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This summary is provided by the STA:
Pahor, Janša note good relations with neighbours in address to diplomats
BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted Slovenia's good relations with all of its neighbours as they hosted the annual reception for the diplomatic corps at Brdo pri Kranju, which was attended by some 85 diplomats. Pahor also put in his word for sincere ties with Russia and China. He said Slovenia expected Russia to refrain from threats and while reaffirming Slovenia's one-China policy said Taipei's trade office would be welcome as was in other EU countries.
Slovenia sinks in Corruption Perception Index
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia placed 41st among 180 countries in Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perception Index, its poorest showing since 2013, having slipped six spots and losing three points. The organisation's Slovenian chapter said this was the result of corruption prevention being pushed to the political margins and reform failure. Nor does the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption find the result surprising, while the Justice Ministry believes the ranking does not necessarily reflect the actual situation in the country.
Hojs talks Croatia's accession to Schengen in Zagreb
ZAGREB, Croatia - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met his Croatian counterpart Davor Božinović in Zagreb for talks focusing on Croatia's accession to the Schengen passport-free zone and bilateral cooperation. Slovenia supports Schengen enlargement. "At the same time, we need to ensure a high level of security for the whole Schengen area, thus we expect future members to fully implement the tasks under the Schengen law and control the EU's external borders as their daily practice," Hojs was quoted as saying.
Tally of new cases at 12,772 on Monday, second highest on record
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 12,772 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, an increase of 47% on the week before and the second highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. While the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose slightly, to 653, the number of ICU cases continues to decline and stood at 130 this morning. Eleven patients with Covid-19 died.
Tourist arrivals up by 31% in 2021
LJUBLJANA - Tourist arrivals in Slovenia increased by 31% in 2021 to reach just over four million, while overnight stays were up by 22% to 11.3 million, Statistics Office data show. Both figures are still far behind the records of 2019. Domestic tourists accounted for 2.2 million arrivals last year, an annual increase of 17%, while the number of foreign tourists rose by 51% to 1.8 million. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek noted the contribution of tourism vouchers to the results.
Economy Ministry to provide EUR 640m in development incentives
LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry will provide a total of EUR 640.7 million in development incentives this year, intended to raise productivity through the green and digital transition and to ensure a balanced development of Slovenia's regions. The ministry said EUR 479.2 million of the sum is to be provided in the form of grants and EUR 161.5 million in reimbursements or subsidies for businesses, municipalities and other target groups.
Lower fees mulled in tackling energy crisis
LJUBLJANA - Media have reported that the Infrastructure Ministry, as it drafts a legal basis for mitigating the consequences of the rising energy prices, plans to provide around 150,000 vulnerable individuals with EUR 140 in energy vouchers. The ministry is also expected to propose a cut in certain fees on electricity bills. Things are apparently not running as smoothly when it comes to aid for businesses with reports there is some confusion as to which ministry should prepare the proposal.
Central bank finds current economic impact of epidemic small
LJUBLJANA - The central bank assessed in its latest bulletin that the aggravated epidemiological situation brought by an increased number of coronavirus infections with the Omicron variant has had a relatively small impact on the economy. Despite the current situation being favourable, the central bank assesses that some macroeconomic risks remain high - including the risk of increased absenteeism with record numbers of coronavirus cases. Another issue is a shortage of skilled workforce.
Slovenia sees surge in work permit applications
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Employment Service recorded a significant rise in applications for the employment of foreigners last year. It received a total of 52,281 applications, the most since the current system was put in place in 2015. The figure compares to 48,127 applications in 2019, when employment of foreigners in Slovenia was at its highest in recent years. Of the 52,281 applications received in 2021, 46,264 were approved.
Ex-minister says govt could have acted better in epidemic
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into the government's response to Covid-19 interviewed former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar to hear that in some cases the government could have acted better in dealing with the first two waves of the epidemic. He was critical of communication with the public, and of closure of schools while the economy kept running. Meanwhile Klemen Nicoletti, one of the owners of the company that supplied rapid tests to the state, failed to appear with his lawyer saying his answering questions could undermine his position in expected criminal proceedings against him.
Controversial changes to penal code unlikely to get passed
LJUBLJANA - The four centre-left opposition parties called for controversial changes to the panel code to be withdrawn from the agenda of the National Assembly's upcoming plenary session. The bill, filed by the opposition National Party (SNS) and endorsed on the committee last week, could result in white-collar crimes becoming statute-barred relatively quickly. The two junior coalition parties and the opposition DeSUS also announced they would not back the bill.
Number of cases against Slovenia at ECHR up 30% last year
STRASBOURG, France - A total of 234 lawsuits against Slovenia were submitted last year to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), 30% more than in 2020, shows the annual report of the Strasbourg-based court. Last year, the court handed down two judgments in connection with Slovenia in seven cases. It noted at least one violation of the European Convention on Human Rights in both judgments - these were violations of the right to an effective legal remedy and of the protection of property.
Report shows police performance improved in 2020
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy Committee discussed the 2020 annual reports on the work of the police, and it was noted that police officers had successfully investigated more than half of suspected criminal acts, or 2% more than in 2019. There were seven murders or attempted murders, and and there was some more domestic violence than in 2019. Deputy Police Commissioner Danijel Žibret told the MPs the Covid-19 epidemic had impacted on the internal organisation of the police.
MPs discuss situation of Roma community
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy Committee was briefed on the latest report on the position of the Roma community in Slovenia, covering 2020. The debate noted progress on some acute problems but also continuing issues pertaining to living conditions, education and employment. The report was presented by Stanko Baluh, director of the Government Office for National Minorities, who noted increase in funding for municipalities with Roma communities as a major change.
Catholic group urges independent inquiry into church sex abuse
LJUBLJANA - A Catholic advocacy for victims of sexual abuse in the Slovenian Catholic Church urged appointing an independent commission of individuals of high moral integrity to investigate and crack down on the abuse as soon as possible. The group called Dovolj.je (It's Enough) is headed by Janez Cerar, the first Slovenian priest to reveal being a victim of sexual abuse in the Church himself. He complained of too slow progress in dealing with the problem and a lack of empathy for the victims.
Slovenia remains attractive to Austrian investors
LJUBLJANA - Austrian companies had a successful 2021 and are optimistic about this year, shows a survey conducted by the Austrian trade office Advantage Austria Ljubljana among its members. Almost 80% said that Slovenia will remain an attractive environment for investments this year, citing market proximity, the skilled workforce and the availability of local suppliers as the main benefits. The main downsides are red tape, inflexible economic policies and operating costs.
Softnet plans expansion into Africa and Indonesia
TRZIN - Softnet, a telecomms operator which focuses on B2B services and is currently present in 16 countries, plans to expand into new markets in Indonesia and Africa. The company's director and owner Andrej Boštjančič said they had already planned before the pandemic to gain a foothold in Indonesia. They also plan to open at least one office in Africa. The company is currently present in the region of former Yugoslavia, central and eastern Europe, China, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Trimo on sale again as takeover by Kingspan falls through
TREBNJE - The newspaper Finance reported the Irish concern Kingspan will not take over Trimo, the Trebnje-based maker of prefabricated building components, as the European Commission has not cleared the transaction due to concerns about its impact on competition an price hikes. The Polish private equity fund Innova Capital signed the contract to sell the outright stake in Trimo to Kingspan in August 2020. Finance reports that a new sale procedure is to be concluded soon.
Business sentiment improves slightly
LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment improved slightly in January, rising by 0.6 percentage point on the month before on the back of improved sentiment in the services sector, show Statistics Office data. The sub-indicator in services accounted for 0.5 points of the total increase, with retail adding another 0.1 point.
EUR 11,000 in fines issued for drone infringements in 2021
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Civil Aviation Agency recorded 17 infringements in 2021 that were related to flying unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, and 9 cases concluded with fines in the combined amount of EUR 10,900. In addition to the Civil Aviation Agency, the police and municipal traffic wardens are also responsible for monitoring all activities related to flying drones in Slovenia under new European legislation that became fully effective at the end of 2020.
