07 Jun 2021, 10:18 AM

More COVID Rules Relaxed for Events, Accommodation, Stores, Restaurants, Swimming Pools

STA, 7 June 2021 - Several restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have been loosed as of today, including in the events industry, accommodation, shopping and construction works.

The events industry is still limited to staff and visitors who have been vaccinated against, recovered from Covid-10 or tested, but the venues can now be filled up to 75% of fixed seats, up from 50% so far.

In open-air venues with no fixed seats, chairs must be at least one metre one from another, while the 1.5-metre distance still applies to those who stand, except for members of the same household.

Accommodation facilities with up to 60 units can offer up to 45 units, while those larger than 60 units, including camp sites, can be filled up to 75% of their capacity.

Swimming pools are now open to all guests who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered, with staff also having to meet these criteria, but still with a 75% capacity cap.

The ban on serving and consuming food and drinks at take-away points has also been lifted, while shops must now allow only 10 square metres per customer, down from 20.

07 Jun 2021, 09:08 AM

Tennis: Zidanšek Enters Quarter-Final at French Open (Video Highlights)

STA, 7 June 2021 - Tamara Zidanšek has made Slovenian tennis history by advancing to the quarter-final of the French Open as the first Slovenian woman to do so in a singles competition since 1977.

Zidanšek defeated the Romanian Sorani Cirstea 7:6 (4), 6:1 on Sunday and will play the Spaniard Paula Badosa tomorrow.

The last time a Slovenian female player was in the singles quarter-final of a grand slam tournament was in 1977, when Mima Jaušovec ended up winning the Roland Garros.

"I've not yet really grasped what has happened. I'm trying to follow my instinct and it's working," the 23-year-old Zidanšek said.

"I knew before the tournament I was prepared and capable of aiming high, but I was not thinking about how high I could reach," she said.

Zidanšek placed 85th on the WTA rankings prior do the tournament.

07 Jun 2021, 08:56 AM

Flatwater Kayaking: Osterman & Ponomarenko Janić Win European Championship for 200m Sprint

STA, 6 June 2021 - Slovenia's female pair Špela Ponomarenko Janić and Anja Osterman won Sunday's 200-metre race at the Canoe Sprint European Championships in Poznan, Poland. While their excellent K2 performances at top competitions are continuing, this is their first gold from European or world championships.

Silver was won by Poland's Dominika Putto and Katarzyna Kolodziejczyk (+0.385) and bronze by Hungary's Anna Lucz and Blanka Kiss (+0.418).

The Slovenian pair finished Saturday's 500-metre race fifth, falling 1.2 seconds short of bronze medal.

"The feeling is amazing. Especially after yesterday's '500' we managed to concentrate and focus, and paddle a good '200'.... Eventually we achieved a sovereign win," said Ponomarenko Janić.

Osterman said that after an initial lull, them managed to gain power and speed after the first few metres to race through the route. "It was really special to hear the Slovenian anthem, especially since we were on the podium together. We are really happy. Now we will prepare best for the Olympics," she added.

The pair's greatest feats before today include two silver medals, at the 2019 World Championships in Hungary's Szeged in a 200-metre race and at the 2017 European Championships in Bulgaria's Plovdiv in a 500-metre race.

One of Ponomarenko Janić's major K1 successes was meanwhile fourth place at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in the 200-metre sprint race.

07 Jun 2021, 04:09 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 7 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:

Analysis: Slovenia's recovery plan with lowest shares of funds for green, digital goals

BRUSSELS, Belgium - An analysis of 23 EU member states' national recovery and resilience plans by Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank, shows that Slovenia's plan has the lowest shares of funds earmarked for "digital" and for "green" investments, while the share of funds for other, that is non-green and non-digital goals, is the highest. From EUR 2.6 billion in available funds, Slovenia plans to spend EUR 0.77 billion on green (roughly 30%) and EUR 0.17 billion on digital goals (roughly 7%). The rest of EUR 1.62 billion, or around 62% of the funds, has been earmarked for "other" investments, the highest among all the 23 countries, according to Bruegel.

Improving cyber security a priority of Slovenia's EU presidency

LJUBLJANA - Improving cybersecurity across the EU, including by enhancing the exchange of information about cyber attacks among EU members any by raising the general security culture, will be one of the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021. A major area where improvement is needed at national and EU levels is the exchange of information about cyber attacks, two security experts, Uroš Svete and Iztok Prezelj, told the STA. The directive on security of network and information systems, known as NIS 1, has already brought some basis for data exchange. Since it has some shortcomings, including the methodology defining which institutions are bound by the directive, it is being revised, with the process continuing during Slovenia's presidency.

157 new coronavirus infections, one death on Saturday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 157 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, up 22 from the figure from Saturday a week ago, as one patient with Covid-19 died, the latest government data showed. 7% of the 2,256 PCR tests carried out came back positive. The 7-day average of new cases rose by 3 to 247 from Friday, while the cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is at 174, showed data from the National Institute for Public Health.

Slovenia's flatwater kayakers Ponomarenko Janić and Osterman European champions

POZNAN, Poland - Slovenia's pair Špela Ponomarenko Janić and Anja Osterman won today's 200-metre race at the Canoe Sprint European Championships after finished Saturday's 500-metre race fifth. While their excellent K2 performances at top competitions are continuing, this is their first gold from European or world championships.

06 Jun 2021, 12:31 PM

What Mladina & Demokracija Are Saying This Week: Govt Abused Epidemic vs The Exhibitionist Left

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 4 June 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Govt abused epidemic for political, economic goals

STA, 4 June 2021 – Mladina, the left-wing weekly, says in its latest editorial that the excessive number of Covid-19 deaths in Slovenia is the responsibility of the government as it has acted as if it knows everything, while taking advantage of the epidemic as a state of emergency in order to achieve its political and economic goals.

"It was quickly clear to residents of this country that, despite the high-flying words and a lot of talk, it was not about as few people as possible getting infected and dying," the weekly says under the headline 4,265 Slovenian Flags.

The title refers to the small flags set up by the youth wing of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) in Tivoli Park in Ljubljana to commemorate as many victims of Covid-19 in Slovenia.

All this is the reason why the current government is so unpopular, and its latest great defeat is vaccination, and young people are now getting vaccinated because the "government's conduct and authoritarian governance has deterred many people from getting vaccinated."

Vaccination is a matter of trust and by expanding the age groups for vaccination, the government is trying to conceal the poor results when it comes to vaccination rates by all age groups, Mladina says.

"The government has not implemented any serious vaccination campaign, and the current campaign is carried out by friends of the leaderships of the coalition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi)."

They do not understand that this is not a campaign for Twitter, but hard work in which people who are away from the information flow need to be addressed, the weekly adds.

There is also some more bad news, as Slovenia should be gearing up for the autumn, when a new outbreak of the epidemic is expected. Hospital capacities should start to be expanded right away and new stimulus packages should be in the making.

"Last summer the virus disappeared, so to say. The government did practically nothing over the summer, it behaved arrogantly and rejected good-willed warnings - even at the end of August, when it was completely clear what was coming."

This "nothing" could be seen this week in the form of Slovenian flags in Tivoli Park, concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Centre-left turning into narcissistic exhibitionists

STA, 3 June 2021 - It is bizarre that trade unions have joined leftist activists and organisations in the streets while the centre-right government is adopting a tax reform that will bring higher pay for all workers, the right-wing weekly Demokracija says in Thursday's editorial in reference to Friday's anti-government rally in Ljubljana.

"It has once again become obvious that Slovenian trade union associations are a political appendix of leftist political parties and that socialist ideas thrive only where workers are kept at the brink of survival."

But if various leftist activists and their rioting in the streets can somehow be understood, the leftist parties' exaggerated insistence on toppling the government defies common sense, says the weekly.

While noting that every political group aims to come to power to implement its political agenda, "the problem" is that the four centre-left political parties think that only they can be in power and that only their view of the world is legitimate and "normal".

Demokracija advises them that in order to push for their political agenda, they should first win an election, adding they had a chance to be in power but Prime Minister Marjan Šarec "chickened out" and the centre-left coalition collapsed more than a year ago.

The weekly says they should take a deep breath and wait for the election to get a new opportunity, adding that all their attempts to undermine the government and the prime minister with interpellation and impeachment motions have failed.

"If you can count, the Janez Janša government has quite enough votes in parliament. And your 'sniper' search for opponents is childish, your invention of bad things and manipulation is a sign of hopelessness and sick malice," Demokracija adds, saying they are turning into "narcissistic exhibitionists".

All our posts in this series are here

06 Jun 2021, 11:00 AM

Slovenia Redefines Rape in Line with Yes Means Yes

STA, 4 June - The National Assembly passed in a unanimous vote on Friday amendments to the penal code that redefine sexual consent in line with the concept that only yes means yes. MPs said during the debate that the credit should go to NGOs, which mobilised the public to create a genuine social movement.

The legislative proposal drawn up by NGOs and adopted by the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), had received unanimous support already at the parliamentary Justice Committee at the beginning of May, and it had no opponents today either.

Justice Ministry State Secretary Matic Zupan said that "as a society we have matured so much that we are ready to protect sexual integrity in a broader sense". The legal system will no longer wonder whether enough force was used in a case, but the use of force will be an aggravating circumstance, he said.

Žiga Turk’s Tweet on Rape Wins “Most Sexist Quote of the Year”

SD MP Bojana Muršič said the initiative for the legislative changes did not belong to any party. This is a law of many citizens, volunteers, who have been working for women's rights for years, and of NGOs.

"We want a more equal society in which we are developing a culture of consent, are learning to ask, hear and respect what is said. The legislative change will not miraculously cure our society, but it is a reflection of strong political will to change the mindset, empower victims and enable more efficient prosecution of perpetrators," she said.

Branislav Rajić from the group of unaffiliated MPs said that the changes to the penal code were sending a message to the victims that they had the support of politicians. "We encourage them to report such actions, as there is no more risk that perpetrators would go unpunished."

Dejan Kaloh from the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) said that the redefinition of violence in line with the only yes means yes model was more than required and a civilizational norm that should have been adopted long ago.

Tina Heferle (LMŠ) added that this was not a political but a social consent, while Predrag Baković (SD) warned that mere legislative changes would not suffice. "Even more resources need to be invested in support to victims, psychological support, support provided by institutions."

Matej T. Vatovec (Left) agreed that a lot of work remained ahead "if we want to remain an open and inclusive society".

Survey Suggests 20% of Slovenes Victims of Child Sex Abuse

The driving force behind the redefinition of sexual violence has in the past year been NGO Institute 8 March. Its head Nika Kovač said ahead of today's vote that the process of adopting the legislative changes had proven that there was a general human value in Slovenia, which was sexual integrity.

She stressed that parties across the political aisle had supported the motion, which clearly showed that "every victim of rape has a voice in the National Assembly". "We are convinced this would never have happened without the mass support of volunteers. Together, we have changed the society for the better."

Over 20 NGOs welcomed the passage as a "big step towards protection of sexual integrity and support to victims of sexual violence" in a joint press release.

"Today is a big day, not just for the victims of violence but for all of us who will be living in a slightly different society from now on," said Katja Zabukovec Kerin, the head of the Association for Non-violent Communication. She added that cooperation with both justice ministers, Andreja Katič and Lidija Kozlovič, and virtually all parties had been exemplary.

Nataša Posel from Amnesty International Slovenije spoke of a "historical moment", adding that relevant institutions and the society as a whole were now in for the important work of implementing the concept of consent.

Darja Zaviršek from the Faculty of Social Work said the legislative change was a "gigantic step towards formal equality between men and women" that will lead to a new understanding of human relations, encourage discussion on new topics among boys and girls, and promote new forms of intimacy between men and women.

06 Jun 2021, 09:21 AM

Kočevski Rog Ceremony Held to Mark Post-WWII Reprisal Killings

STA, 5 June 2021 - Retired Ljubljana Archbishop Anton Stres addressed the annual memorial and mass for victims of post-WWII reprisal killings in the Kočevski Rog woods on Saturday, noting that that reconciliation was yet to be reached in Slovenia.

The conditions for that include revealing truth about the post-war executions and condemning those who have committed the acts and forgiveness by those from the other side, he added at the ceremony at the Pod Krenom grave site.

Stres said that reconciliation could not be reached with a single act, such as the reconciliation ceremony 31 years ago, when the first public ceremony for the victims of the post-war reprisal killings was held after several decades.

It is a process that has several steps, and the first step is, according to him, unconditional commitment to truth.

"Calls could be heard that history needs to remain as written and told in the time of the rule of those who perpetrated the killings. But truth cannot be locked down, and it is impossible to prescribe it, because it tells a story on its own."

Another step, according to Stres, is the right that the people who are lying in the chasms of Kočevski Rog and their relatives are still waiting for.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the first ceremony of reconciliation in Kočevski Rog, Slovenian Prime Minister @JJansaSDS and President @BorutPahor attended a memorial ceremony in Macesnova gorica.
?: https://t.co/OOn0GVoy9z pic.twitter.com/cnOb3GpzCC
— Slovenian Government (@govSlovenia) June 8, 2020

"As long as no one is sentenced for these crimes and the vow of silence is so effective, with those who know many things not being allowed or not daring to talk, our country will not be what it should be," Stres said.

The third step towards reconciliation is forgiveness, which is the only way out "so that we start living a new life and look forward".

"To forgive means not to sweep things under the rug and say that a crime is not a crime. To forgive means letting go of any revengefulness and look forward, and not backwards," Stres said.

He assessed that there was not enough compassion in Slovenia for all post-war mass graves to be properly marked, and that after 76 years all victims could get a grave appropriate to their "inalienable human dignity".

According to him, the blame is also on various political groups that fail to make the necessary steps, "because they do not want to lose a certain number of voters or are cemented in past ideologies of hatred and false propaganda."

The ceremony organised by the New Slovenian Covenant association was also attended by Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša and several ministers, including Defence Minister Matej Tonin.

Tonin, the president of the coalition New Slovenia party, said in a statement that histories of nations were very different and sometimes very painful.

"But it nevertheless needs to be accepted as it is - realistic and without sugar-coating. Wounds of the past need to be healed, and the dead need to be shown the basic civilisational respect by giving them proper burial," he added.

06 Jun 2021, 06:02 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 6 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:

Seven-day infection average continues to drop in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A total of 245 infections with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Friday in 3,464 PCR tests as the rolling seven-day average continued to drop. Two Covid-19 patients meanwhile died, fresh data from the government show. The number of patients currently in hospitals dropped by four from yesterday to 201, of whom 52 require intensive care, which is seven fewer than on Friday. The rolling seven-day average dropped on Friday to 244 from 259 on Thursday, while the cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is now at 174, show data from the National Institute for Public Health.

Negative rapid test now sufficient to enter Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia now recognises a negative rapid antigen test in addition to a negative PCR test for those who wish to avoid quarantine on entering Slovenia. From Saturday, individuals who produce a negative result of a PCR or rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours are allowed to enter Slovenia without being ordered to quarantine even if they arrive from a red-listed country. A PCR or rapid antigen test is acceptable if it was performed in an EU or Schengen Area member state, Australia, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, the UK and US and, at international air travel checkpoints, Turkey.

Kočevski Rog ceremony hears reconciliation yet to be reached

KOČEVSKI ROG - Retired Ljubljana Archbishop Anton Stres addressed the annual memorial and mass for victims of post-WWII reprisal killings in the Kočevski Rog woods, noting that that reconciliation was yet to be reached in Slovenia. The conditions for that include revealing truth about the post-war executions and condemning those who have committed the acts and forgiveness by those from the other side, he added at the ceremony at then Pod Krenom grave site. The ceremony organised by the New Slovenian Covenant association was also attended by Prime Minister Borut Pahor and PM Janez Janša.

Slovenia's Jurkovič appointed apostolic nuncio in Canada

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis appointed Slovenian Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, as the new apostolic nuncio in Canada, the Slovenian Bishops' Conference said on Saturday. Jurkovič has been the Holy See's permanent observer in several organisations in Geneva in the last five years, and prior to that he served as the apostolic nuncio in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Jurkovič will be joining Slovenian priest Matjaž Roter, who currently serves as the first secretary of the apostolic nunciature in the Canadian capital.

ICOMOS recommends UNESCO listing of Plečnik's Ljubljana works

PARIS - The International Council on Monuments and Sites has positively assessed Slovenia's bid to get selected works of architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) in Ljubljana listed in UNESCO's World Heritage List. It has recommended to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee of to enter them in the list as it holds a session in July. The application, titled Ljubljana: The Timeless, Human Capital Designed by Jože Plečnik, covers the Ljubljanica embankment, Vegova Street, the National and University Library, Congress Square and the surrounding park, the archaeological park around the remains of the Roman defence wall, Žale Cemetery and two churches, St. Michael's south of Ljubljana and St Francis Assisi in the Šiška borough.

Slovenia crush Gibraltar in friendly match in Koper

KOPER - The Slovenian men's football team easily beat Gibraltar 6:0 in Koper on Friday evening in what was the last tune-up game for the team ahead of the next round of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Despite the greatly revamped line-up, Slovenia confirmed its role of the favourite at the match with the football minnows in Bonifika Stadium in front of some 500 spectators, taking a 4:0 lead already by the end of the first half. In September, Slovenia will play World Cup qualifiers at home against Slovakia and Malta, and be hosted by Croatia.

Golfer Babnik scores first Slovenian win at Ladies European Tour

ANNECY, France - Golfer Pia Babnik scored the first Slovenian win at the Ladies European Tour as she won the EUR 200,000 Jabra Ladies Open tournament in the Evian Resort Golf Club in France, earning a ticket for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The 17-year-old, who ahead of the tournament was 457th in the world rankings, earned the win on the first hole of the extra series, beating the defending tournament winner, Annabel Dimmock of the UK. Babnik had a nique feat at the Ladies European Tour, as the Slovenian is the youngest participant this year of the second-tier tour for professional women gold players.

05 Jun 2021, 20:09 PM

Anyone Can Now Enter Slovenia With a Negative Rapid Antigen Test, Even from a Red-List Country

STA, 5 June 2021 - Slovenia now recognises a negative rapid antigen test in addition to a negative PCR test for those who wish to avoid quarantine on entering Slovenia.

From Saturday, individuals who produce a negative result of a PCR or rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours are allowed to enter Slovenia without being ordered to quarantine even if they arrive from a red-listed country.

What are the red list countries? Find out from the government website…

A PCR or rapid antigen test is acceptable if it was performed in a member state of the EU or the Schengen Area, Australia, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, the UK and the US and, at international air travel checkpoints, Turkey.

Persons who have recovered from Covid-19 or who have been vaccinated against it have been able to enter without restrictions for a while.

05 Jun 2021, 06:25 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 28 May - 3 June 2021

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 28 May
        LJUBLJANA - Igor Zorčič remained parliamentary speaker as only 45 MPs voted to dismiss him in a secret ballot, one short of the needed majority, just like in the first attempt on 30 March after he quit the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC).
        MOSCOW, Russia - As EU presiding country, Slovenia will make efforts to reduce tensions in relations with Russia, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov said he would like EU-Russia relations to be normalised.
        LJUBLJANA - More than one million Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Slovenia as 653,310 people received a first shot and 381,619 were fully inoculated, data from the National Institute of Public Health showed. The figures mean that just over 31% of Slovenia's entire population has received at least one dose, and just over 18% has been fully vaccinated.
        LJUBLJANA - Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital protesting against the government's actions and calling for an early election. The rally included various groups and movements and was supported by trade unions and the centre-left opposition.
        LJUBLJANA - The government and ten out of over 40 public sector trade unions signed a deal which abolishes some of the remaining austerity measures introduced during the financial crisis, delays the payday and raises the holiday allowance. It is estimated at EUR 65 million. The majority of the unions signed the deal, but some have refused.
        LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was on an working visit to Slovenia meeting Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral relations and Montenegro's EU prospects. Krivokapić also met Speaker Igor Zorčič and President Borut Pahor.
        AJDOVŠČINA - Biotech company BIA Separations - Sartorius launched a new production facility, which increases the company's production capacities fivefold. The new production facility of 3,200 square metres will be used to produce chromatographic columns for cleaning new generations of medicines.

SATURDAY, 29 May
SEŽANA - Luka Mesec pledged for the Left to do all in its power to make the future free, democratic and green, as the party met for a congress to set out its green manifesto and launch elections to the party council. The results of the vote were not immediately announced.
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife Urška Bačovnik Janša were in Zagreb to attend a ceremony marking Croatia's Statehood Day. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković invited Janša and his spouse to attend a concert in front of the Croatian National Theatre.

SUNDAY, 30 May
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian President Borut Pahor and his German and Portuguese counterparts, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, highlighted the importance of Europe's unity and the European idea as they held a meeting in Brdo pri Kranju.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor said Slovenia was not in a political crisis, it was just in the midst of "heightened political uncertainty". There is enough maturity and experience in Slovenian politics that the country may preside the Council of the EU at a level that fulfils the high expectations of all 27 member states, he said.
        GORNJI GRAD - Maksimilijan Matjaž was installed as the new Bishop of Celje, almost three months after his appointment was announced by the Vatican. The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of St. Hermagoras and Fortunatus in Gornji Grad, the biggest church in the Celje diocese.

MONDAY, 31 May
        LJUBLJANA - After contracting by an estimated 5.5% in real terms last year, Slovenia's economy returned to growth in the first quarter of the year as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.6% in real terms or by as much as 2.3% when adjusted for season. It rose by 1.4% from the final quarter of 2020, the Statistics Office said.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, visiting as Slovenia is soon to take over the rotating EU presidency from Portugal agreed that presidents played an important role in the process despite the EU presidency being managed by governments.
        LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian OTP Bank Group announced it had signed a contract to acquire the outright stake in NKBM, Slovenia's second largest bank, making OTP the biggest player on the Slovenian banking market. The deal is to be finalised in the second quarter of next year.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Addressing the annual consultation of Slovenian diplomats dedicated to Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia was well prepared for the presidency, listing the Conference on the Future of the EU and the progress of Western Balkan countries on their path towards the EU as the key topics.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor vowed to make an effort for Slovenia to accomplish its job as the president of the Council of the EU with "maturity, cooperation and responsibility", as he urged a strengthening of pro-European policies in his address to diplomats.
        LJUBLJANA - The head of the national advisory group for Covid-19 vaccination, Bojana Beović, said the group would recommend vaccinating children, especially children suffering from chronic diseases, after the European Medicines Agency's approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 or more.

TUESDAY, 1 June
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša said in his address to Slovenian diplomats that the key challenges for the EU in the coming period were getting back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic and setting itself strategic goals, including expansion to the Western Balkans.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told reporters at the launch of the European Public Prosecutor's Office that the European Commission was in contact with the Slovenian authorities for Slovenia to fulfil its obligations regarding the appointment of its European delegated prosecutors as soon as possible but had so far not received a positive answer.
        LJUBLJANA - The Prosecution Council announced it would propose that the State Attorneys Office file a lawsuit against the government for breach of law to the detriment of public interest after the government annulled the procedure to appoint Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected a proposal from the centre-left opposition for a consultative referendum on the government-sponsored bill on the national Demographic Fund.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the act on road transport that create the legal basis for transportation platforms such as Uber or Lyft, changes that the government argues will facilitate the digitalisation of the transport sector.
        LJUBLJANA - A month-long fundraising campaign by the Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS), which has raised EUR 264,500 for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), ended. Donations via SMS are no longer possible, but those via bank transfer are possible until the end of June.

WEDNESDAY, 2 June
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court declared provisions of the communicable diseases act allowing the government to restrict movement and public assembly unconstitutional, and annulled the government decrees that were based on this law, including those relating to the night curfew, ban on assembly, and confining citizens to their regions or municipalities.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted the programme of Slovenia's presidency of the EU covering four priority areas - resilience and recovery, the rule of law, a credible and safe EU, and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed the decree on the conditions for entering Slovenia to recognise a negative rapid antigen test in addition to a negative PCR test as of 5 June until 13 June. Some restrictions in the services sector were also relaxed, including those concerning swimming pools, consuming food and drink at the takeaway points and the number of customers at shopping centres.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia received 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 on loan from Hungary in what Prime Minister Janez Janša said would allow Slovenia to stop the epidemic and enjoy a relaxed summer. Health Minister Janez Poklukar said Slovenia would return vaccines to Hungary expectedly in the autumn or by the end of the year.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission urged Slovenia to pay special attention to the structure of public finances and quality of budget measures as it released the European semester spring package. It recommends that the country strive for medium-term fiscal sustainability when the economic situation allows it.
        PRAGUE, Czechia/ BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told his Czech counterpart Jan Hamáček and his Slovak counterpart Roman Mikulec in Bratislava Slovenia would focus during its EU presidency on negotiations on legislative acts as part of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum and on strengthening the Schengen zone.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar talked on the phone with Liechtenstein's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Sport Dominique Hasler. Bilateral cooperation, the upcoming Slovenian presidency of the EU and the Covid-19 pandemic topped the agenda.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj concluded a two-day working visit to Brussels dominated by talks with senior officials in preparation for the EU presidency. Meeting European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, he emphasised the importance of fast and successful post-pandemic recovery.

THURSDAY, 3 June
        LJUBLJANA - The government established the Recovery and Resilience Office. The new department will operate under the Finance Ministry to coordinate and manage the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan. The office will be inaugurated on 1 August at the latest.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - President Borut Pahor started his two-day visit to Brussels by appearing in a debate with Brussels think-tanks, saying he would like Slovenia to use its presidency of the Council of the EU to enhance the union and its role in it.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec told EU transport ministers that the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency in transport would be sustainability and resilience.
        LJUBLJANA - National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič took part in the first Three Seas Parliamentary Forum, which was held in a virtual format to discuss the role of parliaments in the initiative and how they could contribute to making it more recognisable.
        LJUBLJANA - The government expanded the number of points where residents will be able to get their digital identity to expand the use of digital Covid certificates once they enter into force. In addition to administrative units, those points will include vaccination centres, social work centres, the Financial Administration and other points.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed the decrees limiting attendance at public sport and cultural events to increase the permitted number of viewers from 50% to 75% of the number of fixed seats at a venue. The eased attendance cap applies both to indoor and outdoor venues.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances urged the government to resume STA funding as set down in a coronavirus relief law in three days. Culture Ministry State Secretary Ignacija Fridl Jarc announced that the ministry would like the funding dispute to get resolved and was thus drafting a decree.
        LJUBLJANA - A total of 75,148 were registered as unemployed in Slovenia at the end of May, down 5.2% over April and 16.9% over May last year, in what is the fourth month in a row that unemployment decreased, the Employment Service said.

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