Political Leaders to Seek Common Ground on Reform Once Again

The meeting will "review the remaining outstanding issues and the key dilemmas", said the office of Prime Minister Janez Janša, who called the meeting.

The agenda will revolve around the work of three bipartisan working groups that over the past month scrutinised the government's plans to amend the Constitution with a fiscal rule, sort out the banking system, and set up a sovereign holding as a custodian of state capital assets.

Judging by statements from the parties, the only working group that has come close to finding common ground is the task force on the sovereign holding, which will continue to hold meetings.

Meanwhile, the group on the fiscal rule remained deadlocked as the opposition refuses to come on board for the change of Constitution, depriving the coalition of the requisite two-thirds majority in parliament.

The opposition wants the fiscal rule implemented with a regular law, but the government claims that would not be binding enough.

There seems to be some headway on the banks. But while the opposition has not rejected outright the government's plan to set up a bad bank, it suggested its support would hinge on the modalities, in particular the cost to taxpayers, which are still unclear.

Janša himself has deflated expectations about the meeting in an interview for Monday's edition of Reporter, suggesting that the chances of agreement were "slim". He also threatened to tie the motions to a confidence vote.
 

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