STA, 9 October 2020 - The Constitutional Court has struck down provisions of a 2013 law that impose a 70% tax on income that individuals have been found to have failed to report. The court also declared that tax reassessment cannot be made for cases prior to 2009.

The court, in the ruling declared on Friday, said the taxation rate could not be above the rate for that valid for income proved by the taxpayer. The top tax rate in Slovenia is 50%.

The court also quashed the provision under which such a tax reassessment procedure can be launched for one or several years within ten years prior to the start of the procedure when it could lead to taxation of undeclared income from before 1 January 2009.

The contentious super tax was passed in late 2013 as part of the government's legislative package aimed at combating grey economy. It entered into effect in 2014.

It provided for the 70% tax rate to be imposed on the difference between the actual value of assets and the reported value of assets, as opposed to the average personal income tax rate which had been used until then.

However, since the 70% tax rate also entails a penal element, the court has now established that the law should have also included legal guarantees that the Constitution prescribes for criminal proceedings under article 29 in the tax reassessment procedure.

Since the procedure under the tax procedure act does not provides such guarantees, this section of the super tax law contravenes the constitution.

The court says it is up to the legislator whether to include an element of penal or restitutional nature in the future, but if it does, it would need to take into account basic criminal procedure guarantees in that procedure.

The 2013 law also expanded the period for which suspicious assets could be scrutinised from five to ten years. This provision was now quashed as the retroactive effect of legal acts is prohibited under article 155 of the Constitution.

The legislation was challenged by the Administrative Court over an appeal against the Financial Administration's decision to impose EUR 1 million tax plus interest on the plaintiff for a period between 2008 and 2014.

Based on the decision, persons who have already been slapped with such high tax payments could claim their money back. The procedure has been applied in some of the high-profile cases of alleged corporate crime.

All our stories on tax and Slovenia

STA, 8 October 2020 - Two years after the end of World War I, a Slovenian minority would end up on the other side of the Karawanks following a plebiscite in Carinthia that determined the border between Austria and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. While the outcome of the vote was the product of several factors, what followed was a period of revanchism.

The plebiscite was held on 10 October 1920 under the provisions of the Treaty of Saint-Germain, signed a year earlier by the allied powers that won World War I on the one hand and the Republic of German-Austria on the other.

While parts of Carinthia now in Slovenia (Meža Valley and Jezersko) were to be incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the fate of southern Carinthia down to the Klagenfurt basin was to be determined by a plebiscite, under the principle of self-determination championed by US President Woodrow Wilson.

Before the vote, the Klagenfurt basin was divided into two zones; Zone A in the south with a predominately Slovenian speaking population and the smaller Zone B, which comprised Klagenfurt and its surroundings. Zone B was to hold a referendum only if a majority of voters in Zone A would have opted for what had already at the time been known as Yugoslavia.

However, with the turnout at almost 96%, 22,025 ballots or 59.04% of the vote cast was in favour of Austria, against 15,279 or 40.96%, who opted for Yugoslavia.

In their 2003 textbook, historians Dušan Nećak and Božo Repe estimate that at least 10,000 Carinthian Slovenes voted in favour of Austria, while some historians estimate a majority of the Slovens eligible to vote opted for Austria.

Despite having posted military victories ahead of the plebiscite, the Slovene side suffered a diplomatic defeat at the Paris peace conference and another one at the ballot box.

A mix of factors and interests decided the outcome

Historian Andrej Rahten, a former Slovenian ambassador to Austria, says that several factors were at play in the outcome of the plebiscite, however the battle for Carinthia had already been lost during the Habsburg monarchy.

"Even before World War I, Slovenians in Carinthia saw an adverse demographic trend, going from one quarter of Carinthia's population in the 1900 census by speaking language, which was biased methodologically, to a good fifth in 1910, and then, in the first post-plebiscite census in 1923, to one tenth."

Rahten, talking with the Slovenian and Austrian press agencies, STA and APA, in a joint interview, says the key role in the decision for the plebiscite was played by US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson.

If it had not been for France's support of Yugoslavia, the demarcation would have been even more harmful for Slovenians, he says; if you asked the Americans, they would have assigned Carinthia north of the Karawanks to Austria even without a plebiscite.

This was because of the belief that Austria, which had to accept secessions of some other border territories with practically no referendum rights, should be given some territorial concession lest it should become part of some great Germany.

Rahten believes the plebiscite result would have been very different had it not been for the Karawanks mountain range, which represented not only a physical but also a psychological barrier.

"The decisive element was economic reasons"; for centuries Klagenfurt and Villach had been traditional markets for Carinthian farmers, while now they were supposed to be replaced by Ljubljana.

Similarly, British historian Robert Knight offers economic interests as one possible explanation why Slovenians opted for Austria, along with the appeal, or lack thereof, of Yugoslavia with respect to Catholicism or the monarchy.

The Austrian propaganda played an important role; it emphasised economic benefits of the undivided Klagenfurt basin, regional identity, links between Slovenian- and German-speaking inhabitants and the cultural differences between Catholic Austria and Orthodox Serbia as the leading nation in Yugoslavia.

Historian Tamara Griesser-Pečar, in one of her articles, also notes the significance of the Carinthian Slovenians' attachment to their land, as well as social, economic, religious and political reasons and their bad experiences with the Yugoslav authorities.

The results by municipality. Paasikivi CC-by-SA-4.0

After plebiscite, broken promises and revanchism

A vital factor why Slovens opted for Austria would have been Austria's pledge to protect the minority's rights, passed by the provincial assembly in Klagenfurt in September 1920.

However, as early as 25 November 1920, Arthur Lemisch, the head of the province's provisional government, publicly advocated in the provincial assembly for Carinthian Slovenians to be Germanised within a generation.

The nationalist sentiment in Austria only grew between both world wars, resulting in further assimilation of Carinthian Slovenians. It was not until 1955 that they had their rights guaranteed in the Austrian State Treaty but they are yet to fully enjoy them.

Rahten and Knight, a historian from University College London who has studied the fate of Carinthian Slovenians, have talked to the STA and APA about the dark period in the wake of the plebiscite, about revanchism, persecution and scaremongering.

The Slovenians who voted for Austria were expected to assimilate, become German, while the others had to be induced to move south through a mixture of "pressure, persuasion and structural coercion", says Knight.

There were also opposing forces as for example in Social Democracy, "but by and large, Carinthian politics was also aimed at intolerance, exclusion and ethnic homogenization", although Knight does not see that as something distinctly Carintihan.

"The plebiscite definitely made the tensions only worse and it took decades, through change of generations, for those first months of revanchism to be gradually and slowly put behind," Rahten says.

He notes physical assaults on people accused to have voted for Yugoslavia, even if they may have not, arson attacks on the homes of Slovenian patriots, and the perpetrators going punished.

Before the plebiscite, Carinthian officials had been promising that no one would be hurt, that everyone would enjoy equal rights, that Slovenians would be better off than in the old Austria, but just the opposite happened.

"The promises were soon broken. What followed soon after can simply be called revanchism (...) which led to the Slovene elite being driven out of Carinthia," says Rahten, noting that an estimated 3,000 refugees fled Carinthia after the plebiscite.

At the same time, "the political impotence when it came to protection of the Slovene minority's rights in Carinthia was offset by very harsh measures taken against the Germans who were left in Yugoslav Slovenia", such as forced Slovenisation of German schools.

Centenary celebrations in a buoyant mood

The relationship between the majority and minority in Austrian Carinthia had begun to mend only after Slovenia declared independence in 1991 where Austria played a key role in the country's international recognition.

Like in the case of the Slovenian minority in Italy, the atmosphere for the minority in Carinthia improved further after Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and the Schengen area three years later.

Knight, noting that the centenary celebrations appear to have taken a different course after neglect of the Slovenian minority and its language in the past, believes the main emphasis of commemoration of 1920 should be on honouring the promise made publicly on the eve of the vote, that is to preserve the minority's unique identity.

STA, 9 October 2020 - A total of 363 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in 3,682 tests on Thursday, the third day in a row that the case count has exceeded 300. Four people with Covid-19 died, the highest daily figure since the start of the epidemic, the latest government data show.

Slovenia now has a total of 7,879 confirmed cases, of which 2,865 are active, according to data tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik. The four new deaths bring the death toll to 165.

Measured in new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks, a key benchmark used in the EU, Slovenia is now at 137, just shy of the threshold that will trigger new restrictions according to government plans.

The situation in hospitals continues to deteriorate as well. There are 138 Covid-19 patients currently in hospital, up from 131 yesterday, while the number of patients in intensive care rose by one to 22. Twelve are currently on ventilators.

"The situation in hospitals is approaching critical," Jelko Kacin, the government's Covid-19 spokesman, told the press today.

He also said Slovenia was preparing for "even more extensive testing" and currently had no problems either processing the tests or securing the requisite testing materials.

There are no testing delays since labs conducting analyses are sufficiently staffed and work around the clock, according to Kacin.

New cases were reported in almost half of all Slovenian municipalities. The biggest increases were in Ljubljana (74), Kranj (19) and Velenje (14).

In terms of the share of active cases in the population, Črna na Koroškem stands out with almost 1.2% of its residents classified as active.

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STA, 8 October 2020 - Ngen, an energy system solutions company, launched its second battery storage in Kidričevo on Thursday. The EUR 15 million system, located near aluminium maker Talum and considered the biggest in the wider region, will store excess energy. It is similar to that the company has launched in Jesenice, near the Acroni steelworks.

Ngen boss Roman Bernard said that the power of connection of the Tesla-made battery was 15 megawatts and has a capacity of 30 megawatt hours. The company has developed its own software solutions steering all devices connected to the system.

"This is only the beginning. For now, we are only linked to the primary grid," he said, adding that the battery takes advantage of all effects of energy surges or drops in the grid. This is overseen by grid operator Eles, while Ngen carries out the service, he said.

"Battery storage will allow us to reduce deviations. These occur, for example, when solar plants produce excess energy on sunny days," Bernard illustrated at the opening, which was also attended by President Borut Pahor.

Talum, majority-owned by Eles, was chosen as a location for the battery storage because the company has the required infrastructure and appropriate connections to the grid, and uses a lot of power.

Talum believes the storage system will provide an additional level of energy security, allowing the facility to operate in case of short-term power outages.

On the other hand, energy from Talum's generators will be stored in the battery, which will allow the company to provide systemic services and help provide better stability of the grid.

The Talum launch comes shortly after Ngen, in cooperation with hardware retailer Merkur, launched the sale of Tesla household batteries. These are 6 kilowatt solar units with a battery capacity of 14 kilowatt hours.

Ngen was established two years ago. It was co-funded by Bernard and Damian Merlak who made millions by selling his cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp in 2018.

STA, 8 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša called a session of the National Security Council for Friday afternoon after a record 387 people tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. Apart from the coronavirus situation, the session, scheduled for 3pm, is also to discuss illegal migrations.

In total, 7,507 have tested positive since the pandemic reached Slovenia in the spring and 160 people have died. Data for Wednesday show some 2,700 active infections in Slovenia.

The share of positive tests has exceeded 10% for the first time on Wednesday and the virus is spreading fast among school and healthcare staff.

Today, the government adopted new restrictive measures, capping the number of people in gatherings to 10 as of tomorrow. Gatherings of up to 500 people will be possible only with the approval of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ).

Food and drinks will no longer be served at events, said Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, adding that the police will also conduct strict oversight of compliance with new gathering restrictions at weekly Friday protests.

Moreover, bars and restaurants will only be allowed to serve customers sitting down and observing a personal distance of 1.5 metres, unless they are members of the same household.

The National Security Council session was called a week after Hojs said that the migrant smuggling market was in full swing, also adding that the Interior Ministry still wanted to give the military police powers to help out along the border.

Talking to public broadcaster TV Slovenija tonight, Hojs said the ministry realised "the Schengen code allows some other state bodies to control borders as well". The ministry explained subsequently that this involved the Financial Administration, inspectorates as well as the military.

Between 1 January and 15 September, the police have detected 11,117 attempts at illegal border crossings, compared to 10,906 in the same period last year.

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: 

New record for Slovenia as 387 test positive for coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - A record 387 Covid-19 tests came back positive on Wednesday, a slight increase from the day before and a new record since the start of the epidemic in March. There were slightly fewer tests performed than the day before, 3,665, with the positivity rate climbing above 10% for the first time. The number of patients currently in hospital rose from 122 to 131, a new record, despite 15 being discharged from hospital. A total of 21 patients were in intensive care, one fewer than the day before. One person died, bringing the death toll to 160. Slovenian epidemiologists announced they have readjusted their contact tracing strategy to focus on contacts of infected persons in care homes, education, healthcare and shared households.

Gatherings limited to 10 from Friday amid stepped-up policing

LJUBLJANA - The government has imposed new restrictions following a sharp rise in Slovenia's coronavirus curve, including a ban on gatherings of more than ten people, except for organised events sanctioned by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). The ban, which applies to public and private gatherings, will come into effect on Friday, and police will stiffen oversight and fining. Those organising events of up to 500 people, including religious services and sporting events, will need to obtain the go-ahead from the NIJZ, however catering or the serving of food or drinks at those events will no longer be allowed.

Hojs: Slovenia for effective EU return policy

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told his EU counterparts, who discussed the new migration and asylum pact for the first time, that more focus should be given to an effective EU return policy. He believes a compromise is needed to enhance external border control if compulsory relocation of migrants is kept for member states. Hojs said the very extensive pact raised many questions which called for answers if measures were to bring results, while also welcoming the European Commission's drafting a document which is a serious basis for further talks. He however added that "it's impossible to say the pact does not contain compulsory relocation" and that "this can be quite a problem in the talks in the coming months."

Pahor, Van der Bellen call for minority protection 100 years after Carinthian plebiscite

LJUBLJANA/VIENNA, Austria - The Slovenian and Austrian presidents, Borut Pahor and Alexander Van der Bellen, called for the protection of minorities as an element that enriches as they spoke with the STA and APA ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite. Pahor and Van der Bellen would like to mark the "fact that now we live in a joint European home". Van der Bellen said past anniversaries of the plebiscite had been "regularly abused in the sense that it opened old wounds", but a new sense of belonging was developing now.

Slovenians welcome Austria's doubling funds for minorities

LJUBLJANA/KLAGENFURT - Carinthian Slovenians and the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad lauded Austria's decision to double the funds for minorities in the country. The office regrets though that Article 7 of the Austrian State Treaty, setting down rights of the Slovenian minority in southern Austria, has not yet been implemented. All three umbrella organisations of ethnic Slovenians living in Austria's Carinthia welcome the step as well as an additional EUR 4 million for the Slovenian minority, a gift by Austria marking the upcoming centenary of the Carinthian plebiscite, which will be celebrated on Saturday. It was however noted that this is the first increase in funds for Austrian minorities in a quarter of a century.

Govt adopts draft national recovery plan

LJUBLJANA - The government has endorsed a draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan as a basis to tap on EUR 5.2 billion from the the EUR 750 billion recovery facility agreed by EU leaders in July in response to the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The plan sets out reforms and structural adjustments in five areas. EUR 334 million in grants is earmarked in support of reforms and EUR 1.705 billion in grants and EUR 2.933 billion in loans for investment projects, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy said.

Protest movement calls for moving away from neoliberalism

LJUBLJANA - Representatives of the anti-government protest movement, which has been holding rallies every Friday since April, presented their main demands and proposals in a manifesto. The document headlined Guidelines of the Protesting People's Assembly was formed at an assembly held on 17 July, at which 3,000 people expressed their views on the topical social issues, Jaša Jenull, one of the leaders of the protests, said. Another representative said the list of progressive ideas centres on the people and environment, and moves away from a neoliberal development concept. "We will allow no privatisation. We demand public education, public healthcare, access to public services and a reflection on the political system we live in," Tea Jarc from the youth trade union Mladi Plus said.

Pahor receives new ambassadors of UK, Slovakia

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of the UK's new ambassador to Slovenia Tiffany Sadler and of her Slovak counterpart Peter Zelenak. Sadler has served at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1994, most recently as director for Tech Overhaul Programme until 2019. A career diplomat, Zelenak has served as deputy head of mission of the Slovak Republic to the United States, among other things.

Hungarian FM Szijjarto becomes Lendava's honorary resident

LENDAVA - The city council of Lendava, a bilingual municipality on the border with Hungary, has honoured Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto by making him an honorary resident. The proposal was adopted on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority, with only one councillor voting against and none wanting to debate the motion. Szijjarto has contributed the most to Hungary's giving several million euros for the development of mixed-nationality areas populated by a Hungarian minority, Mayor Janez Magyar told the STA. Szijjarto is the second Hungarian foreign minister to be made an honorary resident of Lendava since his predecessor Janos Martonyi in 2014.

Filmmakers urging govt to release budget funds

LJUBLJANA - The coronacrisis has severely impacted film and television production in Slovenia. Red tape and lack of government efforts have exacerbated the situation, filmmakers said at two panels at the Festival of Slovenian Film on Wednesday. They called on the government to release overdue funds and boost and streamline film funding. Director Metod Pevec said the lack of public funds made it impossible for Slovenian producers to take part in co-productions and international tenders.

Slovenia 14th in Energy Trilemma Index

LONDON, UK - Slovenia placed 14th among 128 countries in the World Energy Council's 2020 Energy Trilemma Index, which ranks countries by their ability to provide sustainable energy. The country lost two spots compared with the year before, but the methodology has changed. The London-based World Energy Council gauges countries' energy systems through three dimensions: energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability. Slovenia scored 78.2 of the maximum 100 points, which gives it a balance grade of ABAa.

Little change in fuel prices a week into deregulation

LJUBLJANA - Fuel retailers have only slightly adjusted prices of diesel and regular petrol at service stations outside motorways the first week after full deregulation. Data available at the web site goriva.si show that market leader Petrol has marked down the price of regular petrol at service stations outside motorways by 0.2 cents to EUR 0.998 per litre, while marking up diesel by as much to EUR 1.002. OMV, the second largest service station operator, left the price of regular flat at one euro and raised the price of diesel to EUR 1.002.

Bled among Lonely Planet's top 10 destinations

LJUBLJANA - Lonely Planet has selected Bled, Slovenia's Alpine town with a picturesque lake and island, among the top 10 destinations which offer unique and memorable experiences. The second edition of the list of recommended destinations puts Bled sixth alongside the world's most famous sights such as Petra, Uluru or Yellowstone. Lonely Planet described it as a place of natural beauty with a unique island with a church, labelling Lake Bled with the island the most photogenic lake on the planet.

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

STA, 8 October 2020 - The government has imposed new restrictions following a sharp rise in Slovenia's coronavirus curve, including a ban on gatherings of more than ten people, except for organised events sanctioned by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

The ban, which applies to public and private gatherings, will come into effect on Friday, and police will stiffen oversight and fining, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the news conference following the cabinet session on Thursday.

Those organising events of up to 500 people, including religious services and sporting events, will need to obtain the go-ahead from the NIJZ, however catering or the serving of food or drinks at those events will no longer be allowed.

Hojs said the reason was that many infections could be linked to various private parties, including weddings.

Hojs answered in the negative when asked whether the police would check on compliance with the ban at private flats, but he did say that the police would be stricter in enforcing the ban, including at Friday's protests.

"Friday's cycling has been one of the most flagrant violations" of the government decree in recent months, said the minister, but could not say how many people have been infected at Friday's protests.

He did say though that Ljubljana was "critical" in terms of the infection rate.

Ljubljana recorded 64 new infections on Wednesday after 60 the day before, and currently has 449 active cases, which puts its infection rate per resident at 0.153%, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The government today also changed the decree on the providing of goods and services as a result of which guests at bars, cafes and restaurants will only be served at the tables from Friday, except for delivery or take away.

In addition the number of people allowed inside shops, banks, postal and other offices will be limited to one person per 20 square metres, excluding the employees.

This was as Slovenia recorded 387 new coronavirus infections for Wednesday as the rate of positive tests surpassed 10% for the first time. The incidence rate, the number of cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks, climbed to 128.80, from 116 the day before.

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STA, 8 October 2020 - Lonely Planet, a leading publisher of tourist guidebooks, has selected Bled, Slovenia's Alpine town with a picturesque lake and island, among the top 10 destinations which offer unique and memorable experiences.

The second edition of the list of recommended destinations puts Bled sixth alongside the world's most famous sights such as Petra, Uluru or Yellowstone.

Lonely Planet has described it as a place of natural beauty with a unique island with a church, labelling Lake Bled with the island the most photogenic lake on the planet.

"Bled making it among top 10 destinations recommended as providing memorable experiences by one of the main media in travel is a great honour for Bled and Slovenia," Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) boss Maja Pak said in a written statement on the occasion.

She is particularly happy that Lonely Planet has given a special emphasis to sustainable tourism management and recommended the glamping Garden Village Bled.

This is not the first time that Bled or Slovenia has made it to a Lonely Planet list of recommended destinations. In 2017, Bled was for instance put among top 10 Instagram winter destinations, while in 2018, Slovenia made it to its list of top ten best-value destinations to visit in 2019.

See the full list here

STA, 8 October 2020 - A record 387 Covid-19 tests came back positive on Wednesday, a slight increase from the day before and a new record since the start of the epidemic in March. There were slightly fewer tests performed than the day before, 3,665, with the positivity rate climbing above 10% for the first time, government data, released on Thursday, show.

The number of patients currently in hospital rose from 122 to 131, a new record, despite 15 being discharged from hospital. A total of 21 patients were in intensive care, one fewer than the day before.

One person died, bringing the death toll to 160.

Slovenia now has an estimated 2,426 active cases according to the data tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik, up 10% from the day before, out of a total of 7,120 confirmed cases since the start of the epidemic.

New cases were recorded in more than half of Slovenia's municipalities. The capital Ljubljana now has 449 active cases after a daily jump of 64, but several other municipalities registered double-digit increases, including smaller communities such as Domžale, Vrhnika, Škofljica and Škofja Loka.

Of the new cases, 35 were confirmed among health staff, the continuation of a trend that has forced some hospitals to shut down individual departments or cut services due to staff shortages.

In nursing homes, where the virus has started spreading again in recent weeks, there were 13 new cases.

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STA, 8 October 2020 - Germany has added four Slovenian regions, including Ljubljana and its surroundings, on its list of international risk areas. Travellers from these regions must undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Osrednjeslovenska, Zasavska, Gorenjska and Savinjska were added to the quarantine list, the Robert Koch Institute announced on Wednesday evening.

Primorsko-Notranjska and Koroška, sites of major outbreaks respectively in a meat processing plant and a residential home for people with mental disabilities, were on the list before.

This means that six of Slovenia's twelve statistical regions are now considered risk areas by Germany.

Germany's red list is determined by the federal ministries of health, interior and foreign affairs.

The threshold is 50 new confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days, but other criteria are considered as well.

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