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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Šarec and Orban call for closer economic ties, regret stuck EU enlargement
BUDAPEST, Hungary - PM Marjan Šarec and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban called for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries. Also commenting on the Koper rail track project, Orban said Hungary had decided to invest in the rival port Trieste but was still willing to consider participating in the Koper-Divača rail track "if the situation in Slovenia changes". The pair meanwhile urged a continuation of EU enlargement, while also touching on migration. Orban said Hungary had the back of the Visegrad Group should Turkey trigger a migration wave, while Šarec argued migration needed to be addressed at its root.
Bill providing legal recourse for 2013 bank bail-in vetoed
LJUBLJANA - The National Council unanimously vetoed the government-sponsored bill designed to provide legal recourse for holders of subordinated bank liabilities wiped out on instruction of the EU in the 2013 bank bailout. The interest group that proposed the suspensive veto argued the bill does not regulate the issue appropriately. Involving up to EUR 963 million in damages to 100,000 potential plaintiffs and demanded by the Constitutional Court, the bill has been a controversial topic. It was passed in a 46:34 vote in the National Assembly last week. It will again need at least 46 votes in the revote.
Czech PPF mounts EUR 1.89bn takeover of Pro Plus owner CME
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - The Czech investment group PPF, owned by Czech billionaire Petr Kellner, has signed an agreement on the takeover of CME, which also owns Slovenia's leading television network group Pro Plus. Media reports put the value of the deal, which still needs nods from CME shareholders as well as from the European Commission and individual national regulators, at EUR 1.89 billion. The CME fund, in majority ownership of US giant AT&T which has already announced support for the deal, has broadcast operations in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Pro Plus's portfolio includes the popular TV channels POP TV and Kanal A, as well as 24ur.com, a leading news portals.
Cerar meets Expo 2020 director general in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is paying a working visit to the United Arab Emirates, with the first stop being the site of the Expo 2020 in Dubai, where he met Expo Director General Reem Al Hashimi.
Meeting Al Hashimi, who is also the minister of state for international cooperation of the UEA, he presented the concept of Slovenia's participation in the Expo, whose wooden pavilion will be themed with sustainable development.
The two also discussed how to better connect the two countries and the possibility to establish a scheduled airline link from the UAE to Slovenia.
Top court suspends house searches in residents' absence
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has suspended, pending a final decision, the implementation of a criminal procedure act provision allowing house searches without the presence of the resident or their representative. This rule had been enacted as part of the most recent changes to the act, passed earlier this year and also including the use of contentious IMSI catchers. This stipulation has also already been suspended by the Constitutional Court. The changes have been referred to the Constitutional Court by the opposition Left and the Democrats (SDS).
Banks say new lending restrictions could have major consequences
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Bank Association said that the pending new consumer lending restrictions would have wide ramifications if the state failed to provide alternative financing sources. Assessing lending will drop by EUR 70m a month, it said more that 300,000 people, in particular pensioners and low-income workers, would be left without access to loans and that growth would suffer too. Banka Slovenije announced restrictions to consumer and housing loans for 1 November as a result of what the central bank assessed to be unsustainable lending growth.
Raise of student work hourly rate vetoed in upper chamber
LJUBLJANA - The upper chamber of parliament vetoed the legislative motion raising the minimum net hourly rate for student work from EUR 4.13 to EUR 4.56. The veto had been proposed by the group representing employers, which argues the raise was adopted without the involvement of social partners and was excessive. The changes to the fiscal balance act had been proposed by the opposition Left and confirmed by the National Assembly last week.
Slovenia up three spots to 37th in World Bank's Doing Business report
WASHINGTON, US - Slovenia gained three spots in the World Bank's most recent Doing Business report compared to last year, ranking 37th. The top three spots went to New Zealand, Singapore, and Denmark. Slovenia ranks 1st, alongside several other countries, in the category trading across borders. It ranks 8th among 190 countries in resolving insolvency and 23rd in getting electricity. The problem areas include the enforcing contracts, where it ranks 112th, as well as obtaining credit and dealing with construction permits - in both categories it ranks 119th.
Trade union: Posted worker exploitation reported to EU agency
LJUBLJANA - The ZSSS trade union confedaration warned about labour exploitation occurring within Slovenia's system of temporarily posting workers to other EU countries. The cases of such exploitation have been reported to the European Labour Authority (ELA), with the ZSSS expecting the state to step up their efforts in tackling the issue as well. The ELA, which was launched this month, aims to oversee implementation of employment regulations in the EU.
Sava Re issues EUR 75m in subordinated bonds
LJUBLJANA - The reinsurer Sava Re, the parent company of the insurance group Sava, has issued 20-year subordinated bonds worth a total of EUR 75 million. It intends to spend the raised funds for the general needs of the group and optimisation of its capital structure. Sava Re said that the first call date is 7 November 2029, with the annual interest rate fixed at 3.75%. Coupon payments will be made annually.
No Title Yet declared theatre piece of the year in Maribor
MARIBOR - No Title Yet (Še ni naslova), directed by Tomi Janežič and produced by the Slovensko mladinsko gledališče theatre, won the award for best play as the curtain fell on the 54th Maribor Theatre Festival on Sunday. Earning a special jury mention was Ali: Feat Eats the Soul (Ali: Strah ti poje dušo) by Sebastijan Horvat and Ljubljana's SNG Drama. The jury of the biggest theatre festival in the country described Janežič's ten-hour take on the myth of Don Juan as "a theatre miracle, an experience in the full sense of the word".
Symposium honouring 90th anniversary of poet Zajc's birth
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts held a symposium on internationally acclaimed poet and playwright Dane Zajc (1929-2005), marking the 90th anniversary of his birth. Zajc is considered one of the greats of Slovenian literature in the second half of the 20th century. Zajc's works have been translated into numerous languages and he won many awards, including the most prestigious awards for poetry and playwriting, the Jenko Prize and Grum Prize, respectively, and the top national accolade in arts, the Prešeren Award for lifetime achievement.
Two WWII bombs found in Maribor, to be defused this week
MARIBOR - A couple of unexploded aerial bombs, relics from the Second World War, were unearthed in two locations in Maribor over the weekend and are expected to be defused on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. This will prompt the evacuation of thousands of people in the vicinity of the defusing sites. The evacuation will cover the area spanning 300 or 600 metres away from the sites, partly including the nearby UKC Maribor hospital. The first bomb, weighing 250 kg, was found on Saturday at a construction site close by the biggest Maribor shopping centre Europark. The second, 500kg bomb was discovered on Sunday at a railway construction site.
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