(7 Nov 2003)
Brdo Pri Kranju
1. Hotel Kokra
2. Flags of CEFTA countries
3. Hungarian delegation arriving, coming off bus
4. Sign reading "Summit of Prime Ministers of CEFTA countries"
5. Hungarian delegation shaking hands with Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop
6. Pan of round table
7. Czech delegation with Deputy Prime Minister Petr Mares (grey hair, glasses, beard)
8. Family photo
9. Pan of ministers
10. Slovenian president Janez Drnovsek greeting ministers
11. Helicopter launching parachutists with flags
12. Ministers watching the show
13. Parachutist landing
14. Presser
15. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Marek Pol, Polish deputy prime minster:
"We (Poland) increased trading turnovers with CEFTA countries five times. We trade with CEFTA countries five times more now than we did 10 years ago. That increase is faster in Polish trade overall and has caused that the group of countries represented here is Poland's third partner when it comes to trading turnovers. This is the result of liberalization of trade between us. Generally we have liberalized industrial articles trade, all kinds of products really, and partly agricultural products and consumer products."
16. Journalists
17. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Eugen Dijmarescu, Romanian minister for trade:
"We encourage western Balkan countries to join the CEFTA agreement because that is the step towards joining the EU. Bulgaria and Croatia and Romania will stay in the CEFTA agreement and they will eventually accept all the weaknesses and benefits of the EU."
Ljubljana
18. General view of Ljubljana
19. Various of Petrol building
20. Telecom Slovenia building
21. Various of Pivovarna union brewery
22. Shopping centre
23 Mercator sign
24. Woman walking out of building
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Degan Cevic, manager of public relations company Pristop:
"Our starting position was different from most of other countries of this region now. What I would say is the difference from the rest of Eastern Europe that, first of all, we've been much more open for the past 80 years than any other place. Second, we've been using a lot of Japanese techniques, what I would call, meaning that we've been travelling a lot around the world trying to find out the best idea that we can copy and implement here. So for example our company is a communications company which is based on ideas that we have learned by starting and travelling around the UK, US and western Europe."
26. Office
STORYLINE:
Both Romanian minister for trade Eugen Dijmarescu and Slovenia's prime minister Anton Rop said on Friday that central European countries' mutual trade had helped them move closer to the European Union (EU).
The ministers spoke at a one-day meeting of countries belonging to CEFTA, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, at a castle in Brdo Pri Kranju in northern Slovenia.
Polish deputy prime minister Marek Pol said that trade between CEFTA countries had boosted Poland's economy.
Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia joined CEFTA to increase cooperation and step up mutual trade.
The leaders discussed current mutual trade and potential effects of EU rules on their economies.
Slovenia, which is hosting the summit, has been one of the most successful economies in the region, going from strength to strength since the break up of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
Slovenian oil company, Petrol, now has petrol stations all over central Europe and Slovenian brewing company Pivovarna has been equally successful.
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