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President Drnovšek proposes Andrej Rant for Bank of Slovenia Governor
Ljubljana, 02/09/2007 | press release
Slovenian President Dr. Janez Drnovšek today proposed to the country’s National Assembly that it appoint Andrej Rant as Governor of the Bank of Slovenia.
The letter sent by President Drnovšek to the National Assembly sets out information on the candidate and an explanation of the proposal:
At the beginning of October 2006 the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia informed me that on 31 March 2007 his six-year term in office would expire.
Pursuant to the notification from the President of the Slovenian National Assembly, Mr. France Cukjati, No. 450-03/89-1/35, EPA 1238-IV of 2 February 2007, I decided to propose to the National Assembly for the post of Governor of the Bank of Slovenia Mr. Andrej Rant, a university graduate in economics.
Candidate Andrej Rant has been employed at the Bank of Slovenia ever since 1991, and since 1993 as Vice Governor. In the course of more than 15 years he has gained a very thorough familiarity with this institution, and as both an expert and colleague of the former and current Governor he has also made a major contribution to its development. In this he made advantageous use of the knowledge he acquired between 1973 and 1991 at the National Bank of Slovenia, where he was firstly director of the analysis and research centre and later Vice Governor and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovenia.
From 1991 to 2001 Andrej Rant was a member of the negotiating group on issues of succession to the former Yugoslavia. And when Slovenia started negotiations on joining the European Union, from 1998 to 2002 he was a member of the core group negotiating Slovenia’s accession. Since Slovenia’s accession he has been a member of the economic and financial committee ECOFIN. As Vice Governor he has also accompanied the Governor at meetings of the European Central Bank in the role of the Governor’s deputy.
In recent years the policies and decisions of the Bank of Slovenia have made a major contribution to the international standing of Slovenia, with this country becoming the first and only new Member State of the European Union to introduce the single European currency, on 1 January 2007. And Andrej Rant participated closely in the introduction of the euro in Slovenia. As co-chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Technical Preparations for Introduction of the Euro, together with his colleagues he successfully performed everything necessary to ensure that the change of currency would be carried out without any unnecessary problems, something for which we have received much public recognition.
The Bank of Slovenia faces new challenges and new tasks. Slovenia will be sharing its experiences with other candidate countries for adoption of the euro, and in this way will make an important contribution to the further expansion of the eurozone. The Bank of Slovenia and its Governor will have to strive for the development and consolidation of their position within the European Central Bank, and for the further development of the financial sector and its integration beyond the national borders. The Governor will have to play an important part in the area of establishing the stability of prices and fiscal policy, especially in association and cooperation with all those responsible for economic and public policy in this country.
Andrej Rant is very well acquainted with the situation in the fields of finance and banking. He has many years of experience and the personal qualities required for high-quality leadership of this important institution. His participation to date in the ECOFIN economic and financial committee and in the European Central Bank serve as an assurance that as a member of the European Central Bank’s Council he will act on an appropriately professional level and in line with Slovenia’s interests.
Based on all of the above I take the view that Andrej Rant is an ideal candidate for Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, and I therefore propose to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia that he be appointed.
Andrej Rant consents to his candidacy.
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Office of the President of the Republic
Erjavčeva 17
SI-1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
phone: +386 1 478 12 22
fax: +386 1 478 13 57
gp.uprs@up-rs.si
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