LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's new parliament opened with the confirmation of the terms of all 90 MPs and the election of former judge Urška Klakočar Zupančič from the election-winning Freedom Movement as speaker in what is the first time that a woman MP will lead the National Assembly. She was elected in a 55:25 vote in a secret ballot that illustrates the weight of the future coalition, a grouping of three parties with 53 MPs that will be formalised within days. The new opposition - the SDS and NSi - meanwhile tabled more than two dozen bills, a move that will delay the passage of legislation crafted by the new coalition.
LMŠ too endorses consolidation of liberal bloc
LJUBLJANA - As the Freedom Movement confirmed plans to merge with the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), the LMŠ executive committee too endorsed the merger, with the party's governing council yet to take a vote on the matter. Freedom Movement leader Robert Golob, the presumptive new PM, told the press on Thursday that the consolidation of liberal bloc would unfold at an accelerated pace. Commenting on the merger, analyst Domen Kos said that by inviting former PMs Bratušek and Šarc to join his government, Golob made "the most strategic move he can make in the long term".
Staff at public broadcaster opt for token strike
LJUBLJANA - A majority of RTV Slovenija trade union members opted to stage a token strike on 23 May in protest at a situation they describe as "unbearable" due to policies pursued by the management and the Programme Council. The strike demands include editorial and institutional autonomy and resignations by RTV Slovenija director general Andrej Grah Whatmough, TV news programme editor-in-chief Jadranka Rebernik, acting editor of the MMC news portal Igor Pirkovič and RTV Slovenija Programme Council chairman Peter Gregorčič. The leadership expressed regret at the move, while the Association of Journalists (DNS) endorsed the strike.
Five confirmed dead in Kočevje chemical plant blast
KOČEVJE - Firefighters managed to get through to the remains of the five persons who lost their lives in Thursday's explosion at the Melamin chemical plant in Kočevje, south Slovenia, as the investigation into the cause of the accident continues. One of them was a Melamin employee and the rest were contractors who were working on the site at the time. Two victims were Bosnian citizens but will have be identified with a DNA method. The two badly injured Melamin workers remain in critical condition. One of them has still not been identified, but is believed to be a Macedonian national.
Economy minister visits Melamin post-explosion
KOČEVJE - Outgoing Economy Minister Zrdavko Počivalšek visited chemical company Malamin to discuss ways of helping it in the wake of Thursday's explosion. He said EU rules allow the state to help all companies hit by an industrial accident cope with the damage to infrastructure but also regarding the loss of income. "This can cover up to 100% of the damage," he said adding aid could come from the Slovenian Enterprise Fund, SIB Bank and Regional Development Fund. Melamin director Srečko Štefanič said that they should have all the data next week to be able to apply for EU aid.
Bad bank cancels Istrabenz, Thermana sale
LJUBLJANA - The Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) announced it had revoked a decision to initiate the sale of two tourism companies, Istrabenz Turizem and Thermana, citing the recent change of the national tourism strategy. The government adopted a new seven-year tourism strategy on 11 May to stipulate that equity stakes in tourism companies in the BAMC portfolio remain in state ownership. The revelation that Istrabenz and Thermana would be sold was met with surprise even by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who said it was a damaging solo action by BAMC.
Govt moves to terminate several more agreements with Russia
LJUBLJANA - The government asked parliament to terminate several bilateral agreements with Russia as a means of increasing political pressure on the country and contribute to peace. The initiative was confirmed on Thursday and formally tabled today, on the opening day of the new parliament. A few agreements with Russia were terminated in March, dealing with issues such as judiciary cooperation and the work of scientific and cultural centres, which led to the closure of a Russian centre in Ljubljana.
State to fully cover social contributions for religious staff
LJUBLJANA - A new regulation entered into force increasing the amount of state aid for the payment of social security contributions of religious staff. The figure has gone up from 48% to 100% of the average pay provided that religious communities meet some conditions after the regulation was adopted by the government on Wednesday. Given the number of staff, the Catholic Church will get 20 times as much money as other religious communities combined, according to the news portal Necenzurirano.
Energy taskforce says over EUR 17bn in investment needed until 2050
LJUBLJANA - A debate on a Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) strategy for the development of Slovenia's energy system until 2050 suggested EUR 15 billion would be needed for investment in production facilities in this period, along with EUR 2.3 billion for a network upgrade to secure a green transition. The debate proposed a combination of nuclear energy and renewables to fill the widening gap between expected electricity production and consumption.
Row over Kržanke church set to drag on
LJUBLJANA - A decades-long row over the denationalisation of a Baroque church that is part of the Križanke open-air theatre complex is set to resume in court after the institution using the complex as a festival venue and the Ljubljana city announced an appeal against the Culture Ministry's decision to return the church to the Teutonic Order in kind. Festival Ljubljana expects the Administrative Court to quash the decision. It had done that three times before and also annulled a 2014 decision to award the Teutonic order compensation.
TAB revenue up last year, net profit at EUR 16.5m
MEŽICA - TAB, a maker of starter and industrial batteries, generated EUR 260.2 million in sales revenue last year, up 12% from the year before. Net profit was up from EUR 16.2 million to EUR 16.5 million. Efforts to launch production of lithium-ion cells in Prevalje continue. Certain production and commercial activities are expected to start in Prevalje this year. The project is managed by TAB-Haidi, a joint venture the company has founded with an Asian partner.
Salus ups operating revenue in Q1
LJUBLJANA - Salus group, a pharmaceuticals wholesaler, posted EUR 125.7 million in operating revenue in the first quarter of the year, up 17.5% on the same period a year ago. The group's net profit decreased by 14% to EUR 4.1 million. Last year's Q1 net profit was higher due to a one-off effect of the successful settlement of a lawsuit involving Salus and the bankrupt pharmacy chain Moja Lekarna.
Slovenia's gross external debt almost equal to last year's GDP
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia had a gross external debt of EUR 51.9 billion in the first quarter of the year, a figure that was up by EUR 1.6 billion over the year before and almost equalled the country's GDP for 2021 at current prices, the central bank said. The government sector accounts for just under half of total debt. With gross claims on non-residents totalling EUR 53 billion, Slovenia actually had a positive external debt position of EUR 1.2 billion, down EUR 0.2 billion from a year ago.
Value of construction works up by 20% in Q1
LJUBLJANA - The value of construction completed in the first three months of 2022 increased by 19.2% year-on-year on the back of strong figures reported by the building and civil engineering segments, the Statistics Office said. Building construction surged by 33.4% and the value of civil engineering works rose by 17.4%. The sector of specialised construction activities reported a 15.7% decline.
Largest May Salon ever opening in Maribor
MARIBOR - The annual May Salon, the country's oldest art exhibition, opened in Maribor, bringing an overview of contemporary Slovenian art production from classic to new media. According to Zoran Poznič, the head the Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies, which organises the event, this is the largest May Salon ever. Held at Slovenia's largest exhibition venue, Kibla Portal, the show Blue Line: From Renaissance to New Media features more than 600 works by 218 artists.
Daily coronavirus count lower still
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 577 cases of coronavirus on Thursday as the caseload keeps falling on the week and day before. Two more patients with Covid-19 died, official data shows. Only five patients continue to be treated for Covid-19 as their main condition in intensive care units, with a total of 78 in hospital. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 of the population has dropped by 32 to 458. The 7-day average of cases fell by 23 from the previous day to 584.
