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This summary is provided by the STA:
Golob, Pahor advocating Bosnia be granted EU candidate status
BRUSSELS, Belgium/OHRID, North Macedonia - PM Robert Golob said he would propose that Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted EU candidate status at next week's EU summit. He acknowledged that a single member state can prevent this process, but hopes that reason will prevail. He welcomed the EU Commission's backing of Ukraine's bid to join the bloc. President Borut Pahor meanwhile underlined the importance of dialogue about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans at the Prespa Forum Dialogue in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on Thursday. Pahor presented a letter he sent to European Council President Charles Michel, advocating that Bosnia be granted EU candidate status without having to meet conditions first.
Golob to attend summit of European Liberals next week
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Robert Golob, the leader of the Freedom Movement, will take part in a summit of leaders belonging to the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament as he also attends an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. The Renew meeting will focus on the integration of the liberal political block at EU level, which Golob discussed with Renew leader Stephane Sejourne in Brussels today.
Pahor attending Three Seas Initiative summit in Riga on Monday
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will attend a summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Riga on Monday at the invitation of his Latvian counterpart Egils Levits. The meeting of leaders of twelve countries is expected to be addressed via video link by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This year's summit will focus on the war in Ukraine and how to cooperate with Ukraine. The leaders are expected to adopt a declaration inviting Ukraine to join the initiative as a partner country.
Govt endorses Kopač as candidate for ECC secretary general
LJUBLJANA - The government has endorsed the candidacy of Janez Kopač for the secretary general of the Regional Cooperation Council (ECC), saying that Kopač is a credible candidate with all the required references and experience in the national and international political space, in particular in the Western Balkans. At today's correspondence session, the government also authorised the Foreign Ministry to do what is necessary to announce the candidacy and notify the presiding country of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).
Slovenia to pay legal costs to Croatia over arbitration lawsuit
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will pay legal expenses to Croatia over its border arbitration-related lawsuit against Croatia before the EU Court of Justice, which had decided that the lawsuit is inadmissible, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. The country nevertheless sees this issue as part of the procedure to implement the 2017 border arbitration award. This is part of the procedure to implement the arbitration award, to which Slovenia has called Croatia on several occasions, the ministry said, noting that Croatia also had to reimburse Slovenia part of the arbitration costs.
Coalition files changes to communicable diseases law
LJUBLJANA - The coalition parties filed to parliament changes to the communicable diseases act that will make the country's efforts to fight infectious diseases in line with the constitution. This is after the top court ruled a year ago Article 39 unconstitutional, giving the National Assembly two months to remedy the situation. The Constitutional Court said at the time that the parts of the act allowing the government to restrict movement and public assembly are unconstitutional.
C-bank vice-governor Vodopivec Jean resigns for personal reasons
LJUBLJANA - Irena Vodopivec Jean, one of the three vice-governors of Banka Slovenije, has asked the parliament to be relieved of her duties. "The National Assembly should relieve me of my duties early, as of 31 July, for personal reasons," she said in the resignation statement. Vodopivec Jean took over as a vice-governor of the central bank and thus a member of its governing board in the autumn of 2015. Last autumn she was appointed for a new term, which would have expired in October 2027.
Tensions over RTV Slovenija strike escalating
LJUBLJANA - In the run-up to another strike at RTV Slovenija, tensions are growing as in-house trade unions accused the management of attempting to obstruct the strike. The management decided to reduce news shows on the prime channel to the minimum on Monday when the strike is announced. "We're in favour of an intact, unabbreviated programme, whereas the director general is in favour of a state of emergency," said journalist Ksenija Horvat. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon meanwhile urged RTV director general Andrej Grah Whatmough to rethink his proposal to reduce the number of foreign correspondents.
Diaspora minister visits Slovenian minority in Gorizia
GORIZIA, Italy - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon paid an official visit to Gorizia to meet representatives of the umbrella organisations of the Slovenian minority in Italy. They talked about future cooperation and topical issues, including how to secure a minority representative in the Italian parliament. "We will also precisely determine goals in the autumn and chart the path to these goals," Arčon said after the meeting.
Legendary illustrator Marlenka Stupica dies
LJUBLJANA - Legendary illustrator and painter Marlenka Stupica, best known for her illustrations of world classics such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mehurčki, the collection of children's poetry by Oton Župančič (1878-1949), has died aged 94, publisher Mladinska Knjiga said. Stupica illustrated more than a hundred children's books in her almost 70-year career and received many awards for her work in Slovenia and abroad, including the Prešeren Prize for lifetime achievement in 2013.
Prešeren Prize-winning translator Kajetan Gantar dies
LJUBLJANA - Kajetan Gantar, an acclaimed translator of classical literature and philosophy who won the 2022 Prešeren Prize, the highest national accolade for lifetime achievement in culture and arts, died on Thursday at the age of 91. He produced an impressive body of translation work, including translations of Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Sappho, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristotle, Plutarch, Procopius, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Ovid and several books of the Bible.
Ukrainian poet warns of Putin's appetite to conquer
NOVO MESTO - Talking about Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian author Eugenia Chuprina warned of Russian President Vladimir Putin's appetite for conquering countries at a literary event held in Novo Mesto on Thursday evening. Chuprina, who sees herself as a punk, underground poet, warned other countries, including Slovenia, against Putin's potential actions in the future. Slovenia too should think about its security and defence against Putin's Russia, she said.
Coronavirus spread gaining pace
LJUBLJANA - The increase in coronavirus infections driven by a new Omicron subvariant is gaining pace in Slovenia with Thursday's case count up by nearly 60% over the figure reported the same day a week ago. Data from the Health Ministry shows 463 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Thursday as one patient with Covid-19 died. A total of 35 patients are treated in hospitals for Covid as their main condition, including five in intensive care.
At-risk-of-poverty rate down to 11.7% in 2021
LJUBLJANA - The at-risk-of-poverty rate in Slovenia declined by 0.7 percentage points last year to 11.7%. The threshold of poverty risk was EUR 771 per month. Social transfers including pensions remain an important tool in lowering poverty, according to the Statistics Office. Around 243,000 Slovenians lived on an income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, including 85,000 pensioners, 46,000 employed, 40,000 children under the age of 18, 38,000 unemployed and 34,000 other persons.
World No.1 cyclist Pogačar wins stage 3 of Tour of Slovenia
CELJE - Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the third stage of the Tour of Slovenia in what was a fierce attack before the finishing line. The world No.1 cyclist now leads in the race's overall standings. His teammate, Poland's Rafal Majka, was second and Italy's Nicola Conci (Alpecin Fenix) finished third. The win was a repeat of last year's feat when Pogačar won stage two of the Slovenian race by showcasing all the tricks of the trade. Both last year and this year he attacked some 20 kilometres before the finishing line during a steep ascent, the only difference being that today he was chased by Majka.
Writer Florjan Lipuš gets honorary degree from Klagenfurt uni
KLAGENFURT, Austria - Florjan Lipuš, an acclaimed author and member of the Slovenian minority in Austria, will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Klagenfurt next Friday to join the company of another Slovenian minority author Maja Haderlap, as well as Austrian authors Peter Handke, Josef Winkler and Peter Turrini. In addition to Lipuš, the honorary doctorate will also be awarded to Austrian philosopher, author and literary critic Franz Schuh.
Imago Sloveniae opens summer of concerts in historic settings
LJUBLJANA - The RTV Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra featuring up-and-coming Slovenian conductors and soloists is launching a series of concerts in the capital this summer under the banner of Imago Sloveniae and Summer in Old Ljubljana. The festival, known foremost for classical music, but also jazz and world music concerts in historical town settings, has made it its mission to educate young audiences in particular as interest in classical music has been waning.
Museum of the World's Oldest Vine opens in Maribor
MARIBOR - Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, prides itself on having what is arguably the world's oldest vine. Today, it also got a museum dedicated to the venerable grapevine and the history of viticulture. The Museum of the World's Oldest Vine is located in a former cold storage room in Lent, the historical part of Maribor, that has been refurbished with the help of EU funds. It is closely linked to the nearby Old Vine House.
E-bike rental system now available in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - More than ten years after becoming the first city in Slovenia with a bike sharing system, Ljubljana also got its own e-bike rental system with 75 Nomago Bikes made available at 25 docking stations on Thursday. Ljubljana thus became the 12th municipality with an e-bike rental system operated by Nomago, a travel and transportation company. The bikes have a battery capacity from 60 to 80 km. Renting the bike for 30 minutes costs EUR 1.3, with different subscriptions also available.
