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This summary is provided by the STA:
EU-Western Balkans summit confirms commitment to enlargement, brings no progress
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The leaders of EU and Western Balkan countries confirmed the Western Balkans' EU perspective and their commitment to enlargement as they met for a summit in Brdo pri Kranju. However, the summit brought no major progress for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU not launching the talks undermined its role and reputation in the region. Western Balkan leaders left the summit with mixed impressions. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić identified minor progress, while North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev urged the EU to act.
EU leaders seek stronger autonomy for the bloc
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The EU must strengthen its capacity to act autonomously in order to become more effective and assertive on the international stage, EU leaders agreed at Tuesday's informal dinner according to a statement by Council President Charles Michel. "Our unity is our core asset. By acting together, we will leverage our strengths," Michel said was one of the main messages of the debate. The office of the Slovenian prime minister said the leaders conducted a "strategic debate" on the EU's role in the international arena against the backdrop of recent events in Afghanistan, a debate on the AUKUS security partnership, and relations with China.
STA funding, media freedom discussed at EU-Western Balkans summit news conference
BRDO PRI KRANJU/LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša disagreed with the claim that Slovenia is setting a poor example to EU candidates by suspending the funding of the STA and not respecting media freedom at a press conference in Brdo pri Kranju. But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was clear, as she spoke to the press after the EU-Western Balkans summit alongside Janša, that current STA funding is a must.
IFJ head warns media freedom deteriorating, also in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - President of the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard warned that media freedom is deteriorating in several European countries, including Slovenia. Speaking at a press conference as the Media Freedom Rapid Response delegation wrapped up its visit to Slovenia, Bjerregaard called on the European Commission and EU leaders to take a stand and call on their counterparts to support media and journalist freedom.
Protest ringleader among those arrested after riots
LJUBLJANA - Police made several arrests during Tuesday's riots in Ljubljana, including the protest organiser Zoran Stevanović and the rapper Zlatko, one of the mainstays of anti-government rallies. Police would not confirm the identities of those arrested beyond saying that three people had been apprehended on suspicion of criminal activity and 22 more due to violations of the act on the police. Police said six officers had sustained minor injuries and two protesters required medical assistance due to inhalation of tear gas.
Police refute allegation of excessive use of force against protesters
LJUBLJANA - The police and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs rejected the allegation that excessive force was used to disperse Tuesday's protest and rioting against coronavirus measures in Ljubljana, as NGO The Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy urged MPs to open a parliamentary inquiry to look into the matter. The centre-left opposition meanwhile demanded an emergency session of the National Assembly over what they described as "a state of war" unfolding in Ljubljana, repeating their call for a snap election.
EU political groups meet on margins of summit with W Balkans
BRDO PRI KRANJU/LJUBLJANA - Meetings between leaders and politicians from the EU political groups - the European People's Party (EPP), Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe, took place on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit. The talks revolved on the Western Balkans' efforts to join the EU. The participants of the EPP meeting adopted a declaration reiterating their unequivocal support for a credible enlargement and EU accession perspective for the Western Balkans.
Slovenian MEP Tomc to be in EP's fact-finding mission to Slovenia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament's fact-finding mission that is expected in Slovenia next week will feature Slovenian MEP Romana Tomc, a member of the ruling Democrats (SDS) and of the European People's Party (EPP). A group of MEPs will visit between 13 and 15 October to meet representatives of the media, NGOs and government agencies to check the level of democracy in the country. Tomc said she saw the mission as political and directed against the Janez Janša government.
Border controls in Schengen zone can exceed six months, EU court says
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Controls on Schengen borders can be extended beyond six months because threats to public policy or internal security are not necessarily limited in time, an advocate general of the European Court of Justice says in his opinion regarding a case concerning border controls between Austria and Slovenia. Advocate General Henrik Saugmandsgaard Oe also says this is subject to particularly strict criteria, so every time a Schengen zone member notifies the European Commission of its plan to extend border controls, the Commission must examine thoroughly whether all the strict conditions are met.
Human rights ombudsman urges active stance against climate change
NAVPLIJ, Greece/LJUBLJANA - Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina participated in a session of the General Assembly of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen, calling on his colleagues to take an active and determined stance against climate change. He considers climate change to be the most complex challenge facing humanity in modern times.
Petrol completes acquisition of Croatian fuel retailer Crodux
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian energy group Petrol completed the acquisition of an outright stake in Croatian fuel retailer Crodux after having fulfilled all suspensive conditions. This is the company's largest acquisition in a decade and it affirms its position as the second largest provider of oil derivatives in Croatia. The purchase consideration was EUR 191.7 million and Petrol will also assume net financial liabilities to banks in the amount of EUR 19.2 million, the company said.
EIB extends EUR 30m loan for recovery of SMEs, municipalities
LJUBLJANA - The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide the Slovenian Regional Development Fund with a EUR 30 million loan to help secure a new line of credit intended for facilitating the recovery of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-caps and municipalities post-Covid-19. The funds are intended for companies from agriculture, manufacturing and service sector that have been the most affected by the epidemic.
Farmer reps warn situation in agriculture sector worrying
LJUBLJANA - Representatives of farmers warned that the situation in the agriculture sector is worrying. Energy as well as the prices of inputs have increased significantly since the summer, with the prices of seed increasing on average by 39%, of fertilisers by 24%, of pesticides by 22%, and of fodder by 38%. Buy-in prices, on the other hand, have been stagnating. "The situation in which agriculture has found itself in is seriously worrying," said Janez Pirc, the director of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry.
Energy production in Slovenia up last year, consumption down
LJUBLJANA - A total of 153,000 terajoules (TJ) of energy was produced in Slovenia last year, which is 4% more than in 2019, while final consumption was down by 9% to 188,000 TJ. The share of energy from renewable sources in final consumption was up by 2.2 percentage points to 24.16%, the Statistics Office said.
