Slovenia to deploy up to 200 troops in Slovakia
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Slovenia will deploy up to 200 troops to Slovakia as part NATO's enhanced Forward Presence, Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced as he met his counterpart Jaroslav Nad. Slovenia would like to "send a whole company, we don't want to divide it into several parts". Initial indications were that Slovenia could deploy up to 100 troops. "I'm confident that Slovenian soldiers will do their job well because they're true professionals," Tonin said as Nad hailed Slovenia's intention to participate.
US company Textron acquiring Pipistrel
AJDOVŠČINA - US industrial conglomerate Textron, the owner of the Beechcraft, Hawker, and Cessna brands, has signed a deal on the acquisition of the Slovenian maker of ultralight aircraft Pipistrel worth EUR 218 million. Pipistrel said its founder and CEO Ivo Boscarol will remain a minority owner and will be appointed chairman emeritus. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2022. Textron committed to maintain Pipistrel's brand, headquarters, research and development, and manufacturing in Slovenia and Italy.
Krka monitors situation in Ukraine closely, expects no long-term effects
NOVO MESTO - Drug company Krka, which has significant exposure to the Russian and Ukrainian markets, said it could not yet assess the impact of the current situation in the two countries on its operations in 2022. But it stressed it had a strong capital structure, robust money flow and no financial debt, so long-term operations were not at risk. Sales revenue in the first quarter of 2022 has been estimated at EUR 25.9 million, up from EUR 22 million in the same period last year. Krka said all activities in Russia were running without major disruption except for delays in transport.
Govt launches new attempt to pass electronic communications act
LJUBLJANA - The government confirmed a new version of the electronic communications act after the previous version was voted down in parliament in early February. The new version still contains provisions barring high-risk vendors from the market, though the option of soliciting input from vendors deemed as high-risk has now been replaced with the requirement that their input be sought.
Office set up for reference pricing of medical devices
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a regulation establishing an office to maintain a central register of prices of medical devices and equipment in a bid to reduce procurement prices and reduce the cost on public finances. The new office comes after parliament passed amendments to the public procurement act in January to regulate the prices of medical supplies and equipment under a system of reference prices comparable with those in other EU countries.
Second set of digitalisation measures selected
LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed a set 25 proposals for digitalisation. The plan is to give all households access to high-speed broadband by 2026, including with the expansion of 5G mobile coverage to the majority of the population. Electronic elections, wide deployment of cashless payments and improvement of e-government services are also among the proposals, which are for now without budgets or timelines.
SocDems endorse list of candidates for April election
LJUBLJANA - The Social Democrats (SD) endorsed a list of 86 candidates for the 24 April general election with party leader Tanja Fajon declaring their goal was to bring Slovenia back on track. Fajon announced a "period of great change", asserting the convention brought the opposition party a step closer to victory and Slovenia a step closer to the image they wanted for it. Of the 86 candidates to stand for the SD, almost half are women and 13% are young.
Grah Whatmough gets four-year term at helm of public broadcaster
LJUBLJANA - Andrej Grah Whatmough received a four-year term as director general of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija after seeking a confidence vote a year after he was first named to the post. Grah Whatmough was the only candidate to submit a complete application, according to the Programming Council, which is in charge of the appointment. Natalija Gorščak, who was dismissed by Grah as the director of TV programmes in August, submitted an application as well but the vetting commission determined it did not arrive in time.
Sick voters to cast ballot at home
LJUBLJANA - Voters unable to cast their vote in the 24 April general election at polling stations due to illness will be able to vote at home before an electoral committee provided they submit a medical certificate with their application to vote at home, the National Electoral Commission announced. It asked the Ministry of Health to inform community health centres of this, proposing that the certificate be issued free of charge. The decision comes after uncertainty over how people infected with coronavirus were to exercise their voting right.
Epidemic keeps growing with 3,041 Covid cases on Wednesday
LJUBLJANA - The epidemic curve has been on the upward slope in Slovenia for nearly two weeks now with 3,041 coronavirus cases logged on Wednesday. The latest case count is up by almost a third on the same day a week ago. Hospitalisations due to Covid-19 continued to decrease, totalling 185 this morning. Another three people with Covid died. The 7-day average of new cases increased by 107 to 2,361 and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population is at 1,408, up by 57, shows official data.
First woman researcher in Slovenia receives ERC funds
IZOLA - Anna Sandak, head of research team at the InnoRenew CoE research institute facility and a professor at the University of Primorska, became the first woman in Slovenia to receive a European Research Centre (ERC) grant. Sandak and her team will use the EUR 2 million award to develop engineered living materials. Her work promotes the knowledge-based use of bio-inspired materials in modern sustainable buildings.
OZS honours best small businesses
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) honoured the best small businesses amidst warnings that the small-business sector is facing strong headwinds right after it survived the Covid crisis. OZS president Branko Meh said the the government should help the sector with rising energy prices, just like it did during the Covid crisis. Prime Minister Janez Janša said government intervention was needed in the energy and raw materials markets.
Documentary Film Festival to help Ukrainian film-makers document the war
LJUBLJANA - A day after the official closure of the Ljubljana Documentary Film Festival, a special screening of a documentary by a Ukrainian film-maker will be held at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre this afternoon. The funds raised from ticket sales will be donated to Ukrainian film-makers who have remained in their homeland and are documenting the war. Alina Gorlova's documentary This Rain Will Never Stop follows 20-year-old Andriy Suleyman as he navigates the human toll of armed conflict.
Star mountain biker Yana Belomoina finds refuge in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - Ukrainian cross-country mountain biker Yana Belomoina, who is considered one of the best athletes in this sport, has found refuge in Slovenia and is soon to be joined by her teammates from the national cross-country Olympic team, the sports portal Sportal reported. The Slovenian Cycling Federation is in charge of coordinating their arrival and accommodation and has also launched a fundraising campaign to help them. There are currently some 3,000 refugees from Ukraine in Slovenia, the authorities said on Wednesday.
