09 May 2021, 10:07 AM

Canoe Slalom: Silver for Silver Terčelj, Bronze for Kauzer at European Championships

STA, 8 May 2021 - Slovenian canoeists have been going from strength to strength, with silver for Eva Terčelj and bronze for Peter Kauzer at the European Canoe Slalom Championships on Saturday raising hopes for top positions at the Tokyo Olympics.

Terčelj is a world champion but the silver in the individual event is her first medal from a European championship.

Kauzer's bronze was even more welcomes in some sense, as it has also earned him a ticket to Tokyo, which Terčelj had secured before.

"There's absolutely no bitter aftertaste. I'm not dwelling on where I lost gold, I'm more than happy with silver," Terčelj said.

Kauzer, meanwhile, said he was almost as happy as winning gold given that he's now travelling to Tokyo.

09 May 2021, 04:07 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 9 May 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:

PM: Educational system changes needed to preserve EU social model

PORTO, Portugal - Prime Minister Janez Janša called for profound changes in educational systems as a means of preserving the EU's social model as he arrived for an informal meeting of EU leaders. To preserve the European way of life, prosperity and the existing social model, it is essential to significantly change the educational system and systemically introduce lifelong learning, he said.

EU presidents invite citizens to engage in EU future debate

LJUBLJANA - The presidents of 21 EU member states addressed a letter to Europeans on the eve of the Conference on the Future of Europe, inviting them to take part in shaping a common European future. The presidents say that the conference will be an opportunity for an open discussion on the EU and an opportunity to listen to European citizens, especially the young. The initiative came from the Slovenian and Italian presidents, Borut Pahor and Sergio Mattarella.

Steady improvement as 632 cases confirmed, one death

LJUBLJANA - The latest coronavirus figures indicate the epidemiological situation in Slovenia is steadily improving, as 632 new cases were confirmed for Friday, down more than a third from a week ago. One patient with Covid-19 died. The positivity rate was 14.6%, the lowest weekday rate since early April. Hospitalisations dropped by 34 to 504, a level last seen in late March. ICU cases dropped by 12 to 129.

Pahor marks VE Day with diplomats of Allied countries

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor was joined by diplomats from France, Russia, the UK and US on Saturday in marking Victory in Europe Day by laying wreaths to a monument in Ljubljana that honours the victims of all wars. The ceremony featured French Ambassador Florence Ferrari, Russian Ambassador Timur Rafailovich Eyvazov, British Ambassador Tiffany Sadler and Susan Falatko, the charge d'affaires at the US Embassy.

New green party established

LJUBLJANA - A new green party led by Jure Leben, a former environment minister, was established, entering the political arena just over a year before the next scheduled election. The Party of Green Action (Z.DEJ) promises to strike a balance between sustainable economic development and protection of the environment. For example, Leben has spoken in favour of nuclear energy as a source of zero-carbon emissions.

Additional easing of restrictions in hospitality

LJUBLJANA - Bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve guests indoors across the country and large hotels will be able to offer half their rooms to guests from Monday as part of an easing of restrictions in tourism and hospitality amidst a gradually improving epidemiological situation. The decision was adopted by the government on Friday.

EBA boss says loan moratoriums no longer viable

LJUBLJANA - José Manuel Campa, the director of the European Banking Authority (EBA), told Delo that loan moratoriums were no longer a viable blanket measure to help companies, an indication that the Slovenian loan deferral scheme might not be extended as hoped for by business associations. "Moratoriums were very helpful during the crisis, but after a year it is time for individual assessments of the needs of individual clients, not generally applicable rules in this field," he said.

Silver and bronze for Slovenia at European canoe championships

AOSTA, Italy - Slovenian canoeists have been going from strength to strength, with silver for Eva Terčelj and bronze for Peter Kauzer at the European Canoe Slalom Championships raising hopes for top positions at the Tokyo Olympics.

08 May 2021, 14:14 PM

Further Easing of Restrictions for Bars, Restaurants, Hotels on Monday (But Not for Everyone)

STA, 8 May 2021 - Bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve guests indoors across the country and large hotels will be able to offer half their rooms to guests from Monday as part of an easing of restrictions in tourism and hospitality amidst a gradually improving epidemiological situation.

Only guests who have been fully vaccinated, have had Covid-19 in the past six months or have a negative test no older than 48 hours are allowed to be served indoors, the government decided yesterday.

All other restrictions remain in place, including the requirements on the number of people per table and distance among chairs and tables. Like before, establishments may be open from 7am to 7pm.

In the tourism industry, the existing rule where establishments were only allowed to operate up to 30 rooms has been changed and half the rooms may be put to use. Smaller operators with under 60 rooms may use 30.

For establishments offering self-catering apartments, the restriction does not apply at all since they are considered self-contained units where people do not mix.

Hotels and other accommodation facilities reopened at the end of April, but many large hotels in particular chose to remain closed because it was not economical for them to offer only up to 30 rooms to guests.

The industry has been calling on the government to further ease restrictions given that the epidemiological situation is gradually improving. Businesses also argued they can comply with all public health rules even when the number of guests is higher.

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said yesterday that business chambers had endorsed the changes at a meeting with the government, while the trade union of employees in tourism opposed them.

The Alpine resort of Kranjska Gora welcomed the changes announced during yesterday's visit by Počivalšek as well, but the head of Turizem Kranjska Gora, Blaž Veber, said the opening of borders with Austria and Italy was even more important, as the majority of guests come from the two countries.

Last year, the season was saved by Slovenian guests using tourist vouchers, while the outlook for this year is much worse, as both demand and bookings are lower than last year, Veber said.

08 May 2021, 12:53 PM

Last Week in Slovenia: 30 April - 6 May, 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, 30 April
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar received his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, with the pair calling for enhancing cooperation between the countries in business and politics. They also exchanged views on the Western Balkans and the Indo-Pacific region. Motegi met President Borut Pahor and PM Janez Janša as well.
        MARIBOR - President Borut Pahor said in an interview with the newspaper Večer that government officials had indeed created the impression that press freedom or the independence of journalists was at risk. Still, he finds assessments that democracy is being undermined under this government too radical.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders urged Slovenia's Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič to speed up the appointment of European delegated prosecutors. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is set to be launched on 1 June and the only other participating country running behind is Finland.
        NOVA GORICA - Trade unions from the Slovenian-Italian border area staged an annual get-together on the eve of Labour Day, this year drawing attention to the problems faced by the people commuting for work across the border and calling for easing of border-crossing restrictions.
        LJUBLJANA - Several hundred protesters hit the streets on their bicycles, stopping by at the headquarters of the STA on their way to express support before lighting a bonfire in the square in front of the parliament building.
        LJUBLJANA - State budget revenue in the first quarter of the year amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, up 1% year-on-year, while expenditure rose by 37% to almost EUR 3.68 billion for a deficit of nearly EUR 1.27 billion, up from EUR 304.9 million in the same period last year.

SATURDAY, 1 May
        BRUSSELS - The European Commission confirmed receipt of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan. European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said the plan was "oriented towards the future: green and digital transition; smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; health and welfare of all".
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Hungary agreed to mutually recognise their respective Covid-19 vaccination certificates. A vaccination certificate issued in one country will have the same legal effect as the one issued in the other.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana will be connected to Brussels with regular flights during Slovenia's presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year. The routes will be operated by carriers Brussels Airlines and Wizzair, Slovenia's permanent representation in Brussels said.

SUNDAY, 2 May
LJUBLJANA - The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 reached two important milestones as more than 20% of the population had received one shot and more than 10% had been fully vaccinated.

MONDAY, 3 May
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed Slovenia's full support for the fight for democracy in Belarus as he hosted Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He said Slovenia as the presiding EU country in the second half of the year would put democratisation and discussion about Belarus high on the agenda. Tsikhanouskaya also met Prime Minister Janez Janša, President Borut Pahor and Speaker Igor Zorčič.
        LJUBLJANA - A month-long fundraising campaign kicked off on World Press Freedom Day in a bid to secure funding for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), which has not received budget funds for the performance of public service for four months. Called "Za obSTAnek", the campaign aims to raise two million euros for the agency via small SMS donations and from potential larger donors.
        LJUBLJANA - The prosecution rejected criminal complaints filed last year against Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Žan Mahnič, the state secretary for national security in the prime minister's office, Nova24TV reported. The complaints had been filed against Tonin in relation to the disclosure of information about the Slovenia-Croatia border arbitration agreement, and against both Tonin and Mahnič over alleged irregularities in the Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services.
        LJUBLJANA - The Competition Protection Agency stopped a major anti-trust procedure against Telekom Slovenije. The proceedings, related to alleged unfair pricing of a special monthly plan for youths between 2008 and 2010, had been stopped after the watchdog "did not manage to obtain evidence on the existence of a predatory exclusionary strategy".

TUESDAY, 4 May
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's positions on issues relevant to EU-Turkey relations and its EU presidency priorities topped the agenda aside from bilateral relations as FM Anže Logar hosted his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. They dedicated a great part of their meeting to plans to boost bilateral cooperation, in particular direct investment, and to balance bilateral goods trade.
        LJUBLJANA - A proposal to reshuffle parliamentary working bodies to accommodate four unaffiliated MPs was rejected for the third time. The vote prompted the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) to announce they would boycott the parliament's work with the exception of major votes such as the forthcoming impeachment motion.
        LJUBLJANA - The SVIZ trade union of teachers launched a campaign to collect signatures among teachers to call on Education Minister Simona Kustec to resign, arguing poor management of the ministry. Kustec said the government had taken a number of measures to accommodate schools' needs.
        LJUBLJANA - Several NGOs that bring together conservative and liberal intellectuals sent a letter to European media to alert of what they call a misrepresentation on the state of press freedom in Slovenia, urging them to stop "one-sided propaganda" and to get informed on the situation from all world-view groups ahead of Slovenia's EU presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Committee endorsed 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.

WEDNESDAY, 5 May
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted amendments to three tax laws in a bid to reduce labour taxation and help businesses and individuals in the post-Covid recovery, including by increasing the general personal income allowance, reducing tax on capital and reducing red tape. While income tax changes alone are expected to reduce annual tax receipts by EUR 276 million, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said higher economic growth would offset the shortfall.
        PODGORICA, Montenegro -President Borut Pahor said after meeting his Montenegrin counterpart Milo Đukanović that a new momentum needed to be provided for the process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, as there was a certain standstill.
        LJUBLJANA - Four MEPs from Slovenia, Milan Brglez, Franc Bogovič, Tanja Fajon and Ljudmila Novak, expressed their concern over the psychosocial situation and the general social atmosphere in Slovenia in a letter addressed to President Borut Pahor. They urged him to use his authority to calm down "the passions and create a social atmosphere of dialogue, respectful expressing of disagreement and criticism". Pahor responded by calling for moderation in politics.
        LJUBLJANA - The Justice Committee unanimously adopted amendments to the penal code redefining sexual violence. Judges, prosecutors and lawyers opposed the changes, saying there was nothing wrong with the existing legislation. But MPs sided with the organisations which work with victims of sex crimes.
        LJUBLJANA - New rules on border crossing involving the recognition of PCR tests done in Serbia and Turkey entered into effect. There were also some changes on the red list of countries from which arrivals must quarantine, with Malta and Portugal removed from the list, and Djibouti added.
        DEKANI - Construction of currently the largest infrastructure project in the country was symbolically launched as ground was broken on the 27-km Divača-Koper rail track and the final contract to build one of its two sections, from Divača to Črni Kal, was signed. The project is valued at just below EUR 1 billion and will be built by a consortium led by the Slovenian company Kolektor CPG.
        LJUBLJANA - A group of experts commissioned by the central bank to draw up solutions for junior bondholders and shareholders wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout proposed a reimbursement scheme as the most suitable solution, where the state would take on the financial burden. The MDS association of small shareholders welcomed the solution, which would involve an out-of court settlement.
        LJUBLJANA - Tibor Šimonka, a senior vice-president of the steel group SIJ, was elected new chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) for the next two years. Šimonka identified green transition, support for digitalisation, innovation, research and development as his main priorities.

THURSDAY, 6 May
        LJUBLJANA - MPs from the coalition parties tabled a motion in a renewed attempt to dismiss Speaker Igor Zorčič after he quit the coalition to join a group of unaffiliated MPs in late March. The motion was signed by 38 coalition MPs, 46 are needed to oust him.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that all adults under 50 will start to get vaccinated on 10 May. "We will have enough vaccine for everyone by summer," he said.
        TIRANA - President Borut Pahor met his Albanian counterpart Ilir Meta as part of a whistle-stop tour of the region in preparation for the 17 May regional summit in Slovenia. In a renewed call for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans he said EU membership would make country borders less important and eliminate the need to change them.
        WARSAW, Poland - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs discussed migration issues as he met his Polish counterpart Mariusz Kaminski as part of Slovenia's preparations for the upcoming EU presidency. His ministry said that Slovenia and Poland advocate "elimination of the root causes of migration, and a greater role of the external dimension of migrations, foremost sending migrants back more effectively".
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission noted the Slovenian government's duty under law to secure suitable funding for the STA in response to the agency's questions about the fundraising campaign for the STA, calling for swift solutions to unblock the funding and preserve the agency's independence.
        LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković signed an agreement that will see the government allocate EUR 13.7 million for 29 projects in the Ljubljana area that are of importance to the state until 2023.

08 May 2021, 11:44 AM

Police Investigate Mladina for Story on Draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan

STA, 7 May 2021 - The weekly Mladina has been asked by police to provide information on how it got hold of classified documents revealing the content of the draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan which the magazine published in February in what Mladina sees as an act of intimidation.

According to Mladina, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has assessed that the magazine divulged classified information.

When Mladina published the draft plan on its website in February, the document had still been labelled internal.

An official letter from the Ljubljana Bežigrad police station published by Mladina shows the query for the magazine to provide information about the author of the article, the editor-in-chief and when, how and from whom they obtained documents labelled as internal was made at the request of the Ljubljana District State Prosecution.

Mladina says the article in which the documents were published was signed by the author with a name and surname and the information on who is the editor-in-chief is publicly available, which is why they see police questions as an attempt to intimidate them more than inquiring about relevant facts in trying to prove criminal offences.

The government decided to declassify the document soon after Mladina published the draft, although the opposition had been demanding before that it should be subject to a broad public debate.

Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion Zvonko Černač said at the time he had declassified it after its contents had been leaked to a weekly. "The harm has been done and it cannot be repaired," he said in parliament at the end of February.

The Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS) responded to today's news by saying it was worried about the investigation, especially since the draft document was declassified two weeks after being published, which it said "proved the public was fully entitled to get insight into it".

It pointed to the changes to the penal code adopted on its initiative in 2015 which decriminalised obtaining and publishing confidential data to reveal them to the public if the release is in public interest and if it does not pose a risk to life.

The association thus expects the prosecution of Mladina to immediately stop.

More stories on the media in Slovenia

08 May 2021, 07:28 AM

Delo Sees Method in Janša's Tweets

STA, 7 May 2021 - Delo says in Friday's front-page editorial that the systematic tweeting by Prime Minister Janez Janša is part of a carefully devised political and communication plan to keep his constituency mobilised at a rate that will secure a relative win for his Democrats (SDS) in general election at any time.

For Janša, Twitter has become a key multi-functional tool with which he communicates with his constituency and with the public at the same time, while also attacking political opponents and discrediting critical journalists.

On this platform, the prime minister is also waging "war with the media, which now targets public media by financially draining the Slovenian Press Agency, before it is RTV Slovenija's turn".

According to Delo, the objective of Janša's war with the media is to destroy the traditional public space, which has already been undermined, and to solidify a parallel para-party media ecosystem supported by Hungarian capital.

The final objective is to establish Twitter as the key public media, where it is much easier to manipulate with public opinion than in the established media world, where information is checked systematically and passes through several filters.

The newspaper notes that the use of techniques of astroturfing in connection with the media linked with the SDS has helped establish the increasingly negativist political agenda in the country.

"For the SDS's interests to be fully solidified, public media need to be crushed, for which he does not need 46 votes in the National Assembly, only early elections must be prevented," concludes the commentary “A Systematic Plan is Behind the Yelping of Marshal Tweeto”.

08 May 2021, 07:17 AM

Uroš Seljak Wins Gruber Prize in Cosmology

STA, 7 May 2021 - Uroš Seljak, a Slovenian physicist, cosmologist and astronomy professor at the University of California, Berkeley is among the recipients of this year's Gruber Prize in Cosmology, awarded by Yale University. It comes for his significant contribution in developing methods of key importance for studying the creation of the universe.

Seljak has been awarded a gold medal and will share the US$500,000 prize with his colleagues Marc Kamionowski of Johns Hopkins University from Baltimore and Matias Zaldarriga of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

The accolades will be conferred on the winners at the 24th International Conference on Particle Physics and Cosmology (COSMO'21), which will take place on 2-6 August at the University of Illinois and online.

The work of the trio focused on the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is residual electromagnetic radiation from the early universe, when atoms were created, and radiation from the primordial plasma.

Atoms have remained in the form of matter, while radiation remained in the form of a faint background noise that encompasses the entire universe in all directions and presents an image of the universe when it was approximately 379,000 years old.

The award winners have developed a mathematical method for studying the early universe, back to the first fraction of second of its existence. The findings were first published in the Physical Review Letters journal in 1997 are still studied today.

By observing polarisation, the cosmologists were able to determine the age of the universe at 13.8 billion years and that it is 5% ordinary (baryonic) matter, 26% dark matter and 69% dark energy.

Their work has inspired new generations of research programmes whose objective is to discover the last remaining part of the cosmological model, i.e. inflation or the theoretical inception of the universe or the Big Bang.

The Gruber Prize in Cosmology had been received in the past by other scientists from this field, and now it goes to the scientists who had set the foundation. The prize also recognises their lifetime achievements in cosmology.

Even before the 1997 article, Seljak and Zaldarriaga developed a computer code, called CMBFAST, that facilitated the studying of certain aspects of CMB by thousand times. The code is available to scientists free of charge.

Born in 1966 in Nova Gorica, Seljak graduated from the University of Ljubljana and also earned a master's degree there in 1991, and then a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1995.

After post-doctoral studies at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, he worked at Princeton University, Zürich University and International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste. He has been teaching at Berkeley since 2008.

Read more here

08 May 2021, 03:51 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 8 May 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:

Officers from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland to help police border with Croatia

LJUBLJANA - Police officers from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland will join Slovenian officers in patrolling the border with Croatia from Monday, the Interior Ministry announced. Five officers from Estonia, six from Lithuania and ten from Poland will initially arrive under memorandums of understanding that Slovenia has signed with these countries. The joint patrols will be led by Slovenian police. The ministry said preliminary briefings had been organised at which the guest officers were acquainted with the current situation on the border and their powers in accordance with the law.

Janša says best social policy is job creation

PORTO, Portigal - PM Janez Janša said as he arrived at the Porto Social Summit, where EU leaders debate the European Pillar of Social Rights, that the best social policy was the policy of creating new, well-paid jobs. Such a social policy demands an education system that not only gives the young a lot of know-how but foremost teaches them what to pick from the knowledge available today and how to use this knowledge in an innovative way, he said. EU leaders will hold an informal summit on Saturday to adopt a special statement, in what is the first live summit of EU leaders since the December 2020 summit.

Tonin meets Stoltenberg to discuss defence investments

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Matej Tonin presented to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Slovenia's defence reforms, plans to raise defence spending, and investments into the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) with the focus on meeting the country's commitments towards NATO. Tonin told Stoltenberg in Brussels that SAF can count on EUR 780 million in 2021-2026 for investments to get modernised, the Defence Ministry said. He outlined Slovenia's plans to increase defence spending to 1.5% of the country's GDP in 2024. Stoltenberg welcomed the ministry and government's achievements over the past year, stressing the role of continuing with the positive trends in meeting obligations and sharing burdens. The pair also discussed NATO-EU cooperation and the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency in defence.

Logar, Kaiser talk current topics, future cooperation projects

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Governor of Carinthia Peter Kaiser met to discuss a number of topics, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the situation of the Slovenian minority in Austria and the German-speaking community in Slovenia. They also talked about the priorities of the upcoming Slovenian EU presidency. Kaiser described the meeting as a friendly talk oriented towards the future, and Logar added that Slovenia and Austria were "partner countries with significant trade in goods and services".

Speaker yet to decide on resignation amid speculation about hung parliament

LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič expressed surprise after the ruling coalition voted against his proposal for the vote on their proposal for his dismissal to be held as early as next Wednesday, which would be the first possible date. The three coalition parties put forward a motion for Zorčič's dismissal on Thursday after presenting him with an ultimatum the day before that he resign or be dismissed, but rejected his today's proposal to put the motion to vote next week. Zorčič also said he had not yet decided whether he might step down himself as there was more than enough time for him to do so.

Constitutional Court upholds Sunday shopping ban

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ruled the legislative amendments that ban most shops from being open on Sundays is not in contravention of the constitution as claimed by several retail companies. In a unanimous decision, it held that the right to free enterprise invoked by the petitioners may be limited if a public interest such as protection of health is proven. The court also threw out a petition to examine provisions on fines of between EUR 1,000 and 100,000 for companies and sole proprietors that violate working time rules. The decision was welcomed by the opposition Left, which had petitioned the court, with the Chamber of Commerce (TZS) saying it will be respected.

STA director announces legal action against prime minister

LJUBLJANA - STA director Bojan Veselinovič announced legal action against PM Janez Janša after he implied on Twitter that Veselinovič had been involved in the "murder" of a former STA editor-in-chief more than a decade ago. What Janša wrote exceeds all boundaries, Veselinovič told the TV Slovenija current affairs show Tarča on Thursday evening. The decision comes after Janša wrote on Twitter: "Incredible for 21st century EU that an accomplice in the murder of a journalist still leads the STA and gets EUR 8,500 per month." Veselinovič will press criminal charges as a private plaintiff and lodge a civil defamation suit, an announcement to which Janša responded by tweeting: "Finally. Bullying a journalist who then died must get a closure in court."

Energy sector facing huge challenge in green transition

LJUBLJANA - As debate continues in Slovenia on a coal phaseout strategy, Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said it will be a huge challenge for the Slovenia energy industry to make up for the loss of key sources of energy while having to meet growing needs. The debate, hosted by the upper chamber of parliament, comes amid growing concerns that due to rising costs of emission coupons, Slovenia could be forced to close down coal-fired power station TEŠ even earlier than in 2033, while the Krško nuclear power plant will close in 2023 if it does not get an environment permit for a 20-year extenstion. "This means we'll lose more than two-thirds of the production sources. At the same time we must set off those losses and increase our production by 50% due to increased consumption," he said.

Motion to impeach Janša on parliament's agenda in 10 days

LJUBLJANA - MPs will vote on an impeachment motion against PM Janez Janša at a parliamentary session starting on Monday, 17 May, the college of deputy leaders decided. The motion was filed in early April by the centre-left opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which accuse Janša of violating several articles of the constitution and laws, pertaining to healthcare, media, prosecution and human and constitutional rights.

Pahor proposes Ilešič for another term at Court of the EU

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor proposed that the National Assembly appoint Marko Ilešič the Slovenian judge at the Court of the EU in Luxembourg for another term. The president's office said Ilešič was a "respected long-serving justice of the Court of the EU". A public presentation of the candidacy is scheduled for Monday.

Zorčič and Lenarčič highlight European values, media freedom ahead of Europe Day

LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič and European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič spoke about the importance of common European values, democracy, the rule of law and media freedom as they marked Europe Day. Zorčič pointed out that the ideas that led to the unification of Europe, particularly solidarity, are still important today. Lenarčič stressed that being European means belonging to a community based on shared values, especially democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but also solidarity.

606 coronavirus infections on Thursday, three deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 606 coronavirus infections for Thursday, a drop of 36% on the same day a week ago, to push the 7-day average down further to 680. Three Covid-19 patients died. Government data show that 4,029 PCR tests were performed yesterday, of which 15% came back positive. The situation at hospitals keeps improving after 52 Covid-19 patients were discharged yesterday, reducing hospitalisations by 13 to 538. But ICU cases rose by two to 141. The cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is at 440.5.

UKC Maribor hospital gets new head

MARIBOR - The council of UKC Maribor, the country's second largest hospital, appointed Anton Crnjac as the hospital's new director. Crnjac, who has already served as the medical director, was the only candidate for the post. If endorsed by the government, he will succeed Vojsko Flis, whose term ends on 19 June and did not run for another term. Crnjac was backed in a 10:1 vote. The council's head Kazimir Miksić said Crnjac was a top expert and a manager who knew the hospital's problems and possible solutions.

Mladina under investigation for running classified recovery plan

LJUBLJANA - The weekly Mladina has been been asked by police to provide information on how it got hold of classified documents revealing the content of the draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan which the magazine published on its website in February. It was after this that the government decided to declassify the document in late February, something the opposition had long been calling for. Mladina considers the investigation an attempt to intimidate it.

Slovenia below EU average in reducing CO2 emissions

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Slovenia was below the EU average in terms of its reduction in CO2 emissions last year. Preliminary data show that the EU average was at 10%, whereas Slovenia managed to cut CO2 emissions by 6%, Eurostat has reported. The overall reduction in the EU and in member states is attributed mostly to measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly slowed down economic activity.

Slovenia's Uroš Seljak wins Gruber Prize in Cosmology

NEW HAVEN, US - Uroš Seljak, a Slovenian physicist, cosmologist and astronomy professor at the University of California, Berkeley is among the recipients of this year's Gruber Prize in Cosmology. Seljak will share the US$500,000 prize with his colleagues Marc Kamionowski of Johns Hopkins University from Baltimore and Matias Zaldarriga of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. The accolade honours their contribution in developing methods of key importance for studying the creation of the universe which date back to 1997, when the trio worked on the cosmic microwave background and radiation from the primordial plasma.

07 May 2021, 16:42 PM

Constitutional Court Rules Sunday Shopping Ban in Public Interest

STA, 7 May 2021 - The Constitutional Court has ruled the legislative amendments that ban most shops from being open on Sundays is not in contravention of the constitution as claimed by several retail companies.

In a unanimous decision announced on Friday, the court holds the right to free enterprise invoked by the petitioners may be limited if a public interest such as protection of health is proven.

The court based its decision on the second paragraph of article 74 of the constitution, which provides that "commercial activities may not be pursued in a manner contrary to the public interest".

It says that based on that the legislature can limit the right to free economic initiative with measures in order to achieve that the second paragraph of the mention clause is complied with.

The court says that it follows from the legislative material that the legislature had been aiming to achieve several goals, including to allow shop staff free Sundays and public holidays.

The court holds that ensuring employees a weekly rest is in the public interest of the protection of employees in line with the principles of the European Social Charter.

The court also cited the general provisions of the employment relationship act under which work on Sundays and holidays is an exception rather than the rule.

The court threw out a petition to examine the section of the amendments that impose fines of between EUR 1,000 and 100,000 to companies and sole proprietors who violate work time rules.

Petitions against the amendments to the trade act that imposed the ban on Sunday shopping had been filed by Magistrat International, Fama Trend, VM5 and Intersport ISI.

The amendments, which came into effect in late October last year, allow some exceptions to the ban on Sunday opening hours, including shops under 200 m2 at service stations, border crossings, ports, airports, train and bus stations, and hospitals.

Outside these facilities, shops with a surface area of under 200 m2 may be open, but only shop owners, students and pensioners may work Sundays, regular employees may not.

Based on an initiative from the trade union of retail workers, the legislation was tabled by the opposition Left, which welcomed the decision, saying that the court had unanimously sided with retail workers.

"It is an important decision that puts public interest before economic initiative and, consequently, the quality of life before profits of retailers," the party said in a press release.

The Left noted the many letters of support for the ban by retail workers in which they talked about the negative impact of Sunday work on their family and social lives, and about physical exhaustion, burnout and social exclusion.

"Retail shops are actually 7,000 workers short and the existing employees are frequently forced to work more than 40 hours a week," the party said, adding that the fight for higher wages and better working conditions was only just beginning.

Mariča Lah, the head of the Chamber of Commerce (TZS), told the STA that the decision of the Constitutional Court would be respected. The chamber will examine it thoroughly and then decide on what future steps to take.

07 May 2021, 12:16 PM

Govt Proposes Tighter Laws to Protect Pets

STA, 6 May 2021 - The government is proposing a series of legislative changes to enhance pet owner responsibility and protect pets, including by making it illegal to tether dogs and put down healthy abandoned pets.

"It's a significant step forward in protecting pets," Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek told reporters on Thursday as he set out the amendments to the animal protection act, adopted by the government on Wednesday.

One of the changes is more detailed procedure to trace the origin of dogs to prevent and curb trading in dogs and illicit trade.

"It will be mandatory to chip puppies up to the age of eight weeks, and it will be obligatory to state the chip number in sale advertisements," said the minister.

Chipping of cats will be voluntary to allow owners to prove their ownership.

In case of a violation, the first measure against the owner will be to subject then to basic training on how to keep a pet. The minister said violations pertaining to daily care, the premises and temperature they are kept at were being established.

It will be prohibited to tie up dogs, except for specific exceptions such as when they are kept on a leash to be taken to a vet or for a walk, or in the case of guard dogs at farms.

It the latter case, it will be allowed to keep them on a lead at least five metres long that will allow the dog to move around at least four metres in each direction.

It will also be prohibited to kill healthy abandoned pets in shelters after 30 days or kill them for their skin, but the minister does not expect any major changes as fur or leather farming has been banned in Slovenia since 2013.

The bill also provides more detailed provisions governing dangerous dogs and use of shepherd dogs to protect pasturing herds.

In case of attacks by wild animals, the dog will not be considered dangerous if it attacks a human in a minor incident.

However, when the dog is found to be dangerous, an appeal will not stay the implementation of the decision.

The amendments would also restrict possession of exotic species to protect the life, health and well-being of animals and people's life and health and to preserve wildlife.

Thus a list of permitted and banned animal species would be introduced with the latter group only allowed to be kept in zoos.

The cost of care for abandoned animals will be covered by the owners. When the owner is unknown, local communities will take care of them for 30 days and then the state will shoulder the cost.

Also being introduced is an option to impose higher than minimum prescribed fines, which the minister said was to "dissuade violators from violations".

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