EMBASSY NEWSLETTER. Slovenia in New York Times

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1 EMBASSY NEWSLETTER Slovenia in New York Times FIRST PAGE STORY In the travel section of this week s New York Times paper edition and NYTimes.com edition, Amanda Summer Slavin writes about the bridges of Ljubljana as connections between the past and the future. Slovenia In New York Times ITF Slovenia Mini Jobs Act Voted Down SWUA Convection EU Open House 2011 Personal Story Eu News List To Do Embassy of Slovenia 2410 California Street, NW Washington, D.C , USA T: Tromostovje, Ljubljana. The article features Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, which -- the writer says -- looks like its foot is wrapped around a medieval castle. But more contemporary attractions are within walking distance of the city s true heart: the banks of the Ljubljanica River. Students still congregate under the statue of the beloved Slovene poet, France Prešeren, at the river s edge, next to the historic triple bridge known as the Tromostovje. A few steps upriver lies the city s newest gathering place and, a city block downriver, the recently opened pedestrian Butchers Bridge, with its sleek glass-bottomed construction (women wearing skirts or dresses, beware!), connects with an indoor-outdoor market. The market was designed by the great Slovene architect, Jože Plečnik, who left his signature over a big part of Central and Eastern Europe, including Vienna and Prague.

2 As the Florentines and Parisians, people of Ljubljana participate in a romantic custom known as love locks where couples affix padlocks inscribed with love messages to the bridge railing and toss the keys into the river. Manz head still a few blocks farther downriver to an abandoned prison and a former adult movie house, which have been transformed, respectively, into a hip youth hostel called Celica (the Cell ) and a thriving art film complex. The slide shown can be seen at: slideshow/2011/04/10/travel/ surfacing.html?ref=travel ITF Slovenia The Slovenian-run International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) spent over EUR 20m for projects in 2010, while in 2011 it will allocate some EUR 32m for its projects. Presenting its main activities in 2010, ITF officials said that the total of seven million square meters of territory in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo has been cleared of mines and other explosive devices left after the war. The fund also carried out several projects for providing assistance to mine victims, raising awareness of the danger of mines and organized training in demining activities. Hostel Celica. POLITICS In the future, the ITF will stay focused on southeast Europe, but also wishes to expand its activities to countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Lithuania and to other fields beside demining, such as for example destroying the stock of cluster munitions. The ITF was established by the Government of Slovenia in 1998 with the purpose of clearing mine-infested territory in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to assist the mine victims, but its activities have since spread to other mine-affected countries and regions in the Balkans, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. In the future, it also plans to cover Africa. Mini Jobs Act Voted Down POLITICS The Act on Mini Jobs was turned down at the past Sunday s referendum, with an 80-percent majority of those 34 percent voters who casted their ballot. This was just one of the referenda on the legislation proposed in the so called Reform Package presented by the Government in the aftermath of the biggest economic and financial crisis. Most probably at the beginning of June, the referendum will be held on the Pension Reform legislation. 2

3 CULTURE Slovenian Women s Union (SWUA) Convention From June 16 to June 19, you can join the Heritage Tabor of Slovenian Americans of the Slovenian Women s Union (SWUA) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There you will be able to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Slovenia s Independence with Slovenian food, dance, music, and singing and fellow Slovenians. Special events include: Meeting with and greeting by Professor Janez Bogataj, Ph.D., a brilliant ethnologist and author of fifty-eight books. Dr. Bogataj will concentrate on the Traditional Foods of Slovenia cookbook, which will be available for purchase. Dr. Bogataj will autograph each book and be available for photographs. Dr. Janez Bogataj. Learning to make potica! Nick Carmody, owner of Rocky Mountain Potica, will demonstrate the art of potica making. Nick attended Illinois Wesleyan University, earned his undergraduate degree from Concordia University and his Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. After a short stint practicing law, he pursued his passion: developing and baking the potica. In June, he will bring his Rocky Mountain Potica Roadshow to Milwaukee. Potica. Entering YOUR potica in the convention potica contest. The winner will be featured in Zarja - The Dawn, the SWUA s monthly, along with his/her recipe. Entries will be accepted from Wednesday, June 15 through Friday, June 17. Dancing the polka to Tony Gorenc s button-box polka band. Singing along with Dolores Ivanchich, learning Slovenian songs. Kids activities included. Play Ball on the Balina Court at Triglav Park on Sunday. For complete information and forms visit RockyMountainPotica. com or contact Denise P. Bartlett, Convention Chairperson at denisepbartlett@wi.rr.com or (414)

4 EU Open House 2011 Volunteers Needed On May 7, 2011, embassies of Member States of the EU and the EU Delegation in the United States in Washington, D.C. will celebrate Europe Day by organizing the fifth annual EU Open House day. Embassies of 27 countries and the EU Delegation will open their doors, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. showcasing their art, culture, and food, and introducing the European Union to the public. Announcements Last year, more than 1500 people visited the Slovenian Embassy, and this year even more people are expected. We would like to offer you the opportunity to join our team for a day. Below you can see some photos from last year s EU Open House. This year we are planning to prepare special activities suited for you and your children. We will have kids corner, offer Slovenian wine and food tastings, introduce Slovenian tourist programs, and ask our Ambassador to greet guests. If you would like to volunteer at the Slovenian Embassy, please send an to: neja.brglez@gov.si Deadline:. 4

5 Experience of Slovenian Independence Dear readers: in previous Newsletters, we invited you to send us short (not more than 350 words) reminiscences about how you experienced, wherever you were, the Slovenian declaration of independence and the process of gaining Slovenian statehood. Additional Aid for Libya The European Commission approved an additional 10 million euros in aid to intensify the evacuation of foreigners from Libya in particular Misrata and the repatriation to their home country. Since the beginning of the conflict, the European Union has been leading Personal story We still encourage you to send us your contributions to: with the subject title My experience of Slovenian independence. EU News international humanitarian efforts both inside Libya and at the borders. In total European Commission s humanitarian assistance to Lybia was 40 million euros, and EU member states have contributed an additional 56 million euros. Olli Rehn Visiting Washington, DC EU News European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn is visiting Washington and attending the Meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Yesterday he was speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington on an overview of the economic situation in the European Union and the World. Europe still has significant challenges, including unemployment and an aging population where euro is an essential part of the solution. It contributes to growth by enhancing cross-border economic activity and competition, and is essential for macroeconomic stability. European Union contributes an essential part to the world economy, it is still the biggest trader, the biggest investor and the biggest recipient of the direct foreign investments (over half of all American foreign investments are in Europe) and still holding almost one fifth of the entire world export. So the economic and monetary stability and sustainable growth in Europe are important to the world economy. That is why the EU has established a permanent European Stability Mechanism aimed at the assistance to the states which have fund themselves in deep financial crisis. 5

6 List To Do list OF EVENTS 1. Slovenia in US Photographer and film producer Alenka Slavinec s exhibition SLOVENIA IN US is a story of love, peace and courage, the main characters of which are world the renowned Lipizzaner horses, who are deeply interlinked with Slovenian identity and cultural heritage. Each of the 20 exhibited photos represents one year of Slovenian existence as an independent country, from its declaration of independence in 1991 to the present. When: Ongoing- June 10, 2011 Where: Embassy of Slovenia, 2410 California St., NW, Washington, DC More info: (202) Taste of Slovenia: A Real Food Tour Food Tour hosted by Sylvia P. Onušič, PhD, and Miha Rott, of Unique Slovenia. Participants will visit Istrian vineyards, alpine dairy farms, mountain pastures, cheese makers farmers markets, olive groves, biodynamic and alpine apiaries, sea-salt pans, sea-bass farm, and smoked-meet producers; learn about traditional methods of production; and participate in tastings of traditional products. When: June 5-12, 8 days, 7 nights Where: Slovenia More info: or: www. foodtourslovenia.wordpress.com 3. Welcome Home 2011 For the 20th Anniversary of Slovenia s Independence, various events will take place both in Slovenia and around the world. One of the biggest events will be the WELCOME HOME event, a Slovenian get-together, which will be held in Ljubljana. When: July 1, 2011 Where: Ljubljana, Slovenia More info: The weekly Embassy Newsletter, produced by the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington., is available on: Send us your comments or request for a subscription on: vwa@gov.si, Editors: Maša Šiftar de Arzu, Neja Brglez 6