ITALY/ SLOVENIA : Police Stop Controversial "Smokey The Bear" Banquet In Imer.

GUARDIAN


Slovenian relatives of "Smokey the Bear" were invited to dinner for 200 in the Dolomites...as the main course.


Police stopped a 50 kg banquet of grilled, stewed and perhaps even smoked bear meat...hosted by Silvio Berlusconi's Northern League coalition partners...only after ministers and animal rights groups complained.


Some locals complain that the bears attack chickens and sheep.

The banquet was intended to "send a clear signal to citizens who have the right to reconquer their territory and freely circulate".

CROATIA/SLOVENIA/1ST UPDATE: Voters Narrowly Approve Sea Border Change.

BBC/ LINK CHANGE/ UPDATE: 6 June /   
Voters in Slovenia narrowly decided to settle a long-running border dispute with Croatia.The heart of the dispute was an 8 square miles of borderland and sea that have been in question since Slovenia became independent of Yugoslavia in 1991. It led Slovenia's PM Borut Pahor to kill Croatia's EU bid in December 2008. Croatian legislators have already authorised an agreement. With the referendum win of just under 52%, Slovenia can now authorize an agreement after its parliament failed to approve the deal.     (Foto of Borut Pahor)

Slovenia Prospering In EU.

GLOBALPOST.COM/
After separating from Yugoslavia, Slovenia grew its manufacturing and transportation infrastructure. It joined the EU along in 2004 and adopted the euro as its currency on Jan. 1, 2007. In 2008, Slovenia had the highest GDP per capita of any new Eastern European EU member state, at 16,600 euro ($24,300).

Croatian Stocks Surge On Possible End To Slovenian Border Dispute.

BLOOMBERG/
Croatia’s four-year bid to join the EU has been blocked since December by Slovenia. Slovenia claims its ships are being denied direct access to international waters by Croatia. The two sides finally agreed to settle the dispute through EU arbitration.

Slovenia's Recession Deepens.

BLOOMBERG.
Slovenia's gross domestic product contracted an annual 9.3 percent after shrinking 8.5 percent in the first three months.
Slovenia is the wealthiest nation among the Eastern Europe countries that joined the E.U. and is battling its worst economic decline in almost two decades as demand has waned for its exports, which make up two-thirds of total GDP.

Hungary...Eastern Europe's New Shoppers Paradise

The Hungarian currency's 14 percent decline this year... against the euro... is spurring Slovaks to shop til they drop in Hungary.

This phenomenon of "shopping tourism"will be studied by a European commission.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601095&sid=annjtpNckalo