STA, 3 December 2020 - Feri Lainšček, a writer and poet from Slovenia's north-easternmost region, and Marko Mušič, an architect who has made a name for himself in Slovenia and throughout the former Yugoslavia, are the winners of the Prešeren Prizes for lifetime-achievement for 2021. The country's top accolades for artistic accomplishments will be presented on 7 February.

Lainšček, 61, is being honoured for "literary achievements whose artistic value has been enriching the treasury of Slovenian culture for almost 40 years".

Lainšček, often referred to as the poet of the Prekmurje plains, has established himself as a novelist and poet as well as a short-story, youth and children's fiction writer, film screenwriter and author of song lyrics.

Mušič, 79, is lauded for his unique architectural path, his humanism, known for his "particular, at times controversial perspective standing against the 'flow of the time' and architectural trends and which still aspires to 'architecture for all times'".

Active in the field of architecture in Slovenia and the broader Balkans region for almost 60 years, Mušič has a special place in this space, the justification reads.

The winners of the two Prešeren Prizes and of the Prešeren Fund Prizes for accomplishments over the past three years were announced by the Culture Ministry on Thursday as Slovenia marks the 220th anniversary of birth of poet France Prešeren.

The anniversary of Prešeren's death on 8 February is celebrated as Culture Day with the Prešeren Prizes conferred at the main ceremony on the eve of that day.

The Prešeren Fund Prizes go to poet Brane Senegačnik, violinist Lana Trotovšek, theatre director Tomi Janežič, film director Matjaž Ivanišin, painter Sandi Červek and the architects Budja-Jereb-Majoranc.

The winners are picked by the management board of the Prešeren Fund with the help of expert commissions. The board is chaired by Jožef Muhovič, a painter, art theoretician and philosopher, with mezzosoprano Bernarda Fink Inzko as vice-chair.

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: 

Record daily number of Covid-19 deaths reported as 61 die

LJUBLJANA - A record daily number of Covid-19 deaths in Slovenia has been reported for Thursday as 61 patients died. 1,784 new coronavirus infections were detected in 6,853 tests for a positivity rate of 26.3%, which is slightly lower than the day before. A total of 1,284 persons were in hospital yesterday for Covid-19, as 123 patients were admitted and 86 were discharged from hospital, government spokesman Jelko Kacin tweeted. Intensive care was being provided to 197 patients, which is one fewer than on Wednesday. With the record daily number of deaths on Thursday, the death toll has climbed to 1,653. According to some global tracking sites, Slovenia currently has the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the world. Slovenia has so far recorded 81,349 cases, including 20,288 which are currently active, according to the national tracker data.

FM Logar to visit Rome and Vatican next week

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar will start a visit to Rome next Thursday to meet his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. The meeting will be an opportunity to discuss the issues of the Slovenian minority in Italy, a planned exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Adriatic and current EU issues. The next day, Logar will visit the Holy See. Logar and Di Maio are to review bilateral meetings in 2020, including the marking of the centenary of the Trieste National Home arson and an agreement on the building's restitution, the Foreign Ministry said. Nwxt Friday, the minister will meet bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, current secretary for relations with states within the Holy See's Secretariat of State.

Committees back govt foreign policy actions

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy and EU affairs committees debated Thursday Prime Minister Janez Janša's foreign policy actions. Having levelled criticism at Janša, the opposition walked out of the session after five hours and the coalition confirmed resolutions in support of his and the government's positions. The committees rejected resolutions that would have condemned Janša's actions as inappropriate and damaging to Slovenia's reputation and called on the government to honour the compromise solution on the EU budget and recovery fund. The opposition walked out on procedural grounds after the chair did not grant a Left MP the chance to reply to a claim.

Govt will address distance learning legal void

LJUBLJANA - In response to a court ruling saying distance learning is based on invalid decrees, the government said it would remedy the situation. It will again decide on relevant measures and publish them in the Official Gazette, as requested by the Constitutional Court, its Legal Office announced. The Education Ministry announced the government would discuss the material the ministry was still harmonising at a correspondence session tomorrow.

STA staff urge owner to ensure material conditions, journalist autonomy

LJUBLJANA - STA staff have urged the government as the agency's sole owner to provide, in line with the law, the material conditions for their journalistic work and for their autonomy. The call was made in a statement jointly issued by the elected representatives of the editorial staff, the workers' council and the in-house Trade Union of Journalists on Friday, before the parliamentary Culture Committee started a session debating the government's suspension of STA funding.

Kacin says STA media role and mission irreplaceable

LJUBLJANA - Jelko Kacin, one of the founders of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), stressed the importance of the agency in the face of the suspension of STA funding. "Its role and media mission to the benefit of Slovenia are extremely important and irreplaceable," he said in an interview with the newspaper Večer. "I founded the press agency just before independence was declared, before the military attack on Slovenia. We knew very well at the time that without our own press agency our independent country does not stand a chance in the efforts for international recognition and as it turned out not even in the defence against YLA aggression," Kacin said.

Pahor makes renewed appeal for cross-party dialogue

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor made a renewed appeal for cross-party effort to break out of the crisis, as he addressed a ceremony ahead of the 30th anniversary of a cross-party agreement on the independence referendum. Pahor noted that three decades after the historic events leading up to Slovenia's independence, the country was seeing worryingly deepening distrust between political players and people, and growing discontent.

Top court asked to examine limits to strike, paid holiday, overtime in healthcare

LJUBLJNA - A trade union association has asked the Constitutional Court to examine a communicable diseases act provision which enables limiting healthcare staff's right to strike. The court has also been asked to check a decree which prevents healthcare staff from taking paid days off and take days off on the basis of overtime during the epidemic. Based on this act, the health minister has issued the decree banning the right to strike to all healthcare staff. The decree also bans them to go on statutory annual leave and take days off on the basis of their unpaid overtime, Pergam said.

Hojs presents new ideas for southern border

ILIRSKA BISTRICA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs presented two ideas to better protect Slovenia's southern border, with Croatia, against illegal migration after a plan to activate soldiers by giving them police powers has recently been rejected in parliament for the second time this year. One option is to change the border surveillance act to allow public servants such as Financial Administration staff and various inspectors to be deployed on the border, he said. Intensive talks are moreover under way with Italy and Hungary to help with police patrols if the illegal migration numbers remain at the levels of the past two years.

Minister announces national programme for AI

MONTREAL, Canada - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik took part in a virtual session of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, the first meeting of the alliance founded this summer. "We wish the partnership to focus on international cooperation in transferring into solutions the set goals and principles regarding the introduction of artificial intelligence in real life," said the minister, adding that Slovenia was working on a national AI programme.

NSi elects vice-presidents after Tonin's re-election

LJUBLJANA - After Matej Tonin was re-elected president of New Slovenia (NSi) at last week's congress, the party announced on Thursday that Vida Čadonič Špelič and Janez Cigler Kralj had been elected vice-presidents. Čadonič Špelič, currently the director of the Novo Mesto city administration, is a former MP and state secretary at the Agriculture, Forestry and Food Ministry. Cigler Kralj, who currently serves as the minister of labour, family, social affairs and equal opportunities, has a degree in political sciences. He previously served in the National Assembly as a staffer for the NSi deputy group.

Culture Ministry pelted with paint overnight

LJUBLJANA - The building housing the Culture Ministry was pelted with black paint overnight, in what has been described as yet another in a series of attacks on the ministry and its staff. "Unknown perpetrators have caused taxpayers several thousand euros in damage with the complete destruction of the facade," the ministry said about what it described as the latest attack. "The ministry's employees are under immense pressure, to the point where they are afraid to go to work. The ministry resolutely rejects such reprehensible escalation of pressure," it said, calling on the police to find the perpetrators. Deputy Police Commissioner Tomaž Pečjak said investigation by criminal police officers was under way.

BSH Factory of the Year winner as large scale manufacturer

NAZARJE - BSH Hišni Aparati, a Slovenian subsidiary of the Bosch group, was this week declared the winner of the Factory of the Year competition in the category of best large-scale mass producer in Europe. The competition is a collaboration of A.T. Kearney and the German business magazine Produktion, which was launched in 1992. It is considered a benchmark competition for manufacturers in Europe, with more than 2,000 companies from more than 30 countries having so far taken part. The producer of small household appliances, which took part for the third time, will receive the award in June 2021 in Germany's Essling.

Hidria wins AmCham award for best business practice

LJUBLJANA - AmCham Slovenia declared Hidria the winner of its best business practice award as part of the Best of the Best project. The industrial conglomerate has earned the accolade for its new technology of lamination in electric motors, called Hidria Bond. Hidria Holding director Iztok Seljak said the company's greatest motivation was a "vision of a better future for all", adding that the award-winning innovation was about electric, clean and green mobility. The technology developed by a team of Hidria engineers headed by Špela Bolka improves lamination of stator and rotor packs for high-performance electric motors for new hybrid and electric vehicles. Such electric motors may also be used for medical equipment and wind turbines.

Slovenia opening consulate in Milan

LJUBLJANA/MILAN, Italy - Slovenia is opening a consulate general in Milan to cover the Italian regions of Lombardy, Piemont, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria and the autonomous region of Aosta Valley. So far, Slovenia has had an economic office in Italy's financial capital. The office will now close. Slovenia also has a consulate general in Trieste, which from now on covers the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, and Veneto, the Foreign Ministry said.

Retailers told store reopening to depend on Covid-19 improvement

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce (TZS) appealed for reopening of stores as they met top government officials, learning that reopening would depend on the improvement of the coronavirus situation in the coming weeks. Apart from TZS officials the meeting was also attended by PM Janez Janša, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar and Bojana Beović, the government's chief Covid-19 adviser.

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STA, 4 December 2020 - The building housing the Culture Ministry was pelted with black paint overnight, in what has been described as yet another in a series of attacks on the ministry and its staff.

"Unknown perpetrators have caused taxpayers several thousand euros in damage with the complete destruction of the facade," the ministry said about what it described as the latest attack.

In a subsequent press statement, it added that this was an example of "inadmissible vandalism and destruction of public infrastructure, which is a reflection of a broader situation in the country."

Ponoči so neznanci davkoplačevalcem povzročili več tisoč evrov škode s popolnim uničenjem fasade @mk_gov_si. Eden izmed vrste napadov na ministrstvo in uslužbence, ki si sledijo iz tedna v teden. pic.twitter.com/Y8jZHbK8CY

— Ministrstvo za kulturo (@mk_gov_si) December 4, 2020

The ministry's employees are under immense pressure, to the point where they are afraid to go to work. The ministry resolutely rejects such reprehensible escalation of pressure," it said, calling on the police to find the perpetrators.

Deputy Police Commissioner Tomaž Pečjak told the press that criminal police officers were looking into the matter, and that relevant institutions and the media would be informed when the investigation was concluded.

The ministry has been heavily criticised by artists since the start of the epidemic. They said it has not done enough to help the arts through the crisis.

It has repeatedly denied these charges, pointing to furlough payments for all workers at cultural institutions, income support for freelancers, payment of social security contributions, and other measures directly and indirectly helping the arts.

Artists have staged several manifestations in front of the ministry building in recent months, at least one of which, an installation of desks with the names of senior staff covered in red paint, was described by the ministry as a death threat.

According to media reports, the authors of this protest, who have not been publicly identified, wanted to show that senior officials were killing culture with administrative moves.

The building itself has been spray-painted several times.

STA, 4 December 2020 - A record daily number of Covid-19 deaths in Slovenia has been reported for Thursday as 61 patients died. 1,784 new coronavirus infections were detected in 6,853 tests for a positivity rate of 26.3%, which is slightly lower than the day before.

A total of 1,284 persons were in hospital yesterday for Covid-19, as 123 patients were admitted and 86 were discharged from hospital, government spokesman Jelko Kacin tweeted on Friday.

Intensive care was being provided to 197 patients, which is one fewer than on Wednesday.

The average number of new infections in the past seven days per 100,000 residents currently stands at 1,487.

Meanwhile, the rolling 14-day average per 100,000 residents is at 968, according to national tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik.

The data for Thursday show that none of the requirements for easing restrictions as set out in the government's five-tier strategy had been met, Kacin said.

Slovenia will start relaxing the restrictions when the seven-day average of daily infections is under 1,350 infections and there are fewer than 1,200 Covid-19 patients in hospital.

With the record daily number of deaths on Thursday, the total death toll has climbed to 1,653.

According to some global tracking sites, Slovenia currently has the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the world.

The New York Times tracker showed Slovenia today as the worst performer in the world, with a daily average of 2.4 Covid deaths per 100,000 people over the last seven days, ahead of Bulgaria (2) and Hungary (1.6).

The figures are the same in the Our World in Data tracker, just calculated as deaths per million inhabitants.

Moreover, since mid-October Slovenia has been recording a large share of excess deaths, the national tracker data show.

Taking into account the average of the past five years, the week between 9 and 15 November saw an increase by 81%. The number of Covid-19-related deaths also surged during that period.

A total of 730 persons died that week, which compares to 416 in the same period in 2019 and 404 in 2018.

During the first epidemic wave in spring, excess mortality did not fluctuate significantly compared to the five-year average, however in the second wave, the excess death figure has been rising since 12 October.

Slovenia Adopts 5-Level Approach to Easing Covid Restrictions

The week that followed that day saw an increase by 16% and the upward trend only accelerated in the following weeks.

The last week that has been so far analysed is the period between 16 and 22 November when excess mortality increased by 74%.

The data indicate that the excess death growth correlates with the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths. The latter figure is somewhat lower than the first though.

The tracker notes that not all Covid-19 deaths have already been registered as such. Moreover, a part of the excess death share could be deaths caused by the ramifications of anti-coronavirus measures, for example, restricted access to health services.

Covid-19 Sledilnik has also said that more detailed assessments will be possible long after the second wave ends and when there will be more comprehensive data.

However, current excess mortality in Slovenia is similar to the figures in those countries that were worst off in the first wave, the tracker warned.

Slovenia has so far recorded 81,349 cases, including 20,288 which are currently active, according to the national tracker data.

All our stories on Slovenia and COVID-19

STA, 3 December 2020 - The government extended the validity of tourism vouchers until the end of 2021 on Thursday. Announcing the move, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said that the decision aimed to help the tourism sector, which has been badly hit by the epidemic.

Tourism vouchers were introduced as part of the third stimulus package, which was passed in parliament in late May.

They were given to all Slovenian residents - adults received a voucher of EUR 200 and minors EUR 50. The vouchers could be redeemed only in exchange for accommodation services.

The measure kicked in on 19 June and was available until the closure of all accommodation facilities during the autumn lockdown in late October.

The government first set down that the vouchers would be valid until the end of 2020, however already prior to the closure of hotels it acknowledged the possibility of extending the validity period.

The Financial Administration (FURS) data show that by 1 October some 883,100 vouchers worth EUR 113,74 million were redeemed.

Over two million persons received the vouchers, with the total value of the measure being EUR 356.9 million.

Holiday vouchers saved the summer tourism season in various places, particularly on the coast, in mountain resorts and spas.

On the other hand, the measure barely had an impact on the situation of accommodation providers in cities, and certain other destinations more popular among foreign tourists.

STA, 3 December 2020 - The government adopted on Thursday amendments to the act on employment, self-employment and work of foreigners which transpose a 2016 EU directive.

The directive sets down the conditions of entry and residence of third-country citizens for the purposes of research, studies, pupil exchange, remunerated and unremunerated training, voluntary service and au pairing.

Slovenia wishes to pursue the objective to make the EU more attractive to third-country citizens who wish to do research, and to simplify the entry requirements for those coming to Slovenia to study, the Government Communications Office said on Thursday.

STA, 3 December 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša will start an official two-day visit to Israel on 7 December. He is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, the prime minister's office said on Thursday.

The visit comes at the invitation Netanyahu extended in the congratulatory note that he sent to Janša upon his appointment to the post in April.

It represents "a confirmation of good and traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, and an opportunity to exchange views and discuss key foreign policy issues (Syria, Iraq, Iran, Middle East peace process)," reads the press release from Janša's office.

It will also be an opportunity for "continued cooperation in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, where Israel is among the leading countries in the world".

The official part of the visit will take place on 8 December. The day before, Janša is scheduled to hold talks with representatives of Israeli "cybersecurity companies and other successful companies, which will present their operations and opportunities for cooperation with Slovenian companies".

All our stories on Slovenia and Israel

STA, 3 December 2020 - The government adopted on Thursday legislation designed to crack down on fictitious registrations of residence, a widespread practice uncovered in recent months.

The amendments to the residence registration act will crack down on fictitious registrations at addresses that are not residential, or residential addresses where the size of the living quarters clearly precludes the registration of a large number of people.

This will be done in several ways, for example with the requirement that individuals may register residence only at the administrative unit where the address is located.

At each registration, the public official conducting the procedure will have to check the actual use of the building and the number of persons already registered at the address. There will be a minimum per person requirement in terms of square metres.

If the conditions for registration are not satisfied, officials will be able to reject such applications using a simplified procedure.

The legislation comes after a series of reports showed there were apartments and sometimes even commercial premises where dozens and sometimes over a hundred persons, mostly foreigners, were registered.

In the Maribor Administrative Unit alone, an internal oversight in autumn found potentially fictitious cases of residence registration involving over a thousand residents at 81 addresses, identifying 27 addresses as potentially problematic.

STA, 3 December 2020 - The Constitutional Court has established that the temporary measures banning the gathering of people at educational establishments were extended with invalid government decisions. This means there is currently no legal basis for distance learning.

The court held that the decisions taken by the government and the education minister to extend the school closure are not valid.

It says it is aware the epidemiological situation in the country might not yet allow for people gathering at schools in such great numbers and that their reopening could require certain guidelines and organisations adjustments.

It therefore decided that its decision would enter into force three days after being published today in the Official Gazette, giving the government more time to act.

The court says the three-day window should give decision-makers enough time to reconsider whether such measures are indeed based on expertise and act adequately to potentially arrange what is needed to go back to in-person learning at schools.

The court is aware that the government could again decide to keep schools closed.

But it adds that given the current situation, conditions are met for temporary injunction on a government decision to close special needs schools.

The court had in effect ruled several months ago that government decisions regarding restrictive measures cannot be open-ended, which is why it ordered it to review them periodically, which is what the government has been doing.

Now, it held that by simply extending the measures without publishing formal decisions to that effect, its decisions are invalid.

Given that this is how most existing measures are extended, this may affect all restrictions.

The court was petitioned to deliberate on school closure by legal representatives of two special needs primary school pupils.

The judges took the decision in a 7:1 vote. Voting against was Klemen Jaklič, who announced a dissenting opinion.

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: 

Govt adopts five-tier strategy for easing of restrictions

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a five-tier strategy for the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions based on a proposal by the Health Ministry and the coronavirus task force. The relaxation of measures will hinge on the seven-day rolling average of daily infections and the number of Covid-patients in hospital. At pre-determined thresholds restrictions will be lifted, starting with limited reopening of public transport and the opening of institutions such as galleries and libraries. In the next phase, services activities, stores, kindergartens and the first three grades of primary school would reopen. Details

Slovenia expects to get 50,000 shots of vaccine in first round

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry revealed details of the Covid-19 vaccination plan under which vaccination will be free of charge and available to all residents regardless of their health insurance status. Vaccines for around 50,000 residents are expected to be available in the first phase. Doroteja Novak Gosarič of the Health Ministry told the press that residents and employees of care homes and healthcare workers would be the first to be vaccinated. Twenty vaccination centres are planned in the first phase and then a gradual expansion of capacity when more vaccines become available.

23 Best Gifts From Slovenia: Presents, Experiences and Made-In-Slovenia Products

Mass testing expected to start before end of 2020

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Tomaž Gantar announced plans to launch mass testing before the end of the year. His ministry is purchasing half a million rapid antigen tests with another million to follow. To obtain the tests as quickly as possible, expectedly by 11 December, the ministry has published a shortened tender setting the price at EUR 5, VAT included, but hopes to lower it due the scale of the purchase. Another million rapid tests would then be purchased in a regular, longer, tender procedure.

Top court abrogates govt decisions on distance learning

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court established that the temporary measures banning the gathering of people at educational establishments were extended with invalid government decisions, after having deliberated on a petition from two parents of special-needs children. It said the epidemiological situation in the country might require that reopening schools could require certain guidelines and organisations adjustments, which is why its decision would enter into force three days after being published in the Official Gazette.

KUL proposes own coronavirus exit strategy

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Arch Coalition's (KUL), which features the opposition LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB, presented its plan to fight the epidemic. It proposes a gradual reopening of businesses and heftier aid, as well as relaxation of restrictions in outdoor public areas, arguing that the government is too heavily focussed on outdoor restrictions such as the closure of municipal borders and compulsory face masks. The measures to help businesses would cost the state an additional EUR 600 million in the next three months, economist Jože P. Damijan said.

1,772 new infections confirmed, 45 people die of Covid-19

LJUBLJANA - A total of 6,604 tests for the new coronavirus were conducted in Slovenia on Wednesday, resulting in 1,772 new positive cases. The number of cases is down by 657 compared to Tuesday, and the positivity rate dropped by seven percentage points to 26.8%. A total of 45 persons died of Covid-19 on Wednesday, which is 12 fewer than the day before. Hospitalisations are meanwhile up by four patients to 1,289, of which 198 required intensive therapy (one fewer than on Tuesday).

PM Janša paying official visit to Israel on 7-8 December

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša will start an official two-day visit to Israel on 7 December. He is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, the prime minister's office said. The visit represents "a confirmation of good and traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, and an opportunity to exchange views and discuss key foreign policy issues (Syria, Iraq, Iran, Middle East peace process)."

Foreign Minister Logar to visit the US next week

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced that he will pay a visit to the United States on 7 December. A meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planned. He made the announcement at a joint session of the parliamentary EU affairs and foreign policy committees which debated the foreign policy actions of Prime Minister Janez Janša.

Opposition and coalition clash over Hungary's involvement in rail project

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Public Finance Oversight Commission saw a heated debate over whether Hungary should be let into the EUR 1 billion-plus project to build a second railway connecting the port town of Koper with the inland hub of Divača. The centre-left opposition parties see Hungary's involvement as a threat to strategic infrastructure. By contrast, the coalition and Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec argued that without the involvement of countries served by the port there would be no development for Luka Koper and no need for the second track.

Biometric identity cards coming

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will roll out biometric identity cards in line with amendments adopted by the government that implement an EU requirement under which all member states should start issuing biometric identity cards by August 2021. The new card will have a chip containing images of two fingerprints and a photo of the holder. The biometric data on the chip can only be used to verify the authenticity of the card, or the identity of the holder when they cross the border.

Legislation adopted to crack down on fictitious residence registrations

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted legislation designed to crack down on fictitious registrations of residence, a widespread practice uncovered in recent months. The amendments to the residence registration act will crack down on fictitious registrations at addresses that are not residential, or residential addresses where the size of the living quarters clearly precludes the registration of a large number of people.

Prešeren Prizes go to author Feri Lainšček, architect Marko Mušič

LJUBLJANA - Feri Lainšček, a writer and poet from Slovenia's north-easternmost region, and Marko Mušič, an architect who has made a name for himself in Slovenia and throughout the former Yugoslavia, are the winners of the Prešeren Prizes for lifetime-achievement for 2021. The country's top accolades for artistic accomplishments will be presented on 7 February.

Slovenia pays tribute to Giscard d'Estaing

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and the Foreign Ministry paid tribute to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president, on his death by describing him as a great European and statesman. Pahor said on Twitter he had sent his condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron saying that France and Europe had lost a great European and statesman. The ministry said his strong and passionate commitment as the first Chairman of the Convention on the future of Europe encouraged us to continue to work together for a united EU.

Jourova urges EU countries to refrain from pressure on media

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission is closely monitoring the developments regarding the suspension of financing of the STA, Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova said. She highlighted the role of public media and urged member states to refrain from attempts to exert pressure on them. She added that media independence should be enabled across the EU for it was the core of media pluralism.

UKOM says it wants to constructively resolve funding issue with STA

LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) elaborated on the financing issue with the STA by saying that it actually could have rescinded the contract as STA director Bojan Veselinovič had not disclosed information he had been asked to provide. Instead, it has "only rejected a monthly invoice in the desire to resolve the problem constructively". It warned about the "immense damage that Veselinovič is causing to the STA by concealing information and violating the contract".

STA management urges UKOM to stop jeopardising agency's work

LJUBLJANA - The STA management responded to the Government Communication Office's (UKOM) latest statements on financing by saying that the agency had no reservations about UKOM's documentation requests as long as they were in line with the law. It urged UKOM to end actions that threaten its work, stressing that the representative of the agency's owner was solely the government and not UKOM, as UKOM director Uroš Urbanija claims. Only the government has the right to a comprehensive access to information on STA operations.

Govt approves EUR 5 million in state aid to Fraport Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed state aid worth EUR 5 million to Ljubljana airport operator Fraport Slovenija pending EU approval. The amount corresponds to about a third of the estimated damage the operator expects to suffer due to the pandemic. The funds will go into providing liquidity and covering running costs, and for urgent investments. Due to the pandemic and its devastating impact on air travel, Fraport Slovenija will suffer damage totalling some EUR 15.26 million this year.

Joblessness inches higher in November

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's registered jobless total inched up by a further 0.6% in November as the country tightened lockdown restrictions to hit 84,139, 16.2% above the figure at the end of the same month a year ago. A total of 7,356 newly unemployed people registered with the Employment Service in November, a decrease of 17.6% from the month before but 21.9% more than the year ago.

Validity of holiday vouchers extended until end of 2021

LJUBLJANA - The government extended the validity of tourism vouchers until the end of 2021 to help the tourism sector, which has been badly hit by the epidemic. Tourism vouchers were introduced as part of the third stimulus package, which was passed in parliament in late May. Financial Administration (FURS) data show that by 1 October vouchers worth EUR 113.74 million were redeemed, under a third of the total.

Slovenia joins GLOBE science and education programme

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia joined the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programme, as part of which citizen scientists and students help scientists collect data for better understanding of the environment. The agreement was signed by Education Minister Simona Kustec and US Ambassador Lynda Blanchard. Kustec said the programme provided a new opportunity for youth to attain new global collaborations, while furthering the long-standing and excellent scientific collaboration between Slovenia and the US.

Over 100 money mules caught, EUR 2.1m loss prevented in latest sting

LJUBLJANA - As part of the latest effort to crack down on money mule schemes in Europe, a total of 81 cases have been investigated in Slovenia, in which 102 money mules have been identified. A total loss by legal entities and individuals of EUR 2.1 million has been prevented, the Bank Association of Slovenia announced. The sixth European Money Mule Action (EMMA6), coordinated by Europol and involving law enforcement authorities from 26 countries, was conducted between 15 September and 30 November.

Slovenian and Croatian farmers partner to protect traditional Istrian beef

KOPER - The Koper farmers cooperative has partnered with Croatian breeders to set in motion a procedure to obtain protected designation of origin, an EU emblem, for the beef from the traditional Istrian cattle called boškarin. Boškarin, a breed of the Podolian cattle indigenous to the Istrian peninsula, used to serve as a working animal. It has also been useful in preventing the overgrowing of cultivated land in high-lying parts of Istria.

Gen-I to supply only zero-carbon electricity as of 2021

LJUBLJANA - Gen-I announced that as of 2021, it would be able to offer customers electricity produced solely from environmentally friendly and zero-carbon sources, in an effort with which the power producer intends to reduce the carbon footprint of Slovenian households by 1.65 million tonnes of CO2 compared to 2019. Gen-I customers will be able to choose between the "energy of the Sun, energy of wind and nuclear energy".

Roglič first Slovenian cyclist ever to win Vélo d'Or

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič has won the 2020 Vélo d'Or award by the French cycling magazine Vélo Magazine, given annually to the rider considered to have performed the best over the year. The 31-year-old, who currently competes for the Dutch Team Jumbo-Visma, is the first Slovenian ever to win the Golden Bicycle award since its introduction in 1992.

Looking for a gift this Christmas that says “Slovenia” and will keep you and your loved ones happy and well fed for years to come? Then check out the beautifully produced book Cook Eat Slovenia, with 100 easy to follow recipes for all seasons. The book has won three awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, for best translated, best self-published, and best food tourism cookbook for Slovenia, and for the second best in the world for food tourism, and third best  for self-published. Our review is here, and you can order a copy from anywhere in the world here.

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