24 Mar 2021, 13:29 PM

21 - 7-Day Average Still Rising, Restrictions Reviewed Tonight

STA, 24 March 2021 - New coronavirus cases continue to rise at double-digit rates as 1,288 cases were confirmed on Tuesday, an almost two-month high, the latest government data show. Nine Covid-19 patients died.

Nearly 7,000 PCR tests were performed and 18.5% came back positive, a share that has remained broadly flat. Almost 28,000 rapid tests were performed as well.

There were 500 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down seven on the day before, while the number of ICU cases rose by three to 99, a one-month high.

The rolling seven-day average of new daily cases rose from 829 to 855, the government announced on Twitter.

The cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents rose to 531 and the 7-day to 285, show data released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Slovenia has so far confirmed 208,589 cases, according to the NIJZ.

The country remains in the orange tier of restrictions, but the situation is deteriorating, the government's Covid-19 spokeswoman Maja Bratuša told the daily press briefing.

The government will conduct its weekly review of restrictions in the evening after it has consulted the group of medical experts who advise the Health Ministry.

Get the latest data on coronavirus and Slovenia

24 Mar 2021, 11:53 AM

Slovenia Starts 2022 FIFA World Cup Campaign With Match Against Croatia Tonight

STA, 24 March 2021 - The Slovenian men's football team will open the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Croatia, the runners-up from the previous World Cup, in Ljubljana's Stožice Stadium on Wednesday. Two more games will follow in a one-week span, with Slovenia facing Russia on Saturday and Cyprus on 30 March, both on the road.

Slovenia are coming off a good performance in the UEFA Nations League, but the players are aware that the qualifiers for the tournament in Qatar require are on a different level, that they need to be even more focused and utilise every chance.

In addition to the three teams Slovenia are facing in the seven-day span, also featured in Slovenia's Group H are Malta and Slovakia, with the qualifiers scheduled through mid-November, when Slovenia will host Cyprus to wrap up the campaign.

Only the top team in the group will earn a direct ticket to next year's World Cup, and the second-place team will have to play in the additional round. Slovenia will be looking to qualify to what would be their only third World Cup ever.

The first opponents are Croatia, the runners-up from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the Slovenian players hopes they would continue to display good defence from the recent matches.

"This must be our DNA. We have to give it our best when we are without the ball, also be fully focused with the ball. We have to give as few opportunities as possible to our opponents, as these are players from top clubs," said midfielder Jasmin Kurtič.

Defender Jure Balkovec said as the team gathered for the training camp in Ljubljana that "it is hard to tell at the moment what result would be satisfactory for us. The group is very interesting, everybody can beat everybody."

As for Croatia, he said that it would be a match of rival neighbours in which it was hard to determine a favourite. "But we will let them have the role of a favourite, and we will give our best to beat them," he added.

Defender Miha Blažič said that the schedule was tough, but everybody was happy that the qualifiers were starting, with the wish being that Slovenia continued with the good play shown in the UEFA Nations League, in which it had advanced.

Presenting the roster, head coach Matjaž Kek said that the match with Croatia would be a display of great rivalry. "We have a great desire, motive to start the qualifiers successfully, but we are aware who is coming to Ljubljana."

* Slovenia's roster for the March slot of the World Cup qualifiers:
- goalkeepers: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (Salernitana), Žiga Frelih (Olimpija);
- defenders: Bojan Jokić (Ufa), Miha Mevlja (Sochi), Petar Stojanović (Dinamo Zagreb), Nejc Skubic (Konyaspor), Jure Balkovec (Karagumruk), Miha Blažič (Ferencvaros), Kenan Bajrić (Slovan Bratislava), Mario Jurčević (Osijek);
- midfielders: Jasmin Kurtić (Parma), Miha Zajc (Genoa), Jaka Bijol (Hannover), Domen Črnigoj (Venezia), Amedej Vetrih (Gaziantep), Sandi Lovrić (Lugano), Nino Kouter (Mura), Jon Gorenc Stanković (Sturm Graz);
- forwards: Josip Iličić (Atalanta), Andraž Šporar (Braga), Damjan Bohar (Osijek), Haris Vučkić (Real Zaragoza), Luka Zahović (Pogon Szczecin), Blaž Kramer (Zürich).

24 Mar 2021, 10:08 AM

Parliament Backs Faster Increase in Pensions

STA, 23 March 2021 - The National Assembly has unanimously passed changes to the pension legislation allowing for faster increase in pensions. In line with the changes, the transitional period for equalising the pension rate for men and women will end two years sooner than originally planned, on 1 January 2023.

The pension rate for persons with 40 years of pensionable service will be increased to 63.5% of the long-term average wage for both men and women.

The current rate for men is 57.25%. The 63.5% rate already applies to women, but if it were not for the amendments it would drop.

The changes had been proposed by the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and backed by the coalition.

In line with an amendment proposed by the coalition and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the lowest pension this year will be set at 29.5% of the minimum pension base and then adjusted the same way as pensions. The lowest pension will thus amount to EUR 280.

The guaranteed pension for 40 years of service will rise from EUR 581 to EUR 620, while the minimum disability pension will be set at 41% of the minimum pension base, or just over EUR 388.

An amendment filed by the opposition Left, which would raise the minimum pension to EUR 442, to match the minimal monthly costs, was rejected as a populist move that is unjust to those who have worked longer.

24 Mar 2021, 04:08 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 24 March 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:

Coronavirus transmissions keep rising

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's curve of coronavirus transmissions keeps rising with another 981 people testing positive on Monday to drive the 7-day average up to 829. The growing trend is also reflected in Covid-19 hospitalisations, which rose above 500 again, to 507, of whom 96 are in intensive care. Nine patients with Covid-19 died, government data show. The government is expected to revise coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday.

Parliament confirms five-year declaration on EU activities

LJUBLJANA - The declaration on Slovenia's activities in EU institutions in 2021-2024 was confirmed in the National Assembly. Prime Minister Janez Janša said that improving the resilience of the EU to crises, green transition and the rule of law were the main topics. These are also one of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year. The debate saw the opposition criticise the document for being too generalised and long-term. Janša argued that the government extended the period covered by the document so that it was tied to the terms of the Commission and Parliament.

SMC head expects Janša to show more discipline, self-control

LJUBLJANA - Coalition SMC leader Zdravko Počivalšek plans to have a word with Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss what he considers Janša's offensive remark about the Modern Centre Party (SMC) he made while responding to a question from SMC MP Janja Sluga in parliament. "I will talk to the prime minister about his statement, which was offensive and also damaging for future relations in the coalition," Počivalšek said in a written statement after Janša rebuked Sluga for questioning his communication strategy.

EP to continue debate on media in Slovenia on Friday

LJUBLJANA - The European Parliament's democracy monitoring group is expected to resume debate on the media situation in Slovenia on Friday even though PM Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti have excused themselves. Janša and Simoniti said they would not be in Brussels in person after the coming EU summit will be held online. The idea was for Janša to come to the European Parliament for the debate after the summit.

Pahor stresses importance of EU perspective at meeting with ambassadors

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor stressed at a meeting with the ambassadors of EU countries that the EU perspective had been the engine of Slovenia's efforts for democratisation and independence and was thus woven into its history. Today, the EU should be more united, efficient and closer to people, he said. He believes the current health crisis should be used for a transition to a more sustainable development that will take into account climate change and the need for new technologies and a green economy.

Slovenia does not wish to be constrained in CAP strategic plans

LJUBLJANA - EU agriculture ministers debated the preparation of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans. Slovenia welcomed the EU Commission's recommendations but warned that countries may not be restricted in the selection of measures, Minister Jože Podgoršek said. "Not all recommendations can be addressed with CAP interventions, and in the selection of interventions it is necessary to ensure a suitable balance between economic, social and environmental aspects," Podgoršek said.

MPs back faster increase in pensions

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly unanimously passed changes to the pension legislation allowing for faster increase in pensions. In line with the changes, the transitional period for equalising the pension rate for men and women will end two years sooner than originally planned, on 1 January 2023. The pension rate for persons with 40 years of pensionable service will be increased to 63.5% of the long-term average wage for both men and women.

Ascent Resources to initiate arbitration with Slovenia

LONDON, UK - The British company Ascent Resources announced it would initiate arbitration proceedings against Slovenia in a dispute over permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in Petišovci, after the state had failed to put forward a damages proposal. The company estimates the damage to be in excess of EUR 100 million. The State Attorney's Office said last week that Slovenia had rejected an amicable settlement with the company.

Strabag challenges pick of Koper-Divača track contractor

LJUBLJANA - The Austrian builder Strabag has appealed against the decision by the state-owned company 2TDK to pick a Slovenian-headed consortium as the contractor to build the new railway between Koper and Divača. Kolektor CPG, partnering with the Turkish companies Yapi Merkezi and Özaltin, was initially picked to build the section between Divača and Črni Kal as the cheapest bidder, in a decision challenged by Strabag. As the only bidder left, Kolektor CPG was also picked to build the section between Črni Kal and Koper.

Hopes for new investor after Adient shutdown

SLOVENJ GRADEC - The government is hoping to find a new investor for a location in Slovenj Gradec that the US company Adient plans to shut down at the end of the year at a loss of 430 jobs. "I'm optimistic, we have several interested parties for the continuation of production," Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said. The plan is to leverage the act on investment promotion and the act on regional development in order to find new investors interested in the location. "The reason I'm particularly confident that this is feasible is that we're talking about skilled workers here."

Anniversary of major military exercise marked

LJUBLJANA - Senior officials marked the 30th anniversary of Premik'91, a major military exercise that displayed a high level of organisation of the Slovenian Territorial Defence ahead of the declaration of independence. President Borut Pahor said the exercise had marked the true transformation of the Territorial Defence into the SAF, which had defended Slovenia's independence. Defence Minister Matej Tonin added that the exercise had been a signal that "we are serious, that we have matured as a nation".

Study shows Slovenia should further reduce urban air pollution

LJUBLJANA - A study conducted by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has shown that the majority of Slovenian cities should restrict traffic in order to reduce air pollution, an issue that comes at an immense social cost to residents. The Institute for Health and Environment said polluted air cost residents of Ljubljana and Maribor an average of EUR 1,233 in social costs a year per capita, or EUR 434 million every year for Ljubljana alone.

Italian allegedly linked to Becciu faces money laundering charges

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana crime investigators have filed preliminary charges against an Italian citizen for laundering more than half a million euro in Slovenia in a case that the newspaper Večer says is linked to a financial scandal involving former Cardinal Angelo Becciu. The Ljubljana police said yesterday they had filed a criminal complaint against two individuals and two legal entities on suspicion of money laundering, including an Italian whom Večer identified as Cecilia Marogna, whom Becciu allegedly transferred money from the Vatican that she then laundered in Slovenia.

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

23 Mar 2021, 17:49 PM

Cook Eat Slovenia Offers Live, Online Cooking Class for Easter, Friday, 2 April

Cook Eat Slovenia is one of the most successful books on Slovenian cooking aimed at an English-speaking audience, a collection of seasonal recipes that’s a clear and beautifully produced guide to potica, štruklji, gibanica, žlikrofi, kremšnita, mlinci and many more classics of the local table.

book cover cook eat slovenia.jpg

As we noted in our review when it was launched in 2019, back when eating out was possible, “the book takes you on a tour of all four seasons and Slovenia’s 24 culinary regions, and with more than 100 dishes over 200+ pages you’re certain to find plenty of old favourites along with some you’ve never heard of. Each recipe is presented alongside a picture of the dish itself – providing inspiration as well as some serving suggestions – and thus the book also works a practical guide to Slovenian cuisine, one that outside the kitchen you can use to spot dishes in the wild and expand the range of items you order from the menu or the market, providing a checklist of things to seek out.”

cook eat slovenia cook book easy 4JPG.jpg

It's a well-written, well-made book. Photo: Mateja Jordović Potočnik

It's a great book, still available in stores and online, and while in happier days the author – Špela Vodovc – also offers in-person cooking classes and culinary tours, that side of her work has obviously been on hold along with the rest of the travel and tourism industry in Slovenia. Until now, that is, as Špela is coming back with a one-off opportunity to learn how to all make your Easter brighter and more Slovenian.

cook eat slovenia cook book easy 1JPG.jpg

Photo: Mateja Jordović Potočnik

This year Easter Sunday is on 4 April, and you can prepare for the big day by taking a live, online video class in English with Špela and learn how to make Potica and decorate eggs using natural dye. The class will be hosted on YouTube, thus avoiding the awkwardness of Zoom calls and letting you relax, watch and cook alone, no matter what your wearing or how much you swear as you cook.

The class will take place on Friday 2 April from 17:00 to 20:00, and all you need to do is make sure you have access to a kitchen, a screen with internet access and the ingredients listed at the end of this story. Registration is required, and costs €35 per person, and can be done by clicking on the event under the calendar here.

Look for this

If you can’t make it, then do check out the book and some of the recipes it contains, such as Tarragon Potica, Easter Breakfast - Velikonočni Zajtrk, Three Kinds of Slovenian Easter Eggs and Potato and Pasta, or Grenadirmarš. If you can make the class, then don’t forget to register and make sure you have the following ingredients ready for 17:00 Friday, 2 April 2021.

Prepare and measure ingredients in advance

Place the eggs and yeast at room temperature at least half an hour before baking.

a) Walnut Potica:

Dough
600 g (4 ¼ cups or 21 oz) soft pastry flour
42 g (1.5 oz) fresh yeast or 14 g (0.5 oz) dry yeast
100 g (½ cup or 3.5 oz) sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) salt
1 tbsp rum
300 ml (1 ¼ cups or 10 fl oz) lukewarm milk
8 g (0.3 oz) vanilla sugar
50 g (1.8 oz) butter
4 egg yolks
½ lemon, zested
Filling
300 g (11 oz) shelled and grinded walnuts
200 ml (¾ cup or 7 fl oz) milk
100 g (3.5 oz) butter
10 g (0.4 oz) vanilla sugar
120 g (5/8 cup or 4 oz) sugar
2 tbsp rum
½ lemon, zested
1 egg white and 15 g (0.5 oz) sugar for whipped egg white
You will also need
Potičnik 27 cm (10 inches) across, you can also use 2 oblong baking pan with tall sides, 25x12x7 cm (9.8x4.7x2.7 inches)
Plastic bowl with cover, instead of cover you can also use plastic wrap
Wire sieve
Rolling pin
Hand electric mixer
Pastry cloth for rolling the dough
Soft pastry flour to facilitate the dough rolling process
Butter for buttering the mould/potičnik or oblong baking pan with tall sides
Caster sugar and a thin wooden stick

b) Easter eggs

Ingredients
15 eggs
Dry skin of red and brown onions
3 tbsp vinegar
5 rose hip teabags
A few pinches of salt
Different types of grass, leaves and flowers
Thread
Stockings, cut in 10x10 cm (4x4 inches) squares

You will also need
2 medium-size cooking pots
Sizers

23 Mar 2021, 14:18 PM

Hospitality Industry Begs for More Help, Including Outdoor Service for All Slovenia

STA, 23 March 2021 - The Trade Union of Hospitality and Tourism has made another stern appeal to the government to help the sector during the epidemic, including by a reasonable easing of coronavirus restrictions across the country, by increasing subsides for furloughed workers and expanding the use of tourist vouchers beyond accommodation facilities.

"We would like to let you know that we cannot do it anymore! That seven months of non-work and social isolation has been more than enough! That too much damage has already been done to people and the economy," reads the letter addressed to the Prime Minister and the ministers of economy, finance and labour on Monday.

Due to such a long closure, many bars and restaurants have closed shop because employers were not eligible for subsidies, with many workers ending up out of a job or hardly making ends meet on the furlough scheme.

The government should thus allow bars and restaurants to serve customers outdoors in the entire country, not just in what are currently three yellow-coded regions.

All workers should get not only 80% of their wages as part of the furlough scheme but 100%, the union says, arguing the majority are facing poverty.

The difference to 100% wage subsidy should be paid retroactively for all furloughed workers for the last three months, from December to February.

The government should make it into a law that employers receiving a subsidy for furloughed workers since epidemic was declared on 19 October, cannot lay off furloughed workers at least six months after they no longer receive it.

Those few workers in the hospitality and tourism sector who do work should meanwhile receive a special crisis allowance of at least EUR 200.

The union says that tourist vouchers should be expanded to other businesses in the sector than just accommodation facilities.

Hospitality establishments should be allowed to sell drinks rather than just food at their take-away points.

The ministers were urged to start easing the restrictions for hospitality and tourism across the country rather than by regions.

The union indicated that, should the government not heed its call, it could resort to protests such as those by taxi drivers and primary and secondary school pupils.

"All the other segments of the economy and the public sector work and as we know, it is there that infections also originate from, while no production facility has been closed. What is more, you do not even talk about these infections in public, whereas the sector that is closed is being suspected of spreading infections."

A similar call was made by the OZS chamber of small business, which urged the government on Monday not to close small businesses if the epidemiological situation should worsen.

It believes that "services and retail have never been a source of infections, so potentially closing them again in the third wave of the epidemic would make no sense".

23 Mar 2021, 12:46 PM

Ascent Resources Starts Arbitration Process Against Slovenia, Claims Over €100mn Damages

STA, 23 March 2021 - The British company Ascent Resources has announced it will initiate arbitration proceedings against Slovenia over the dispute over permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in Petišovci (NE), after the state had failed to set forward a damages proposal. The company has estimated damage to be in excess of EUR 100 million.

Claiming that Slovenia is breaching its obligations to the detriment of the company's investments in Slovenia, procedures to start an investor dispute at international arbitration were formally started by Ascent Resources last July.

This could not happen before a three-month period has passed in which the parties would have the opportunity to settle the dispute amicably.

The two sides entered negotiations last October, but the British company said this would not prejudice its rights to pursue its investment treaty claim under the UK-Slovenia bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty.

The deadline for a possible settlement in the direct negotiations had been set for 19 March this year.

The latest announcement from Ascent Resources comes after the State Attorney's Office told the STA last Saturday that Slovenia had rejected an amicable settlement with the company as the deadline for the decision expired on Friday.

The British company said on its website it "intends to initiate arbitration proceedings against the Republic of Slovenia" and "confirms that an amicable settlement is presently not achievable."

It added that as part of direct pre-arbitration settlement discussions, it had "submitted a damages calculation to the state totalling significantly in excess of EUR 100 million."

The Slovenian Environment Agency issued a decision in March that an environmental impact assessment is needed before a permit can be issued for extraction of gas in Petišovci by re-stimulating two currently producing wells as planned by Ascent Resources and its Slovenian partner Geoenergo. The decision was upheld by the Administrative Court in June this year.

Ascent Resources said in the same release that "it is ultimately expected that the pressure at PG-11A will decline to unsustainable levels without mechanical stimulation (which forms part of the damages claim against the state)."

However, it added that it was pleased PG-11A was currently producing and that it intended to continue production whilst it was possible to do so.

All our stories on Ascent Resources and Slovenia

23 Mar 2021, 11:28 AM

Growing Concerns About Govt Attacks on Slovenia Press Agency

STA, 22 March 2021 - The ZRC SAZU, the Scientific and Research Centre at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is worried at escalating attacks on the STA, urging by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to stop threatening and financially draining the news agency. UKOM denied the allegations.

The STA is a public service which promptly, consistently and dedicatedly follows and reports on developments in Slovenia, including science and research, reads the statement in support of the STA.

It stresses that STA reports are released by many media outlets in Slovenia, especially those which cannot afford to hire enough journalists to provide for reporting on "such marginal topics like science".

The ZRC SAZU says that commercial media treat science as marginal because they do not bring many readers, viewers. listeners or clicks.

This is the reason for which science is particularly dependent on media such as the STA and the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

In in the view of ZRC researchers, due to their relatively stable funding, such media ensure reporting on activities which are not very profitable yet key for society.

"If we allow for public media such as the STA and RTV Slovenija to be abolished, we will cause irreparable damage to the Slovenian media landscape, which is already deprived of quality media," the release reads.

"Science will thus disappear from the media's agenda moving to specialised portals and niche media. It will itself turn to be treated as a marginal pursuit, or even a hobby, of a handful of weirdos who are passing their time by wasting taxpayer money."

UKOM director Uroš Urbanija said in a press statement that he was surprised by the allegation it is stepping up its attacks on the STA or financially starving the agency. "Neither is true, UKOM has settled all of its liabilities to the STA in line with last year's contract," he said.

While not specifying why the agency has not been paid for the performance of public service this year, he says "funding for the STA has been secured," which is why messages to employees that the agency will not live to see its 30th anniversary are "unacceptable".

Overall, he reiterates UKOM's long standing positions regarding the STA director, including that he persistently refuses to hand over to the government the requested documentation.

He also denied any interference in editorial independence arguing that the government had never encroached upon it and noting that the administrative part of the agency is clearly separated from the editorial part, with any effort to link the two "an attempt at politicising the editorial staff and journalism".

The statement came after the government last week called on the STA supervisory board to dismiss the agency's director Bojan Veselinovič for his alleged violation of the agency's obligations, and as the agency has been waiting for more than 20 days for UKOM to pay the bill for the public service the STA carries out under the law.

The STA reports on science and other research and development topics as part of its regular service and has a special science portal in Slovenian and English. In 2018, the agency's science journalist Lea Udovč won an award conferred by the Slovenian Journalist Association.

23 Mar 2021, 11:18 AM

Slovenia Condemns China’s Retaliatory Sanctions on EU

STA, 22 March 2021 - Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar has condemned sanctions imposed by China in retaliation for the EU's sanctions against it due to its treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

China introduced sanctions against EU individuals including a member of Slovenia's permanent representation to the EU, according to Logar.

"We find this action completely unacceptable and not favourable for future relations between the EU and China," Minister Logar said in a video address posted on Twitter.

#FAC | ?? Minister @AnzeLog @MZZRS actively promoted implementation of EU diplomatic tools on:
➡️#HumanRights sanctions
➡️dialogue with High Commissioner @mbachelet
➡️#SouthernNeighborhood & Turkey

In light of recent events, he also condemned the sanctions imposed by #China? pic.twitter.com/ZsZecMS46j
— Slovenia in the EU (@SLOtoEU) March 22, 2021

One of the entities sanctioned by China is the EU Council's Political and Security Committee, which features representatives of all member states.

The Foreign Ministry said the Slovenian member of that committee was Veronika Boškovič Pohar.

The statement came after virtual session of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council which decided to take sanctions over violations of human rights against eleven individuals and four legal entities in six countries.

In a press release after the session, Logar was quoted as expressing concern over deteriorating human rights in several countries.

He said the impact of the Covid-10 pandemic on human rights around the world was also worrying.

All our stories about Slovenia and China

23 Mar 2021, 04:19 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 23 March 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:

Logar condemns retaliatory sanctions by China

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar condemned sanctions imposed by China in retaliation for the EU's sanctions for its treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. China introduced sanctions against EU individuals including a member of Slovenia's permanent representation to the EU, according to Logar. "We find this action completely unacceptable and not favourable for future relations between the EU and China."

Janša says Sputnik vaccine in short supply

LJUBLJANA - Appearing in questions time in parliament, Prime Minister Janez Janša said that even if Slovenia opted to register the Sputnik V vaccine past the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a domestic registration procedure would take longer than EMA's. And given that the Russian vaccine is in short supply, there is no guarantee the country would get it. As for Sputnik's potential production in Slovenia, he said it would probably not have an impact on stopping the epidemic in the first half of 2021.

PM Janša to hold virtual meeting with von der Leyen on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša will speak to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen virtually on Thursday, it was decided after the EU summit in Brussels was shifted online due to the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti meanwhile not take part in a discussion on the media scheduled in the European Parliament either.

290 coronavirus cases on Sunday for 7-day average of 820

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 290 coronavirus cases yesterday, the highest Sunday case count since early February, to push the 7-day average up to 820 from 808 the day before, government data show. Four patients with Covid-19 died. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose to 494 with 94 now in intensive care. Data released by the National Institute of Public Health put the Covid death toll at 4,258. Out of a total of 206,317 coronavirus cases, 10,617 are estimated to be active.

Two regions see easing of restrictions

LJUBLJANA - Bars and restaurants in the Primorsko-Notranjska region are allowed to serve customers outdoors from today, having been promoted to tier yellow to join Posavje and South-East Slovenia, but only a few in fact opened due to fear of new closures, a possibility recently mentioned by the head of the government Covid-19 advisory group, Mateja Logar. Stores in Obalno-Kraška, which moved from red tier to orange, are allowed to reopen provided staff get tested weekly.

Govt to check EU prosecutor appointment procedure

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša told MPS that the procedure to select and appoint candidates for delegated EU prosecutors was "unusual" and that it relegated the government to the role of "mail carrier". He said the government was examining the procedure and did not exclude the possibility of changing the law since the Constitution determines Slovenia is represented externally by the government, and not by the State Prosecutors' Council or the Justice Ministry.

Slovenia joins non-paper on Bosnia-Herzegovina

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia and five other EU member states presented at a session of the EU foreign ministers a non-paper on Bosnia-Herzegovina urging the EU to retain a focus on the country. The Foreign Ministry said Slovenia had joined the initiative on Bosnia-Herzegovina and its progress towards the EU on 9 March. The Slovenian, Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Greek foreign ministers have also sent a letter, with the non paper enclosed, to High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell.

Slovenia supports EU's strategic autonomy concept

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is in favour of the concept of strategic autonomy in the EU as an opportunity to reduce the bloc's reliance on third-country suppliers, but this must be balanced against the need for an open economy and compliance with the rules of free trade, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek told an informal session of EU ministers for competitiveness. "If we wish to introduce targeted and proportionate measures to eliminate such dependence, it is also necessary to strengthen dialogue with industry," Počivalšek said.

Left with new initiative for military investments referendum

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left is working on a new referendum initiative for purchases for the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) after the top court stayed a EUR 780 million military investments law pending its final decision. The Left believes the government is trying to bypass the Constitutional Court's decision with amendments to the 2021 and 2022 budgets implementation act which would allow for long-term financing of SAF investments in line with the long-term programme of army development and mid-term defence programme.

Janša rejects criticism regarding government communication

LJUBLJANA - The head of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy group, Janja Sluga, said during questions time in parliament that the anti-coronavirus measures would have been more efficient if government representatives had been able to communicate them better. PM Janez Janša replied it was "a little bit off to listen to advice on communication from the chair of the deputy group of a party with a one-percent approval rating to the prime minister and the president of a party that has thirty times higher ratings."

Pahor meets ethnic minority reps from Italy

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor met representatives of the Slovenian minority in Italy to discuss the progress in the restitution of National Hall in Trieste to the minority and the minority's efforts for political representation at the national level. The representatives believe that all events held on 13 July 2020 have had a very positive impact on relations between the majority population and the minority, his office said.

World Water Day hears calls for protection of watercourses

LJUBLJANA - On World Water Day, experts and officials stressed the importance of waters and the need to protect Slovenia's abundance of water sources for future generations, especially in the light of proposed changes to the waters act that would loosen the rules for water protection areas. President Borut Pahor, parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič and Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina were among those who called against rash solutions that could jeopardise the constitutional right to clean drinking water.

Beekeepers against EU lowering bee protection standards

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Beekeeper's Association urged the government to reject any EU proposal to lower protection standards for honey bees or other pollinators. The beekeepers fear this could happen as part of the EU's revision of guidelines on risk assessment of pesticides, which will be examined by the standing committee for plants, animals, food and feed at the European Commission this week.

Science institute worried about attacks on STA

LJUBLJANA - The ZRC SAZU, the Scientific and Research Centre at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, expressed concern about escalating attacks on the STA, urging by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to stop threatening and financially starving the wire service. It noted the significance of the STA's reporting on science and research, as commercial media treat science as marginal because they do not attract many readers, viewers, listeners or clicks. UKOM denied the allegations and rejected the notion the government had ever interfered with the agency's editorial independence.

Hisense Gorenje hiring additional workers as orders grow

VELENJE - Household appliance maker Gorenje, a part of the Chinese group Hisense, is reporting increasing orders and is hiring additional workers, mostly at the newly opened TV plant. The plant in Velenje, where production of TV sets was launched in January, already has 750 employees, and an additional 50 will be employed in April. The company said it was also hiring additional workers for the household appliance plant.

Ljubljana Castle funicular up and running again

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Castle funicular resumed operation after a five-month break. For a ride passengers need to produce a negative coronavirus test taken within the past seven days, a certificate of vaccination, or a certificate of having recovered from Covid-19 not older than six months. One of the city's most popular sights, Ljubljana Castle saw its visitor numbers fall by 77% to 314,000 last year due to lockdown and the funicular saw a 83% fall in passengers to 97,600.

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

News

Editorial

Gourmet

Photo of the Month

Photo galleries and videos

Real Estate in Slovenia