STA, 12 July 2022 - Local fishermen have in recent days removed around 150 kilograms of decomposing pork from the Gradaščica river east of Ljubljana, the web portal of the commercial broadcaster POP TV has reported, noting that the perpetrators have not been found yet.

The foul meat was removed based on a decision by a veterinary inspector by members of the fishing club Dolomiti (Ribiška družina Dolomiti) from the municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec.

Representatives of the Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection Administration have told 24ur.com that the duty official veterinarian was notified of by-products of animal origin in the Gradaščica on 4 July.

The contamination was detected along the road between Dobrova and Polhov Gradec, some 50 metres from a local restaurant. The case has also been handled by the police, who have informed the Environment Inspectorate, the portal says.

Disposal of animal remains in the environment is prohibited by law, as illegally dumped animal by-products may pose a risk of transmission of animal-borne diseases, with African swine fever currently being the biggest cause for concern.

The fishermen are meanwhile unhappy by the veterinary inspector ordering them to remove the decomposing meat from the river, and it is not clear whether they will be paid for the work done.

The Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection Administration said that fishing clubs, i.e. concessionaires are obliged to act in cases of mass fish deaths and remove the dead fish, while this obligation does not apply to other cadavers.

STA, 12 July - Slovenia's capital has placed 279th among 344 European cities in the European city air quality viewer with its air quality categorised as poor. Maribor ranks 207th having moderately clean air.

The ranking, released on the website of the European Environment Agency, classifies cities from the cleanest to the most polluted on the basis of average levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, over the past two calendar years.

The list is topped by Umea, Sweden, followed by Faro and Funchal in Portugal, with all other cities whose air quality is categorised as good located in North Europe. The annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter in those cities does not exceed the annual guideline value of the World Health Organisation of 5 micrograms per cubic metre.

Ranked lower down on the list are cities whose air quality is categorised as fair (up to 10 micrograms/m3), moderate (up to 15 micrograms/m3), poor (up to 25 micrograms/m3) and finally very poor, the cities whose levels are at or above the EU limit value of 25 micrograms/m3.

Placing 279th, Ljubljana ranks slightly above its Croatian counterpart Zagreb, in 282nd, but below the Hungarian capital of Budapest, in 268th, or the Croatian port city of Rijeka, in 155th, for example.

The cities with the poorest air quality are Italy's Padua and Cremona and Nowy Sazc in Poland. Venice places 341st, which makes it the lowest ranked city among those whose air quality is categorised as poor rather than very poor.

Explore all the data here

STA, 11 July 2022 - Slovenian gas consumers have been urged to use natural gas with care as a precautionary measure as the Energy Agency declared an early warning level on Monday to notify the public of potential disruption to supply in the future in case of reduced supplies of natural gas from Russia.

In a press release posted on its website, the agency says that gas supplies to Slovenia and supply to consumers are currently undisrupted.

The agency monitors gas supplies along the routes affecting the supply in Slovenia, including supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.

The agency warns of potential future disruption in the event of lower gas flows from Russia. It does not know at this point whether or to what extent disruption would occur.

Commenting on the measure, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer said it was but "an early-warning or awareness-raising phase", while gas supplies to Slovenia continued undisrupted.

"The security of natural gas supply is at the same level as last year, the supply is based on pre-agreed contracts and we don't expect any problems in the short term," he said.

Kumer noted that this early-warning phase had already been launched by roughly ten EU countries, including all of Slovenia's neighbours. "The idea is to get prepared for the heating season, that those who can - from industrial to commercial consumers - get ready on time for certain alternatives."

Geoplin, the gas wholesaler, said the agency's measure was "prompted by situation in European gas markets in connection to supplies from Russia".

The company has been facing reduced gas supplies from Russia with further reductions since maintenance started on Nord Stream 1, but has been offsetting losses of that gas with alternative purchases and use of storage facilities.

Geoplin would not say how much supplies from Russia have been reduced, but the newspaper Finance reported in mid-June that Slovenia received up to a quarter less gas. Due to low consumption in summer the supply has not been affected but the storage facilities that Slovenia leases in Austria and Croatia are not being replenished as quickly.

The company said supplies in Slovenia continued undisrupted. "Geoplin provides natural gas to customers in accordance with the volumes specified in the contracts, and will continue to do so in the future."

The Energy Agency today notified industrial gas consumers that if a higher level of crisis is declared, supply may be interrupted or they may be required to switch to alternative energy sources.

They were thus urged to monitor regularly the developments on the natural gas market and to consider alternative options that would contribute to reducing their consumption in case of disruptions.

The agency will notify the public and stakeholders on potential changes in the security of natural gas supply without delay.

Such notification is foreseen in the national act on the natural gas contingency plan, which entered into force in the summer of 2020. Following the model of such protocols in other EU member states, it foresees a three-step approach.

The first phase involves checking volumes, informing customers of possible supply disruptions and calling on industrial consumers to use gas more rationally.

Phase 2 would see suppliers call on their contract customers who are in a position to do so to voluntarily break off their gas supplies. Large customers would be urged to reduce their consumption to the minimum. Industrial consumers and electricity producers who have such an option would be recommended to switch to an alternative energy source.

In phase 3, which applies to emergency situations, suppliers break off the contracts that can be broken off and order industrial consumers and electricity producers to switch to an alternative energy source. At the same time, gas supplies are rationed.

Last year's total consumption of natural gas in Slovenia increased by 6% to 10,163 GWh in what was the highest total consumption since 2010, Energy Agency data shows.

The total consumption increased with all gas consumers. Households and non-households together used up more than 10% more gas. While households' consumption - which accounts for about a third of total consumption - was up by almost 12%, non-household users consumed over 9% more gas than in 2020.

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:

Energy agency launches phase 1 of gas supply emergency plan

LJUBLJANA - The Energy Agency urged Slovenian gas consumers to use natural gas with care as a precautionary measure as it declared an early warning level to notify the public of potential disruption to supply in the future in case of reduced supplies of natural gas from Russia. Commenting on the measure, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer said it was but "an early-warning or awareness-raising phase", while gas supplies continue undisrupted. Last year's total consumption of natural gas in Slovenia rose by 6% to 10,163 GWh in what was the highest total consumption since 2010, the agency's data shows.

Brussels to urge Slovenia to improve press freedom in new report

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission is expected to say there has been no progress with regard to press freedom in Slovenia as it publishes its third annual report on the rule of law in EU countries on Wednesday, according to a draft report obtained by the STA. Since the 2021 Rule of Law Report, the situation of media freedom and pluralism has not improved, says the draft report, pointing to challenges concerning political influence at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. One of the recommendations is to refer to the rules and mechanisms for strengthening the independent managing and editorial policy of public media.

Slovenia has not yet detected security threats due to Ukraine war

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Interior Minister Tanja Bobnar attended an informal EU ministerial in Prague, telling her colleagues that the Slovenian police had not yet detected major security threats stemming from the war in Ukraine. However, the police is paying close attention including because of potential human trafficking. She also warned about the great quantity of weapons circulating in Ukraine, saying they were a very big concern as they may be smuggled into the EU, the press release from the Interior Ministry said.

Equality ombudsman calls for changes to asylum legislation

LJUBLJANA - The Advocate of the Principle of Equality has reviewed the international protection act to find potential discrimination in provisions on unaccompanied minors seeking international protection, specifically the requirement that a legal representative of an unaccompanied minor seeking international protection may be dismissed if they do not forward information to authorities about the minor. Urged to draw up legislative changes, the Interior Ministry said it is willing to closely cooperate with oversight institutions, including the equality ombudsman.

Culture Committee okays RTV Slovenija act changes

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee approved the government-sponsored changes to the act on RTV Slovenija which overhaul management and oversight structures at the public broadcaster in a bid to reduce political interference. Culture Minister Asta Vrečko said irreparable damage is being inflicted on the broadcaster. RTV Slovenija director general Andrej Grah Whatmough meanwhile believes fast-tracking the far-reaching changes contravenes the constitution. The same view was expressed by the opposition Democrats (SDS), whose motion to challenge the fast-tracking of the bill was voted down, but the party did not exclude the possibility of a referendum.

RTV poll shows Pirc Musar in the lead in presidential race

LJUBLJANA - Lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar is in the lead in the presidential race, according to a poll conducted by Mediana for public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. She enjoys the support of 23.9% of respondents and is followed by former Foreign Ninister Anže Logar (16.6%) and Freedom Movement vice-president Marta Kos (14.4%). The Mediana poll involved 14 potential candidates, some of whom are unlikely to enter the race.

Ruling party candidate dismisses Kučan's argument against her bid

LJUBLJANA - Marta Kos, a former diplomat who will stand in this year's presidential election as the candidate of the ruling Freedom Movement, dismissed former Slovenian President Milan Kučan's argument that it would be "systemically unacceptable" to have members of the same party in the country's top three offices - those of president, prime minister and speaker. She also believes that Kučan's argument is abuse by some other presidential candidates to disqualify her from the presidential race.

More than half give govt negative marks in Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - More than half of the respondents gave negative marks to both the government and parliament in the latest public opinion poll carried by the daily Delo. The median rating of the government is at 2.35, with Delo noting the previous government scored lower only in November 2021 when almost 60% were unhappy with its work. The ruling Freedom Movement meanwhile continues to lead the party rankings with some 30%, followed by the opposition Democrats (SDS; 19%) and the coalition Social Democrats (SD;7%).

Slovenia marks 27th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia marked the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide perpetrated during the war in Bosnia, with senior officials noting that the massacre must never be forgotten so that it can serve as a cautionary tale. President Borut Pahor highlighted the importance of justice and reconciliation as he visited the Muslim Cultural Centre in Ljubljana at the invitation of Mufti Nevzet Porić, head of the Muslim community in Slovenia, for a ceremony dedicated to the anniversary.

Slovenia-Israel Friendship Day celebrated in Metlika

METLIKA - President Borut Pahor highlighted the support Israel extended to Slovenia during the country's independence efforts 30 years ago and pointed to the fragility of peace amid the war in Ukraine, as he addressed an event marking Slovenia-Israel Friendship Day in Metlika. The day was marked upon Pahor's initiative for the second year running, this time also marking 30 years of Slovenia-Israel diplomatic relations. Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the event remotely, thanking Pahor for the leadership that has intensified the strong bilateral Israeli-Slovenian relationship.

Matura results slightly worse than last year

LJUBLJANA - A total of 5,194 final-year secondary school students or some 95% passed the national school-leaving exam, known as the matura exam, which is close to last year's 97%. A total of 302 students passed the matura exams with flying colours, the same as last year, while the number of candidates that scored all points, at 18, is up by three compared to last year, show results released by the National Examinations Centre.

Over 900 new Covid cases over the weekend

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 941 new cases of coronavirus over the weekend, an increase of more than 40% over the previous weekend. One patient with Covid-19 died. There are currently 45 patients at regular wards hospitalised with Covid as their primary condition and another eight in intensive care. This compares to 23 and nine, respectively, a week ago.

Opponents of Covid restriction changes to collect signatures in autumn

LJUBLJANA - The proponents of two referendum initiatives challenging the changes to the communicable diseases act which govern epidemic restrictions, and which were passed on 29 June, are to start collecting signatures for the votes on 1 September if a referendum on the bill is permitted. This is because the constitution does not allow bills remedying unconstitutional provisions to be put to a referendum vote. The National Assembly legal service has until 19 July to decide whether to permit the referendum or not.

VonPharma plans manufacturing plant in Velenje

VELENJE - VonPharma, a producer of food supplements, plans to open a manufacturing plant in Velenje and signed an agreement with the city to buy 14,580 square metres of land in a commercial zone. The first phase of the project will see a new administration building and a new manufacturing complex built by 2023. The two-stage project, which involves an administrative centre, manufacturing facility and logistics centre, could create 1,000 new jobs, according to CEO Tadej Von Horvath.

Industrial output up in May

LJUBLJANA - The value of industrial production increased in both monthly and annual comparisons in May, by 0.8% and 3%, respectively, show data released by the Statistics Office. The monthly rise was driven by electricity, gas and steam supply and manufacturing, which grew by 5.1% and 0.2%, respectively. A 7.7% drop was recorded in mining and quarrying.

Domestic output met 83% of Slovenia's electricity demand in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's electricity output dropped by over 8% in 2021 while consumption rose by 3%. The country's output met 83% of its needs, down by almost 10 points from 2020 but on a par with pre-pandemic years, a report from the Energy Agency shows. The output-to-consumption rate fell from 92.6% in 2020 to 82.9% last year. The production units connected to the transmission or distribution system generated a total of 14,423 gigawatt hours (GWh), down by 1,325 GWh or 8.4% from 2020.

Slovenia's 2021 natural gas consumption at over 10,150 GWh highest in decade

MARIBOR - The consumption of natural gas in Slovenia increased by 6% last year over the year before to a record 10,163 GWh since 2010, Energy Agency data shows. The total consumption increased with all gas consumers. While households's consumption - which accounted for about a third of total consumption - rose by 12%, non-household users consumed over 9% more gas than in 2020. The rise is attributed to an increase in the number of users, from 908 to 137,192, and to colder weather.

Businesses can count on EUR 670m in incentives

LJUBLJANA - Businesses in Slovenia can count on EUR 670.6 million in development incentives this year, after the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology has raised the funds for development-oriented projects of Slovenian companies and their support environment by EUR 29.9 million from what was planned at the start of 2022. "I am very pleased that we will be allocating almost EUR 30 million in additional development incentives to the economy, which companies really need in these unpredictable and challenging times," Minister Matjaž Han said in a press release.

Climbing: Garnbret makes it three in a row

CHAMONIX, France - Slovenia's best climber Janja Garnbret won her third World Cup lead event in a row as she dominated the event in Chamonix, France, on Sunday to affirm her role as the favourite for the coming World Championship. Already the most successful climber of all times, she now has 35 World Cup victories, of which 21 in the lead event and 14 in bouldering.

Pogačar hopes to lead the Tour until end

PARIS, France - Slovenia's star cyclist Tadej Pogačar, the winner of the past two Tour de France races, seems well on his way to make it three in a row. Talking to the press today, a free day in the excruciating three-week grand tour that started 10 days ago, he said he liked wearing the yellow jersey and hopes he gets to keep it until the end. He praised his Team Emirates (UAE), saying each member is excellent at what they do. They are hard-working, experienced and highly motivated, he said.

STA, 11 July 2022 - A 42-year-old American and a 58-year-old Australian were injured during skydiving in the Tolmin area, north-west, on Monday due to unexpected turbulence.

The two were part of a group of ten skydivers who flew from Bovec this morning. After the jump, they were surprised by turbulence at an altitude of about 200 metres, which prevented some of them from landing safely.

The American and Australian women hit the ground hard during landing and are reportedly seriously injured. They were transported by helicopter to the Ljubljana UKC hospital.

Another skydiver, a 23-year-old Danish citizen, was blown by a gust of wind into a tree canopy, where he landed at a height of about five metres, but was unharmed. He was assisted in his descent by Mountain Rescue members.

STA, 11 July 2022 - A total of 5,194 final-year secondary school students or some 95% passed the national school-leaving exam, known as the matura exam, which is close to last year's 97%. Eighteen students scored all points and three students passed the international matura without losing a single point.

Secondary school students were also joined in the exams by those who attended the matura exam courses and some adults, so in total 5,288 candidates passed the tests or 94.4% of all who took it for the first time. Last year the share was 96%, show data released by the National Examinations Centre on Monday.

A total of 302 students passed the matura exams with flying colours, the same as last year, while the number of candidates that scored all points is up by three compared to last year.

The international version of the matura exam was organised at three schools in the country, with a total of 66 Slovenian students and 29 foreigners taking it. 52 students passed it with flying colours and three Slovenians scored all points. Last year, ten Slovenians scored the maximum number of points.

Meanwhile, the national school-leaving exam for vocational students was passed by 7,116 or just over 91% of students, which is slightly down from last year's 94%. A total of 296 students passed it with flying colours, while last year the number was 552. This year 93 candidates scored all points, while last year this number was higher as well, at 179.

The matura exam is a test that serves as an admission to higher education. The autumn exams will take place between 24 August and 3 September.

STA, 11 July 2022 - VonPharma, a maker of food supplements, plans to open a manufacturing plant in Velenje. The company's CEO Tadej Von Horvath and Velenje Mayor Peter Dermol signed on Monday a purchase agreement for 14,580 square metres of land in a commercial zone, a project that the company says could create over 1,000 new jobs.

The first phase of the project will see a new administration building and a new manufacturing complex built by 2023. The EUR 15-20 million investment is expected to create 150-300 jobs, according to Von Horvath.

By 2024 the company hopes to open a new logistics centre and build a facility to produce skin care product, a project valued at EUR 15 to 30 million that could create between 500 and 700 new jobs.

The company has already submitted a request for a state subsidy for the logistics centre.

They chose to place the new complex in Velenje due to its strategic position and focus on entrepreneurship, Von Horvath added.

VonPharma focuses on natural food supplements. Last year, they generated EUR 1.2 million in revenue, with a net profit of EUR 43,000.

Velenje Mayor Peter Dermol said that the commercial zone offered plenty of opportunities for job creation, and that he is glad that VonPharma and the municipality have managed to reach an agreement.

STA, 11 July 2022 - Slovenia's best climber Janja Garnbret has won her third World Cup lead event in a row as she dominated the event in Chamonix, France on Sunday to affirm her role as the favourite for the coming World Championship.

Already the most successful climber of all times, she now has 35 World Cup victories, of which 21 in the lead event and 14 in bouldering.

"I climbed smoothly in the final. When I know that girls competing before me have reached the top I can be quite nervous, but this time I was super calm and relaxed," she said.

STA, 9 July 2022 - Lawyer and ex-Info Commissioner Nataša Pirc Musar and opposition SDS MP and ex-Foreign Minister Anže Logar would make it to the run-off if the presidential election was held now, according to a survey pollster Mediana has carried out for the newspaper Delo. Freedom Movement vice-president Marta Kos would place third.

Pirc Musar would receive almost 30% of the vote in the first run and Logar just over 24%, with Kos garnering 16%.

The other candidates would receive less fewer votes: musician Gregor Bezenšek 2.1% and psychoanalyst Nina Krajnik 1.3%.

Delo says that Kočevje Mayor Vladimir Prebilič was not "detected" by the opinion poll as he announced his presidential bid only on the the last day of the poll.

Just over 14% of the respondents would meanwhile not go to the polls and another 8.7% would not vote for any of the candidates.

Pirc Musar, who will run as independent, was labelled as (very) appropriate candidate by almost 54% of those polled, and almost 9% said she is not the right candidate.

Logar, who will also formally run independently, was rated as (very) appropriate by almost 42%, with just over 10% opposing his bid.

Kos, a former ambassador to Germany and Switzerland, was deemed as a (very) appropriate candidate by 44.4%, as opposed to 8.5% who disapprove of her bid.

Delo's May poll about potential presidential candidates, meanwhile, showed that the run-off would be made by Pirc Musar and Kos.

The paper says Kos may have lost some support after ex-President Milan Kučan endorsed Pirc Musar arguing it would be wrong for one political party to hold all three top offices in the country - also those of the prime minister and the parliamentary speaker.

The latest poll also shows that a great deal of Pirc Musar's supporters come from Freedom Movement supporters (46%), which compares to only 29% in Kos's case.

Many of Pirc Musar's supporters come from the coalition Social Democrats (35%), which is yet to present its candidate.

Logar's supporters meanwhile come mainly from the voters of the Democratic Party (SDS) - 70%, while he would also receive votes from NSi supporters.

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:

Health minister says action at primary level urgent

LJUBLJANA - An emergency law on healthcare that the government adopted this week will be fast-tracked through parliament, possibly as early as next week. Its goal is to calm down the situation in primary care and provide a realistic picture about the capacity of the healthcare system as a whole, Health Minister Danijel Bešič Loredan told the STA. Aside from providing payment for all services performed, the legislation will also improve data on waiting times, he said.

ICT sector increases value added by 10% in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian ICT companies generated EUR 4.55 billion in revenue in 2020, 2% more than the year before and 34% more that a decade earlier. Their value added reached EUR 1.74 billion, which was 10% more than in 2019, and the number of people working in the sector exceeded 30,000. Data from the Statistics Office shows that over 9,000 companies were registered as ICT companies in 2020, a 3% increase over 2019 and a 67% increase over 2011.