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Slovenia by Damjan Lajh and Alenka Krašovec

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Slovenia by Damjan Lajh and Alenka Krašovec Slovenia by Damjan Lajh and Alenka Krašovec Capital: Ljubljana Population: 2.0 million GNI/capita: US$27,160 Source: The data above was provided by The World Bank, World Bank Indicators 2010. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2009 Electoral Process 1.75 1.75 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 Civil Society 1.75 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.75 1.75 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 Independent Media 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.25 2.25 Governance* 2.50 2.25 2.25 2.00 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a National Democratic Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 Local Democratic Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 Judicial Framework and Independence 1.50 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.75 1.75 Corruption 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.50 2.50 Democracy Score 1.88 1.83 1.79 1.75 1.68 1.75 1.82 1.86 1.93 1.93 * Starting with the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects. NOTE: The ratings reflect the consensus of Freedom House, its academic advisers, and the author(s) of this report. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author(s). The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest. The Democracy Score is an average of ratings for the categories tracked in a given year. 496 Nations in Transit 2010 Executive Summary lovenia has undergone a number of simultaneous transformations since the end of the 1980s: it changed its economic and political system, became an Sindependent state (declared on June 25, 1991), and established itself as an internationally recognized state. As such, Slovenia joined the United Nations in 1992, the Council of Europe in 1993, and the European Union (EU) and NATO in 2004. On January 1, 2007, the Slovenian tolar was replaced by the euro, and at the end of 2007, Slovenia entered the Schengen Area Association of EU countries that have abolished passport controls at common internal borders. From January to July 2008, Slovenia held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the first of the 12 new EU Member States to do so. In 2009, Slovenia witnessed very poor economic indicators and the government faced criticism for its inability to address the local effects of the global economic crisis. The center-left government has presented itself as more open toward civil society organizations and inclined to a consensual style of politics. Nevertheless, trade unions especially were unsatisfied with the social partnership. As a result, at the end of November, they organized mass protests against the government. Elections to the European Parliament (EP), conducted in June, also sent a warning to the government, with the opposition, the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDP), receiving the highest percentage of votes. National Democratic Governance. The Slovenian government faced criticism for its inability to sufficiently address the local effects of the global economic crisis, prompting Janez Janša, leader of the opposition SDP, to call for early elections. Yet, during the year, only one, albeit unsuccessful, demand for explanation was leveled at a government official: the Minister of Interior Affairs, Katarina Kresal, in connection with the issue of the “Erased”(persons whose names were moved from the register of permanent residents to that of foreign citizens). In the second half of the year, energies were focused on resolving a border dispute, which allowed Croatia to continue its EU accession process. The resignation of Minister without Portfolio Zlata Ploštajner, who was responsible for local self-government and regional development, caused serious conflicts within the Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia. Despite strong criticism of its inability to manage the economic downturn, Slovenia’s national government demonstrated its relative stability throughout the year, especially in reaching a successful border agreement with Croatia. Slovenia’s national democratic governance rating remains at 2.00. Slovenia 497 Electoral Process. On June 7, the second elections to the EP were held in Slovenia. The opposition SDP received the highest percentage of votes, while the governing Social Democrats received a much lower percentage; but it did secure more seats than in 2004. Since the campaign was concentrated around domestic issues, the EP election results could be largely interpreted as the public’s signal to the lead governing party that the government’s measures to stop or alleviate the economic crisis were not viewed as correct or sufficiently forceful. In addition, voter turnout was very low at just 28.3 percent. Slovenia’s electoral process rating remains at 1.50. Civil Society. The center-left government publicly expressed the importance of dialogue and consultation with civil society and appointed a state secretary in the prime minister’s office responsible for organizing social dialogue with NGOs. Trade unions, however, were especially dissatisfied with the government’s efforts toward social partnership and, at the end of November, organized mass protests against the government. In September, the government appointed the former deputy of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia, Aleš Gulič, as head of the Office for Religious Communities, triggering protests from the country’s largest religious community, the Catholic Church. Also, the new Family Law Bill was proposed, stimulating public discussion and protest over inclusion of same-sex marriage and allowing same-sex partners to adopt children. Civil society groups within Slovenia remained active and vibrant despite limited opportunities for meaningfully engagement with policy makers, and as a result Slovenia’s civil society rating remains at 2.00 Independent Media. Slovenia’s freedom of the press was considerably challenged when the daily newspaper Dnevnik received an injunction from the Ljubljana District Court barring it from writing about the past activities of Italian businessman Pierpaolo Cerani. Dnevnik appealed and the ruling was overturned. The Ministry of Culture proposed a new Law on Radio-Television Slovenia aimed at reducing government influence on the public broadcaster.The newly proposed Law on Radio-Television Slovenia raised hopes of reducing government influence on the public broadcaster; the country’s independent media rating remains at 2.25. Local Democratic Governance. The controversial issue of establishing provinces in Slovenia was put on the back burner in 2009. The Bill on Integrity in the Public Sector, which was put into legislative procedure in October, included a proposal to ban simultaneously holding the offices of National Assembly deputy and mayor of a municipality. Also in October, the National Assembly discussed the Capital City of the Republic of Slovenia Act, which would allow the central authorities to co-fund special projects in the municipality. Coalition members supported the act citing the capital city’s need for additional means to implement its tasks, while the opposition reproached the proposal claiming that it represented political payback and put Ljubljana in a privileged position. Slovenia’s local democratic governance rating remains at 1.50. 498 Nations in Transit 2010 Judicial Framework and Independence. In September, the National Assembly adopted four laws to resolve the crisis in the country’s judicial wage system, an issue that prompted the “work-to-rule” strike that judges began in 2008. The opposition criticized the government arguing that the proposed salary hike was too high, especially considering the current financial crisis. The problem heated up even more when some judges and jurisdictional officials sought unpaid back wages from the state in October 2009. Also in October, the Minister of Justice put forward a constitutional amendment to clarify the role of the Constitutional Court, strengthen its ability to protect the constitution, and reduce its workload. In December, Constitutional Court Judge Ciril Ribičič ended his mandate and was replaced without controversy by Jadranka Sovdat. The National Assembly resolution on the judicial wage crisis was welcomed in 2009, but reforms to the Constitutional Court had not been enacted by year’s end. Slovenia’s judicial framework and independence rating remains at 1.75. Corruption. In September, Finnish investigators began an interrogation of Slovenian citizens, including former prime minister Janez Janša, in relation to unproven claims of bribery of Slovenian officials by the Finnish company Patria in order to secure the purchase of armored carriers for the Slovenian army in 2008. While Finland has nearly completed the proceedings, Slovenia has not yet begun investigations. The Bill on Integrity in the Public Sector was prepared but not put into legislative procedure by the end of the year. Prepared by the Ministry of Public Administration, the bill aims to stimulate fair and transparent behavior of civil servants and good practices in decision-making, and establishes the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption as the implementer of these goals. Slovenia’s corruption rating remains at 2.50. Outlook for 2010. During 2010, Slovenia will continue to face pressure to resolve the financial and economic crisis affecting the country’s increasing unemployment and lagging wages. Controversial debates on adopting the proposed Family Law Bill and Bill on Integrity in the Public Sector will continue.
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