A meeting of the Corporate Finance Standing Committee (CFSC) and its consultative working group (CFSC CWG) took place yesterday in Paris at the headquarters of the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA), and was actively attended by the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, as a Committee member.

Yesterday and today Bled has hosted the 11th Strategic Forum Bled, which was this year titled "Safeguarding the future" and was dedicated to receiving responses to current challenges which have shaken the foundations of our collective security. While the forum addressed the issues such as disintegration or integration of the EU, energy geopolitics and situation on the West Balkans, the business part of the forum was focused on the digital transformation of the society, smart cities concept, mobility and the future of automotive industry as well as security and sustainability in tourism. (VIDEO from the last year's forum – investo.TV)

After the Securities Market Agency (ATVP) rejected VZMD's request to participate in the takeover procedure with reference to the announcement of the takeover intent by the company Mlino d.o.o. (mainly owned by Mlinotest management board members!) to repurchase the shares of the company Mlinotest d.d., rejected the request to access the takeover procedure file, and - despite justifiable warnings by VZMD - issued the permission for the takeover bid for the repurchase of Mlinotest shares at the price of EUR 1.10 per share, this month VZMD initiated appropriate proceedings against ATVP before the Administrative Court.

On Saturday, the deadline for submitting comments on  the Bill on amending Book Entry Securities Act(ZNVP-1A) expired. Therefore, on Friday, the PanSlovenian Investors` & Shareholders` Association (VZMD) President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, responded to the letter and positions, delivered to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia by the civil front »Primorska has risen«, Coastal trade union organization KS90, Trade union of crane operators of marine activities, Trade union of port workers of Slovenia OSO KS90, and »Puntarji (Rebels)«movement. The above mentioned organizations have expressed their firm disagreement with Article 48 of ZNVP-1, and the positions - after being received for information only - were endorsed and additionally clarified also by VZMD.

The proposed Article 48a provides that the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH) which will be the future(?!) "demographic reserve fund" - in addition to securities which remain unacquired from the court deposit after 5 years (after recent cancellation of about 250,000 registry accounts with KDD (Securities Clearing Corporation)) - would also be entitled to receive all forsaken securities.

After Tuesday's announcement of the takeover bid for the repurchase of shares of the company Mlinotest d.d., the PanSlovenian Investors` & Shareholders` Association (VZMD) President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, sent the Securities Market Agency (ATVP) aNotice about highly questionable financing of the attempt to acquire the company Mlinotest d.d. by the company Mlino d.o.o. (which is mainly owned by the management of Mlinotest) and persons acting in line with the company.

After the important ceremony marking the centenary of the Russian chapel at Vršič, this year as well Kranjska gora was the venue of the informal gathering of Russian and Slovenian high representatives of the economy, culture, politics and science. (VIDEO)

During the visit of the Managing director of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) Mr. Guillaume Prache in Slovenia, where he for VZMD.tv / investo.TV gave an exclusive interview on most burning and ongoing issues related to the bail-in bank restructuring in the EU, putting special stress on disconcerting procedures in Slovenia, which is why the Better Finance President, Mr. Jean Berthon, as early as on February 8 had sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Miro Cerar, from whom no reply whatsoever has been received yet.

Tuesday's ruling of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg explicitly indicated that legal wrangles and consequences arising from the controversial amendment of the Banking Act (ZBan-1L) should be resolved within the Slovenian judicial system. With the Bill on regulating the status of expropriated investors in Slovenian banks the PanSlovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) endeavors to spark off and actualize the debate on the approaches for a constructive elimination of consequences of the expropriation of over 100,000 citizens (with no compensation at all) during the complete nationalization of six Slovenian banks.

VZMD's bill does not provide for any burdening of the state budget or taxpayers - the situation of the expropriated investors should be regulated by issuing bonds through Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC). Such regulation of the situation involves an incremental approach and decreases the liquidity pressure, while simultaneously linking the payments to the actual (successful) continuous business operations of the banks and BAMC.

With today's ruling, the European Court of Justice has answered seven questions of the Slovenian Constitutional Court posed during the constitutional review of the amendment of the Banking Act (ZBan-1L). Here is the crucial answer to the first question and the fact that the European Court of Justice has definitively resolved the issue of the legal nature of the European Commission's Banking Communication as of August 1, 2013, which - as maintained by the PanSlovenian Investors` & Shareholders` Association (VZMD) since the very beginning - is not binding for the EU Member States.

Yesterday Slovenian criminal police conducted a pre-criminal investigation of the Slovenia's Central Bank (the Bank of Slovenia) and the largest Slovenian bank, NLB, d.d., along with their consultants, Ernest & Young and Deloitte. The police collected evidence regarding possible wrongdoing of the banks as part of the bank bail-in in which all the shareholders and subordinated bondholders, including retail investors, were entirely wiped out in six Slovenian banks in December 2013.

VZMD is re-publishing the criminal complaint it filed on March 6, 2015, which alleged criminal offenses of abuse of office or official duties according to Paragraph 3 in connection with Paragraph 5 of Article 257 of the KZ-1 with Article 20 of the KZ-1 or malfeasance in office according to Article 258 of the KZ-1 in connection with Article 20 of the KZ-1. The criminal complaint was filed at the Specialized Office of the State Prosecutor against the Governor and Vice Governors of the Bank of Slovenia.

This week, the PanSlovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) sent two press releases (titled: "We Will Not Give Away Our Port" - a Spontaneous Rally at the Port of Koper and "We Have Risen - the Rest of Slovenia Will Follow!") to global media, regarding the strategically significant company Port of Koper. To this moment the press releases were viewed by 293  and published in over 265 relevant and influential media.  

KOPER, SLOVENIA. Families and supporters of Port of Koper employees who had blocked the entrance to the port for three days staged a peaceful protest at the port's entrance gates on Sunday (the traditional family day in Slovenia). Around 1,000 employees blockaded the port on Friday morning - before the General meeting of the Port of Koper (Luka Koper) at which the government-controlled Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH), the Port of Koper's majority shareholder, revoked its request for replacement of three of the Port of Koper's Supervisory board members. The request had been a point of contention because the Port of Koper has a two-tiered board composed of a Supervisory Board and a Management Board. Supervisory Board members have the power to elect or fire members of the Management Board.