STA, 28 February 2021 - Slovenian olive oil Vanja produced by Koper-based olive grower Vanja Dujc has won the prestigious Olio Nuovo award for the best olive oil in the northern hemisphere in 2021, the contest's organisers announced.

The award was presented on Thursday. The accolade is the recognition of quality and brand, said the organisers, who lauded Dujc's oil as "wonderful, complex oil, balanced and with a fiery kick at the end".

The jury, comprised of olive oil experts and top chefs, is chaired by Michelin-starred chef Eric Briffard, the head of the Paris Le Cordon Bleu institute.

The contest is held twice a year - in February the best oil in the northern hemisphere is picked and in August the winner of the southern hemisphere is selected.

Dujc has been producing olive oil since 1984 in village Malija in the coastal Izola municipality. His orchard boasts some 1,200 trees and produces 3,300 litres per year, according to the organisers.

Having won a number of international awards for his oil, Dujc has been dubbed "olive oil guru" or "olive oil whisperer". The first time he became an olive oil world champion was at the first olive oil world championship organised as part of the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, newspaper Delo reported.

The website is still under construction, but here’s the Facebook page

STA, 28 February 2021 - Singer Ana Soklič will represent Slovenia at this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with a song titled Amen. The song was premiered during the annual EMA music event on Saturday evening with Soklič singing it in English.

Since it was already known that Soklič will represent Slovenia this year as she did not get the chance to do that in 2020, the only thing left to announce was the song.

The latest Slovenian Eurovision entry will be first presented to the European audience during the contest's first semi-final on 18 May.

The inspiration for the song was life itself, said Soklič, who co-wrote music along with Žiga Pirnat and Bojan Simončič and lyrics with Pirnat and US lyricist Charlie Mason, whose credits include hits by Miley Cyrus as well as the 2014 Eurovision winning song Rise Like a Phoenix, performed by Conchita Wurst.

The production of Amen also included the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra and an accompanying choir led by Dorian Holley, who was one of Michael Jackson's backing vocalists.

The vocals for the song were recorded in EastWest Studios in Hollywood with record producer Tony Maserati on hand. Maserati is famous for working with music celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston and David Bowie, RTV Slovenija said.

He contributed to the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s and has been since cooperating on Grammy nominated and winning projects including with Black Eyed Peas and Beyoncé.

This year's EMA was held in a different format due to the Covid circumstances and the cancellation of last year's Eurovision contest. Instead of 12 songs competing for the honour to represent Slovenia, the show paid tribute to the most famous Slovenian and Yugoslavian Eurovision performances to mark the 60th anniversary of former Yugoslavia's first Eurovision appearance.

Slovenia was first represented at Eurovision as an independent country in 1993. Since then, the country has never failed to take part except for 1994 and 2000. The country's best result to date is 7th place, both in 1995 with Darja Švajger and in 2001 with Nuša Derenda.

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 restrictions stepped up in coastal region

KOPER - Tighter coronavirus restrictions kicked in in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region after the epidemiological situation in the south-west worsened. Gatherings are banned and travel between the region and the rest of Slovenia is restricted to work- and health-related reasons. Schools and shops up to 400 square metres meanwhile remain open.

Nearly 950 new test positive for coronavirus on Friday, 13 die

LJUBLJANA - 948 of a total of 4,861 PCR coronavirus tests came back positive on Friday for a positivity rate of 19.5%, the government said. 513 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, 95 requiring intensive care, while 13 died. The 7-day incidence average was at 763, one fewer than the day before. The number Covid-19 patients requiring hospital care continues to drop as well, decreasing by 16 compared to Thursday, while the number of those in intensive care remained unchanged.

Slovenia sees EUR 432m in budget deficit in January

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's state budget revenue was at EUR 890 million in January, down from EUR 1.7 million in January 2019, while expenditure went up by 48% to EUR 1.32 billion. The measures designed to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis drove the deficit to EUR 432 million, which amounts to some 17% of total deficit planned for this year, the Finance Ministry said. Year-on-year increases in expenditure were highest in salaries, subsidies, transfers to individuals and households.

Slovenske Železnice posts EUR 3m in 2020 profit

LJUBLJANA - Railways operator Slovenske Železnice generated EUR 2.9 million in net profit at group level last year. The figure was considerably lower than the EUR 35 million in 2019 due to severance payments. It paid out EUR 36 million on severance and expects to spend a total of EUR 52 million by the time it lets go redundancies. Revenue reached EUR 540.7 million, compared to more than EUR 600 million in 2019. The groups' EBITDA reached EUR 52.4 million, while EBIT was at EUR 6.7 million, the parent company said.

Agricultural products prices down 2% last year

LJUBLJANA - Agricultural product prices dropped by 2% in 2020 over 2019, the Statistics Office said. They were dragged down by a drop in prices for animals and animal products, while crops became more expensive, apples above all. Total value of agricultural products sold last year amounted to EUR 535.8 million, 3.5% less than in 2019. Prices of crops went up by 1.1% on average last year, dragged up above all by apples. The prices of animals and animal products dropped by 3.9% on average.

Lanišek wins bronze at Nordic World Ski Championships

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ski jumper Anže Lanišek won the bronze medal on the normal hill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf. Gold went to Polish Piotr Zyila, while German Karl Geiger was second. Touching down at 102.5 metres in the first round, Lanišek was in place two before the second round, lagging three points behind Zyla in first place. Lanišek's second jump was 1.5 metres shorter and he lost a spot, with Geiger jumping 102 metres and taking the silver medal.

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

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 26 February 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Good Reasons for an Independence Museum

STA, 26 February 2021 - The left-leaning Mladina magazine says in its latest editorial that the idea of the Janez Janša government to establish a museum of Slovenian independence should be supported simply because it should be clearly explained that persons who later became alleged great democrats had used to try their luck first in the Communist Party.

"But this is only the first reason why the establishment of the new museum needs to be supported. The main reasons are hiding in the present time," the left-leaning weekly adds under the headline For Museum of Independence.

It argues that if Janša and his political supporters so persistently build on their actual and also alleged credits for independence and democratisation of Slovenia, it is time indeed to get the space where everything would be explained in detail.

Construction should start during their time in power, and the "next, normal authorities need to make the commitment that they will conclude this project, only that it will hand it over to actual and true historians."

Mladina argues that the timeline in the museum should end in the present time, with the departure of the last communist from power, noting that there were currently two such persons - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The weekly says that both have remained Communist Party members in their soul and that it is thus right for them to get their place in the museum.

"They have a common episode that should get a special, dark corridor in the museum," it says in reference to the erased, the thousands of nationals of the former Yugoslavia who were unlawfully deleted from the country's permanent resident registry.

Mladina adds that children should also learn about all the other stories, "from the one about Janša sending [dissident] Jože Pučnik to history to arms trade ... yes, this is the history of Slovenia's independence efforts".

This circle that Slovenia has completed in the 30 years deserves a museum. "And Janša is right: he deserves a special place in it. As a warning to the future generations," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: The Left that Instigates Hatred

STA, 25 February 2021 - A journalist from Politico reproached Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša for waging a war on and expressing hatred towards the media, but the truth is diametrically opposite - it is the media inclined to the left that instigate hatred and war against the centre-right government, the right-leaning Demokracija says in its latest commentary.

The right-leaning weekly says that when Janša fired back at the journalist, a well-organised globalist journalist group that "lives in a world of hatred towards everything that does not correspond to their beliefs" immediately responded.

The wrath expressed against Janša, who "dared respond to the lies and manipulations written by Lili Bayer" is the latest textbook example, Demokracija adds under the headline Coachmen of Fake Justice.

"Those who follow what is going on beyond borders at least a little bit have noticed that the agenda of the leftist avant-garde is the same everywhere. What is not on their side of the value system is fascism, racism, xenophobia and hatred."

It was naive to expect that generation X, which had been brainwashed by the baby boom generation and which today holds major positions in the media, education, public administration and governments, will be tolerant to those who think differently.

"Instead, a generation has grown of terrifying people who lean towards totalitarianism, and who have established the foundation of the system with the wish to replace the ancient, traditional ideas and and laws."

Demokracija cannot believe that the competitive battle of viewpoints is dying out and how easily some people accept the religion of single-mindedness as the latest trend, as the only legitimate direction.

"How quickly completely ordinary people joined the madness and become snitches who help repress different opinions, only to suck up to the fake icons of justice. The latter, believe me, are taking the coach and the horse into the abyss."

All our posts in this series are here

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 19 February
        VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg assessed the countries' relations in the past year as positive as Logar paid a working visit to Vienna.
        LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic has had an impact on the work of the Slovenian law enforcement authorities with a report from the Specialised State Prosecution Service showing there were virtually no new incoming cases during the first wave of the epidemic last spring.
        LJUBLJANA - Franc Dover, the director of the Maribor waste utility Snaga and chief supervisor of state-owned power utility HSE, became a new non-executive director of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC).
        KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper reported sales dropping by 8% year-on-year to EUR 210 million as shipping volumes contracted across the board. Net profit declined by 21% to EUR 32 million but it was still a percent higher than planned.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars as the opposition alleged irregularities. Motorway company DARS and the Infrastructure Ministry rejected any impropriety.
        LJUBLJANA - The home policy and justice committees debated on Friday hate speech at the request of the coalition, condemning insulting and hateful discourse. Calls for decent and respectful dialogue could be heard both from coalition and opposition MPs.
        KOPER - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution as he appeared at the Koper District Court for a pre-trial hearing.
        LJUBLJANA - Writer and former politician Tone Peršak resigned on Thursday as the president of Slovenian PEN, citing personal reasons, after having served less than four months.

SATURDAY, 20 February
        LJUBLJANA - As he hosted an event marking one of the key anniversaries in Slovenia's independence efforts, President Borut Pahor said that the current political sentiment, in which there was more conflict than cooperation, was not sustainable.
        LJUBLJANA - A total of 114 organ transplants were performed in the UKC Ljubljana hospital last year, with donations and transplant activity running smoothly despite the epidemic. One of the main achievements was lung transplant in a 34-year-old whose lungs failed due to post-Covid-19 complications.
        MARIBOR - A statement about success in life being linked to taking risks by the long-serving head teacher of the Druga Gimnazija Maribor secondary school Ivan Lorenčič won him the Spade of the Year award from the newspaper publisher Večer.

SUNDAY, 21 February
        BRNIK/LJUBLJANA - Some 180 passengers flew to Tenerife from Slovenia's main international airport as the first charter flight and so far the only tourist charter flight from Brnik airport.

MONDAY, 22 February
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - As EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement to introduce sanctions against the persons responsible for the arrest and prison sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Slovenia's Anže Logar pointed to the need for the EU to be united in its attitude towards Russia.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - During its EU presidency Slovenia would like to organise an EU-Western Balkans summit and an informal summit on resilience, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the press.
        GENEVA, Switzerland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said recovery after pandemic should include actions aimed at achieving greater equality, solidarity and social protection as he addressed in a video call the UN Human Rights Council.
        LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) invited PM Janez Janša, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, Government Communication Office director Uroš Urbanija and public broadcaster RTV Slovenija director general Igor Kadunc to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia on 5 March.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia started lowering Covid ward capacities, as weekly average infection and hospitalisation figures had been dropping. The 7-day average number of new cases was at 744 on Sunday.
        NAIROBI, Kenya - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak highlighted the role and potential of green investment for a low-carbon and circular economy as he addressed in a video call a two-day virtual session of the UN Environment Assembly.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Police Department said a 39-year-old man from Ljubljana had been charged with incitement to violent protests in connection to an anti-government rally that turned violent on 5 November. News portal Siol.net identified the suspect as Anis Ličina.
        TRIESTE, Italy - The Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reported that a predominantly Slovenian group of landowners in San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina municipality in Italy had reclaimed ownership of large tracts of lands under a landmark judgement recently handed down by an Italian court, a development seen as creating significant economic opportunities.
        KIDRIČEVO - Boxmark, a maker of car upholstery, is branching out into aircraft upholstery having recently sealed a deal to make leather upholstery for Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

TUESDAY, 23 February
        LJUBLJANA - Janez Poklukar, a 42-year-old doctor-turned health manager who has been leading Slovenia's largest medical centre through the biggest ever health crisis, was appointed new health minister by the National Assembly in a 50:31 vote.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that Slovenia would look for "additional options for vaccine supplies" amidst sluggish supplies from the joint EU purchase.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed until its final ruling the provisions of the seventh economic stimulus law under which employers may unilaterally terminate the employment contract when a worker meets retirement criteria.
        WARSAW, Poland - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec wrapped up a two-day visit to Poland, having held talks with Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk and Environment Minister Michal Kurtyka. He said Slovenia sought to strengthen cooperation with Poland in maritime transport, in particular through the Koper port.
        LJUBLJANA - Coronavirus restrictions were in the focus as Foreign Minister Anže Logar spoke to ambassadors of EU countries accredited to Slovenia at a virtual meeting. He stressed the need for close coordination of measures at EU level with the aim of ensuring the smoothest possible flow of people, goods, capital and services despite some necessary restrictions.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is working with member states whose nationals must pay higher fees for UK work visas to end this discrimination. Member states which are discriminated against raised this issue at Tuesday's meeting of Europe ministers.
        LJUBLJANA - A new airline named SouthEast Airlines is emerging in Slovenia, web aviation portal Sierra5 reported, adding that the airline would initially provide mainly charter flights using a fleet of Airbus A320s.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court annulled a mandatory health insurance rule that restricts the right to artificial insemination procedures to women up to the age of 43.

WEDNESDAY, 24 February
        LJUBLJANA/BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša invited all parliamentary parties to sign an agreement on cooperation shortly before a cooperation-themed meeting of party heads hosted by President Borut Pahor. Most opposition parties declined.
        LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders urged the Slovenian government to swiftly appoint the country's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, so that the new institution could start operating in Slovenia on 1 March as planned. The government has meanwhile adopted a bill related to the appointments.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted changes to the penal code redefining rape, thus overtaking NGO the March 8 Institute which has been pushing for a similar redefinition, campaigning under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes.
        LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party's (DeSUS) executive council decided that the party would act as moderate opposition in the future. The party will not sign the prime minister's cooperation agreement and it will also not remain a member of the opposition's Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL).
        LJUBLJANA - The more virulent variants of coronavirus appear not to be very widespread in Slovenia yet. Two labs which conduct genetic sequencing have so far identified 35 cases of the UK variant and not a single case of the South African or Brazilian variant.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his counterpart Jean Asselborn to discuss creating a resilient Europe, a topic that will be one of the priorities of Slovenia's approaching EU Council presidency. He also met with European Investment Bank (EIB) president Werner Hoyer.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar extended the terms of six heads of mission - in Berlin, Brussels, Bratislava, The Hague, Tehran and Trieste. The terms of all six diplomats would have expired in the summer.
        LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Simon Starček the new acting director general of the Financial Administration (FURS) to replace Irena Nunčič, who has been the acting director general since September 2020.
        LJUBLJANA - The bank NLB may pay out EUR 92 million in dividends this year and a total of some EUR 300 million in three years, the bank's board said in an online financials presentation. Moreover, Chairman Blaž Brodnjak said that the group had acquired nearly a million new clients in last year's acquisition of Serbian Komercijalna Banka. NLB's market share in Serbia has gone from below 2% to over 12%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) has suspended the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) again. STA director Bojan Veselinovič said UKOM's excuse that there is no legal basis for the payment as "an outright eerie pretending of ignorance".
        LJUBLJANA - The government has drafted legislative changes under which drivers of motor vehicles powered by natural gas will be exempt from paying excise duties until the end of 2025, in a bid to pursue Slovenia's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transport.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič was awarded the small crystal globe as the overall World Cup winner in the women's sprint discipline as the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to cut the season short.

THURSDAY, 25 February
        LJUBLJANA - Attending a virtual informal session of EU ministers in charge of the internal market and industry on Thursday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek discussed with his colleagues the role of national recovery and resilience plans as instruments of implementing the industrial strategy.
        LJUBLJANA - A group of 39 MPs from the opposition parties the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) requested a parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work during a period from 13 March 2020, when the Janez Janša government was sworn in, to the launching of the inquiry.
        LJUBLJANA - The government restricted movement in the south-western region of Obalno-Kraška as of Saturday as the epidemiological situation deteriorated there. Travel to and from the region will be allowed only exceptionally, for work- or health-related reasons, gatherings in public places are banned again.
        LJUBLJANA - The council of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ) unanimously confirmed the appointment of Marijan Papež as director-general for another four-year term. If the government clears the appointment, this will be Papež's fifth term at the helm of the ZPIZ.
        LJUBLJANA - Former Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti was appointed Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director general. He will start his four-year term on 1 April.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ema Klinec won a ski jumping event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany becoming the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion.

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: 

Janša urges von der Leyen to send fact-finding mission to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an invitation for the Commission to appoint a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality. Responding, the Commission confirmed it had received Janša's letter on Thursday, adding the Commission's annual report on the rule of law was the proper framework to assess the situation of the freedom of the media. The second report for EU members is to be released in the second half of 2021 after the first came out last September, expressing concern at online attacks on journalists in Slovenia.

Highly virulent South African variant of coronavirus confirmed in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The first case of the South African variant of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in Slovenia today. The person from the area of Maribor in the north-east of the country has recently returned from Africa and was vaccinated against the coronavirus before travelling there, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press. Out of precaution, the National Laboratory of Health and the Institute of Microbiology will from now on do genetic sequencing of not only 10% but of 30% of all positive PCR tests in the region of Maribor per week. Until now, only the UK variant has been confirmed in Slovenia.

Slovenia's GDP down 5.5% in 2020 year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP dropped 5.5% in real terms last year over the year before, the Statistics Office said. Domestic spending saw a considerable drop, while external demand also suffered a blow. Preliminary estimates show a drop of EUR 46.3 million at current prices, a nominal decline of 4.3% over 2019, while the drop reached 5.5% in real terms. Domestic spending was down 6.5%, dragged down most significantly by a 9.8% decline in household spending. GDP dropped 4.5% year-on-year in the final quarter of the year. IMAD, the government's macroeconomic think-tank, said the drop had been milder than its forecast because of favourable trends in exports and construction.

1% annual deflation recorded in February on cheaper fuel

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded an annual deflation of 1% in February as prices of goods were down 1.3% compared to the same month in 2020 and prices of services dropped by 0.5%. Significantly cheaper petroleum products contributed the most to the annual deflation. Prices of fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles were down by 10% and prices of liquid fuels by 3.5%, contributing as much as 0.5 of a percentage point to the annual deflation in February. On the other hand, a 5.3% increase in prices of tobacco products offset the annual deflation by 0.2 of a percentage point.

Sales in services and retail down almost 10% last year

LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 lockdown that started in March last year and that has persisted in various forms had a significant impact on the volume of sales in the services sector and retail in 2020, as it was down by a combined 9.6% compared to the year before. The drop in the services sector was 11.6% compared to 2019, while it was smaller, 6.2%, in retail, the Statistics Office said. The volume of sales decreased in all groups of the services sector, the most in hospitality (37.7%).

Survey unemployment in Q4 2020 up year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - The survey unemployment rate in Slovenia stood at 5.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020, level with the previous quarter and up 1.1 percentage points on same period in 2019, show Statistics Office data. The total of furloughed workers increased at the quarterly level, but remained below the spring lockdown figure. There were 53,000 unemployed persons in Slovenia in the fourth quarter, roughly the same number as in the previous two quarters but an almost 30% increase (12,000) year-on-year.

912 test positive for coronavirus, 14 people die

LJUBLJANA - 912 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday in 4,484 PCR tests, the government said. The positivity ratio was at 20.3%. 14 Covid-19 patients died. The seven-day incidence average was at 764, an increase of 1, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). NIJZ director Milan Krek warned that the lowering trend in infections is reversing, likely due to the presence of the British variant in the country.

Govt makes public national recovery and resilience plan

LJUBLJANA - The government on Thursday declassified the draft national recovery and resilience plan, which gives an insight into how much the government intends to allocate for each priority area. The development comes after a number of calls by centre-left opposition to make the document public, but Development Minister Zvonko Černač told the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee today he had declassified it after its contents had been leaked to a weekly. The committee discussed the plan today but rejected all recommendations from opposition parties.

Parliamentary body calls for new concept of demographic fund

LJUBLJANA - After discussing the government's Demographic Fund bill at the request of the opposition, the parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances concluded that the concept did not provide a long-term sustainability of pension funding and called on the government to draw up a new, better solution. Luka Mesec from the Left said this was one of the most important bills in this government's term, as it would decide on the management of EUR 8.4 billion in state assets, but no public debate had been conducted, but he finds it problematic that the fund would not be used to sustain the pension fund. Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj disagreed. The second reading is due at the plenary session starting on Monday.

Schools to stay open in Obalno-Kraška, no municipal travel ban

LJUBLJANA - As gatherings are banned in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region from Saturday and travel between this and other regions is restricted to work- and health-related reasons, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said schools would not be closed in the region for the time being. There will also be no ban on travel between municipalities there. Hojs said the restrictions were being introduced due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the region. Several exceptions for the crossing of the regional border will be allowed, but these do not include visits to shops that are not available in the region.

Tonin says Poland example of modernisation and recruitment in army

WARSAW, POland - Defence Minister Matej Tonin met his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak in Warsaw as he concluded an official two-day visit to the country. He said that Poland was an example in terms of modernisation and recruitment in the armed forces that Slovenia would use in doing the same with the Slovenian Armed Forces.
Tonin and Blaszczak also praised the good relations and cooperation between the countries in defence and military matters, and agreed to form special expert groups that will exchange know-how and experience in modernisation and recruitment in the armed forces and cyber defence.

Nove24TV cameraman denied access to SD news conference

LJUBLJANA - A camera operator for Nova24TV, a news channel affiliated with the ruling Democrats (SDS), was denied access to today's news conference of the opposition Social Democrats (SD). While SD leader Tanja Fajon already apologised for the incident, which both Slovenian journalist associations condemned, the SD said on its platform Facts Only taht because of Nova24TV's known abuse, lies and distortion of facts, it had decided a while ago not to cooperate with it any more and that it was not welcome at the party's events as long as it continued "systematically generating lies and hatred".

Report: NBI files charges against four in Adria Airways case

LJUBLJANA - Delo reported that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had filed criminal complaints last month against four persons suspected of abuse of office or rights in relation to alleged irregularities in the bankrupt flag carrier Adria Airways. They are suspected of having caused EUR 3.6 million in damage to the company. This concludes the procedure conducted by the NBI in one part of the investigation, while another procedure is still under way, which the police did not wish to discuss as they want to protect the interest of the investigation.

Energy efficiency study shows room for improvement in public sector and companies

LJUBLJANA - The REUS study on energy efficiency in Slovenia has once again focused on the public and services sectors. Since the previous such study, seven years ago, much has changed regarding legislation and circumstances, however the situation leaves plenty of room for improvement in both sectors, the results of the latest survey indicate. The outcome of the study, conducted by communication agency Informa Echo in 2020, shows that the share of energy efficiency-minded consumers is smaller in the two sectors compared to households, Informa Echo director Rajko Dolinšek said at the presentation of the results.

Former Probanka executives plead not guilty to abuse of office

MARIBOR - Former member of the management board of Probanka bank, Milana Lah, and one of the bank's directors, Peter Lobnik, denied the charges of complicity in abuse of office or trust as they appeared before the District Maribor Court for a per-trial hearing, which was however not attended by the main defendant, businessman Tomaž Ročnik. The three are accused of causing over EUR 3 million in damage to companies Toming Consulting and Millcom group, both owned by Ročnik, with a deal involving the purchase of NKBM bank shares in 2008 for EUR 4.5 million from Probanka, although they were only worth EUR 1.7 million on the stock market.

Italy up in arms about new Slovenian rules on balsamic vinegar

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's draft regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality has sparked strong protests in Italy, although the Slovenian government says Italy has not provided any formal comments so far. The proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar. Slovenia notified the European Commission of the draft on 2 December 2020 with the standstill period ending on 3 March, the Agriculture Ministry told the STA.

Slovenia's women's ski-jumping team wins silver at World Championship

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenia's Nika Križnar, Špela Rogelj, Urša Bogataj and Ema Klinec won silver at the Nordic World Ski Championships, missing gold by just 1.4 points. This is first medal for Slovenia's women's ski-jumping team at a world championship, and comes a day after Klinec won gold to become the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion.

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

STA, 26 February 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an invitation for the Commission to appoint a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality.

"I do not want the saga of unsubstantiated accusations about the current Slovenian government to continue spreading across Europe - sadly with the help of the EU institutions - as it mostly serves to cover up the real problems faced by our democracy," says the letter published by the prime minister on Twitter on Friday.

The letter notes that Slovenia is taking over the six-month presidency of the EU Council on 1 July, and that "we faced a similar situation leading up to 2008, when our country chaired the Council of the EU for the first time".

TWEET

Janša has proposed that Von der Leyen appoint as soon as possible a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia. He has assured the European Commission president that the government would enable the mission to get all required information.

"If you consider it appropriate, this group may also include representatives of the European Council and the European Parliament," adds the letter that has also been sent to all members of the European Council.

Janša noted that European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova had recently repeated accusations related to freedom of the press in Slovenia, which followed similar statements by the Commission's spokespersons.

"They, on various occasions, without any evidence, based only on individual media reporting, questioned the freedom of the press, the rule of law, judicial independence and the state of democracy in Slovenia in general."

Head of EP Democracy Group Expresses Concerns Over Media Freedom in Slovenia

The prime minister added that the situation was similar just before 2008, when Slovenia was to assume its first EU presidency, pointing to the letter signed by 571 journalists and editors from Slovenia, which he attached to his invitation.

The first Slovenian presidency of the EU did not turn out to be a "a big threat to the Union", as the journalist said at the time, and instead, "our dedicated work for the common benefit of all EU Member States was key to its success," he said.

"The second presidency of Slovenia is preceded by similar attempts organised by the same protagonists from the list of 571 journalists as in 2007; we regret to note that, this time, with the participation of some officials of the EU institutions."

Janša stressed that, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Slovenia was responsibly preparing to take over the presidency of the EU Council.

"Thus, we do not wish for our work be overshadowed by absurd charges that can be dismissed by anyone who, accompanied by a capable translator, would spend a day or two following Slovenian media and political dynamics", he added.

The prime minister noted that Slovenia had a problem with the state of democracy in general. "However, I must point out that the roots and causes of this problem are much deeper and older - linked to Slovenia's communist legacy."

According to Janša, a visit by the European Commission fact-finding mission would help create a more independent and comprehensive assessment of the situation and answer a series of questions about the independence of the media and judiciary.

He concluded by saying that it was important that the same standards were applied to all, both in Slovenia and in the entire EU, when the rule of law and the state of democracy was evaluated, and that the rule of law is promoted instead of the rule with the (abuse of) law.

Responding, the Commission confirmed for the STA today that it had received Janša's letter on Thursday.

It said that the annual report on the rule of law is the proper framework to assess the situation of the freedom of the media, which is "a pillar of our democracies".

Exchanges with member states are part of that process, and work on the next annual report on the rule of law has already started, the Commission explained in a release.

Opposition critical of Janša's fact-finding letter to EU

STA, 26 February 2021 - The left-leaning opposition responded with criticism to Prime Minister Janez Janša's letter to the European Commission that invites a fact-finding mission to Slovenia. The responses range from assessments that he is diverting attention and calls that the situation should be calmed down, to such that he is not fit for the post.

Janša said in the letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that a fact-finding mission should be sent to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality in Slovenia.

He said he did not want the "saga of unsubstantiated accusations about the current Slovenian government to continue spreading across Europe ... as it mostly serves to cover up the real problems faced by our democracy".

Social Democrats (SD) leader and MEP Tanja Fajon said she was concerned about these types of letters, and wondered whose position Janša was advocating. She called on him to calm things down for the sake of Slovenia's international reputation.

Fajon urged Janša to focus his energy on managing the Covid-19 epidemic and seek consensus in order to normalise society, instead of writing letters that made Brussels "watch us with a great deal of concern, as the entire European public is dealing with Slovenia".

Jerca Korče, an MP of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), said that the letter was intended more for the "internal public, so that Janša shows once again all the frustrations and traumas that he is expressing on the daily basis everywhere he can".

Korče said that the attention was being diverted from the government not being able to govern the country, adding that the EU had mechanisms of its own to assess when the respect of EU principles needed to be examined and protected.

As for the content of the letter, she said that Janša talked about attacks within the media landscape while blocking the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and about the judiciary while blocking the appointment of prosecutors.

Left leader Luka Mesec said that "all parties in Slovenia that consider themselves democratic should condemn the letter and distance themselves from it" and take the position that Janša is not fit to chair the EU Council.

Mesec said that Janša had clearly shown once again that he would like to be the editor of all media outlets in Slovenia and to "determine what is a lie and what is truth", labelling him an "authoritarian who is trying to seize power in the country".

As Janša was recently urged by coalition New Slovenia (NSi) leader and Defence Minister Matej Tonin to invite an EU fact-finding mission, Mesec said that they had done this together and that it had turned out once again that the NSi "is not an autonomous party, but only a tag to the SDS".

The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) assessed that Janša is "apparently not fit to be prime minister, as he is not able to solve problems at home and even creates new ones".

Like in 2013, when he did not know how to save the country from going bankrupt and called the 'troika' for help, he is now calling the European Commission to fix freedom of the press and democracy, the party said on Twitter.

STA, 26 February 2021 - As gatherings are banned in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region as of Saturday and travel between this and other regions is restricted to work- and health-related reasons, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs explained that schools will not be closed in the region for the time being. There will also be no ban on travel between municipalities there.

Hojs told the press on Friday that the restrictions were being introduced due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the region, but travel would not be restricted to municipal borders.

"As the epidemiological situation in the municipalities of the Obalno-Kraška region is mostly comparable and because only one statistical region has entered the red [tier], we decided to confine movement within the region only," he said.

Several exceptions for the crossing of the regional border will be allowed, but these do not include visits to shops that are not available in the region.

"We know that a part of shops in the region have been closed and this is the exception that people could take advantage of, by saying that they allegedly need to travel to Ljubljana or elsewhere for that reason," the minister stressed.

Travel between the permanent and temporary residence will not be considered as an exception, either. "If you have a permanent residence in Ljubljana, you are in Ljubljana. This ... must not be exploited for going on a vacation or on a trip to the coast."

As for schools, Hojs said that they would remain open in the Obalno-Kraška region, meaning that primary school children and students of the final grade of secondary school would continue to be taught in-person on Monday.

"A decision has been made that school workers, epidemiologists and doctors come up by next Wednesday with a model under which in-person teaching could perhaps be continued, and even all secondary school students return to school, in the red regions."

Elsewhere in the country, gatherings remain restricted to up to ten persons and the 9pm-6am curfew remains in force. Hojs believes that the latter has had a positive impact on the epidemiological situation in Slovenia.

"From the position I hold at the moment, I may assess that the measure has contributed much to the situation starting to improve," he said, assessing that otherwise, the picture would have been much different, mostly because of private parties.

The government is currently taking decisions on restrictions on the regional basis, but if a majority of the regions return to the red tier, it will probably resort again to taking measures at the national level, Hojs added.

STA, 25 February 2021 - A fire completely destroyed the popular Mozirska Koča mountain lodge near the Golte ski centre in the Savinja-Kamnik Alps on Wednesday evening. Celje police are now investigating the site to establish the cause of the fire, the Celje Police Department said on Thursday.

A steep slope and ice on the road made the fire-fighting effort for almost 90 firefighters hard but they managed to put the fire out in two hours after they were alerted about it at around 7:30pm. A group of firefighters and two police officers stayed there overnight to watch the fire site.

Public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported late last evening that the fire had been caused by an explosion.

The lodge, part of which was made of bricks but most of it of wood, was closed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Golte Facebook

It is situated not far from the Golte ski centre and was completely renovated 2011 to offer 57 beds and tables for 70 guests.

It is located on Boskovec, a 1,587-metre mountain, the highest in the Golte range, which is part of the Savinja-Kamnik Alps in the north of the country.

It is now owned by the local Mozirje Mountaineering Association, whose head Boštjan Goličnik said in a release the damage to them was enormous despite the lodge being insured.

The lodge was very popular among mountain climbers in the summer, and last year the association signed a contract with a new bar tenant, who last visited it on Tuesday, when everything seemed to be OK, the Slovenian Mountaineering Association said in a release.

Goličnik said it was too early to say anything about renovation, but since lodges at this locations burnt down twice in the past "I know that a new lodge will stand here somewhere for the third time".

The first lodge there was built by the local mountaineering association back in 1896.

This is the third mountain lodge in the area covered by the Celje Police Department to completely burn down in the last three years.

IQbator has been designing venture stories with an edge for 20 years with the mission to create a better future in Slovenia and will continue to do so for at least 20 more.

The entrepreneurial company was founded in February of 2001 by Niko Slavnič, who is a respected and recognizable entrepreneur, angel investor, co-founder and consultant (in more than 70 companies and different organizations) and a lecturer at various business schools and speaker at conferences both in Slovenia, as well as around the world. IQbator is a Slovenian service company that deals with the innovation of niche products in the field of startups, tourism and gastronomy.

The company's headquarters are located in the heart of Ljubljana, on Miklošičeva 38. The perfect and strategic location, which allows the company to continue to build its connections with respectful clients, visibility and expansion of the company.

Major milestones for IQbator over the years

Leading publisher of city guides brought to Slovenia

In 2008, IQbator under Slavnić’s leadership brought the world renowned, leading publisher of local city guides and English language media publisher, InYourPocket to Slovenia, which has always been placed among the top recommended tourist media of the world's leading media houses (La Repubblica, BBC, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, Sunday Times, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Let's Go Europe ...).

On the InYourPocket website they have generated over 19.5 million. In 13 years so far, they have presented and wrote about more than 100 destinations from Slovenia to visitors with regularly updated data for tourists and important data from history, cultural and architectural attractions, geographical features and other information).

A collection of cross-platform guides to Slovenian cities, Slovenia In Your Pocket provides relevant and up-to-date information on cities, local products and services, as well as travel advice and recommendations. Covering everything from arrival and accommodation to sightseeing, gastronomy, nightlife and events, we are a powerful showcase tool for business. You can find us in Ljubljana, Bled, Maribor, Velenje, Bohinj, Kranj, Kamnik, Piran, Portorož, Koper and many other cities and towns.

Over the years, InYourPocket, has promoted the largest international events in Slovenia as the media sponsor: Planica, Zlata Lisica, Vitranc Cup, Ljubljana Festival, Lent Festival, Seviqc Festival, Golden Drum, etc.

Our hearts beat for Slovenia

IQbator launched a successful publishing media house and brand, THE Slovenia in 2015, under which we release thematic maps and guides, best selling line of books The Slovenia Book and much more. A year later, THE Slovenia launched its own online boutique shop with the finest selection of gifts and products made in Slovenia from different categories includes e.g. innovative KickStarter products (such as the famous Goat Mug), handmade chocolates with tastes from all Slovenian regions, prestigious olive oil with Palmieri gold, Oscar Kogoj's Perger 1757 products, children's products, books by foreign authors who live in Slovenia, and books by the very own brand The Slovenia.

With many years of experience in the field of international tourist literature, The Slovenia wanted to contribute an independent and professional selection in Slovenia with a range of restaurants, which is multifaceted and intended for a wider audience, domestic and foreign visitors. In 2016, The Slovenia launched the first-ever national, independent and innovative selection of best restaurants in the country, The Slovenia Restaurant Awards, whose founding father Niko Slavnič has prepared an innovative approach to judging, where everyone can have their own opinion. This year the team is preparing the fifth edition of The Slovenia Restaurant Awards.

Wondering and sensing Slovenia

The Slovenia Wonders under IQbator’s leadership is a project based around the development of an integrated tourism project (ITP) that will present the best of Slovenia all in one convenient destination for both foreign tourists and locals. Visitors will literally be able to feel Slovenia through all five senses at a single location, as well as find additional information about visiting the country’s many wondrous sights in person – all of which are only a short distance away and can quickly be reached thanks to Slovenia’s small size.

The project further aims to connect local tourism providers and stakeholders in order to create jobs and significantly contribute to the increasingly important tourism sector. Visitors to the planned Experience Centres will also be able to directly purchase and book tourism products and services in cooperation with local providers. And additionally, within the framework of the project, a series of public competitions will also be conducted in order to determine the best tourism attractions in Slovenia and finally determine the Top Slovenia Wonder, all of which will be presented in a collection of books The Slovenia Book.

The project is being developed in cooperation with many partners, including the award-winning Magnet Design, which has taken on the task of creating mobile experience centres, where visitors will get to feel all of the wonders of Slovenia through their sense. In 2019, mobile experience centres will be opened in each of the country’s four tourism regions, namely: Alpine, Mediterranean & Karst, Thermal Pannonian, Ljubljana and Central Slovenia.

After the mobile exhibitions have concluded at the end of 2019, a permanent Slovenian Experience Centre will be established in the capital, Ljubljana, which will include all of the wonders of Slovenia from the four constituent regions.

Powerful vision for the company on a mission

IQbator operates under the principle of “Carpe diem”, with the everlasting emphasis on implementing the idea of “Carpe Slovenia”.

At IQbator they believe that with our vision and well-defined goals we can significantly contribute to the improvement of the opinion about Slovenia as well as the economic indicators of the country, the creation of new career opportunities and the development of infrastructure.

The vision of their company, IQbator, is to further develop tourism as an innovative industry that will, in step with modern trends, promote Slovenia as a green and modern tourist destination at the local level with a global reach and offer foreign guests/tourists innovative integrated tourism products, unique experience and modern digital innovation.

Reflecting the success of 20 years with IQbator’s founder Niko Slavnić

IQbator established itself in the domestic market supporting new innovative companies and developing their own projects - such as offering their own brand of products under The Slovenia and achieving international recognition as a media publisher, by regularly issuing domestic and foreign brands in the form of magazines, books, guides, thematic maps, newsletters and more.

Constant investment in the company and the search for new development niches in the field of innovative integrated tourism products and services gives them the motivation to build, innovate and evolve, not only as a company or brand, but also as people.

At IQbator you will always be greeted by a professionally trained team, who have fresh and innovative ideas, are in step with the modern and current unprecedented times, radiate momentum and youthful energy and are from different fields with different profiles, so that they cover the widest possible range of activities. The company's employees or as Slavnić refers to them as “THE dream team”, is just the right mixture of passionate professionals, who have helped him build IQbator and bring it to the limelight in the last two decades.

With the celebration of the 20th anniversary, IQbator will donate 20.000 € of books to students who are currently studying at gastronomy and tourism schools in Slovenia.

About the CEO and founder - Niko Slavnić

An MBA professor, entrepreneur, angel investor,  keynote speaker, founding father of the only national and independent selection of Slovenian restaurants and above all a creative soul who is always ready for new challenges to make ideas fly.

Niko Slavnić, has been in business for the last 30 years, helping entrepreneurs, managers and companies to unlock creative potential through scaling the business growth. Slavnić’s resume is one of the most impressive ones, his knowledge of marketing and other fields is truly enviable. He graduated from prestigious programs at Harvard Business School, University of Amsterdam, CEEMAN’s International Management Teachers Academy and University of Ljubljana.

In 2001, he founded IQbator, the first private business incubator in the SEE region dedicated to building and accelerating startups with inspiration, innovation and investment. The same year he wrote the first book about Venture Capital in the SEE region “Tvegani kapital: Si upate tvegati?”. His latest bestseller "The Slovenia Book" has been published in 6th edition with more than 17.000 copies sold worldwide.

Slavnić as an active board member of Business Angels of Slovenia and an active Business Angel investor his investments have included InYourPocket city guides, Optiprint, Everet Group, The Slovenia, Sosed, VentureLab, E-Hub, AP&Partners, Seniorji, Lagos, Teletip AG, etc.

As keynote speaker and MBA professor he regularly shares his extensive knowledge and experience in 19 countries, such as: Albania, Austria, Bosnia, China, Croatia, Estonia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Spain, Serbia, Turkey, UK and Ukraine.

His client list include business schools (ESSCA - École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers, IEDC - Bled School of Management, RISEBA etc.), startup ecosystems (Seedcamp, Startup Bootcamp, Startup Slovenia, Ljubljana Technology Park, ABC Accelerator, BIC, CRANE, BAS, EBAN) as well as global corporations (AstraZeneca, Lidl, Telekom Slovenije, Lek, Petrol, Atlantic etc.). Furthermore, he is an advisor to different companies and individuals and looks at consulting as an investment, which means Slavnić has to recoup the return in more areas for more effort. His mixture of unique business practices and more theoretical knowledge proved itself particularly useful in his consulting session to more than 60 dynamic companies in the SEE region and also to the Slovenian Parliament. His startup mentoring experience that started in 1999 and is counted in thousands of startups and founders.

His most recent career move took him to San Francisco's very own Silicon Valley, where he took over a position of Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at HTEC Group.

Lean more about IQbator