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This summary is provided by the STA:
Janša and Plenković talk gas, nuclear energy cooperation
ZAGREB - PM Janez Janša and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković talked about cooperation in gas supply and the Krško nuclear power plant as they met in the Croatian capital. Potential for concrete cooperation will be discussed by Slovenian Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec and Croatian Economy Minister Tomislav Čorić as they meet in Zagreb next Monday. The ministers will talk about expanding the pipeline from Lučko, a Zagreb suburb, to Zalog, on the outskirts of Ljubljana, and to Logatec, south-west of the capital. They will also discuss further cooperation on the jointly-owned Krško N-plant.
Pahor urges consensus on EU enlargement, Metsola EU membership prospect for Ukraine
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The EU's enlargement to its eastern neighbourhood dominated the opening session of the conference of EU parliamentary speakers with President Borut Pahor arguing the EU should reach a consensus on how to speed up accession talks while preserving safeguards in terms of fulfilment of criteria and rules. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said it was important to secure the prospect of membership to Ukraine and that Ukraine should become an EU candidate country. Metsola also met PM Janez Janša to discuss Ukraine, agreeing EU should stay united in response to Russia's aggression.
Slovenia's interim chargé d'affaires arrives in Kyiv
LJUBLJANA/KYIV, Ukraine - Slovenia's interim chargé d'affaires Boštjan Lesjak arrived in Kyiv safely Sunday night, the Foreign Ministry said. The Slovenian Embassy in Kyiv reopened today. According to the ministry, Lesjak said upon arrival that the town was deserted and that alarms and detonations could be heard in the distance but other than that life was normal for those who stayed in the Ukrainian capital.
EU parliamentary speakers to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine
BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian Speaker Igor Zorčič said that EU parliamentary speakers will condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demand an immediate end to the war as they meet for a conference at Brdo Congress Centre. He also urged facilitated EU enlargement as he spoke to the press before the start of the two-day event. The conference will be an opportunity to show unity with Ukraine and express support for democracy, peace and the rule of law, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola as she addressed the press together with her two co-hosts of the conference, Zorčič and National Council President Alojz Kovšca.
7,000 Ukrainian refugees seek protection in Slovenia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Some 7,000 refugees from Ukraine have so far applied for temporary protection in Slovenia, Franc Kangler, a state secretary at the Interior Ministry, told reporters during a session of EU Home Affairs Council. Roughly 50,000 people from Ukraine have crossed Slovenia, most of them heading on to Italy, France and Spain, according to the state secretary. He today also discussed helping Moldova, where some 360,000 people have fled the war in Ukraine.
Trieste National Hall in Slovenian minority's hands
TRIESTE, Italy - A contract was signed in Trieste to formally transfer the ownership of National Hall, a building of great symbolic importance to the Slovenian minority in Italy, from the University of Trieste on to the minority. The ceremony was attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, reports the minority's paper Primorski Dnevnik. A contract was also signed under which the university can continue to use the building free of charge for ten years, until a building to which it will move is renovated.
Telekom Slovenije finalises deal to acquire Actual I.T.
LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije, the majority state-owned telecoms incumbent, has finalised an agreement to buy software developer Actual I.T. for EUR 20.6 million. The transaction is expected to be completed within six months, the company said. Telekom plans to buy an outright stake in the company after receiving the green light for the deal from Actual I.T. shareholders. The agreement will be signed later today.
Žito shutting down two Slovenian locations
LJUBLJANA - Žito, a bread and pasta maker owned by Croatian food company Podravka, plans to shut down two production locations in Slovenia, in Ljubljana and Novo Mesto, in a move it says will improve productivity and long-term profitability. The decision is in line with the five-year strategic plan confirmed last year to focus on baked goods, the company said late on Sunday. Other production programmes will be "optimised at the level of the Podravka group."
Coronavirus case count continues to drop
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 910 new Covid infections on Sunday, down 341 from Saturday and 166 from a week a ago, data from the National Institute of Public Health shows. It is estimated that there are currently 38,695 active cases in the country, a daily rise of 53 and a weekly of around 5,400. Health Ministry data shows that there are currently 147 Covid-19 patients at regular Covid-19 wards and another 37 in intensive care, up 10 and 2 from yesterday, respectively. Five Covid patients died.
Dissent aroused as new party gets status affording it more air time
LJUBLJANA - The public broadcaster has invited protests by deciding to treat the party of Aleksandra Pivec, the former agriculture minister, as a parliamentary party in election debates arguing it is a legal successor to the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the party Pivec used to head. As position disagrees with the view taken by the broadcaster's legal service, DeSUS protested against Our Land being declared their legal successor, calling the decision politically-motivated.
POP TV poll shows SDS overtaking Freedom Movement
LJUBLJANA - Less than a month before the general election, the ruling Democrats (SDS) are in the lead in a poll conducted by pollster Mediana for commercial broadcaster POP TV at 16.8%, just ahead of the Freedom Movement, which polled at 16.7%. The SDS saw its rating rise by 0.4 percentage points in the past month, while the Freedom Movement lost 0.7 points.
Košorok dismissed as state secretary, tipped to be GEN Energija CEO
LJUBLJANA - Blaž Košorok was relieved of his duties as a state secretary at the Infrastructure Ministry with media reports tipping him as a serious contender to become CEO of GEN Energija, one of two major energy groups in the country. Košorok served as CEO of HSE, the state-owned holding running a series of power plants, from November 2012 to July 2017. The news portal Necenzurirano reports that Košorok enjoys Prime Minister Janez Janša's support to become CEO of GEN Energija.
Slovenia's hourly labour costs grew rapidly in 2021
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Hourly labour costs averaged EUR 21.1 in Slovenia last year, well below the EU and eurozone averages of EUR 29.1 and EUR 32.8, respectively, despite growing at a brisk pace, show the latest Eurostat data. At 6%, Slovenia had the third-fastest rate of increase last year behind Lithuania (11.9%) and Estonia (6.6%).
Slovenian banks lag behind in digital experience
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian banks scored lower than foreign banks in overall user experience and in mobile user experience, according to a digital banking analysis carried out by E-laborat. NLB, the Slovenian market leader, scored the most points among Slovenian banks overall, as it did last year. NLB, SKB Bank and NKBM all made it among "advanced digitals", a group which includes banks that set standards in the industry and scored best in all categories.
