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This summary is provided by the STA:
Parliament debates Vizjak no-confidence motion
LJUBLJANA - The coalition and opposition remained on opposite banks as the National Assembly debated a motion of no confidence in Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak. The centre-left opposition maintained Vizjak lacked understanding of the concept of public interest. Vizjak reiterated that the accusations against him were unjustified and lashed out at businessman Bojan Petan, with whom he talked in leaked tapes that prompted the opposition to initiate the motion. Voting is scheduled early on Saturday, after 16 hours of scheduled debate.
Constitutional Court annuls "forced" retirement provisions
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court annulled the provisions in two laws that allow the employer to retire an employee in an unilateral decision without having to justify the reasons for termination of the contract if the employee meets the conditions for old-age retirement. The country's top court had reviewed the changes to the employment relationships act and the public employees act on proposal of seven representative trade unions and the Advocate of the Principle of Equality.
Janša presents achievements of EU presidency in Brussels
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša presented the results of Slovenia's six-month EU presidency after the summit in Brussels on Thursday. He noted it was the fourth presidency during the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing to the efforts to hold meetings in person, which contributed to successful closure of some difficult dossiers. He said that 21 trialogues with the European Parliament had been successfully completed, including on some difficult issues.
Norway and Slovenia seek deepening of cooperation
OSLO, Norway - Foreign Minister Anže Logar visited Norway to meet his counterpart Anniken Scharning Huitfeldt. The pair discussed opportunities to further strengthen cooperation. Slovenia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council was also discussed during what was the first visit by a Slovenian foreign minister in Norway in 18 years. Logar and Huitfeldt expressed satisfaction that the two countries had established excellent relations, particularly in multilateral and security areas.
Vrtovec discusses cooperation in nuclear energy with French counterpart
LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec met French Minister of the Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili on Thursday. The pair reviewed the accomplishments of the Slovenian EU presidency in energy, nuclear energy and the strategic partnership between Slovenia and France in the energy sector.
Central bank upgrades Slovenia's growth forecast to 6.7%
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's central bank upgraded its economic growth forecast for the country, projecting the economy to expand by 6.7% this year, up 1.5 percentage points compared to the June forecast. Meanwhile, it downgraded the growth forecast for 2022 from 4.8% to 4.0%, and upgraded it from 3.1% to 3.3% for 2023.
Vasle says ECB's pandemic exit decisions result of favourable conditions
LJUBLJANA - Banka Slovenije Governor Boštjan Vasle commented on Thursday's decision of the European Central Bank (ECB) for a gradual withdrawal from the pandemic measures, while maintaining the ability to respond quickly to a possible change by saying that the key message was that the economic consequences of the pandemic in the eurozone were calming down.
Booster shot needed for indefinite validity of Covid pass
LJUBLJANA - Those who have been fully vaccinated will see the validity of their Covid pass reduced from a year to nine months from February under a regulation adopted by the government. A booster shot extends the validity of the pass indefinitely. The decision is based on a recommendation by the advisory group on immunisation and is in line with guidance issued by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC).
Janša urges vaccination in a letter to citizens
LJUBLJANA - Many Slovenian households received in their mail boxes a letter in which PM Janez Janša thanks them for getting vaccinated against Covid-19 while urging the unvaccinated residents to kindly consider getting a jab. "Let this be your free yet responsible decision," he says in the letter ahead of the Sunday-to-Thursday Vaccination Days. He urges unity in efforts to successfully resist it because it divides us to those it misses or just slightly affects and those it infects and puts their health or even lives at serious risk.
New daily coronavirus infections down further
LJUBLJANA - The downward trend in new coronavirus cases continued in both weekly and daily comparisons in Slovenia on Thursday, with a total of 1,278 new cases detected. There are now an estimated 19,395 active cases in the country, according to the National Institute of Public Health. Twelve Covid patients died on Thursday. A total of 746 Covid patients are in hospital today, 30 fewer than the day before, including 237 in intensive care, which is the same number as yesterday.
MPs call government to review, report on appointments in Gen-I
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the opposition's allegations of political staffing in the energy sector, deciding to propose to the government to review the procedure of appointment of the management of the energy trader Gen-I and report back to the commission. It also unanimously endorsed the proposal to urge the government to order Slovenian Sovereign Holding to respect the principle of professionalism and efficient management of state-owned companies.
Ombudsman calls for changes to migration management system
LJUBLJANA - Ahead of International Migrants Day, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina said that EU countries should take a more determined approach to building a new common migration management system, which would offer reliable protection and in which the human rights of all migrants are respected.
Two-thirds of 2014-2020 EU cohesion funding paid out so far
LJUBLJANA - Under the 2014-2020 European Cohesion Policy, nearly EUR 2 billion, or 65% of the funds available, had been paid out to beneficiaries in Slovenia by the end of November. The government estimates that the figure will rise to 70% by the end of the year. The funds can be drawn until the end of 2023.
Opposition files bill to distinguish between hemp and cannabis
LJUBLJANA - Five centre-left opposition deputy groups tabled a bill to relax conditions to grow hemp for industrial purposes in Slovenia. They propose eliminating what they see a flawed classification of the plant hemp as a drug and clearly stating that hemp is an agricultural plant whereas cannabis is an illicit drug. The changes set conditions under which hemp can be grown for industrial, food and horticultural purposes, and specify which parts of the plant are a drug.
Ethnography Institute president gets top minority award
KLAGENFURT, Austria - The Slovenian minority in Austria will honour Nužej Tolmaier, president of the Urban Jarnik Slovenian Institute of Ethnography and former secretary of the Christian Cultural Association, with the Tischler Award. The award is given to Slovenians or Slovenian institutions promoting the cause of the Slovenian minority in the Austrian state of Carinthia.
