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Office for Slovenians Abroad

Minister without Portfolio Responsible for Slovenians Abroad

	Boštjan Žekš

Dr Boštjan Žekš

Boštjan Žekš, Full Member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, was born on 26 June 1940. He graduated in physics at the University of Ljubljana, where he also gained his MSc and PhD in physics. He did research at universities in Germany, the UK and France and was a professor of physics at the University of Recife in Brazil. He was first employed by the Jožef Stefan Institute, the University of Ljubljana and the University of Nova Gorica, where he was also Provost of the University. He regularly went on working visits to the UK, the USA, France, Japan, Malaysia etc. He was a member or president of several scientific and higher education bodies. He has been a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) since 1987 and was its President between 2002 and 2008. He is a top researcher in physics with an extensive and internationally relevant bibliography. He co-authored two international publications (in English), one of which was also translated into Russian and Chinese. Together with a colleague he received the highest distinction for scientific research in Slovenia twice. During his stay abroad he frequently met Slovenian expatriates and discussed their problems. As the President of the SASA he often visited Slovenian societies and attended their events in the neighbouring countries and across the world.

State Secretary

Dr Boris Jesih

Boris Jesih was born in Maribor, in 1956. Since 1980, he has been employed at the Institute for Ethnic Studies in Ljubljana. On 1 June 2007, he obtained the title Senior Scientific Officer. At the Faculty for Social Sciences in 2003, he successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, ‘Ethnic Minorities and Political Participation – The Case of Carinthian Slovenes’. In 2007, the thesis was published by the Drava Publishing House of Klagenfurt. In 2006, he was awarded the title of Assistant Professor for Ethnic Studies at the University of Primorska. In the academic year 2007/2008, he co-taught a course on the protection of minorities. As a visiting professor, he has lectured three times at the Alpen Adria University in Klagenfurt.

As a researcher, he is the author of several independent studies on the status of the Slovenian minority in Austria and on forms of minorities’ political participation. His research studies also analyse cases of Neo-Nazism and the so called ’New Social Movements’ in Austria, as well as the status of minorities in Slovenia. Recently, Dr Jesih has participated in and managed projects dealing with interethnic relations in the Slovenian ethnic region and the status of ethnic minorities after Slovenia joined the EU.

The results of his studies have been presented at various conferences and congresses abroad and in Slovenia, where his essays have also been published. He is a co-author and co-editor of the Slovenian Report on the Status of Ethnic Minorities in the Alpine-Mediterranean Region. He has edited many publications where the issue of minorities was discussed; since 1990 he has been an editor of the main Slovenian magazine on minority issues, ‘Treatises and Documents’. He is a co-author of several scientific monographs, and author of many articles on ethnic minorities published at home and abroad. He was a member of Slovene-Austrian Professional Commission that was responsible for examining relations between the two countries. He has co-edited a publication that was created as a result of the Slovenian contribution and the work of the Commission.

Organisation

Minister without Portfolio Responsible for Slovenians Abroad

Dr. Boštjan Žekš

e-mail: bostjan.zeks[@]gov.si

State Secretary

Dr. Boris Jesih

e-mail: boris.jesih[@]gov.si

Minister's Office

Head of Minister's Office: Ms. Anja Lorenzetti

phone: +386 1 230 80 04

e-mail: anja.lorenzetti[@]gov.si

Division for Slovenians Living Outside Slovenia and for Statutory and Legal Affairs

Head of the Division: Mr. Rudi Merljak

e-mail: rudi.merljak[@]gov.si

Division for Co-operation with Slovenians Abroad

Head of the Division: Mr. Jurček Žmauc

e-mail: jurcek.zmauc[@]gov.si

Main Areas of Activity

Government Office for Slovenians Abroad carries out duties related to the Slovenian minority in neighbouring countries and Slovenian emigrants around the world. The Office maintains contact with Slovenian minority and emigrant organisations, promoting their cultural, educational, economic and other links with Slovenia and providing assistance with respect to their legal status. Financial support for programmes and projects involving Slovenians abroad and for cooperation with them is provided through public calls for tenders. The Office is also responsible for monitoring and coordinating the activities of the ministries competent for cooperation with Slovenians outside the RS.

Programme Priorities

To protect Slovenian identity: The care for the preservation and protection of the Slovenian language and Slovenian culture and the association with the RS is fundamental.

To form policies regarding Slovenians abroad: in relations to Slovenians living abroad, the Government of the country of origin adopts a national approach, and observes the integrity of individual national communities in neighbouring countries, building relations independently of party interests and short-term political gains on the basis of a long-term, lasting and permanent democratic partnership The Government recognises the autonomy of indigenous Slovenian national communities in neighbouring countries.

To support cooperation between Slovenians abroad and the country of origin: The RS encourages different modes of cooperation with Slovenians around the world. The RS will ensure the constant cooperation of Slovenians around the world in the planning of actions and programmes that concern them. This will be achieved through a permanent consultative body reporting to the cabinet.

To form links across borders: The RS endeavours to form strong links with those regions of neighbouring countries that are home to indigenous Slovenian communities, as well as those that are home to larger émigré Slovenian communities. This is mirrored in the traffic, economic and regional policies of the RS and in the drawing of resources from EU Structural Funds.