With the visit to KIV Vransko and the laying of the foundation stone for a new production unit, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia began his second visit to the Savinjska region. He said that the new project of KIV is bound to be successful and that the company had decided to venture into the so-called green industry, which holds many prospects, even though it might not have seemed so at the beginning.
(Photo: Arsen Perić/Salomon 2000)
According to the PM, KIV, which is celebrating the 60th anniversary of working in the area of renewables, decided to venture into the green industry at the right moment, and he believes that the company will become a key player in environment technology. "The green industry is not some environmental pop tune, but is becoming an increasingly profitable activity. KIV set high goals and I believe it will attain them and thus help the country meet the commitments of the Kyoto Protocol."
The PM went on to visit the Dat-Con company in Polzela, which makes specialised electronics and military equipment, measurement regulation and multi-media equipment. The company received the Golden Gazelle award last year. The PM took advantage of the opportunity to congratulate the employees on their successful work and wished them success in the future. They exchanged views on incentives for employing highly-educated staff and the advantages of the new act on tax reliefs for investments into fixed assets.
(Photo: Arsen Perić/Salomon 2000)
In the late afternoon the PM visited Rogatec, where he accepted the key to the wine tabernacle in Strmol Mansion, a house first mentioned in 1436, when the Counts of Celeia granted Jakob of Strmol from Cerklje a tower near Rogatec. In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the building housed the district court (the cellars still have prison cells). It now hosts a wine cellar with wine tabernacles.
(Photo: Arsen Perić/Salomon 2000)
The PM also gave interviews on Radio Celje and Radio Štajerski val. He disagreed with the assessment that the Savinjska region had not made significant progress since his last visit. He said that the region still ranked fourth in the country in terms of development. The PM does not believe that this is a deprived area, as it is near the Slovenian average and reaches 75 per cent of the EU average. In the last two years unemployment has fallen by 25 per cent, and thus today the region, like some others, has problems finding human resources. Today, unemployment is mainly structural, which cannot be eliminated overnight, said the PM.
With regard to establishing regions, the PM said that its opponents, who claim that this will make the state more costly, fear that people at regional level would not manage funds successfully. According to the PM, the decision for regionalisation is the right one, which has been proved by the local government and mayors who have known how to give impetus to local development.
"If Slovenia had been divided into regions in the last decade, we would not be discussing state planning for the third development axis, but opening new parts of the road," said the PM, adding that the purpose of regionalisation is not to establish new institutions to collect new taxes, but to transfer activities which can be thus more prudently managed from the state to the regional level.
Tomorrow the PM will chair a cabinet meeting in Rogaška Slatina to discuss which of the projects agreed during the 2005 visit have been carried out, and focus on new development opportunities in the region. He will also visit the GKN Driveline Slovenija company in Zreče, and meet the Ordinary of the diocese of Celje, Bishop Dr Anton Stres. In the afternoon the cabinet will meet mayors, business representatives, local MPs and councillors and play against them in a charity football match.
