting standards remains to be confirmed.
In the field of
protection of intellectual and industrial property rights (IPR),
Slovenia
is essentially meeting its commitments. However, further harmonisation with regard to
the recent directive on copyright in the information society is necessary. Minor
adjustments are required in relation to the principles of mediation and good faith during
the negotiations for cable retransmission concerning the directive on copyright in satellite
broadcasting and cable re-broadcasting. As agreed in the accession negotiations, specific
transitional rules will apply in relation to pharmaceutical product patents, involving the
non-application of Community exhaustion to certain exports from Slovenia, as regards
the granting of supplementary protection certificates for medicinal and plant protection
products, and in relation to the extension of registered or pending Community trademarks
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to the territory of Slovenia. With regard to supplementary protection certificates for
pharmaceuticals and plant protection products, the Slovenian Government adopted two
regulations in June 2003, which entered into force in July 2003. As regards enforcement
of IPR, administrative structures are in place but need to be strengthened. Attention must
be paid to combating piracy and counterfeiting, especially to cope with the high level of
piracy in music and software. Further efforts are required to strengthen law enforcement
capacity, especially as regards border controls, and the effectiveness of the administration
and the judiciary. Better co-ordination among enforcement bodies (customs, police and
judiciary) needs to be pursued. Staffing has especially been increased and training carried
out, but training of judges and prosecutors must continue.
The
Regulation replacing the Brussels Convention
on mutual recognition and
enforcement of foreign judgements in civil and commercial matters will be directly
applicable upon accession, and accession to the
Rome Convention
will only be possible
upon accession. Slovenia should designate the relevant courts or other authorities to
ensure swift implementation of these provisions
(see also Chapter 24 - Justice and home
affairs).
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the requirements for membership, and is expected to be
by accession in a position to implement the
acquis,
in the areas of
company law,
accounting,
and the
Regulation replacing the Brussels Convention
and the
Rome
Convention.
The majority of commitments and requirements arising from the accession negotiations
in the field of the
protection of intellectual and industrial property rights
have been
met. Further legislative adjustments are required in respect of copyright and related
rights, and information society rules. Although the legislation is mostly in line, however,
enhanced efforts must be made to strengthen enforcement of intellectual and industrial
property rights. Better co-ordination among enforcement bodies is required and the
efficient functioning of a well-trained judiciary should be given particular attention.
Strengthening of border controls is required.
Chapter 6: Competition Policy
The competition
acquis
covers both anti-trust and state aid control policies. It includes
rules and procedures to fight anti-competitive behaviour by companies (restrictive
agreements between undertakings and abuse of dominant position), and to prevent
governments from granting state aid which distorts competition in the Internal Market.
Generally, the competition rules are directly applicable in the whole Union, and Member
States must fully co-operate with the Commission on the enforcement of these rules.
In the
anti-trust
sector, Slovenia has adopted legislation containing the main principles
of the Community anti-trust rules as regards restrictive agreements, abuse of dominant
position and merger control. Implementing legislation has also been adopted, but it would
be opportune to amend the legislation so as to enable the Competition Protection Office
(CPO) to set effective and deterrent fines on anti-competitive behaviour. Preparations
should also be made, as appropriate, for the application of the EC's new procedural
regulation.
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Slovenia has the basic implementing structure in place and has over the years established
a generally satisfactory enforcement record. However, urgent priority needs to be given to
strengthening the administrative capacity of the CPO in order to ensure its proper
functioning and independence, in particular by increasing the level of its resources and
decreasing the turnover rate of its staff. This should also help the CPO to carry out the
enforcement of competition policy in an effective way, to prepare it to assume its
responsibilities under the EC's new procedural regulation and to apply, when appropriate,
EC competition rules directly, and to focus on priority cases and on their timely
resolution. Moreover, further efforts are needed to raise awareness of the anti-trust rules
of all market participants and to build up a credible and transparent competition culture.
Special training for judges should be further developed.
In the field of state
aid,
Slovenia has adopted state aid rules covering the main principles
of the
acquis.
The necessary implementing structures are in place, and the State Aid Commission and
its secretariat, the State Aid Sector of the Ministry of Finance, are functioning
satisfactorily. Further efforts are needed to raise awareness of state aid rules among all
market participants and aid grantors. Slovenia should also pay further attention to training
the judiciary.
The enforcement record is generally satisfactory. In particular, the assessment of the aid
schemes and of the individual aid measures has been carried out in line with the
acquis
and is generally consistent with the Commission’s practice. Slovenia should continue to
ensure that all aid measures are monitored and controlled. Special attention should be
paid to ensuring that any state aid measures granted in connection with the privatisation
of individual companies comply with the EU state aid rules.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the state
aid
area and is expected to be in a position to
implement the
acquis
from accession.
Slovenia is partially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the
anti-trust
area. In order to complete preparations for
membership, Slovenia must as a priority strengthen the administrative capacity so as to
ensure credible enforcement of the anti-trust rules. In particular, the overall resources of
the CPO as well as its enforcement practice must still be considerably improved in the
period leading up to accession.
Chapter 7: Agriculture
The agriculture chapter covers a large number of binding rules, many of which are
directly applicable. The proper application of these rules and their effective enforcement
by an efficient public administration are essential for the functioning of the common
agricultural policy. This includes the setting up of management systems such as a Paying
Agency and the Integrated Administration and Control System, which are covered under
”horizontal issues” below, and also the capacity to implement rural development actions.
The acceding countries must be ready to be integrated into the common market
organisations for a range of agricultural products, including arable crops, fruits and
vegetables, and meat. Finally, this chapter covers detailed rules in the veterinary field,
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which are essential for safeguarding animal health and food safety in the internal market,
as well as in the phytosanitary field, including issues such as seed quality, harmful
organisms and plant protection products.
Horizontal issues
Slovenia has decided that the tasks of the
Paying Agency
will be performed by the
Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development (AAMRD), which has been
reinforced accordingly. Preparation of the manuals of procedure to implement the
common agricultural policy is proceeding according to plans. National accreditation
remains to be granted, but preparatory work is proceeding as scheduled. Nevertheless,
attention should be given to ensuring that the timetable for the remaining work is kept to.
The establishment of a functional
Integrated Administration and Control System
(IACS) is well advanced. The Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) is almost ready
and most IT systems are broadly in place. A central register of bovines has been set up.
Slovenia has generally made good progress with the implementation of the
acquis
in this
area.
The AAMRD will be responsible for the administration of
trade mechanisms.
The
relevant control tasks will be under the responsibility of the customs services.
Administrative structures are in place or are being completed. In some areas (e.g. non-
Annex-I products, manuals for veterinary service, statistics and risk analysis) further
detailed work will be necessary.
Following the adoption of new rules on organic bee-keeping, the sectors of
quality
policy
and
organic farming
are broadly in line with the
acquis
and administrative
capacity is in place.
The system to collect data for the
Farm Accountancy Data Network
(FADN) is in place
but Slovenia needs to further develop its administrative capacity in order to process and
transmit data to the Commission services.
State aid
measures in the field of agriculture remain to be brought in line with the
acquis.
As concerns direct payments to farmers, Slovenia has not yet decided whether or not to
apply the single area payment scheme (SAPS).
Common market organisations
The AAMRD will be responsible for intervention as well as inspection and authorisation
of payments for
arable crops.
The necessary legislation has been adopted.
The AAMRD has been designated as the responsible body for most of the elements of the
sugar
common market organisation (CMO). Rules and procedures for the most important
mechanisms in the sugar sector have been laid down. However, enhanced efforts are
requested to allow for practical implementation of the CMO by accession.
Implementing legislation as regards marketing standards for
fruit and vegetables
as well
as the establishment and recognition of producers’ organisations has been adopted.
Implementing legislation still remains to be adopted regarding the procedures for control
of operational funds. Administrative capacity to control marketing standards needs to be
strengthened.
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In the area of
wine and alcohol,
the CMO for wine remains to be further set up; most
legislation is already in place. Legislation needs still to be adopted on quality wines,
oenological practices, classification of vines and production potential, and on protection
of designations in the spirit drink sector. The implementation of the vineyard register
needs to be fully completed. The tasks of the various services in charge of implementing
the
acquis
in this area have been clearly defined.
Slovenia has adopted rules on the Register of Olive Growers and on the Register of Olive
Processors. Legislative alignment concerning EU quality standards for
olive oil
remains
to be completed. Preparation to implement the CMO, and in particular the Geographical
Information System (GIS) must be speeded up.
The preparation of the
milk
quota system, though it appears to be largely compliant with
the
acquis,
is at a conceptual stage. Slovenia intends to set up a provisional system for the
first year after accession. Although a transitional period for the management of the milk
quota system was agreed with Slovenia in the accession negotiations, Slovenia still needs
to take some basic decisions in this respect and urgently needs to accelerate the legal and
practical implementation of its plan. Immediate progress is required for Slovenia to have
functioning systems in place on time. Additional human resources should be allocated to
AAMRD, which will be responsible for managing the quota system and the other
mechanisms in the milk sector. Adequate procedures need to be established.
Legislation in the
beefmeat and sheep meat
sectors is in line with the
acquis.
In the
pigmeat
sector, legislation concerning carcass classification remains to be adopted.
Administrative structures are in place and function adequately.
For
eggs and poultry,
legislative measures as well as administrative structures are in
place, with the exception of the rules on egg quality.
Rural development
Slovenia’s legislation for multi-annual planning and implementation of programmes is in
place. The Public Finance Act has also been amended to be in line with the
acquis
in this
area. The AAMRD will be the paying agency for rural development and will be
responsible for implementation of the measures. The Agency already has substantial
experience with the implementation of SAPARD. Slovenia has informally transmitted its
draft Rural Development Plan for EAGGF Guarantee expenditures to the Commission.
Veterinary and phytosanitary issues
Transposition of legislation on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) and
animal by-products
has taken place and is largely in line with the
acquis.
Implementation is also satisfactory, despite minor shortcomings. A total feed ban has
been implemented.
For the establishment of the
veterinary control system of the internal market
Slovenia
needs to adopt the implementing legislation under its framework Veterinary Practice Act.
The administrative structures in this area also need to be strengthened. Slovenia has
joined the computerised network linking veterinary authorities, ANIMO, in 2001. The
acquis
on identification and registration of animals has been transposed, with the
exception of the rules on porcines. A central register for bovine animals in line with the
EU regulations has been set up and it is used for administrative controls on national
support schemes. According to information provided by Slovenia, 96-99 % of bovine
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animals are eartagged and passported. The distribution of powers between the services
involved needs to be clarified. The legislation on financing veterinary inspections and
controls remains to be fully transposed. Transposition regarding veterinary checks of
imports from third countries and rules for imports remains to be completed. Significant
work is still needed to bring border inspection posts into compliance with EU
requirements, the only exception being the road border crossing of Obrežje, where works
are at an advanced stage.
Regarding
animal disease control
measures, national contingency plans on foot and
mouth disease, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease and avian influenza remain to be
provided. Transposition of legislation in this area is almost complete. Slovenia has joined
the Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS) on a voluntary basis.
Legislation on
trade in live animals and animal products
still needs to be fully
transposed and implemented.
Steps have been taken to align Slovenian legislation with the
acquis
on
public health
protection. Slovenia is implementing a national plan for the upgrading of agri-food
establishments. According to Slovenia’s plan, establishments must comply with EU
requirements by the end of 2003. The supervision of the upgrading process should be
strengthened by providing adequate human resources and ensuring that appropriate
instructions are given for the evaluation of the establishments.
The
acquis
on
common measures
has been transposed, except for the rules on zoonoses.
The residue-monitoring programme does not yet fully meet the EU requirements.
The
acquis
in the field of
animal welfare
has largely been transposed. Slovenia has been
granted a transitional arrangement until the end of 2009 as regards the conditions (height
and slope of cages) for laying hens in certain farms, and until 1 December 2004 as
regards the floor area of the cages.
In the field of
zootechnics,
steps have been taken to align the Slovenian legislation with
the
acquis.
The
acquis
concerning
animal nutrition
has been transposed. Administrative capacity in
this field is adequate.
In the field of
phytosanitary
legislation, the
acquis
on plant health has been largely
transposed, both for harmful organisms and pesticides. However, legislation on seeds and
propagating material remains to be adopted. In the phytosanitary sector a number of
implementing decrees are still to be adopted.
Slovenia has to ensure that international veterinary and phytosanitary agreements are
brought into compliance with the EU
acquis
by accession.
Concerning food safety, considerable progress has been achieved to strengthen Slovenia’s
administrative capacity by adopting the governmental decree on co-ordination between
ministries and bodies, and by finalising procedures for handling alerts, enforcing
Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) at all stages and accrediting laboratories
in this area. Aspects of food safety are also covered under
Chapter 1 – Free movement of
goods.
Conclusion
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Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations, among the horizontal issues as regards the
Paying Agency,
the
Integrated Administration and Control System
(IACS),
trade mechanisms, quality
policy
and
organic farming,
the
Farm Accountancy Data Network
(FADN) and
state
aid;
among the common market organisations (CMOs) as regards
arable crops, fruit
and vegetables, wine, olive oil, beefmeat, sheep and pigmeat,
and
eggs and poultry;
and as regards
rural development.
In the veterinary and phytosanitary field, Slovenia is
essentially meeting the requirements in the areas of
TSEs and animal by-products,
animal disease control, animal welfare, zootechnics, animal nutrition
and
phytosanitary
issues. Subject to good progress being maintained in these areas, Slovenia
should be in the position to implement the
acquis
by accession.
Slovenia is partially meeting the commitments and requirements for membership as
regards the CMOs for
sugar
and
milk,
and in the veterinary field the
veterinary control
systems in the internal market, trade in live animals and animal products, public
health
in agri-food establishments and
common measures
(as regards residues). Unless
efforts are accelerated in these areas, there is a risk that functioning systems will not be in
place by accession.
Chapter 8: Fisheries
The
acquis
on fisheries consists of regulations, which do not require transposition into
national legislation. However, it requires the introduction of measures to prepare the
administration and the operators for participation in the Common Fisheries Policy (in the
areas of market policy, resource and fleet management, inspection and control, structural
actions and state aid). In some cases, existing fisheries agreements or conventions with
third countries or international organisations need to be adapted.
In the field of
resource and fleet management, and inspection and control,
the
adoption of secondary legislation of the Maritime Code and the Marine Fisheries Act, in
particular the implementing legislation for the Fishing Vessel Register, still remains to be
completed. The Fishing Vessel Register is, therefore, not functioning at this stage. The
number of staff in this area remains to be increased and Slovenia’s administrative
capacity should be strengthened.
In the area of
structural actions,
the chapter on fisheries of the Slovenian Single
Programming Document (SPD) has been submitted to the Commission. The content of
the measures and the administrative capacity foreseen for their implementation are still
being discussed.
Regarding
market policy,
Slovenia has adopted new rules on quality and fish products
placed on the market. Rules on producer organisations and on the implementation of the
common market organisation (namely on intervention and marketing standards) remain to
be adopted. The administrative structures for market policy have been established and are
working well.
As regards
state aid
to the fisheries sector, Slovenia must bring its national aid schemes
into conformity with the
acquis
by accession.
Slovenia has concluded an
international fishing agreement
with Croatia, which has not
yet entered into force.
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Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations, and is expected to be in a position from accession to implement
the
acquis,
in the area of
fisheries.
However, alignment with the
acquis
remains to be
completed with regard to the Fishing Vessel Register (FVR) and the implementing rules
of the common market organisation for fisheries. Slovenia’s administrative capacity in
this sector needs to be strengthened, in particular as regards the number of staff.
Chapter 9: Transport policy
EC transport legislation aims at improving the functioning of the Internal Market by
promoting efficient and environment- and user-friendly transport services. The transport
acquis
covers the sectors of road transport, railways, aviation, maritime transport and
inland waterways. Member States are required to adopt and implement legislation
concerning technical and safety standards as well as social standards. In order to further
develop the European Single Transport Market, EC legislation also includes rules on
market liberalisation. An important aspect of EC maritime policy is the establishment of
Union-wide maritime safety standards.
The extension of the
trans-European transport networks
has been defined. While the
necessary implementing structures in this area are in place, the capacity of the Ministry of
Transport to prepare, manage and monitor transport projects requires further
strengthening, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, in particular in the road and rail
sector.
In the land transport sector, Slovenia has completed legislative alignment with the
road
transport
acquis.
Framework legislation is in place and in line with the
acquis.
Alignment with the fiscal and social
acquis
has been completed. Implementing
legislation in the technical field remains to be adopted as regards speed limitation
devices, technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles, digital tachographs and
transportable pressure equipment. Slovenia is increasing the volume of checks of
working time and rest periods, but has not yet reached the volume required by the
acquis.
The necessary administrative structures in this area are in place.
Transposition of the
rail transport
acquis
remains to be completed with regard to the
revised railway
acquis
of February 2001 and the interoperability directives.
Implementation rules on infrastructure charging remain to be adopted. In the framework
of the ongoing reorganisation process, the Rail Agency was recently established on the
basis of the amended Railways Transport Act, and needs to be further strengthened, in
particular through specialised training of staff. The restructuring of the Railways Office
(as part of the Ministry of Transport) means that new staff should be hired.
On
inland waterways
transport, legislative alignment has been largely completed, except
with regard to some minor implementing legislation. Administrative structures in this
area are in place and satisfactory.
In the area of
air transport,
relevant framework legislation has largely been transposed
and is essentially in line with the
acquis.
However, some modifications are needed,
notably with regard to slot allocation and ground handling. Implementing legislation still
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needs to be adopted. The administrative capacity is largely satisfactory, but specialised
training of staff should continue.
In the field of
maritime transport,
framework legislation is in place and in line with the
acquis.
However, the adoption of implementing legislation remains to be completed, in
particular in relation to the
acquis
adopted under the “Erika” packages, and with regard to
the latest amendments to the
acquis
on passenger ships, fishing vessels, marine
equipment and port reception facilities. The relevant administrative structures in this area
are in place and are satisfactory.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the
transport sector,
and is expected to be in a position to
implement the
acquis
from the time of accession, provided that the current pace of
progress is maintained. Slovenia needs to reinforce administrative capacities for project
management regarding trans-European transport networks and in the area of rail
transport, and complete legislative alignment in the areas of inland waterways, road
transport, rail transport, air transport and maritime transport.
Chapter 10: Taxation
The acquis on taxation largely covers indirect taxation, as concerns VAT (value-added
tax) and excise duties. It lays down definitions and principles of VAT. Excise duties on
mineral oils, tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are regulated at EU level as
concerns the structure of the duty, the level of minimum rates and the holding and
movement of excisable goods. As concerns direct taxation, the acquis covers some
aspects of corporate taxes and aims mainly at removing obstacles to cross-border
activities between enterprises. Finally, the Community legislation in the area of
administrative co-operation and mutual assistance provides tools to prevent intra-
Community tax evasion and tax avoidance on both direct and indirect taxation.
In the area of indirect taxation, Slovenia is almost fully in line with the acquis on
VAT
and the transposition of the remaining issues is taking place according to schedule.
Slovenia still needs to complete alignment as concerns the scope of the reduced VAT rate
in a few areas, exemptions from VAT concerning postal services, definition of new
means of transport and refunds of VAT to foreign taxable persons not established in the
Community territory. Furthermore, minor discrepancies remain to be addressed in the
areas of the definition of taxable persons and taxable transactions. Slovenia has obtained
transitional periods as concerns the reduced VAT rate on construction, renovation and
maintenance work for residential housing not provided as part of a social policy (until 31
December 2007), and the reduced VAT rate on the preparation of meals (until 31
December 2007), and derogations to apply a VAT exemption and registration threshold
of €25 000 for small and medium-sized enterprises and the VAT exemption on
international passenger transport. The necessary administrative structures in this area are
in place and functioning well.
As concerns
excise duties,
Slovenia has nearly completed alignment with the acquis and
the transposition of the remaining issues is taking place according to schedule. However,
some minor discrepancies exist in the definition of cigars and cigarillos, and exemptions
for NATO armed forces should be introduced. Furthermore, Slovenia needs to extend the
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national suspension scheme to intra-community movements of excisable goods. The
gradual increase of excise duties on cigarettes is proceeding according to schedule.
Slovenia was granted a transitional period regarding the delayed implementation of
excise duty rates on cigarettes in respect of the minimum excise duty of € 64 per 1000
cigarettes of the category most in demand (until 31 December 2007). However, Slovenia
has still to provide a timetable for gradual alignment with the minimum excise rate
agreed in the accession negotiations. The required administrative structures to apply and
effectively implement the acquis in the area of excises are in place.
As concerns
direct taxation,
Slovenia needs to accelerate the process of transposition in
this area, in particular as concerns the Merger and Parent/Subsidiary Directives, as well
as the directives on the Taxation of Savings Income and on Interest and Royalties. In
order to comply with the principles of the Code of Conduct for Business Taxation,
Slovenia should amend its legislation on foreign income by introducing appropriate anti-
abuse measures. The capacity of the tax administration is sufficient to ensure the proper
implementation of the acquis.
On
administrative co-operation and mutual assistance
Slovenia is taking the
necessary steps to transpose the
acquis
and implement it by accession, both from the
legislative point of view and as concerns the operational structures including information
technology systems. The implementing structures are largely in place. The Department
for International Information Exchange (future Central Liaison Office) was created in
1999, whereas the Excise Liaison Office (ELO) in the General Customs Directorate was
set up in June 2003. The SEED database is in place. Specifications are being prepared for
the development of the IT system. If the work proceeds as planned, Slovenia is expected
to be in a position to meet the requirements for inter-operability with the VAT
information exchange system by accession.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations as concerns
VAT, excise duties
and
administrative co-operation
and mutual assistance,
and is expected to be by accession in a position to implement the
acquis in these areas. Slovenia needs to complete legislative alignment.
Slovenia is partially meeting its commitments in the area of
direct taxation,
where it
needs to accelerate the process of transposition as it still needs to transpose almost the
whole acquis in this area. The legislative process of alignment in this area should be
given high priority to avoid that Slovenia will not be aligned with the direct taxation
acquis
by accession.
Chapter 11: Economic and monetary union
EC legislation on Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) contains specific rules ensuring
the independence of central banks in Member States, prohibiting indirect financing of the
state by the central bank, and disallowing privileged access of the public sector to
financial institutions. These rules must be transposed into the national legislation, despite
the fact that Slovenia will not yet adopt the euro as a currency from accession. EMU
policy also includes the co-ordination of exchange rate and economic policies, adherence
to the stability and growth pact and the statutes of the European System of Central Banks.
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Slovenia has met the commitments and requirements arising from the accession
negotiations in the area of
economic and monetary union
and is in a position to
implement the
acquis
as from accession.
Chapter 12: Statistics
The
acquis
in the field of statistics requires adoption of basic principles such as
impartiality, reliability, transparency, confidentiality of individual data and dissemination
of official statistics. It also covers methodology, classifications and procedures for data
collection in various areas such as statistical infrastructure, macro-economic and price
statistics, business statistics, transport statistics, external trade statistics, demographic and
social statistics, agricultural statistics and regional statistics. The focal point of the
statistical system of a country is the National Statistical Institute, which acts as the
reference point for the methodology, production and dissemination of statistical
information.
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the area of
statistics
and is expected to be in a position to
implement the
acquis
as from accession. Slovenia needs to improve the quality and the
timeliness of data in certain domains such as migration statistics; data coverage of
Regional Agricultural Accounts and Environmental Statistics and of macroeconomic
statistics; short-term public finance statistics; and rail and inter-modal transport. Further
attention to the data coverage and quality of business statistics is needed. Administrative
capacity should be strengthened in terms of staff, in particular in the area of macro-
economic statistics.
Chapter 13: Social policy and employment
The
acquis
in the social field includes minimum standards in fields such as labour law,
equal treatment of women and men in employment and social security, and health and
safety at work. Specific binding rules have also been developed in public health (on
tobacco control and surveillance and control of communicable diseases) and recently also
with respect to non-discrimination on grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation. The European Social Fund (ESF) is the main
financial tool through which the EU supports the implementation of its Employment
Strategy and contributes to social inclusion efforts (implementation rules are covered
under Chapter 21, which deals with all structural instruments). The acceding countries
are expected to be able to participate in social dialogue at European level, and in the EU
policy processes in the areas of employment, social inclusion and social protection.
With regard to
labour law,
Slovenia’s legislation is largely in line with the
acquis
except
for the working time of seafarers and civil aviation workers. Some fine-tuning is still
needed in the legislation regarding collective redundancies. Slovenia has adopted
legislation aiming at completing alignment concerning the
acquis
on young people. The
new
acquis
supplementing the European Company Statute is expected to be transposed
after accession. The Guarantee and Maintenance Fund is operational.
Slovenia has transposed all legislation in the field of
equal treatment of women and
men
and the legislative transposition is in line with the
acquis.
The pensionable age for
male and female civil servants will need to be equalised upon accession, when the
pension scheme constitutes pay within the meaning of the Treaty and EC case law. The
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necessary implementing structures are in place. A specific implementing structure for the
hearing of cases of alleged unequal treatment of men and women and the issuing of
opinions has been established within the Office for Equal Opportunities.
In the area of
health and safety at work,
Slovenia has largely completed alignment with
the
acquis.
As agreed in the negotiations, transposition in the field of work at height is
foreseen by July 2004 (new acquis). Slovenia obtained transitional periods regarding the
Directives on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to noise,
chemical, and biological agents at work, which remain to be transposed until 31
December 2005. As regards the Framework Directive, some amendments are needed to
the Slovenian legislation with regard to the scope as well as first aid, fire-fighting and
evacuation. The National Labour Inspectorate is in place. The recruitment and training of
inspectors is ongoing but further strengthening, in terms of both staffing and technical
facilities, is needed.
As regards
social dialogue,
the administrative framework is in place and social dialogue
is well advanced, especially at tripartite level. Autonomous bipartite social dialogue and
free collective bargaining between social partners’ organisations with voluntary
affiliation should be promoted at both sectoral and enterprise level. Efforts should be
made to ensure the development of employers’ federations based on voluntary affiliation.
In the field of
public health,
Slovenia has completed alignment with the
acquis.
Strengthening of the administrative capacity should continue, especially concerning
laboratory facilities and with regard to a quality control system and accreditation in order
to implement EU requirements in the field of communicable disease surveillance and
control. Good progress has been made in improving the health status of the population
and in the field of health expenditure.
Concerning
employment policy,
efforts are still needed to effectively implement the
priorities identified in the Joint Assessment of the Employment Priorities (JAP). In
particular, it is important to enhance participation (of older people in particular) in the
labour market, to address the drop-outs and to continue with the reform of the education
and training systems, in particular concerning life-long learning. Furthermore, the
capacity and the role of the public employment service should be strengthened and the
incentives for people to take up jobs increased. Enhanced efforts are needed to address
informal and undeclared work and to promote active ageing.
As regards the future establishment of the
European Social Fund (ESF),
the
administrative framework is in place. However, further efforts in strengthening the
institutions and administrative capacity are still needed, notably in the areas of
monitoring, financial control and audit. Preparations for participating in the transnational
operations of the EQUAL initiative need to be enhanced.
The Commission and Slovenia are finalising the Joint Memorandum on Social Inclusion
(JIM), which identifies key challenges and possible policy orientations for promoting
social inclusion.
On this basis, an integrated strategy and a National Action Plan on
social inclusion will have to be developed. Analytical work and social statistics systems
on poverty and social exclusion should continue to be developed in line with the EU
commonly agreed indicators on social inclusion.
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In the field of
social protection,
sustained efforts are required to implement the reforms
that have been introduced to further help improve the level and efficiency of social
protection.
Concerning
anti-discrimination,
legislative alignment is advanced but remains to be
completed as regards the Equality Body, which needs to be established.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the areas of
labour law, equal treatment of women and men,
heath and safety at work, social dialogue, public health, employment policy, social
inclusion
and
social protection
and is expected to be in a position to implement this
acquis
from accession. Certain specific aspects of the
acquis
in the field of labour law
still need to be put in place. Some further legal alignment is necessary in order to ensure
full compliance with the
acquis
regarding health and safety at work. The National Labour
Inspectorate needs to be further strengthened. As regards employment policy, the
effective implementation of the priorities identified in the Joint Assessment Paper is
necessary to prepare for full participation in the European Employment Strategy.
Slovenia is meeting the majority of the commitments and requirements for membership
in the areas of
European Social Fund
and
anti-discrimination.
With regard to
European Social Fund, including EQUAL, while considerable progress has been achieved
during the last few months, further efforts are urgently needed in order to strengthen the
administrative capacity for management, implementation, monitoring, audit and control
at both national and regional level. Attention must also be given to the full
implementation of the anti-discrimination
acquis.
Chapter 14: Energy
EU energy policy objectives include the improvement of competitiveness, security of
energy supplies and the protection of the environment. The energy
acquis
consists of
rules and policies, notably regarding competition and state aids (including in the coal
sector), the internal energy market (for example, opening up of the electricity and gas
markets, promotion of renewable energy sources, crisis management and oil stock
security obligations), nuclear energy and energy efficiency. This chapter also covers
important aspects of the safety of nuclear installations.
With respect to
security of supply,
and in particular oil stocks, both framework
legislation and implementing legislation are in line with the
acquis.
The administrative
capacity required - the Slovenian Agency for Compulsory Oil Stocks - is in place and
functions satisfactorily. Building up of oil stocks is essentially taking place in accordance
with the transitional arrangement Slovenia has been granted, namely to reach the 90 days
of oil stocks required by the
acquis
by the end of 2005. Efforts should be sustained.
In the field of
competitiveness and the internal energy market
(electricity and gas
sectors), transposition of the
acquis
is taking place according to schedule. Framework
legislation, the Energy Act, is in place and in line with the
acquis.
Implementing
legislation is largely in place and in line with the
acquis.
A grid code and commercial
rules for gas network access were introduced in May 2003. Electricity price distortions
are being removed in line with the commitments taken. Market opening in the gas and
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electricity sectors is taking place in line with the commitments taken in the negotiations.
Presently 65% of the electricity market and 50% of the gas market are open for
competition. The regulatory body, the Energy Agency, whose task it is to oversee the gas
and electricity markets, has been established but needs to be strengthened further.
Slovenia should transpose the recently adopted electricity and gas directives in line with
the timetable provided for by this
acquis.
In the area of
energy efficiency and renewable energy,
legislative alignment has been
largely completed, except for the
acquis
on ballasts for fluorescent lights and the most
recent
acquis,
which should be transposed according to the timetables provided for in the
directives. Administrative structures in this area, with the Energy Agency as the main
institution, are in place but need to be strengthened. An updated National Energy
Efficiency Programme 2001-2005 is being implemented, also addressing renewable
energy issues.
In the field of
nuclear energy and nuclear safety,
Slovenia meets the commitments and
requirements arising from the accession negotiations and is in a position to implement the
Euratom
acquis
as from the date of accession. During the accession negotiations,
Slovenia committed itself to providing further information on measures to implement the
recommendations contained in the Council Report on Nuclear Safety in the Context of
Enlargement of June 2001. Slovenia provided such information in December 2001, and
in March and June 2002. In June 2003, Slovenia submitted comprehensive additional
information covering recent progress regarding all recommendations, including the
de
jure
independence of its nuclear regulatory authority SNSA from the promotion of
nuclear energy, Slovenia should continue to pay attention to further strengthening the
capacity of its radioactive waste management agency ARAO.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the
energy
chapter, and is expected to be in a position to
implement the
acquis
in this area from accession. Slovenia needs to continue to
progressively build up oil stocks in line with the schedule agreed during the negotiations.
In addition, Slovenia must remove the remaining electricity price distortions, and
transpose the most recent
acquis
on energy efficiency. It also needs to continue to further
strengthen administrative capacity in the energy sector.
Chapter 15: Industrial policy
EC industrial policy seeks to enhance industrial competitiveness and rates of
employment, whilst operating in markets open to international competition. Its aim is to
speed up adjustment to structural change, encouraging an environment favourable to
initiative and to the development of undertakings throughout the Community. EC
industrial policy mainly consists of policy principles and horizontal and sectoral
industrial policy communications.
Slovenia’s
industrial strategy
essentially complies with the concepts and principles of
EC industrial policy, i.e. it is market-based, stable and predictable. The necessary
administrative structures in this area are in place. The co-ordination with other relevant
Ministries and agencies has improved, but this process needs to continue.
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In the area of
privatisation and restructuring,
the process of terminating the Slovenian
Development Corporation, a body that owns state companies, should be completed. The
restructuring process focussing on steel and textiles/footwear is ongoing.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the
industrial policy
chapter and is expected to be in a position
to implement the relevant
acquis
as of accession.
Chapter 16: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SME policy aims to improve the formulation and co-ordination of enterprise policy
across the internal market with a view to supporting the development of SMEs. In doing
so, it seeks to improve the overall business environment in which SMEs operate. SME
policy consists largely of consultation fora and Community programmes, as well as of
communications, recommendations and exchanges of best practices.
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the chapter
small and medium-sized enterprises.
Alignment
with the new Commission recommendation on the SME definition should be carried out.
Slovenia should further simplify its business legislation and administrative environment.
The implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises should be maintained.
Chapter 17: Science and research
Due to its specificity, the
acquis
in the field of science and research does not require any
transposition in the national legal order. However, the necessary implementing capacity
needs to be created to allow for effective participation in activities under the Framework
Programmes in the field of research.
Slovenia has met the commitments and requirements arising from the accession
negotiations in the area of
science and research
and will be in a position to implement
the
acquis
as from accession.
Chapter 18: Education and training
Education, training and youth is primarily the competence of the Member States. The
Community's acquis consists of a directive on education of the children of migrant
workers, and of action programmes and recommendations. The necessary implementing
capacity needs to be in place to allow for effective participation in the Community
programmes related to this chapter (Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth).
Slovenia has met the commitments and requirements for membership in the area of
Community programmes,
and will be in a position to implement the relevant
acquis
from accession. The implementing capacity for Community programmes will need to be
enhanced to benefit from additional allocations for decentralised actions following
accession.
In the area of
education of children of migrant workers,
due implementation of the
acquis
needs to be ensured.
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Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the area of
education and training
and is expected to be in a
position to implement this
acquis
from accession. Efforts to implement the
acquis
on
education of children of migrant workers need to be ensured.
Chapter 19: Telecommunications and information technologies
The acquis in the field of telecommunications consists mainly of the 1998 regulatory
framework and a 2000 regulation, and is aimed at the elimination of obstacles to the
effective operation of the single market in telecommunications services and networks,
and the achievement of universally available modern services. A new regulatory
framework on electronic communications was adopted in 2002 and must be
implemented. As regards postal services, the objective is to implement the single market
by opening up the sector to competition in a gradual and controlled way, within a
regulatory framework which assures a universal service (1997 and 2002 acquis).
In the field of
telecommunications,
a fair degree of transposition of the acquis adopted in
the period 1998 to 2000 has been achieved, although transposition remains to be
completed concerning notification requirements, promotion of new technology, the
obligations of operators with significant market power versus other operators, and the
rules on legal interception. In addition, alignment with the 2002 acquis remains to be
completed. Fair competition in the telecommunication market remains to be improved as
a matter of priority, in particular for the fixed lines. Also, although interconnection
charges are now in line with EU benchmarks, cost orientation has not yet been
demonstrated, because SMP operators have not yet developed cost models. The
application of these benchmarks to smaller new market entrants is causing difficulties.
The regulatory agency has been established; however, adequate resources need to be
allocated to it so as to ensure its timely and efficient functioning. Furthermore, it needs to
step up its efforts to eliminate any discrimination by the incumbent operator and its
subsidiaries.
In the field of
postal services,
Slovenia is completing alignment with
the first postal directive as regards accounting, the thresholds of the
reserved services, the authorisation and licencing system, the
operation of the compensation fund and tariff schemes. Slovenia has
recently adopted legislation aiming at completing alignment
concerning the quality of services for the universal service. As
concerns the second postal directive, Slovenia has recently adopted
legislation intended to complete alignment. Slovenia has already
implemented the new thresholds for the reserved services.Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments in the field of
postal services
and is
expected to be in a position to implement the
acquis
by accession. Slovenia should give
priority to completing the transposition of the
acquis
in the postal sector.
Slovenia is partially meeting the commitments in the field of
telecommunications.
In
order to complete preparations for membership, enhanced efforts are required to complete
the transposition of the acquis in this field and to enforce it. The national regulator should
be strengthened in order to ensure the capacity to implement effectively the postal
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services and telecommunications acquis, which includes ensuring competition on the
market.
Chapter 20: Culture and audio-visual policy
The culture and audio-visual policy chapter requires legislative alignment with the
Television without Frontiers directive and contains the community programmes Culture
2000, Media Plus and Media Training. Alignment with the Television without Frontiers
directive creates the conditions for the free movement of television broadcasts within the
Community. It implies basic common requirements concerning advertising; the
protection of minors and public order; and the promotion of European works.
Slovenia’s legislation is largely in line with the
audio-visual
policy
acquis,
but measures
to implement the derogation for local broadcasters should be refined. Administrative
capacity for implementation of the audio-visual
acquis
should be improved.
Slovenia meets the requirements for participation in Community activities in the field of
culture.
Conclusion
Slovenia has met the commitments and requirements arising from the accession
negotiations in the field of
culture.
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and
requirements arising from the accession negotiations on
audio-visual policy
and is
expected to be in a position to implement the
acquis
by accession. Administrative
capacity should be improved.
Chapter 21: Regional policy and co-ordination of structural
instruments
The
acquis
under this chapter consists mostly of regulations, which do not require
transposition into national legislation. They define the rules for drawing up, approving
and implementing Structural Funds programmes and Cohesion Fund actions. These
programmes are negotiated and agreed with the Commission, but implementation is the
responsibility of the Member States. It is essential that Member States respect
Community legislation in general, for example in the areas of public procurement,
competition and environment, when selecting and implementing projects, and have the
necessary institutional structures in place to ensure implementation in a sound and cost-
effective manner from the point of view of both management and financial control.
Slovenia has agreed with the Commission on a provisional NUTS classification of its
territorial organisation.
The essential feature of the
legislative framework,
i.e. the ability to ensure multi-annual
budget programming, is in place. The Public Finance Act established the legal basis for
the adoption of two-year budgets. Flexibility is ensured through the Law on Execution of
the State Budget, which sets rules for reallocation of approved expenditures in the state
budget and changes of investment projects.
The legislative framework for financial control and compliance with Community policy
is monitored in other chapters. However, in order for Slovenia to make effective use of its
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eligibility for structural funds as from 1 January 2004, the relevant
acquis
in the areas
such as public procurement, state aid and environmental protection will need to be fully
respected from that date.
The
institutional structures
for the preparation and implementation of the Structural and
Cohesion Funds were modified in December 2002. The Government Office for Structural
Policy and Regional Development (GOSPARD) was set up and designated Managing
Authority for the Structural and Cohesion Funds. It currently employs twelve people.
Three Intermediate Bodies have been appointed: the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the
Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Agriculture. The responsible departments in the
Ministries still have to be defined. The National Fund, part of the Ministry of Finance,
has been designated as the single Paying Authority, and will perform the certification of
expenditure to the Commission. Overall the implementation structure needs to be better
defined and considerably strengthened. A proposal in that sense has been submitted by
Slovenia.
Internal audit units have been established within the line Ministries; they will be co-
ordinated by the Budgetary Supervisory Service in the Ministry of Finance, which has
established guidelines for internal audit. The internal audit units need to be strengthened.
Training of auditors needs to be a priority. The internal audit unit of the Ministry of
Finance will be in charge of the internal audit of the future Paying Authority.
Effective inter-ministerial co-ordination, allocation of tasks and setting-up of the delivery
structures placed under the responsibility of the Managing Authority and the Paying
Authority as well as the identification of final beneficiaries require particular attention.
The
programming
document in the format of a Single Programming Document (SPD)
was submitted in April 2003, and the ex ante evaluation has been integrated. The
programme complement has been submitted in September 2003. The draft SPD was
presented in all Slovenian regions in order to raise awareness and launch an open
discussion on the document. The monitoring committee is being set up. It will involve the
ministries concerned and a broad range of social and economic partners.
GOSPARD, as Managing Authority, is responsible for establishing an effective
monitoring and evaluation system. The current monitoring system (ISNARD) does not
adequately cover Structural Funds monitoring and reporting needs. Far-reaching
adaptations are needed to meet the requirements of the
acquis.
The harmonisation of
modules, definition of indicators and pilot testing are under way and should be given
adequate attention.
Considerable and sustained efforts are needed to establish a pipeline of projects that are
ready to be implemented in technical and financial terms so as to enable Slovenia to
benefit fully from Community funds as soon as the programme starts.
The
financial management and control
system is being established. The specific
procedures for financial control, auditing, certification of expenditure and correction of
irregularities are being finalised. The financial flows and provision of audit trails between
the Paying Authority, the Managing Authority, intermediate bodies and final beneficiaries
still need to be defined. The functional separation within the Paying Authority of the
certifying and authorising functions needs to be ensured. This is a cause of concern since
the independence of the certifying staff in the Paying authority from authorising functions
is not clarified.
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In order to fulfil obligations in connection with the implementation of the Structural and
Cohesion Funds, the Ministry of Finance and the winding-up body must automatically
receive audit plans and reports on the 5% on the spot checks for Structural Funds and
15% for the Cohesion Fund.
Additionality will be verified before approval of the Single Programming Document.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations on this chapter, in particular as regards
territorial organisation
and
programming.
Slovenia now needs to focus on establishing an adequate pipeline of
well-prepared projects. Slovenia needs to make sure that final beneficiaries will be in a
position to effectively apply public procurement rules.
The requirements relating to the necessary
legislative framework, institutional
structures
and
financial management and control
are only partially met. Particular
attention must be paid to defining and completing the administrative structures for the
management and monitoring of the Structural and Cohesion Funds, given that part of the
architecture of the management system has been significantly changed. They must be
prepared to apply effectively the new rules on public procurement in line with EU
requirements, in order to benefit from Community funding from 1 January 2004. In the
area of financial management and control procedures need to be finalised, financial flows
and audit trails defined and an adequate separation of functions within the Paying
Authority ensured.
Chapter 22: Environment
Community environment policy aims to promote sustainable development and protect the
environment for present and future generations, and is based on the integration of
environmental protection into other Community policies, preventive action, the polluter
pays principle, fighting environmental damage at source, and shared responsibility. The
acquis
comprises over 200 legal acts covering horizontal legislation, water and air
pollution, management of waste and chemicals, biotechnology, nature protection,
industrial pollution and risk management, noise, and radiation protection. Ensuring
compliance with the
acquis
requires significant investments, but also brings significant
benefits for public health and reduces costly damage to forests, buildings, landscapes and
fisheries. A strong and well-equipped administration at national, regional and local level
is imperative for the application and enforcement of the environment
acquis.
Horizontal legislation
is in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except for the recent
acquis
on strategic environmental impact assessment, which needs to be transposed and
implemented by July 2004 in line with the Directive, as well as regulations completing
transposition of environmental impact assessment, which need to be transposed by
accession. While the relevant administrative capacities are in place and function
adequately, the competent authority for strategic environmental impact assessment needs
to be designated.
In the
air quality
sector, legislation is in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except for
implementing legislation on the monitoring of air quality. Administrative capacities are
in place and function adequately.
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In the field of
waste management,
legislation is in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except for implementing legislation as regards an amendment to the Environment
Protection Act regarding financial security for landfill. Administrative capacities are in
place and function adequately. The establishment of collection systems and recovery and
disposal facilities needs to continue. As regards packaging waste, a transitional
arrangement until 31 December 2007, with intermediate targets, has been agreed.
In the area of
water quality,
legislation is in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except
for the recent framework
acquis
on water, which needs to be transposed by accession.
Administrative capacities are in place and function adequately. An inventory of
discharges of dangerous substances and corresponding pollution reduction programmes
needs to be completed by accession. As regards urban waste water, a transitional
arrangement until 31 December 2015, with intermediate targets, has been agreed.
In the field of
nature protection,
legislation is in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except for implementing legislation on habitats and birds, which needs to be completed.
Further efforts are needed to finalise the preparation of a list of proposed sites of
Community interest and the designation of special protection areas by accession, and to
apply the relevant protection measures. Close attention needs to be paid to ensuring
proper consultation while avoiding delays. Administrative capacities are in place and
function, but require further attention.
The legislation on
industrial pollution and risk management
is partly in place and is in
line with the
acquis.
Implementing legislation on the permitting procedure for
installations subject to the rules on integrated pollution and prevention control (IPPC),
volatile organic compounds, and major accident hazards (safety reports and inspection
controls), and the recent
acquis
on large combustion plants and national emission
ceilings, all need to be transposed by accession. Administrative capacities are in place
and function, but, following the delay in transposing the IPPC Directive, the capacity to
issue permits for new IPPC installations and to ensure compliance with them by
accession needs to be enhanced. As regards existing IPPC installations, permits need to
continue to be issued and complied with until October 2007. Arrangements must be made
for stakeholder participation in the licensing procedure. The establishment of licensing
systems for the operation of large combustion plants and for the incineration of waste
needs to be completed. As regards IPPC, transitional arrangements until 30 October 2011
have been agreed for certain installations in Slovenia.
The legislation concerning
chemicals and genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) is
in place and is in line with the
acquis,
except for the recent
acquis
on the deliberate
release into the environment of GMOs. Administrative structures are in place, but need to
be strengthened in the biocides area. Co-ordination between the organisations involved
needs to continue to be enhanced.
Transposition of the
acquis
on
noise
is proceeding according to schedule and the
legislation is in line with the
acquis,
except for the recent
acquis
on ambient noise, which
needs to be transposed by July 2004 in line with the Directive. Notified bodies need to be
approved.
As regards
nuclear safety and radiation protection,
framework legislation is in place
and is in line with the
acquis.
However, a significant amount of implementing legislation
remains to be adopted by accession (basic safety standards, outside workers, shipments of
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radioactive waste, information on emergencies, and medical exposure). Administrative
capacities in this area are largely in place and function adequately.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations and is expected to be in a position to implement the
acquis
in all
areas of
environment
policy by accession. Slovenia needs to finalise the legal alignment
as regards the following areas: horizontal legislation, air quality, waste management,
water quality, nature protection, industrial pollution and risk management, genetically
modified organisms, noise, and nuclear safety and radiation protection. Moreover,
Slovenia must complete inventories of discharges of dangerous substances and finalise
the programmes for discharges of dangerous substances to water. The establishment of
waste collection systems and recovery and disposal facilities needs to continue. Slovenia
must make further efforts to finalise its lists of proposed nature protection sites and
special bird protection areas. In this context, close attention needs to be paid to ensuring
proper consultation while avoiding delays. As regards industrial pollution, permits for
IPPC installations need to be issued and complied with according to
acquis
deadlines and
administrative capacity requires particular attention. Authorisation procedures for
biocides need to be established.
Chapter 23: Consumer and health protection
The
acquis
covers protection of the economic interests of consumers (concerning
misleading and comparative advertisement, price indication, consumer credit, unfair
contract terms, distance and doorstep selling, package travel, timeshare, injunctions for
the protection of consumers’ interests, and certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods
and associated guarantees) as well as the general safety of goods (liability for defective
products, dangerous imitations and general product safety). Recently adopted legislation
includes rules on general product safety and distance marketing of consumer financial
services. The acceding countries need to effectively enforce the
acquis
through
appropriate judicial and administrative systems, including market surveillance and a role
for consumer organisations.
Slovenia has transposed the
acquis
on
safety-related measures
except for the revised
directive on general product safety. Slovenia has adopted legislation in order to complete
alignment with the
acquis
on the liability of defective products. The administrative
structures are in place, but need to be strengthened in terms of both financial and human
resources. This concerns especially the Market Inspectorate.
Market surveillance
relating to general product safety is being developed and Slovenia has created the
relevant policy, management structures and information system. However, the capacity of
the main bodies in charge of market surveillance activities needs to be further developed
and their co-ordination improved. These structures need also to be strengthened in terms
of both financial and human resources.
As regards
non-safety related measures,
Slovenia has transposed legislation in the areas
of injunctions for the protection of consumer interests and sale of consumer goods and
associated guarantees. Some issues have to be addressed with respect to comparative and
misleading advertising and the use of languages in commercial communications vis-à-vis
the consumer. More efforts are needed to effectively enforce consumer policy. The
administrative structures in terms of both financial and human resources need to be
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further developed and strengthened, especially concerning the Office for Consumer
Protection. Promotion and establishment of alternative dispute resolution schemes
requires more support from the government.
With regard to
consumer organisations
the role of non-governmental organisations
needs to be further promoted in order to develop and implement consumer policy and
encourage more active involvement in developing consumer product safety standards.
The government needs to grant more financial support to consumer organisations and
establish a clear division of tasks between the Office for Consumer Protection and
consumer NGOs. Slovenia should furthermore improve and increase the level of
consumers’ and businesses’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the areas of
safety-related measures,
and
consumer
organisations,
and is expected to be in a position to implement this
acquis
as from
accession. Slovenia needs to complete alignment with the
acquis
concerning the revised
general product safety directive.
Slovenia is meeting the majority of the requirements for membership in the area of
market surveillance
and
non-safety related measures.
In order to complete
preparations for membership, Slovenia should complete alignment in the non-safety
related area and improve market surveillance to ensure the proper enforcement of
legislation on safety and non-safety related measures including by strengthening the
administrative capacity and structures.
Chapter 24: Co-operation in the field of justice and home affairs
The most developed part of this chapter is the Schengen acquis, which entails the lifting
of internal border controls. However, much of this acquis will not apply to the acceding
countries upon accession, but only after a later separate Council Decision. The Schengen
Implementation Action Plan aims at preparing this on the basis of a credible schedule for
the introduction of the Schengen provisions. Binding rules which must be put in place as
from accession include part of the rules on visas, rules on external borders and the acquis
on migration, asylum, police co-operation, combating organised crime, fight against
terrorism, fraud and corruption and drugs, customs co-operation as well as human rights
legal instruments. On issues such as border control, illegal migration, drugs trafficking
and money laundering, organised crime, police and judicial co-operation, data protection
and the mutual recognition of court judgements, acceding countries need to be equipped
to meet adequate standards of administrative capacity. The establishment of an
independent, reliable and efficient judiciary and police organisation are also of paramount
importance.
Implementation of the
Schengen Action Plan
is in general satisfactory. However, some
changes have been introduced to the staff recruitment plans from what was foreseen in
the Action Plan. Slovenia should ensure that these changes do not affect its capacity to
ensure the required high level of border control at what will become the future external
border of the EU. Slovenia should continue its preparations for the lifting of internal
borders and full implementation of the Schengen
acquis
on the basis of a further decision
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to be taken by the Council. The preparation for integration into the Schengen Information
System (SIS) II is progressing according to schedule.
The legislative framework for
data protection
is in place. However, Slovenia should
complete the ongoing amendments of legislation to ensure that the powers of the
supervisory institutions (consisting of a Deputy Ombudsman dealing with data protection
issues and an inspectorate in the Ministry of Justice) are in line with the
acquis
requirements. These institutions should also be given adequate resources to fulfil their
tasks.
Slovenian
visa policy
is fully aligned with that of the EU. As regards implementation and
administrative capacity, the on-line system for visas has been introduced in almost all
Slovenian missions abroad.
The implementation of the measures to improve control of
external borders
in Slovenia
has continued in accordance with the Schengen Action Plan. A new Border Act defining
the bodies responsible for border control and surveillance entered into force in January
2003. The measures are co-ordinated by a special working group in the General
Directorate of the Police. The actions are focused on the green border with Croatia.
Slovenia is in the process of upgrading its equipment for border surveillance, including
sea borders and the construction of border posts at its border with Croatia. Slovenia
concluded a cross-border police co-operation agreement with Croatia and it entered into
force in April 2003. Agreements with Austria and Hungary on cross-border police co-
operation are being prepared. A bilateral agreement on simplified border procedures in
rail and road transport with Croatia was signed in April 2003.
As far as
migration
is concerned, amendments to the Law on Foreigners regarding
family reunification, employment of third country nationals and carrier liability were
adopted in September 2002 completing alignment in this area.
The basic legislation on immigration and
asylum
is in place. Implementing rules related
to the rights of asylum seekers were adopted in September 2002, however implementing
rules related to the rights and benefits of recognised asylum seekers (the integration
decree) are still pending. Slovenia’s legislation concerning safe third countries is in line
with the
acquis
as is the practice of manifestly unfounded applications. The practice
concerning manifestly unfounded applications should be monitored further in order to
ensure that it is fully in line with the acquis. The asylum home in Ljubljana has been
separated from the aliens centre (detention centre for illegal migrants). The
accommodation capacity both for alien centres and asylum-homes is continuously being
increased. As regards implementation capacity, Slovenia should continue its preparations
for participation in EURODAC and Dublinet.
In the field of
police co-operation and combating organised crime,
international co-
operation is well established and the implementation of the co-operation agreement with
Europol is progressing smoothly. Attention should be paid to the timely preparation of
national procedures in order to ensure swift ratification of the Europol Convention upon
accession to the EU. Slovenia has started sending liaison officers abroad. Slovenia still
needs to align its Penal Code with the Council decision to combat child pornography on
the Internet. A co-operation agreement between customs and the police in the area of
crime prevention and detection was signed in February 2003. Slovenia should ensure
implementation of this agreement as well as adequate co-operation and co-ordination
between the police, the public prosecutors and judiciary. Slovenia should also continue
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its efforts to combat trafficking of human beings, including its ongoing co-operation with
NGOs. Slovenia is both a transit and a destination country. Slovenia has signed but not
yet ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three
protocols.
Concerning the
fight against terrorism,
Slovenia still needs to ratify the 1999 UN
Convention for the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism. Slovenia should also continue
its preparations to accede to the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters
between the EU and Member States (2000) upon accession.
The legislative framework in the area of the
fight against fraud and corruption
is in
place in Slovenia. However, a new comprehensive anti-corruption law has been adopted
by the Government and is pending ratification of the Parliament. Amendments to the
Penal Code still need to be adopted to complete alignment with the 1995 Convention on
the Protection of the EC’s Financial Interests’ and its protocols as well as with the 1997
OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Public Officials in International Business
Transactions (ratified in 2001). Full alignment with and implementation of the Council
Framework Decisions on the protection of the euro against the counterfeiting should also
be ensured. Slovenia has yet to designate a National Central Office, dealing notably with
banknote and coin analysis. The Council of Europe Civil Law Convention on Corruption
has been ratified in March and it entered into force in April 2003. An institutional
framework for combating fraud and corruption exists including specialised units in the
police and an Office for Prevention of Corruption. The office is, among other things,
providing training in this area. The anti-corruption strategy adopted by the Government
and pending ratification of the Parliament should contribute to improving co-ordination
between the different law enforcement bodies to fight organised crime. As regards
corruption, see also
Section C.1. — Administrative and judicial capacity.
The legal framework in the area of
fight against drugs
is in place; however, the National
Programme for Prevention of Drug Abuse (2003-2008) still remains to be adopted by the
Parliament. Some changes have been introduced to the institutional framework, notably
the integration of the Government Anti-Drug Office to the Ministry of Health from
January 2004 onwards. Strengthening of border control especially at the borders with
Croatia and Hungary is important for ensuring effective control of drug transit.
Slovenia has completed its legislative alignment with the acquis on
money laundering.
The National Office for Money Laundering Prevention acts as the Slovenian Financial
Intelligence Unit and is functioning adequately (see
also Chapter 4 – Free movement of
capital).
Concerning
customs co-operation,
co-operation with OLAF has been effective. Slovenia
should continue to prepare and conclude Memoranda of Understanding on co-operation
between customs and business organisations in combating drug trafficking.
Regarding
judicial co-operation in criminal and civil matters,
Slovenia should
complete legislative alignment, in particular by ratifying the 1972 Convention on the
Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters (that Slovenia signed in 2002) and by
signing the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions concerning
Custody of Children and the Restoration of Custody of Children. Direct contact between
competent judicial authorities should be made possible.
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As regards the
reform of the judiciary
in general, a detailed analysis is provided in
Section C.1. — Administrative and judicial capacity.
All the
human rights legal instruments
under the justice and home affairs
acquis
have
been ratified by Slovenia.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations and is expected to be able to implement by accession the acquis in
relation to
the Schengen Action Plan, visa policy, external borders, migration,
asylum, police co-operation and combating organised crime,
the
fight against
terrorism, drugs
and
money laundering, customs co-operation, judicial co-operation
in criminal and civil matters,
and
the human rights legal instruments.
Some
adjustments need to be made to the institutional set up on data protection and to the Penal
Code to complete alignment on police co-operation, the fight against terrorism and
judicial co-operation in criminal and civil matters, as well as to the asylum act to align
legislation on the rights of asylum seekers.
Slovenia is partially meeting the requirements in respect of the
acquis
on
data
protection,
the
fight against fraud and corruption.
In order to complete preparations
for membership, the adoption of the amendments to the Penal Code should be
accelerated.
Chapter 25: Customs union
The Customs Union acquis consists almost exclusively of legislation which is directly
binding on the Member States and does not require transposition into national law. It
includes the Community’s Customs Code and its implementing provisions; the
Combined Nomenclature, Common Customs Tariff and provisions on tariff
classification, customs duty reliefs, duty suspensions and certain tariff quotas; and other
provisions such as those on customs control of counterfeit and pirated goods, drugs
precursors and cultural goods and on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters
as well as Community agreements in the areas concerned, including transit. Member
States must ensure that the necessary enforcement capacities, including links to the
relevant EC computerised customs systems, are in place.
Slovenia’s
customs legislation
is in line with the acquis as it stood in 2001 except for the
amendment of the Administrative Fees Act as well as some minor issues such as time
limits for communication and payment of customs debts. Implementation of the
remaining acquis, including 2002 and 2003 provisions, and in particular the Community
acquis with regard to the control of precursors chemicals, will take place upon accession,
when the EC customs legislation becomes directly applicable. National provisions
superseded by the acquis are to be repealed at the time of accession and agreements on
mutual administrative assistance in customs matters are to be amended as necessary.
Concerning
administrative and operational capacity,
the necessary administrative
capacity is in place and development of operational capacity is on track. Slovenia should
continue to reorganise its administration in the light of changes related to accession.
Regarding the computerised customs system and all the other interconnectivity-related
issues, Slovenia is well advanced and all projects are on schedule for completion by the
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time of accession. Slovenia should finalise work on the computerised transit system, and
on the interface between the entry-processing system and integrated tariff system and the
tariff quota system.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations and is expected to be in a position by accession to implement the
customs union
acquis with the necessary administrative and operational capacity.
Chapter 26: External relations
The main element in this chapter, the common commercial policy, is made up of directly
binding EU legislation which does not require transposition into national law. The
acceding countries were requested to align before accession with the
acquis
on dual-use
goods and, where applicable, export credits. Acceding countries committed themselves to
ensure compatibility with the
acquis
of their bilateral agreements with third countries. In
the area of humanitarian aid and development policy, countries need to ensure the
capacity to participate in the EC’s development and humanitarian policies.
The administrative structures for dealing with the issues related to the
common
commercial policy
are in place and sufficient.
Slovenia has co-ordinated its positions and policies with the Commission with regard to
the Doha Development Agenda. Slovenia should continue close co-ordination and co-
operation with the Commission, mainly in order to carry on preparing the convergence of
its GATS commitments and Most Favoured Nations exemptions into the EU ones
(consolidation EU 25), to be finalised upon accession. Slovenia co-operated with the
Community in the process of its third stage notification, thus avoiding further
discrepancies between integration schedules under the Agreement on Textiles and
Clothing with the Community.
On trade in dual-use goods, Slovenia has reached a high degree of alignment with the
acquis.
Further alignment, in particular regarding the list of dual-use items, needs to be
achieved, as export control regimes continue to adopt decisions, which the EU integrates
into its legislation. Membership in all export control regimes is a crucial factor enabling
implementation of export controls by Slovenia. Based on the Thessaloniki Action Plan to
support the acceding countries’ membership in export control regimes, the EU supports
Slovenia’s accession to the regimes to which it has already applied but is not yet a
member. The Commission supports Slovenia’s renewed intentions to apply to the
Wassenaar regime in the near future. Full alignment as regards the Community general
export authorisation can only take place upon accession.
Legislative alignment in the area of export credits has been completed. Administrative
structures are in place and satisfactory.
With regard to
bilateral agreements with third countries
Slovenia needs to confirm
that all agreements with third countries which it wishes to maintain after accession are
compatible with its EU obligations and take further steps to terminate or renegotiate those
international agreements that are found to be incompatible with the
acquis.
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In the area of
humanitarian aid and development policy,
Slovenia has established a
system for the national co-ordination of development and humanitarian aid. Slovenia is
completing preparations for the EU’s policy in international development co-operation.
Humanitarian aid has been provided on a reasonable scale through the UN and Red Cross
families. Slovenia needs to ensure that there is a development policy in line with EC
principles, in particular with the guidelines laid down by the OECD Development
Assistance Committee, as well as the commitments and objectives that Slovenia has
approved in the context of UN and other international organisations.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations and is expected to be able to implement the
acquis
on the
common commercial policy
and
humanitarian aid and development policy.
Slovenia
needs to ensure that there is a development policy in line with EU principles.
Slovenia is meeting the majority of the commitments and requirements for membership
in relation to
bilateral agreements with third countries.
In order to complete
preparations in this area, Slovenia must take decisive steps towards renegotiating or
terminating its bilateral agreements to make sure that they are compatible with the
acquis
upon accession.
Chapter 27: Common foreign and security policy
The acquis related to the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) is essentially based
either on legally binding international agreements or on political agreements to conduct
political dialogue in the framework of CFSP, to align with EU statements, and to apply
sanctions and restrictive measures where required.
Slovenia has the required administrative capacity to participate in the
political dialogue.
Slovenia has undertaken preparations for exchange of classified information in the
framework of Extranet.
With regard to alignment with
EU sanctions and restrictive measures, statements,
declarations and démarches,
Slovenia has the required legislative framework and
administrative capacity in place.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the chapter
common foreign and security policy,
and is
expected to be able to participate in the political dialogue and to align with EU
statements, sanctions and restrictive measures by accession.
Chapter 28: Financial control
The acquis under this chapter consists mostly of general, internationally agreed and EU-
compliant principles of public internal financial control that need to be transposed into
the control and audit systems of the entire public sector. In particular, the acquis requires
the existence of adequate ex ante financial control and functionally independent internal
audit systems; an independent external audit of the public internal financial control
46
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systems in the public sector; an appropriate financial control mechanism for EU pre-
accession funding and future structural action expenditure; and arrangements on the
protection of EC financial interests. In addition, an anti-fraud co-ordination service,
capable of co-operating with the Commission’s Anti-fraud Office OLAF at an
operational level, is to be designated.
In the area of
public internal financial control
Slovenia´s framework and implementing
legislation is in place and in line with the acquis. The necessary institutions are in place.
However, the administrative capacity of the Central Harmonisation Unit in the Budget
Supervisory Service needs to be enhanced by upgrading the status and salaries of the
staff. Also, the Guidelines for Financial Management and Control and the generic audit
trail for spending centres are still to be adopted.
As regards
external audit
legislative alignment has largely been completed, however, the
manual of the Court of Audit still needs to be finalised. Slovenia should also ensure
adequate functioning of external audit.
Concerning
control over EU pre-accession funding and structural action
expenditure,
the framework legislation is in place and essentially in line with the acquis.
The implementing legislation is in place but it should be strengthened further. A
comprehensive description of the systems (audit trail) is still required. This is important
in order to ascertain that appropriate separation of functions is ensured. Appropriate
administrative structures are being set up and Slovenia should enhance its administrative
capacity to manage the pre-accession funds and future structural funds in order to fully
meet the requirements for financial control and internal audit. Training should be
provided. Regarding pre-accession assistance, delays have occurred in preparation for the
extended decentralised implementation system (EDIS).
In the area of the
protection of EC financial interests,
Slovenia needs to further
complete the framework and implementing legislation, in particular with a view to
defining the powers of the anti-fraud co-ordination service (AFCOS) and relations with
other relevant institutions and bodies. Slovenia has designated the Budget Supervisory
Service as the anti-fraud co-ordination service. Effective co-operation with other relevant
Slovenian institutions and bodies and with OLAF should now be implemented in
practice.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the chapter
financial control
and is expected to be in a position
to implement this
acquis
as of accession. The operational and administrative capacities in
the areas of public internal financial control and control over structural action
expenditure need to be strengthened, separation of functions ensured, and preparations
for the extended decentralised implementation system speeded up. In the area of
protection of EC financial interests, the legislative framework should be completed and
administrative capacity demonstrated in practice.
Chapter 29: Financial and budgetary provisions
Chapter 29 covers the rules concerning the financial resources necessary for the funding
of the EC budget (‘own resources’). These own resources are made up mainly from
47
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contributions from Member States based on 1) traditional own resources from customs
and agricultural duties and sugar levies, 2) a resource based on VAT and 3) a resource
based on the level of gross national income (GNI). Member States must ensure the
creation of appropriate administrative capacity to adequately co-ordinate and ensure the
correct calculation, collection, payment and control of own resources and reporting to the
EU for implementation of the own resources rules.
As regards the
traditional own resources (TOR),
a national reporting system on cases
of fraud and irregularity has been established in Slovenia but some changes still need to
be introduced to the procedures for reporting to the Commission in line with the
OWNRES system. The Customs Administration has been designated as the authority
responsible for administration of the sugar levies but the necessary implementing
structure and administrative procedures still need to be established. The A and B
accounts in line with the EC system are largely in place, except for the sugar levies, and
are accurate. However, some fine-tuning is needed on keeping B accounts.
Slovenia is in a position to calculate the weighted average rate (WAR) for establishing
the
VAT-based resource
in accordance with ESA95 methodology, however, some fine-
tuning is still required, including for the calculation of some financial compensations
(passenger transport and business cars).
As regards the
GNI-based resource,
Slovenia has reached the level required to fulfil the
EU requirements on national accounts as well as on completeness and reliability of GNI
estimates following ESA95 standards. Quality and methodology improvements to
national accounts and GNI calculations in line with ESA95 need to be sustained, in
particular concerning the under-reporting and non-coverage of production units.
All institutions necessary for application of the own resources system in Slovenia exist. A
unit within the Ministry of Finance co-ordinates own resources issues and is operating
effectively.
Conclusion
Slovenia is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the
accession negotiations in the area of
financial and budgetary provisions
and is
expected to be in a position by accession to implement and apply the relevant acquis,
once final steps have been completed. These concern finalising the procedures for
reporting cases of fraud and irregularity to the Commission in line with the OWNRES
system and completing the procedures for sugar levies.
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D.
C
ONCLUSION
Slovenia has exhibited a relatively robust macroeconomic performance. The restructuring
process has continued to move forward on the reform path, albeit slowly and with a
mixed picture in a number of sectors.
As regards the areas, where last year’s report suggested improvements, some progress has
been made, but challenges remain. Although decreasing slowly, the relatively high and
persistent inflation remains a key policy concern. In order to support competitiveness of
the economy, the Government should apply further structural reforms, such as the final
liquidation of the Slovene Development Corporation, set for 2004, and further
privatisation in the finance sector.
As regards overall administrative and judicial capacity, sufficient conditions are in place
for the implementation of the
acquis
by the Slovenian public administration and
judiciary, but there is room for further improvements. In the field of public
administration, the new legislation improving the independence and professionalism of
public administration should now be implemented and the provisions on restricting the
involvement of civil servants in economic and political activities should be widened to
cover all civil servants. A number of further reforms remain to be made to the judicial
system, in particular in order to reduce the backlogs of court cases. Slovenia should
continue its efforts to fight corruption. As far as translation of the
acquis
into Slovenian
is concerned, the number of revised texts produced by Slovenia must increase greatly in
the coming period up to accession.
As regards the implementation of the
acquis
in specific policy areas, the findings of this
report are set out below.
Firstly, it should be noted that Slovenia has reached a
high level of alignment with the
acquis
in most policy areas.
It is expected to be in a position to implement the
acquis
as required in the following
areas by accession: almost all aspects of
free movement of goods;
citizens’ rights, free
movement of workers and co-ordination of social security systems, in terms of
free
movement of persons;
banking, insurance, investment services and securities markets in
the area of
freedom to provide services; free movement of capital,
including money
laundering; most areas in the
company law
chapter and accounting; and state aid in the
area of
competition policy.
In the area of
agriculture,
Slovenia is expected to be in a
position by accession to implement the
acquis
on all horizontal issues, in most common
market organisations and in rural development; in the veterinary area as regards TSE,
animal disease control measures, animal welfare, zootechnics and animal nutrition; in the
phytosanitary area; and in
fisheries.
Slovenia is also expected to be in a position to implement the acquis by accession in: the
transport
sector; VAT, excise duties and administrative co-operation in the field of
taxation; economic and monetary union; statistics;
most areas in the field of
social policy
and employment;
the
energy
sector;
industrial policy; small and medium-sized
enterprises; science and research; education and training;
postal services in the area of
telecommunications and information technologies; culture and audio-visual policy;
programming in
regional policy and co-ordination of structural instruments;
the
environment
chapter; safety-related measures and consumer organisations in terms of
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consumer and health protection;
almost all aspects of
justice and home affairs; customs
union;
the common commercial policy and humanitarian aid policy in the
external
relations acquis; common foreign and security policy; financial and budgetary
provisions; financial control.
Secondly, in certain areas Slovenia partially meets the commitments and requirements
and needs to make
enhanced efforts
in order to complete its preparations for accession.
This includes old approach sectoral legislation in the area of
free movement of goods,
protection of personal data, the right of establishment and the freedom to provide non-
financial services, and information-society services in terms of
freedom to provide
services,
protection of intellectual and industrial property rights in the
company law
chapter, and anti-trust in the area of
competition.
In the
agriculture
area it concerns the
common market organisation for sugar and milk, veterinary control systems, trade in live
animals and animal products, upgrading of agri-food establishments, and common
measures as regards residues.
This also includes the fields of: direct
taxation,
the European Social Fund and anti-
discrimination in the area of
social policy and employment;
the
telecommunications
sector; the legislative framework, institutional structures and financial management and
control for
regional policy and co-ordination of structural instruments;
market
surveillance and non-safety measures in the area of
consumer and health protection;
the
acquis
on data protection and the fight against fraud and corruption in the area of
justice
and home affairs; external relations,
as regards bilateral agreements with third countries
and development policy.
Thirdly, Slovenia must take immediate and decisive action to address one issue of
serious concern
in one chapter of the
acquis
if it is to be ready by the date of accession.
This concerns the mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the area of free
movement of persons, in particular alignment on the general system of recognition and on
certain professions in the health care sector.
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1465028_0051.png
S
TATISTICAL ANNEX
1998
Basic data
Population (as of 30th June)
Total area
National accounts
Gross domestic product at current prices
Gross domestic product at current prices
Gross domestic product per capita a) at current
prices
Gross domestic product at constant prices (nat.
currency)
Employment growth
Labour productivity growth
Unit labour cost growth
Gross domestic product per capita a) at current
prices
GDP per capita a) at current prices in PPS
Labour productivity (GDP per person employed
in PPS)
Structure of production
- Agriculture
- Industry (excluding construction)
- Construction
- Services
Structure of expenditure
- Final consumption expenditure
- household and NPISH
- general government
- Gross fixed capital formation
- Stock variation
- Exports of goods and services
- Imports of goods and services
Inflation rate
Consumer price index
3,254
17.5
8,800
1,983
20,273
1999
1,986
20,273
2000
in 1000
1,990
in km²
20,273
2001
1,992
20,273
2002
1,996
20,273
1000 Mio Tolar
3,648
18.8
9,500
4,222
20.4
10,300
4,741
21.7
10,900
5,285
23.4
11,700
1000 Mio ECU/euro
in ECU/Euro
% change over the previous year
3.8
0.0
3.8
-2.5
14,100
5.2
1.2
3.9
-1.3
14,500
4.6
8.8
-3.8
8.1
15,900
2.9
0.9
1.9
0.2
16,800
:
17,700
3.2
-0.1
3.3
in Purchasing Power Standards
in % of EU-15 average
69
69
68
68
70
71
72
70
74
71
% of Gross Value Added b)
4.1
32.0
5.6
58.3
75.9
55.7
20.3
24.6
1.0
56.6
58.2
3.6
31.2
6.2
59.0
76.0
55.8
20.2
27.4
1.0
52.5
56.9
3.4
30.0
6.1
60.4
76.6
56.7
20.0
25.7
1.2
56.5
60.1
3.3
30.3
5.8
60.7
76.5
56.0
20.6
23.9
0.2
57.9
58.5
:
:
:
:
75.4
54.8
20.6
22.9
0.3
57.8
56.4
as % of Gross Domestic Product
% change over the previous year
7.9
6.1
8.9
8.6
7.5
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1465028_0052.png
1998
Balance of payments
-Current account
-Trade balance
Exports of goods
Imports of goods
-Net services
-Net income
-Net current transfers
-
of which: government transfers
- FDI (net) inflows
Public finance
General government deficit/surplus
General government debt
Financial indicators
Gross foreign debt of the whole economy
Gross foreign debt of the whole economy
Monetary aggregates
- M1
- M2
- M3
Total credit
Average short-term interest rates
- Day-to-day money rate
- Lending rate
- Deposit rate
ECU/EUR exchange rates
- Average of period
- End of period
- Effective exchange rate index
Reserve assets
-Reserve assets (including gold)
-Reserve assets (excluding gold)
External trade c)
Trade balance
Exports
Imports
Terms of trade d)
Exports with EU-15
Imports with EU-15
-946
8,073
9,019
102.5
65.5
69.4
3,119
3,119
186.0
188.8
82.5
7.4
17.3
10.5
1.8
6.7
8.9
5.9
-109
-710
8,101
8,811
448
49
105
-75
256
1999
-661
-1,157
8,074
9,231
327
57
112
-80
351
2000
-576
-1,216
9,515
10,730
486
29
125
-66
492
2001
32
-686
10,412
11,098
558
17
143
-75
2002
393p e)
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
in Mio ECU/euro
486 1,950p e)
in % of Gross Domestic Product
-2.3
25.1
-2.2
26.4
-3.3
27.6
-2.8
27.5
-2.6p
28.3p
in % of Gross Domestic Product
14.7
20.5
29.4
30.8
as % of exports
25.9
39.0
2.0
7.1
9.6
7.0
6.8
14.2
7.2
194.5
198.9
51.9
2.0
7.2
10.3
7.7
6.8
17.7
10.0
206.6
213.5
53.2
2.3
8.9
13.1
8.7
6.9
17.1
9.8
218.0
218.8
67.2
4,989
4,913
:
:
2.4
10.4
14.7
9.3
4.9
15.6
8.2
226.0
230.2
65.3
6,733
6,656
1000 Mio ECU/euro
% per annum
(1ECU/euro=..Tolar)
1995=100
78.0
71.5
Mio ECU/euro
3,154
3,154
3,435
3,435
Mio ECU/euro
-1,446
8,032
9,478
99.5
66.0
68.9
-1.492
9,495
10,987
94.8
63.8
67.8
-998
10,347
11,344
100.9
62.2
67.7
-612
10,962
11,574
101.9p
59.4p
68.0p
previous year=100
as % of total
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1465028_0053.png
1998
Demography
Natural growth rate
Net migration rate (including corrections)
Infant mortality rate
Life expectancy :
Males:
Females:
Labour market (Labour Force Survey)
Economic activity rate (15-64)
Employment rate (15-64), total
Employment rate (15-64), males
Employment rate (15-64), females
Employment rate of older workers (55-64)
Average employment by NACE branches
- Agriculture and forestry
- Industry (excluding construction)
- Construction
- Services
Unemployment rate, total
Unemployment rate, males
Unemployment rate, females
Unemployment rate of persons < 25 years
Long-term unemployment rate
Social cohesion
Inequality of income distribution
Early school-leavers
Population in jobless households (persons aged
0-65)
Standard of living
Number of cars
Main telephone lines
Number of subscriptions to cellular mobile
services
Infrastructure
Railway network
Length of motorways
59
228
402
389.0
98.6
:
9.3
12.1
33.9
5.7
48.4
7.4
7.3
7.5
17.6
3.3
68.8
62.9
67.2
58.6
23.9
71.1
78.7
-0.6
-1.1
5.2
1999
-0.7
1.2
4.5
71.4
78.8
2000
-0.2
1.3
4.9
at birth
71.9
79.1
2001
-0.5
1.5
4.3
72.1
79.6
2002
-0.5p
1.9
3.8p
:
:
per 1000 of population
per 1000 live-births
% of population
67.6
62.2
66.6
57.6
22.0
10.8
32.7
5.1
51.4
7.2
7.0
7.4
18.5
3.3
67.4
62.8
67.2
58.4
22.7
9.6
32.3
5.4
52.7
6.6
6.4
6.8
16.4
4.1
67.5
63.8
68.6
58.8
25.5
9.9
32.5
6.1
51.4
5.8
5.5
6.2
15.7
3.7
68.5
63.4
68.2
58.6
24.5
9.7
32.9
5.9
51.6
6.0
5.7
6.4
14.8
3.3
as % of the total population of the same age group
in % of total
% of labour force
ratio of top quintile to lowest quintile
3.2
:
10.2
3.2
:
6.4
10.1
:
7.5
9.9
:
4.8
8.1
% of population aged 18-24
% of population aged 0-65
per 1000 inhabitants
418
396.0
326.5
426
406.0
571.6
433
474.5
758.0
446
404.7
771.3
in km per 1000 km²
59
Km
393
427
435
456
59
61
61
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1465028_0054.png
1998
Industry and agriculture
Industrial production volume indices
Gross agricultural production volume indices
Innovation and research
Spending on Human
expenditure on education)
Resources
(public
:
103.7
102.2
1999
99.5
98.7
2000
106.2
102.4
2001
102.9
:
2002
102.4
:
previous year=100
as % of GDP
:
:
as % of GDP
:
:
Gross domestic expenditure on Research &
Development
Level of Internet access - households
Environment
Total greenhouse gases emissions
Energy intensity of the economy
Share of renewable energy
Modal split of freight transport
p=provisional figures
E=estimated data
1.48
1.51
1.52
:
:
per 1000 inhabitants
:
:
21
24
:
tonnes CO2 equivalent per capita
99.3pE
400.3
29.2
37.5
99.3pE
373.3
31.4
37.2
99.3pE
365.7
31.2
39.2
:
:
:
41.3
:
:
:
:
kg of oil equivalent per 1000 euro of GDP
as % of total electicity consumption
as % of total freight transport
a) Figures have been calculated using the population figures from National Accounts, which may differ from those used
in demographic statistics.
b) Including FISIM.
c) Annual data for 1998 sent to Eurostat were in USD. As from 1999 monthly data sent to Eurostat are already
recalculated to EUR from the national currency, using the monthly average exchange rate of the Bank of Slovenia. From
2001 on values in EUR are calculated using the daily exchange rates set by the Bank of Slovenia.
d) The terms of trade are calculated from data in USD.
e) Source: Website of the National Bank
Methodological notes
Inflation rate
For
details
please
refer
to
the
following
link
to
the
Eurostat
website:
http://europa.eu.int/newcronos/suite/info/notmeth/en/theme1/strind/ecobac_ir.htm
Finance
Public finance:
The general government deficit / surplus refers to the national accounts concept of
consolidated general government net borrowing / net lending (EDP B.9) of ESA95. General government
debt is defined as consolidated gross debt at end-year nominal value.
External trade
Imports and exports (current prices).
The data is based upon the special trade system. Trade Classification:
Trade in goods are recorded using the commodity classification according to the Combined Nomenclature.
Imports are recorded on CIF basis, exports on FOB basis.
Imports and exports with EU-15.
Data declared by Slovenia.
Labour market
Indicators are harmonised annual figures with the exception of average employment by NACE branches
and unemployment rate of persons < 25 years, which are for the 2
nd
quarter of the respective year. The
results are based on the European Union Labour Force Survey (LFS). The EU LFS is conducted on a
quarterly basis in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) No. 577/98 of 9 March 1998.
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1465028_0055.png
For
details
please
refer
to
the
following
link
on
the
Eurostat
website:
http://europa.eu.int/newcronos/suite/info/notmeth/en/theme1/strind/emploi.htm
Social cohesion
For
details
please
refer
to
the
following
link
on
the
Eurostat
website:
http://europa.eu.int/newcronos/suite/info/notmeth/en/theme1/strind/socohe.htm
Industry and agriculture
Industrial production volume indices.
Index of industrial production covers enterprises with 10 or more
employees, except enterprises with activity of collection, purification and distribution of water.
Gross agricultural production volume indices.
Indices are calculated from the data on crop and animal
production and from triennial moving arithmetic mean of average purchasing prices.
Innovation and research
For
details
please
refer
to
the
following
link
to
the
Eurostat
website:
http://europa.eu.int/newcronos/suite/info/notmeth/en/theme1/strind/innore.htm
Environment
For
details
please
refer
to
the
following
link
to
the
Eurostat
website:
http://europa.eu.int/newcronos/suite/info/notmeth/en/theme1/strind/enviro.htm
Sources
Total area, External trade, Demography, Standard of living, Infrastructure, Industry and agriculture:
National sources. Other Indicators: Eurostat.
55