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Govt adopts Demographic Fund bill after Janša presents it to ESS

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša presented a draft bill on the National Demographic Fund, a new state fund designed to pool all state assets to the tume of around EUR 8.6 billion to shore up the pension system, to the Economic Social Council (ESS) before the government adopted it later in the day. Janša said part of the funds would go for pensions, part for long-term care and part for construction of care homes and for family policy measures. Some social partners welcomed Janša presenting the bill in person, with others wondering whether the right balance would be found between the investment and dividend policies of the companies under the new fund's umbrella.

Pivec resigns as agriculture minister, also leaves DeSUS

LJUBLJANA - Aleksandra Pivec stepped down as agriculture, forestry and food minister just a few hours before the National Assembly was to vote on her dismissal and after presenting her take on the fallout with DeSUS over her ethics breaches in parliament. She also left the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) after she stepped down as its leader last month. She said she had been the target of an unprecedented smear campaign, the goal of which was to cover corruption. She intends to continue her political career after taking a break to think things over, but will not stand again for party leader in November's congress. DeSUS deputy group leader Franc Jurša said Pivec's resignation had been expected yet come too late.

Parliamentary debate starts on 2021, 2022 budgets

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly formally started debating the budgets for 2021 and 2022, as they were outlined to the MPs by PM Janez Janša and Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj. Slovenia's budget will remain in deficit in the next two years as the financing of measures to battle the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continues, but Janša said that the two budgets brought more money than it had been planned before the epidemic, chiefly due to EU recovery funds. He believes the budgets are optimistic and development-, welfare-, sustainability- and future-oriented. In the following weeks, they will be debated by parliamentary working bodies.

Major regulators object to government merger plans

LJUBLJANA - Major regulators voiced opposition to government plans to merge eight independent agencies into two super-agencies, arguing they were made without any analyses and would curb their independence. The Competition Protection Agency, the Agency for Communication Networks and Services and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this would run afoul of international rules and Slovenia's commitments under EU law. Most object to how the management would be appointed by the government. The agencies have been neither briefed nor consulted about the plan, but Prime Minister Janez Janša said the proposal was modelled on the Dutch system.

75 new cases, one fatality as Covid-19 hospitalisations rise

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded one Covid-19 fatality and 75 new coronavirus cases on Sunday from 1,034 tests as hospitalisations and intensive care cases climbed further. The latest figures bring Slovenia's overall tally of cases to 6,573 and the death toll to 156. Over 2,100 are active cases. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose by six to 107, with 21 requiring intensive treatment, so hospital capacities are becoming stretched. Bojana Beović, the government's coronavirus task force head, said 100 extra hospital beds could be required for Covid-19 patients by the end of the week.

Impact assessment needed for life extension of N-plant

KRŠKO - As Slovenia would like to extend the life of its only nuclear power station, launched in 1983, by 20 years, the Environment Agency (ARSO) decided on 2 October that impact assessment and an environmental permit are needed for the reactor to continue functioning beyond 2023. The decision comes after a group of NGOs was successful in challenging the agency's 2017 decision in January, when the Administrative Court ordered ARSO to decide on the matter once again. Three years ago, ARSO said no impact assessment was needed. The latest decision is not yet final, as the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning has 15 days to challenge it.

Slovenia offers buyback of two bonds

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia plans to buy back two outstanding bonds with a combined value of EUR 2.6 billion that are due in 2021 as it seeks to reduce the interest it pays on its debt. In a notice valid until 12 October, the treasury is offering to buy back a ten-year bond due on 18 January worth EUR 1.6 billion with a nominal interest rate of 4.375%, and an EUR 1 billion seven-year bond with nominal interest at 3%. The entirety of both issues is subject to the cash offer.

Central banks ready to react if situation worsens

PORTOROŽ - Central banks do not expect the Covid-19-induced crisis to be as deep as initially feared, but if the situation were to deteriorate, they are ready to step in and react, Boštjan Vasle, the governor of Slovenia's central bank, told the 37th Financial Conference. "Our key message is that we are ready for such a scenario and can react if necessary," Vasle said, but warned that unconventional measures cannot last indefinitely.

5G available to Telekom Slovenije users

LJUBLJANA - Telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije made 5G technology available to its users, having set up the country's first commercial 5G network in late July. Built on existing infrastructure, the network does not yet cover the entire country, with the company expecting to provide coverage to 33% of the population by year's end. Working with Ericsson, Telekom plans to build its 5G network in the form of campus networks, a concept allowing multiple virtual networks divided by purpose operating on the same physical infrastructure.

September jobless total up 20% year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - The registered jobless total in Slovenia stood at 83,766 at the end of September, a 5% drop on August but a 20% increase compared to the registered unemployment figure in September 2019, show data from the Employment Service. The number of newly registered persons was 6,510, up 23.4% on August and 13.2% higher year-on-year. Of the 10,916 removed from the unemployment registry, 8,125 found jobs, a 66.9% increase on August and 49.9% more year-on-year.

Czech MEP apologises for insulting tweet, Bogovič not happy

LJUBLJANA - Czech MEP Alexandr Vondra apologised to his Slovenian counterparts for a tweet in which he labelled Slovenians "opportunistic pigs" after being urged to do so by all of Slovenia's eight MEPs. Franc Bogovič (EPP/SLS) accepted the apology but warned that Vondra had not erased the tweet. Vondra posted the controversial tweet after last week's defeat of Slavia Prague in a football match featuring Slovenian referee Damir Skomina.

Pandemic depresses Ljubljana tourism

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana, which has become Slovenia's top tourist destination in the past decade, has suffered a significant blow this year, as the coronavirus pandemic suspended air travel. This summer, the capital saw 160,341 overnight stays, 75% less than a year ago. According to the director of Turizem Ljubljana, Petra Stušek, accommodation facilities in the capital in the first eight months of the year reached 425,178, which compares to 335,132 in August last year alone.

Carthago subsidiary reaches major milestone

ODRANCI - The Slovenian subsidiary of the German motorhome maker Carthago has recently put out its 30,000th vehicle, which the company says makes the Odranci (NE) location a pillar of the group's growth. "The successes made by our brands could not be imagined without our plant in Slovenia," owner Karl-Heinz Schuler said. The Odranci plant employs some 850 people. The subsidiary generated EUR 206 million in sales and over EUR 5 million in net profit between August 2018 and August 2019.

Radeče paper mill making antibacterial paper

RADEČE - The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted the development of an innovative solution at the Radeče paper mill. The company has started producing antibacterial paper which apart from inhibiting the growth of bacteria also reduces the spread of viruses and is thus ideal for people with weak immune systems. Since April, the Radeče Papir Nova group has produced some 30 tonnes of the paper, which can be used in sectors such as healthcare and labs as well as in restaurants, pubs and schools.

Slovenian sets new record in 24-hour cycling time trial

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian cyclist Stanko Verstovšek set a new record in the 24-hour time trial by covering a total of 914.02 kilometres in that span on a route in the north-eastern region of Prekmurje. He beat the previous record-holder, Christoph Strasser of Austria, by more than 15 kilometres. During the time trial on the triangle between Dobrovnik, Genterovci and Turnišče, the Slovenian also improved world records in 100, 200, 300 and 500 kilometres and miles to obtain nine records recognised by the World Ultra Cycling Association.

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

STA, 5 October 2020 - Aleksandra Pivec stepped down as agriculture minister on Monday following her recent resignation as the leader of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). She resigned as minister just a few hours before the National Assembly was to vote on her dismissal and after presenting her take on her fallout with DeSUS.

Addressing parliament, Pivec said she had been the target of an unprecedented smear campaign. "It's difficult to find a case in the history of independent Slovenia where a politician was brought down in such an orchestrated and demeaning way."

She stressed this was not the end of her political career but "only a challenge for a new beginning". Speaking to the press later on, she said she would take a short break to think things over. She is, however, not considering joining another party, forming her own or joining the prime minister's office.

Announcing her irrevocable resignation, Pivec told MPs she did not want to be judged by politicians who do not accept individuals who work to the benefit of the people.

According to Pivec, the taxpayers deserve to have an insight into the "games behind the scenes, where only private interests count, while the needs of the state and society are pushed aside".

She said MPs would dismiss her because she was giving priority to the actual problems of ordinary people, and worked with farmers, forest managers, fishermen, craftsmen, the elderly and other citizens.

She said she had not been guided by the interests of her party or political elites. "You expected more benefits for individuals in the party and other political elites from me. My opposing this was obviously seen as a mistake, but I think this should become a model for the functioning of any politician."

The outgoing minister said she had been working during weekends and holidays too, and that her "biggest sin" had obviously been the fact that she had devoted some time to her family during her work at the weekends.

"A few slices of pršut, a glass of Teran and our staying the night have become the biggest corruption scandal in Slovenia," she said in a reference to what is seen as her ethics transgressions related to her two official trips to the coast in the capacity of minister which led to a revolt against her within DeSUS.

"Let's be open here. It's my fight against corruption in Slovenian forests and revelations of thefts there that was one of the main reasons for my dismissal."

Before today's parliamentary debate on Pivec's dismissal virtually all parties announced they would vote for the dismissal, with the head of the opposition LMŠ and former PM Marjan Šarec saying Pivec would do everyone a favour by stepping down herself.

Pivec said the advocates of her dismissal were not interested in the achievements of her ministry such as increasing its budget to EUR 143 million, changes to the legislation on farm land or changes to the drawing of EU funds.

Jožef Horvat from the coalition New Slovenia (NSi) said the NSi had no major objections to her work and that it regretted this debate was even taking place. Similarly, Zmago Jelinčič from the opposition National Party (SNS) said Slovenia had much bigger corruption problems than the Pivec case.

In contrast, Robert Pavšič from the LMŠ said Pivec had not only failed as politician but had completely neglected her tasks. Matej T. Vatovec from the Left said Pivec's actions and behaviour were the "symptom of all that is wrong with this government". He said she was the "symptom of political elites alienated from the people and of putting own interests before the interests of the community", the "symptom of politics which is defending its corruption and desire for power with all forces".

Although the prime minister has seven days to notify the speaker of a minister's resignation, PM Janez Janša already sent the note to the National Assembly today and the parliament already took note of the resignation, thus relieving Pivec of her duties.

The prime minister has now ten days to put forward a new candidate, temporarily give the post to another minister or take over at the ministry himself. Once a new candidate is announced, they must be presented to the relevant parliamentary body within seven days before parliaments votes on the candidate.

DeSUS has already announced it will put forward Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Jože Podgoršek, so the procedure is expected to be somewhat shorter.

Pivec resigned as DeSUS leader in early September, after only around eight months at the helm of the party, following a rebellion within DeSUS which was prompted by her two official trips to the Kras region and Izola. Today she also left the party and contrary to her earlier announcement, she will not stand for DeSUS leader at the congress in November.

DeSUS deputy group leader Franc Jurša said today Pivec's resignation had been expected yet had come a bit late. He expects some tough times for the party ahead of the congress, which he expects to elect a leader who will be willing to do everything for the party to enter parliament in the next election.

STA, 5 October 2020 - Slovenian cyclist Stanko Verstovšek has set a new record in the 24-hour time trial by covering a total of 914.02 kilometres in that span on a route in the north-eastern region of Prekmurje. He has beaten the previous record-holder, Christoph Strasser of Austria, by more than 15 kilometres.

During the time trial on the triangle between Dobrovnik, Genterovci and Turnišče, the Slovenian also improved world records in 100, 200, 300 and 500 kilometres and miles to obtain nine records recognised by the World Ultra Cycling Association.

"I started flirting with the record last year," Vertovšek has told the STA, noting that the idea had been born when he had won the European championship for ultra cyclists, where he had broken off from his competitors after 12 hours of cycling.

"The challenge was great, because Strasser was the first to break the records of the late Jure Robič," the native of Zidani Most (E) said about the legendary Slovenian cyclists and his predecessor.

Verstovšek, who covered 902 kilometres in 24 hours the European championship, said that another factor was the coronavirus crisis sweeping out all major international competitions, which gave him time to concentrate on breaking the record.

He had cycled more than 22,000 kilometres in preparation for the feat, or 140 kilometres a day, with him working in Koper allowing him to cover great distances every day during the period when municipal borders were locked down.

The gruelling challenge on the route selected in consultation with another ultra cyclist Marko Baloh was far from easy. "After ten hours or so I had a serious crisis, but the interim data showed that I was close," he said.

STA, 5 October 2020 - Slovenia recorded 75 new coronavirus cases from 1,034 tests carried out on Sunday, and another fatality as hospitalisations and intensive care cases climbed further, data from the government show.

The latest figures bring Slovenia's overall tally of cases to 6,573 and the death toll from Covid-19 to 156. There are just over 2,100 active cases, according to tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The number of patients hospitalised with the novel disease rose by six to 107, with 21 requiring intensive treatment, that is five more than the day before. Eight patients were discharged yesterday.

Government spokesman Jelko Kacin noted that the lower daily case count was due to fewer tests taken, warning that the rate of positive tests remained high, at 7.25% on Sunday after 8.6% the day before.

Moreover, compared to the Sunday a week ago, the number of daily cases rose by 50%, from 50 to 75.

He declared that Tuesday will be the "day of truth". If infections increase further and the trend cannot be contained, "it's very likely we'll have to present certain measures".

He referred to possible measures announced by the government's chief Covid-19 advisor, Bojana Beović, who has talked of a new cap on gatherings and number of people allowed inside shops and bars.

"Her projections are realistic. It's not a measure that would take us days to prepare," said Kacin, suggesting gatherings in private and public places would be limited to ten people flat except when a higher number is sanctioned explicitly by the National Institute of Public Health.

Hospital capacities are becoming stretched due to the rising number of Covid-19 patients, coupled with infections emerging at non-Covid units.

UKC Ljubljana, Slovenia's largest hospital, said today that ten patients and ten staff at the vascular disease unit have tested positive, so they will no longer admit patients there this week.

Meanwhile, one infection has been confirmed in the past days at the UKC Ljubljana's pulmonary disease and allergy unit, where the situation will continue to be monitored.

The UKC Department of Infectious Disease, Slovenia's main Covid-19 treatment facility, is moving non-Covid patients to the Peter Držaj hospital in the Šiška borough, thus freeing up 19 beds at the regular unit and ten intensive care beds for Covid-19 patients.

Coronavirus depresses Ljubljana tourism

STA, 5 October 2020 - Ljubljana, which has become Slovenia's top tourist destination in the past decade, has suffered a significant blow this year, as the coronavirus pandemic suspended air travel. This summer, the capital recorded a total of 160,341 overnight stays, 75% less than last summer.

Director of the Turizem Ljubljana agency Petra Stušek has told the STA that the number of overnight stays in the first eight months of the year reached 425,178, while the number reached 335,132 in August last year alone.

Ljubljana usually draws a great number of foreign tourists, while Slovenians are more likely to stay away. However, this July and August the share of overnights by Slovenians went to 14% from 2.1% in the same period last year. Most overnights were still generated by foreigners: Germans, Italians, Dutch, French and Austrians.

Following the coronavirus lockdown in spring, seven of the city's 44 hotels remained closed due to the drop in visitors, said Stušek, adding that vacancy capacities were down 16% this summer.

Of the 22 hotels included in the agency's basic statistics, 16 are open at the moment, providing 3,873 of the total of 5,022 beds, she added.

"The future depends on a number of factors: epidemiological situation in Slovenia and in our close markets, border regimes, quarantine orders, air traffic and aid from the state," she said.

Meanwhile, the hotels have largely managed to avoid cancellation of conferences planned in Ljubljana this year, with most being postponed to next year, said Stušek.

Even though hybrid events are becoming a trend for scientific and expert events, Stušek believes that in-person events still have a future, as direct personal contact is an important factor.

Stušek also expressed the wish that Slovenia increase the cap on the number of people at gatherings. "Organisers know each participant and are very eager to see participants arrive and leave the event healthy, because this will affect all future events and thus their livelihoods."

Turizem Ljubljana is planning a number of events for this autumn and winter, all in line with the recommendations of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ). In November, Gourmet Ljubljana will take place as a series of small events, while December will feature winter holiday events.

Stušek said that the city wanted to see as many events as possible take place, as it tries to attract guests from Slovenia, as well as Italy, Austria, Germany, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.

STA, 4 October 2020 - Slovenia's cycling star Primož Roglič added on Sunday the Belgian one-day classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege to his portfolio of prestigious achievements. Two more Slovenian cyclists finished the race in the top 4.

Roglič, who recently had to concede to compatriot Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France, won a hard-fought sprint finish after a 257km run through the Ardennes, inching out World Champion Julian Alaphilippe of France who had already raised his arms in celebration.

Alaphilippe was later relegated to fifth place due to a penalty, which put Pogačar on the podium behind Roglič and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi. What is more, a third Slovenian, Matej Mohorič, finished fourth.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

168 new coronavirus infections confirmed in 1,940 tests on Saturday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 168 Sars-Cov-2 infections were discovered in 1,940 tests on Saturday, a decrease on previous days, which is however a result of reduced testing during weekends. The number of deaths remains at 155, but the number of hospitalised patients is up 7.4% to 101, with 16 in intensive care. The government is announcing additional measures, including possibly limits to the number of people in shops and bars. The number of active cases rose by 2.8% to 2,078, with eight cases reportedly discovered on Saturday among ordinary patients and seven among staff at UKC Ljubljana hospital.

Memory of victims and unhealed wounds noted at Teharje memorial mass

TEHARJE - The memory of the victims of the post-World War Two camp in Teharje is still very much alive in the hearts of many even 75 years later and despite this year's circumstances, Celje diocese administrator Rok Metličar said as he gave mass at the annual Teharje ceremony. While the ceremony, remembering an estimated 5,000 victims of war and post-war summary executions connected to Teharje, was limited to the mass this year, the event was also attended by Prime Minister Janša. "The wounds among us, which were caused by wars and which never healed, continue to get inflamed. The wars meanwhile are always the result of the intention of an individual or a part of society to subjugate or destroy human lives," Metličar said.

Tonin hails courage and unity at independence war memorial ceremony

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin stressed the importance of unity as he addressed on Saturday a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Tactical Line, a paramilitary unit formed during independence efforts on 17 May 1990 as Yugoslav authorities wanted official Slovenian army units disarmed. Addressing the event organised at the Edvard Peperko Barracks by the Association of Independence War Veterans and the Sever union of police veteran associations, Tonin expressed respect and gratitude to all who "took on the risk and entered this exceptional state-building project with all their love for the homeland". The ceremony was also attended by President Borut Pahor.

Bia Separations bought by Sartorius for EUR 360 million

AJDOVŠČINA - Bia Separations, an Ajdovščina-based biotechnology company, has been acquired for EUR 360 million by Sartorius, a leading international pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment supplier. What is one of the biggest takeovers in Slovenia in recent years is still subject to regulatory approval but is expected to be wrapped up by the end of this year. Sartorius has 9,000-strong workforce and generates around EUR 1.8 billion in revenue annually.
Bia Separations, which has 120 employees, develops and manufactures market-leading products for purification and analysis of large biomolecules, which are used in cell and gene therapies and other advanced therapies.

Leading Slovenian real estate website gets established foreign owner

LJUBLJANA - Nepremicnine.net, the leading real estate website in Slovenia, has been taken over by Real Web, a company owning several leading internet real estate platforms in Europe. Accordindg to news portal Siol, Real Web has acquired a 60% stake, while the rest will be preserved by Nepremicnine.net's founders. Nepremicnine.net, established in 1999, has developed into the leading internet real estate platform in Slovenia and is also one of the busiest websites. The takeover, whose details have not been disclosed, strengthens the presence of the international group Indomio, associated with Real Web, in Europe. The group includes the biggest internet real estate platform in Italy and Greece.

Cycling: Roglič wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege

LIEGE, Belgium - Slovenia's cycling star Primož Roglič added the Belgian one-day classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege to his portfolio of prestigious achievements. Roglič, who recently had to concede to compatriot Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France, won a hard-fought sprint finish, inching out World Champion Julian Alaphilippe of France who had already raised his arms in celebration. Alaphilippe was later relegated to fifth place due to a penalty, which put Pogačar on the podium behind Roglič and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi. A third Slovenian, Matej Mohorič, finished fourth.

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

STA, 3 October 2020 - During the Covid-19 epidemic months, only average pay for March was lower compared with that for February, the last pre-epidemic month in Slovenia, while average earnings for April, May and June were higher. Hospitality sector employees saw the biggest drop in average monthly gross pay in that period.

If average pay per employee is calculated on the basis of paid hours, excluding the impact of the furlough scheme compensation, the figure in the April-June period would be higher than February average pay, mostly due to crisis bonuses, show data from the Statistics Office.

On the other hand, employees working in cafes, pubs and restaurants suffered a considerable drop in their wages - their average March gross pay was 977 euro, down some 20% on February. The figure increased somewhat in the following three months, but it did not reach February pay.

In healthcare, social care, financial and insurance sectors, and in electricity, gas and steam supply services average wages increased during the epidemic.

In the public sector, average gross earnings in the March-June period were higher than average gross pay in February.

The average gross earnings of those working in the private sector increased only in April in May compared to February, whereas in March and June, they earned less.

You can explore this data below

STA, 4 October 2020 - Nepremicnine.net, the leading real estate website in Slovenia, has been taken over by Real Web, a company owning several leading internet real estate platforms in Europe. According to news portal Siol, Real Web has acquired a 60% stake, while the rest will be preserved by Nepremicnine.net's founders.

Nepremicnine.net, established in 1999, has developed into the leading internet real estate platform in Slovenia and is also one of the busiest websites in the country with about 800,000 visits each month.

The takeover, whose details have not been disclosed, strengthens the presence of the international group Indomio, associated with Real Web, in Europe. The group includes the biggest internet real estate platform in Italy Immobiliare.it as well as the leading Greek platform Spitogatos.gr.

Nepremicnine.net co-founder and executive director Primož Jazbec told Siol that cooperation with Indomio presents a strategic opportunity, providing the platform with crucial technological know-how to grow business operations.

"It also secures long-term growth as a result of the strongest possible positioning in other EU member states," he added.

Immobiliare.it co-founder Silvio Pagliani said that they had known Jazbez and Aleš Ravnikar, also a co-founder, for several years and were exited to start cooperating.

"This cooperation allows us to continue building the leading real estate platform in multiple European countries," Pagliani said.

Spitogatos.gr co-founder and executive director Dimitris Melachroinos said the joint brand will be even more recognisable due to shared technology.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Janša urges responsible behaviour amid Covid-19 surge

LJUBLJANA - Prim Minister Janez Janša called on the public to act responsibly and abide by precautionary measures to avoid further restrictions as the coronavirus outbreak in the country is spreading. Janša, addressing a panel debate at St. Stanislav's, a Catholic education institution, said the mild measures taken in late September have not been working because they were not being heeded seriously enough. He suggested Slovenia was but a step away from declaring epidemic again.

Slovenia's daily coronavirus count keeps high

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 227 coronavirus infections from 2,893 tests on Friday for a total of 6,330 cases, as another fatality increased the Covid-19 death toll to 155, government data show. Hospitalisations increased by eight to 94 despite seven patients being discharged home from Covid-19 departments. Fifteen remain in intensive treatment units. The share of positive tests was 7.8%, slightly higher than 7.25% recorded on Thursday when the case count was a record high of 238.

Masks no longer mandatory in class

LJUBLJANA - Face masks will no longer be required for kindergarten children, primary and secondary school pupils in their class, and for teachers up to the third grade of primary school, under a decision taken by the government on Friday. Higher education teachers will also not be required to wear masks provided they hold lectures from behind a protective screen. The government also decreed for hand sanitisers to be placed at entrances and lift doors of multi-apartment buildings.

Slovenia secures EUR 2.5m for Covid-19 vaccine development

LJUBLJANA - The government allocated just over EUR 2.5 million for the European Commission Emergency Support Instrument for advance payments to manufacturers of promising vaccines against Covid-19. The funds allocated to vaccine manufacturers with which the Commission will sign advance purchase agreements will be included in the final prices of the vaccines, the government said in a release following Friday's correspondence session.

Moody's upgrades Slovenia's credit rating

LJUBLJANA - Rating agency Moody's upgraded Slovenia's long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings by one notch to A3 from Baa1, changing the outlook to stable on Friday. Announcing the news, the Finance Ministry said the upgrade showed Slovenia as one of the most reliable countries for foreign investors. The upgrade reflects the improvement of Slovenia's debt burden and debt affordability metrics relative to peers, and the significant improvement of the health of the banking system, as well as the completion of the privatization of the country's largest banks.

Opposition protest against merger of regulators

LJUBLJANA - The opposition voiced concern about the government's plan to merge eight key regulators into two agencies, arguing it would undermine public oversight and give the government complete control. The SocDems said the plan was a threat to a series of people's rights and would lead to a full privatisation of public services, while the Left and the Marjan Šarec List and Alenka Bratušek Party see the merger as an attempt to consolidate the economic power of the ruling Democrats. The coalition Pensioners' Party expects a proposal would be draw up that will comply with EU law.

Slovenia climbs in World Digital Competitiveness Ranking

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has climbed one more spot in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking to 31st among 63 countries. The US continues on top of the list ahead of Singapore, Denmark, Sweden and Hong Kong. The Institute for Economic Research, the IMD's partner in Slovenia, noted that Slovenia improved its ranking by five spots in the Digital Competitiveness survey in the 2016-2020 period.

Pro-life protest held in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Participants in a Hike for Life in Ljubljana called for protecting human life from conception to natural death and for better future for unborn children. The event's organiser, Urša Cankar Soares, said they believed human life begun before birth and everyone had the right to life. According to the organisers, the event attracted 500 people, while the police said about 200 participants took part, as well as about ten counter-protesters.

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

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 2 October 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: The way to a new govt

STA, 2 October 2020 - The left-leaning magazine Mladina argues in the latest editorial that the only way to stop Slovenia being turned into a "little Hungary" is to find a non-partisan candidate for PM and a merger between several current coalition and opposition parties.

The editor-in-chief Grega Repovž lambastes the opposition for its response to calls this week to close its ranks and establish whether it is capable before the election to stop "Slovenia's being turned into a little Hungary with one leader and one party and its satellites, with limited media freedom, party-run economy etc.".

He finds it ludicrous that former PM Marjan Šarec should have offered himself as a candidate considering that he had blown his chances as PM by "stupidly" resigning, after showing himself as a bad leader.

Repovž goes on to say that the prospects for Šarec's LMŠ party are not promising, as are not for the Left and its leader Luka Mesec, who lost credibility in voters' eyes when it parted their ways with the Šarec-led coalition.

Voters blame the Left and the LMŠ for bringing PM Janez Janša to power, and "the arrival of something new", i.e. a new party, will be destructive for both, writes Repovž, adding: "And this new something will arrive."

He goes on to say that SocDem leader Tanja Fajon neither has the political power nor skills to be PM and does not appear to be capable of strengthening her party.

For anything to change, it has to be in the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), Repovž says, adding that while DeSUS might survive, the SMC has no future as an independent party, while both parties know they cannot recover as long as they continue in coalition with PM Janez Janša.

"The only serious chance for a potential attempt to form a coalition is a candidate for PM who does not belong to any of the parties and is a powerful enough personality (a former publicly esteemed politician) on the one hand, and a process to form a new political party within the current parliament on the other."

Repovž proposes a merger between the SMC, SAB and DeSUS and possibly another party, saying that the whole proposition seems unlikely but is the only way out of the current situation, while anything else is hopeless.

Reporter: Scenarios for a new government

STA, 28 September 2020 - The right-wing weekly Reporter looks at potential scenarios that could lead to a new government in the latest editorial, saying that unless the Janez Janša government gets a vote of no confidence by the end of the year or by the end of the winter, the third Janša's government will be firmly in the saddle until the next election in the spring of 2020.

Janša is back in power not so much thanks to the voters of the Democrats (SDS), who gave the party the most votes in the June 2018 election, but primarily thanks to Marjan Šarec, who resigned as prime minister at the end of January and his coalition partners, who denied him support, starting with the Left.

And now this left-leaning lot is working on creating a new government, editor-in-chief Silvester Šurla says. They say that they could agree on at least five key projects but the problem is they cannot agree on who would be the new prime minister.

Former PM Alena Bratušek has sensed the opportunity to return to power and could offer to be a compromise solution, as Šarec and SocDem leader Tanja Fajon have publicly clashed, both wanting the post.

Šarec's argument is that his LMŠ party still has the most votes among left parties, while Fajon claims it would be ridiculous if Šarec became prime minister again, given that he had resigned from the post.

However, the LMŠ, SD, SAB and the Left have only 39 votes in the 90-member parliament, so they would have to get at least seven votes from the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Modern Centre Party (SMC) for their no-confidence motion to succeed.

After Aleksandra Pivec resigned as DeSUS head the chances of at least four of its MPs changing sides are a little bit bigger. But in that case at least three SMC MPs would also be required. Some say that even SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek could change sides.

But these are nothing but political calculations. In the 30-year-history of independent Slovenia, the country has never had three governments in a single term and the left has never been so fragmented, Šurla says.

Perhaps, everything is merely a show for voters of left-leaning parties. So that their leaders could say that they did what they could to beat Janša but failed. "Taking on the responsibility and rule in these difficult times of the epidemic and multi-billion gap in the state budget is no walk in the park."

Only the SD has a relatively stable election base, while the LMŠ, Left and SAB do not, so their interest is primarily political survival. Hence their selfishness and political calculations. The joint interests of the left bloc come second to them. Being a veteran politician Janša knows that very well, Šurla says under the title Mission Impossible, Part III.

All our posts in this series are here