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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Govt declassifies 2011 document on Bosnia-Herzegovina

LJUBLJANA - The government declassified a 2011 document about possible further paths in the process of constitutional reform of Bosnia-Herzegovina, compiled by former Slovenian President Milan Kučan. The move comes after an alleged non-paper on border changes in the Western Balkans attributed to Slovenia had been circulated in the public. The current government has not been acquainted with such a document, but it has been able to confirm that there exists a 2011 document on possible further paths for a successful process of the constitutional reform of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Considering that the content of the document has for the most part been publicly known for several weeks, the conditions required for this document to retain the classified status no longer exist," the release adds.

Dikaučič pledges to uphold autonomy of judiciary

LJUBLJANA - Marjan Dikaučič, the candidate for justice minister, said he would advocate autonomy of the judiciary as he presented his bid to the parliamentary Justice Committee. Dikaučič, an official receiver, would not comment on the setback in the appointment of European delegated prosecutors from Slovenia for the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). "As minister, I need to avoid any act or word that could contaminate the procedure," he said.

Interior ministers of Brdo-Brijuni Process talk cooperation in tackling migration

PORTOROŽ - Brdo-Brijuni Process interior ministers discussed on the final day of their informal meeting illegal migration, highlighting the need for better cooperation. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs named data exchange with Western Balkan countries and the use of EU databases as possible solutions. When it comes to migration management, the views by the countries somewhat differ, however they have come to joint conclusions, Hojs said. What is key is that cooperation between countries could lead to individual countries, particularly those less developed, getting EU funds to tackle the issue.

Several regions and countries removed from red list, including Croatian Adriatic

LJUBLJANA - The government changed the list of countries and territories placed in the red zone in terms of the Covid-19 epidemic to exclude, among others, the Croatian Adriatic area, Germany and the Czech Republic. The changes also include Turkey being moved from the dark red list to the red list. Also deleted from the red list are Switzerland, the Vatican, the Austrian state of Tyrol, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. The Portuguese territory of the Azores have meanwhile been red-listed. The new rules enter into force on Saturday.

Majority of coronavirus restrictions extended

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to extend the majority of existing coronavirus restrictions while slightly easing them in the cultural sector, where serving food and drinks will once again be permitted during cultural events. The remaining restrictions - the majority have to do with consumer-facing services - have been extended until 20 June. The government said this was done based on an assessment by the Health Ministry's coronavirus advisory group, which proposed the existing measures remain in place given the still high incidence of new cases. Slovenia recorded 195 new coronavirus cases for Wednesday. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents was 154.

Zorčič: Gains made 30 years ago cannot be given up

LJUBLJANA - Thirty years ago Slovenia said a determined "yes" not only to sovereignty but also to progress, prosperity and human rights. "We cannot give that up today," parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič told the STA in an interview in the run up to the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence. With Slovenia approaching its second presidency of the EU, Zorčič said the success of its stint would be measured with criteria such as whether Slovenia has achieved headway on issues such as EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. Zorčič remains critical of the government's failure to abide by the law, singling out the law governing the STA and legislation governing the appointment of prosecutors.

Regulation detailing STA public service obligation adopted

LJUBLJANA - The government has adopted a regulation that details how the STA should perform its public service, and defines the scope of public service and its financing. The Government Communications Office (UKOM) is authorised to sign an annual public service agreement and verify compliance with the regulation. STA staff said regulation did not address the underlying issues relevant to the agency's survival and development, it raised new questions about the agency's autonomy, the balance between public and commercial revenue, and reporting requirements - all of which are already dealt with in the existing law governing the agency's operations.

UKOM head files criminal complaint against NGO representative and lawyer

LJUBLJANA - Uroš Urbanija, the head of the Government Communication Office (UKOM), filed a criminal complaint against Katarina Bervar Sternad of the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy NGO, and lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar. He accuses them of making false accusations against him in May over suspension of the STA funding. He claims they had deliberately filed a criminal complaint against him that does not have any legal basis. Bervar Sternad and Pirc Musar did not comment specifically on Urbanija's step, with Pirc Musar saying that the complaint spoke for itself and Bervar Sternad noting that the matter was now up to the authorities.

Austrian author Josef Winkler wins this year's Vilenica Prize

LJUBLJANA - The winner of this year's International Vilenica Prize is Austrian author Josef Winkler, while the Slovenian author in focus of the 36th Vilenica festival to be held in September will be Milan Dekleva, the Slovenian Writers' Association announced. Winkler is a prolific writer who has received many awards for his work in Austria and Germany. Three of his works have so far been translated into Slovenian. Winkler said he knew quite a few previous Vilenica winners and was proud to be among them.

Huawei setting up logistic hub for central, SE Europe in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Chinese company Huawei announced it planned to set up a regional logistic hub in Slovenia for some 19 markets of central and south-eastern Europe. Thus, the flow of its goods through the port of Koper will increase and new storage facilities will need to be built near Ljubljana airport. The multiplicative value of the decision is dozens of millions of euros. According to Beata Bogadi, Huawei's customs compliance manager for Europe, the decision to set up a transit warehouse for Europe in Slovenia shows "how attractive Slovenia is in the logistic sense".

Mercator management gets another term

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of retailer Mercator has granted another four-year term to the company's management board. All three Mercator managers are staying on, including the chairman Tomislav Čizmić and management board members Draga Cukjati and Igor Mamuza, Mercator said. This is on the one hand a recognition of accomplishments in the past four years as Mercator has been meeting key strategic targets, and on the other a guarantee for the continuation of management policy and stability of the company, said Fabris Peruško, Mercator supervisor and Fortenova Group CEO.

Day of Slovenia-UK Friendship celebrated

VINICA - President Borut Pahor and British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighbourhood Wendy Morton marked Day of Slovenia-UK Friendship in Gornji Suhor, a village in the south-east where a British bomber crashed in 1945. They laid wreaths at the memorial plaque commemorating the crew, five of whom were rescued by local Partisans. Pahor and Morton emphasised the importance of a friendship that had been created in the most difficult moments.

Culture Ministry building defaced with swastikas

LJUBLJANA - The building housing the Culture Ministry has been vandalised as an unknown perpetrator spray-painted a number of yellow-coloured swastikas on its facade in the night to Thursday. An investigation is under way, said the Ljubljana Police Department. Responding to the defacing, the ministry said this act of vandalism was another in a series of attacks on the ministry and its staff that were carried out on a weekly basis.

Slovenia's Zidanšek loses in French Open semi-finals

PARIS, France - Tamara Zidanšek lost in the semi-finals of the French Open in Paris to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in two sets (5:7 and 3:6) in what was only the second semi-final appearance for a Slovenian woman tennis player in the singles competition at a Grand Slam tournament in almost four decades and a half. Zidanšek is also expected to crack the top 50 on the WTA rankings rankings after the career result, as she is currently ranked 85th. She played in the finals of WTA tournaments twice - this year in Bogota and in Nürnberg in 2019.

Superstar Pogačar wins second stage of Tour of Slovenia

CELJE - Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the second stage of the Tour of Slovenia. At the conclusion of the 147-kilometre stage, he was the best rider so far in the climb to Celje Castle to finish almost a minute and a half ahead of the competition. With the stage win, the 22-year-old reigning Tour de France champion also took over the green jersey of the overall leader in the race around his native country.

STA, 10 June 201 - Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the second stage of the Tour of Slovenia between Žalec and Celje on Thursday. At the conclusion of the 147-kilometre stage, he was the best rider so far in the climb to Celje Castle to finish almost a minute and a half ahead of the competition.

With the stage win, the 22-year-old reigning Tour de France champion also took over the green jersey of the overall leader in the race around his native country.

With Pogačar clicking on all cylinders, the question was only who will take the second place, which went to Slovenia's Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), who beat Italy's Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) in the sprint at the finish line.

The shortest of the five stages in the 27th Tour of Slovenia started in Žalec, and took the competitors through Velenje, Mozirje and Vransko and back to Žalec, before taking a turn to Celje for the first time.

On Friday, riders will hit a diverse third stage from Brežice to Krško with three categorised climbs (Drensko Rebro, Studenec and Sremič).

STA, 9 June 2021 - Slovenian judoka Andreja Leški won the silver medal in the 63kg category at the Judo World Championship on Wednesday, a career highlight for the 24-year-old.

The Slovenian held her own against four-time world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou in the grand final, until the French competitor scored a waza-ari one minute before the end, before ending the duel with a final pinning.

Leški, fifth in the world rankings, already won bronze at the European Championship in Lisbon earlier this year

STA, 9 June 2021 - Several international journalist organisations condemned Wednesday Prime Minister Janez Janša's tweet that said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović was "part of #fakenews network". This came after her warning about deteriorating media freedom in Slovenia. The organisations agree with her assessment of the situation.

"We welcome a memorandum by Commissioner Mijatović and share her concern over the deterioration of media freedom in Slovenia, which coincides with findings of our recent fact-finding mission in the country," said Article 19, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and OBC Transeuropa.

Their joint press release says that their findings on the situation will be part of a report produced by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) mission to Slovenia. The mission was conducted in late May and early June and the report is expected to be published in July.

Mijatović's office is independent and unbiased, which is also reflected in the memorandum, said the organisations, highlighting that the commissioner had not only released the report but also a six-page document displaying views by the Slovenian government.

"The tone and manner in which PM Janša voiced his disagreement with Commissioner Mijatović's memorandum are in our opinion completely inappropriate for a leader of a democratic EU country," the press release says.

Janša wrote in English on Twitter on Sunday: "Unfortunately, @Dunja_Mijatovic is part of #fakenews network. Well paid by our money."

Unfortunately, @Dunja_Mijatovic is part of #fakenews network. Well paid by our money. https://t.co/uFangFwSjm

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) June 6, 2021

The organisations pointed out that the irony was that exactly this kind of conduct by officials on social media raised the alarm in the memorandum, calling on Janša to refrain from such statements in the future and instead strive to remedy the alarming situation.

Janša has responded to the organisations' press release saying that "the manner in which @Dunja_Mijatovic is spreading lies about Slovenia is totally unacceptable". "And we will not tolerate this without telling the truth."

Mijatović urged the Slovenian authorities in the memorandum, published on Friday, to stop the deterioration of media freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

She raised concern over harassment, including sexist harassment against female journalists, intimidation, criminal lawsuits against reporters and the government's attitude to public media.

As part of preparations for the report, Mijatović held talks with President Borut Pahor and a number of ministers in April but not with Janša. She also talked to journalists of different media, politicians, experts and representatives of the civil society.

STA, 10 June 2021 - Chinese company Huawei plans to set up a regional  logistics hub in Slovenia for some 19 markets of central and south-eastern Europe. Thus, the flow of its goods through the port of Koper will increase and new storage facilities will need to be built near Ljubljana airport. The multiplicative value of the decision is dozens of millions of euros.

The expansion of the storage facilities near the airport will be conducted in two steps. First, the existing warehouse will be expanded to 4,000 square metres and then to 6,000, Huawei announced on Thursday.

The company said this meant that the transport flows of its goods for 13 EU and six non-EU countries would be redirected to the port of Koper and the airport in Brnik near Ljubljana. The value of the investment decision is estimated at some EUR 9 million with potential for further growth.

According to Beata Bogadi, Huawei's customs compliance manager for Europe, the decision to set up a transit warehouse for Europe in Slovenia shows "how attractive Slovenia is in the  logistics sense".

"Huawei recognises the strategic position of the Koper port, the qualified staff and services in Slovenia. We put Slovenia on our list of strategic  logistics hubs," she said.

Huawei Slovenia director general Histro Zhang said this reaffirmed Huawei's long-term commitment to the Slovenian market and strengthened Slovenia's position on Huawei's strategic map of more than 170 markets where the company is present.

He said the Slovenian subsidiary of Huawei was particularly happy about the decision, "because this means about 40 new jobs in Slovenia", which will bring the total number of staff working for Huawei directly and indirectly at over 160.

Huawei already transports about 185,000 cubic metres of cargo from China to Hungary and to other European markets through Luka Koper. The new  logistics hub in Slovenia is to cut the delivery time of goods for customers in the EU.

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: 

Pahor and Parmelin call for strengthening of ties

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted his Swiss counterpart Guy Parmelin for official talks to confirm the friendly relations between the two countries. The presidents agreed that relations could be further strengthened at both international and bilateral levels, in particular in business, research and science. "We have to note that the relations are excellent and, in particular, that Slovenia and the Swiss Confederation trust each other in all aspects, political and business, and that we have proof of this in the past 30 years," Pahor told the press.

Slovenian, Croatian interior ministers discuss easing of border restrictions

PORTOROŽ - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and his Croatian counterpart Davor Božinović discussed strategies to facilitate border crossing between Slovenia and Croatia, for hauliers, tourists and daily commuters. "Both police forces are tasked to come up with a solution as soon as possible, both in Bregana and Gruškovje, to enable a faster flow of trucks crossing the Slovenian-Croatian border," Hojs said. A solution for Slovenian and Croatian daily migrant workers has already been agreed as an additional checkpoint will be opened near Brežice.

Danish-Slovenian actress Jette Ostan Vejrup wins Borštnik Ring

LJUBLJANA - Jette Ostan Vejrup, a Danish-Slovenian actress born in 1962 who is member of the Ljubljana City Theatre, is the winner of this year's Borštnik Ring, Slovenia's top accolade for lifetime achievement in theatre acting. The jury said that Ostan Vejrup's breakthrough into Slovenian theatre has undoubtedly expanded its boundaries. By experiencing Slovenian theatre as a foreigner, she enriched it with new stage experiences, offering Slovenian theatre-goers the possibility of comparison. Ostan Vejrup is due to receive the award on 27 June at the closing ceremony of Maribor Theatre Festival.

New rules for non-EU students in Slovenia raising dust

LJUBLJANA - Under the recent changes to the foreigners' act, non-EU students who want to study in Slovenia must prove to have at least EUR 5,000 per academic year available to obtain a temporary residence permit. Student representatives and universities argue that while being unclear, the new rules are also narrowing down Slovenia's higher education space. So far, foreign students have had to produce a written statement by their parents or legal guardians that they will provide for them during the studies in Slovenia. The government says only the manner in which students prove they have sufficient means has changed.

Coalition proposes regulation of medical equipment prices

LJUBLJANA - The coalition has proposed amendments to the act on public contracting in healthcare under which prices of medical equipment would be regulated with a system of reference prices in a bid to reduce prices and improve transparency. Joined by the opposition National Party (SNS), the coalition proposes the creation of a new government office which would set reference prices for all open calls for medical equipment based on data from Slovenian hospitals and selected EU countries.

Left files complaints against SDS, media, police commissioner

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left filed criminal complaints against the ruling Democrats (SDS) and "its media network" for suspicion of a systemic spread of non-truths, leader of the Left's deputy group Matej T. Vatovec said. The party also pressed charges against Police Commissioner Anton Olaj for suspicion of abuse of office. The charges refer to a forged Left manifesto that prompted the SDS to request a debate about the Left's platform, a motion that was denied by the speaker of parliament.

Intl journalist associations condemn Janša's rebuke to Mijatović

LONDON, UK - Several international journalist organisations condemned Wednesday Prime Minister Janez Janša's tweet that said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović was "part of #fakenews network". This came after her warning about deteriorating media freedom in Slovenia. The organisations agree with her assessment of the situation. Janša responded to the organisations' press release saying that "the manner in which @Dunja_Mijatovic is spreading lies about Slovenia is totally unacceptable".

Ministry says Mladić case verdict key for peace in region

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia sees the upholding of Bosnian-Serb general Ratko Mladić's life sentence as crucial for the survivors as well as family members of the deceased and the missing, the Foreign Ministry said. "Srebrenica remains firmly rooted in the collective memory of the people of ex-Yugoslavia and serves as a reminder to the international community that such atrocities will not remain unpunished. The negation, relativisation or even glorification of these crimes is unacceptable and despicable," says the ministry.

Slovenia and Kiribati establish diplomatic relations

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia and Kiribati have established diplomatic relations to strengthen friendly ties and cooperation based on equal footing and on mutual respect of their sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. The joint statement to that effect was signed on Tuesday at the Slovenian Mission in New York by the Slovenian and Kiribati ambassadors at the UN, Darja Bavdaž Kuret and Teburoro Tito.

255 infections confirmed as 7-day average continues to drop

LJUBLJANA - A total of 255 new cases of the novel coronavirus were recorded in Slovenia on Tuesday as 3,506 PCR tests were performed, for a positivity rate of 7.1%, down slightly compared to the day before. A total of 188 persons are in Slovenian hospitals for Covid-19, down seven compared to the day before, and 47 of them are in intensive care, four fewer than on Tuesday. One Covid-19 patient died. The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases was down by 16 to 212.

GEN-I plans investments worth EUR 1bn by 2030

LJUBLJANA - Energy group GEN-I plans investments worth a billion euro until 2030 in new technologies and digitalisation, including the construction of 1,000 MW of new solar power plants. "Decarbonisation of Slovenian energy sector is possible by 2040, without jeopardising the reliability of supply," general manager Robert Golob said. The new solar plants - roughly 20,000 of varying sizes are planned - would account for the realisation of a third of the goals that Slovenia has set for this period.

Slovenia's exports increase by 55.3% in April year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports increased by 55.3% in April compared to the same month last year, when economic activity was curtailed due to the epidemic. Trade with EU member states and the rest of the world increased and, although the situation is not back to normal yet, trade was also higher compared to April 2019. In April, Slovenia's imports were up 69% year-on-year . The total value of exported goods in April amounted to EUR 3.2 billion, while the value of imported goods stood at EUR 3.3 billion. The exports to imports coverage 98.4%.

Wood industry can count on EU funds

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek has urged increasing the amount of wood Slovenia processes at home, saying this would result in synergies but could not be done overnight or without investment. He announced that the wood industry can count on EUR 67 million from the new EU budget and the recovery and resilience fund. He told the Days of Slovenian Wood the goal was to raise the amount of wood processed in Slovenia from two to three million cubic metres per year.

Report: Adria Airways' air operator's certificate no longer valid

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenia's Civil Aviation Agency has not granted Air Adriatic a request for another extension of a deadline to unfreeze the air operator's certificate (AOC) of bankrupt air carrier Adria Airways, and the AOC is thus not valid any more, the business newspaper Finance reported. Air Adriatic, a company owned by Izet Rastoder, bought Adria Airways' operating licences in January 2020 in an auction at the asking price of EUR 45,000. The most important among the operating licences was the AOC.

Postojna Cave reopens for visitors after more than 230 days

POSTOJNA - The Postojna Cave, one of the main Slovenian natural landmarks, will reopened its door after a 231-day closure, the longest in its history, due to Covid-19 restrictions. "We are opening the door with enthusiasm, though with responsibility," Postojnska Jama, the operator of the cave, has said. The refurbished Hotel Jama will start admitting guests again on 18 June, while Predjama Castle will be reopened at the end of June, as the access path is being reconstructed.

Former Slovenian Olympian arrested in US for bank fraud

NEW YORK, US - Slovenian Luka Klasinc, a 48-year-old former figure skater, has been arrested in the US and charged with bank fraud related to loans meant for small business owners struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Manhattan federal prosecutor Audrey Strauss, Klasinc attempted to secure almost US$1.6 million in loans. The federal prosecutors office charged him with bank fraud and identity fraud for attempting to acquire more than US$1.5 million in loans from the American treasury department to support his company that organises events related to ice sports worldwide.

STA, 9 June 2021 - German sprinter Phil Bauhaus is the winner of the first stage of the Tour of Slovenia, beating the Spaniard Jon Aberasturi by mere centimetres in the final spring of the 151.5-kilometre stage on Wednesday. Rui Felipe Oliveira of Portugal was third.

"Our goal was to finish the stage with a sprint. The final kilometre was very fast. The team has done a fantastic job, we had everything under control all the time," Bauhaus told TV Slovenija.

The first stage that was mostly flat led the riders from Ptuj through eastern Slovenia and to the spa resort of Rogaška Slatina.

Tomorrow, a 147-kilometre stage with two moderate climbs between Žalec and Celje is likely to see the first clash of the favourites, chief among them Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar.

STA, 9 June 2021 - The Postojna Cave, one of the main Slovenian natural landmarks, will reopen its door to visitors on Wednesday after a 231-day closure, the longest in its history, due to Covid-19 restrictions. "We are opening the door with enthusiasm, though with responsibility," the operator of the cave said in a press release.

Postojnska Jama added that it was happy to announce the reopening of the "queen of the underground" and the majority of attractions in the Postojna Cave Park.

The refurbished Hotel Jama will start to admit guests again on 18 June, while Predjama Castle will be reopened at the end of June, as the access path is being reconstructed.

The cave operator said that it had acquired the Green&Safe certificate from the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) to ensure safe conditions for visitors in terms of the Covid-19 epidemic.

"We will also make sure physical distancing is observed in the legendary cave train and during visits to the cave in small groups," the company said.

Postojnska Jama reminded the visitors of the baby olms that were hatched in the cave in 2016 and are celebrating their fifth birthday these days.

"The baby dragons are healthy and have grown 1.5 centimetres this year. The largest among them measures 14 centimetres already," adds the invitation to the reopening.

STA, 9 June 2021 - Non-EU students who want to study in Slovenia must prove they have EUR 5,000 per academic year available to obtain a temporary residence permit under the recent changes to the foreigners' act. This has upset students and universities, while the government says only the manner in which students prove they have sufficient means has changed.

Before the latest changes kicked in on 27 May, foreign students had to produce a written statement by their parents or legal guardians that they will support them during their studies in Slovenia.

Now a non-EU student has to prove in advance they have EUR 5,000 or EUR 402 per month (minimum monthly income) before applying for a temporary residency permit.

Foreign students, student representatives and universities see the new requirement as stricter than it used to be, arguing it could hurt Slovenia's higher education space.

They are also not sure whether the new rule also apply to non-EU students who are already studying in Slovenia, so they have asked the interior and education ministries for explanation.

The Interior Ministry said today the changes to the foreigners act, passed in March, only change the manner in which students must prove that they have enough funds.

The changes transpose the EU directive which says a foreign citizen must prove in a procedure to have enough funds to live on in order not to eat into the host country's social security system, the ministry said.

A foreign student will still be able to prove to have enough means with the income of their parents, but the body processing their request will not check if the parents have the means to support the whole family, only if they have the minimum monthly income of EUR 402 to support the student.

The Slovenian Student Organisation (ŠOS) announced on 28 May efforts to change the new rules, arguing they were not in line with the country's strategy on the internationalisation of higher education.

ŠOS promotes the right to studies for Slovenians and foreigners "to attract the best students who will improve Slovenian higher education and hopefully the labour market".

ŠOS president Andrej Pirjevec said that foreign students were no less able to take care of their social security than their Slovenian peers.

The chancellors of public universities meanwhile suggested on Monday that different interpretation should apply to those who have already enrolled.

The Education Ministry has told the STA that Italy and Austria have similar financial arrangements for non-EU students.

It also said it was in "intensive talks" with the Interior Ministry to make sure a scholarship counts towards the means a student has to support themselves.

There are 71,960 students studying at Slovenia's higher education establishments in the 2020/21 academic year. Over 7,680 of them are from abroad, of whom 5,527 from non-EU countries.

STA, 9 June 2021 - The 27th Tour of Slovenia is kicking off on Wednesday, with the star of the 803.7 km-long five-day race being the winner of last year's Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar. The 22-year-old is the undisputed favourite, as he is expected to have no true rivals, at least as far as big names are concerned.

Pogačar is in the final stages of his preparations for this year's Tour de France and is looking to win the race at home for the first time in his career.

He has competed in the Tour of Slovenia four times, finishing fifth in 2017 at the age of 18, fourth the following year (when Primož Roglič won), and achieving another fourth place in 2019.

"The last time I raced in Slovenia, I helped my teammate Ulissi to win. And this time we are coming here with the aim of defending that victory. I will be happy to come home - it's a race I'd really like to win," the youngster said a few weeks ago.

In addition to Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates, three other top level UCI WorldTeams will compete: BikeExchange, Astana-Premier Tech and Bahrain Victorious, while the remaining 16 teams come from different continental levels.

In total, there will be 23 Slovenians at the start, four of them UCI World Tour competitors.

The Tour of Slovenia belongs to the second-tier professional cycling category (2.Pro), and it will be broadcast live on Eurosport and on Slovenian public television. It will be in the spotlight even more this year due to the appearance of the reigning Tour de France champion, the first time in the history of the race around Slovenia.

The Tour of Slovenia has seen 26 editions so far, having only been cancelled in 2020 and 1997. According to the race's website, 2,883 cyclists have competed in the race so far, with Croatian Radoslav Rogina holding the record for most appearances, as he competed in 19 races.

This year's race will start in Ptuj and end in Novo Mesto on 13 June. It will be the explosive hill climbers who will be in the hunt for the overall victory, with the second and fourth stages being the most demanding.

The 2021 Tour of Slovenia will coincide with another major Slovenian cycling event - the amateur Franja Marathon, which will start in Ljubljana on 13 June.

Stages of the 27th Tour of Slovenia

09 June - Stage 1: Ptuj - Rogaška Slatina (151.5 km)
10 June - Stage 2: Žalec - Celje (147 km)
11 June - Stage 3: Brežice - Krško (165.8 km)
12 June - Stage 4: Ajdovščina - Nova Gorica (164.1 km)
13 June - Stage 5: Ljubljana - Novo Mesto (175.3 km)

Note: Visit the Tour of Slovenia website (https://tourofslovenia.si/en) for more information about the schedule and road closures.