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This summary is provided by the STA:
Pahor offers formal apology to the erased
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor offered a formal apology to the 25,671 people who were erased from Slovenia's register of permanent residents 30 years ago. He said this had been an unconstitutional act, a violation of human rights. Accepting the apology, Irfan Beširović, head of the Civil Initiative of Erased Activists, warned that not all injustices had been eliminated yet and some erased still lived without a proper status in Slovenia. Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, welcomed the apology as a welcome and meaningful step.
Govt simplifies airspace use for NATO aircraft
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to impose limits on Slovenian airspace as it met over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The decision will simplify the use of airspace for overflights by military aircraft of allied countries for the purpose of troop deployments on NATO's eastern flank. The government also adopted some further crisis response measures and a decision to help Ukraine with military equipment, but details are yet to follow. The decisions come after a virtual NATO summit decided for the alliance to deploy rapid response forces on its eastern flank. PM Janez Janša, who attended the summit, said on Facebook "only a victory of Ukraine and Putin's defeat can prevent a long period of new Cold War".
PM and new US ambassador welcome sanctions against Russia
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša met new US Ambassador to Slovenia Jamie L. Harpootlian to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The pair condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine in the strongest terms and welcomed the introduction of severe sanctions against Russia. They agreed that a strong support for Ukraine is needed as well as a strong and unified response by the international community. Janša informed Harpootlian of his and his Polish counterpart's call for Ukraine to be made EU member by 2030.
Logar says severest package of sanctions imposed on Russia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - As the EU adopted a second package of sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, which target key sectors of its economy as well as President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar said this was the "strictest package of sanctions" the bloc had ever adopted. He said opposition to barring Russia from the Swift system was getting weaker.
Anti-war protests held in Ljubljana and Maribor
LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - More than a hundred people gathered in Ljubljana in rain to protest against Russian aggression on Ukraine, shouting slogans and singing Ukrainian songs. The protest had to move to another location after the Russian Embassy was cordoned off by police and fences, which the protesters decried as a disgrace. Solidarity with Ukraine was also showed by Friday's bicycle protesters and Ljubljana Castle was lit in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Protesters also rallied against the war in Ukraine in Maribor.
Foreign policy, defence committees condemn invasion of Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy and defence committees met behind closed doors for a joint session over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Defence Committee chair Samo Bevk said they condemned Russia's aggression and discussed a proposal for Slovenia to initiate a session of the UN General Assembly to do the same. MPs also inquired about the safety of Slovenian citizens in Ukraine, and those located in Russia and Belarus. The session was also attended by Defence Minister Matej Tonin.
Preparations under way to accommodate Ukrainian refugees
ROGLA - Preparations are under way in Slovenia to set up accommodation centres to accept refugees from Ukraine with Interior Minister Aleš Hojs saying several thousand could be accepted if necessary. At any rate these are people in Slovenia's direct vicinity, he said, adding that it would be inappropriate not to take them, considering appeals during the Afghan crisis for the countries in the vicinity to take in refugees. The minister said it was not clear yet how many Slovenia would take.
Companies urge caution in imposing sanctions on Russia
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian companies that are doing business with Ukraine, Russia or Belarus hope there will be no sanctions against Russia that may harm businesses in Europe. Above all, they fear a Swift ban and believe Slovenia should not support it, said the Chamber of Commerce and Industry after hosting a meeting with them. Central bank data shows the banking system's exposure to clients from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is low, at 0.18%. Slovenia exported EUR 867 million worth of goods to Russia last year and imported EUR 342.7 million. Russia ranks 4th among the Slovenian FDI destinations.
Former minister returns Russian decoration in protest
LJUBLJANA - Anja Kopač, a vice president of the opposition SocDems and former labour minister, returned a Russian state decoration in protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine, which she described as "an act of aggression and a grave violation of international law". She was awarded the Order of Friendship by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 for her efforts to strengthen peace and friendship between the two nations. "I was very proud of the decoration. But now I return it with equal pride," she said.
Janša gets suspended sentence for insulting tweet
CELJE - A panel of judges of the Celje District Court found Prime Minister Janez Janša guilty of defaming two TV Slovenija journalists, Eugenija Carl and Mojca Šetinc Pašek, whom he called "washed up prostitutes" in a 2016 tweet. In a ruling that is not final yet, Janša got a three-month suspended sentence. He was also ordered to pay for the costs of the court proceedings. The ruling comes after the Supreme Court quashed a guilty ruling over Janša's Twitter post.
Pahor receives Slovenian MPs from all neighbouring countries
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the ethnic Slovenians who serve as representatives in the national parliaments of the four countries neighbouring Slovenia. On the occasion, Pahor was acquainted with the situation of the Slovenian minority in each of these countries. This was the first meeting ever of members of the Slovenian ethnic minorities who serve as representatives in the national parliaments in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
SSH supervisors approve plan to buy York's stake in Sava
LJUBLJANA - The supervisors of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) approved the decision to exercise the pre-emptive right to buy a 43.2% stake in the tourism holding Sava from the private fund York. The stake is to be acquired together with the KAD fund. SSH and KAD will transfer a total of EUR 38 million on Monday. Once the transaction is completed, they will hold a combined 89.96% in Sava. The government approved the move on Monday after a public outcry against the stake being sold to a Hungarian investor.
EUR 10m call for investment tourism infrastructure
LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry published a call for applications to subsidise investments in public and common tourism infrastructure and natural heritage sites, with EUR 10 million to be made available until 2024. The eligible infrastructure includes parks, beaches and seashores, rivers and lakes, hiking routes and mountain trails. Meanwhile, the Slovenian Enterprise Fund published a call for convertible loans for innovative companies worth more than EUR 1 million.
Air link Ljubljana-Brussels renewed from next week
LJUBLJANA - Direct flight routes between Ljubljana and Brussels will be renewed from next week as Brussels Airlines is returning to Ljubljana Airport on Monday following a suspension of flights in January. Low-budget airline Wizz Air will relaunch Ljubljana-Brussels flights a month later, on 27 March, reads an announcement on the airport's website. Currently, Slovenia-bound international flights are operated by eleven airlines that cover twelve destinations.
Man kills two enforcement agent assistants over car seizure
LJUBLJANA - A 66-year-old man killed two enforcement agent assistants near Šmarje pri Jelšah on Thursday evening after they had tried to impound his car. He got angry and shot a 27-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman with his handgun. The man was killed on the spot and the woman succumbed to her injuries in hospital. The 66-year-old suspect was arrested. The dual murder was condemned by Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič and the Chamber of Enforcement Agents described as a direct attack on the judiciary.
Daily coronavirus case count drops below 2,000 on Thursday
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,911 new Covid cases on Thursday in the first time the number dropped below 2,000 since early January. The epidemic continues to ebb as the number of currently active cases decreased by more than 5,000 to 52,648, show fresh official data. Hospitalisations decreased further with government data showing 445 patients were treated for Covid as their main condition in hospitals this morning, down by 30 on the day before. Another seven people with Covid died.
Eight restaurants receive top rating by Gault&Millau
LJUBLJANA - The renowned French restaurant guide Gault&Millau announced the highest-rated restaurants and recipients of special Slovenia 2022 awards at an online event. Marko Pavčnik of the Pavus Restaurant in Laško Tabor Castle is the chef of the year, and eight restaurants won the highest rating of four toques. Hiša Franko in Kobarid won the highest number of points. The entire line-up of the top-rated restaurants by Gault&Millau will released in this year's guide in the second half of March.
