STA, 31 March 2021 - Households in Slovenia saved a record high share of their disposable income in the coronavirus year 2020, while their final consumption expenditure saw a record drop, the Statistics Office (SURS) said on Wednesday.

While gross disposable income usually declines or stagnates in crises, transfers as part of government measures to mitigate the social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 prevented this potential decline at the aggregate level, SURS explained.

Gross disposable income of households rose by 9.8% or EUR 716 million in nominal terms in the last quarter of 2020 annually to EUR 8.04 billion.

In the entire year 2020, gross disposable income of households was by 3.8% higher than the year before.

Households' final consumption expenditure meanwhile dropped by 15.4% to EUR 5.67 billion in the October-December period nominally compared to the same quarter in 2019.

In the whole of 2020, it dropped by 10.3% annually, the sharpest decrease to date and first since 2013.

"We can see that the coronavirus pandemic and measures to mitigate its consequences significantly affect households' consumption and saving behaviour," SURS commented.

With much lower final consumption expenditure, households' savings increased more sharply.

The gross household saving rate, which shows a share of gross savings in a household's gross disposable income, rose by 20.8 percentage points in the fourth quarter to 30.2% compared to the last quarter in 2019.

The first annual estimate shows that households in Slovenia in 2020 saved 25.1% of their gross disposable income, up 11.7 points over 2019.

The increase in the gross household saving rate in the fourth quarter and in the entire 2020 was the largest so far, said SURS.

More on this data

STA, 31 March 2021 - The Motorway Police Department became formally operational on Wednesday in what is a major step towards the formation of the Slovenian motorway patrol. The first patrols aimed at boosting the enforcement of traffic rules and improving safety on the motorway network are expected to hit the road in June.

Announcing the establishment of the department, the police said that the increasing volume of traffic on Slovenian motorways had led to traffic jams, accidents and violations of rules, while illegal migration and crime were also on the rise.

"The presence of police officers should therefore be increased on motorways and expressways," the police said, adding that the first step was the Motorway Police Department, to be followed by the Specialised Motorway Police Unit Ljubljana.

The latter is expected to dispatch the first patrols in June, and to be followed by four more regional units (Koper, Novo Mesto, Celje and Maribor), to be established by May 2022 so that the entire motorway network is covered.

According to police spokesperson Maja Ciperle Adlešič, once fully operational, the Slovenian highway patrol will employ 285 police officers, some of whom would be reassigned, while fresh recruits from police schools would also be hired.

The department, which is headed by former acting Police Commissioner Andrej Jurič, will be seated in Postojna. Its members will wear special uniforms and insignia.

Initially, it will perform only traffic control, while in the long run it is expected to gradually perform other elements of police work, such as criminal investigation, search for suspects and prevention of illegal migration.

It will be connected with other police units, traffic safety organisations and law enforcement authorities from Slovenia's neighbouring countries.

The police said that in addition to smuggling of illegal migrants, the Slovenian motorway network is being used for smuggling of illicit drugs and theft, in particular on rest stops during the peak tourist season.

At the opening ceremony in the building of the former traffic police, where the department will be seated, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said that the department had long been a wish of the police and the national motorway company DARS.

"With the greater presence of police patrols on motorways we want to raise the level of traffic culture," he added.

DARS is to support the work of the new department, including with funds and by co-financing equipment and providing infrastructure on the Slovenian motorway network, but DARS chairman Valentin Hajdinjak did not want to go into details.

"Together with the police, we are introducing order on Slovenian motorways and guarantees that motorways will be safer," Hajdinjak added.

As for traffic safety, the national Traffic Safety Agency, which supports the idea of highway patrol as an "additional element of road traffic safety", noted that the number of accidents on Slovenian motorways had actually been decreasing.

While there were 1,956 accidents in 2018 and 1,947 in 2019, the figure dropped to 1,284 last year, while the number of pile-up collisions has been increasing, mostly as a consequence of hold-ups.

Speeding remains the main cause of accidents, followed by drivers not keeping a safe distance, and driving in the opposite direction.

Between 2017 and 2020, a total of 51 people were killed on Slovenian motorways, 183 were gravely injured and 1,934 sustained minor injuries.

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: 

Two-month high of 1,558 new coronavirus cases confirmed

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,558 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest daily figure since 2 February, as the share of positive tests continued to climb, exceeding 21% for the first time since mid-February, the latest government data show. There were 500 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down by 15 over the day before, whereas the number of ICU cases rose by six to 111. The seven-day average of daily cases jumped to 996 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is now at 617. Seven people with Covid-19 died, while the national data tracker estimates there are now over 13,000 active cases.

Police from other EU countries to help patrol Slovenian-Croatian border

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police officers will be joined by officers from other EU countries in patrolling the Slovenian-Croatian border in a bid to prevent illegal migration. The move comes after the government's proposal of having the army help the police failed to garner sufficient support in parliament. Slovenia is to sign cooperation agreements on the "joint patrols and other joint forms of action to deal with illegal migration" on the Slovenian-Croatian border, the government said.

US State Department Human Right report for Slovenia puts attacks on press in spotlight

WASHINGTON, US - The US Department of State released the 2020 Human Rights international report which also analyses the situation in Slovenia. Attacks on media and harassment of journalists in the country feature more prominently than ever, the latter being described as one of the key human rights issues in Slovenia. Apart from threats of violence against journalists by nongovernment actors, the other significant issue is criminalisation of libel and slander. Another issue that features heavily is discrimination against the Roma community. Moreover, reports by NGOs on asylum seekers pushbacks are mentioned.

STA supervisory board urges govt to release overdue funding

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) called on the government to immediately settle all of its outstanding liabilities to the STA and to comply with its legal obligations to finance the STA public service. Due to the lack of budget funds, "the company will be insolvent and incapable of meeting its financial obligations a few weeks prior to its 30th anniversary," chief supervisor Mladen Terčelj said.

Hojs and Schinas discuss presidency priorities

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs talked to Margaritis Schinas, the European commissioner for promoting the European way of life, as part of Slovenia's preparations for its EU presidency in the second half of 2021. Hojs presented Slovenia's priorities for the presidency, above all efforts to strengthen the Schengen zone, comprehensive migrations management and providing a high level of security in the EU. However, concrete goals will be set only just before the start of the presidency, when the situation of key dossiers will be clear.

Logar and Dimitrov talk North Macedonia's EU accession efforts

LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar hosted North Macedonia's Deputy PM Nikola Dimitrov, who is in charge of EU affairs, with the official visit revolving around priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency and North Macedonia's efforts to join the EU. Logar presented to Dimitrov the priorities, which also cover the Western Balkans, and pledged further support for North Macedonia on its journey towards EU membership. Dimitrov said that 2021 was a key year for Western Balkans countries as well as for the EU's credibility as North Macedonia was still waiting for the start of negotiations with the union.

Čokl new interim leader of DeSUS

LJUBLJANA - Anton Balažek stepped down as interim head of the opposition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) at the party council meeting. Brigita Čokl will be in charge until the election congress, which is expected in June. Balažek took over on 10 March, when Karl Erjavec resigned following a failed vote of no-confidence in the government in which he vied for prime minister.

Contract signed for new Črni Kal-Koper rail section

LIPICA - The contract for principal works on the Črni Kal-Koper section of the Divača-Koper rail track was signed with officials announcing the start of works in May. The contract was signed by Pavle Hevka, director-general of 2TDK, the company managing the Koper-Divača project, Iztok Černoša, a 2TDK director, and Kristjan Mugerli, CEO of builder Kolektor CPG.

Slovenia joins statement on WHO-convened Covid-19 origins study

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and 12 other countries joined the US-proposed joint statement on the study of Covid-19 origins by the World Health Organization (WHO) that expresses concern over its delay and calls for more clarity over the pandemic's outbreak, the Foreign Ministry announced. The statement says that "together, we support a transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from interference and undue influence, of the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic." It comes after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said experts sent to Wuhan had limited access to unprocessed data.

General government deficit at 8.4% of GDP last year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's general government deficit in 2020 amounted to EUR 3.87 billion or 8.4% of GDP, the Statistics Office reported. The deficit represents a EUR 4.07 billion change compared to 2019, when a surplus was recorded. The central government sub-sector generated a deficit of EUR 3.96 billion and the other two sectors - local government and social security funds - generated surpluses of EUR 83 million and EUR 8 million, respectively. At the end of 2020, the gross general government debt amounted to EUR 37.43 billion or 80.8% of GDP. Year-on-year, it increased by 15.2 percentage points of GDP.

Slovenia's annual inflation at 0.1% in March

LJUBLJANA - Consumer prices in Slovenia grew at an annual rate of 0.1% in March, ending a seven-month deflation spurt on the back of higher prices of non-durable goods and electricity, the Statistics Office said. Among goods, non-durables were the only category in which prices grew, by an average of 2.2%. Semi-durable and durable goods were down by 5.8% and 0.3%, respectively. The single biggest contributor to inflation, accounting for a full percentage point of the headline rate, was electricity, where prices increased by almost 39%. The harmonised index of consumer prices stood at 0.1% in March.

Survey unemployment rate at 4.9% in February

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate reached 4.9% in February, up 0.7 of a percentage point from February 2020 and down 0.2 of a point from January this year, the Statistics Office said. As many as 51,000 Slovenian residents aged between 15 and 74 were jobless, of whom 48% men and 52% women. Until now, monthly estimates of International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate for Slovenia have been calculated and published only by Eurostat. With February's estimates, SURS started publishing this statistics, and calculated monthly unemployment rates for the period extending back to January 2010.

Epidemic pushes households' final consumption, savings rate to record levels

LJUBLJANA - Households in Slovenia saved a record high share of their disposable income in the coronavirus year 2020, while their final consumption expenditure saw a record drop, the Statistics Office said. Gross disposable income of households rose by 9.8% or EUR 716 million in nominal terms in the last quarter of 2020 annually to EUR 8.04 billion. In the entire year 2020, gross disposable income of households was by 3.8% higher than the year before.

Committee rejects opposition's recommendations on protective equipment

LJUBLJANA - Discussing the findings of the recent audit report on the procurement of personal protective equipment, the parliamentary Economy Committee rejected the opposition's recommendations regarding the procurement. Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc labelled them as absurd and unnecessary. The group of opposition MPs proposed the government act in line with recommendations from the Court of Audit, prepare legislative changes that would provide for appropriate legal foundation for action in extraordinary circumstances and not to use the emergency situation for setting up non-transparent systems of supply.

Religious workers to receive basic income until end of June

LJUBLJANA - The government extended basic income for religious workers, introduced by the seventh stimulus package, until the end of June, as such income had also been extended for the self-employed, sole proprietors and farmers, the government said. Religious workers from any of the registered churches or other religious communities who were included in the obligatory pension and disability insurance on 1 October 2020 will receive a basic income of EUR 700 a month until the end of June.

Protesters rally against lockdown

LJUBLJANA - Between 200 and 300 people gathered in front of the Presidential Palace on the eve of Slovenia's third lockdown protesting restrictions aiming to limit the spread of coronavirus. They believe that some of the restrictions which are to be in place between 1 and 11 April are illogical, irrational and even bizarre. The protest brought together members of several civil initiatives, including those representing education workers, parents and hospitality workers, among others. They demand that President Borut Pahor start taking action and the Constitutional Court decide on review requests pertaining to the restrictions.

DARS revenue and profit suffer due to pandemic

LJUBLJANA - The motorway company DARS generated EUR 398.58 million in revenue last year, some 20% less than in 2019. Its net profit dropped to EUR 59.5 million, down from EUR 139.6 million, unaudited results show. Tolls accounted for EUR 386.96 million in revenue last year, resting place rentals for EUR 7.13 million, while motorway closures and overloads brought in EUR 984,500. Write-offs amounted to EUR 212.85 million, the company paid EUR 35.7 million in financial liabilities, spent EUR 44.7 million on goods, materials and services, while its labour cost amounted to EUR 46.8 million.

Slovenian motorway patrol coming soon

LJUBLJANA - The Motorway Police Department became formally operational in what is a major step towards the formation of the Slovenian motorway patrol. The first patrols aimed at boosting the enforcement of traffic rules and improving safety on the motorway network are expected to hit the road in June as part of the Specialised Motorway Police Unit Ljubljana. It is to be followed by four more regional units (Koper, Novo Mesto, Celje and Maribor), to be established by May 2022 so that the entire motorway network is covered. Once fully operational, the Slovenian highway patrol will employ 285 police officers.

Krško shuts down for scheduled maintenance

KRŠKO - The Krško Nuclear Power Station (NEK) will shut down for scheduled maintenance Wednesday night as its 31st fuel cycle ends, with the works involving 1,800 workers from the EU and US, and some 40,000 individual activities. NEK director Stane Rožman said the maintenance works will be very intensive and logistically demanding due to the complexity of the works and number of contractors. The maintenance works will include refuelling, verification of the integrity of key components such as the reactor vessel and steam generator, and maintenance of electrical installations and instruments.

Slovenian youth football team out of European championship

MARIBOR - Slovenia are out of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with two losses and one draw, the second and decisive loss coming on Tuesday evening at the hands of Italy (0:4). The tournament did not open quite well for Slovenia, as they suffered a 0:3 defeat by Spain last Wednesday, and the loss was followed by a 1:1 draw with the Czech Republic on Saturday.

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STA, 31 March 2021 - Between 200 and 300 people gathered in front of the Presidential Palace on the eve of Slovenia's third lockdown protesting restrictions aiming to limit the spread of coronavirus. They believe that some of the restrictions which are to be in place between 1 and 11 April are illogical, irrational and even bizarre.

The protest brought together members of several civil initiatives, including those representing education workers, parents and hospitality workers, among others.

Ahead of the protest, the initiatives said that they wanted to let politicians know that they had had enough of human rights violations, lies, manipulations, and destruction of people and the economy.

"Since when does care for health involve repression?" one of the speakers at the rally wondered.

They demand that President Borut Pahor start taking action and the Constitutional Court decide on review requests pertaining to the restrictions.

The protest received support also from the trade union of taxi drivers. They planned a protest against legislation allowing Uber to enter Slovenia, which the parliamentary Infrastructure Committee was scheduled to discuss tomorrow, but the session was postponed due to lockdown.

STA, 31 March 2021 - The supervisory board of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) has called on the government to immediately settle all of its outstanding liabilities to the STA and to comply with its legal obligations to finance the STA public service.

The supervisory board established that the STA has been performing its public news service under the STA act without interruption, said Mladen Terčelj, the chair of the board, after Tuesday's session of the supervisory board.

Due to the lack of budget funds, "the company will be insolvent and incapable of meeting its financial obligations a few weeks prior to its 30th anniversary," Terčelj said.

The supervisors discussed the STA management's report about the financial situation, possible insolvency scenarios and proposals to tackle the situation.

The board determined that none of the proposals could offset the shortfall of budget funds. "The last resort measure of downsizing would mean an inability to provide the public service to the extent set by the STA act. At the same time that would mean a scaling down in the commercial service, which is currently the company's only source of financing," Terčelj said.

He also highlighted that under the seventh Covid relief package the state is obliged to fund the STA regardless of whether a public service contract has been signed for this year.

"The government is not respecting its own law, passed in parliament. I personally also think that this is an important constitutional issue of whether the government may ignore a law or put itself above a law passed by the National Assembly," the chief supervisor said.

The supervisory board again urged the government to come up with a 2021 contract for the public service, saying that the STA had been expecting it since December 2020.

Suspending financing of the STA public service without any proven wrongdoing is unacceptable and contrary to rule of law principles, Terčelj noted.

The supervisors also reiterated that all documents and information regarding STA management were available to the government, which exercises the rights of the agency's sole founder and shareholder.

STA director Bojan Veselinovič was thus urged by the supervisory board to call on the prime minister and government ministers as representatives of the founder to authorise the Government Communication Office (UKOM) or another government body in the event it wishes to get the relevant information.

Veselinovič has already done this, addressing a letter to the prime minister and urging him to give such authorisation so that the STA management could provide access to all the required documents in line with law. A copy of the letter was also sent to other ministers and media.

Regarding the government's proposal that the supervisors dismiss Veselinovič, Terčelj said that they had not received a formal notification from the government. The board could discuss this only after it receives the decisions and an accompanying report on implementation of STA-related legal provisions, he said.

UKOM has suspended financing of the STA public service arguing the parties have not signed a contract for this year and alleging Veselinovič's failure to provide documents.

STA, 31 March 2021 - The US Department of State has released the 2020 Human Rights international report in which it also analyses the situation in Slovenia. Attacks on media and harassment of journalists in the country feature more prominently than ever, the latter being described as one of the key human rights issues in Slovenia.

Apart from threats of violence against journalists by nongovernment actors, the other significant issue is criminalisation of libel and slander.

The report, released on Tuesday, points to statements by journalist associations which report about growing hateful rhetoric and threats against reporters online that, according to them, have been spurred by state officials' animosity.

The report notes that Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has condemned physical assaults against journalists and any actions inciting such offences. It also says that the International Press Institute (IPI) has highlighted that online harassment of journalists has also contributed "to an increasingly hostile climate for watchdog journalism."

Going into more detail, the report mentions that at the start of the epidemic, the government's Covid-19 Crisis Headquarters "retweeted an insulting claim about investigative journalist Blaž Zgaga", which then triggered online harassment against him by pro-government media outlets.

It also mentions criticism by government officials targeting public broadcaster RTV Slovenija's reporting that was unfavourable to the government. Moreover, it highlights complaints by RTV Slovenija about "a growing number of insulting tweets and verbal attacks against the institution and its journalists by politicians". "Following these verbal attacks, RTV journalists experienced several physical attacks by nongovernment actor."

"The European Commission reported in its September rule of law report for the country that concerns have been raised by stakeholders about possible politically motivated changes to the funding of the national public broadcaster and the governance of the national press agency."

The Department of State also reports about assaults on reporters during protests, including an incident involving rapper Zlatko and pro-government media Nova24.

The report also quotes the IPI, saying "few countries in Europe have experienced such a swift downturn in press and media freedom after a new government came to power". The IPI also said that this led to "a worrying decline in press freedom in a very short space of time in a country previously considered a relative safe haven for independent journalism, sending up further warning signs about deteriorating media freedom in Central Europe".

The US authority also says that the Slovenian government attempted to justify its criticism of the media in a letter to the Council of Europe in which it wrote that the situation was a result of the media having "their origin in the former communist regime" and the consolidation of media ownership in the hands of circles close to the left. At the same time, the Department of State also mentions concerns expressed by watchdog groups over alleged financing of certain media by "sources tied to Hungary's ruling Fidesz party".

The report touches on complaints about police violence against protesters and allegations of government revenge tactics against NGOs and systemic corruption, including in the public PPE procurement.

"The government took steps to investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed abuses, whether in the security services or elsewhere in the government, and there were no cases of impunity involving security forces during the year," it reads.

Another issue that features heavily in the report is discrimination against the Roma community. Government measures that aim to tackle the situation are mentioned as well though.

There were no reports of anti-Semitic violence in Slovenia in 2020, however the Department of State lists concerns by the Ljubljana Jewish Cultural Centre over the annulment of the 1946 death sentence for collaborationist general Leon Rupnik.

It also mentions requests by a number of ethnic communities in Slovenia to get minority status, including the German-speaking community. Moreover, reports by NGOs, including Amnesty International, on asylum seekers pushbacks are mentioned.

STA, 30 March 2021 - Igor Zorčič remains speaker of the National Assembly. The coalition failed with a motion to dismiss him Tuesday after he quit the Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy group, as 45 voted in favour of the dismissal, one vote short of the required majority, and two votes were invalid.

The vote came after the opposition LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB, and the new deputy group formed by MPs who have defected from the SMC and DeSUS, walked out of the session and refused to pick up the ballots for the secret vote.

They argued that if the coalition wanted to unseat the speaker, they had to do it themselves. Some also suggested the new situation, in which neither bloc has a clear majority, was an opportunity for a grand bargain on a speaker.

Several opposition MPs framed the motion as an attempt by the government to subjugate the legislative branch.

The coalition, meanwhile, said it was normal that a new speaker be appointed given that the speaker has always come from the ranks of the coalition.

They argued the motion had nothing do to with Zorčič's record as speaker, which both the opposition and coalition said was exemplary, but was rather a reflection of a new balance of power in parliament.

The vote was closely watched as an indication of the governing coalition's strength given that some parties have called for a snap election with the formation of the new faction and the loss of three coalition MPs.

However, Zorčič himself poured cold water on this idea in his first statement after the vote, when he said the outcome "does not forecast that the government will not have a majority in the National Assembly in the future".

The vast majority of legislative motions require only a simple majority and the government has so far been able to carry the majority of laws with the help of the DeSUS and SNS, which are formally opposition parties but often vote with the government.

Danijel Krivec, the chair of the deputy group for the ruling Democrats (SDS), said the unsuccessful attempt did not mean the coalition would not give it another try.

Overall, Zorčič said that "reason prevailed" in the end and that the National Assembly remained independent and "does not let the government dictate" it.

Invoking certain foreign parliaments in which speakers have a different mandate than the other MPs, he said he planned to continue serving independently.

And while he agrees that he was originally appointed as a representative of the second largest coalition party, he said there was no new coalition today with such a party any more.

"We've got an old, disintegrating coalition which lost a party and a second party has only half the members," he said, a situation he described as "unprecedented".

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: 

Igor Zorčič remains speaker of parliament

LJUBLJANA - Igor Zorčič remains National Assembly speaker. The coalition failed to unseat him after he quit the Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy group, as 45 voted in favour of the dismissal, one short of the required majority. The opposition LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB, and the new deputy group formed by MPs who have defected from the SMC and DeSUS, abstained. The vote was closely watched as an indication of the governing coalition, but Zorčič himself poured cold water on this idea saying the outcome "does not forecast that the government will not have a majority in the future".

Fine a way to cross border despite travel ban

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's latest restrictions on the crossing of borders ban all travel to high-risk countries save for a few exemptions. The interior minister says people not among the exemptions may leave the country. If they do not qualify but for an exemption but still wish to leave, officers simply give them a fine, which starts at 400 euros, and let them leave, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said.

Border restrictions challenged at Constitutional Court

LJUBLJANA - A request has been filed for the Constitutional Court to review the government decree setting conditions for entry to Slovenia as a measure against the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. The request, alleging encroachment upon the constitutional rights to freedom of movement and private property, was filed by lawyer Matjaž Šaloven on his behalf and on behalf of a civil initiative of Slovenian owners of real estate in Croatia.

Over 1,000 Covid cases, 15 deaths recorded on Monday

LJUBLJANA - From a total of 5,395 PCR tests carried out on Monday, 1,080 came back positive for a positivity rate of 20%, up from Sunday's 16.4%. The daily death toll was at 15. The seven-day average of new cases rose by 14 to 957, the government said. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals declined to 515, of whom 105 are in intensive care, down seven on the day before.

C-bank vice-governor, Securities Market Agency head appointed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly elected Tina Žumer a vice-governor of the Slovenian central bank. Žumer, who has been serving as a chief economist with the European Central Bank after a spell at the analytical department of Banka Slovenije, was backed by 60 votes to 21. The MPs also backed by 52 votes to 25 the government's proposal to appoint jurist Anka Čadež as director of the Securities Market Agency for a six-year term.

Fiscal Council warns about long-term risks to public finances

LJUBLJANA - Public debt has considerably increased during the pandemic in both Slovenia and the EU, but an analysis by Slovenia's Fiscal Council shows that it should remain sustainable in the coming five years whereas long-term risks are expected to increase. General government debt will remain sustainable in the next five years if standard shocks are taken into account and expansionary monetary policy preserved.

MPs pass amended water act

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed changes to the water act with 44 votes in favour and 38 against. One major provision, which would have allowed industrial plants that use hazardous materials to be build on protected water area, was scrapped from the bill in the wake of criticism by NGO, but environmentalists warned that the legislation is still problematic in that it allows building in right along the coast of water bodies. One NGO said it would launch a referendum initiative.

Cross-border workers to get higher unemployment allowances

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislative changes under which cross-border workers will be temporarily eligible for higher unemployment allowances than workers employed in Slovenia since they pay higher unemployment insurance in the countries where they work, sometimes 20-times higher. While a majority of the parties endorsed the motion, some voiced concern about unequal treatment.

Slovenia pledges EUR 70,000 in aid for Syria

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia pledged EUR 70,000 in fresh humanitarian aid to Syria over the next two years at a donor conference for Syria. Foreign Minister Anže Logar said the donation would support the activities of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria. Additionally, Slovenia is financing bilateral projects for the Syrian people and has so far allocated EUR 6 million in aid.

Report: TAB on cusp of Li-ion deal with Chinese firm

MEŽICA - TAB, a maker of starter batteries for cars and industrial batteries, is on the cusp of striking a deal with a Chinese partner to launch production of lithium-ion cells, Večer reported citing well placed sources. The supervisors were acquainted with the plan to establish a joint venture called TAB-Haidi JV, which would produce lithium-ion cells and be by a joint venture between TAB Haidi Energy Technology from China.

Survey shows execs optimistic despite epidemic

LJUBLJANA - Most Slovenian and global business executives are confident that 2021 will bring economic growth despite the corona crisis, showed a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Some 76% of respondents on the global level and 64% of executives in Slovenia believe in global economic growth. This is almost 20 percentage points higher than the last record level of optimism, recorded in 2018. On the global level, 36% were confident that the revenue of their companies would increase, in Slovenia the share was at 61%.

Small business urge government against new closure

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) expressed protest over the renewed closure of small businesses during 1-11 April, which they find discriminatory given that large companies will be able to work without disruption. "We cannot accept the theory that the possibility of infection in small workshops and salons is greater than in large production halls with 500 or 1,000 employees. Our members tell us that they want to work and not receive aid," OZS president Branko Meh said.

Debate hears coal phase-out date should be set with consensus

LJUBLJANA - A round table debate heard that, while coal phase-out is inevitable, it should be made sure that power supply is not jeopardised as Slovenia makes the transition. The participants agreed that the year of closure of the sole operational coal mine in Velenje should be set in consensus of all stakeholders. Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok said that coal phase-out was inevitable, noting that 2033 had been determined as the year of closure of the mine.

Vrtovec calls for competitive rail transport in EU

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec called for competitive rail transport in the EU as he attended an informal videoconference of EU ministers in charge of transport. Slovenia supports activities to decarbonise transport, he said, adding that to meet these challenges the EU needed attractive and competitive rail transport and freight. It should strive to improve infrastructure, eliminate bottlenecks, set up new connections, upgrade fleets and come up with more effective digitalisation.

Pošta Slovenije boss steps down, chief supervisor appointed interim head

MARIBOR - Boris Novak stepped down as director general of postal operator Pošta Slovenije by mutual agreement with the new supervisory board. He is succeeded by Tomaž Kokot, the chair of the supervisory board, who will step in as interim director.The other two management board members, Andrej Rihter and Vinko Filipič, remain on the board, the company said after a supervisory board session.

Hungarian minority gets EUR 2.8m in economic incentives

LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian minority in Slovenia will get incentives from the state worth EUR 2.8 million in 2021-2024 in a bid to improve the economic development of the area where the community lives. EUR 1.2 million will be available for the promotion of investments, EUR 720,000 for the promotion of tourism, and EUR 880,000 for support activities under three agreements that Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek signed with the representatives of the minority.

Little Girl wins Amnesty International Slovenia award

LJUBLJANA - Little Girl, a documentary about an eight-year-old girl trapped in a boy's body by Sebastien Lifshitz, was named the winner of the Amnesty International Slovenija Award as the 23rd Festival of Documentary Film draws to a close on Wednesday. An honourable mention meanwhile went to The Case You, a German documentary about sexual abuse experienced by five actresses and directed by Alison Kuhn.

Jure Zdovc second Slovenian in FIBA Hall of Fame

NYON, France - Slovenian basketball coach and former player Jure Zdovc will be inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class. He is only the second Slovenian to make it to museum honouring people who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball after Ivo Daneu. Zdovc's class was announced by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which said that the virtual ceremony would be held on 18 June.

Sign language interpreter Slovenian Woman of the Year

LJUBLJANA - Natalija Spark, an interpreter of the Slovenian sign language and a psychotherapist, has become the Slovenian Woman of the Year 2020, a title conferred by the women's magazine Jana/Zarja and its readers. Having a connection with the hearing world is particularly important for the deaf during the coronavirus epidemic, the organisers said.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

STA, 30 March 2021 - A man attempted to enter the National Assembly building with a chainsaw Tuesday afternoon shouting "I've had enough of lockdown" before being tackled by security guards in front of the main entrance.

Incident pred Državnim zborom. Moški s psom in prižgano motorno žago je želel nad parlament. "Dost mam tega zapiranja," je vzklikal. Policisti so ga že obvladali. pic.twitter.com/bvc4Z80K8P

— Luka Svetina (@LukaSvetina) March 30, 2021

INCIDENT: Med razpravo o razresitvi @IgorZorcic na vrata #DZ nekdo kar z motorno zago!!! "Dosti imam tega zapiranja," je bilo slisati. Policija ga je takoj aretirala. Nihce ni bil poskodovan. Seja tece dalje. pic.twitter.com/KC3f59TqnF

— Anže Božič (@AnzeBozic) March 30, 2021

Social media footage from the scene shows the man, who had a dog in tow, being tackled by a security guard while another guard turned off the chainsaw.

Nobody was hurt and the incident did not affect proceedings at the National Assembly, which was just then debating the dismissal of Speaker Igor Zorčič.

Police said they had been informed of the incident around 7pm. A patrol was dispatched to the scene and brought the man into custody.

STA, 30 March 2021 - Slovenia's latest restrictions on the crossing of borders ban all travel to high-risk countries save for a few exemptions. The interior minister says people not among the exemptions may leave the country - provided they pay a fine.

It is up to the attending police officer to determine whether a person who wishes to leave the country qualifies as one of the exemptions.

When they do not qualify but still wish to leave the country, officers simply give them a fine, which starts at 400 euros, and let them leave, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press on Tuesday.

"You cannot physically lock people into the country," he said.

"I personally believe the restriction of movement, in so far as not being allowed to leave the country is concerned, is perfectly appropriate," he said.

The decree has already been challenged at the Constitutional Court by a group of owners of property in Croatia, who believe their property rights are being curtailed.

Hojs said that if the Constitutional Court decided the decree is not constitutional, the government would comply with the decision.

Under the decree, which entered into effect yesterday, travel to red-listed countries is banned for Slovenian residents.

There are two general exemptions - those who have had Covid and those who have been vaccinated - and a number of narrower exemptions, for example for hauliers, cross-border commuters and students, and for emergency services.