STA, 5 February 2021 - The Swedish furniture group Ikea will be launching its online store for Slovenia on 25 February. If coronavirus restrictions will allow, its new brick-and-mortar store in Ljubljana will also open on the same day, the company said in a press release on Friday.

The online store will be accessible as of Tuesday at www.ikea.si, allowing buyers to browse, while purchases will be possible as of 25 February. A pick-up point will also open in Maribor on the same day.

Ikea said in the press release that its operations would be conducted in line with the company's strict protective measures, as well as government orders and recommendations.

Measures will include obligatory masks, body temperature screening, frequent disinfection of premises and keeping of safe distance, the company said.

Ikea initially planned to open the new store at the end of 2020, but then postponed the opening due to the epidemic. The first Ikea store in Slovenia is 31,000 square metres big and will be selling some 9,500 items.

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Govt suspends regional approach to restrictions

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government decided to suspend the current regional approach to coronavirus restrictions and move the entire country into the red tier, meaning that kindergartens and the first three forms of primary school will open across the country next week. So will museums, galleries and libraries, starting on Friday, and ski resorts for skiers testing negative from Saturday. PM Janez Janša said differences between regions had been significant only weeks ago, but now the incidence of new coronavirus cases had converged. Decision on which business to open is yet to be taken.

Coalition to analyse situation, reshuffle possible

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The leaders of three coalition parties stressed their commitment to continue working together as the government faces a vote of no-confidence in parliament. They plan to analyse the situation by 15 February. Asked about the status of Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) MPs following the party's quitting the coalition, PM Janez Janša said the answer was in the vote on the latest stimulus package, which all five DeSUS MPs endorsed. New Slovenia (NSi) leader Matej Tonin said a cabinet reshuffle was possible after the vote of no-confidence.

1,267 coronavirus cases as hospitalisations drop below 1,000

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 1,267 new coronavirus cases from 14,545 tests on Wednesday as the epidemiological situation kept improving. Hospitalisations dropped below 1,000 for the first time since early November. Further 16 Covid-19 patients died, fresh official data show. The number of hospitalised patients dropped by 23 to 989, whereas the total of those requiring intensive care stood at 165, the same as the day before. 67 were admitted to hospital and 74 were discharged home.

Fewer exceptions for entering the country without quarantine, negative test

LJUBLJANA - The government amended the rules for entry into Slovenia on Wednesday to scrap some of the exceptions for entering the country without a quarantine or a negative coronavirus test. The new rules will take effect on Friday, deputy Police Commissioner Tomaž Pečjak explained at today's press conference. They will remain in place until 12 February. The minority in Italy expressed concern over the negative test requirement being imposed on cross-borer workers and students.

Fiscal Council warns more than half of Covid funds for 2021 spent

LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council urged for simple and targetted anti-crisis measures, as it noted that EUR 472 million had already been paid out from the national budget for coronavirus relief measures, which is more than half of the funds reserved for this purpose in 2021. In January, budget revenue amounted to EUR 888 million, which was 1.9% less than in January 2020, while expenditure increased by 48% to EUR 1.322 billion.

FM Logar tells Politico Slovenia to be honest broker during EU presidency

BRUSSELS, Belgium - In an interview with the Brussels-based Politico, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia would be an honest broker dealing with all EU issues when it takes the EU presidency on 1 July. He indicated a preference for a peer-review system over Article 7 procedure against member states. "As a presidency country, you should be, in a way, an honest broker that is dealing with all issues that are on the agenda of the European Union," Logar was quoted as telling Politico.

Simplification of election of minority MPs endorsed

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for National Communities endorsed amendments to the general election act that would simplify certain procedures for the election of the two MPs representing the Italian and Hungarian minorities. The current system, which minority MPs Felice Žiža and Ferenc Horvath said was antiquated, would be replaced with a first-past-the-post system, a type of majoritarian system where the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected.

Mitja Slavinec new state secretary at Education Ministry

LJUBLJANA - The government relieved Jure Gašparič of his duties as a state secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and appointed Mitja Slavinec to succeed him. Slavinec, who is taking over on Wednesday, is a doctor of physics. Most recently he has served as the dean of the University of Maribor Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Gašparič last week questioned the delay in the approval of university enrolment places for next academic year.

University reps for prompt approval of enrolment

LJUBLJANA - The chancellors of Slovenian universities urged the government to approve the university enrolment plan for 2021/2022 and then engage in strategic reflection on which studies should be prioritised, as PM Janez Janša hosted a meeting over the matter with higher education and business representatives. The Student Organisation of Slovenia, the SVIZ trade union of teachers and the VSS trade union of higher education opposed the meeting, arguing strategic reflection cannot be done overnight.

Tatjana Mlakar nominated for ZZZS head

LJUBLJANA - The general assembly of the public health insurer ZZZS named Tatjana Mlakar general manager pending clearance from the National Assembly. She was nominated by the ZZZS management board in January following the third call for applications. In her programme Mlakar noted the need to modernise the system to adapt to an ageing population, the development of increasingly expensive technologies and medicines, and reform of health insurance subsystems.

OMV selling off service stations in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The Austrian energy group OMV announced it would sell off its 120 petrol stations in Slovenia as part of an ongoing EUR 2 billion divestment programme. In Slovenia, the group operates filling stations under the brands OMV, Eurotruck, Avanti and Diskont. "With its limited integration within the downstream oil value chain, the divestment of this business represents a further step in OMV's portfolio optimization," the group said in a press release.

Novel geothermal project planned in Lendava

LENDAVA/MARIBOR - A pilot project designed to extract geothermal energy from abandoned oil and gas wells start in Lendava, in what is seen as a potential use case for abandoned wells around the world. The project involves sinking a Slovenian-designed geothermal gravitational heat tube into an abandoned well to a depth of about three kilometres to secure sufficient heat energy to produce power.

More households could easily make ends meet in 2020

LJUBLJANA - The share of Slovenian households having no problems making ends meet rose from 18% in 2019 to 21% in 2020. The share of those having a hard time living through the month on their wages remained unchanged at 20%, whereas 31% of the households had "minor problems", data from the Statistics Office show. The rate of serious material deprivation meanwhile rose by 0.4 of a percentage point to 3%, meaning around 61,000 persons lived in materially-deprived households.

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

STA, 4 February 2021 - The Slovenian government has decided to suspend the current regional approach to coronavirus restrictions and move the entire country into the red tier, meaning that kindergartens and the first three grades of primary school will be open across the country next week.

The news was announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Janez Janša, who noted that differences between regions had been significant only weeks ago, but now the incidence of new coronavirus cases had converged.

The tier classification affects not just school opening but also business. Janša said the government would meet representatives of business this evening to discuss the potential scope for reopening.

At the moment, essential stores as well as stores selling children's equipment are open for in-person shopping in red-listed regions. Museums, galleries and libraries are open as well, as are ski resorts.

Under the decrees issued by the government, museums, galleries and libraries throughout the country can open on Friday, while ski lifts can start operating across the country on Saturday but only for skiers with a negative coronavirus test.

The current strategy lists several more types of businesses that may be slated for reopening in the red tier, including DIY stores and stores selling sports goods.

Janša said the talks with businesses would revolve around which businesses could reopen safely under the condition that customers get tested.

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, a deputy prime minister, said the currently shut businesses were ready for reopening and wanted to work, but this had to be done safely.

"We can't ignore the fact that we're still in a deep crisis and that opening across the board would do more harm than good," he said.

Janša as well as Počivalšek and Defence Minister Minister Matej Tonin, who is also deputy prime minister, highlighted the importance of rapid testing despite recent concerns about the efficacy and reliability of tests.

Janša said the government regretted "attempts to discredit this measure" without a realistic comparison with other countries and noted that it had been clear from the outset that rapid tests were not as sensitive or reliable as PCR tests.

Tonin stressed that rapid testing had the potential to "significantly contain the spread of the virus" in that those who test positive can isolate and stop the chain of infections.

He also said it was important that the government stick to the five-tier plan, which he said provided "reliability and clarity".

The government decrees released today affect kindergartens, schools, museums, galleries and libraries. A decree determining which businesses may open has not been released yet.

STA, 4 February 2021 - A pilot project designed to extract geothermal energy from abandoned oil and gas wells will kick off in Lendava, in what is seen as a potential use case for abandoned wells around the world.

The project involves sinking a Slovenian-designed geothermal gravitational heat tube into an abandoned well to a depth of about three kilometres to secure sufficient heat energy to produce power.

The initiative is led by a subsidiary of the state-owned power utility HSE, energy group Petrol and chemical company Nafta, which is located in the area where oil and gas used to be extracted.

The trio signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lendava municipality last week.

There are at least 15 abandoned oil and gas wells in Slovenia and over ten million around the world, according to HSE.

This means the project is a potential milestone for geothermal energy extraction around the globe as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Andrej Tumpej, the director of HSE subsidiary DEM, said the project would be the first real-world application of a Slovenian patent.

Its execution will be "a new stepping stone in development and the transition to a low-carbon society," he told an online press conference on Thursday.

Petrol board member Jože Bajuk added that projects such as this harboured great potential in Petrol's efforts to become a low-carbon energy company.

STA, 4 February 2021 - The government amended the rules for entry into Slovenia last night to scrap some of the exceptions for entering the country without the quarantine requirement and a negative coronavirus test.

The new rules will take effect a day after they are published in the Official Gazette, which was released today, meaning they will enter into force on Friday, deputy Police Commissioner Tomaž Pečjak explained at today's press conference. They will remain in place until 12 February.

Under the new rules daily migrants working in any of the EU or Schengen zone countries returning to the country after more than 14 hours will also be obligated to present a negative test, PCR or rapid test conducted in the EU, no older than seven days.

Those failing to present a negative test at the border who are residents of Slovenia will receive a quarantine order, which can be cut short with a negative test, Pečjak explained.

Negative tests will also be required for persons crossing the border occasionally due to their work in child care, education or science in Slovenia or the EU, and for EU citizens coming from other EU countries where they are providing care or support to vulnerable groups, providing for their family members, do maintenance work on their property or are involved in efforts to protect people's lives, health or assets and are returning within 12 hours since crossing the border.

A negative test requirement will also be in place for persons who have a medical appointment in Slovenia.

Entering the country without a negative test and quarantine will be possible in only ten cases, including for persons conducting international transport, persons transporting goods or persons into Slovenia, for transit passenger and freight transport if the person leaves the country within eight hours or returns to the country after no more than eight hours.

The government also slightly amended the list of red countries with a quarantine requirement, expanding it to some administrative units of Norway and Denmark.

The latest data on COVID and Slovenia

https://english.sta.si/2863355/parliament-passes-eight-stimulus-law-worth-eur-320-million

STA, 3 February 2021 - Parliament passed in the early hours of Wednesday the eighth economic stimulus law that is to deliver boosts, worth around EUR 320 million, to mitigate the impact of the epidemic. The key measures are state shouldering of the minimum wage rise, the extension of the furlough scheme and introduction of fines for vaccine queue-jumping.

The furlough scheme, which has been in place since last spring, will be extended until the end of April, with the option of another two one-month extensions.

The measure, which has been well received by employers and has had a positive effect on the labour market, according to Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj, may be used by employers registered by 31 December 2020 whose revenue this year is estimated to drop by more than 20% year-on-year due to the epidemic.

The novelty in the furlough scheme is the state covering not only 80% but 100% of the wages in companies which are closed due to government-imposed restrictions.

The minimum wage increased this month to EUR 1,024 in gross terms. As companies are already struggling as it is, the government decided to temporarily cover part of the cost of the rise.

In line with the eighth relief package, a subsidy of EUR 50 per minimum wage worker is envisioned for the first half of the year, while in the second half, employers will be exempt from paying a part of social security contributions for their workers.

The opposition Left warned during the debate in parliament that the former would promote paying out low wages since those who would pay higher wages would not get anything.

The SocDems (SD) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) meanwhile proposed shouldering part of the cost only for those employers who are struggling due to the rise.

Both amendments were turned down by MPs.

In July, the minimum base for social security contributions will be temporarily lowered until the end of the year from 60% of average wage to the minimum wage amount.

The parliamentary Labour Committee proposed an amendment on Monday that the difference would be covered by budget funds to ensure that the workers in question would not be later deprived when it comes to their pension payments.

The proposal was thrown out though at the initiative of the coalition.

Moreover, the lowered base will be in place only for workers who are in employment relationships and not also for the self-employed. "This means unequal treatment," warned Andreja Zabret of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ).

The law also sets down that employers will not be permitted to make any redundancies for business reasons during the period of receiving the minimum wage rise subsidy and also three months afterwards.

The package expands the groups eligible for a one-off allowance to include secondary schools students aged 18 or more (EUR 50) and university students studying abroad (EUR 150), as well as some disabled workers and war veterans (EUR 150). Those who became unemployed after 12 March 2020 will also receive EUR 150.

The crisis bonus, worth EUR 200, will be paid out to employees who did not get it with their December pay because they received a performance bonus.

During the discussion, the opposition was again critical of what it saw as "cuckoos" inserted in the package, referring to measures that do not mitigate the ramifications caused by Covid-19, according to opposition MPs.

They pointed to a fine for legal persons who would act in violation of programmes for preventing, containing and rooting out infectious diseases or programmes that are related to the vaccine rollout.

Mojca Žnidaršič of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) said that this would enable sanctioning violations regarding vaccine distribution, such as vaccine queue-jumping, whereas Dejan Židan of the SD raised the possibility the measure would be challenged with a constitutional review.

The labour minister meanwhile highlighted measures that aim to help the elderly. Those who have recovered from Covid-19 and need more hospital treatment after the illness and those who cannot be discharged home will be eligible to prolonged treatment and care, including physical and work therapy.

The Red Cross and Slovenian Caritas will also receive additional funds, whereas religious workers will get their social security contributions temporarily covered by the state.

The short-time work scheme could be used also by farmers who employ workers. Aid provided to passenger transport services has also been extended.

A provision setting down that all employers could use up to three days of medical leave without contacting their GP has been extended until the end of 2021. The measure was introduced by the fifth stimulus package, passed in October 2020.

An amendment sponsored by the Left to temporary remove a provision saying that the government must okay the call for applications to enrol in university courses has been scrapped. "I hope that is not the beginning of the end of public education," said Lidija Divjak Mirnik of the LMŠ.

A total of 51 MPs from the ranks of the SDS, New Slovenia (NSi), Modern Centre Party (SMC), Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), National Party (SNS) and two minority MPs endorsed the package, whereas the Left and one MP of each the LMŠ and SD were against it. The rest of the opposition MPs abstained.

During the discussion, the opposition said that the measures were too little too late, ineffective and did not include all the vulnerable groups. Moreover, dialogue with social partners has been non-existent, warned the opposition.

Meanwhile, the coalition said the measures had been upgraded and would continue to significantly mitigate the impact of the epidemic.

"The eight coronavirus package is urgent and effective," Matej Lahovnik, the economist heading the taskforce preparing the mitigation measures, said at Tuesday's government briefing.

He noted that the government would shoulder the cost of two-thirds of the minimum wage rise for the first six months of the year.

"The minimum wage law is bad, but it's been passed and is valid," he said, adding the subsidy was the most the government could do for employers with respect to the matter in the given moment.

He also suggested it was now time to start thinking about an exit strategy. "Our view is that the second half of the year will be marked by a strong recovery. The epidemiological situation will definitely get much better as early as spring, which will allow a reopening of the services," he said.

"The money will then start circulating again, which will bring about a revival of the activities that have been closed the longest," he added.

He believes government departments should draw up targeted public calls for applications to revive economic activities, which should allow for an efficient recovery. He mentioned a couple of already prepared or emerging boost schemes by the state-run export and development bank SID and the SPIRIT investment agency.

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: 

Parliament passes stimulus law worth EUR 320 million

LJUBLJAN - Parliament passed the eighth economic stimulus law, worth around EUR 320 million. The key measures are the state shouldering the minimum wage rise, an extension of the furlough scheme, and introduction of fines for vaccine queue-jumping. The furlough scheme, which has been in place since last spring, will be extended until the end of April, with the option of two one-month extensions. The novelty in the furlough scheme is the state covering not only 80% but 100% of the wages in companies which are closed due to government-imposed restrictions.

Four opposition parties file motion to oust education minister

LJUBLJANA - The Left, Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) filed a motion to oust Education Minister Simona Kustec over what they see as "unprofessional and harmful policies" in organising child care and education during the epidemic, which has led to the longest school and kindergarten closure in Europe. The parties, which together have six votes short of the majority required for the motion to succeed, say that the Education Ministry has not prepared a plan on how to conduct education during the epidemic. Kustec said the motion would be an opportunity to explain the ministry's activities and achievements.

1,560 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Tuesday, 23 died

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,560 new cases of coronavirus from almost 16,000 PCR and rapid antigen tests on Tuesday, a significant improvement from a week ago. 23 people with Covid-19 died. The situation in hospitals continued to improve, as 1,012 people with Covid-19 were in hospital, down twenty from the day before, whereas the number of patients in intensive care dropped by three to 165. The government conducted its weekly review of coronavirus restrictions but did not adopt any major decisions. Coronavirus measures are on the agenda of the cabinet's regular session on Thursday.

False positive tests cause confusion amid classroom closures

KRANJ - Several classes of pupils in primaries and kindergartens in the Kranj area had to switch back to remote learning after their teachers tested positive for coronavirus in Monday's rapid testing. However, most of the positives have turned out to be false, causing frustration and calling the reliability of rapid antigen tests into question. Locals are concerned that the false alarm caused by the false test results could lead to school closures in the Gorenjska region from next week. However, health authorities said today that the false positive results would be removed from the statistics.

Philosopher loses professorship over sexual harassment allegations

LJUBLJANA - The senate of the University of Ljubljana has not extended the tenure of associate professor Igor Pribac from the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts after several students made allegations of sexual harassment. The senate took the decision, which is now final, last week. The 63-year-old told the STA that he was considering taking the matter to court, which however does not affect the implementation of the decision.

MPs condemn sexual harassment in academia, urge action

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Education Committee unanimously condemned sexual harassment in the academia and urged universities to adopt the necessary regulations to prevent and sanction it. They also tasked the Justice Ministry to protect the victims by changing the penal code in 60 days, also by including the "yes means yes" principle. The session was requested by the coalition after a sexual harassment case involving Faculty of Arts Professor Igor Pribac. And earlier this week Mia Skrbinac became the first Slovenian actress to speak out publicly about being sexually harassed by a well-known actor, whom she did not name.

President Pahor, Archbishop Zore would welcome Pope's visit

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore discussed a number of topics as they had working lunch. The pair agreed it would be appropriate for the country to pay respects to those who lost their lives due to Covid-19. Pahor said the Slovenians should find a date, place and manner to say goodbye to those who lost their lives due to the health crisis. The pair also agreed a papal visit would be welcome to coincide with major national anniversaries this year.

EU defence policy discussed by presidency trio's defence ministers

LJUBLJANA - The defence ministers of the EU presidency trio of Portugal, Slovenia and Germany held discussed defence policy before the 2-3 March informal meeting of EU defence ministers. Portugal's Joao Gomes Cravinho, Germany's Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Slovenia's Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret discussed the Strategic Compass project, the EU's strategy on maritime security, and transatlantic relations.

Jobless total up on monthly and annual levels in January

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's jobless total hit 91,499 at the end of January, up by 4.8% on December and 14.6% year-on-year. The monthly increase is mainly due to the expiry of fixed-term job contracts, the Statistics Office said, noting that unemployment growth was also a result of a decline in employment. The number of newly registered persons was 10,510, an almost 36% increase on December. Compared to January 2020, the total of the newly registered dropped by 6.9% though.

Slovenian-developed vaccine to be designed as spray

LJUBLJANA - After developing a vaccine against Covid-19 last year, Slovenian researchers will focus on developing a technology to spray the vaccine into the nose or mouth, the head of the team, Roman Jerala, told the STA. Jerala's team developed the vaccine based on plasmid DNA, which contains the code for the virus proteins and triggers the production of virus proteins in human cells. These respond by creating anti-bodies and the protective T-cells. It has developed a technology to apply the vaccine as a spray, also because Covid-19 is primarily a respiratory infection and in this way organ tissues would be better protected, said the synthetic biology expert at the National Institute of Chemistry.

Public figures urging de-escalation and cooperation

LJUBLJANA - A group of 38 public figures from social and political spheres has called on politicians, media and opinion leaders to de-escalate tensions, bridge the divides and meet the current challenges together. They also warned about what they see as months-long political and media campaign that does not contribute to a more effective response to the pandemic. "Unfortunately we are one of the few European countries where politics, mainstream media and with them the entire society do not face the pandemic as a united front," the public figures, active in business, science and politics, said.

Aeroflot to restore Ljubljana flights next week

LJUBLJANA - Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced it will restore flights between Ljubljana and Moscow next week, and to operate one flight a week until the end of the winter schedule. Aeroflot's first flight is scheduled for next Friday, 12 February, the operator of Ljubljana airport, Fraport Slovenija, told the STA. According to web portal Sierra5, the resuming of flights to Ljubljana is yet to be approved by the Russian aviation authorities. Currently only three carriers fly from Ljubljana airport - Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and Air Serbia.

Criminal charges filed against four over Hrastovlje rail accident

LJUBLJANA - The Koper investigators have filed criminal charges against four people over the freight train derailment that led to a massive kerosene spill near Hrastovlje in June 2019. They are suspected of failure to conduct supervision in public transport and causing damage to the environment. The two criminal acts carry prison sentences of up to five and up to two years, respectively. This comes as then investigation of the accident in which six wagons of a freight train derailed in a tunnel in SW Slovenia with a large quantity of the jet fuel kerosene leaking out from two tanks was concluded last December.

Left MP nominates Assange, Snowden, Manning for Nobel Peace Prize

LJUBLJANA - Opposition Left MP Violeta Tomić has nominated whistleblowers Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the party said in a press release on Wednesday. Tomić, who submitted her nomination to the Nobel Committee at the end of January, explained the decision by saying that they were the heroes of our time as rights to privacy and free access to information could not be taken for granted. She believes such a step would "pay a tribute to the memory of Alfred Nobel and inspire hope in journalists, publishers, authors and all of us who strive for truth and peace".

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STA, 3 February 2021 - The senate of the University of Ljubljana has not extended the tenure of associate professor Igor Pribac from the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts after several students made allegations of sexual harassment.

The senate took the decision, which is now final, last week, when it was deciding on Pribac's appeal against the original decision from last year.

The 63-year-old philosopher told the STA today that he was considering taking the matter to court, which however does not affect the implementation of the decision.

The allegations of inappropriate comments and touching come from a survey the faculty carried out among its students and from another two reports from female students.

Pribac, who teaches philosophy of history, political philosophy and practical ethics, has denied all the allegations for the media before, also arguing there has been no report of his alleged sexual harassment to the police, no suspicion of a crime.

"There is only a story about whether it is right for non-verbal communication ... to become decisive in morally disqualifying someone. And a story about anonymous surveys which decide that," he has recently tweeted.

Pribac believes the country will have to engage in a thorough debate on sexual harassment, apparently with his case in the centre of the debate.

Today he said it was foremost in his interest to fully present his case, which is the reason why he would continue to take part in the debate on sexual harassment.

Pribac is known to the general public as a political analyst. He also headed the campaign of former President Danilo Türk in the 2012 election.

There is some unclarity about his employment contract with the faculty, but since he is no longer associate professor, he cannot teach.

The university explained the habilitation procedure is not a procedure of employment termination and sets no deadlines, but said that not having tenure means one cannot teach at university.

Earlier in the day, the parliamentary Education Committee unanimously condemned sexual harassment in the academia and urged universities to adopt the necessary regulations to prevent and sanction it.

The MPs also tasked the Justice Ministry to protect the victims by changing the penal code in 60 days, also by including the "yes means yes" principle.

This was just days after the first Slovenian actress spoke out publicly about being sexually harassed by a well-known actor and her drama teacher, without naming him.

STA, 3 February 2021 - Alenka Bratušek, the leader of the opposition party carrying her name (Stranka Alenke Bratušek, SAB ), was confirmed as a member of the National Assembly on Wednesday to succeed late Franc Kramar following a session convened in his honour. 

In his address, National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič described Kramar as a man of action who earned respect for building bridges between people, while fellow party member Maša Kociper said he would be remembered as an upright and proud man.

"He was determined, persevering, full of energy and one of those who through his wisdom, composure and calm voice spread the spirit of cross-party cooperation from these benches," said the speaker.

Kramar died at the age of 60 on Saturday after a long illness had kept him away from parliament for a while. Before being elected to the National Assembly on the SAB party ticket in 2018 he served as mayor of Bohinj for twenty years (1994-2002 and 2006-18).

It was his service as the mayor and his efforts to reach a broad consensus to pass amendments to the legislation on the Triglav National Park that were listed among his achievements at the session, which was also attended by President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša and National Council Speaker Alojz Kovšca.

Bratušek, 50, will succeed Kramar by virtue of her having achieved the second best result for her party in the Kranj electoral district.

She served as Slovenia's only woman prime minister to date between 20 March 2013 and 5 May 2014, at the time when the country was on the brink of having to ask for an international bailout.

STA, 3 February - Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has announced it will restore flights between Ljubljana and Moscow next week. It is to operate one flight a week until the end of the winter schedule. Currently only three carriers fly from Ljubljana airport - Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and Air Serbia.

Aeroflot's first flight is scheduled for next Friday, 12 February, the operator of Ljubljana airport, Fraport Slovenija, told the STA.

According to web portal Sierra5, the resuming of flights to Ljubljana is yet to be approved by the Russian aviation authorities.

After an absence of 15 years, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot returned to Ljubljana airport in October 2018. As the Covid-19 epidemic started, all of its flights were suspended. Only one charter flight to Russia was organised last November for young Russian athletes.

At present, Ljubljana airport is connected only to Frankfurt through Lufthansa, Belgrade through Air Serbia and Istanbul through Turkish Airlines.

According to web portal Ex-Yu Aviation, Slovenia will record the biggest drop in commercial flights in Europe this month. Compared to last February, air traffic is expected to drop by 90%.

Fraport Slovenija is counting on more traffic in the summer season starting at the end of March. Several carriers announced flights to and from Ljubljana in that period, including Wizz Air with flights to Belgium's Charleroi, Transavia with flights to Amsterdam, Easyjet flying to London's Gatwick and Polish LOT with flights to Warsaw.

Air France is to resume flights to Paris at the end of this month.

The summer schedule is also to include Easyjet's flights to London's Luton, Swiss flying to Zurich, Lufthansa with flights to Munich and Brussels Airlines flying to Brussels.

In May, the Turkish-German carrier SunExpress is to start flying to Antalya again, and Israeli carrier El Al is to set up a connection to Tel Aviv.

British Airways is expected to restore flights to Heathrow at the end of May, while Finnair is to start flying to Helsinki in June.

Fraport Slovenija noted that the situation in the world was changing on a daily basis, so the plans were not final yet.

Slovenia has offered subsidies for foreign air carriers to fly to Ljubljana. Eight airlines - Turkish Airlines, Swiss Air, Air Serbia, Montenegro Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Wizzair and LOT - won the subsidies worth almost EUR 1 million in the first call for applications in November 2020.

Montenegro Airlines has since gone bankrupt as a result of Covid-19.

Under the terms of the scheme, the recipients of the subsidies will have to operate scheduled flights to at least one airport in Slovenia twice a week in the 2021 summer season, between 28 March and 30 October.