STA, 29 September 2020 - More than 820,000 electronic tourist vouchers worth over 113 million euro, which is a third of the total sum available, were partly or fully redeemed by yesterday, fresh data from the Financial Administration (FURS) shows.

The Economy Ministry, which circulated FURS's data, said a recent survey had shown 90% of Slovenian residents intended to spend the vouchers until the end of the year, the deadline to use them.

The poll carried out by Valicon between 18 and 21 September showed that 36% of all permanent residents had already spent their vouchers, whereas 50% still intended to do so. Only 7% of those polled said they would not use their vouchers, the ministry said in a release on Monday.

As many as 57% of those who paid for accommodation and/or breakfast with vouchers were very happy with the service; the average satisfaction mark on the 1-5 scale was 4.4.

As part of the third stimulus package taken amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the government distributed vouchers worth EUR 345 million to help the tourism industry.

An adult permanent resident received EUR 200 and children and youth under 18 EUR 50. First payments with vouchers were possible on 19 June.

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Slovenia loosens Covid-19 travel restrictions

LJUBLJANA - Passengers from red or orange-listed countries can avoid quarantine in Slovenia from today if they present a negative coronavirus test no older than 48 hours. Arrivals from orange countries in the EU or Schengen will avoid quarantine altogether, which also includes Croatian counties bordering Slovenia. At the weekend the government also amended its colour code for other countries, adding Serbia and Poland on the Covid-19 safe green list, while demoting Italy to what is now orange list. The changes apply from Tuesday. The Health Ministry said 80,630 quarantine orders had been issued so far, including 5,600 in the past week.

39 coronavirus cases on Sunday, two more fatalities

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 39 coronavirus cases from 909 tests on Sunday, a far better result than in the past few days. However, Covid-19 claimed two more lives, for the total death toll of 149. The latest cases bring the overall tally to 5,388, as the number of active cases fell to 1,639, show data from the government and the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org. The latest include 14 new cases at the centre for persons with mental disabilities in Črna na Koroškem, where 45 residents and 16 staff are now infected. With a record 920 new cases over the past week, the government may soon impose new restrictions, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs indicated.

Epidemic declaration once again mulled by Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - After Interior Minister Aleš Hojs indicated Slovenia could once again formally declare an epidemic, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar and Bojana Beović, the head of the government's Covid-19 task force, said the decision would be made based on the healthcare system's capacity and on the epidemiological situation in the coming weeks. Under Slovenian law, declaring an epidemic triggers a cascade of formal measures allowing the country to better allocate resources. If an epidemic is declared, this would be the second time after the perio between 12 March and 31 May since the coronavirus reached Europe earlier this year.

Pahor and Guterres discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor discussed with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres via a video call the latest escalation of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation in the Western Balkans and the Covid-19 pandemic. He pledged full support for the secretary general's efforts for the tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh to calm down and the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be solved peacefully. He also invited Guterres to attend one of the future summits of the Brdo-Brioni process, and once again pledged Slovenia's full support for multilateralism and the country's willingness to continue to closely work with the UN.

Logar discusses Covid-19 pandemic with Spanish counterpart

MADRID, Spain - FM Anže Logar met his Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Lay as part of a visit to Spain with the pair agreeing that the key to true and strong partnership was solidarity, connectivity and unity, especially in these challenging times of the Covid-9 pandemic. Slovenia and Spain are two friendly countries, allies, which have similar views on the situation within the EU and NATO, and share concern about many international issues, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. Logar also met Meritxell Batet Lamana, president of the lower house of the Spanish parliament, to present Slovenia's preparation for its upcoming EU presidency.

Calls for unity mark 30th anniversary of historic constitutional amendments

LJUBLJANA - The 30th anniversary of constitutional amendments that were crucial on Slovenia's path to independence were marked with a ceremony at the Presidential Palace, which heard President Borut Pahor urging a return to the bipartisan efforts seen in that period. It was between 27 September and 4 October 1990 that the then Slovenian parliament adopted amendments 96, 97 and 98 to the constitution, which ended the use of Yugoslav constitution provisions uncompliant with Slovenia's constitution and gave the Slovenian parliament decision making powers in defence matters, including about military service, the Slovenian army's commander and about Slovenia's funding of the Yugoslav People's Army.

Slovenia's ambassador joins call for LGBTI rights in Poland

WARSAW, Poland - Ambassadors of 50 countries and international organisations in Poland, including Slovenia, urged respect for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and other communities in Poland. "Although due to epidemiological circumstances the 2020 Warsaw Equality Parade could not take place at the foreseen date we express our support for the efforts to raise public awareness of issues affecting the LGBTI community and other communities in Poland facing similar challenges," said the ambassadors of most EU countries, the US, Canada, Israel, India and Japan in a letter on Sunday.

Support for SDS down in POP TV poll

LJUBLJANA - The Democratic Party (SDS) of Prime Minister Janez Janša saw its rating fall by two percentage points to 16.1% in the latest poll commissioned by the private broadcaster POP TV. The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) in second gained as much to 11.5%. The share of those who approve of the government fell to 36.9%, but even more has the proportion of those disapproving of it, to 48.8%. The coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) saw its support collapse to 1% in the wake of internal power struggle.

Over EUR 40m to be spent on improving access to healthcare

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will spend EUR 14 million in budget funds this year and another EUR 28 million next year to shorten waiting periods in healthcare, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said. These funds will come from the national budget as part of the fifth coronavirus crisis bill and will be available to private healthcare providers which operate fully outside the public healthcare system. Additional money will meanwhile be provided by the ZZZS public health insurance fund, but only to specialist healthcare providers who already have a concession to work within the public health system.

Coalition to discuss Pivec dismissal

LJUBLJANA - Coalition heads are expected to discuss on Tuesday the dismissal of Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, a demand of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) after Pivec lost trust of the party's deputy group and top party bodies and resigned as party leader. PM Janez Janša is expected to hold another meeting with Pivec, Tomaž Gantar, the interim head of the party, told the press. He believes Janša will respect the decision of a coalition party, saying also that this would be the sensible thing to do.

Several large groups of migrants apprehended at the weekend

ILIRSKA BISTRICA/LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police apprehended several large groups of migrants on the border and inland over the weekend and arrested several smugglers, as migration pressure intensified before the typical winter lull. In Ilirska Bistrica area in the south-west a total of 144 migrants were intercepted on Sunday, a number typically recorded in the area in a week. A van with 22 migrants was pulled over in the east, near Ormož, and another with 34 migrants in Celje. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs commented that the figures showed "the organised market for migrant smuggling is in full swing" and that police were doing a good job.

Govt planning additional rise in funding for municipalities

LJUBLJANA - The Public Administration Ministry confirmed the government would propose an additional rise of the lump sum which municipalities receive per resident from the state, effective next year. After the April increase of the sum from EUR 589 to EUR 624 for this year, local government can expect EUR 628 next year. Both increases were envisaged in the coalition agreement, with the April rise resulting in EUR 73 million more in state funding for municipalities this year. The two main associations of municipalities welcomed the development.

Slovenia does not join Visegrad-led call regarding CAP direct payments

POZNAN, Poland - Attending an extended meeting of Visegrad Group agriculture ministers in Poland through Minister Aleksandra Pivec, Slovenia did not join a call reflecting the group's stance in favour of equalising common agriculture policy subsidies across the bloc. The meeting featured ministers from the Visegrad Group as well as Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania upon the invitation of Polish counterpart Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski. Participants focused on the reform of the CAP after 2020 and signed a joint declaration, but Slovenia did not join the part referring to the external convergence of direct payments.

Cargo-Partner Brnik hub nearing full capacity

BRNIK - The Austrian logistics group Cargo-Partner announced expansion plans after its logistics centre at Ljubljana airport nearly reached full capacity in a year since the launch. Benefiting from the increased demand for air cargo transport due to Covid-19, the group saw record results in April, May and July. The group employs 3,150 people globally, about 150 more than a year ago. Slightly over 100 people work at the Brnik hub in Slovenia.

Coronavirus pandemic slashes Impol's H1 results

SLOVENSKA BISTRICA - Aluminium producer Impol saw its revenue drop 20% year-on-year in the first half of 2020 to less than EUR 36 million. In terms of quantity, sales dropped by 13%, the core company said in its January-June report. Moreover, net profit was three times lower than in the same period last year, reaching only EUR 5.9 million. This comes after the group, which employs 2,400 people, first started seeing a slowdown in orders from the automotive industry in December, while the lockdown that followed in March created a number of problems.

Career highlight for Dragić as Heat make NBA final

ORLANDO, US - Slovenian NBA star Goran Dragić will play in the final of the NBA for the first time after his Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 4:2 in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The 34-year-old says his first NBA final will definitely be a career highlight, but one that is difficult to compare to 2017, when Slovenia won the Eurobasket. "When you play for your country, for your people, it is something very personal (...) But the path to the NBA final has been an extraordinary experience for me throughout the season," he told the STA. The first game of the final will be played in the NBA bubble in Orlando on 1 October.

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STA, 28 September 2020 - Last weekend seemed to have been ripe with unwise decisions on roads in eastern and south-eastern Slovenia. The police recorded a total of 18 cases of drink driving in the Dolenjska, Posavje and Bela Krajina regions in merely seven hours.

Ten persons were found to be driving with 0.52 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath in their system, whereas eight exceeded that amount, the Novo Mesto Police Department reported on Monday.

In Slovenia, the legal limit is 0.24 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air.

A total of 405 drivers were stopped on Saturday evening with the police checking their psychophysical condition as well as penalising traffic violations.

One of the offenders exacerbated the situation by driving without a valid driver's licence while his partner and kid were present in the car. The vehicle was impounded by the police.

Drink driving also left a mark on Sunday when two car accidents occurred. In both of them the persons responsible for the crash were under the influence of alcohol.

On Sunday afternoon, an inebriated 52-year-old lost control over her vehicle at a roundabout near Sevnica in Posavje and crashed into a traffic sign. She recorded 1.74 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath.

The Črnomelj police in Bela Krajina meanwhile dealt with a 22-year-old who steered off road and hit a traffic sign as well in the night to Sunday with 0.61 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath found in her system.

STA, 28 September 2020 - Slovenian police apprehended several large groups of migrants at the border and inland over the weekend and arrested several smugglers, as migration pressure intensified before the typical winter lull.

In Ilirska Bistrica area in south-western Slovenia police apprehended a total of 144 migrants in several stings on Sunday, a number typically recorded in the region in a week. The majority were citizens of Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Koper police said.

In eastern Slovenia, near Ormož, police stopped a van with 22 migrants, more than half of them from Bangladesh. Two smugglers, a Moldovan and a Ukrainian citizen, were arrested.

A sting by the Financial Administration and police in Celje turned up a van with 34 migrants driven by a Belgian driver.

The smugglers face criminal charges, while procedures concerning migrants are ongoing. The majority will probably be returned to Croatia.

Commenting on the stings, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press on Monday that the figures showed "the organised market for migrant smuggling is in full swing" and that police were doing a good job. Around 100 smugglers of migrants are currently in detention in Slovenia.

Hojs indicated the police may once again ask parliament to activate a special article of the defence act that gives soldiers limited police powers for patrolling the border. Previous such attempts were deflected by the opposition.

He also indicated Slovenia and Croatia are considering a new way of patrolling their shared border. Croatia has proposed mixed police patrols, while Slovenia suggested that both sides alternately step up patrols along different sections of the border in "a zipper system of sorts".

Overall, he said cooperation with Slovenian law enforcement was good as Croatian police "unconditionally accept back everything we intercept".

STA, 24 September 2020 - Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak is being investigated by the securities market regulator for buying over 400 shares of fuel company Petrol in the spring. The news comes a day after the government decided to fully liberalise fuel prices as of October, which could significantly impact Petrol's business.

 The Securities Market Agency has introduced oversight because of suspicion of abuse of internal information, or insider trading, but would not reveal any details.

Vizjak has bought 415 Petrol shares since March, the bulk at the end of May, for a total of EUR 120,000, the Finance paper reported in early September.

To finance the purchase, prior to which he already had over 80 Petrol shares, Vizjak took out a loan, the business newspaper also reported.

"Given that their stock market price plummeted during the epidemic, I bought the Petrol shares because I saw an opportunity for a good investment," he explained earlier this month.

A day after the government's decision to liberalise fuel prices, Petrol was the busiest share on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange today, up 6.31% to close at 320 euro.

It accounted for nearly 639,000 euro in deals, which is almost half of the daily turnover.

Finance reported that Vizjak's move was today reported to the corruption watchdog - the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.

Vizjak meanwhile told the newspaper Večer today that he had purchased the first Petrol shares already 25 years ago, because he considered Petrol a promising company.

He reiterated the Petrol price on the stock market in spring was relatively low and at the time "nobody was taking about fuel market liberalisation yet".

The minister also said he had not been involved in the government's liberalisation of the fuel market.

"The documents were prepared by the Economy Ministry, and the Finance Ministry also took part. I was not involved. I find it unacceptable to be dragged into this story," he said indicating at a media fabrication.

Vizjak, who was also the subject of criticism for buying Telekom Slovenije shares as labour minister in 2012 when the then Janez Janša government was deciding on a potential sale of the telco and on dividend payouts, further explained for the press today during a working visit to Hrastnik that he had earned nothing through the acquisition.

"I haven't sold the shares, they are a long-term investment. When I sell them, we can start talking about whether I earned something," he said.

Vizjak, who also argued that expecting deregulation would lead to higher prices was a speculation, added that he was regularly buying promising shares of Slovenian companies and was looking forward to the Securities Market Agency procedure. He is ready to accept responsibility if any irregularities are established.

STA, 24 September 2020 - Fuel prices in Slovenia will be fully deregulated. "Administered prices are no longer necessary," the government said after a session late on Wednesday. It has not been announced when the decision takes effect, but the current decree on administered prices expires at the end of September.

Prices of fuel sold along motorways and expressways have been deregulated since 2016, as has the price of heating oil and premium petrol regardless of point of sale.

Regular petrol and diesel sold at all other service stations have been subject to price caps determined every two weeks.

Fuel providers, foremost among them Slovenia's largest energy company Petrol, have long complained that the state-imposed margins are too thin.

Successive governments have argued that price caps are necessary due to insufficient competition, as the market is controlled by three major players: Petrol, Austria's OMV and Hungary's MOL.

The government now says that "given suitable measures and activities to increase competitiveness on the oil derivatives market, new discount providers may enter the market, in particular in the parking lots of shopping centres."

Under that assumption, margins and hence prices would not rise. "Within five years after deregulation... they would reach the level of margins comparable to margins in other EU member states.

Petrol and OMV have welcomed the decision as a positive development on the market that will benefit all stakeholders, with both companies saying consumer would get more choice.

OMV said this would create "normal market conditions" and noted that as a transit country, Slovenia stood to benefit from the prospect of "more agile reaction to fuel prices in neighbouring countries".

Petrol said the decision constituted a "transition to free price movements" of the kind that all other competitive markets in the EU and most markets in the region already have.

It noted that in the four years since the partial liberalisation, there had been no price anomalies.

Likely capitalising on the news, Petrol shares surged by over 5% in early trading on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange today.

STA, 28 September 2020 - Passengers from red or orange-listed countries will be able to avoid quarantine in Slovenia as of Monday if they present a negative coronavirus test no older than 48 hours. Travellers from orange countries in the EU or Schengen will avoid quarantine altogether.

This was decided by the government at the weekend, when it also renamed the yellow list of countries the orange list and green-listed Serbia and Poland. These changes will come into effect on Tuesday.

Apart from Serbia and Poland, Slovenia's green list from Tuesday also includes Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland among EU member states, as well as Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Uruguay.

Italy was moved from green list to orange. Parts of Croatia along the border with Slovenia were moved to orange from red, while the rest of the country remains red-listed.

Three states in Austria (Vienna, Vorarlberg and Tirol) and two regions in Hungary (Budapest and Gyor-Moson-Sopron), as well as parts of several other EU countries and Switzerland, were red-listed. From Tuesday, the red list will include 16 members of the EU and the Schengen zone, and 114 third countries.

Residents of green countries do not have to go into quarantine when entering Slovenia and under the latest changes, the same applies to anybody who had spent at least a fortnight in the green country from which they are entering Slovenia.

Many of the exemptions to travel restrictions remain in place, allowing several groups of people to avoid quarantine even when entering Slovenia from an orange or red-listed country without a negative test.

This remains the case for workers commuting across the border, hauliers, diplomats, foreign delegations, foreign security services employees, members of the Slovenian armed and police forces, as well as people travelling for urgent personal or business matters, and people who own property in a neighbouring country.

Moreover, persons who test negative after having been ordered to quarantine will be allowed to cut short their quarantine.

The changes will be explained in more detail at a press conference on Monday.

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...

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: 

Slovenia loosening coronavirus travel restrictions

LJUBLJANA - The government decided on Saturday to loosen coronavirus travel restrictions for passengers arriving from countries which are not on its green list. As of Monday, passengers with a negative test no older than 48 hours and performed by a credible lab either in Slovenia, the EU or the Schengen zone, will not have to quarantine. Moreover, passengers arriving from orange countries within the EU or the Schengen zone will not have to present a negative test to avoid quarantine. On Sunday, the government red-listed parts of Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, green listed Serbia and Poland, and moved parts of Croatia from the red list to the orange.

More on this story here

159 coronavirus cases confirmed on Saturday, one death

LJUBLJANA - Out of a total of 1,917 coronavirus tests performed in Slovenia on Saturday, 159 came back positive, while one person died, the government said. The share of positive tests reached a record high of 8.29%. The national Covid-19 tracker showed 1,648 active infections, with 17 patients in intensive care. Government speaker Jelko Kacin expressed concern with the most recent data, saying that the government may soon adopt additional measures, maybe already today. He did not, however, say what these could entail.

Less timber cut in Slovenian woods in 2019

LJUBLJANA - The amount of timber harvested in Slovenian forests was down by 13% in 2019 compared to the year before. Just over 3.3 million cubic metres of conifers and 1.96 million cubic metres of deciduous trees were felled. The bulk of the timber had to be cut because of the damage done to forests in the 2017 and 2018 storms and the subsequent spread of bark beetles, data from the Statistics Office show. About 54% of the timber was cut in what is called sanitary felling, while the total amount of the wood cut was about 87% of the allowed amount under the forestry management plans.

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

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...

STA, 27 September - Out of a total of 1,917 coronavirus tests performed in Slovenia on Saturday, 159 came back positive, while one person died, the government said on Sunday. The share of positive tests reached a record high of 8.29%.

The national Covid-19 tracker shows that there are currently 1,648 active infections in the country, with 17 patients in intensive care.

A total of 80 coronavirus patients were hospitalised yesterday and 15 were discharged, the government said. A total of 5,350 coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia so far in 217,448 tests, while 147 people died.

Government speaker Jelko Kacin expressed concern with the most recent data, saying Sunday afternoon that the government may soon adopt additional measures, maybe already today. He did not, however, say what these could entail.

Yesterday, the largest number of cases was confirmed in Ljubljana (19), followed by Maribor (18), with the second largest city in the country also having the most active cases in Slovenia, as 113 cases were confirmed there in the past fortnight.

Meanwhile, the largest share of active infections per capita was seen in Črna na Koroškem (nearly 1%), Log-Dragomer and Pivka (around 0.5% each).

Črna na Koroškem has developed into a hotspot after an infection was confirmed at the local CUDV centre for persons with disabilities a week ago. By yesterday, 32 people with disabilities and 15 members of staff of the CUDV tested positive.

Slovenia loosening coronavirus travel restrictions

STA, 27 September 2020 - The government has decided to loosen coronavirus travel restrictions for passengers arriving from countries which are not on Slovenia's green list. As of Monday, passengers with a negative test no older than 48 hours and performed by a credible lab either in Slovenia, the EU or the Schengen zone, will not have to quarantine.

Moreover, passengers arriving from orange countries within the EU or the Schengen zone will not have to present a negative test to avoid quarantine, the government decided in a correspondence session on Saturday.

The government's Communication Office said in a press release that the changes were made based on recommendations from the EU.

What has so far been dubbed the yellow list was renamed the orange list last night. The office said that it contained countries whose epidemiological situation was deteriorating. Countries not listed as either green, meaning safe, or red, meaning high-risk, are considered orange.

Government speaker Jelko Kacin said Sunday afternoon that changes to the orange list were being coordinated and that the government would approve an updated orange list soon.

In the evening, the government said it green-listed Serbia, while parts of Croatia along the border with Slovenia were moved to the orange list from the red.

On the other hand, parts of Austria (Vienna, Vorarlberg and Tirol) and Hungary (Budapest and Gyor-Moson-Sopron), as well as parts of several other EU countries, were red-listed.

Many of the exemptions to travel restrictions remain in place, allowing several groups of people to avoid quarantine even when entering Slovenia from an orange or red-listed country without a negative test.

This will be the case for workers commuting across the border, hauliers, diplomats, foreign delegations, foreign security services employees, members of the Slovenian armed and police forces, as well as people travelling for urgent personal or business matters, and people who own property in a neighbouring country.

Moreover, the government decided that persons who test negative after having been ordered to quarantine will be allowed to cut short their quarantine.

The changes will be explained in more detail at a press conference on Monday, Kacin said.