STA, 16 March 2021 - The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage opposes a project to revamp a rundown sports stadium in Ljubljana that was designed by Slovenia's best known architect Jože Plečnik. The decision was made last month after the Culture Ministry annulled a previous positive opinion, Dnevnik reports on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning told the newspaper that the Bežigrad Sports Park project (BŠP) planned by entrepreneur Joc Pečečnik had received a negative opinion from both the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Culture Ministry.

The stadium in better days. Wikipedia

Related: Shameful Condition of Plečnik's Stadium in Ljubljana: An Example of Poor Governance?

The ministry would not comment on how this will affect the process of issuing a construction permit.

The company in charge of the project, BŠP, filed a request for a construction permit in December 2018 and supplemented it in May 2019. The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage gave its second consent at the end of last January.

The project had already had the institute's consent but had to obtain it again after a demand was filed for an integral construction permit under new legislation, which was to speed up the project.

Photo: Alja Mravljak

Photo: Alja Mravljak

However, the Culture Ministry, acting as a supervisor of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, told the Environment Ministry last August that the BŠP project was not in line with a decree declaring Plečnik's works in Ljubljana national monuments.

The Environment Ministry replied it was obligated to take into account the institute's positive opinion unless the Culture Ministry annulled it.

Subsequently, the Culture Ministry reviewed the consent to find it "illegal". It annulled the institute's decision last September.

The ministry said that Pečečnik's plans did not envisage renovation and conservation of all elements of the Plečnik stadium and that construction in the area of the monument was problematic.

In November 2007, the city of Ljubljana joined forces with businessman Pečečnik and the Slovenian Olympic Committee to turn the dilapidated stadium, built in 1923, into a sports park.

They set up the company BŠP, planning a EUR 253m project which would renovate the stadium in line with Plečnik's plans. Also planned in stadium area was a new multi-storage building housing a hotel, a sports clinic and department stores.

However, the project has seen many setbacks since with its opponents demanding renovation of the stadium in its original form.

Last March, the pan-European Europa Nostra organisation put the stadium on a list of seven most endangered European cultural heritage sites.

STA, 16 March 2021 - A poll conducted by Valicon shows that Slovenians trust the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine for Covid-19 the most among all coronavirus vaccines, followed by Johnson & Johnson. The share of Slovenians who intend to get vaccinated was up by one percentage points to 56%.

In the pollster's survey carried out between 4 and 7 March among 506 adults, these two vaccines are followed by Moderna and AstraZeneca in terms of the respondent's confidence.

Valicon noted that the poll had been conducted before vaccination with AstraZeneca was suspended in some European countries, including yesterday in Slovenia.

The Russian vaccine Sputnik and Chinese vaccines are on the bottom of the list, with 16% of surveyed Slovenians trusting the former and only 5% trusting the latter.

Around a third of the respondents do not trust either of the vaccines, while 56% of the respondents said they would get vaccinated, which is one percentage point more than in the previous Valicon survey.

STA, 16 March 2021 - Slovenia has ordered 90% of the vaccines it is entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis. In December, it did not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during a second round of joint EU purchasing, show figures from the EU's vaccination steering board.

This would suggest Slovenia does not have as much vaccine as it would be entitled to because in December, when an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was available under the first contract with the company, it did not place an order. Only Slovakia and Bulgaria made the same decision back then, according to these figures.

Slovenia ordered 80% of the Pfizer/BioNTech of the vaccine it was eligible for on a pro rata basis, a share that is not among the lowest in the EU. Slovakia for example ordered 56% of its share, and Croatia and Bulgaria 46%.

Unofficial information from well placed sources in Brussels suggests price may have played a role, since the Pfizer/BioNTech is more expensive.

On the other hand, Slovenia ordered 100% of its pro rata share of the Moderna Vaccine, 102.6% of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 100% of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Overall, Slovenia ordered almost 1.9 million vaccines for the first and second quarter, according to the figures by the steering board, which features representatives of all member states.

Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to the news on Twitter saying that if Slovenia had not ordered an additional million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after he provisionally took over as health minister, its vaccination rate would now be on a par with Bulgaria and Croatia, which have some of the lowest vaccination rates according to publicly available figures.

"Before, they ordered mostly #AstraZeneca," he tweeted.

Janša took over the health portfolio on 18 December after the resignation of Tomaž Gantar and was acting as health minister until Janez Poklukar was appointed in late February.

Minister Poklukar, speaking to journalists via videolink after meeting his EU counterparts, said he did not have detailed information about Slovenia's vaccine orders.

He said, however, that doubts remained about the distribution of vaccines, adding that the key thing at this point was a sufficient supply of vaccines in accordance with the contracts with manufacturers.

The Health Ministry additionally noted that, in the first phase, Slovenia had fully utilised the possibility to purchase Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on a pro rata basis.

In the autumn, it did not opt for an additional order, as it had been expected that AstraZeneca vaccine would be approved before that. Decision was made to order all possible quantities after the leadership at the ministry changed.

Slovenia has thus secured 936,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine from the first contract and 912,000 from the contract on the first additional quantity. It still waits for a new contract for an additional 410,700 doses, the ministry said.

"Slovenia has thus utilised all contractual possibilities, but not all optional possibilities for the two mentioned producers. The same is true for Moderna, the order of which is awaiting final confirmation."

The ministry added that Slovenia was also interested in all doses of vaccines that other countries would not want to have.

The figures come after six prime ministers, including Janša, held a meeting in Vienna today to call for a "correction mechanism" to fix what they called the unfair distribution of coronavirus vaccines within the bloc.

The European Commission has said the pro rata system was the underlying principle, but member states may agree otherwise, with some getting less and others getting more than their pro rata share.

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Motion to oust education minister defeated

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition fell eight votes short of an outright majority needed for their motion to oust Education Minister Simona Kustec to succeed. Kustec, backed by 41 votes to 38, hailed the outcome as a realistic result of the political balance of power. In the debate that went on for 16 hours the motion sponsors berated the minister over remote schooling, asserting schools in Slovenia had been closed the longest in Europe, something that the coalition disproved as untrue.

PM calls for "corrective mechanism" in EU vaccine distribution

VIENNA, Austria - PM Janez Janša called for a "corrective mechanism" for the distribution of vaccines in the EU after talks with his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia and Latvia. Such a corrective mechanism would mark a return in the distribution of vaccines to the point when it was agreed that the vaccines would be divided on a pro rata basis, measured by population size. "No technical agreement, no steering committee, no technical procedure can change a decision adopted with purpose of benefiting all in the European Union," he said.

Slovenia ordered 90% of vaccine it was entitled to on pro rata basis

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia has ordered 90% of the vaccines it is entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis. In December, it did not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during a second round of joint EU purchasing, show figures from the EU's vaccination steering board. PM Janez Janša responded to the news saying that if Slovenia had not ordered an additional million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after he provisionally took over as health minister, its vaccination rate would now be on a par with Bulgaria and Croatia, which have some of the lowest rates.

Logar discusses EU presidency, Russia ties in Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev to discuss Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. Turning to relations with Russia, Logar assured Kuleba Slovenia would be a fair intermediary. Kuleba expressed the hope that Ukraine's voice would be heard during Slovenia's presidency. Logar also met Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and parliamentary Speaker Dmytro Razumkov today. The talks with the former focussed on the expectations ahead of a summit of the Eastern Partnership.

New increase in coronavirus infections

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 918 coronavirus infections for Monday to push the 7-day average of new daily cases up by 20 from the day before to 716. Three more patients with Covid-19 died, government data show. Covid-19 hospitalisations fell to 451 with 83 patients in intensive care. The cumulative 7-day incidence per 100,000 residents rose to 239 from 232 the day before. The western Goriška region has the highest, at 309. There are an estimated 10,388 coronavirus cases in the country.

Three parties want Court of Audit head out due to incompatibility of office

LJUBLJANA - The deputy groups of the coalition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) and the opposition National Party (SNS) called for a session of the parliamentary Privileges and Credential Commission at which they would propose that the mandate of Court of Audit president Tomaž Vesel be terminated due to the alleged incompatibility of the office with Vesel's job in FIFA. Vesel said he understood the motion as "indecent and unacceptable political pressure" on an independent institution. He noted that it coincided with the release of a report on the government's purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Slovenia one of the lowest defence spenders in NATO

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia continues to rank among NATO member states allocating the lowest proportion of its GDP for defence spending, trailing the list by investment in defence equipment, follows from a report for 2020 presented by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Slovenia allocated 1.1% of its GDP for defence in 2020, of which 4.6% for investment in defence equipment. e Only Belgium (1.07%) and Luxembourg (0.57%) allocated less for defence spending.

Police reportedly clear Hojs over land purchase

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that police had cleared Interior Minister Aleš Hojs over the acquisition of a plot of land on the coast last year. The National Bureau of Investigation told Delo it had found no reason to suspect a crime prosecuted ex officio in relation to several pieces of land sold by a Russian citizen to several Slovenians on the coast. The news comes a day after the corruption watchdog said it had established no corruption risks or integrity breaches in the case.

Taxi drivers fined for protesting against Covid-19 testing

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Taxi Drivers revealed that police fined 57 taxi drivers a total of EUR 22,800 for having staged a protest drive against rapid testing every 72 hours last month. The taxi drivers will seek legal remedy in court while they have already petitioned the Constitutional Court to examine the relevant government decree. A day after the car protest, the government changed the decree as a result of which taxi drivers are now required to get tested once a week.

Public broadcaster budgeting EUR 4.8m shortfall for 2021

LJUBLJANA - The programming council of RTV Slovenija endorsed on Monday the public broadcaster's draft financial plan for 2021. Revenue is planned at EUR 131.31 million and expenditure at EUR 136.08 million, with the EUR 4.77 million gap to be offset by surplus from previous years. The broadcaster's director Igor Kadunc said revenue for public service will be EUR 26.33 million below expenditure. The document now needs approval of RTV Slovenija's other oversight body, the supervisory board.

SSH fails in suit over biotech takeover

LJUBLJANA - The Delo reported that Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) failed in its lawsuit against the Italian partner in a joint venture that sold biotech firm Bia Separations although the ruling is not yet final. SSH claimed it had not been properly informed of the intention by Meta Ingenium to sell its 10.8% stake in Bia Separations before it sold the state's 49% stake in the fund to Meta Venture in September 2020, but Delo says the Ljubljana District Court found this not to have been true.

Food-processing chain joins forces with hospitality, tourism

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Agricultural and Food Companies at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), the Tourism and Hospitality Chamber (TGZS), and the Hospitality and Tourism Section of the Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) signed a memorandum to establish a chain of the food-processing, hospitality and tourism sectors in a bid to form a long-term strategic partnership between food and beverage suppliers, and the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Epidemic slashes gross value in advertising by 11%

LJUBLJANA - Gross value of advertising in Slovenia dropped by 11% to EUR 980 million in 2020, as the industry was globally affected by the pandemic. The largest advertisers in the country were retailers Spar Slovenija, Mercator and Lidl Slovenija, according to Slovenian market and research agency Mediana. Telecommunications providers were another strong sector in terms of advertising, followed by pharmaceutical companies and financial services providers.

Slovenia's Pogačar wins Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race

SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO, Italy - Slovenian road cycling star Tadej Pogačar won Tirreno-Adriatico, an elite race across Italy between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts, in what is already his sixth overall career win in multi-day races. The 22-year-old racer for Team UEA Emirates set the foundation for the win in the "Race of the Two Seas" on Saturday and Sunday, when he grabbed the jersey for the overall leader after two gruelling stages. In addition to the blue jersey for the overall winner, he also won the white jersey for the best young cyclists and the polka-dot jersey for the best mountain climber.

Slovenian influencer startup raises EUR 400,000

LJUBLJANA - Epidemic, a one-year-old Slovenian influencer marketing startup, has raised EUR 400,000 from three Slovenian angel investors to expand its team of influencers and upgrade its artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company uses local and niche opinion leaders it calls "nano influencers", matching them to the brands they like and turning them into brand ambassadors at scale by using artificial intelligence.

Online retailer Zalando coming to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Zalando, a European e-commerce company based in Berlin that follows a platform approach, offering fashion and lifestyle products, is coming to Slovenia this year. The company, founded in Germany in 2008, expects to generate around EUR 10 billion in revenue this year. The Zalando online platform comprised more than 3,400 stores at the end of February.

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STA, 16 March 2021 - Slovenian road cycling star Tadej Pogačar is the winner of Tirreno-Adriatico, an elite race across Italy between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts, in what is already his sixth overall career win in multi-day races.

The 22-year-old racer for Team UEA Emirates set the foundation for the win in the "Race of the Two Seas" on Saturday and Sunday, when he grabbed the jersey for the overall leader after two gruelling stages.

He was reserved in the penultimate stage on Monday but managed to keep a lead of more than a minute ahead of the closest rivals, and the last, seventh stage, a 10.1-km time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto was a formality.

Pogačar was fourth in the time trial to keep the lead and win the sixth multi-stage race in his career, the most prestigious of them being last year's Tour de France. He also recently won the Tour of UAE.

The Slovenian finished more than one minute ahead of Belgium's Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). Spain's Mikel Landa was third overall, falling almost four minutes behind Pogačar.

"I'm super happy with today's performance, with the entire week actually. I'm in great shape, and I have an excellent team by my side. I'm happy and we are going forward with positive thoughts," the Slovenian said.

In addition to the blue jersey for the overall winner, he also won the white jersey for the best young cyclists and the polka-dot jersey for the best mountain climber.

After his second multi-stage race this season, Pogačar will rest a bit, after taking part in the Tour of the Basque Country (5-10 April), where he will race against his compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) for this first time this year.

STA, 15 March 2021 - A 61-year-old man from eastern Slovenia is reported to have killed his 57-year-old partner on Monday, another in a string of murder-suicides that have taken place in Slovenia in recent months.

Police were dispatched to a home near Šmarje pri Jelšah after they received report of a shooting and found a woman dead in front of the house.

She was shot dead by her partner, who went indoors after the shooting and then proceeded to shoot himself.

When police burst into the house, the man was still alive and was provided first aid, but he died on the spot, police said.

This is the latest in a string of murders or murder-suicides.

The vast majority of murders in Slovenia are in a domestic situation and last year police recorded three such triple murders as well as a string of murder-suicides.

STA, 15 March 2021 - Slovenia has decided to temporarily halt the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine pending a decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said Monday the Slovenian expert group for vaccines had not found reasonable grounds to stop using the jab.

Nevertheless, as a matter of precaution it is proposed that vaccination be suspended.

All those scheduled to receive the vaccine in the coming days will be rescheduled, whereas vaccination with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will continue as planned, he said.

The decision comes after several European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, have decided to halt the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine amidst reports of blood clots.

This is despite evidence that blood clots are no more likely among those that have received the vaccine than among the general population.

The EMA has announced a special meeting for Thursday to decide on further actions over the AstraZeneca jab, according to media reports, even as it stressed that the benefits of the jab outweighed the risks..

STA, 15 March 2021 - Stricter rules to enter Slovenia have kicked in for several groups, including people commuting daily to work outside Slovenia, in an EU or Schengen country. From today, they only do not have to quarantine if they can produce a negative coronavirus test result not older than seven days. The measure applies to arrivals from red-listed countries.

People commuting daily to work in one of the EU or Schengen-area countries can enter Slovenia without mandatory quarantine with a negative test result, a PCR or a rapid one, which is not older than seven days. They have to return within 14 hours after leaving Slovenia.

A negative test result is also obligatory for persons crossing the border for educational or research purposes in an EU or Schengen country. The person accompanying the one travelling for these purposes can enter Slovenia under the same conditions, but has to return immediately after dropping them off.

The new measure also applies to arrivals from another EU or Schengen zone country where they engage in day care or personal assistance, maintenance works on a private building or land, or in activity designed to eliminate risks to health, lives and property. They must return to Slovenia within 12 hours after crossing the border.

A negative test result is also obligatory for dual owners or lessees of land in bordering areas or on both sides of border who cross into a neighbouring country to do agricultural work; they have to return to Slovenia within ten hours.

Persons coming to Slovenia for a medical appointment need a negative test result too, and are obliged to leave the country upon completing it.

The government introduced this measure for most of these groups at the start of February, but soon softened it to apply only to persons arriving in Slovenia from EU or Schengen countries with a worse epidemiological situation than Slovenia.

For all the other arrivals from the red-listed countries quarantine is still compulsory, while it can be avoided with a negative test result; the PCR test must not be older than 48 hours since the swab was taken and the rapid antigen test not older than 24 hours.

Those who have already fallen ill with Covid-19 and recovered from it or have been vaccinated against coronavirus can enter Slovenia without restrictions.

The list of the groups that do not have to quarantine or produce a negative test upon entering Slovenia features a total of nine exceptions.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Slovenia temporarily halts AstraZeneca vaccine use

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has decided to follow the lead of several major European countries and temporarily halt the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine pending a decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Health Minister Janez Poklukar said the Slovenian expert group for vaccines had not found reasonable grounds to stop using the jab. Nevertheless, as a matter of precaution it is proposed that vaccination be suspended.

Minister warns against discrimination over vaccination certificates

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs warned against discrimination in relation to Covid-19 vaccination certificates. He believes it is too early to talk about crossing borders with apps or certificates until most citizens have had access to a coronavirus vaccine. The European Commission will present on Wednesday a proposal for a digital green certificate that is to make travel easier during the coronavirus pandemic.

Slovenia advocates stricter approach on return of migrants

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia advocated a stricter approach to dealing with third countries when it comes to returning migrants from the EU as the bloc's foreign and interior ministers debated the external aspects of the EU's migration policy. The virtual session came after Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said last week the ministers should agree on third countries that need to be focused on in efforts to strengthen the return of migrants.

Hojs sceptical about support for Croatia joining Schengen zone

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press he was not optimistic about support among EU countries for Croatia joining the Schengen zone. He does not expect the Portuguese presidency to put the matter on the agenda again, but added he had no problems with putting in on the agenda during Slovenia's EU presidency.

Minister Kustec, coalition reject criticism as opposition claims she must go

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec's handling of school closures took centre stage as the National Assembly debated a motion to oust her. The leftist opposition claimed the minister should have acted more resolutely to return kids to school as soon as possible, while Kustec and the coalition dismissed the criticism as politicking. The parliamentary debate is scheduled to last beyond midnight and given the distribution of votes in the National Assembly, Kustec is almost certain to survive the vote of no confidence.

Tighter entry rules for daily migrant workers

LJUBLJANA - Stricter rules to enter Slovenia kicked in for several groups, including people commuting daily to work outside Slovenia, in an EU or Schengen country. From today, they do not have to quarantine only if they produce a negative coronavirus test result not older than seven days. The measure applies to arrivals from red-listed countries. A negative test result is also obligatory for persons crossing the border for educational or research purposes and those accompanying them.

205 coronavirus cases on Sunday, four deaths

LJUBLJANA - A further 205 people tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday and four patients with Covid-19 died. The seven-day average of new daily cases dropped by one from the day before to 696. The number of those in hospital increased by 25 to 463, of which 87 patients were in intensive care. According to the National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia has so far confirmed 200,579 coronavirus cases, of which 10,233 are active.

Pahor nominates Tina Žumer as Banka Slovenije vice-governor

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor sent to parliament today a proposal to appoint Tina Žumer a vice-governor of central bank Banka Slovenije, while the nominee will present her bid to the public at the Presidential Palace tomorrow. Žumer is a former employee of Banka Slovenije who now works at the European Central Bank.

Hojs's land purchase cleared by corruption watchdog

LJUBLJANA - As part of its preliminary procedure, the corruption watchdog established there were no corruption risks or breaches of the integrity law when Interior Minister Aleš Hojs bought a piece of land on the Slovenian coast in July 2020. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption said it would not process the case further. The weekly Mladina alleged in September that Hojs had bought the plot cheaply owing to his being an acquaintance of Koper Mayor Boris Popović.

Pahor and Moldovan counterpart discuss Covid-19 pandemic

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor talked to his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu via video link, inviting her to visit Slovenia. The pair discussed a number of topics, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Pahor's office said in a press release. Sandu spoke about Moldova's wish to make steps toward EU membership and boost cooperation with member states, including Slovenia. Pahor expressed support for Moldova's efforts to boost the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

MP Lep leaving DeSUS deputy group

LJUBLJANA - MP Jurij Lep announced would would leave the deputy group of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), citing a lack of consistency between the party, which left the government coalition in December, and the five-strong deputy group. He is not considering quitting the party or joining anther deputy faction. However, under the party's internal rules, membership terminates when an MP has left the deputy group or become an independent.

Former DeSUS head and minister Pivec founding new party

LJUBLJANA - Aleksandra Pivec, the former president of the Pensioner's Party (DeSUS) and agriculture minister, has made good on her announcements about forming a new party. The maiden congress of the For People movement is scheduled for Saturday in Maribor. Pivec stepped down as agriculture minister in the Janez Janša government last October following her ousting as the leader of DeSUS due to suspected ethics breaches.

Vox populi: Govt with lowest rating ever, SDS improving still

LJUBLJANA - The latest Vox Populi poll sees more than 67% of respondents not approving of the government's work in a new low for the Janez Janša cabinet. However, support for the ruling Democrats (SDS) continues to grow, improving by almost two percentage points to 18.9%, or a full 6 points ahead of the second-placed SocDems.

SAZU presents statement on reconciliation

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) presented a statement on reconciliation, underlining that Slovenians must reach an consensus about basic values on which the nations is founded. Presented to President Borut Pahor today, the statement says that it should not be contentious that resistance against World War II occupying forces was justified, while armed collaboration with the occupying forces was not. The usurpation of the National Liberation Front by the Communist Party and revolutionary terror were unjustified, but the resistance against it was.

Slovenian minority loses mayoral post in Carinthia

KLAGENFURT, Austria - The Slovenian minority in the Austrian state of Carinthia is left with only one mayor after incumbent Franc Jožef Smrtnik, a member of the United List (EL), lost Sunday's run-off in Eisenkappel (Železna Kapla) to Elisabeth Lobnik of the Social Democrats (SPÖ). The Slovenian minority in the southern Austrian state thus remains with only one mayor, in Globasnitz (Globasnica), where Bernard Sadovnik was re-elected mayor in the first round two weeks ago.

Slovenia awarded citizenships to 1,900 foreigners in 2019

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia awarded citizenship to 1,900 foreigners residing in the country in 2019, which is a 5% drop in comparison to the year before, show statistics published by Eurostat. At the same time the number of citizenships granted in the EU, excluding the UK, rose by 5% to 706,400. Non-EU citizens accounted for nearly 96% of those who were granted citizenship by Slovenia. Almost 60% of the beneficiaries were men. Around a third were children younger than 14.

January pay decreases slightly month-on-month

LJUBLJANA - The average gross pay in Slovenia in January stood at EUR 1,977, down by 2.2% nominally and 1.8% in real terms on December, show the Statistics Office data. Those working in healthcare and social care services received the highest pay on average. The average January net pay also decreased compared to December, by 3.5% in nominal terms and 3.1% in real terms to EUR 1,269. Year-on-year, the average gross pay was up by 9.4 nominally and by 10.2% in real terms.

All against All wins Andrej Košak three best-picture awards

LJUBLJANA - All against All (Vsi proti Vsem), a 2019 political thriller by Slovenian director and screenwriter Andrej Košak has won three best-picture awards and an award for best photography at international film festivals as well as an award for best poster in the past month. The feature about a corrupt mayor who is about to lose an election, took best picture awards at film festivals in India, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

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STA, 15 March 2021 - Criminal complaints have been filed against eight persons and two legal entities as part of an investigation of alleged trafficking in human beings or abuse of prostitution in a night club in Šentilj. The scheme involved at least 38 women victims and is believed to have fetched the criminal gang at least EUR 207,000.

The investigation culminated last Wednesday with house searches carried out at 13 locations, with criminal police officers identifying at least 38 victims, mostly from the Dominican Republic.

Criminal complaints have been filed against two legal entities and eight persons, one of whom is still in detention.

The suspected criminal acts in the night club on the border with Austria near Maribor are believed to had been taking place for several years, Beno Meglič, head of the criminal police of the Maribor Police Department, told the press on Monday.

The police have found out using covert methods that the scheme was performed by a criminal gang in which every member had very specific roles.

"The gang was headed by a 40-year-old Slovenian citizen who, together with his wife, a 35-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, ran the night club," Meglič said. The club was leased from a 63-year-old Slovenian citizen.

The gang recruited at least 38 women, mostly form the Dominican Republic, but also from Serbia, Romania, Paraguay, Croatia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ukraine and Slovenia.

According to Meglič, the suspects took advantage of the socio-economic situation of the women in their native countries as a recruitment tool.

Some of them were lured to Slovenia under the pretence of a well-paid waitress job, and they were accommodated at various locations in and around Maribor. From there they were taken to the night club, where they had to provide sex services.

The scheme did not stop even during the Covid-19 lockdown, which according to Meglič "shows how utterly careless and irresponsible attitude the gang had towards the victims and visitors, and to public safety and health in general".

The price of sexual services was set in advance at EUR 140 per hour, with the women receiving only part of the payment, as they first had to give most of the money to the gang as reimbursement of costs of transfer to Slovenia.

"Only when they repaid this debt, they started getting their share. They were able to stop doing prostitution only when the gang allowed it or when they managed to recruit, under the pretence of a well-paid waitress job, at least two other women who would then had to do prostitution themselves," he added.

The victims, aged 25-35, were under constant surveillance and some of them formally married Slovenian citizens in order to get residence permits. The first estimates say that the criminal gang has earned at least EUR 207,000 with the scheme.

Under the Slovenian criminal code, between three and 15 years in prison and a fine is envisaged for a criminal act of trafficking in human beings as part of a criminal gang.

Meglič added that criminal police officers were also looking into suspected criminal act of money laundering committed by the mentioned 40-year-old and the 63-year-old Slovenian citizens.

According to the newspaper Večer, the suspects include Zlatko Župec, the person who leased the Tropicana night club, and its owner Bojan Belna, who is a member of the Šentilj municipal council from the Democratic Party (SDS).

Meglič did not mention any specific names today for the sake of protection of personal information. "I may confirm that no political party was subject of investigation in these preliminary proceedings," he added.