STA, 25 October 2020 - Slovenia celebrates Sovereignty Day, a national holiday commemorating the day when the last Yugoslav People's Army soldiers left the country's soil in 1991 in one of the key events in the process of Slovenia's independence. In their messages on the occasion, the country's top officials evoked the nation's courage, resolve and unity of the time.

Prime Minister Janez Janša, who served as the defence minister at the time of historic events, recalled the spirit of the time, the courage and unity. "History teaches us that nothing is impossible if we stand united as a nation."

"The courage, wise decisions and the Slovenian nation's unity and connectedness through a shared idea allowed us, despite political differences and adversity by some, to win an independent country that generations before us had but dreamed about," said Janša in his written message.

Today's holiday should be a reminder of how unity on a common goal can keep Slovenians strong as a nation, Janša wrote, calling for fostering an awareness that together the nation can defeat what appears to be invincible and achieve what seemed unimaginable only a day ago.

He said that Slovenia's sovereignty and the momentous events almost 30 years ago should not be taken for granted.

"Slovenia did not have allies to lean on in the War of Independence (...) We could only rely on ourselves - our knowledge, abilities, and our resolve to have our homeland. At the same time we also hoped for a little bit of God's blessing," said Janša.

Praising the emerging Slovenian Armed Forces, the Slovenian police and patriots, for defeating the Communist Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), and lauded the courage and bravery displayed at the time.

"It is with deep respect that we watch the footage of hour compatriots from the Vipava Valley and elsewhere taking on JNA tanks with naked fists," he said, adding that it took not just civic courage but also wisdom to defeat what at the time was considered the world's tenth most powerful army.

What made the effort even more noble and honourable was that the Slovenians attended to the wounded JNA soldiers on a non-discriminatory basis and did not take revenge on the aggressor soldiers "not even when they were departing with bowed heads", nor did the war result in a massive flight of refugees.

"This made our goal, the realisation of the Slovenian nation's plebiscite decision in favour of an independent and sovereign country even brighter and nobler. It will remain written down in history for ever as proof of the maturity of the Slovenian nation and the courage of its soldiers," said Janša.

Similarly, Parliamentary Speaker Zorčič remembered the courage and the commitment to the same goals and values displayed at the time, but he also called on the nation to demonstrate the same resolve, confidence, understanding, solidarity and unity in taking on the coronavirus pandemic.

He said that the Slovenians were being weakened in their fight against the unprecedented pandemic "not just by its underrating, but also by our disunity over the measures against it" and the creation of false impression by some that those measures were aimed at suppressing democracy.

"Today, we are fighting a new, invisible enemy that we will not surrender to. The uneasiness of masks will not move into our hearts. It is time that like 29 years ago we proved again our ability to be strong, confident, understanding and sympathetic," the speaker said in his message.

The public holiday, which is not a work-free day, was declared by the National Assembly in 2015 in remembrance of the day in 1991 when the last remaining Yugoslav Army soldiers departed from the port of Koper aboard a ship.

The withdrawal is considered one of the final steps in the independence efforts, coming after Slovenia declared independence on 26 June, whereupon the Ten-Day War broke out when the Yugoslav Army launched attacks from its barracks on 27 June.

The armed conflict was followed by talks which resulted in Slovenia agreeing to a three-month moratorium on independence implementation as part of what is known as the Brijuni Declaration.

As the moratorium was about to expire, Yugoslavia's authorities realised it would be impossible to keep Slovenia in the federation. Preparations thus started for the army's withdrawal from Slovenian territory.

The stated purpose of the holiday is to stress and emphasise the importance of Slovenia's sovereignty and to strengthen the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

There was no formal ceremony this year but President Borut Pahor address the people alongside the military commander of the Territorial Defence during the independence war, Janez Slapar, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Robert Glavaš.

STA, 25 October 2020 - Today is the first Sunday that almost all shops must remain closed in accordance with an amendment to the retail act that the National Assembly passed in late September.

The exemptions to the blanket ban include shops under 200 m2 at service stations, border crossings, ports, airports, train and bus stations, and hospitals.

Outside these facilities, shops with a surface area of under 200 m2 may open, but only shop owners, students and pensioners may work Sundays, regular employees may not.

The legislation was passed in a bid to give retail workers more free time and has been welcomed by retail trade unions.

Retailers, however, have said this may lead to massive layoffs as turnover declines. The Chamber of Commerce (TZS) said it would seek a constitutional review of the legislation.

Some retailers, including the country's no. 1 grocer Mercator, have decided to replace shop closures with Sunday deliveries of online orders.

The TZS said the retail act amendments limit the opening hours of shops but does not affect the working hours of employees.

The Economy Ministry has said that online sales were a type of remote commerce that is not covered by the retail act amendment.

Trade unions insist that this is an attempt to bypass the intention of the law, which is to give workers Sundays off.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 23 October 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Calls for solidarity with social victims of the crisis

STA, 23 October 2020 – The left-wing weekly Mladina says in its latest commentary that the numbers showing the social crisis brought by coronavirus are as horrifying and painful as the numbers of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. It adds that one must not express solidarity to patients without expressing solidarity to people who have been impacted in other ways.

"We cannot build the fight against the epidemic on the daily count of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. Of course, these numbers are important...but betting on these numbers distorts the picture. Other numbers hidden behind these numbers."

Under the headline In the Name of the Coming Weeks, Grega Repovž, the editor-in-chief of the left-leaning weekly, adds that the entire industry of socialisation, entertainment and recreation was halted last week in order to reduce the number of persons affected by coronavirus.

"The number of people without income, without means of subsistence drastically increased this week. These numbers are as horrifying and painful," Repovž says, adding that solidarity should also be expressed to these people.

The government has failed to prepare itself for this form of crisis in the past months, and now this problem may be solved only with humaneness and love. "This sounds cheesy and cheap, but it is not. If we want to solve what is coming, we badly need sentient people at all levels."

Repovž wonders whether Slovenians are aware at all how terrifying a social bomb is ticking as the "state has failed, and municipalities are pretending they have nothing to do with it," as there are no funds to finance rents and there is no additional welfare.

He also notes that it was politics which has taken the decisions which now reflect in all these numbers, and that society only followed it by default as it has limited power in the relation with politics.

"Politics is now telling us that it is best for us to point fingers at each other. Let's not fall for this trick. They are doing this in order to mask their own responsibility," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Mainstream media promoting resistance against government

STA, 22 October 2020 – The right-wing weekly Demokracija says in Thursday's commentary that Slovenian mainstream media encourage opponents of restrictive measures while promoting resistance against the government.

"The epidemiological situation in Slovenia is progressively worse while the media mainstream promotes the conduct of [rapper Zlatan] Čordić and company who encourage boycotting masks and the application for tracing infected persons, and promote resistance to the centre-right government in these difficult times," says the editorial Born (and Raised) for Violence.

"It seems (and it is probably not far from the truth) that they genuinely want the virus to murder as many Slovenians as possible so that they can point their fingers at the faces at Gregorčičeva Street."

"And when someone from the government reacts, condemns their behaviour, they scream about attacks on media freedom and stories about the establishment of totalitarianism on the sunny side of the Alps are flying around the world, travelling to all possible and impossible addresses of (ideologically kidnapped) international progressive (media) associations."

The paper notes that these media are, however, not reporting on last week's attack on the Nova24 cameraman. "This would not be in line with political correctness and the maimed ideology of liberal democracy. It is allowed to beat the conservative-oriented (rightist, if you will), until exhaustion, is it not?"

According to the commentator, it is perhaps time that "good and peace-loving people no longer (just) pass olive branches. And that the principle Vim vi expellere licet [it is permitted to expel force with force] is not just dead ink on paper."

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Daily coronavirus incidence and deaths reach new records

LJUBLJANA - A record 7,025 tests were performed on Friday, with a record 1,961 coming back positive, pushing the positivity rate to a record 27.91%. Moreover, 19 people with coronavirus died, the highest daily death number yet, bringing the total coronavirus death tally to 235. The number of active cases climbed to 13,021, according to tracker Covid-19.Sledilnik. 449 were in hospital, with 63 requiring intensive care, the Health Ministry said.

More businesses closing as lockdown tightens

LJUBLJANA - Most establishments that offer their goods and services to customers in person shut down as new restrictions come into force in Slovenia to slow down the coronavirus outbreak. Under the decree adopted by the government on Thursday, the country returned to the top level of lockdown restrictions, similar to those valid during the first wave in spring. Establishments that had already been closed were joined by hotels, spas, beauty and hair salons, swimming pools, car washes, casinos, cinemas and other cultural institutions.

Slovenia expands coronavirus red list of countries

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's government updated the classification of coronavirus safe and unsafe countries on Friday. As of Monday, Serbia will no longer be on the green list, while a number of regions, including those neighbouring on Slovenia have been red-listed, meaning that quarantine is required unless the passenger produces a recent negative test. The red list now includes the whole of Austria bar the province of Carinthia, as well as 14 Italian regions, including Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Moreover, eight Croatian regions have been added to the red list, including the capital, while the regions of Istria and Primorsko-goranska remain orange. As many as 16 region in Hungary have also been red-listed, among them Budapest and the two regions neighbouring Slovenia.

Slovenia welcomes announced normalisation of relations between Sudan and Israel

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia welcomed the announced normalization of relations between Israel and Sudan. In a tweet, the Foreign Ministry labelled it an "important step towards Sudan's democratic transition as well as sustainable peace and stability in the Middle East". The response comes a day after US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Sudan would soon normalise its relations with Israel, thus becoming the third Arab country to do so after similar deals were formed weeks earlier with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Slovenia highlights role of multilateralism on UN 75th anniversary

LJUBLJANA - The best way to tackle current global threats remains multilateralism and responsible conduct of UN members, said the Foreign Ministry ahead of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, observed on Saturday. A lack of multilateral cooperation would lead to more difficulties in solving problems and facing up to ubiquitous challenges, it added.

Baltic foreign ministers and Belarus opposition leader in self-isolation after meeting Logar

LJUBLJANA - The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya are self-isolating after meeting Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar earlier this week, the French press agency AFP reports on Saturday. Logar tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, upon return from a three-day tour of the Baltics. Estonia's Urmas Reinsalu, Latvia's Edgars Rinkevičs and Lithuania's Linas Linkevičius are all feeling well, the AFP also said.

Civil Protection boss no longer in charge of operations office

LJUBLJANA - Srečko Šestan, the commander of the Civil Protection Authority, is no longer at the helm of the operations office of the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, a move that, the Defence Ministry said, aimed to unburden Šestan, allowing him to fully focus on the management of the authority. The ministry says that the move is in no way a show is distrust in Šestan, who will now also become a member of Defence Minister Matej Tonin's cabinet.

Independence War veterans and police officers criticise political and social situation

LJUBLJANA - Independence War Veterans and the Sever Union of Police Associations expressed criticism of the political and social situation in Slovenia on the eve of Sovereignty Day, the national holiday observed on Sunday commemorating the day when the last Yugoslav People's Army soldiers left the territory of Slovenia in 1991. Slovenia "must remain one of the core countries of Europe and not one of the authoritatively run countries whose only measure of success is corruption and increasing the differences in wealth and social power among the wealthy political elites."

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

STA, 24 October 2020 - Friday was a day of grim records in Slovenia's fight against the coronavirus. A record 7,025 tests were performed, with a record 1,961 coming back positive, pushing the positivity rate to a record 27.91%. Moreover, 19 people with coronavirus died yesterday, the highest daily death number yet.

While 17 people died in hospital, two more died in nursing homes, the Health Ministry said. This brought the total coronavirus death tally to 235.

The government initially said that 1,963 cases had been confirmed, this was later corrected by spokesman Jelko Kacin, who tweeted that 1,961 had been confirmed. He also said that they were still collecting information on deaths from nursing homes.

The number of active cases climbed to 13,021, according to tracker Covid-19.Sledilnik. 449 were in hospital, with 63 requiring intensive care, the Health Ministry said.

By far the highest number of active cases has been reported in Gorenjska (979), followed by Koroška (704) and central Slovenia (631), data from Covid-19.Sledilnik show.

Kacin also tweeted that the number of tests performed continues to increase and that the pressure on labs is immense. So far, 21,274 have been confirmed since testing began in spring.

Milan Krek, the director of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), told the STA today the high figures do not come unexpected, while Bojana Beović, the head of the government Covid-19 task force, told Radio Slovenija they would climb higher still.

Krek said NIJZ had prepared for the second wave, increasing its capacities, so that epidemiologists are now able to call over 1,000 people a day.

Meanwhile, Beović said manner of testing may change in the future due to the high number of positive tests, "because this is impossible work", while hospitalisations provide an insight into what is happening.

She said the task force was not considering additional measures at this point because restrictions put in place recently should have to suffice.

All our stories on Slovenia and coronavirus. The latest statistics on coronavirus and Slovenia, and the latest police news on red, green and yellow list countries. All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia. Can I transit Slovenia? Find out from the police...

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

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FRIDAY, 16 October
        ROME/TRIESTE, Italy - National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič held talks with the presidents of both chambers of the Italian parliament, the chairs of several parliamentary commissions and a Foreign Ministry state secretary. The focus of the talks was on reform of Italian electoral legislation. This was also the main topic of what was first official visit of Foreign Minister Anže Logar to the Slovenian community in Italy.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša said that fake news in the sense of denial of the danger of the new coronavirus, spreading in Europe mainly through social media and in Slovenia also through mainstream media, was what was forcing Europe and individual countries to take harsher measures than would otherwise be needed.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Putting 38% of Slovenian territory under Natura 2000 protection was "a shot in the knee", PM Janez Janša told the press after an EU summit that had climate goals as one of the items on the agenda. He said that the European average for the area, where it is forbidden to produce energy from natural and sustainable sources, is 18%.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said "appalled by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša's latest attack against the Slovene public broadcaster STA". This comes after Janša's Twitter post on Thursday calling the STA a "national disgrace". "This demonising of public service media and journalism must stop," said the EFJ.
        LJUBLJANA - Almost 900 new coronavirus were confirmed, a new daily high. The figures come to a positivity rate of roughly 16%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Ministry defended the national energy and climate plans in the face of a review from the European Commission, saying that in some areas Slovenia's goals were even more ambitious than the bloc's commitments. The ministry also said the Commission highlighted some positive aspects of the plans adopted last February.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council warned that the budget expenditure planned for the next two years is too high, while also saying that the divergence from the fiscal rule was understandable and could be allowed, considering the coronavirus pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protesters returned to bicycle protests yesterday. Police said a few hundred gathered and 33 violations of the ban on gatherings in public were recorded.
        TORONTO, Canada/GRAZ, Austria - Magna International, the Canadian-Austrian automotive multinational, announced it would start producing Fisker Ocean, an electric SUV, in 2022. According to unofficial reports by the Austrian Kleine Zeitung, the car would be assembled in Magna's plants in Graz, Austria, and in Hoče, near Maribor.
        LJUBLJANA - The second Slovenia-wide digital radio network, a technology known by its acronym DAB+, was launched. The new multiplex carries the signals of regional and local radio stations, and stations serving the Italian and Hungarian minorities.
        LJUBLJANA/SLOVENJ GRADEC - The Association of Journalists and Commentators expressed concern over "a renewed abuse of the wheels of the judiciary" after Bojan Požar, author and proprietor of the news portal Požareport, received a suspended three-month prison sentence for defamation and insult due to an article in which he alleged that Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič and his former aide Matjaž Štandeker had bribed bankers.

SATURDAY, 17 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has condemned a terrorist attack in a Paris suburb in which an assailant beheaded a teacher. "We need to enforce zero tolerance for terrorism and street violence across #EU," Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Twitter.
        LJUBLJANA - The share of coronavirus tests that came back positive exceeded 19% for the first time on Saturday, as 726 cases were confirmed in 3,765 tests.
        LJUBLJANA - The Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP) condemned an incident that occurred during a 16 October protest in Ljubljana and involved the rapper Zlatko grabbing the camera from a Nova24 cameraman. It said this was an "attack on journalistic freedom and consequently on freedom of expression." The Slovenian Journalists' Association condemned all forms of violence, both verbal and physical.
        WROCLAW, Poland - Slovenian writer Goran Vojnović was awarded the Angelus Central European Literary Prize, conferred to works by Central European writers translated into the Polish, for his 2013 novel My Yugoslavia. The annual award is conferred by Wroclaw to writers who take up the most important topics for the present day.

SUNDAY, 18 October
        LJUBLJANA - The government officially declared a coronavirus epidemic for the entire country starting on 19 October. meaning that the national protection and rescue plan was activated. The epidemic was declared for an initial period of 30 days. Prime Minister Janez Janša called for responsibility and solidarity in the face of the pandemic in a video address to Slovenian citizens. He said a challenging period of cold weather was ahead, which required effective measures.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 537 new coronavirus cases in 2,637 tests. The positivity rate exceeded 20% for the first time. The 14-day cumulative rate of infection per 100,000 people reached 339 compared to 317 the day before.

MONDAY, 19 October
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor delivered a video address to the people underlining that at the time of crisis, community closes its ranks. "We have to be courageous and determined but also tolerant and patient. This is particularly important for politics. It must make an honest effort for mutual respect and cooperation," he said.
        LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus infections reached 794 in 4,326 tests. Two more people died, brining the death toll to 192. About 1% of Slovenia's population is infected with Sars-CoV-2 based on the test positivity rate, the head of the government task force Bojana Beović said.
        LJUBLJANA - Facing criticism from the opposition in parliament about the government's response to the Covid-19 epidemic, Prime Minister Janez Janša assured MPs that Slovenia had prepared well for the second wave. He said the second wave of the epidemic would eventually pass and that only then it would be possible to make comparisons with other countries.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša presented the government's plans regarding the distribution of EU and state recovery funds. He said investments were in the healthcare system and infrastructure, which would include two new infectious disease clinics and nursing hospitals in all regions.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted his counterpart from North Macedonia Bujar Osmani for talks that focused on preparations for an intergovernmental conference at which North Macedonia expects to start EU membership talks. Logar expressed the belief that the talks would start during Germany's presidency of the EU.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor stressed at a virtual summit of the Three Seas Initiative that this platform offers a unique opportunity to change this part of Europe into a modern, sustainable and innovative society. He added that the initiative must not be understood as a grouping of certain EU members countering other members. Foreign Minister Anže Logar took part in a ministerial panel devoted to smart money.
        LJUBLJANA - The Nova Gorica Administrative Court was reported to have annulled the dismissal of former director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Darko Muženič. The court's decision is final, so there is no possibility of an appeal.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana's city councillors adopted a statement condemning any activities or gatherings of paramilitary or nationalist groups in the capital. The opposition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) protested, unsuccessfully proposing that the item be removed from the City Council's agenda.
        LJUBLJANA - Chief supervisor of telco Telekom Slovenije Aleš Šabeder and supervisors Barbara Cerovšek Zupančič and Bernarda Babič resigned, citing the current situation in the five-strong supervisory board. Šabeder expects the remaining two supervisory board members to follow suit.
        LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek signed a set of amendments to Slovenia's association agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), which he said constituted an important step towards full-fledged membership. The minister expects cooperation with ESA to deepen further.
        
TUESDAY, 20 October
        LJUBLJANA - A temporary 9pm-6am curfew entered into force across Slovenia to limit the spread of coronavirus. The ceiling for gatherings was lowered from ten to six people and a blanket ban on movement among statistical regions put in place, albeit with exceptions related to work, emergency situations and services, family assistance and farm work.
        LJUBLJANA - A record 1,503 Sars-CoV-2 infections were confirmed as the test positivity rate exceeded 25%. Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 20 to 333.
        TALLINN, Estonia - FM Anže Logar met his Estonian counterpart Urmas Reinsalu as he started a three-day tour of the Baltics, with the pair expressing the wish for closer cooperation on the bilateral and EU levels in digital services.
        LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition parties called on the government to mend its ways, which they argue are the reason for what they see as a "fatefully low level" of public trust in measures and recommendations aimed to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.
        UDINE, Italy/BILBAO/Spain - Slovenian cyclist Jan Tratnik (Team Bahrain McLaren) won the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia between Udine and San Daniele del Friuli to become only the fifth Slovenian ever to win a stage at the prestigious road race around Italy, while his more celebrated compatriot Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

WEDNESDAY, 21 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's coronavirus tally soared to another daily record as 1,663 infections were confirmed from a record 6,215 tests, a positivity rate of over 25%. Hospitalisations increased to 357, with 62 patients in intensive care.
        LJUBLJANA - Anže Erbežnik ended up two votes short of appointment as Constitutional Court judge in a 44:35 secret ballot at the National Assembly. The result was the same for the nominee for Banka Slovenije vice-governor Arjana Brezigar Masten, who also needed the absolute majority of all votes. The coalition said this was not an indication of disunity in its ranks.
        LJUBLJANA - MPs passed changes to the integrity and prevention of corruption act which the government argues strengthen the preventive and supervisory role of the anti-graft commission. They also aim at clearly delineating the powers in prosecution of corruption between the commission on the one hand and the police and prosecution on the other.
        RIGA, Latvia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar continued his three-day tour of the Baltics by meeting his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevičs for talks that focused on the importance of coordinating measures to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. They called for a joint EU approach in coordinating these measures but noted that this was largely within the purview of national governments.
        VILNIUS, Lithuania - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya as part of his visit to Lithuania. He said that Slovenia advocated dialogue between all political stakeholders, called for peaceful talks, and expressed support for the efforts made as part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) and Council of Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly unanimously passed amendments to the environmental protection act designed to tackle the long-running problem of packaging waste and to transpose EU directives in the field. Under the amendments, packaging waste treatment companies will need to accept all waste from waste collection utility companies based on a fee paid by the companies that produce such waste.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed an amendment to the motorway tolling act that creates the legal basis for the e-tolling of cars. The new system is to become operational by the end of next year and drivers will be able to buy "electronic vignettes" via an app, online or at service stations.

THURSDAY, 22 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will put in place new restrictions to limit the spread of coronavirus. Non-essential shops will be closed, as will hotels, kindergartens and student dormitories, Prime Minister Janez Janša announced. The measures, entering into force on Saturday, will initially be in place for a week and will then be re-evaluated.
        LJUBLJANA - The government asked parliament to activate Article 37a the defence act which gives members of the Slovenian Armed forces certain police powers on the border. The proposal, which the government says is primarily needed because of the additional burdened placed on police by the epidemic, needs a two-thirds majority.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke via videoconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They discussed the Covid-19 situation in Europe, the EU presidency trio's activities and the situation in the Western Balkans. Janša said that Germany had offered emergency medical equipment should Slovenia require it.
        VILNIUS, Lithuania - Foreign Minister Anže Logar wrapped up a three-day tour of the Baltics by meeting Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevičius. Cooperation between the countries at bilateral, European and multi-lateral levels being on the agenda, in addition to the situation in Belarus.
        LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin had an informal videoconference with his German and Portuguese counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Joao Gomes Cravinho. The talks focused on European defence policy.
        LJUBLJANA - Singer-songwriter, musician and poet Vlado Kreslin is the recipient of this year's Ježek Award, an accolade celebrating creative and witty radio and television oeuvres and achievements. Kreslin is instilling a spirit of freedom, solidarity, tolerance and joie de vivre in Slovenia's cultural sphere, the judging panel has said.

STA, 23 October 2020 - With a week-long closure of preschools starting on Monday and many parents trying to figure out how to combine work and childcare, Social Affairs Minister Janez Cigler Kralj said on Friday that the parents taking work days off to mind their children will be eligible to a compensation amounting to 80% of their salary.

Moreover, Education Minister Simona Kustec, said at the same press conference that parents would not be paying for childcare while their child was not in kindergarten.

She also appealed to mayors to make childcare available for parents who must work and have no other childcare possibility, adding that mayors understood the needs of their communities best.

Kustec expressed belief that people were aware of the severity of the situation and that only those in jobs that are vital to the state and the society would opt to bring their child to kindergarten.

Kindergartens and mayors will decide how they will be checking whether the childcare is really necessary for an individual child.

The minister said the decision to close kindergartens was made due to the doubling in the number of coronavirus cases among staff.

Kindergartens are to remain closed next week, during the autumn holiday for primary and secondary schools.

When asked whether children would return to brick and mortar schools after that, Kustec said this would be decided towards the end of next week. This is also when it would be decided whether kindergartens will reopen.

Asked about subsidised school meals for poor students, Kustec said that most children had access to these in the past week, when student beyond grade 5 of primary school had already been remotely schooled.

If the lockdown will stretch out for a longer period, then a system solution will have to be found for this issue, the minister said.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia

STA, 23 October 2020 - Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a routine test on Friday, the Foreign Ministry has announced, adding that he is not displaying any Covid-19 symptoms.

Following recommendations from the public health authorities, Logar and his closest aides who have been in contact with him will self-isolate for the next ten days, the ministry added.

Logar is Slovenia's highest-ranking official to have tested positive for the novel virus after the infection has so far been officially confirmed in two MPs and the Maribor mayor.

The news comes after the foreign ministers of Austria and Belgium, Alexander Schallenberg and Sophie Wilmes, both announced on Saturday to have tested positive.

Schallenberg's spokesperson said the minister might have caught the virus at the 12 October session of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, which was also attended by Logar.

The Slovenian foreign minister wrapped up a tour of the Baltic countries in Lithuania on Thursday after he had already visited Latvia and Estonia in the previous two days.

Also today, Tadeja Šuštar, an MP for the coalition party New Slovenia (NSi), announced she had tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.

In post on her Facebook profile the MP said she had taken a self-pay test as a precaution after receiving an alert from the coronavirus exposure app.

Her deputy faction said other NSi MPs were not self-isolating because they had strictly followed all precautionary measures while in contact with Šuštar, including wearing face masks and social distancing.

Despite the infection, the second after Social Democrat (SD) MP Gregor Židan tested positive while on holiday almost two weeks ago, the National Assembly continued proceedings as per usual today.

More Top Officials Caught Breaking Rules

STA, 23 October 2020 - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and the public health chief Milan Krek are the latest officials to have been exposed by the media for apparently flouting coronavirus precautions.

According to a report by the commercial broadcaster POP TV, Koritnik visited a beauty salon while waiting for his coronavirus test result, which later turned out to be negative.

Meanwhile, Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health, was spotted filling up at a service station in Ljubljana without wearing a face mask on Thursday, TV Slovenija reported.

Krek confirmed the incident, explaining that he was tired and was not jeopardising anyone.

Koritnik told POP TV that he got himself tested on Thursday as a precaution after infections were confirmed at his ministry in the past week.

Since he did not have any direct contact with infected persons, he was not advised to self-isolate. As a rule those who get tested are advised to behave as if they were infected.

Koritnik's negative test result did not come back until Friday morning. Having a day off the day before, he visited a beauty salon, where POP TV said he also broke the government decree because five people were inside the salon at the same time.

"The premises are large, I was there with my life companion," Koritnik said in response.

The incidents follow after photos emerged of an unmasked National Council President Alojz Kovšca during a visit to the Slovenian minority in Hungary, and an unmasked Education Minister Simona Kustec attending a sports gala event.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Near-record 1,656 coronavirus cases recorded on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,656 cases of Sars-CoV-2 were confirmed in 6,745 tests in Slovenia on Thursday, and two people died in hospital, said government spokesman Jelko Kacin. The number of active cases reached 11,434, according to the tracker Covid-19.Sledilnik, which also shows a near-record test positivity rate of 24.55% and a daily death tally of three. Meanwhile, 394 people needed hospital treatment, of whom 67 were in intensive care, Kacin said. To cope with a surge in admissions, UKC Ljubljana, the country's biggest hospital, suspended all elective procedures for a fortnight.

Foreign Minister Logar tests positive for coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a routine test. Announcing the news, the Foreign Ministry said the minister was not displaying any Covid-19 symptoms, while he and his aides who had been in contact with him were self-isolating for the next ten days. Logar is Slovenia's most senior official to test positive so far. On Saturday his Austrian and Belgian counterparts, Alexander Schallenberg and Sophie Wilmes, confirmed to have tested positive.

PM Janša endorses Trump for second term

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša endorsed US President Donald Trump for re-election, adding his name to a list of foreign leaders who have come out in support of Trump during the election campaign, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "We respect difficult, tragic personal life of Joe Biden and some of his political achievements years ago. But today, if elected, he would be one of the weakest presidents in history. When a free world desperately needs strong US as never before. Go, win, Donald Trump," wrote Janša in English on Twitter.

Minister expects defence investment to go ahead

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin expects that a bill on a EUR 780 million defence investment by 2026 will be passed at the November session, which would allow the country to meet one of NATO targets. Speaking with Slovenian correspondents in Brussels after a two-day virtual NATO ministerial, Tonin said he expected a majority to vote against the opposition-sponsored petition for a referendum on the bill on Tuesday. Slovenia's defence budget is to increase from 1.28% of GDP in 2021 to 1.3% a year later.

Brussels responds to regulatory merger plans

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Commenting on a planned merger of regulatory bodies in Slovenia, the European Commission stressed the importance of the independence of national regulatory authorities from political influence and market interest. It said EU law protects the mandates of the heads of such bodies, with mergers not deemed a sufficient ground for early termination. "A re-organisation or merger of authorities is not regarded by the EU courts as a sufficient ground for early termination," it said.

Exceptions defined in more detail regrading curfew, crossing of regions

LJUBLJANA - The government has set more details regarding lockdown measures and exceptions to the ban on crossing Slovenia's statistical regions, as the whole country was declared a red zone on Thursday, including the coastal Obalno-Kraška region. Delivery of food, drinks, medications and basic necessities as well as room service will be allowed during curfew between 9pm and 6am. The curfew also does not apply for persons who are transiting the country or coming home from abroad.

Parents staying home with kids in lockdown to get pay subsidy

LJUBLJANA - With a week-long closure of preschools starting on Monday and many parents trying to figure out how to combine work and childcare, Social Affairs Minister Janez Cigler Kralj said the parents taking work days off to mind their children will be eligible for compensation amounting to 80% of their salary. Education Minister Simona Kustec added that parents would not be paying for childcare while their child was not in kindergarten. Childcare will be available to parents who must work and have no other childcare possibility.

Protesters suspend cycling rallies

LJUBLJANA - The anti-government protests held in the streets of Ljubljana each Friday for the past six months were discontinued temporarily due to the epidemic. A small group of the most vocal among the protesters announced the protests would continue through "a strengthening of the local networks, guerilla operations, the formation of a civil society alliance, the building of ties with experts, scientists, scholars", as well as protests from homes and balconies.

ZZZS to end year with EUR 121m deficit

LJUBLJANA - The ZZZS public health insurance fund expects to generate a EUR 120.7 million deficit this year, while next year, the deficit is to be at EUR 189.6 million. While this year's gap is to be covered by the fund, next year's is to be covered by the budget. The figures already include the effects of an annex to the general healthcare agreement approved by the government on Thursday valued at a total of EUR 80.8 million this year.

Return on state equity at 6.9% in 2019

LJUBLJANA - The return on capital owned by the state and controlled by Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) stood at 6.9% in 2019, 0.7 percentage points above the target. The goal was exceeded despite significant changes in the SSH portfolio. In a report for 2019, sent to parliament, the SSH noted that after the sale of banks the more profitable financial investments were reduced in its portfolio in favour of higher shares of strategic investments that usually generate lower returns.

Soldiers suing parliament over collective bargaining agreement

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Soldiers (SVS) is suing the National Assembly over the non-implementation of the 2012 Constitutional Court ruling concerning the public sector pay system. The trade union demands the annulment of two annexes to the public sector collective bargaining agreement arguing that they are unconstitutional. The December 2018 agreement with the government raised the wages of most public sector employees by three brackets or exceptionally by two brackets. But it envisaged a pay raise by only one bracket for members of the SAF, which is why no trade union representing employees in defence signed the relevant annex. The SVS demands the annex's annulment.

Drafting of zoning plan for Postojna-Jelšane motorway starts

LJUBLJANA - The government decided on Thursday to go ahead with the national zoning plan for a motorway between Postojna and Jelšane, with the 38-kilometre section in fact creating a connection between the Slovenian motorway system and the Croatian port city of Rijeka, some 30 kilometres south of the Jelšane border crossing. The newspaper Delo reported that if the procedure ran uninterrupted, it would take about three years to approve the route, but that Pivka locals would likely object to the planned route.

AC maker IMP Klima salvaged by Dutch family company

IDRIJA - The IMP Klima Group, the Slovenian-based cooling arm of Swedish multinational Lindab, which faced liquidation, has been salvaged by the Dutch family company Orange Climate, as the takeover from the Swedish Lindab was completed a few days ago. The Godovič-based company, which its previous Swedish owner planned to shut down, has been renamed OC IMP Klima and will keep all of its products, agreements and contracts, and production facilities under the new owner. Lindab had planed to close down IMP Klima Group, which would affect 212 jobs in Slovenia and 14 in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Business sentiment down in October

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia deteriorated in October after improving for five consecutive months. The sentiment indicator stood at -6.6 percentage points, down 2.4 points on September and 10.7 points year-on-year. The latest figure is 6.7 points below the long-term average, said the Statistics Office. The monthly decrease was caused by poorer consumer confidence, where the indicator was down by 1.1 p.p., and the services sector and retail, where the indicator lost 0.7 of a percentage point. The indicator of confidence in construction had a small but positive influence (+0.1 p.p.).

Artist Jože Spacal dies

LJUBLJANA - Jože Spacal, the internationally acclaimed artist who for almost 30 years worked as a set designer for the precursor to the Slovenian public broadcaster, died, aged 81, on Wednesday. Spacal, who studied the arts in Milan, received more than twenty awards for his work abroad, including at the 7th Norwegian International Print Biennial in Fredrikstad, and the 4th International Print Biennial Varna. During his time with TV Ljubljana he created over 300 sets, some of the greatest achievements in the art.

Architecture and design museum gets new head

LJUBLJANA - Bogo Zupančič was appointed new director of the Museum of Architecture and Design, succeeding Matevž Čelik, who has been at the helm of the museum since 2010. Zupančič was picked among seven applicants in an open call by Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti. Zupančič earned a PhD in architecture from the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture in 2000 and has a wealth of experience in museum work on top of academic achievements, said the ministry.

Slovenians increasingly happy working from home, poll shows

LJUBLJANA - Almost half of Slovenians believe the economy will not recover from the coronavirus crisis before 2023, showed a survey conducted by the pollster Mediana. However, increasingly many people are also quite comfortable working from home. In July, almost one in five respondents expected the economy will get back on its feet in 2021 or sooner, and one in three respondents said it would probably not recover before 2023, but now, as the second wave hit the country, the share of the latter rose by 14 percentage points. A notable change was also detected in people's attitude to working from home.

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STA, 23 October 2020 - A total of 1,656 cases of Sars-CoV-2 were confirmed in 6,745 tests in Slovenia on Thursday, and two people died in hospital, said government spokesman Jelko Kacin. The number of active cases reached 11,434, according to the Covid-19.Sledilnik tracker, which also shows a near-record test positivity rate of 24.55% and a daily death tally of three.

Meanwhile, 394 people needed hospital treatment, of whom 67 were in intensive care, Kacin said at a press conference on Friday.

The highest number of active cases by far is seen in the Gorenjska statistical region (867), followed by Koroška (636) and Central Slovenia (574).

The virus also continues to spread in nursing homes, both among staff and residents. Janez Cigler Kralj, the minister in charge of social affairs, said at the press conference that all nursing homes with Covid-19 patients had set up isolation wards, while all homes have a crisis plan prepared for the case of an outbreak.

Meanwhile, a number of nursing homes are moving coronavirus-positive residents to facilities that are physically separated.

The nursing home in Slovenj Gradec will be moving nearly 40 residents to the thermal spa Terme Topolšica, while infected residents of the Škofja Loka nursing home have already been moved to a nearby school gym.

The Radovljica nursing home will meanwhile be moving an entire department of staff who tend to the elderly living at home, to a nearby fire station.

Cigler Kralj said at the press conference that he visited the gym in Škofja Loka on Thursday. The decision to move infected residents to a gym has been met with some criticism over the past days, but the minister said the accommodation was appropriate.

With hotels also being a possible solution to provide additional beds for Covid-19 patients, Cigler Kralj said not all hotels were suitable for the care for Covid-19-infected nursing home residents, whose average age is 84 and 80% of whom are bedridden.

Also addressing the press conference, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said the government was in the final stages of talks with hotel operators, with many, above all thermal spas, promising to make available their capacities for Covid-19 patients. He said this would make several hundred beds available.

He also said that healthcare treatment, including physical therapy and similar services funded from public health insurance, which are frequently provided by hotels in thermal spas, remain allowed as of Saturday, when all other hotels and other similar facilities will have to close.

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