Record 123 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in 3,123 tests on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - A record 123 new Covid-19 cases were discovered in Slovenia on Tuesday in what were 3,123 tests, the second highest testing figure to date. While there the death toll has remained at 135 for almost two weeks, the number of active cases has risen to 975, with the number of hospitalised patients up by 12 to 61. The number of patients in intensive care is up by one to 11 and officials announced the Celje general hospital would now become the fourth hospital to admit infected patients. This also has to do with a surge in cases in nursing homes from where non-symptomatic patients are being moved temporarily.

Foreign Ministry to get EUR 6.76m more under revised budget

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry's budget for the year is set to increase by EUR 6.764 million to EUR 107.201 million under the revised state budget proposal that was debated by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee. Foreign Minister Anže Logar told MPs that increased funding was being allocated for political diplomacy and consular services, as well as for the implementation of foreign policy and for EU affairs. Due to the pandemic, less funding will be available for culture and media programmes, for international cultural cooperation and for trade diplomacy.

Tax cuts linchpin of deregulation blueprint

LJUBLJANA - Sweeping tax cuts and simplification of administrative procedures are at the core of a deregulation plan proposed by the strategic council for debureaucratization, a government advisory body. Ivan Simič, the chair of the council, said lower taxes would lead to higher budget revenue. Meanwhile, the opposition Left said the proposals leaned towards "new tax breaks for the rich", and that instead, the government should secure new tax revenue which would not burden the weakest ones, but property of rich people and corporate income.

Top court: Cross-municipality movement ban in line with constitution

LJUBLJANA - Restricting the movement of Slovenian residents to one's municipality during the spring coronavirus lockdown was not in contradiction with the Constitution, the Constitutional Court announced after ruling on a petition asking it to examine a relevant government decree. The ban, which had several exceptions, was put in place on 30 March, a day after the decree was adopted, and fully lifted on 30 April after being earlier slightly eased.

Police union forms strike committee amid escalating row with minister

LJUBLJANA - The leadership of one of two trade unions in the police force has transformed into a strike committee after Interior Minister Aleš Hojs allegedly made further payment of Schengen bonuses conditional on the union's stopping going public about irregularities in the force. Addressing reporters, the head of the PSS union, Rok Cvetko, said that social dialogue under Interior Minister Hojs had not been constructive.

Janša says EU funds must be invested prudently, but quickly

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša told the upper chamber of parliament that the funds from the EU recovery fund must be invested prudently and as soon as possible. The thing is that they need to be acquired first, so the government will make sure that their phasing gets more efficient, he added. Janša stressed that there would be no full grants, as money would need to be provided by somebody eventually, but he added that the costs for grants would not directly burden the budget.

Foreign Ministry welcomes von der Leyen's state of the union address

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's first state of the union address, which she delivered today, pointing out her message that the EU must emerge stronger and more vital from the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context Slovenia has high expectations from the Commission, and supports its focus on providing security, stability and opportunities for all EU citizens.

Labour ministry getting EUR 600m more in supplementary budget

LJUBLJANA - The Labour Committee discussed the draft supplementary budget for 2020, which secures almost EUR 600 million more for the relevant ministry than the original budget. The plan is to earmark a total of EUR 2.2 billion to the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Out of the additional EUR 600 million, EUR 416.4 million would go for financing of anti-coronavirus epidemic measures, EUR 75.5 million for welfare payments and compensations directly to beneficiaries and EUR 54.3 for unemployment benefits.

NLB chairman named AmCham Slovenia president

LJUBLJANA - Blaž Brodnjak, the CEO of NLB bank, has been appointed new president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia for a two-year term in office. Brodnjak, who succeeds Sašo Berger and was the only candidate for the post at the chamber's annual general assembly, said now was the time for the state and businesses, and for various business associations to come together and launch debate on the vision of development. He emphasized the need to create a common vision and good prospects with young people, and to promote knowledge to keep young talents in Slovenia or to attract them back. The general assembly was also addressed by US Ambassador Lynda C. Blanchard, who pledged to work to further boost ties between Slovenia and the US.

Triennial of Art and Ecology to be relaunched in ex factory

MARIBOR - The Maribor Art Gallery (UGM) has announced the International Triennial of Art and Ecology will be revived after being suspended for over a decade. The 8th EKO Triennial will take place at a former textile factory in Maribor next spring. A series of events will prelude the reopening of the triennial, starting from today. Prelaunch Days EKO 8, running until 26 September, will showcase projects of Slovenian and foreign artists as well as feature debates, tours and music events. The triennial was established in Maribor in 1980 and after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it transformed into an international event.