Makovec Brenčič is a professor of international economics at the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics, where she runs the International Business graduate programme. She is also a business consultant and serves on the boards of a number of companies. In her doctoral dissertation, she studied the competitive advantage of businesses in international trade.

"It was a tough decision. What tipped the scales is that I feel a sense of responsibility to improve the state of affairs in education and sport," Makovec Brenčič said in her initial response. She said her top priority was to improve the quality of education in the country, as she maintains that knowledge is common property and should be accessible to everyone.

Prime Minister Looking to Strengthen Ties between Universities and Industry
According to Cerar, the candidate is heavily involved in higher education, and is active on an international scale. He believes that her nomination would foster collaboration between universities and businesses. "I'm glad she accepted the offer," he added.

Cerar will submit her nomination to parliament on Wednesday, along with the nomination of Andreja Katič for appointment as Defence Minister. Today he said Katič reassured him that rumours about her involvement in illegal and unethical activities were false. "I have no reason to doubt the candidates' integrity, let alone their competence," he stressed.

Both candidates are expected to be heard before their respective parliamentary committees sometime in May.

A. Č., A. S., MMC;
translated by D. V.