Speakers
M.Sc. Andrej Vizjak
Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Slovenia
Andrej Vizjak was appointed Minister of Economy in the Slovenian government on 3 December 2004.
Before that, he was elected to the National Assembly in 2000, and was head of the SDS deputy group. His desire to play an active part in creating better conditions in his home municipality and to boost the standing of the Municipality of Brežice and the Posavje region within Slovenia was crucial to his decision to stand in the 2002 local elections, in which he was elected Mayor of the Municipality of Brežice.
Andrej Vizjak was born in Brežice on 6 August 1964. After grammar school in Brežice he studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, where he also continued as a postgraduate, obtaining the MSc degree in electronic technology.
His first job was at the Litostroj plant in Ljubljana. Then he worked as a junior researcher for the Jožef Stefan Institute, collaborating on developmental research projects in computer automation of industrial processes for the needs of the Videm Krško cellulose and paper manufacturer. In 1994 he was employed as a labour inspector at the Krško branch of the Labour Inspectorate. In 2000 he served as State Secretary for the area of employment at the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs.