Official at centre of arbitration scandal seeks withdrawal of parliamentary report
LJUBLJANA - Simona Drenik Bavdek, the official at the centre of a scandal that led to Croatia renouncing the border arbitration procedure, demands the withdrawal of a report by the parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services that pins the blame on her. She asked Speaker Dejan Židan to remove the report from the National Assembly's website and from the agenda of the next plenary and plans to seek an Administrative Court injunction if her request is not granted.
Cerar, Di Maio agree solutions at EU level needed for migrations
ROME, Italy - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio called for EU-level solutions to tackle migrations. Such solutions "must include enhanced protection of the EU's external borders, reform of asylum law and cooperation with third countries," the Foreign Ministry said. The meeting came on the margins of Rome Med 2019 - Mediterranean Dialogues, a high-level conference dedicated to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern issues at which Cerar participated in a panel on migrations.
Govt adopts positions for final stage of EU budget talks
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted positions for the final stage of negotiations on the EU's next long-term budget. Those remain confidential, but unofficial information indicates that Slovenia will try to reduce cutbacks to cohesion funds that are being proposed by the Finnish presidency. The draft negotiating positions on the Council's proposal for the multi-annual financial framework for 2021-2027 and guidelines for the final stage of talks will now be debated by the National Assembly before EU leaders, among them PM Marjan Šarec, discuss the proposal in Brussels next week.
IMAD: Raising production key to Slovenia's future development
LJUBLJANA - A productivity report compiled by IMAD, the government's macroeconomic think tank, shows that increasing productivity will be key to Slovenia's economic and social development, and to achieve the goal, innovation and R&D will have to be enhanced . "The future economic and social development will vitally depend on the ability to enhance productivity growth, for which innovation and R&D will have to be boosted," IMAD director Maja Bednaš told the press as she presented the report. The state should increase investment, provide for an encouraging and predictable business environment, strengthen cooperation, facilitate adequate training of human resources and secure adequate infrastructure.
New SSH chairman calls for new strategy in managing state assets
LJUBLJANA - Gabrijel Škof, the new chairman of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), believes the strategy for managing state assets needs to be revised and adjusted to the changes in the portfolio as well as economic and political changes. The strategy for managing state assets was adopted in 2015 and a lot has changed since then in SSH's portfolio and also in business and politics, he said. "This alone is reason enough for a new strategy," Škof told the STA, adding that talks with the Finance Ministry had been under way even before he took over at SSH in August.
Fortenova hopes open issues regarding Mercator resolved by year's end
LJUBLJANA - Fortenova, the owner of Croatian conglomerate Agrokor's healthy assets, has confirmed the goal of resolving open issues regarding Slovenian retailer Mercator by the end of the year, after holding talks with Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek. "We clearly have common objectives [regarding] Mercator and are completely aligned on the interdependency of local suppliers with Mercator and on importance of keeping Mercator headquarters in Ljubljana for the next several years," Fortenova chairman Maxim Poletaev said.
Malgaj Lenarčič's top aide, Kocijančič in Varhelyi's cabinet
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia's European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič has appointed Matjaž Malgaj as head of his team, while Maja Kocijančič is the only Slovenian in a cabinet of another commissioner. Malgaj has already served as head of the cabinet of former Slovenian Commissioner Janez Potočnik while Kocijančič served as spokesperson for the EU's foreign policy chief for the past ten years, first for Catherine Ashton and then Federica Mogherini.
Self-styled militia leader requests deferral of jail sentence
LJUBLJANA - Andrej Šiško, the self-styled leader of a militia that calls itself the Štajerska Guard, has requested a deferral of a prison sentence that he received for incitement to subversion of the constitutional order. Šiško told the STA he was to report to prison on Friday but submitted a formal request for deferral on Wednesday. While sentenced to eight months in prison in March, Šiško had spent almost seven months in detention before and during his trial, time which counts towards his overall sentence.
Dončić named Sports Illustrated Breakout of the Year
NEW YORK, US - Luka Dončić has been named Sports Illustrated's 2019 Breakout of the Year in what is only the latest in a series of titles for the 20-year-old Slovenian NBA star. "Each year, sports fans witness a performance that someday we'll look back on as the moment that a star was born," which is the "spirit of achievement and arrival" that the American sports magazine honours. The Dallas Mavericks small forward, who made his debut in the US National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2018, was also named NBA player of the month for October and November.
Women handballers out of medal contention at world championship
KUMAMOTO, Japan - The Slovenian women's national handball team has failed to advance to the main round of the World Championship and eventually battle for medals as it lost to Serbia 27:29 in the last match of the preliminary round today. Serbia sent Slovenia to the brackets in which teams will play the play-off for places 13-24. Slovenia may thus still improve on their 14th place from the previous world championship in 2017. The best result ever (8th place in 2003) is meanwhile out of reach as Slovenia are making their sixth appearance at such tournaments.
Slovenia to participate in UEFA eEURO 2020
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Football Association (NZS) is joining the first ever UEFA-sponsored national-team efootball championship. Slovenia will compete with two gamers, who will be picked in national tournaments. "UEFA is organising a European championship in simulation football for the first time in history, involving 55 UEFA national associations," NZS secretary-general Martin Koželj announced. To nominate their national teams, each national association will hold a tournament, either online or at special events. In Slovenia, the tournament will be held in December.
