Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
This summary is provided by the STA:
Brdo-Brijuni Process summit reaffirms commitment to EU enlargement
BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor hosted a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process featuring his counterparts from Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia and the presiding trio of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Marking the 10th anniversary of the initiative, the summit adopted the Brdo Declaration in which the leaders reaffirm their commitment to EU enlargement, and urge the EU to speed up the process to include the whole region in the bloc. Meanwhile, due to Serbia's insisting on a wording that was unacceptable for others, the declaration failed to support the unchangeability of borders in the region. Pahor described the meeting as hard but successful.
Janša, Merkel talk pandemic and EU presidency
LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Prime minister Janez Janša held a videoconference call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination. The pair also talked about Slovenia's EU presidency priorities, the Conference on the Future of Europe and the Western Balkans. Janša's poffice said that this year's Bled Strategic Forum, expected to be attended by a number of European leaders, will be dedicated entirely to the discussion on the bloc's future.
Parliamentary session aborted over failure to confirm agenda
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly failed to confirm the agenda proposed for the May plenary session with 42 MPs voting in favour and 42 against. Thus, Speaker Igor Zorčič suspended the session before it even began. The plenary, which was to run until Tuesday next week, was to vote on the opposition-sponsored motion to impeach Prime Minister Janez Janša and on the proposal by the coalition to dismiss Igor Zorčič as the speaker. In response, the centre-left coalition filed for an emergency session to discuss impeachment, while the coalition requested an emergency session to vote on most other items on the agenda of the regular plenary, except for the vote on Zorčič and opposition bills.
Unaffiliated MPs get 12 seats in parliamentary working bodies
LJUBLJANA - The college of deputy groups confirmed a new breakdown of seats in the working bodies of the National Assembly to assign seats in a total of 12 bodies to the four unaffiliated MPs. Nine seats were vacated by the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and three by the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). The group of unaffiliated MPs comprises former SMC deputies Janja Sluga, Branislav Rajić and Igor Zorčič, who is also the speaker of the National Assembly, and former DeSUS MP Jurij Lep.
Palestinian ambassador condemns Israeli flag raising
LJUBLJANA - Palestinian Ambassador Salahem Abdel-Shafi expressed indignation over the Slovenian government's decision to raise Israel's flag in Ljubljana to express solidarity with Israel amid the latest escalation of violence in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to Slovenia Eyal Sela told news portal Siol.net that Israel had the duty to protect its citizens as much as any other country. The government raised the Israeli flag along the Slovenian and EU flags on the government building on Friday, and said on Twitter: "We condemn the terrorist attacks and we stand by Israel."
Hojs says Slovenia to strengthen Schengen as presiding country
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs took part in a virtual session of the Schengen Forum, saying that Slovenia as the presiding country of the EU Council in the second part of the year would make an effort to strengthen the Schengen Area. The Schengen Forum is a platform with which the European Commission wants to deepen the political and strategic debate ahead of the presentation of a strategy on the future of the Schengen Area, scheduled for the beginning of June.
Slovenia cancels EU presidency art exhibition in Brussels
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament confirmed that Slovenia had cancelled an exhibition of works of art by Slovenian artists that had been scheduled to be held in Brussels during Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021. The Parliament was recently notified of the cancellation by Slovenia's Permanent Representation to the European Union. Such exhibitions that mark EU member states' six-month stints at the helm of the Council of the EU have been a regular feature since 2011.
Govt with lowest support so far in Vox Populi poll
LJUBLJANA - The latest Vox Populi poll, commissioned by dailies Dnevnik and Večer, shows that the support for the Janez Janša government hit its lowest point so far as 70.2% think the government is not doing its job well. Meanwhile, the ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead at 18%, followed by the opposition SocDems, at 13%. The share of respondents who assess the government's work as unsuccessful increased by almost 3 percentage points, while 26.1% still believe the government is doing a good job.
Prime Minister Janša honoured by mountaineering association
LUČE - Prime Minister Janez Janša was honoured by the Skala mountaineering club at a ceremony on Sunday for his contribution to the promotion of the club's values and goals, the prime minister's office said. The association said in a press release that Janša had received the Kocbek Prize for his "visionary and selfless work, as well as his numerous initiatives and exemplary persistence on the way to the common goal - the establishment of the Slovenian mountaineering club Skala".
113 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, three deaths
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 113 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, when 1,504 tests were performed for a positivity rate of 7.5%. The number of patients in hospitals is 407, including 121 in intensive care, after eight were discharged and three patients died, government data show. Ten people were meanwhile admitted to hospital.
Former PM to be reported for intel agency hiring
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services (KNOVS) announced it would file a criminal complaint against former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, his ex-aide Damir Črnčec and former head of the SOVA intelligence agency Rajko Kozmelj on suspicion of abuse of office in hiring Šarec's acquaintance at SOVA. The KNOVS intends to report the trio to the authorities in 14 days, SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert told the press after the commission's meeting.
Sava Turizem's revenue almost halved last year
LJUBLJANA - The tourism company Sava Turizem last year generated EUR 55.2 million in sales revenue, which is 47% less than in the year before. It generated more than a quarter of the revenue from tourism vouchers that were used by domestic tourists between the first and second waves of the Covid-19 epidemic.
March pay increases monthly, annually
LJUBLJANA - The average gross pay in March was EUR 2,010, up 3.3% nominally and 3% in real terms compared to February. The average net pay for March was EUR 1,291, which was 3% higher nominally and 2.7% higher in real terms, the Statistics Office said. Pay was also higher on an annual basis. The average gross pay in March this year was 14.3% higher than in March 2020, when the country was gripped by the Covid-19 epidemic. The average net pay rose by 12.6% year-on-year.
