NEWS

Prime Minister's press conference held after the Government’s 122nd regular session

At today’s 122nd regular session, the Government adopted several regulations in the field of finance, as well as an amendment to the Companies Act and the text of the draft Aliens Act. The responsible ministers outlined certain major resolutions and Prime Minister Pahor then answered certain topical questions posed by the press.

   

At today’s session, the Government adopted the proposed draft of the law on legal protection in public procurement procedures. Based in particular on the principles of equality, promptness, accessibility and efficiency, this law provides appropriate legal protection to all economic entities interested in being awarded public procurement contracts. The relevant legal protection thus provides a safeguard for the tenderer's and contracting entity's interests, which the two try to implement during the public contract award procedures. Moreover, the Government adopted the amendment to the Tax Administration Act, under which certain tasks currently performed by tax offices are conferred on the General Tax Office. This measure thus envisages the establishment of an internal organisational unit (URF) of the General Tax Office. The Decree on the internal organisation, classification of posts, work posts and titles within the bodies of public administration and judicial bodies enables the Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (DURS) to set up, within the General Tax Office, an administration for the purpose of performing tasks covering a wider and integrated field of work.

    

Furthermore, the ministerial corps approved the text of the amendment to the Companies Act. The objective of the Act is an appropriate regulation of cases when a conflict of interest may arise for managers. Therefore, the proposed system provides that the manager of a company may enter into transactions with another company, in which he or his close family member or both have a shareholding of up to one tenth of the capital stock, or in which he alone or his close family member is a dormant partner, or in which he, on any other legal basis, is entitled to profit sharing of the company, provided that the supervisory board of the company approves it. However, where the shareholding is less than one tenth of the capital stock, the manager must inform the supervisory or the management board about the transaction entered within three working days.

   

The Government also adopted the text of the draft Aliens Act, the concept of which remains unchanged and as it stood in the 1999 version. In drawing up the new text, the guidelines of the European Commission regarding the free movement of persons were followed. However, the Act redefines the issue of national interest in acquiring a residence permit. The novelties particularly include reliefs and increase the level of migrants' rights. Thus, the Act confers more rights on foreigners subject to the deportation procedure, as they will now have the right to leave the country of their own free will, while being ensured appropriate legal protection. The Act also ensures the protection of the rights of aliens engaged in illegal employment, as they can acquire permission to stay, and later on also a residence permit, if the applicant is willing to cooperate with the judicial authorities in a legal proceedings (including criminal and civil) instigated against the employer. The draft Act also includes a novelty regarding the introduction of temporary residence permits to aliens whose residence in the country is desired for cultural, scientific, economic or political reasons. Specific cases will be approved by the Government on the proposal of the relevant ministry. This system is common in the majority of European countries with regard to both, citizenship and residence permits.

   

At the press conference following the Government’s session, Mr Pahor touched upon the demand for dismissal of the Minister of the Interior, Katarina Kresal, and explained that he sees no reason for her replacement. He said he would initiate the replacement "if I had a single piece of evidence revealing that the investigation in the Hypo case is biased; however, I have neither evidence nor hints to this effect." He added that in accordance with the Government's priority tasks, Minister Kresal issued specific instructions defining the prosecution of economic crime as a priority task of the Police. The Slovenian Prime Minister strongly emphasised that neither he nor Minister Kresal may interfere with individual cases investigated by the police.

   

As regards the issue of archives, Mr Pahor said that in his opinion, the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) should apologize to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Danilo Türk, for combining documents which SDS published on its web page, allegedly proving Mr Türk had been notified of the bomb attack in Velikovec. Prime Minister Pahor moreover noted that SDS should also apologize to him for accusing him of reading the archives. "If I understand these allegations correctly, I was accused of having illegally alienated a part of archive material and read it. This is not true and I expect to receive an apology for these allegations,” concluded Mr Pahor.