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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia's economy returns to growth in Q1
LJUBLJANA - After contracting by an estimated 5.5% in real terms last year, Slovenia's economy returned to growth in the first quarter of the year as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.6% in real terms or by as much as 2.3% when adjusted for season. It rose by 1.4% from the final quarter of 2020, data from the Statistics Office show. The year-on-year growth was driven most prominently by gross fixed capital formation, as well as by exports and household consumption expenditure. Investment in construction declined. Commenting on the growth figures, the central bank noted that unlike the eurozone, Slovenia's economy started recovering as early as the first quarter.
Pahor, Rebelo de Sousa talk president role in EU presidency
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor is hosting his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as Slovenia is soon to take over the rotating EU presidency from Portugal. The pair agreed that, despite the EU presidency being managed by the government in both countries, the presidents of the republic played an important role in the process too. Pahor would like to see Slovenia be ambitious in its presidency. Rebelo de Sousa said his country's presidency had set some important foundations, and that further efforts would be required during Slovenia's six-month stint.
Hungary's OTP bank signs deal to acquire NKBM bank
LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian OTP Bank Group announced it had signed a contract to acquire the outright stake in NKBM, Slovenia's second largest bank. The deal is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of next year as the acquirer is waiting approval from relevant regulatory authorities. Owned by the US fund Apollo (80%) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (20%), NKBM controls 20.5% of the Slovenian market. OTP already owns SKB Banka, and combined with NKBM, the new bank would control some 29% of the market, making OTP the biggest player on the Slovenian banking market
Logar expects Slovenian diplomats to make the best of EU presidency
BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian diplomats started their annual consultation focusing on Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia was well prepared for the presidency, listing the Conference on the Future of the EU and the progress of Western Balkan countries on their path towards the EU as the key topics. He said the debates should also delve into "how to materialise our views and our commitments from the foreign policy strategy and our presidency's programme, and how to make the best of our presidency."
Pahor appeals for responsibility to make EU presidency success
BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor vowed to make an effort for Slovenia to accomplish its job as the president of the Council of the EU with "maturity, cooperation and responsibility", as he urged a strengthening of pro-European policies in his address to diplomats. After 15 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU will be facing many challenges, but Pahor is confident that Slovenia will make an excellent job out of its EU presidency regardless of the difficult political situation at home.
Vaccination of children could start soon
LJUBLJANA - The head of the national advisory group for Covid-19 vaccination, Bojana Beović, said the group will recommend vaccinating children, especially children suffering from chronic diseases, after the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 or more. The advisory group will meet this week to adopt recommendations for vaccination of children. The infectologist said that she could see no reason not to use Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine for children after it was approved by the EMA.
Under 100 new coronavirus cases reported for Sunday, one death
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 91 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, up slightly from the week before, as the test positivity rate stood at 6.1%, the lowest in a week. The positive tests came from just over 1,500 PCR tests and almost 7,600 rapid tests, where all positives are double checked with PCR tests. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population dropped by one to 203 and the rolling seven-day average of new daily cases rose by one to 276.
Slovenia's annual inflation at 2.1% in May
LJUBLJANA - Consumer prices in Slovenia increased at an annual rate of 2.1% in May, largely as a result of much higher prices of energy and fuels. Goods prices went up by an average 3.6%, while services prices decreased by an average 0.6%. The largest contributors to annual inflation were electricity, where prices rose by almost 41%, as well as petroleum products, where liquid fuel prices rose by over 41% and the prices of fuels and lubricants for personal transport by over 20%, the Statistics Office said.
OECD upgrades GDP forecast for Slovenia
PARIS, France - The OECD has upgraded its forecast for Slovenia's GDP growth in 2021 to 3.5%, up 0.1 percentage points from its December forecast, and to 4.6% for next year, a rise of 1.1 points. It said that new restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic slowed down Slovenia's recovery at the start of this year, but as vaccination progresses, the country's growth should pick up in the second half of the year.
Epidemic decline getting slower, say IJS experts
LJUBLJANA - The latest projections by the Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS) indicate that the epidemic in Slovenia is subsiding at an increasingly slower pace. The epidemic curve might even be at the point of stagnation, the IJS said, noting that Slovenia was still firmly in tier red according to EU criteria. Its 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is above 200 and for the country to be promoted to tier orange, the figure must fall below 150. Slovenia's basic reproductive number has increased from 0.75 a week ago, currently standing at 0.94.
No appointment needed to get Covid jab in Celje
CELJE - The Celje vaccination centre has invited all adults to get a Covid-19 jab without prior appointment in a move that has already been hailed in the efforts to push up Slovenia's vaccination rates. The centre, operated by the Celje Community Health Centre, has offered slots on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for all those interested.
Pahor sees no convincing reason to repeat EDP procedure
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said he did not see convincing reasons for the government's decision to repeat the procedure to pick candidates for Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors (EDP). He would like the government to reconsider its decision. He noted that he was usually very reserved when it came to commenting the decisions of the government and parliament, but said this time the issue came up just before Slovenia's EU presidency.
Opposition lambastes Pahor for saying Slovenia not in political crisis
LJUBLJANA - MPs of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) criticised President Borut Pahor's statement that Slovenia is not in a political crisis, but only in the midst of "heightened political uncertainty", saying that the president was "faking ignorance", that he was pretending or that his assessments were hard to understand.
Gašper Kralj wins Cankar Prize
VRHNIKA - Gašper Kralj, a 47-year-old writer and translator, has won the EUR 5,000 Cankar Prize for the best original literature published over the past year. He was awarded for his novel Škrbine (Stubs), a "story about unwritten stories". The award jury said the novel is a "convincing introspection" about the limitations and possibilities of putting into words bits of life that cannot be converted into a finished story.
Cedevita Olimpija basketball champions for 18th time
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana basketball club Cedevita Olimpija won their 18th national championship title with a 80:68 win against Krka on Sunday, to make it 3:0 in the final series. The title marks a return to top-level basketball for the club, which was last champion in 2018 and has undergone a profound transformation after a rocky few years, most notably a merger with the Zagreb club Cedevita in 2019.
Air Montenegro to launch flights to Ljubljana in June
LJUBLJANA - Starting on 29 June, Air Montenegro, Montenegro's new flag carrier, will be operating scheduled flights between Tivat and Ljubljana three times a week during the summer season, the Serbian press agency Tanjug has reported, citing the Montenegrin public broadcaster RTCG.
