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:
Germany-Portugal-Slovenia trio discusses EU presidency plans
BERLIN, Germany - The first meeting of the foreign ministers of the Germany-Portugal-Slovenia trio that is to successively preside over the Council of the EU in 2020-2021 showed the countries have similar views on the bloc's challenges and priorities, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said after talks in Berlin. Hosted by Germany's Heiko Maas and attended by Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva and Slovenia's Miro Cerar, the meeting brought a debate on the importance of the rule of law, on the situation of the EU, including its relations with China and Africa.
SDS+SLS in lead in Valicon EU poll ahead of LMŠ and SD
LJUBLJANA - The Valicon poll projects for the partnership between the opposition Democratic Party and non-parliamentary People's Party (SDS+SLS) to win Sunday's EU election in Slovenia, ahead of PM Marjan Šarec's LMŠ party. Each are projected to secure two of the eight seats in the European Parliament reserved for Slovenia. The coalition Social Democrats (SD) are also close to securing two seats and the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) is likely to win one, while it is still open who will get the final seat. It may either go to one of the smaller parties or to SDS+SKD, LMŠ or the SD.
Courts continue to reduce backlog in 2018, spatial issues persist
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian courts continued to reduce the backlog from the past in 2018 and also brought down the processing time for new cases, Supreme Court president Damijan Florjančič said as he presented the annual report on the work of the judiciary. Slovenian courts received 840,000 new cases in 2018, while they solved 853,000, meaning the number of open cases was reduced by 9% compared to 2017 to 145,000. The average duration of proceedings also continued to decrease, with the exception of succession, adversary and some other proceedings.
Left seeks greater parliamentary powers over troop deployment
LJUBLJANA - The Left tabled a motion to give the National Assembly the final say over deployment of Slovenian Armed Forces personnel in international military operations, ending government prerogative on the matter. The current system is "opaque and undemocratic," Left MP Matej T. Vatovec said as he presented amendments to the defence act. The party claims the change would "create space for public debate," with members of parliament assuming responsibility. Defence Minister Karl Erjavec said the ministry was working on legislative changes of its own and does not support the Left's motion.
GZS optimistic about exports, added value and investments
LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) is happy with record aggregate revenue and profit posted by Slovenian companies in 2018, and is optimistic about 2019 and 2020. It anticipates 7% growth in sales, 6% growth in added value and 8% growth in investment for this year. Revenue generated by companies in Slovenia in 2018 exceeded EUR 100 billion for the first time, with a record EUR 4.2 billion posted in net profit, according to data from Agency for Public Legal Records (AJPES).
Opportunities for boosting business with Germany still exist
LJUBLJANA - Germany is Slovenia's top trade partner and last year's trade between the countries was record high but there is still room for boosting business ties and increasing exports to Germany, heard the participants of an event hosted by the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Slovenia's exports to Germany have been growing by 5-6% a year, reaching EUR 6.3 billion last year. There are however still many opportunities for Slovenian companies in the German market, stressed the chamber's head Gertrud Rantzen. She highlighted the automotive industry among the industries with the most potential.
Slovenia advocates digital transformation at OECD ministerial
PARIS, France - Slovenia stressed the importance of digital transformation, especially in business and education at the annual OECD ministerial. Today's meeting, which adopted new OECD principles on artificial intelligence, was attended by four Slovenian ministers, with the minister of economic development and technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, saying beforehand that Slovenia was aware of the fact that e-skills would play a crucial role in the retraining of staff in the future. The ministry has also drawn up a special programme to support the digitalisation and digital transformation of SMEs with EUR 32.8 million in state funds.
Majority of EU election candidates sign ethics vow
LJUBLJANA - About two-thirds of candidates running in the European Parliament election in Slovenia have signed a vow of transparency and ethics initiated by Transparency International Slovenia (TI Slovenia). Those who signed it promised to strive for transparency, responsibility and integrity in public institutions and in policy making and implementation. The document was signed by all or nearly all candidates of the Social Democrats (SD), the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), New Slovenia (NSi), the Good State, Let's Connect and the Modern Centre Party (SMC).
Slovenian beehive newest addition to Vatican Gardens
VATICAN CITY - A Slovenian beehive became the newest addition to the Vatican Gardens. It was presented by Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec to Pope Francis during an audience to convey to the Holy See the message of World Bee Day, and highlight Slovenia's efforts for bee conservation.
City wins legal battle in Rog squat dispute, users determined to stay
LJUBLJANA - In what could be a key development in the stand-off involving Ljubljana's squatted former bicycle factory Rog, the city authorities have won ownership lawsuits against eight of Rog's users. The city is ready to start with a commercial makeover of the arts centre, but the Rog community, albeit ready for dialogue, maintains nothing has changed. Rog, which developed into an alternative arts and social centre in 2006, saw tensions boil over in 2016, when an attempt to bulldoze some of its buildings was prevented via "passive resistance" by the centre's users.
Bird poaching more prevalent in Slovenia than believed
LJUBLJANA - Based on the so far collected data on bird poaching in Slovenia between 2000 and 2018, the Bird Watching Association (DOPPS) has determined that up to 50,000 Slovenian birds are poached or killed every year. Slovenia thus appears to be not only a transit country for bird smugglers but also a source country. Before collecting the data, the association assumed that Slovenia a sort of an oasis where birds were safe from poaching, particularly compared to Italy and the Balkan countries.
Slovenia one of Europe's most biodiverse countries
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is among the European countries with the biggest diversity of flora and fauna. Some 24,000 species have been recorded, among them 800 animal and 66 plant species that are endemic, which means they are found only in Slovenia. This data was released by the United Nations in a recent report that highlights the dangers of extinction faced by millions of plant and animal species, the Environmental Ministry pointed out on International Day for Biological Diversity.
Slovenian climbers hit virgin trails in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, US - Slovenian mountaineers Janez Svoljšak in Miha Zupin completed a series of climbs in remote mountains of Alaska, pioneering five complex routes and conquering three virgin peaks in the process between mid-March and mid-April. They pioneered routes in the total length of 4,250 metres in the mountains above the Revelation Glacier. The longest and toughest to descend was a 1,300 metre Slovenian route up Apocalypse North, a 2,750 metre peak never climbed before.
Exhibition explores Alan Ford comics phenomenon
LJUBLJANA - An exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the first edition of the Italian comic book Alan Ford, which gained a cult following in the former Yugoslavia, will open in the evening at the National Gallery featuring original drawings. Entitled Alan Ford Runs a Lap of Honour, the exhibition will present 162 original comic book pages written by Max Bunker and illustrated by Magnus between 1969 and 1975 - issues #1 to #75.
