Rationale

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Our developmental partnership is intended for victims of trafficking in human beings who in the Republic of Slovenia seek help from Society Ključ – Center for Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings. Since its establishment Society Ključ has been offering different kinds of help to foreign and Slovene nationals – victims of trafficking in human beings: telephone counselling, crisis accomodation, accomodation in the safe house, psycho-social help, help in organizing the return of the victim to the country of origin, help in establishing contact with law enforcement agencies, if the victim wishes so. Society Ključ performs these activities in cooperation with competent governmental and non-governmental organizations, because the care for victims demands interinstitutional cooperation. The person who becomes a victim of trafficking in human beings finds herself/himself in unusual circumstances, to say the least, and often even in life threatening situation. To survive the violence of all kinds the person develops different survival strategies. Due to the trauma and the way of life she/he is forced to live, the changes in her/his personality, selfesteem, relation to herself/himself and the evironment and conception of time and space occur. At this point it is the duty of the state, non-governmental and all other competent organizations to help such person in accordance with the mandate of each organization. The purpose of our developmental partnership, as we see it, is to help the victim of trafficking in human beings to gradually, through training, working, establishing and spreading a new social network, and through parallel psycho-social help overcome the passivity and helplesness that have developed as the result of limited possibilities of active participation in the environment and of violence in the period when she/he was abused and, besides other human rights, her/his right to selfdetermination was violated as well. The victim needs support to regain strength, willpower and selfconfidence for her/his own initiative, motivation and planning of activities for her/his future, because previously, due to isolation from stimulative environment and engagement in forced labour, she/he was focused only on here and now. Through activity on all levels the person can gradually regain the balance in relationships with othe people. In this process she/he needs a lot of time, understanding and acceptance of her/his personality as it is in a given moment with all the emotions she/he is experiencing, to regain trust in people and the feeling of security in the environment. She/he also needs an opportunity, help and stimulation with her/his first steps.
The labour market that will be through the initiative EQUAL offered to unemployed, abused and socially handicapped, will be available to men and women, as Society Ključ offers a programme that is opened to both sexes.
In the period of our existence and helping victims we have come to the crucial question of how to offer them programmes of (re)integration. The project EQUAL is a unique opportunity to develop special programmes that will enable victims to return to normal life free of violence, abuse, exploitation and violation of human rights. By signing the Memorandum of understanding on the field of helping the victims of trafficking in human beings with the Ministry of the Interior and the Supreme Public Prosecutor in the framework of programmes ACCESS 2000 and WITNESS, we have ensured the victims who are foreigners in our country (and Slovenia is therefore involved in international trafficking in human beings as the country of destination) a legal residential status – a permit for temporary stay in RS for) the period of three months (in the safe house of Society Ključ) in accordance with the point 2, paragraph 2 of the article 52 of the Law on Foreigners. That is the so called period of recovery which enables victims to make decisions regarding their future without the pressure from outside. That is also the period in which the counsellors of Society Ključ together with victims can decide on entering the programme of (re)integration with all the possibilities that the programme with the help of our partners will offer. The possibilities will be as follows: if the victims are Slovene nationals we will, through (re)integration programme, help them to start with their schooling, to finish an unfinished school or to start training for a profession. Together with our partners we will render possible the access to employment possibilities as well. One of the partners in the project has already offered the possibility of employment for the victims, and with the other potential partners it is being discussed. Our development partnership will therefore be a step forward in helping victims of trafficking in human beings and building the capacity of that help. The help that has been given so far has always stopped at the point when we wanted to offer the victims the possibility to lead a normal and dignified life. That can be achieved only by helping them to avoid the social bottom that was the push factor which brought them into the vicious circle of trafficking in human beings: unemployment, poverty, lack of education, gender discrimination, violence, lack of awareness. Besides push factors there are pull factors as well: expectation of employment, of education, of financial prosperity, of access to material goods and filnally of improvement of social status. With a quality network of partners we would succeed in empowering the victims for their future life and thus lowering the risk of falling prey again to trafficking in human beings. As all the projects that Society Ključ undertakes are of developmetal nature, the project that we are applying to is actually a logical consequence of that fact. The same opportunites will be granted to foreigners as well, of course in accordance with the existent legislation regarding foreigners in Republic of Slovenia.
The target group of the programme will have a lot of influence to the implementation of the programme. It will have even more influence to its development, as it is basically designed for an individual – a victim of trafficking in human beings. Each victim has her/his own experience, knowledge and skills, talents, abilities and wishes. In this way the individuals will successfully influence the development of the programme and its growth by suggesting the kinds of education and training that would suit them most.

Objective

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According to the National action employment programme, non-governmental organizations have an important role in imlementing the programme. In this case the NGO is Society Ključ which activities are closest to the target group (victims of trafficking in human beings) and its needs that are demonstrated in the process of integration and reintegration.

1. Do a research among the employers. ARGUMENTATION: the results would give us information regarding the portion of employers that wish to take active part in the programme of (re)integration of victims of trafficking in human beings by giving them opportunities for employment (the development of the method for establishing employment possibilities).
2. Form a network of employers who will employ victims of trafficking in human beings. ARGUMENTATION: the possibility of new ways to employment.
3. Make expert and realistic (re)integration programme. ARGUMENTATION: victims of trafficking in human beings would be included into the programme (motivation – management – inclusion into the labour market.
4. Organize training of employees of Society Ključ, its external expert collaborators and partners for managment of the (re)integration programme. ARGUMENTATION: quality expert work of employees of Society Ključ and its external collaborators; new supporting tools.
5. Establish INFO point for victims of trafficking in human beings. ARGUMENTATION: informing victims of trafficking in human beings of the possiblities for training and employment.
6. Establish a support group. AGRUMENTATION: as soon as a support group is established within Society Ključ, the group dynamics will cause the development of collective responsibility and a capabilitiy for action in certain situations when individuals in the group need help. We assume that within the support group non-formal workers or so called »cultural advisors« will develop who will help new victims to faster understand new cultural environment.
7. Include target population into the programme. ARGUMENTATION: increasing the number of victims who with the help of the (re)integration programme gradually become independent and organize their life.
8. Organize regular semiannual expert meetings intended to expert public who at their work come across victims of trafficking in human beings. ARGUMENTATION: increasing skills to recognize the problem, extending cooperation between organizations and raising awareness.
9. Organize regullar annual media actions. ARGUMENTATION: raising awareness of lay public about the existence and forms of trafficking in human beings in Slovenia.
10. Influence the employment politics. ARGUMENTATION: benefits for employers who employ victims of trafficking in human beings.
11. Do regular annual evalvation of the programme. ARGUMENTATION: following the efficiency of the programme, using the findings to adapt the programme.
12. Establish transnational cooperation with the countries that have already implemented similar (re)integration programmes for victims of trafficking in human beings. ARGUMENTATION: exchange of experience.
13. Extend good practice to the countries that are very important to us, because a lot of victims come to Slovenia from these countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. ARGUMENTATION: offering expert help to as many victims of trafficking in human beings as possible.

Innovation

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The development programme is actually an innovation in Slovenia, primarily content oriented (trafficking in human beings and its victims), process oriented (how to help the victims and create new possibilities to help) and aim oriented, because every innovation leads to the goal planned.

Budget Action 2

< 250 000 €

Beneficiaries

Empowerment

 With beneficiaries

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In this development programme of EQUAL initiative partners with different possibilities of contribution in the programme will participate. It is important that each partner is aware of its potentials and will also implement them while reaching the aim – in our case empowerment of victims of trafficking for autonomous life. We expect the developmental programme to have realistic role sharing. The role of the applicant Ključ Society is to find with the victim actual possibilities for the her/his inclusion in an educational or employment process during the reflection period. Only after this joint activities of programme partners take place – they are eather involved individually or according to the phase of the (re)integration programme of the individual victim. The decision in which programme will the victim be included will depend primarily on the victim her/himself.
Partners in our programme will collaborate in preparation and implementation of all activities appointed in the action plan for all periods of the programme. In the preparation period we will appoint contact persons and establish a coordination body that will meet regularly, consult, and monitor expected course of work. The coordinative body will also decide about possible changes of the programme, strategies and activities. The desicions of the coordination will be made on regular meetings and with telephone or e-mail conferences in specific cases.
All partners must understand all phases of the (re)integration programme and each partner is obliged to cooperate in its area (education, social help, employment) so that the victim is included eather in an educational programme or on the labour market. After each finished phase the results need to be evaluated and a report must me written, approved by all members of the coordination programme.

 Between national partners

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This is the first programme of (re)integration of victims of trafficking in Slovenia and therefore information and experience of those national partners that are ready to be a part of humanitarian actions for specific target groups are extremely important to us. We find acceptance of new approaches possible since Slovenia is already comparable to some European countries in which the power of nongovernmental organisations is growing through cooperation with governmental or public organisations. With the parallel development of innovative solutions we have in mind also those national partners that are already establish or want to expand to foreign markets through which a similar kind of help could be offered to victims of trafficking.

Transnationality

 Percentage of the budget for transnational activities

• 10.0%

 Transnational Co-operation Partnerships

Background

 Involvment in previous EU programmes

• Nobody involved in A&E

National Partners

Agreement Summary

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No information available.

DRUŠTVO KLJUČ-Center za boj proti trgovini z ljudmi

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The Society Ključ - Centre for Fighting against Human Trafficking was founded in November 2001 in Ljubljana as the only non-governmental, non-profit organisation in Slovenia offering concrete assistance to victims of human trafficking, both foreign female citizens exposed to sexual exploitation in Slovenia and Slovene female citizens who are victims in the home country or abroad. The Society provides various forms of assistance free of charge: advising over a telephone line, psychosocial help, assistance in withdrawing from a threatening situation (night clubs), crisis accommodation, safe house accommodation, help in establishing contacts with law enforcement authorities (accompanying in filing a complaint at the police, testifying before a court), assistance in organising a person's return to home country if she wishes so.
The purpose of the Society is to develop and implement preventive and curative programmes for raising awareness of the general public and expert community as well as of potential and actual victims of human trafficking, especially in relation to trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children, trade in human organs and all forms of forced labour and violation of human rights.
Programmes are implemented through training and informing of the public, risk population and competent state authorities. The Society co-operates with the competent governmental and non-governmental, domestic and foreign organisations, and it also organises and participates in various additional and supplementary forms of training, different methods of informing, lecturing, round tables and similar. The Society organises numerous workshops, conferences, seminars and other events. It also carries out research and issues various publications.

Contact person(s)

EURO GRAFIK d.o.o.

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Activities:

- Accounting

- Bookkeeping

- Audit

- Tax consultancy

Contact person(s)

Poslovni sistem Mercator d.d.

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We are one of the largest and most successful retailing chains in South Eastern Europe and the leading retailing chain in Slovenia, while we are at the same time building our presence in new markets. The group is becoming the third largest food-product chain in Croatia, has a strong market position in Bosnia Herzegovina, and has also opened the largest shopping centre in Serbia and Montenegro. The personality and corporate image of the Mercator trademark are distinguished by a strategic developmental direction, a recognizable corporate culture, social responsibility, and care for the future.

HISTORY
1949: Mercator's history goes back to 1949 - foundation of the "Živila Ljubljana" wholesale company, the predecessor to Poslovni sistem Mercator. 1953: Mercator was registered as a wholesale enterprise with its headquarters located in Ljubljana. 1953 - 1990: The company is expanding its organizational and spatial activities. The system's basic activity, wholesale and retail trading, is expanded to manufacturing, farming, and services. 1990: Capital connections with affiliated companies represent the start of a group-oriented organization and the affirmation of the name Poslovni sistem Mercator d.d. (Mercator Business System). 1993: Start of the privatisation process with the public offer of shares; this privatisation was the largest in Central Europe both by sheer scope as well as the value of capital.
1995: The end of privatisation of the Mercator Business System, Slovenia's largest public joint-stock company. State-owned funds and some 63.000 small shareholders became owners of the company. The ownership restructuring was recorded in the register in Ljubljana. 1997: That year represented a turning point in the business operations of the company meaning the company was transformed into one of the most successful companies in the area of the former Yugoslavia. The company Poslovni Sistem Mercator,d.d. which was operating with a loss by the year 1997, and was without a vision, got a new Board of Management, headed by Mr. Zoran Janković as the President. This Board of Management , the members of which were, beside Mr. Janković, also Mr. Aleš Čerin, Mrs. Jadranka Dakič and Mr. Marjan Sedej, accepted a very ambitious strategic development plan at their arrival to this position. The aim of that plan was to interrupt the negative trends of the former years and to create the best trading company in the country which could be compared to the biggest European, or global trading chains. The processes of internal re-structuring necessary for the integration of the Slovene food and other trade were started. By the increased performance and business efficiency, through the energetic appearance on the market, and enhanced development of the retail trade network and corresponding marketing activities the company wanted to increase its market share amounting to 15,4 % in the year 1997. In that year 8.086 persons were employed in the company. 1998: In the middle of the nineties there was the struggle for independence of Slovenia, the implementation of marketing rules , foreign competition and purchasing power pouring off into the neighbouring countries, so Mercator had to change the former strategy based on smaller shops. In the year 1997 a new development plan based on construction of stores larger than 500 square metres was adopted. Thus, Mercator started to build a modern shopping centre in Koper following the example and philosophy of large shopping centres in the Western Europe. Mercator's chain of modern shopping centres, namely, was commenced by opening Mercator Centre in Koper on 15 June, 1998. In the same year Mercator Centre in Maribor and Hypermarket in Ptuj were opened too.
The market share was increased to 20,1 % and the number of employees to 8.375. The consolidated net income from sales of the Group Mercator, which amounted to SIT 121 milliard in 1997, was increased to SIT 128,4 milliard in 1998. The net financial results of the Group Mercator amounted to SIT - 2,5 milliard ( without the real estate revaluation effect ) in 1997 and it was increased to SIT 1,5 milliard in 1998. 1999 and 2000: These two years were marked by Mercator's expansion and modernization of the retail network. Investments were carried out into large shopping centres across Slovenia along with capital links or take-overs of certain retail-oriented sales companies. After having taken over the Maribor-located company Klas, Mercator took over Loka - Škofja Loka, Goriška from Nova Gorica, Jelša - Šmarje pri Jelšah, Planika - Slovenska Bistrica, Hubelj from Ajdovščina, Grosist from Nova Gorica, Špecerija from Bled, Dolenjka from Novo Mesto, Posavje Brežice, Jestvina from Koper, and TP Rožca from Jesenice. The intensive unification of business processes and the integration of companies taken over into Mercator's existing affiliated companies were reflected in synergies of linking sales and non-sales oriented companies into the Mercator Group as well as economies of scope generated in co-operation with suppliers, most of which are Slovenia-based.
1999 was marked by the opening of Mercator Centre in Murska Sobota, Mercator Centre in Ljubljana, and Mercator Centre in Novo Mesto, while in 2000 Mercator's centres in Slovenj Gradec and Ravne started their operations. The expansion into the Central European economic space with shopping centres in Croatia (Pula) and Bosnia Herzegovina (Sarajevo) represents an important milestone in development.
The market share in 1999 increased already to 29,9 % in the year 2000 it amounted to 36,8 %. The number of employees in Mercator also increased, in 1999 Mercator employed 11.021 persons and in 2000 already 13.208.
The consolidated net income from the sales of the Group Mercator amounted to SIT 175,1 milliard in the year 1999, one year later it was SIT 240 milliard. The financial result of Group Mercator in 1999 amounted to SIT 3 milliard , and in 2001 it was SIT 4,2 milliard.
In the year 1999 Mercator also started its traditional humanitarian activities. The first humanitarian action "For 1000 faces of happiness" we helped in providing the funds for the centres and institutions for protection and education of the persons with special needs. Seven institutions and centres all over Slovenia were donated the equipment , so we provided a more pleasant life of higher quality for the wards. The value of the major humanitarian action "For 1000 faces of happiness" was SIT 25 million.
In the year 2000 Mercator realized its central humanitarian action named " You are my love". It was dedicated to those persons whose life was endangered due to an accident or sudden illness. By purchasing the ambulances for urgent medical treatments we helped to six Slovene first-aid posts, one Croatian and one Bosnian first-aid posts, so that they are able to offer a timely medical treatment and transportation to the hospitals. The central humanitarian donation in the year 2001 is valid SIT 65.5 million.
2001: By the year 2001 an exceptionally successful period ended: the first and turning phase in the development of the company, as well as, the whole Group. In this period all the aims set for the medium-term period from 2000 - 2003 were realized.
In the year 2001 both Poslovni Sistem Mercator, d.d. and the Group Mercator improved all the key acpects of the business performance, so the Group Mercator became the largest Slovene economic group according to its realised income. Beside this, the Group maintained the leading position on the home market, strengthened its market share in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, moreover, in that year it started with preparations for its penetration to the third strategic market : the market of Serbia and Montenegro. In spite of the exceptionally dynamic development period demanding a lot of efforts on all the fields of activity, Mercator managed to realize all the planned targets and in doing this the employees were successfully motivated too, so they followed the planned aims and entirely identified themselves with the corporational culture of the company.
In that year Mercator opened modern shopping centres in Nova Gorica, Jesenice, Kamnik and in Zagreb.
The market share in Slovenia increased to 37,2 % and the number of employees to 13.692.
The consolidated net income from the sales of Group Mercator amounted to SIT 284 milliard in 2001, and the net business result of Group Mercator was SIT 4,9 milliard.
"May the happiness be born" was the name of the central humanitarian action in 2001. We decided to offer help where new lives are born. The children are our future; the responsibility for tomorrow. This is why we dedicated our charity action to a family - the central cell and source of life. A peaceful pregnancy, safe childbirth and health of the baby depend on a vigilant doctor's control which is possible only with corresponding professional specialisation of the doctors, nurses, midwives and other personnel ,as well as with safe, modern and friendly equipment in hospitals. For this reason Mercator bought or contributed in making the purchase of new ultra-sonic apparatuses, cardiotachographs, labour beds and other medical apparatuses and equipment to all 14 Slovene maternity hospitals in the scope of this humanitarian action. At the end of 2001 this action was continued in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in February it widened also to Croatia thus making rounds in all our sales markets. In Bosnia and Herzegovina Mercator donated the equipment to maternity hospital working in the frames of Clinical University Centre Koševo in Sarajevo . In Coratia Mercator donated a labour bed with all the needed equipment to the Clinic for female illness and childbirth in Zagreb, and a high quality fetal monitor to the Hospital in Pula. The total value of Mercator donations in the year 2001 was SIT 75,5 million.
2002: Due to extraordinary successful business operations of Group Mercator in 2002, as well as, in previous few years the Management Board of the controlling company, headed by Mr. Zoran Janković, the President, started prior preparations for a new medium-term economic plan, in which the foundations for successful operations by the year 2005 were defined. In spite of more strained market conditions Mercator maintained the position of the leading trading company in Slovenia in the year 2002 and also increased and intensified its renown in the markets of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the year 2002 three Mercator centres were opened , namely, in Kranj , the first one in Dalmatia in Split, and at the end of the year we opened the largest Mercator centre so far - Mercator Centar Beograd - and entered the third strategic market, the market of Serbia and Montenegro, where we intend to widen intensively our retail network in the future. In Slovenia Mercator has managed to win already 39,8 % market share, 2,9 % in Croatia, and approx. 1 % in Bosnia and Herzegovina . The number of employees in the Group Mercator has also been increased and reached 14.369 on December 31, 2003.
The consolidated net income from the sales of Group Mercator in the year 2002 amounted to SIT 320 milliard, its net business result was SIT 5 milliard.
A new period is ahead of us; it will be distinguished mainly by the activities and building of positive image, renown and reputation on the new markets. On the home market we are expecting the increase of competition due to the access of Slovenia to the European Union. This is why the Group Mercator will have to take numerous measures enabling it to enhance its international competitiveness. 2003: In spite of more strained marketing conditions Mercator kept its position of the leading trading company in Slovenia and increased and strengthened its reputation in the new markets. In the light of rationalisation and business operation standardisation Mercator carried out numerous organisational changes in the year 2003, pursuing the aim of increasing business results and efficiency.
• Processes of business operation reorganisation: We set up a technical chain within the company Poslovni sistem Mercator in June 2003 by transferring outlets selling technical products from domestic trading companies to the controlling company, thus ensuring greater competitiveness on the market and reducing the number of office staff and lowering operating costs. The business processes in the company ETA, d.d. were reorganised, as we made a revaluation of inventories, introduced new packing and reduced the product range, and also prepared new business strategy and vision for the company.
• Consolidation of activity: we disposed of our holdings in the companies Trgoavto, d.d., Mesnine dežele Kranjske, d.d., Mercator - KŽK Kmetijstvo Kranj, d.o.o. on which we had decided in line with our strategic focusing on retail sale of food and also on the basis of company valuation results.
• Capital integrations: we acquired a majority interest in the company Živila, d.d. with the principal purpose to consolidate our market position, round up our product range and increase our competitiveness, expand Mercator's offer in the regions of Gorenjska, Podravje and Prekmurje, where the number of stores of the company Živila, d.d. was the largest. Restructuring of the company Živila, d.d. began immediately after the successful takeover and had a strong impact on its operations in 2003 due to adjustment to Mercator standards and principles and accounting policies; this strongly affected the financial statements for 2003 of Živila, d.d. and those of the controlling company or of the Group Mercator (impairment of the book value of Živila, d.d. assets, additional adjustments owing to revaluation of receivables and new investment evaluation with a resulting impairment). Business functions of the company Živila, d.d. shall be integrated into Mercator's existing organisation with the transfer of retail activities scheduled for July 1, 2004.
• Concentration of distribution warehouses: in 2003 we had the opportunity to sell a site on Poljanska street in Ljubljana (the warehouse) as a result of concentration of distribution warehouses with the final aim to ensure supply from one central warehouse (purchased land of about 20 ha); preparations for building are in place. In 2003 storage facilities of the company Mercator-Degro,d.d. were disposed of and related activities transferred to the controlling company.
• Standardisation of business processes: in all Mercator companies we endeavour to adhere to the same business standards. To this end some non-trading companies had to adjust their business operations with the prescribed standards and clean up the unprofitable programmes or abandon them and prepare new ones, which resulted in write-offs and affected Mercator's financial statements.
• Decrease in office staff: the share of office staff in total staff decreased in the past years from 9.5 % to 6.5 % in 2003, and will be further reduced in the future due to transfer of activities to the controlling company. As a result of integration of subsidiary trading companies in Slovenia into the controlling company the number of executive personnel will also decrease, especially in the companies' management boards.
• Cost reduction: we merged the companies Emona Merkur, d.d. and Žana, d.d. with the controlling company after having acquired their retail outlets and transferred their activities to the controlling company a year earlier and took over the retail and wholesale activities of the company Mercator - Degro, d.d. and on January 1, 2004 of Mercator - Gorenjska,d.d. with which we succeeded in reducing the overhead costs.
In the year 2003 the company Poslovni sistem Mercator, d.d. sold also its 20% holding in the company Spar Slovenija, d.o.o. and ceased its co-operation with this company in the field of wholesale supply, as the company Spar Slovenija, d.o.o. established its own distribution centre.
In the year 2003 the present Management Board, increased by a new member, Mr. Stanislav Brodnjak, started its new five-year mandate.
Group Mercator handed over its central humanitarian donation under the name "Open Your Eyes" to Oncologic Institute Ljubljana in the year 2003. In this year Mercator's central donation again represented a valuable contribution to the health service - this time for treatment of certain sorts of cancer. This Institute, namely, was forced to abandon treatments of gynaecological cancers and totally stopped prostate cancer treatments with brachitherapy in spite of the fact there is an increase in cases of breast and uterine cancers with women and cancers on testicles and prostate with men. Mercator has, therefore, decided to make a purchase of apparatus Varian GammaMed Plus in the value of SIT 84 million, thus enabling successful continuation of these treatments. According to our wish for uniformity of Mercator image in all the countries where it operates, Mercator donated the needed apparatus also to the Clinic for lung diseases in Jordanovac, Croatia.

Contact person(s)

Zavod Republike Slovenije za zaposlovanje

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Employment Service of Slovenia - the public employment service - has been operating in the territory of Slovenia under various organisational and institutional forms from as early as 1900. Today the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) is an independent legal entity with the status of a public institution operating uniformly across the whole of Slovenia. It was founded on the basis of the Employment and Unemployment Insurance Act (Article 61) in 1991.
The ESS management consists of the Director General, appointed by the government for a four-year period, and the Administrative Board, which operates at the national level and is organised on a tripartite basis including 13 members (4 workers’ representatives, 4 employers’ representatives, 4 Government representatives and a representative form the ESS Workers Council). The annual business plan is the basic document which determines the scope and content of the tasks, key quantitative annual targets and material conditions for the ESS operation.

The ESS organisational scheme includes the Head Office (HO), 12 Regional Offices (ROs) and 58 Local Offices (LOs). HO develops professional guideline for work and coordinates the implementation of all ESS activities. It provides all regional and local offices with complete information, personnel, legal, financial, developmental and organisational support and monitors their work. ROs coordinate the activities of LOs. They prepare regional annual working plans and targets and statistical-analytical information, ensure and monitor the implementation of employment programmes in the field, work with employers, external programme providers, local communities and other regional and local partners. Contacts with the unemployed, employers and other clients take place in LOs as these provide all direct services for clients.

As the country’s central institution for the implementation of active employment policy, the ESS works closely with other national institutions and social partners. The ESS staff cooperate with the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs in preparing basis for employment programmes and other strategic documents.

In accordance with the relevant government HRD strategic plans and studies following the guidelines agreed by the common EU employment policy, the ESS is seen as an important institution with regard to the implementation of national employment policy. The ESS is directly responsible for implementation of the government's employment policy which is gradually shifting towards giving more weight to a variety of active labour market programmes and other measures regarding employment. In compliance with the legal and administrative foundations, the ESS tasks include all preparatory, promotional, professional, financial-administrative, management, reporting and statistical-analytical activities.

The main ESS activities are as follows:
Registration, counselling and placement of the unemployed
Placement and counselling are the main and the largest activities of the ESS. Related to these activities is the maintenance of records of registered unemployed. The doctrine of work with the unemployed supports an individualisation and differentiation approach to clients, where active forms of assistance have priority over passive forms. The latest legal changes brought about a new emphasis on active job search. The ESS prepares a back-to-work plan for each unemployed person and monitors the implementation of arrangements from this plan, supervises job-searching activities and the unemployment status. The ESS combines both individual and group methods of informing and counselling the unemployed within the so called closed system of dealing with clients, practises various forms of cooperation with employers and provides general information on vacancies, labour market, training and education in the so-called open system of dealing with clients.
• Implementation of unemployment insurance schemes
The ESS carries out all procedures regarding the payment of rights arising from the unemployment insurance. These mostly include unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance.
• Implementation of employment programmes
With increasing focus on active labour market policy, this activity has become more and more important since the beginning of 1990s. The ESS has developed a wide network of external training and employment programmes providers.
Currently, the ESS is involved in the following programmes:
- education and training programmes containing programmes of assistance in career planning and job- seeking, job clubs, functional training programmes to acquire additional vocational skills and knowledge, on-the-job training and introduction to work programmes and work trials;
- public works programmes;
- refunding of contributions to employers, joint funding of trainee periods, subsidising of jobs in non-profit activities;
- self-employment facilitation programmes;
- subsidising of sheltered workshops and training and employment programmes for the disabled, containing occupational rehabilitation, subsidies of new jobs for the disabled and adapting of work places for people with severe disabilities;
- restructuring projects in companies, co-financing of the Labour Funds and preservation of jobs.
• Vocational guidance and counselling
The ESS carries out group and individual forms of vocational guidance and counselling for adults and young people. Within this activity, a network of Vocational Information and Counselling Centres and information points in local offices has also been developed. The network offers self-service access to written, audio-visual and electronic information (also via the Internet), self-testing and interactive programmes (job vacancies on the Internet). The ESS is also a member of the European network of National Resource Centres for Vocational Guidance (NRCVG).
• Management and implementation of national scholarship schemes for pupils and students, including Zois scholarships for highly gifted students in intellectual or artistic fields.
• Employment of foreign workers and employment of Slovene workers abroad
• Statistical-analytical and development activities
The ESS secures the professional and methodological basis for its records and for the monitoring of statistical data for all its activities. It prepares regular statistical reports and information at the national and regional levels, analyses of periodic trends and structure of registered unemployment, analyses of individual segments of the labour market and analyses of employers' annual employment plans. The ESS provides data and information for the Intranet and Internet, media, local and regional development institutions and for statistical reports and overviews in the government's communication with international governmental organisations and the European Union.

Contact person(s)

(RE)INTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING