17 Jun 2021, 18:10 PM

More COVID Restrictions Relaxed on Monday, 21 June, for Stores, Bars, Restaurants, Nightclubs

STA, 17 June 2021 - The government has decided to lift many existing restrictions in the retail and services sector as of 21 June as the epidemiological situation continues to improve.

The relaxation affects shop, bar and restaurant opening hours, which will no longer be restricted, even as rules on minimum space per customer remain in place.

The only restriction regarding opening hours will be for night clubs, which will be allowed to operate from 5am to midnight after they had been closed throughout the pandemic.

Night club guests will, however, need a covid certificate that shows they have been vaccinated, tested or have recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months.

The same rule applies to visitors of casinos, hotel guests, visitors to indoor conventions and conferences, and restaurant patrons who wish to eat indoors.

Mandatory testing for employees in many services activities remains in place as well.

17 Jun 2021, 18:03 PM

New €243.5mn Stimulus for Tourism Industry, Including More Vouchers for Adults, Children

STA, 17 June 2021 - The government has passed an emergency law to help the embattled tourism sector. The package is worth EUR 243.5 million, with new tourist vouchers accounting for the bulk of new spending. Businesses think the aid falls short.

All adults residing in Slovenia as of 30 June will get a EUR 100 voucher to spend on activities ranging from tourism and restaurants to sports and culture. Those under 18 will get vouchers worth EUR 50. The total value of the vouchers is EUR 192 million.

Last year adults got tourism vouchers worth EUR 200 each and children EUR 50 each redeemable at accommodation providers, a package worth almost EUR 357 million. As of mid-May, EUR 130 million in vouchers had been redeemed.

The second principal measure is a package of furlough subsidies for the sector worth EUR 20m from 1 July, when the national furlough scheme expires, until 30 September, with the option of expansion until the end of the year.

Other measures in the new bill include subsidised holiday allowance, refunds of expenses for the convention industry, and a 25% refund of expenses for film and audiovisual production.

Additional money for the sector will also come from EU funds. Monika Kirbiš Rojs, state secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, told an event today that EUR 127 million in grants would be available for tourism investments under the national recovery and resilience plan.

"We're one of the few member states that decided to invest in tourism and culture. These two industries have suffered substantial damage during the Covid-19 pandemic and had not had sufficient investments in the past. We want to make up for that," she said.

Businesses voiced disappointment with the legislation, noting that they had expected much more given how the sector has suffered through the pandemic.

The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) said the legislation fell short as several measures that had been discussed with them did not make the cut.

"We appeal to the government to include certain aid instruments that we had been promised," OZS president Branko Meh said in a press release.

The Slovenian Business Club aired similar grievances, stressing that the sector remained subject to certain restrictions that no longer apply to most businesses after it had been shut down longer than any other sector.

"We agree that measures cannot last unreasonably long ... But we must now forget that not all industries and companies are in the same position and have not been equally affected by the epidemic," it said.

Commenting on the criticism, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said it was true that "some of our measures" did not make the cut, but he stressed that the government had to be mindful of the state of public finances.

He also said that many previous measures had significantly helped the industry. "In total, we will have provided nearly a billion euro in aid to the industry," he wrote on Twitter.

17 Jun 2021, 13:05 PM

Cilenca Trails Offers a New Slovenian Bike Park in Zagorje ob Savi, Opening 3 July

On Saturday, July 3, a new mountain biking park, Cilenca Trails, will be opened in Zagorje ob Savi, with which they want to put the region on the map of world mountain biking destinations.

At the opening of the bike park, mountain biking tours along the park's paths, animations for the youngest and musical accompaniment will be organized. Food and drink will also be provided at the event. There will also be organized transport to the top of the park, from where you will be able to drive along well-maintained paths and get to know the natural features and varied relief of Zagorje ob Savi.

Four new mountain bike trails and more for 2022

The area of the mountain bike park covers a large part of the Cilenca hill on about 16 hectares. Access to the top of the park is arranged along the road towards Vine, and the end of the mountain bike trails is located at the end of Europark, opposite the Pumptrack Zagorje polygon. Until the official opening of the mountain bike park, the Zagorska Dolina Cycling Club arranged and completed four routes. The first so-called “Flow line”, which is full of sloping turns, waves, and jumps. The Flow line measures 2 m and is 1.6 km long and will be suitable for the widest circle of users. At the same time, three additional lines were built that are slightly longer and technically more demanding.

In the early spring, the club also arranged a bridge at the end of the park and an intersection with the existing footpath in the area to reduce the speed of cyclists and ensure safety. By the end of 2022, the bike club plans to complete the remaining routes and establish a so-called “Skills park” for learning the basics of mountain biking and a circular XC route.

Use of the park will be free for all users. The Zagorska Dolina cycling club will continue to manage the park, together with club members and volunteers who take care of maintenance and safe driving.

Cilenca Trails Park is carefully designed for all levels of knowledge, the difficulty of each route is different, which allows you to gradually learn the skills of the sport and the possibility of safe progress in driving. The mountain bike park, together with the pumptrack polygon, an accompanying facility, and a “skills park” for learning the basics, will become the centre of cycling in the region and the starting point for other routes in the municipality.

Municipality of Zagorje ob Savi – becoming a new Slovenian mountain biking destination

In 2019, the Zagorska Dolina Cycling Club noticed an increased interest in mountain biking among both younger and older populations, and thus began a project to obtain all necessary permits and consents for the construction of the newest mountain bike park in Slovenia.

As part of the Cilenca Trails Park, during the cycling season, which runs from March to about November, the club will organize group mountain bike training programs, run workshops on riding techniques, teambuilding for closed groups, a small mountain biking school for the youngest and other educational events and one-day events and competitions, which will further enrich the tourist offer of Zagorje.

In cooperation with the Cycling Association of Slovenia and the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia, an educational centre will be established in the park and the planned facility at the foot of the park, which will enable the training of professional staff, mountain biking coaches, and touring cycling guides.

Already in 2022, according to the president of the Zagorska Dolina cycling club, they are planning the first race of the SloEnduro series for the Slovenian Cup in the enduro discipline, which will take place on the paths of the Cilenca Trails mountain bike park.

Learn more at the Cilenca Trails website

17 Jun 2021, 11:35 AM

Central Bank Expects Slovene GDP to Grow by 5.2% this Year

STA, 16 June 2021 - Slovenia's central bank has markedly upgraded its economic growth forecast for the country since December and is now projecting the economy to expand by 5.2% this year, up 2.1 percentage points, followed by a 4.8% growth in 2022, up from the 4.5% forecast in December.

Banka Slovenije thus expects GDP to return to pre-crisis level at the beginning of next year. Further afield, the central bank has kept its projections unchanged, which means it still expects GDP growth to ease to 3.1% in 2023.

Presenting the latest outlook at a press conference in Ljubljana on Wednesday, Vice-Governor Jožef Bradeško noted the persistently demanding environment and great uncertainties.

"[The uncertainties] have been reduced in terms of the pandemic but remain high. They are also high with respect to geopolitical developments," he said.

While the recovery will depend on the health situation, and uncertainties due to disruptions in supply chains, growth will be driven by domestic and foreign demand.

"We expect a recovery in household spending as well as increased investment activity by the private sector and the state," said Arjana Brezigar Masten, the head of the central bank's analytics and research centre.

Inflation will rise but is expected to remain below the central bank's mid-term target of 2%. It is expected to run at 1.3% this year, mainly due to the effect of last year's dip in prices of energy products, and then rise to 1.6% in 2022 and 1.7% in 2023.

The investment drive is expected to be reinforced with investment co-funded by the EU's Next Generation fund. State investment is expected to contribute a good two percentage points to GDP growth in three years, most of which this year.

Against such a backdrop, companies are expected to kick-start investment in equipment and machinery with a further boost to investment expected to come from private investment in housing.

The central bank also expects an "encouraging" growth in exports driven by a recovery of economic activity in Slovenia's trading partners, but Brezigar Masten said the effect of net foreign trade on GDP would be rather small as imports are expected to grow as well.

The most important engine of growth will be private spending, which is expected to grow at an average rate of 4.7% between 2021 and 2023 as monetary policy measures are keeping financing terms favourable.

The rate of saving is expected to gradually decrease in the coming years, but is to stay slightly above the pre-crisis levels.

"We expect robust growth in spending on non-essential durable goods and semi-durable goods such as cars, and substantial demand for accommodation and hospitality services, also owing to redemption of tourism vouchers. We expect consumers will redeem about half of the vouchers that they haven't used already," said Brezigar Masten.

17 Jun 2021, 10:46 AM

Smart Bird Feeder Company Named Slovenian Startup of the Year

STA, 17 June 2021 - Bird Buddy, a startup company that has developed a smart bird feeder, has won this year's Slovenian Startup of the Year Award, selected by an international judging panel.

Bird Buddy features a modern-design bird house equipped with a feed container, a video camera, microphone and a movement sensor that allows the user to monitor the birds via a mobile app.

The app uses artificial intelligence to recognise the species, lets the user know when the feed container is empty and offers advice about the best feed for a particular bird species. The user can also take pictures of birds remotely and edit and share them.

"We are delighted to see our project gain recognition not only in the US but also in Slovenia as this means we will be able to invite the most qualified people to join our team," Žiga Vrtarič, who founded Bird Buddy along with Franci Zidar, said on accepting the award at an event at Ljubljana Castle yesterday.

Start:up Slovenija, the organisation that gives out the award in cooperation with the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, praised the founders for adding great value to Slovenian entrepreneurship.

The Bird Buddy has raised EUR 4.2 million on the the Kickstarter global crowdfunding platform in just over a month.

CEO of the Slovenian Enterprise Fund Maja Tomanič Vidovič noted the many opportunities for startups in the new era of entrepreneurship as the post-pandemic market gravitates towards sustainable development.

She believes sustainable development will be the driving force of the future and takes pride in the fact that the Slovenian Startup of the Year competition helps bring together newly-established startups trying to reach sustainability goals.

Lean more about Bird Buddy

17 Jun 2021, 04:11 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 17 June 2021

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:

Central bank expects economy to expand by 5.2% this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's central bank has markedly upgraded its economic growth forecast for the country since December and is now projecting the economy to expand by 5.2% this year, up 2.1 percentage points, followed by a 4.8% growth in 2022, up from 4.5% forecast in December. Further afield, Banka Slovenije has kept its projections unchanged, which means it still expects GDP growth to ease to 3.1% in 2023. Despite the upbeat forecast, Vice-Governor Jožef Bradeško highlighted the persistently demanding environment and great uncertainties.

Ljubljana Airport gets new passenger terminal

BRNIK - A new passenger terminal was inaugurated at the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. The expansion brings 10,000 square metres of new surfaces, including more space for security checks and baggage handling, and more check-in points. The works on the new terminal started in July 2019. The construction cost EUR 17 million and the equipment another EUR 4 million. The new terminal will open on 1 July, just in time for the start of Slovenia's EU presidency.

Epidemic formally over, restrictions remain

LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 epidemic, which was declared in Slovenia in October, has officially ended, but all existing restrictions remain in place. Although the state of the epidemic has not been extended, the same rules will continue to apply for entrance into bars and restaurants, attendance of cultural and sports events and in accommodation facilities, which means guests have to be either vaccinated, tested or have proof they have recovered from Covid-19. Health Minister Janez Poklukar urged yesterday everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

118 infections confirmed as 7-day average continued to drop

LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,643 PCR tests were performed in Slovenia on Tuesday for 118 new coronavirus infections to be confirmed, with the seven-day rolling average dropping from 132 to 113. The situation in hospitals also improved slightly, while one Covid-19 patient died. The test positivity rate for yesterday was 4.5%, a drop by 0.3 of a percentage point compared to Monday. A total of 121 Covid-19 patients were in Slovenian hospitals this morning, one fewer than on Tuesday, of whom 38 require intensive care, two fewer than yesterday.

Biden sends congratulations to Pahor ahead of Statehood Day

LJUBLJANA - US President Joe Biden has sent his congratulations ahead of Statehood Day to President Borut Pahor. He described Slovenia as an esteemed partner and friend of the US, and a leading promoter of regional security. He stressed the importance of the fact that the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence coincided with Slovenia's second stint at the helm of the Council of the EU, which he sees as a great opportunity for the country to contribute to the EU's resilience to health crises and cyber attacks.

Logar advocates for credible enlargement to W Balkans at GLOBSEC forum

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar argued for a credible continuation of the process to expand the EU to the Western Balkans as he took part in the Global Security Forum in Bratislava on Wednesday. Advancing the countries' sustainable development, stability and prosperity, such a process is directly in the interests of Slovenia and the whole EU, he said. Logar argued the EU should think geo-strategically and preserve and enhance a high level of trust for the Western Balkans.

College of Commissioners to visit for EU presidency kick-off on 1 July

LJUBLJANA - The government will host the College of European Commissioners, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as the country takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on 1 July. A plenary session is planned along with bilateral meetings, with Prime Minister Janez Janša holding talks with von der Leyen and ministers meeting individual commissioners to discuss the programme and priorities of the Slovenian presidency.

Law professor Kukovec nominated for EU General Court

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor has nominated Damjan Kukovec, senior lecturer in law at Middlesex School of Law in London, for one of Slovenia's two judicial posts on the EU's General Court. Kukovec's was one of the eight applications in the open call. He was endorsed as the most suitable candidate by the Judicial Council. The government has not issued an opinion on any of the candidates. To be appointed, Kukovec needs to be endorsed by 46 MPs in Slovenia's 90-member legislature.

UKOM head urges STA director to stop pressuring public employees

LJUBLJANA - The head of the Government Communication Office (UKOM), Uroš Urbanija, urged the director of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), Bojan Veselinovič, to stop violating personal rights and stop exercising pressure on the independent and professional work of public employees. Veselinovič sees this as additional pressure on the agency. Urbanija is the one exercising the most pressure on employees and the autonomy of journalists, he said.

Report: AIK to buy regional Sberbank branches, including Slovenian

LJUBLJANA - The business newspaper Finance reported that the Serbian AIK Banka is close to signing a deal to buy all of Russian Sberbank's operations in Southeast Europe, including those in Slovenia. A potential merger of Sberbank in Slovenia and Gorenjska Banka, which is owned by AIK, would create the third largest banking group in the country.

Illegal migration drops by a quarter in first five months y/y

LJUBLJANA - In the first five months of the year, the Slovenian police recorded 2,440 illegal crossings of the border, about 25% less than in the same period last year. The most frequently processed illegal migrants were Afghans, while there was a decrease in the number of Pakistanis and Moroccans. As noted by the police, lately there has been a marked increase in the number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Violent protester gets two years and eight months in prison y/y

LJUBLJANA - A 26-year-old man from Maribor who assaulted two police officers, two reporters and a photo journalist during a violent protest in Ljubljana last November has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. Gregor Mitev, who had already signed a plea agreement in May, told the Ljubljana District Court today he regretted his actions, apologised to the victims and said he had committed the crimes while under the influence of alcohol.

Luka Dončić makes All-NBA First Team again

NEW YORK, US - Slovenian basketball superstar Luka Dončić has been selected to the All-NBA First Team alongside Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serb Nikola Jokić and Americans Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard in what is a second All-NBA First Team pick for the Slovenian in his three seasons in the NBA. Earning 55 votes, Dončić became the first NBA player since Tim Duncan (2000) to be selected for the First Team at least twice in his first three seasons.

16 Jun 2021, 15:54 PM

New Passenger Terminal Opens at Ljubljana Airport, Now All It Needs Is Passengers

STA, 16 June 2021 - A new passenger terminal was inaugurated at the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport on Wednesday. The expansion brings 10,000 square metres of new surfaces, including more space for security checks and baggage handling, and more check-in points. Once opened for business on 1 July, the airport will be able to handle more than 1,200 passengers per hour.

The works on the new terminal started in July 2019. The construction cost EUR 17 million and the equipment another EUR 4 million. The project was on schedule so the new terminal will be able to welcome passengers who will be coming to Slovenia because of the EU presidency as soon as its stint starts on 1 July.

Pierre Dominique Prümm, member of the executive board of airport manager Fraport, praised the new waiting area. He said that all terminals were alike but this one was different. "It has unique architectural elements and materials that represent Slovenia and you can tell it is a Slovenian terminal," he said.

Fraport Slovenija director Zmago Skobir said the idea of a new terminal dated back to the early 2000s, but the project was delayed first by the economic crisis, and then by the problems of flag carrier Adria Airways.

"With the new owner our company got a strategic investor in 2015 who has committed to continuous and long-term development of the airport," he said.

Skobir said that the project had been conducted despite the pandemic and after Adria Airways went bankrupt. "We carried on because we know our business and we believe in it."

Prime Minister Janez Janša said Slovenia had high hopes for the airport, so the state would support plans for further development, including by building a railway connection between the airport and the capital Ljubljana.

He praised Fraport's vision and courage to persist despite the epidemic. He thanked the German company for investing in Slovenia and welcomed its plans for the future, adding that state was obligated to support and reward them.

That is why the government is strongly determined to provide a railway connection between the airport and Ljubljana, he said.

The prime minister said the terminal was an investment that was making a difference and that would contribute to Slovenia's prosperity in the future.

"We are counting on the airport to serve not only tourism but the Slovenian economy and state in general, both in the coming months when Slovenia chairs the EU Council, and in the coming years when travel is restored, restrictions lifted and the epidemic hopefully becomes a thing of the past," Janša said.

16 Jun 2021, 14:17 PM

Three Slovenes Win L'Oréal-UNESCO Scholarships for Research in Medicine, Biomedicine & Biotechnology

STA, 15 June 2021 - Three Slovenian promising young women researchers specialising in gynaecological oncology, genetic toxicology and natural resources economics have won the national L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science scholarships for 2021.

The EUR 5,000 awards were conferred to Monika Sobočan, Martina Štampar and Tanja Šumrada by L'Oreal Adria and the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO in Ljubljana on Tuesday.

Hailing the winners Vanya Panayatova, general manager for Adria-Balkans at L'Oréal, said the Women in Science programme had in the past 15 years supported 43 exceptional researchers in Slovenia, who would join 3,600 women researchers in 117 countries.

Addressing the award ceremony by video link, Education Minister Simona Kustec said gender equality in science would be one of the priorities in science as Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year.

Gender equality would also be dealt with in a new bill on research and innovation that is to be put to parliament for discussion shortly.

The awards were conferred to the three researchers in recognition for their excellent research and vital contribution to the development of science and society's progress.

Monika Sobočan, 29, is working on a doctoral thesis at the Maribor Faculty of Medicine and the UKC Maribor medical centre studying biomarkers that could help recognise how aggressive ovarian cancer and how it responds to systemic therapy.

As part of her training at Royal London Hospital and Queen Mary University of London she is working on cancer prevention and preventive surgical procedures in women with genetic risks for gynaecological cancers.

Martina Štampar, 30, in January successfully defended her doctoral thesis where she studied and developed a new liver in-vitro 3D cell model to be used for testing genotoxic activity of xenobiotic substances.

Štampar now works as junior researcher at the genetic toxicology and cancer biology at the National Institute of Biology.

Tanja Šumrada, 29, studies the impact of farming on biodiversity and environmental protection within the Slovenian and EU agricultural policy as part of her post-graduate study.

Europe and the world have seen a sharp decline in biodiversity in recent decades, the main reasons being change in the manners of farming and use of soil, said Šumrada, who is part of a team of researchers at the Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty who explore suitable development solutions for rural areas.

16 Jun 2021, 10:15 AM

Slovenia Formally Ends Epidemic…Restrictions Remain

STA, 16 June 2021 - The Covid-19 epidemic, which was declared in Slovenia in October, has officially ended, but all existing restrictions remain in place and face masks remain obligatory.

Although the state of the epidemic was not extended yesterday, the same rules will continue to apply for entrance into bars and restaurants, attendance of cultural and sports events and in accommodation facilities, which means guests have to be either vaccinated, tested or have proof they have recovered from Covid-19.

At events with no fixed seats, one person per 10 square metres is allowed, tables in restaurants and bars must be three metres apart and accommodation facilities and events can accept only 75% of guests.

Authorities urge people to abide the rules, act responsibly and also get vaccinated. The country currently has enough vaccine for everyone, and many vaccination centres accept walk-in customers without advance booking.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said yesterday the threat of Covid-19 was not over yet, urging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"The epidemic has shown that vaccination is the most important health measure. Without it we cannot imagine the future," he said, describing vaccination as "a small step for the individual but a huge leap for Slovenian and European society."

Yesterday, 122 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, the lowest number since 7 October. Only four hospitals will be accepting Covid-19 patients this week, while Covid-19 patients will still be treated separately in all emergency centres around the country.

16 Jun 2021, 10:05 AM

Marjan Dikaučič Named New Justice Minister

STA, 15 June 2021 - Marjan Dikaučič, an official receiver, has become Slovenia's new justice minister after the National Assembly voted 44:41 in favour on Tuesday. He succeeds Lilijana Kozlovič, who resigned due to the government's decision to suspend the appointment of Slovenia's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

Who is Marjan Dikaučič?

Speaking to reporters after he was appointed, Dikaučič said the programme of work at the ministry had largely been determined already and was circumscribed by the presidency of the EU.

Among the tasks ahead, he singled out a reform of insolvency law, legislation on the protection of personal data, and legislation implementing several Constitutional Court decisions.

The 39-year-old earned a law degree in 2006 and passed his bar exam in 2009, whereupon he started working in the private sector to eventually become an official receiver managing insolvency procedures. He was not widely known in the public before his nomination.

The vote capped just four hours of debate during which the coalition highlighted his credentials in the legal profession and him not being a member of any "legal networks".

Dejan Kaloh, an MP for the Democrats (SDS), said this was a sign that Dikaučič will work free of pressure and can dedicate himself to the justice portfolio.

The Modern Centre Party (SMC), which nominated him, said he had a broad vision and would work for independence of the judiciary while putting justice at the core of his efforts.

MP Mojca Žnidarič said he knew the justice system from the inside and in his presentation he identified the key issues that needed to be addressed.

The opposition criticised his lack of experience and connections with insolvency procedures that some media report alleged involved shell companies.

Dikaučič dismissed any links to shell companies. "I am saddened about the political culture of certain individuals, who want nothing more than to discredit a person willing to do hit job responsibly," he said.

They also criticised his refusal to take a position on the Slovenian delegated prosecutors.

During the committee hearing last week, Dikaučič said he had to "avoid any act or word that could contaminate the procedure" given that legal action had been announced both by the Prosecution Council and the two candidates that had failed to be appointed.

In today's debate, LMŠ deputy group leader Brane Golubovič described him as a "shell candidate", with Prime Minister Janez Janša actually pulling the strings.

Left MP Željko Cigler said little was known about him and he had no political experience or professional credentials. His committee presentation was so general any candidate for any minister could have used it.

SAB deputy Maša Kociper said his refusal to speak about the delegated prosecutors' procedure cast him in a bad light, a point also raised by the Social Democrats (SD).

After the vote SMC president Zdravko Počivalšek said Dikaučič enjoyed the full trust of the party and the coalition. "I am confident he will realise all the commitments that we signed up for in the coalition agreement, and resolve all issues that have accumulated in this portfolio since then."

Prime Minister Janša was originally supposed to present the candidate but did not make an appearance in parliament.

Who is Marjan Dikaučič?

STA, 15 June 2021 - Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič, 39, joins the Janez Janša government as a newcomer to politics. He has promised a fresh and unburdened approach.

Having obtained a bachelor's degree in law in 2006, Dikaučič initially worked as trainee at the Ljubljana Higher Court. He passed the bar exam in 2009 and then pursued a career in the private sector.

He subsequently passed the exam for official receiver and started working as one. More recently, he has dedicated himself to the study of insolvency legislation, according to the official biography circulated by the Modern Centre Party (SMC).

Dikaučič has singled out insolvency law as one of his top priorities, arguing at last week's committee hearing that insolvency law had to protect honest businessmen and preserve the healthy portions of insolvent companies.

He told the committee he was currently working for a law firm but would not say which one. As for criticism that he lacks experience, he said he had sufficient experience and knew the system from the inside, including problems that smaller players in the judiciary face.

The SMC has stressed that Dikaučič is not dependent on any networks and would hence be able to do his job more easily, without pressure and excess baggage.

Dikaučič has unsuccessfully applied for director of the Šmarje pri Jelšah Community Health centre and for a position of notary public. In both cases, he was passed over for lack of experience.

His predecessor Lilijana Kozlovič resigned after the government annulled the procedure for the appointment of delegated prosecutors to the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

Dikaučič would not state his position on the matter with the argument that he had to "avoid any act or word that could contaminate the procedure" given that legal action had been announced both by the Prosecution Council and the two candidates that had failed to be appointed.

Overall, he says he sees the justice minister primary as an arbiter who has to strike a balance between proposals and interests, within the justice system as well as between the judiciary and other systems in government.

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