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This summary is provided by the STA:
Minister says Slovenia can accept over 50 Ukrainian patients
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Health Minister Janez Poklukar said after a meeting of EU health ministers that Slovenia could accept more than 50 Ukrainian patients. For now, Slovenia has offered to admit four sick people from Ukraine, including one child. Ukrainian patients who are currently in the EU member states bordering Ukraine could be accommodated in the university medical centres in Ljubljana and Maribor and in the Celje hospital. Poklukar also endorsed the proposal from Poland to establish a special mechanism for financing the treatment of Ukrainian patients.
Speakers stress importance of EU enlargement
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The second day of the conference of EU parliamentary speakers focussed on the EU as a guarantor of stability, safety and prosperity in the region and beyond. The speakers stressed the importance of EU enlargement. Slovenian Speaker Igor Zorčič said the Russian aggression of Ukraine represented everything the EU had been fighting against, describing the attack on Ukraine as an attack on the fundamental European values of peace, democracy and harmony among nations. He said enlargement policy had to remain a key geostrategic tool and had to be accelerated.
Amnesty International critical of Slovenia's refugee legislation, media freedom
LJUBLJANA - Amnesty International says in its 2021 report on human rights that Slovenia's refugee legislation is too restrictive as it continues to deny access to asylum to potential asylum seekers irregularly entering the country. It also notes that media freedom has deteriorated, including through verbal attacks on journalists and the defunding of the STA, and that freedom of peaceful assembly was restricted during the pandemic. Meanwhile, it welcomed the new definition of rape in the criminal code.
New legislation facilitating sanctions entering into force in mid-April
LJUBLJANA - Legislative changes empowering the government to better implement EU sanctions against Russia, more specifically the freezing of assets of certain Russian citizens, which were passed at the March session, will enter into force in mid-April after being published in the Official Gazette. Foreign Minister Anže Logar said last week the changes would empower the government to better implement the sanctions.
Huawei unhappy with new bill on electronic communications
LJUBLJANA - Huawei presented a legal opinion that it says shows the new bill on electronic communications, which parliament will vote on Thursday, has shortcomings which could lead to lawsuits at the EU court and disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The government adopted the bill on 17 March after the previous bill was voted down in parliament because of provisions on the security of 5G networks which the opposition claimed were an attempt to prevent Huawei from selling gear to Slovenian operators.
Covid continues to retreat
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 4,412 new coronavirus cases on Monday, over a tenth fewer than the same day a week ago as the downward trend continued for the fifth day running. One patient with Covid-19 died. A total of 186 patients were treated for Covid-19 at hospitals this morning, two more than yesterday. The figure includes 37 in intensive care, the same as yesterday. The 14-day notification rate per 100,000 people is now at 1,844, up by 11 from a day ago and up by 187 week-on-week.
Bad bank offering EUR 5.35m for outstanding Mladinska stock
LJUBLJANA - The Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) published a takeover bid for Mladinska Knjiga, Slovenia's largest publisher, offering EUR 8.90 per share or roughly EUR 5.35 million for the 48.77% stake it does not hold already. BAMC is offering to pay for the shares in cash with the offer standing from 30 March to 3 May. The bid does not set any threshold at which it would be deemed successful.
Olympic medallists Garnbret and Savšek receive presidential decorations
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor conferred the Golden Order of Merit on two outstanding Slovenian athletes, climber Janja Garnbret and whitewater canoeist Benjamin Savšek, both of whom won gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. The pair were honoured for "outstanding sports achievements, promotion of Slovenia in the global sports arena, and for inspiring people", Pahor's office said.
Croatian water bomber helping fight fire north of Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Firefighters are fighting a major forest fire that broke out on Monday on the slopes of the Baba hill near Preddvor, about 30 kilometres north of Ljubljana. Army helicopters have been activated and a Croatian water bomber joined the effort. An estimated 600-700 hectares of forest has been affected. A near-by village has been secured, but several firefighters have been injured. A lot of wood in private forests has gone up in smoke along with several holiday facilities.
Ex-court stenographer gets five years for leaking confidential info
MARIBOR - The Maribor District Court sentenced Vojko Tadina, a former Celje District Court employee, to five years in prison for leaking confidential information to the criminal underground in exchange for money. Tadina pleaded guilty and will serve his sentence at Rogoza, an open prison. The judge accepted the fact that he had no criminal record and his guilty plea as extenuating circumstances, the newspaper Večer reported.
Izola mayor charged in case involving ex-minister
IZOLA - Izola Mayor Danilo Markočič has been charged with abuse of office in a case that led to the resignation of Aleksandra Pivec as agriculture minister in the autumn of 2020, regional paper Primorske Novice reported. The charges, filed at the end of last year, concern a hotel bill that the municipality paid for Pivec and her sons during what was supposed to be an official function. The paper says Pivec is not among those charged, but the investigation showed payment of her bill was against the law.
Engineer, chemist and biologist win L'Oréal-UNESCO scholarships
LJUBLJANA - Mechanical engineer Katja Klinar, chemical technologist Tina Kegl and biologist Eva Turk have won the national L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science scholarships for 2022. The trio were presented with the EUR 5,000 scholarships to join the 43 promising young women researchers who have won the awards in Slovenia in the 15 years since the start of the programme.
Hungarian community building youth hostel near Lendava
LENDAVA - The Hungarian self-governing community from the Slovenian region of Pomurje will build a youth hostel in Dolga Vas, a village on the border with Hungary, featuring a restaurant and an indoor garden. The EUR 1.6 million investment will be covered by the Bethlen Gábor Fund, which supports Hungarian institutions abroad. The restaurant with a terrace will be able to accommodate 150 guests and will offer dishes from locally produced food, while the hostel will feature 42 beds.
No Golden Fox in first draft of 2022/23 season calendar
MARIBOR - The Golden Fox, the traditional women's Alpine Ski World Cup event organised in Maribor, is not in the first draft of the 2022/23 season calendar. This comes after the event was either cancelled or relocated to Kranjska Gora eight times in the last ten years due to lack of snow. Announcing the decision of the International Ski Federation (FIS), the Ski Association of Slovenia it was in touch with the schedule makers, as "our priority is to keep the women's Alpine Ski World Cup competition."
