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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:
Elderly man abducted by illegal migrants
ČRNOMELJ/LJUBLJANA - A 79-year-old man working in his vineyard near the border town Črnomelj was abducted on Wednesday by a group of illegal migrants, who tied him up, put him in his car's boot and drove several hours before releasing him in a village near Sežana. Police said a 25-year-old Moroccan and two 18-year-old Algerians were arrested and have been remanded in custody on suspicion of kidnapping. Reactions by political parties indicated the incident could make law&order a top campaign issue ahead of the EU vote, with conservative parties urging the government to protect the Schengen border and prevent illegal migrations at all cost.
EU presidents issue call for strong, integrated Europe
LJUBLJANA - The EU heads of state issued a call ahead of the EU election, urging the people on Europe Day to vote and making a case for a strong, integrated EU. We cannot and should not take peace and freedom, prosperity and well-being for granted, says the statement, which was also jointly presented by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is paying an official visit to Slovenia, and Slovenia's Borut Pahor, one of its first signatories. Pahor said "perhaps it will be the election that will decide the future course of our beloved union", while Steinmeier that the 21 signatories agreed that Europe needed a political debate in order to determine its future course.
Brdo-Brijuni summit urges EU not to forget about W Balkans
TIRANA, Albania - Leaders of the Western Balkans signed a declaration at a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process urging the EU to make enlargement to the region a "matter of geopolitical significance". The EU must "bear in mind that the full integration of the Western Balkans into the European system of values is an important factor for the overall European stability as well," says the declaration. Slovenian President Borut Pahor said that enlargement to the Western Balkans would not likely be a priority of the next European Commission, which is why "we need to make the region more attractive to other EU members."
NSi proposes giving MEPs say in nomination of Slovenia's EU commissioner
LJUBLJANA - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) tabled a legislative proposal that gives newly elected MEPs a major say in the appointment of Slovenia's candidate for EU commissioner. While the existing law stipulates that the nominee is put forward by the government at the proposal of the prime minister, the NSi would make the nomination conditional on nods by at least five of Slovenia's eight MEPs. Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said that changing the procedure was out of the question at the moment, and the coalition parties also expressed reservations.
Erjavec announces draft of white paper on defence for June
LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told the parliamentary Defence Committee that the first draft of a white paper providing the basis for strategic documents on the future of the Slovenian army would likely be ready in June. The white paper is meant to address issues like staff shortages and career options for Armed Forces members after they turn 45, while it is also to provide answers on the future direction of the army and its equipment.
Defence Ministry takes measures against soldiers' union
LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry said it had terminated the agreement with the Trade Union of Soldiers (SVS) after the union publicly called for an ouster motion against Minister Karl Erjavec. In cancelling the agreement, under which it provides the conditions for the union's functioning, the ministry invoked the article of the defence act which states that trade unions cannot express opinions about the armed forces' formations and organisation, equipment, operations and preparedness. The ministry added that it would propose a new agreement to the union within three months. The termination of the existing one is subject to a six-month notice period.
Watchdog says Hungarian minority MP should lose seat
LJUBLJANA - The Corruption Prevention Commission established that Ferenc Horvath, the MP for the Hungarian minority, is violating the anti-corruption law by continuing to head the Pomurje Self-governing National Community (PMSNS), the Hungarian minority's umbrella organisation, while serving as MP, Dnevnik reported. While the commission's head, Boriš Štefanec, feels Horvath's term should already have been terminated, it will now be up to the National Assembly to make the next move.
City of Women festival receives Princess Margriet Award
LJUBLJANA - The City of Women is the recipient of the European Cultural Foundation's annual Princess Margriet Award for Culture. The award, honouring the festival's achievement in supporting women in culture and its intersectional feminist approach, will be presented in Amsterdam on 2 October and comes with a EUR 25,000 grant. The foundation said that the festival advocated intersectional feminism, with its very name indicating "the utopian potential of a space that nurtures the social organisation of women and people of non-binary gender".
101 victims of human trafficking registered in 2018
LJUBLJANA - A total of 101 victims of human trafficking were registered by Slovenian authorities in 2018, most of them being victims of sexual exploitation, shows a report adopted by the government which also notes human trafficking for forced criminality being handled by the police for the first time last year. The police handled a total of 71 human trafficking crimes against 33 individuals and three legal entities. The Specialised Prosecution Service filed one indictment against seven persons, and seven persons were convicted in court.
Telekom Slovenije group net profit up 4% in Q1
LJUBLJANA - The group around telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije posted a net profit of EUR 10.1 million in the first quarter of the year, up 4% year-on-year, while net sales revenue was down 6% to EUR 172 million. The report notes that revenue in the first quarters of 2019 and 2018 are not directly comparable, as the former do not include the revenue of the Bosnian subsidiary Blicnet, sold in 2018. The core company saw its operating revenue drop by 5% to EUR 157.5 million, EBITDA were up by 13% to EUR 49.9 million and net profit up by 30% to EUR 12.6 million.
Concession agreement for Divača-Koper track signed
LJUBLJANA - The government and 2TDK, a company established to build a new railway link to the port of Koper, signed a concession agreement for the construction and management of the 27-kilometre track for the next 45 years. The investment, estimated at more than EUR 1 billion, is covered by 2TDK and so are the costs of the services of the infrastructure manager, SŽ-Infrastruktura, a subsidiary of the state-owned rail operator. The state will pay a monthly access fee to 2TDK.
Unicredit posts lower profit in Slovenia in Q1
LJUBLJANA - Italian banking group Unicredit posted a consolidated profit of EUR 8 million in the first quarter of the year in Slovenia, down more than 6% over the same period in 2018 due to impairments to the tune of EUR 2 million and to a 20.1% drop in profit from trading in securities. Net interest revenue increased by 0.6% to EUR 11 million, whereas fees and commissions rose by as much as 17% to EUR 7 million.
First quarter of 2019 sees highest job vacancy rate after 2008
LJUBLJANA - The number of job vacancies and occupied posts in Slovenia increased in the first quarter of 2019, which reflected in the highest job vacancy rate (2.6%) after 2008, the Statistics Office said. In the first three months of the year the job vacancy rate was the highest in construction (7.1%) and in administrative and support service activities (5.1%), and the lowest (0.3%) in electricity.
