Is the British Council in Slovenia closing?

No, we will still have an office in Ljubljana for the foreseeable future, but we are closing our Information Centre (Club.UK) in July 2007 and transferring the materials from there to the Oton Zupancic Metropolitan Library so that they will still be available to the public.

Why are you closing the information centre in Slovenia?

We are closing the Information Centre (Club.UK) so that we can transfer our resources to projects that we believe will have a greater impact. Also, British magazines, newspapers and books are widely available in Slovenian bookshops and libraries. Most people have also access to internet, which can provide far more information that we can provide.

What will be the focus of the British Council’s work in Slovenia now? Will you give up your partnerships in Slovenia?

We will be developing some major new multilateral projects with other countries across Europe over the next several months, and we will engage some of our existing partners in those. Inevitably, though, we will not be able to work with all of them - but we will try to keep in touch so that when opportunities do arise we will be able to involve them in appropriate activities.

Will I still be able to take an exam through the British Council?

Yes. We will continue to offer a whole range of English language exams, as well as professional and university exams.

Will the British Council continue to organize cultural and educational events for the public?

Not unless they are an integral part of one of our multilateral projects. But we will continue to organize IELTS preparation courses and examinations.

Why isn’t the British Council championing arts and culture anymore?

We will no longer be championing art and culture for its own sake, but we will be using art, culture, science and education to achieve specific objectives in cross-sectoral projects. For example, we may consider how art, or science, or education can be used most effectively as a medium for intercultural understanding.

Why is Europe of a lower strategic priority to the UK than other parts of the world? Why are you moving funds away from Slovenia to other parts of the world?

Europe is very important to the UK and we have strong political, economic and cultural ties with many European countries, including Slovenia. But membership of the EU, ease of travel and access to information via the internet have made the British Council’s role in maintaining these links less significant, so we are shifting our resources to areas where we can make a greater difference to building effective relationships with the UK.

Will the British Council still provide information about the UK?  Will I be able to get this information via telephone or e-mail?

We will provide as much information as we can about the UK via our web sites, and we have a project going on at the moment which aims make those sites as user-friendly and informative as possible. When this project is complete we will withdraw our telephone and e-mail enquiry services.