Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning, or follow us on Facebook
A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
This summary is provided by the STA:
EBRD keeps GDP growth forecast for Slovenia at 3.3%
NICOSIA, Cyprus - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has kept its GDP growth forecast for Slovenia at 3.3% in its spring report. The Slovenian economy is expected to expand by 2.8% in 2020. The latest GDP growth forecasts indicate Slovenia's economy will expand at around 3.4% this year and roughly 3% in 2020. The European Commission has also kept its forecast for Slovenia unchanged at 3.1% for this year and 2.8% for 2020 in its spring forecast.
Remaining executive posts at BAMC filled
LJUBLJANA - Andraž Grum and Bojan Gantar were appointed new executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) by the non-executive directors, to make the executive management complete after Matej Pirc was appointed CEO in April. They are expected to assume their duties at the end of the month when the board of directors assigns the areas of their responsibility. BAMC's board has been completely overhauled in recent months in the wake of an internal audit which found issues with the sale of land to Swiss Lonstroff for an elastomer plant in Logatec, and several other allegations.
Slovenian economy as a whole improves key indicators in 2018
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian economy as a whole significantly improved its performance last year, with total net profit of companies increasing by 16% and total revenues by 9%, according to the Agency for Public Legal Records (AJPES). The total net profit posted by Slovenian companies surpassed the total loss for the fifth year in a row in 2018, standing at EUR 4.2 billion, up 16% year-on-year. The 66,749 companies which submitted their business results for last year to AJPES meanwhile increased their combined revenue by 9% to EUR 100.8 billion. Revenues generated on the foreign markets amounted to EUR 40.7 billion, which is 10% more than in 2017.
Slovenia stays 5th best investment destination in SEE for Germans
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has remained the fifth most attractive destination for German investors among 15 countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), while 80% of German investors would reinvest in the country, which is 16 percentage points less than last year, the latest survey by the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce has shown. Slovenia's biggest shortcomings have remained the same - tax burden, tax system and authorities, high labour costs and rigid labour legislation. Also, the available labour force is shrinking. Slovenia is trailing only the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Estonia in the region.
Joining EU made Slovenia better, PM says
BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia made the right decision by joining the EU 15 years ago, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said as he addressed a ceremony marking this anniversary. His Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel, who also addressed the event, praised Slovenia as a reliable and trustworthy partner and the voice of reason advocating for closer ties within the EU.
SDS proposes dismantling public sector pay system
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) have initiated a motion to exclude healthcare and the army from the uniform system covering wages across the entire public sector, in what could be the dismantling of a complex scheme put in place by an SDS-led government in 2008. The system is causing dissatisfaction, in particular when it comes to incentivising the best performers and those with the biggest workload, SDS deputy Jelka Godec told the press. The Public Administration Ministry said in a response that individual profession groups or parts of the public sector leaving the uniform system was not a guarantee that their pay would be regulated in a more appropriate way.
SDS, Left challenging changes to criminal procedure act
LJUBLJANA - The deputy groups of the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the Left filed a request for a constitutional review of the changes to the criminal procedure act which were passed on 26 March. They oppose the provisions on the use of covert investigative methods, and the obtaining of data on mobile traffic and financial transactions, which they believe breach people's privacy. They propose that the Constitutional Court suspend the implementation of the law pending its decision, annul the contentious provisions and task the government and parliament to present a new motion within two months.
Aluminium products maker Impol starts new production line in Croatia
ŠIBENIK, Croatia - Impol, Slovenia's largest maker of aluminium products, launched a new car industry production line in its subsidiary TLM in Croatia, consolidating its position in the car industry market. The cost of Impol's investment amounted to EUR 6.5 million, with the new combination cutting line enabling the company to expand its cold rolling mill production as well as the production of a wider variety of new products intended for industrial customers and specialised car and aircraft industry markets. The Šibenik-based company TLM, which was acquired by the Slovenska Bistrica-based company in 2017, employs more than 400 people, manufacturing some 9,000 tonnes of aluminium products per month
Journalists tried over leaks related to Mercator takeover
LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik, its former editor-in-chief Suzana Rankov and three of its former journalists were put on trial for publishing in 2013 leaked transcriptions of phone calls of Tomaž Lovše, who acted as an advisor to Croatia's Agrokor in the takeover of Mercator. The defendants, who are charged with abuse of personal data, pleaded not guilty at today's pre-trial arraignment. The Slovenian Journalists' Association (DNS) condemned the case as a form of pressure on journalists and their sources.
All set for popular memorial walk in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Commemorating the liberation of Ljubljana at the end of the Second World War, tens of thousands will take a walk along a marked gravel path surrounding the city on Saturday. A barbed wire used to trace the path during WWII, when Ljubljana was occupied first by Italian and then German forces. The 63rd Walk along the Wire event will kick off already on Thursday, when kindergarten children will set out to conquer a part of the hike, followed by primary and secondary school children on Friday. The commemoration's highlight will be Saturday's hike as well as the run of three-member teams.
Druga Godba world music festival to entertain Ljubljana and Maribor
MARIBOR - Druga Godba, a festival of world music, will kick off in Ljubljana on 21 May and run until 25 May, when it will move to Maribor too. The event will feature 16 concerts of various music genres performers from eleven countries, including the acclaimed US experimental guitarist and composer Yonatan Gat and popular Ukrainian folk quartet DakhaBrakha. Visitors will also be able to enjoy the beats of the London-based Afrobeat band Kokoroko or groove to the sounds of the leading Polish jazz musician Maciej Obara. A Slovenian higlight will the 25th May performance of Bakalina Velika in Maribor.
