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This summary is provided by the STA:
Logar urges addressing risks following Afghanistan pull-out
BRUSSELS, Belgium/RIGA, Latvia - Following a two-day NATO ministerial, FM Anže Logar said the developments after the withdrawal from Afghanistan had come as a surprise and had brought up numerous risks that needed to be properly addressed. When planning future missions, goals should be laid out in advance according to regional characteristics, he noted. When it comes to the Western Balkans, the current situation there shows progress is not a given, he warned.
Hojs rejects allegations of pushbacks
LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs rejected allegations by NGOs that Slovenian police officers were engaged in pushbacks on the Slovenian border in an interview with the newspaper Delo, while he criticised Croatian police for giving migrants instructions to ask for international protection in Slovenia. Hojs said requests for international protection had increased by almost 60% in Slovenia this year whereas the number of intercepted illegal migrants dropped by some 40%.
Italian parliament approves return of National Hall to minority
ROME, Italy - The Italian Chamber of Deputies put into law a government decree on the transfer of National Hall in Trieste thus giving the go ahead for the process to start to return it to the Slovenian community there. According to a report by the Trieste-based Slovenian newspaper Primorski Dnevnik, the Mario Draghi government pegged the passage of a multi-purpose decree to a vote of confidence which it won in a broad majority. The return was agreed during last year's ceremony marking the centennial of the torching of the building by the Fascists.
Daily coronavirus infections down further, 15 deaths
LJUBLJANA - The number of new daily coronavirus infections was down both in weekly and daily comparisons on Tuesday to 2,257 as almost a third of PCR tests came back positive. Another 15 people died of Covid-19. Robert Carotta, the Health Ministry's coordinator for Covid beds, told the press that hospitalisations had apparently reached a plateau that would probably continue until mid-December, while noting that the healthcare system still operated at maximum capacity.
Multiple testing imposed on arrivals from southern Africa
LJUBLJANA - Due to the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the government decreed that passengers arriving in Slovenia from seven countries in southern Africa are required to take three PCR tests during mandatory 10-day quarantine. The government imposed mandatory self-isolation on persons residing in or visiting South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe in the past 14 days before entering Slovenia on Saturday, now imposing testing on 1st, 5th and 10th day.
OECD significantly upgrades Slovenia's growth outlook
PARIS, France - The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) substantially upgraded Slovenia's economic growth forecast. It projects the economy to expand by 5.9% this year, up from its May forecast of 3.5%, whereas the outlook for 2022 was revised by 0.8 percentage points to 5.4%. Growth is projected to slow to 3.2% in 2023.
Finance Committee clears higher general tax relief
LJUBLJANA - The Finance Committee approved amendments to the personal income tax act that would raise the general tax relief and thus take-home pay for everyone, as well as reduce capital gains tax. Opposition MPs expressed concern over the impact on fiscal sustainability but Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj argued it would be offset by rising tax revenue on the back of an economic rebound. If passed at the plenary session later this month, the changes will come into effect on 1 January 2022. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry says economic growth would increase by 0.5-0.75 percentage points as a result.
Government to provide more funds for agriculture
LJUBLJANA - The government will allocate an additional EUR 210 million to agriculture in 2023-2027, on top of the EUR 100 million promised in the summer under an agreement reached as agricultural organisations met with PM Janez Janša and Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek. "This will be the first time since Slovenia's EU accession that more money will be provided for agriculture than is required by EU rules," said the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry.
Home Affairs Committee okays de-bureaucratisation bill
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Interior, Public Administration and Local Self-Government Committee endorsed a de-bureaucratisation bill. The proposal aims to facilitate access to public services and cut red tape. However, legal experts raised concern about many of its aspects they deem problematic. The first segment of the omnibus bill amends 14 laws from various areas in a major red tape cutting effort, while the other annuls 207 laws and all by-laws based on them, including providing for expiry of 18 Yugoslav federal laws.
Prosecutors oppose changes to appointment of EPPO members
LJUBLJANA - The State Prosecutorial Council expressed strong opposition to the proposed amendments that would give the government greater say in the appointment of Slovenian prosecutors delegated to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), saying that this allowed for "inadmissible political staffing." The council issued the opinion after discussing the amendments, drawn up by the Justice Ministry last week, at a session yesterday.
Transparency concerned about gaming act procedure
LJUBLJANA - Transparency International Slovenia warned about what it perceives as doubtful transparency in the adoption of amendments to the gaming act now in parliamentary procedure. It noted that the influence on individual changes should be clearly identified and recorded. The comments come ahead of today's second reading of the amendments on the parliamentary Finance Committee. The organisation notes that criticism and doubt had been expressed in the media regarding the transparency of their drafting.
Ski resorts hope for better season
LJUBLJANA - As the new ski season starts this weekend, ski lift operators hope that it will not be like the previous one, when ski resorts were on the brink of survival due to Covid-19 measures and many of them would be in serious trouble without government aid. Manuela Božič Badalič, the head of the Association of Ski Lift Operators, said the operators had managed to agree some improvements regarding Covid-19 restrictions with the health authorities ahead of the new season.
Events industry appeals for emergency aid
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian conventions and events industry urged the government to provide emergency aid to the tune of EUR 50 million. Half the companies in the business are at risk of collapse next year, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said. Large segments of the industry have been shut down for more than a year. Concerts and other events without seating are currently banned with strict restrictions in place for events that may still be held. The sector saw a 61% drop in revenue in 2020 with similar results expected this year.
Defence Studies department opposes plans for officer training school
LJUBLJANA - The department of Defence Studies at the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences is surprised at the recent proposal by the coalition NSi and SDS to set up an officer training school. The department's experts argue against the plan, saying that such a step would fundamentally change the structure of military education in Slovenia. They also note that the defence and education ministries and other experts have not been involved in the bill's drafting.
Painter Marko Jakše to represent Slovenia at Venice Biennale
VENICE, Italy - Slovenia will be represented by Marko Jakše, a painter best known for his surrealist Dali-esque canvases, at the 59th Venice Biennale, which will be held between 23 April and 27 November 2022. The exhibition of Jakše's works will feature canvases from different periods, Moderna Galerija said.
Clug's ballet on show at the Bolshoi
MOSCOW, Russia - A ballet based on the Russian classic The Master and Margarita by Romanian-born Slovenian choreographer Edward Clug will open at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow this evening, with four reruns scheduled until 5 December. Clug, the artistic director for ballet at the Slovenian SNG Maribor national theatre, conceived the production together with a team he has worked with for a number of years.
Bogataj's book of Slavic cuisines wins cookbook award
LJUBLJANA - A book about Slavic cuisines written by Slovenian ethnologist Janez Bogataj has been declared one of the best books in the 25-year history of the Gourmand world cookbooks awards. The book was published by the Forum of Slavic Cultures in Slovenian and English in 2015. The Best of the Best in 25 Years award was handed to Bogataj and the forum's director Andreja Rihter in Paris by Edouard Cointreau, the founder of the Gourmand awards, which were first given out in 1995.
Disabled note progress but also challenges ahead
BRDO PRI KRANJU - As Slovenia's top officials hosted a reception ahead of the 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities, representatives of the disabled noted several improvements this year, including the "historic achievement" to enshrine the sign language and tactile signing in the constitution. However, Borut Sever, head of the National Council of Organisations for the Disabled, also noted issues such as discrimination and poor access to public buildings, mobility, information and communication.
Call for end to stigmatisation of people with HIV
LJUBLJANA - There are about a thousand HIV-infected persons in Slovenia, with most of them being treated. While there has been tremendous progress in fighting AIDS over the years, people with HIV are still stigmatised, Janez Tomažič from Ljubljana's Infectious Disease Clinic told the STA ahead of World AIDS Day. "Persons receiving treatment have an undetectable virus, so they are not dangerous. You will not get infected even if you have unprotected sex without a condom with them," he said.
E-tolling stickers for cars become available
LJUBLJANA - Electronic vignettes became available today to eventually fully replace toll stickers. Annual e-vignettes for cars and semi-annual e-vignettes for motorbikes became available today, with weekly and monthly e-vignettes to follow in February 2022. Prices remain unchanged, while the annual vignette is no longer linked to the calendar year.
40 years pass since worst plane crash in Slovenian history
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia remembers today the worst plane crash in its history. In the morning of 1 December 1981, a plane of the former Slovenian flag carrier Inex-Adria crashed on Corsica's Mont San-Pietro, killing all 180 passengers and crew members on board. It was world's worst air accident that year. To honour the victims, President Borut Pahor laid a wreath at the grave site at Ljubljana's Žale cemetery.
Almost 160 money mules caught in latest sting
LJUBLJANA - As part of the latest effort to crack down on money mule schemes in Europe, the Slovenian police investigated 126 cases to identify a total of 156 money mules. A total loss by legal entities and individuals of EUR 1.4 million was thus prevented, the General Police Administration said. The seventh European Money Mule Action identified more than 18,000 mules and helped prevent EUR 70 million in damage in 27 countries. It was conducted between 15 September and 30 November.
