US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA118

UNCLAS  LJUBLJANA 000118 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ELAB, PINR, PHUM, SI 
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: COM AND NEW LABOR MINISTER DISCUSS 
PRIORITIES, INCLUDING TEMP WORK PERMITS FOR TRAFFICKING 
VICTIMS 
 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  In a 16 February courtesy call, new Labor 
Minister Janez Drobnic told COM that combatting unemployment 
is his top priority, with a focus on introducing programs to 
help the disabled, the elderly, and first-time job-seekers. 
Drobnic also listed improving MoL's IT base as a key 
priority.  COM pressed Drobnic on labor initiatives to make 
Slovenia more attractive for U.S. investment, prompting 
Drobnic to describe the need for greater flexibility of labor 
and a more mobile workforce.  Drobnic agreed immediately when 
COM urged him to work with a local NGO to allow temporary 
work permits for human trafficking victims and said 
cooperation on this front was already underway.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) COM was accompanied by DCM and Pol-Miloff on his 
first courtesy call on new Minister for Labor, Family and 
Social Affairs Janez Drobnic on 16 February.  Drobnic was 
joined by Chief of Staff Valentin Hajdinjak and Head of 
International Cooperation Jana Lovsin. 
 
PRIORITIES:  UNEMPLOYMENT TOPS THE LIST 
--------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (SBU) UNEMPLOYMENT:  Drobnic said his top priority is 
combatting unemployment by creating work opportunities both 
in general and for specific groups, such as older and 
disabled workers.  Drobnic said "registered unemployment" in 
Slovenia exceeds ten percent, but that the ILO figure for 
Slovenia is 6.4 percent.  Drobnic said his working assumption 
is that approximately six to seven percent of the population 
is actually unemployed, making Slovenia comparable to other 
EU countries.  He said Ireland could serve as a good model 
for Slovenia in driving down unemployment.  He cited the need 
for a more flexible labor force and improvements in labor 
relations. 
 
4.  (SBU) DISABLED, ELDERLY AND YOUNG UNEMPLOYED:  Drobnic 
said a new law introduced earlier this year will ensure new 
jobs and more flexible work for the disabled.  While eight 
percent of Slovenes are disabled, Drobnic noted that the 
majority of those are retired.  He said 50,000 disabled 
Slovenes are in the labor market, but that 20,000 of those 
are currently unemployed.  For other target groups, Drobnic 
said the MoL is developing training programs for young, 
first-time job-seekers, as well as special programs for the 
elderly unemployed.  He added that these programs would be 
applied "horizontally" (i.e. across the country), regionally, 
and in hard-hit localities that qualify for special European 
Commission support. 
 
5.  (SBU) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:  Citing EU-inspired 
priorities, Drobnic said MoL would seek to introduce new 
information technology that will help Slovenia achieve 
sustainable growth and a dynamic economy.  Drobnic suggested 
that a better IT base would give his ministry the tools it 
needs to "see what's wrong" with the labor market.  He said 
funding for "social aims" (such as unemployment benefits) had 
risen in the past two years and pointed out that the 
accumulation of subsidies available to the unemployed can 
exceed the minimum wage.  Drobnic lamented this disincentive 
to look for "appropriate work." 
 
COM PUSHES FOR FDI-FRIENDLY POLICIES 
------------------------------------ 
 
6.  (SBU) FDI PROSPECTS: COM explained Post's priority of 
increasing U.S. investment in Slovenia, mentioning that U.S. 
companies were attracted to Slovenia's highly qualified 
workforce but were sometimes put off by the high costs of 
"limited (labor) flexibility."  Drobnic agreed that workers' 
mobility is a problem in Slovenia, saying "it is not in our 
culture to move during our working lives."  Nonetheless, he 
recognized the need from an investor's standpoint to have 
more control over hiring and firing, in addition to a more 
mobile pool of workers.  More importantly, Drobnic recognized 
that government policies to create more flexibility for 
employers and stimulate greater workforce mobility would 
ultimately stimulate the economy and produce more jobs. 
 
7.  (SBU) TRADE UNIONS:  In response to COM's question about 
how trade unions might impact GoS labor policies, Drobnic 
replied that the EU provides Slovenia with leverage in that 
 
respect.  He said EU standards have improved prospects for 
investment and employment opportunities since they were 
adopted by Slovenia last year.  Drobnic said that organized 
labor in Slovenia recognizes the need to move toward greater 
flexibility and a more mobile workforce, adding that 
"competitiveness within the European region depends on it." 
 
8.  (SBU) FUTURE TRENDS:  Asked by COM to predict future 
labor market trends, Drobnic said that employment 
opportunities would continue to fall in the textile, leather 
and clothing industries.  He said, however, that the trend 
would be countered by increased opportunities in the service 
industry.  Nonetheless, Drobnic said it would be important 
for Slovenia to support its "primary economic sector (or 
industrial base)," because it would be hard to develop the 
services sector without a strong such industrial base.  He 
added that Slovenia is not attractive for financial sector 
investors. 
 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: TEMPORARY WORK PERMITS FOR VICTIMS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) COM raised the issue of Trafficking in Persons 
(TIP) with Drobnic, urging the MoL to work with the local NGO 
Kljuc to draft regulations allowing trafficking victims in 
Slovenia to apply for temporary work permits.  As COM 
explained, encouraging the victims to stay in the country 
while traffickers are prosecuted can ultimately lead to a 
higher conviction rate.  While he had not been thoroughly 
briefed on the details of MoL's cooperation with Kljuc, 
Drobnic immediately responded that he knew of the Kljuc 
initiative and "support(ed) it completely."  Drobnic noted 
that U.S. cooperation had helped the GoS - and the MoL, 
specifically - make progress on TIP.  He acknowledged that 
Slovenia is not just a transit country, but also a 
destination country, and he stressed the importance of 
ensuring support for trafficking victims.  Drobnic's staff 
later told DCM that MoL had recently sent amendments back to 
the GoS interministerial working group on TIP regarding the 
rights of trafficking victims to work in Slovenia.  They 
added that a separate document had been prepared by the 
Interior Ministry to guarantee victims the right to reside in 
Slovenia. 
 
COMMENT AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 
----------------------------- 
 
10.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Drobnic set a very friendly tone in this 
first official meeting with COM.  He seemed to grasp the 
challenges facing his ministry quite clearly, and we hope he 
will provide the leadership necessary to push through labor 
reforms that will make Slovenia more attractive for foreign 
investment.  Drobnic has a long history of working to create 
employment opportunities for the disabled, perhaps explaining 
his focus on this group when discussing MoL priorities.  He 
has also been a member of an international association to 
offer support to crime victims - the White Ring Association - 
perhaps explaining his immediate expression of support for 
regulations to help trafficking victims.  Unfortunately, 
Drobnic's sympathies may not extend to all sectors of 
society.  His recent rather negative public statements on gay 
rights and same-sex partnerships have prompted a group of 
European Parliament Members to ask EC President Barroso to 
call upon the GoS to retract Drobnic's statements publicly. 
The MEPs' letter of 03 February alleges that Drobnic has also 
made public expressions of intolerance toward single mothers, 
Roma and Muslims in the past.  END COMMENT. 
 
11.  (U) BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:  Drobnic was born on 23 October 
1957 in Globela pri Sodrazici.  He obtained a diploma from 
the College of Labor Organization in Kranj and later earned a 
master's degree in Sociology from the University of Ljubljana 
in 1991.  He was elected to Parliament in 2000 and he became 
the leader of the Nova Slovenija (NSi) Parliamentary Group in 
2002.  In Parliament, he was active on the Committee for 
Supervision of Security and Intelligence Services and the 
Committee for Labor, Family, Social Policy and Health Care. 
Drobnic was the only Slovenian politician in a pre-U.S. 
election survey who stated publicly that he would vote for 
President Bush if given the opportunity, remarking that the 
President's political agenda was close to his own.  Drobnic 
 
is an avid skiier.  His English skills are good, but 
sometimes lacking in fluency.  END NOTE. 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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 2005LJUBLJ00118 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED 


 
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