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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:
Produce importer Rastoder buys Adria Airways operating licences
LJUBLJANA - Adria Airways operating licences were auctioned off to Air Adriatic, a newly established company owned by Slovenian produce importer and real estate developer Izet Rastoder, at the asking price of EUR 45,000. Receiver Janez Pustatičnik said that there were three bidders, "the asking price was accepted and there was no bidding". Apart from Air Adriatic, the registration deposit was paid by Croatian company Komforia, and Dedal Aero, owned by former Adria pilot Dejan Slodej.
Foreign minister urges Slovenia's return to Iraq
LJUBLJNA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar urged the Defence Ministry to send Slovenia's six soldiers back to Iraq as soon as possible, or else the country's reputation will suffer. The Defence Ministry responded that the soldiers are ready to go back "as planned". Earlier, it was said they would return no later than 1 February. Cerar addressed a letter to Defence Minister Karl Erjavec to brief him on the allies' assessment of the situation in the Middle East after he attended Monday's session of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Given the current security situation and the presence of other allies, Cerar urged for the soldiers to promptly return the Erbil air base to preserve Slovenia's credibility, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.
Pahor honours Holocaust victims in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, Israel - Slovenian President Borut Pahor laid a wreath at Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre in Jerusalem as he attended the World Holocaust Forum marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The ceremony today was addressed by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron with their main message being that the Holocaust should not be forgotten and even that all must be done to prevent it from ever repeating again. This was followed by the invited world leaders laying wreaths at Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem, among them Pahor.
Pahor, Mattarella discuss EU future
JERUSALEM, Israel - President Borut Pahor held talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Matterella focusing on the future of the EU and current issues that the bloc faces. The discussion touched on Brexit, the Western Balkans as well as migrations and the need for joint EU action in this field. The presidents said broader dialogue was needed on issues that Europe faces, Pahor's office said after the talks, held on the margins of a memorial in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Slovenia making no progress in corruption perceptions index
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranked 35th among 180 countries in Transparency International's (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) rankings for 2019, up one spot from the year before. It scored 60 out of 100 points, which is level with 2018. The country has thus made no major progress since 2012, TI Slovenia said, adding that the country's score is bellow the EU and OECD averages of 64 and 68 points, respectively. Moreover, there is an absence of any systemic measures to make the fight against corruption in Slovenia more efficient, TI Slovenia said.
Slovenia falling behind in global race for talent
PARIS, France - Slovenia is slowly falling behind in the global race for talent. It ranks 31st in the latest Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), down two spots from the year before. When the index was first introduced in 2013, it placed 25th. The survey, by INSEAD business school, temping agency Adecco and Google, ranks countries by their ability to enable, attract, grow and retain talent. It also looks at vocational skills and global knowledge skills. Slovenia's best marks were for vocational and knowledge skills and for its ability to retain talent, categories in which it places 27th among 125 countries. But its ability to attract talent is lacklustre, earning it 47th place in this category.
Slovenia seeking UNESCO listing of Plečnik's Ljubljana works
LJUBLJANA - The government decided that Slovenia will formally seek a UNESCO listing of famed architect Jože Plečnik's (1872-1952) works in the capital Ljubljana after an earlier joint bid with the Czech Republic was abandoned. All of Plečnik's major works in Ljubljana will be nominated for the world heritage list, except for the dilapidated Bežigrad Stadium. The nomination covers works he had completed during both world wars: the Ljubljanica embankment, Vegova Street, the National and University Library, Congress Square and the surrounding park, the archaeological park around the remains of the Roman defence wall, Žale Cemetery and two churches, St. Michael's south of Ljubljana and St Francis Asisi in the Šiška borough.
US urges Slovenia pick trusted vendors of 5G
LJUBLJANA - Robert Strayer, the deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy, visited Slovenia to raise concerns about the security aspect in deciding which providers of 5G technology to chose, advising it to look at where the provider is headquartered. He noted the importance of adopting appropriate security measures in order to protect sensitive data, and that the company that provides 5G wireless technology must be resident in an environment where there is rule of law, due process and independent judiciary.
Consumer confidence down 10 pp y/y
LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence in Slovenia improved by 2 percentage points (pp) in January over December, however, considerable deterioration of 10 pp was detected compared to January 2019, the Statistics Office. Compared to a year ago, consumers are far more pessimistic, above all in their expectations for employment (down 20 pp) and the economic situation in the country (14 pp). Moreover, expectations about household finance decreased by 4 pp, whereas expectations about savings were lower by 1 pp.
Norway's Thingnes Boe wins first World Cup event at Pokljuka
POKLJUKA - The four-day Biathlon World Cup meet in Slovenia's Pokljuka started with the men's 20km individual event, with Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway emerging as the winner, while Jakov Fak was the best Slovenian competitor in 12th place. The Norwegian was perfect in shooting, finishing 11.4 seconds ahead of Martin Fourcade of France, who kept his overall lead in the World Cup. Third place went to another Frenchman, Fabien Claude (+25.6). Slovenia's best biathlete Jakov Fak finished 2 minutes and 20.2 seconds behind the winner for the 12th place, as hi missed one target in the process. The second best Slovenia was Rok Tršan (+4:26.1) in 31st place.
Four waste management companies found guilty of collusion
LJUBLJANA - The Competition Protection Agency established that Surovina, Dinos, Salomon and Recikel colluded to push their rival Interseroh from the Slovenian recycling market to divide the lucrative market among themselves. Salomon, Surovina and Dinos are present on the market for managing packaging waste, which entails collection, separation, transport and treatment. Recikel, Surovina, Dinos and Interseroh are present on the market for organising packaging waste management. The two markets are interconnected, as the companies doing business on the second market buy services from the companies from the first one. The agency established the four companies agreed that Salomon, Surovina and Dinos will stop providing services for Interseroh, a subsidiary of the German ALBA group.
Coronavirus risk level low in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - The risk of a novel deadly coronavirus appearing in Slovenia has been assessed as relatively low, but Slovenian authorities advised caution when travelling to China, where the virus has spread from. Travel alerts for China, where four cities have been put on lockdown in the wake of the outbreak, were issued by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and the National Institute of Pubic Health (NIJZ). Moreover, travellers to China are advised to avoid animals and markets selling animals or animal products such as meat that has not been properly thermally treated.
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