20 Jul 2022, 04:33 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 20 July 2022

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenia welcomes start of EU accession talks with N Macedonia, Albania

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Robert Golob hailed the start of EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, which Pahor described as "one of the few pieces of good news recently that boosts confidence in the European perspective of the Western Balkans". Golob described the step as "a historic and long awaited step on both countries' path into our EU family", while praising the Albanian and Macedonian prime ministers for their patience and leadership. The government pledged Slovenia will remain a staunch supporter of the EU's enlargement to the entire Western Balkans' region.

Golob writes to Von der Leyen, Michel on Bosnia's candidate status

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob has called on the presidents of the European Commission and Council for Bosnia-Herzegovina to be granted EU candidate country status based on the fulfilment of realistic conditions. He said the EU must consider its share of responsibility for the situation in the country and the new geopolitical reality in Europe.

Šarec visits troops in Slovakia

LEŠT, Slovakia - After visiting Slovenian troops serving in NATO's Enhanced Presence mission in Latvia, Defence Minister Marjan Šarec also visited Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) members at the Lešt base in Slovakia, where he was joined by his counterpart Jaroslav Nad. While Nad commended the SAF on its fast response in creating the mission and on the troops' outstanding work, Šarec promised Slovenian troops on missions at home and abroad would be secured a proper level of equipment.

Naval fleet to get its own berths at Koper port

KOPER - The government decided to build docks for the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) fleet in Koper port. The project is estimated at EUR 7.22 million including VAT and will be funded by the Defence Ministry, the government Communications Office said in a press release. The docks will be temporary, to be used for the next ten or 15 years, as new berths for the fleet are planned on Quay 3, the construction of which is not planned before 2030. The SAF vessels are currently docked at the port's moorings.

State buying 40,000 tonnes of wheat

LJUBLJANA - Following the government's announcement that the state will buy the country's entire wheat output, the Agency for Commodity Reserves published a call to purchase 40,000 tonnes of wheat produced in 2022 for human consumption in an estimated value of EUR 12.4 million, VAT excluded. The call, published on the public procurement portal and the Official Journal of the EU, is for two lost of up to 14,000 tonnes of wheat and up to 26,000 tonnes of wheat. The bids submitted will be opened on 16 August.

Slovenia to improve protection of Bosnian, Serbian workers

LJUBLJANA - The Labour Ministry announced it had launched talks with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia to change parts of bilateral labour agreements so as to provide better protection of Bosnian and Serbian workers in the country. Above all the sides are looking at provisions under which workers may not change their employer during the first year of working in Slovenia. This has proven to be harmful, exposing workers to abuse which often goes unreported.

Daily coronavirus case count highest since 4 April

LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,764 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Slovenia on Monday in what is a 17% increase over the same day a week ago, and the highest daily tally since 4 April. Hospitalisations continued to increase on a weekly basis with 84 patients treated for Covid-19 as their main condition in hospitals on Monday, 27 more than a week ago, as the number of ICU cases was up by one to nine, data from the Health Ministry shows. One Covid-19 patient died.

Covid-19 re-boost being made available to all adults

LJUBLJANA - The national advisory committee on immunization recommended a second booster shot of a Covid-19 vaccine in particular to vulnerable patients, care home residents and those aged over 80, while recommending it to everyone over 60. A re-booster or fourth Covid shot is also being allowed to everyone over the age of 18. Re-boosters will be made available to all the eligible groups after vaccination providers get updated instructions, which is to happen in the coming days.

Slovenia notes lack of alternatives for reduced pesticide use

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU agriculture ministers, including Slovenia's Irena Šinko, discussed sustainable use of pesticides at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, with Šinko saying that while Slovenia agreed that the use of pesticides should be reduced to the minimum, the unavailability of alternative methods had not been adequately taken into account. She said 30% of the total area of permanent plantations and more than 40% of arable land in Slovenia was located in sensitive areas which would be subject to a pesticides ban, which would mean abandonment of agriculture in these areas.

Govt to debate water restrictions in coastal region

KOPER - Environment Minister Uroš Brežan met the mayors of coastal communities in Koper to discuss severe water shortages in the region. They agreed to put forward measures to save drinking water to prevent rationing. The measures will be discussed by the government on Thursday. Koper Mayor Aleš Bržan said suspending water supply to households, which is being considered by the water utility supplying the region, was not the best measure and it might be better to close water to some legal entities instead.

Criticism as Slavic studies MA course scrapped in Klagenfurt

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Members of the Slovenian minority in the Austrian state of Carinthia have expressed strong criticism of the decision of the Klagenfurt University to abolish the MA course of Slavic studies, arguing it would cause major damage. Concern has also been expressed by President Borut Pahor and the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad. The decision, prompted by a lack of interest among students, is seen as a significant blow to the minority on a symbolic level.

Members of Slovenian minority honoured in Klagenfurt

KLAGENFURT, Austria - The Austrian state of Carinthia, home to a sizeable Slovenian minority, honoured several of the minority's members as honours were bestowed on distinguished Carinthians in Klagenfurt on Monday. Grand Badges of Honour of Carinthia were bestowed on Angelika Hödl, who helped lead the bilingualism-focused Radio Agora, professor Katja Sturm-Schnabl and Roza Wernig, like Sturm-Schnabl a WWII deportee, who established the Rosental Rož camp site, and music teacher Hans Ogris.

Jesuit missionary to Tokyo and poet Vladimir Kos dies

TOKYO, Japan - Vladimir Kos, poet and Jesuit missionary to Tokyo, has died. The 98-year-old was the author of a collection of poems titled Dober Večer, Tokio (Good evening, Tokyo), the first book in Slovenian to be published in Japan. He also received the 2014 Prešeren Fund Prize. He was born in Murska Sobota (NE), but studied in Rome, Italy. After joining the Jesuit order, he became part of the Japan mission in 1956.

Spain's Gonvarri buys nearly 40% in Hidria

IDRIJA - The newspaper Finance reported that the biggest sole owner of car parts maker Hidria sold its stake to Spanish automotive supplier Gonvarri. The stake of roughly 40% in Hidria had been held by the family of former Hidria CEO Edvard Svetlik through their company ES&G. The value of the transaction is unclear but the magazine Manager valued the interest held by Svetlik and his spouse at EUR 33.6 million last year. The majority stake of some 52% is held by a consortium of Hidria managers.

Higher court annuls bribery case ruling

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court has annulled a ruling by the Ljubljana District Court sentencing orthopaedic surgeon Gregor Kavčič of the Novo Mesto hospital to three years in prison for allegedly accepting bribes from a medical supplier. A retrial was ordered, but the case will become statue barred at the beginning of August.

19 Jul 2022, 22:22 PM

More Wildfires in Kras

STA, 19 July 2022 - While a major wildfire in the NW part of the Kras region was brought under control on Monday, new fires broke out in the area today, in particular in the Miren-Opatje Selo area with the fire spreading across the border to Italy. More than 200 firefighters are battling the flames along with rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft.

News of the wildfire, which erupted right next to where Friday's Kras fire first started and is raging along the railway line as well, comes after two days of firefighting efforts in the area, which involved over 500 firefighters as well as two Italian and three Slovenian helicopters. A Croatian water bomber was also deployed on Sunday.

The new fire is about 200 hectares in size with the firefighters keeping it above the Lokvica-Devetaki road on the Italian side, which is closed to traffic, as is the road between the villages of Lokvica and Miren. For safety reasons the power line has also been disconnected from the grid, the Regional Civil Protection headquarters reported.

Three Slovenian helicopters and the Pilatus PC 5 transport aircraft have also been deployed as has the national unit for the protection against unexploded ordnance.

On the Italian side of the border fires broke out at several locations along the railway.

Slovenian firefighters are also helping battle the flames on the other side of the border.

An additional problem is major damage to the Opatje Selo-Sela water supply network. The Civil Protection said all hydrants in the area that supplied the firefighting units so far are empty. Water is being transported from nearby areas.

President Borut Pahor visited today the site of the fire that erupted nearby on Sunday and was said to have been brought under control on Monday after it had come about half a kilometre close to the village of Lokvica.

19 Jul 2022, 16:12 PM

Daily COVID Case Count Highest Since 4 April, Hospitals Introduce Some Restrictions

STA, 19 July 2022 - A total of 2,764 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Slovenia on Monday in what is a 17% increase over the same day a week ago, and the highest daily case count since 4 April. Hospitalisations continue to increase on a weekly basis, and one Covid-19 patient died yesterday.

A total of 84 patients with Covid-19 as their main condition were in hospitals on Monday, which is 27 more than a week ago, the data from the Health Ministry shows. The number of intensive care patients was up by one to nine on a weekly basis.

The seven-day average of new daily cases was up by 63 on the day before to 1,556, and the 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 residents rose by 47 to 957, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) reported.

According to the NIJZ, an estimated 20,267 people are now actively infected in Slovenia, almost a thousand more than yesterday.

Due to the increasing number of infections, many hospitals have introduced restrictions for visits to one healthy person in a certain time interval, and the use of protective face masks is again mandatory in most hospitals.

In the UKC Maribor hospital, visits have been prohibited from Monday, and may be exceptionally permitted by the heads of departments, while the use of face masks is mandatory for all.

Visits have also been prohibited as of today in the Celje general hospital, with the exception of visits to critically ill and dying patients and for hospitalised children and infants in the maternity ward.

The country's largest hospital, UKC Ljubljana, which re-introduced mandatory wearing of face masks on 7 July, told the STA that complete prohibition of visits is not planned for the time being. Such a ban could applied for individual departments.

19 Jul 2022, 10:29 AM

Hoče Confectioner Gets 15-Month Suspended Sentence in Cannabis Cookies Retrial

STA, 18 July 2022 - A retrial in the case of the confectioner from Hoče near Maribor, who was found guilty in 2020 for lacing cookies with cannabis and selling them to unsuspecting customers, has resulted in the court finding Niko Štekar guilty and handing him a 15-month suspended prison sentence, according to the newspaper Večer.

The Maribor District Court found Štekar guilty of baking cannabis-laced cookies for Zlatko Babič, a retired health inspector, and later serving them to regular but unsuspecting customers, failing to inform them of the nature of the butter Babič provided as part of a cookie baking request.

Two of the customers ended up seeking medical assistance for THC poisoning after eating a substantial amount of the cookies.

The first-instance ruling was later upheld by a higher court, so it became final, but the defence had the ruling overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this year. The Supreme Court ruled that the case should be retried before a different judge.

In the first trial, Babič also faced charges over the manufacture of narcotic drugs, but the judge found him not guilty and agreed that Babič meant to use the cannabis-laced butter he delivered to Štekar for personal use in order to alleviate health issues.

According to Večer, Štekar still maintains he was not aware the butter contained cannabis, whereas Babič claims he made this clear upon making the cookie-baking request.

The defendant's life companion corroborated his claims by saying she saw the cookie dough in the fridge and did not suspect it to be laced with anything, but this failed to convince either the prosecutor or the judge Mateja Kamenšek Gornik, who upheld the first-instance verdict and found Štekar guilty.

19 Jul 2022, 10:22 AM

Matevž Luzar Wins Best Director at Cinedays Festival for “Orkester” (Trailer)

STA, 18 July 2022 - Slovenian Matevž Luzar won the Silver Star award for best director for his feature film the Orchestra (Orkester) at the Cinedays film festival held in Skopje, North Macedonia, last week, the Slovenian Film Centre has announced.

Co-funded by the Slovenian Film Centre and co-produced by public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, the film tells the story of a wind orchestra travelling to a music festival held in a small Austrian town. Each member of the travelling ensemble has their own problems, and the five protagonists' stories intertwine during the trip.

The film's cast includes household names of Slovenian television production, such as Mojca Funkl, Jernej Kogovšek, Gregor Čišin, and Vesna Pernačič, among others.

The Cinedays judging panel picked Luzar's film for "exactness and ambitiousness in style he so believably and successfully portrayed while mentoring such a big cast."

The film was made in cooperation with the SVEA-Zagorje wind orchestra, Viba Film studio, and many others.

It premiered in November 2021 at the Cottbus film festival in Germany. It will be screened in the Ljubljana Castle courtyard on 3 August as part of the Film Under the Stars open-air series. It is due for general release in Slovenian cinemas on 11 August.

19 Jul 2022, 06:44 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 19 July 2022

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenia supports further sanctions on Russia, aid for Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marko Štucin expressed Slovenia's support for the European Commission's proposal to impose additional sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine which are being discussed by the EU Foreign Affairs Council today. Štucin also said Slovenia supported continued aid to Ukraine, including for critical infrastructure and institutions, and all efforts towards post-war reconstruction. The EU foreign ministers agreed that the bloc will allocate an additional EUR 500 million for aid in arms for a total of EUR 2.5 billion, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced.

Defence minister visiting troops in Latvia, Slovakia

ADAŽI, Latvia/LEST, Slovakia - Defence Minister Marjan Šarec is visiting Slovenian soldiers serving in NATO's enhanced-presence missions in Latvia and Slovakia. He is visiting the Adaži military base in Latvia today and the soldiers serving in Slovakia tomorrow, when he is also scheduled to meet his Slovak counterpart Jaroslav Nad'. Šarec was present at the soldiers' dynamic presentation at the training ground, and met Latvian Defence Ministry State Secretary Janis Garisons on the sidelines of the visit.The Slovenian Armed Forces have been involved in the Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Latvia since its launch in 2017.

Pirc Musar ahead of Logar in presidential poll

LJUBLJANA - Lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar is in the lead three months before the presidential election, with former foreign minister Anže Logar trailing close behind and Freedom Movement candidate Marta Kos in third as the only other serious contender, shows the first presidential poll commissioned by Dnevnik and Večer. Pirc Musar, an independent, polled at 30.1%, just two points ahead of Logar, who is running with the support of his Democratic Party (SDS). Kos is nine points behind Logar, at 19.4%.

Three found guilty in first EPPO case in Slovenia

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced that the Maribor Local Court ruled in the first EPPO case in Slovenia early this month. Two execs and one legal entity, none of which were named, were found guilty of attempted fraud to the detriment of the EU budget. By submitting false statements in a public call they tried to obtain EUR 31,300 in grants by fraud. However, the Infrastructure Ministry discovered the attempted fraud in time, and did not pay out the grant.

PM Golob visits Constitutional Court

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob visited the Constitutional Court and met its president Matej Accetto, saying in a statement to the press afterwards that this was an introductory meeting which he believes was "useful for both sides". "It was interesting to find out on which points their views are in line with ours, so that we can implement these things as soon as possible in the future," said Golob. He rejected the idea the visit could be seen as an attempt by the government to influence the judiciary.

Government proposes 4% pay increase in public sector

LJUBLJANA - The government offered a 4% increase in public sector pay as of September wages as its representatives met with trade unions. While happy that the government no longer insist solely on one-off payments for the worst-paid public servants, unions would like to see an increase of 12%. Public Administration Minister Sanja Ajanović Hovnik told the press after the meeting that the 4% accounted for half of the 8% inflation forecast for this year by the IMAD macroeconomic think-tank. The minister said the government would not offer any more, with the 4% being "the maximum we can spare". The proposal is estimated at EUR 58 million.

OZS urges govt to include all SMEs in electricity price cap

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) called on the government on Monday to amend the measures capping electricity prices for households and small businesses so as to include all small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). The OZS therefore called on the ministers of infrastructure and the economy, Bojan Kumer and Matjaž Han, to include as many businesses as possible, at least for the duration of the crisis, which, Cvar hopes, will not last long. A number of companies are facing another problem related to electricity supply, the press release also said.

Pahor meets Carinthian governor, mayors

GLOBASNITZ, Austria - President Borut Pahor visited the Austrian state of Carinthia, meeting Governor Peter Kaiser and attending a get-together of mayors of communities with Slovenian population. Following their meeting, Pahor and Kaiser said Slovenia and Austria cooperated excellently in a number of fields, also mentioning the potential of future regional cooperation and working together on challenges of the EU. The pair also discussed the Austrian federal government's proposal for a reform on bilingual judiciary, which was coordinated with the Association of Slovenian Carinthian Jurists and minority's umbrella organisations.

Illegal migration up by 75% by summer

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police handled 6,006 cases of migrants crossing into the country illegally in the first half of the year, an increase of 75% from the same period a year ago. Almost a quarter of the migrants intercepted were from Afghanistan. The number of migrants indicating their intention to apply for international protection status nearly quadrupled to 5,209. The police also handled 6,101 applications for temporary protection, almost all of which were by Ukrainian citizens.

Urbanija appointed TV Slovenija boss despite opposition from employees

LJUBLJANA - Former head of the Government Communication Office (UKOM) Uroš Urbanija was appointed director of TV Slovenija on Monday by the public broadcaster's director general Andrej Grah Whatmough despite loud protests from the in-house trade unions. Grah Whatmough told Radio Slovenija that the protests by journalists do not "have a realistic basis". He said he had appointed Urbanija because the latter had been approved by the programming council and there was really no other option. The director general expressed certainty that Urbanija would do his job well, professionally and independently.

Petrol and diesel ten cents cheaper from Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - Regular petrol and diesel sold at service stations outside the motorway network will be more than ten cents cheaper from Tuesday. Petrol will cost EUR 1.62 per litre and diesel EUR 1.70, the Economy Ministry announced. Prices outside the motorway network are regulated and change every two weeks depending on the price of oil derivatives on the global market and the euro-dollar exchange rate. Along the motorway prices are fully liberalised.

Ryanair in talks with decision makers over Slovenia flights

LJUBLJANA - The Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has conducted talks with the Infrastructure and Economy Ministries about setting up flights from and to Ljubljana Airport, the Erar web portal reported. Currently working with over 250 airports, Ryanair is now aiming to add Ljubljana to its portfolio in 2023 as Slovenia is currently the only EU country without flights operated by Ryanair. Slovenia urgently needs a greater airline connectivity, said Matevž Frangež, a state secretary at the Economy Ministry, while representatives of the Infrastructure Ministry added they plan to appoint a new concessionaire to manage Maribor Airport.

HSE group reports EUR 47m in net profit for 2021

LJUBLJANA - HSE, the country's largest electricity producer, generated EUR 47.97 million in net profit in 2021 after a loss of EUR 184.18 million in 2020. Its annual report shows the state-owned group generated a record EUR 2.54 billion in net sales revenue last year, a 38% increase from the year before. The Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant (TEŠ), a key HSE company, received compensation over the infamous TEŠ6 generator project to post a net profit of EUR 7.1 million, after a EUR 280 million loss in 2020.

Telekom Slovenije denies knowingly paying too much for IT firm

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije denied reports it had knowingly engaged in an allegedly harmful and overpaid acquisition of software developer Actual I.T. in March this year. The state-owned telco said the EUR 30 million deal, which is still subject to suspensive conditions, had undergone a due diligence check and two independent valuations. The news portal Necenzurirano alleged the company ignored warnings about the agreed price being substantially too high. One of the state shareholders, KAD, called for a shareholders' meeting to decide on an overhaul of the supervisory board over the matter.

MP disappointed with abolishing of Demography Office

MARIBOR - Dejan Kaloh, an MP from Maribor, and Franci Donko, an employee of the Maribor-based Demography Office, which the government abolished last week, expressed disappointed over the government's decision. Kaloh said this showed the government's attitude towards Maribor. "It is obvious that left-leaning governments are always making Maribor poorer in some way, which is wrong," said Kaloh said, while Donko rejected Labour Minister Luka Mesec's explanation that the office's purview overlaps with that of the Labour Ministry, speaking about a lack of understanding and as he noted the office's work was cross-departmental.

Fire in Kras under control

RENČE - Firefighters have managed to bring the fire in the north-western Kras under control after it came about half a kilometre close to the village of Lokvica during the night. The firefighters have warned though that the strong bora wind is threatening to fan the flames again. More than 400 firefighters with 120 fire engines were at the site this morning. They also have support from the air after the aircraft from Slovenia, Croatia and Italy the helped battle the fire yesterday had to retire for the night. The fire is estimated to have spread to over 390 hectares of pine and brush wood.

Outdoor noise regulation in breach of constitution

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court found the regulation on limit values for outdoor noise indicators to be in breach of the constitution. It argues that significant changes and exceptions were introduced into the document after the end of public consultation period, which means that the public could not express its view on them. The government has one year after the court's decision is published in the Official Gazette to remedy the situation by involving the public to participate.

Weekend coronavirus tally tops 1,000

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,073 new cases of coronavirus at the weekend, 14% more than the weekend before. Two patients infected with novel coronavirus have meanwhile died since Friday. There are currently 87 patients at regular wards hospitalised with Covid as their primary condition, almost double the figure from a week ago, and another ten in intensive care, up by two, shows data by the Health Ministry. The seven-day average of daily cases has increased by more than 260 to 1,493 from a week ago and the 14-day case notification rate by more than 215 to 910, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

Hoče confectioner found guilty in retrial over THC-laced cookies

MARIBOR - The Maribor District Court found a confectioner from Hoče near Maribor guilty of lacing cookies with cannabis before selling them to unsuspecting customers in a retrial, after the Supreme Court overturned the guilty ruling in the first trial and ordered a retrial. Niko Štekar was handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence after he failed to convince the judge a second time that he did not know the butter for the cookies provided by a retired health inspector contained THC.

Matevž Luzar wins best director award at Cinedays

SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Matevž Luzar won the Silver Star award for best director for his feature film the Orchestra at the Cinedays film festival held in Skopje, North Macedonia, last week. Co-produced by the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija with the help of funds from the Slovenian Film Centre, the film tells the story of a wind orchestra travelling to a music festival held in a small Austrian town. Each member has their own problems and the five protagonists' stories intertwine during the trip.

Heatwave to sweep across Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is looking at a serious heatwave ahead as temperatures climb to hit up to 39 degrees Celsius by the end of the week, according to the Environment Agency. While the bora wind that has spread a wildfire in Primorska is subsiding, temperatures will continue to soar throughout the week, peaking at 39 on Saturday and Sunday, while next Monday might see temperatures up to 40 degrees. This will be followed by a cold front that meteorologists forecast will reach Slovenia next week.

18 Jul 2022, 17:59 PM

Ryanair in Talks for Return to Ljubljana in 2023

Ryanair in Talks for Return to Ljubljana in 2023

STA, 18 July 2022 - The Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has conducted talks with the Infrastructure and Economy Ministries about setting up flights from and to Ljubljana Airport, according to the Erar web portal. Slovenia is currently the only EU country without flights operated by Ryanair.

Currently working with over 250 airports, Ryanair is now aiming to add Ljubljana to its portfolio in 2023. The carrier briefly maintained flights between London Stansted and Maribor in 2007 and 2008, before terminating the cooperation.

After successfully setting up their Zagreb base in 2021, the budget airline now hopes to set up flights to and from Ljubljana Airport because of its proximity to the capital and Bled as a coveted travel destination.

Slovenia urgently needs a greater airline connectivity, said Matevž Frangež, a state secretary at the Economy Ministry, while representatives of the Infrastructure Ministry added they plan to appoint a new concessionaire to manage Maribor Airport.

Ryanair representatives expressed concerns over high costs per passenger at the Fraport-operated Ljubljana Airport, while Economy Ministry representatives explained to Ryanair the subsidy system, and that they have just finalised an open call for carriers in which Ryanair has not taken part.

State subsidies for carriers will amount to EUR 2 million this year, while last year the amount was EUR 5 million.

Ryanair and the two ministries agreed to draw up a list of destinations that are most strategically important and attractive, and set up a follow-up meeting for August to discuss their cooperation in detail.

According to the Sierra5.net air traffic web portal, the third international airport in Slovenia, located in Portorož, would not be suitable for Ryanair flights, as the landing strip is too short.

The web portal added that only the existing carriers operating to and from Ljubljana Airport could apply for Economy Ministry's subsidies for regular airlines, while the subsidies were not applicable to new carriers.

Maribor Airport would also be suitable for low-cost carriers due to good infrastructure solutions that would facilitate a quick and safe handling of aircraft as well as passengers, while staff shortage might present a problem, Sierra5.net concludes.

18 Jul 2022, 13:29 PM

Heatwave Hits Slovenia This Week, 40°C Possible in Some Areas, Warning on Fires

STA, 18 July - Slovenia is looking at a serious heatwave ahead as temperatures will climb to hit up to 39 degrees Celsius by the end of the week, according to the Environment Agency (ARSO). The warning of great fire hazard and drought remains in place for the Kras and Istria. Meteorologists forecast that a cold front will reach Slovenia next week.

While the bora that has spread wildfire in recent days in Primorska is subsiding, temperatures will continue to grow consistently throughout the week, with a peak of 39 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday, while next Monday might see temperatures up to 40 degrees.

Regions most affected by the heatwave will be Bela Krajna, and Nova Gorica, while those living in larger towns are also urged to take precautions against the heat.

The fire warning now in for the Kras and the Slovenian Istria might extend to other parts of the country in the coming days, said ARSO.

The bora in Primorska is expected to start blowing west late Monday afternoon.

The dry spell has been persistent for the last couple of months in Slovenia, and this has started to affect groundwater levels, according to ARSO, and subsequently crop growth.

Tackling the dry spell will be a long process, ARSO meteorologist Veronika Hladnik Zakotnik has warned. Larger quantities of rain are not expected until next week when a cold front is to pass trough the country, with the exception of rainfall brought on by heat that might occur in the north this Thursday.

18 Jul 2022, 11:36 AM

Illegal Migration Up 75% On Last Year

STA, 18 July 2022 - Slovenian police handled 6,006 cases of migrants crossing into the country illegally in the first half of the year, an increase of 75% from the same period a year ago. Almost a quarter of the migrants intercepted were from Afghanistan.

Police statistics show nearly half of all cases were handled by the Koper Police Department with the Novo Mesto Department also reporting considerable increase in cases.

The number of migrants indicating their intention to apply for international protection status nearly quadrupled to 5,209, mainly due to a strong increase in applications submitted by Afghanistan nationals.

The police also handled 6,101 applications for temporary protection, almost all of which were by Ukrainian citizens.

Afghanistan was the biggest source of illegal migration to Slovenia as the number of migrants from there more than doubled year-on-year to 1,316.

Pakistani nationals followed as the second largest group (718) ahead of Indians. The number of the latter rose from just 18 in the first half of last year to 473 in the same period this year.

There has also been a substantial increase in migrants from Nepal, from 46 to 274 this year. After no illegal migrants from Cuba or Burundi were registered in the first six months of 2021, 257 and 227 cases from those countries, respectively, were handled this year.

Of the 3,748 applications for international status received, 3,356 were solved, of which 98 positively. 40 applications were rejected, procedure was halted for 1,767 of them and 1,451 were thrown out.

Foreign law enforcement authorities returned 240 migrants to Slovenian police in the first half of the year, which compares to 77 in the same period a year ago. Most (173) were returned through airport.

Slovenian police sent back 1,206 migrants in the period, the vast majority to Croatia (1,115). In the same period last year a total of 1,658 migrants were returned by Slovenia, of whom 1,595 to Croatia.

18 Jul 2022, 07:26 AM

300+ Firefighters Work Against Wildfire in Kras

STA, 17 July 2022 - More than 300 firefighters are battling a wildfire in the north-western Kras, near the border with Italy, helped by four choppers, two from Slovenia and two from Italy, and a Croatian water bomber.

The fire broke out shortly before 10am on Sunday in the steep and hard to access terrain above Renče in the Vipava Valley, spreading toward the village of Temnica, but then the bora wind changed its direction.

Speaking for the STA, Simon Vendramin, the head of the intervention, said the fire then spread toward the village of Kostanjevica na Krasu and Cerje. Due to the dry vegetation and the strong wind the flames have been spreading fast.

A national action plan for major fires in the natural environment has been activated with firefighters from the Ljubljana and Gorenjska regions deployed to help their colleges from the Primorska region, the Regional Civil Protection said.

The release said the fire site already measured more than three and a half kilometres in length, and was expanding by about one kilometre every two hours due to the wind.

Shortly after 4pm, a Croatian Canadair was deployed to drop water on the fire site. Each time it skims 6,000 litres of seawater from the Trieste Bay.

Since there is still much unexploded ordnance from the First World in the area, one of the locations of the Isonzo Front, demining technicians have also been deployed. Red Cross first teams are also on the site.

It is not yet clear what caused the fire, which comes only two days after firefighters managed to put out a fire nearby with the help of two helicopters.

Radio Slovenija quoted Miren-Kostanjevica Mayor Mavricij Humar in warning the public not to try to get near the fire and to mind the fire engines and move away to let them pass.

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