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77 New Cases; New Rules on Testing Children; Quarantine Cut to 10 Days Sunday

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...

Slovenia sees 77 new coronavirus infections for Wednesday

STA, 10 September 2020 - After a record-high daily increase in coronavirus infections in Slovenia on Tuesday, the number of newly detected cases remains high. 77 out of 2,489 tests came back positive on Wednesday, which is almost level with the day before. No new fatalities were reported.

After one test proved to be falsely positive on Tuesday, the Health Ministry corrected the figure for the record-breaking day from 79 to 78. The figures for Monday were also amended to include another case which was confirmed in Croatia but the Slovenian decided to be quarantined and receive health treatment in Slovenia.

According to the national tracker Covid-19.sledilnik, Slovenia thus currently has 633 active cases. The national Covid-19 death toll remains unchanged since Friday at 135.

A total of 26 Covid-19 patients were in hospital yesterday, of whom five needed intensive care. Two were discharged from hospital, the government said on Twitter.

The UKC Maribor hospital admitted six residents of a care home who tested positive but showed no symptoms. They were transferred to the hospital to isolate them from other residents, the Health Ministry said.

New infections were recorded in 37 municipalities, including 18 in Ljubljana, where the number of active cases is 120. Maribor follows with 10 new infections and 56 active cases. 191 out out Slovenia's 212 municipalities have at least one infection confirmed.

Most of the newly infected persons are active adults, aged between 25 and 54. Nine new infections were confirmed in children aged between five and 14, and five among the elderly, aged between 75 and 84.

Since the first Covid-19 case was recorded in Slovenia, a total of 3,388 infections have been confirmed.

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Rules change for coronavirus testing of children under ten

STA, 10 September 2020 - Medical experts and the Health Ministry have slightly changed the rules for coronavirus testing of children with symptoms of respiratory disease. Children up to nine years old with only mild symptoms of respiratory disease, even if they also have mild fever and diarrhoea, will no longer be immediately tested for Covid-19.

As school started, the issue arose of how to distinguish between Covid-19 symptoms and the symptoms of other infections that are common in kindergarten and school children in the autumn and winter.

Paediatricians proposed that the rule that all children with symptoms of a cold must be tested be re-assessed, so the issue was discussed with ministry officials on Thursday.

Coming out of the meeting, paediatrician Denis Baš told the STA that everyone involved - infectious disease specialists, paediatricians, the National Institute for Public Health and the ministry - had reached a consensus that kindergarten children and children from the first three grades of primary school with a runny or stuffed nose, soar throat and temperature or diarrhoea will stay at home for three days but will not be immediately tested for Covid-19.

However, testing will remain in place for children with these symptoms who have also been in contact with an infected person or whose parents work in health institutions or care homes.

Also tested will be children with fever over 38 degrees Celsius and other signs of Covid-19 disease, Baš explained.

Children aged ten or more will be treated the same as adults, meaning that they will be referred to testing with even the mildest symptoms of respiratory disease.

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Border quarantine orders shortened to 10 days from Sunday

STA, 10 September 2020 - Slovenia is cutting mandatory quarantine imposed on arrivals from Covid-19 risky countries from 14 to 10 days starting from Sunday under a decision taken by the government on Thursday.

Announcing changes to the respective government decree, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said the decision was taken on the proposal of the expert group advising the government on Covid-19.

He said the exceptions to mandatory quarantine rules, for those attending a funeral of a close relative and maintaining contacts with close family members, will no longer be limited to 24 hours.

Parents have additionally been added to count as close family members, said Kacin.

There is also change to the rule when arrivals submit a negative test for Sars-CoV-2 as the test will now need to be conducted over the past 48 hours, rather than 36 as so far.

A certificate confirming such a negative test needs to be issued by an institution whose credibility is recognised by the Slovenian Institute of Microbiology and Immunology and the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food.

The government also secured EUR 5 million from budget reserves for the cost of swab tests at hospitals and community health centres from 12 March to 31 May. The Health Insurance Institute need to transfer the money to healthcare providers until 21 September.

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STA, 10 September 2020 - The government commission for concealed mass graves has begun work on a site of summary execution at Mostec near Brežice in eastern Slovenia, so far discovering the remains of at least 139 victims believed to have been executed between May and October 1945.

The Mostec anti-tank trench, one of what are believed to be over 600 locations of post-WWII summary killings in Slovenia, will be exhumed because the pending construction of a new hydro power plant will flood of a part of the area.

The head of the exhumation works Uroš Košir told the press on Thursday that the remains of at least 139 people have been discovered since 25 August.

The final figure will only be known after the exhumation and studies are completed, but the work on the up to 200 metre-long trench so far has shown three layers of victims.

The remains of soldiers have mostly been found in the first and third layers, while civilian casualties, including women, are predominant in the second layer, where the remains of at least 27 victims were found. Large numbers of cartridges suggest the victims were executed on-site.

Pavel Jamnik, the head of the police campaign dubbed Reconciliation, said the Mostec site was one of the first to grab the attention of the Slovenian public and police after independence. The State Prosecution in Krško was first informed about it in 1995.

The executions there are believed to have taken place from May to October 1945 and were organised by the People's Defence Corps of Yugoslavia or KNOJ, with Slovenians also taking part.

It was established that people were transported there from the Teharje barracks, used as a concentration camp for members of the Home Guard militia that collaborated with the Nazis, as well as soldiers, civilians and refugees from Croatia and Serbia apprehended by the Allies in May 1945 and turned over to the Partisans.

At least one bus full of women was brought from the Huda Jama execution site, which was already full by then, victims were also brought in from Šentvid prison, while some of the victims are believed to have been a group of apprehended German soldiers and Croatian Ustaše, Jamnik said.

The chair of the government commission for concealed mass graves Jože Dežman announced that the remains would be transported to the Maribor ossuary.

All our stories on mass graves in Slovenia

STA, 10 September 2020  - The parliamentary Health Committee unanimously endorsed on Thursday amendments to the act on communicable diseases under which unvaccinated children would be barred from public or publicly financed kindergartens. The committee however threw out a provision on mandatory vaccination against seasonal flu for health workers.

The bill had been proposed by a group of 38 MPs from the ranks of three coalition parties, the Modern Centre Party (SMC), Democrats (SDS) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS).

The bill is fast-tracked and all the additional amendments were proposed by MPs of the initiator parties. It would require all children who enrol in public kindergartens or private kindergartens co-financed by the state to get mandatory vaccination.

The same rule would apply to students of secondary and tertiary schools teaching health, education and social security courses.

Today's additional amendments specify that mandatory vaccination includes shots against measles, mumps and rubella.

The restrictions would not be imposed on children who cannot get vaccinated due to health reasons. Today, such an exemption was further specified by requiring that health records indicating the reason for missing out on vaccination would have to be submitted.

Unvaccinated children would still be allowed to enrol in primary school since primary education is mandatory under the law.

In August, when the bill was proposed, the Health Ministry said the measure was meant to prevent any unwarranted avoidance of vaccination and to protect citizens.

SMC MP Branislav Rajić, the first signatory of the proposal, said today that the provision that would require all those working in public health and social institutions to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza had been thrown out since experts and the government thought the measure was too excessive.

He nevertheless urged the government and the ZZZS health fund to provide free-of-charge flu vaccination for such workers.

Tina Bregant, the ministry's state secretary, said today that the extra amendments had made the proposal even more efficient, highlighting that the bill aimed to increase the rate of immunisation.

The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Medical Chamber as well as representatives of paediatricians have expressed support for the proposed changes.

On the other hand, Jani Möderndorfer, an MP of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), was critical of the scrapping of the provision under which health and social workers would be obliged to get a flu shot. Experts, the ministry and coalition "do not offer any expert reason for that; all they talk about is how the measure is excessive," he said.

Rajić reiterated that the move followed the guidelines of experts. "My personal view is that a health worker who does not get a vaccine is like a visually-impaired school bus driver who does not want to wear glasses," he added.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrats (SD), New Slovenia (NSi) and the Left called for a strategy that would raise awareness about the importance of vaccination.

STA, 10 September 2020 - After a relatively successful summer season at Slovenia's leading alpine resort, Kranjska Gora ski-lift operators are preparing for winter. They have further improved the artificial snow system, hoping to begin the skiing season in late November. They will try to entice families with new attractions and cheaper tickets.

The resort started pre-selling ski passes in August and is offering a special 15% discount until the end of September. In addition to combined passes with other Slovenian ski resorts, a new type of season pass has been made available especially for Kranjska Gora.

According to their representative Anders Rydelius, they have particularly attractive offerings prepared for families, whom they would like to attract in greater numbers in the future. They hope Slovenians will prefer skiing in their home country this winter, as the prices of ski passes are rising in the surrounding countries, while the epidemiological situation also remains a contributing factor.

Slovenian guests, who used their tourist vouchers en masse in Kranjska Gora in July and August, helped to keep visitor numbers on a par with last year's. However, due to the epidemic, the summer season started later than usual this year, which also reflected on the bike park. The park and chairlift remain open every day in September, and on weekends in October.

They are also improving and adding new activities for families in the bicycle park and new, easier routes that are more suitable for beginners. In recent years, a theme park for children was set up, with additional activities and entertainment to follow soon. The bulk of the investment was in the snowmaking system - at around 400,000 euro this year.

"The key improvement is that we will be able to cover the slopes with snow very quickly and prepare the trails, if temperatures are low enough," said Rydelius. They will try to make skiing possible as early as the end of November or the beginning of December. At the same time, they remain positive about the development of the epidemic and restrictions related to it.

STA, 9 September 2020 - The operator of the Postojna Cave has been forced to lay off a number of employees as it grapples with a 83% drop in visit due to the coronavirus crisis. The management will announce the exact number of redundancies to employees by Friday, while Primorske Novice reports that up to 60 out of the 174 employees are to be sacked.

Postojnska Jama told the STA on Wednesday that it would need to "dismiss a larger number of workers" as a last-resort measure for the sake of long-term sustainability of operation.

The number to be laid off will first be announced to employees at meetings on Thursday and Friday, added the operator of the cave which has been virtually empty since the spring, as foreign guests, which represent the bulk of the visit, are few and far between.

The Koper-based newspaper meanwhile reported that the company will lay off up to 60 out of the 174 employees. Postojnska Jama has not confirmed the number, while labelling the consequences of the pandemic a "natural disaster".

The Postojna Cave is a global destination and foreign guests represent 93% of total visit. "It is evident that the loss in enormous", the company said, adding that there were also fewer Slovenian guests, with their number dropping by 20%.

Visit to the cave is not covered by the government's tourism voucher scheme and the site was closed for 83 days during the lockdown, which is only the second time it was closed in its 200-plus-year history.

Postojnska Jama said layoffs were inevitable as the future was uncertain, as no major improvement was expected next year.

STA, 9 September 2020 - The UK-based company Ascent Resources has formally begun procedures to start an investor dispute against Slovenia at international arbitration for taking measures to protect its groundwater from fracking, the NGO Friends of the Earth has announced.

On its website, the NGO released a letter addressed to Prime Minister Janez Janša, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak on 23 July by the London law firm Enyo Law, which says it represents Ascent.

In the letter Ascent formally notifies the existence of the dispute, while also expressing willingness for negotiation in "hope that an amicable solution can be found to the present dispute".

The letter alleges actions by Slovenia in breach of its obligations under the UK-Slovenia bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty, which it alleges caused considerable harm to the investors' investments in Slovenia.

They say the investors have invested sums in excess of EUR 50 million in the development of the Petišovci oil and gas field.

Enyo Law alleges that the Environment Agency (ARSO) has missed deadlines in issuing its decision on the application for a screening assessment, and that its decision that an environmental impact assessment was required was at odds with with opinions issued by other Slovenian government authorities and institutions.

"The ARSO decision was not based on the recommendations of Slovenia's own experts and, furthermore, it contradicted the opinions they gave. It is therefore manifestly arbitrary and unreasonable," reads the letter.

The law firm also says that while the procedure at ARSO was ongoing, the Slovenian minister of the environment and spatial planning repeatedly made public statements portraying Ascent and the Petišovci project in a negative light, and that leaks were made by ARSO to the press.

The letter says that this "further demonstrates that ARSO was biased against the investor and that the ARSO decision was politically motivated".

With the letter, investors formally consent to submit their investment dispute with Slovenia to international arbitration, which is considered a formal notification of the existence of the dispute.

"We sincerely hope that an amicable solution can be found to the present dispute, and will welcome any constructive proposals you may have," reads the letter, adding that Ascent is "ready to engage at a senior level" with the Slovenian government.

Friends of the Earth note that several EU countries have banned or introduced moratoria on fracking, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Slovakia, and Sweden.

ARSO issued a decision in March that an environmental impact assessment is needed before a permit can be issued for extraction of gas in Petišovci in the north-east of the country by re-stimulating two currently producing wells as planned by Ascent Resources and its Slovenian partner Geoenergo. The decision was upheld by the Administrative Court in June this year.

In 2018 the then Environment Minister Jure Leben ordered internal oversight at ARSO, which found pressure and threats had been exerted on the agency's work and that its independence had been undermined. The findings cost the then director of ARSO Joško Knez his job.

Incumbent Minister Andrej Vizjak has also said that he is not in favour of fracking.

All out reports on Ascent Resources in Slovenia

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:

EU court dismisses Slovenia's case over Teran wine

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - The General Court of the EU dismissed Slovenia's appeal to annul the European Commission delegated regulation of May 2017 to allow Croatian wine producers to use Teran, the name of a red wine protected by Slovenia, on their wine labels. Slovenia, which has had Teran, a red wine grown in the region of Kras, recognised as a protected designation of origin (PDO), challenged the delegated regulation in September 2017. The decision was met with frustration and blame game at home.

Aleksandra Pivec resigns as Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader

LJUBLJANA - Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Aleksandra Pivec resigned despite previously vowing to fight efforts by the party's council to unseat her. She announced, however, that she would run for chairmanship again when the party holds an election congress given that she has "strong grassroots support". The party will be led by Tomaž Gantar, the health minister, until the election congress. One of the harshest critics of Pivec's conduct, Gantar stepped down as chair of the council to act as interim leader.

Record 79 new coronavirus infections reported for Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 79 new coronavirus cases from 2,560 tests carried out on Tuesday, an absolute daily record for the numbers of new cases and daily tests since the first case was recorded in the country on 4 March, the latest government data shows. As many as 590 cases are active. The share of infected older people at care homes is increasing again, with 15 new cases confirmed yesterday. Government Covid-19 spokesperson Jelko Kacin said this called for "additional measures".

Logar wants active foreign policy, sees opportunities in "new patterns of cooperation"

LJUBLJANA - Anže Logar said he wanted to overhaul Slovenia's foreign policy within a year "given the geostrategic changes and the new dynamic of relations in the global arena". Slovenia's foreign policy should become more confident and active. Stronger transatlantic relations are also a priority, said Logar, who again rejected the debates about "core Europe"; He sees Slovenia in the core of equal member states.

Committee debate on revised budget hears criticism of Probation Administration cut

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Judiciary Committee got acquainted as the first among several committees with the proposed revised budget for 2020, which envisages 75.3 million, EUR 145,500 less than in the original budget, for the Justice Ministry, the Prison Administration and the Probation Administration. Justice Ministry State Secretary Zlatko Ratej explained that the Prison Administration was in fact getting EUR 1.7 million more, while the ministry will get EUR 1.6 million less and the Probation Administration EUR 262,000 less.

Počivalšek causes stir in SMC over staffing announcement

LJUBLJANA - The head of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and economy minister, Zdravko Počivalšek, has caused a stir in the junior coalition party for announcing his plan to appoint former Koper Mayor Boris Popovič a state secretary at the Economy Ministry. The issue was discussed by the SMC deputy group on Tuesday. Media report that some prominent SMC members threatened to leave the party if Popovič is indeed appointed. Počivalšek allegedly said after the debate he would give the issue some more thought.

Ascent Resources formally starts procedure to sue Slovenia

LONDON, UK - The UK-based company Ascent Resources has formally begun procedures to start an investor dispute against Slovenia at international arbitration for taking measures to protect its groundwater from fracking, the NGO Friends of the Earth announced. On its website, the NGO released a letter addressed to senior government officials in which it formally notifies the existence of the dispute, while also expressing willingness for negotiation in "hope that an amicable solution can be found to the present dispute".

Draft strategy predicts climate neutrality by 2050

LJUBLJANA - The Environment Ministry unveiled the long-awaited draft climate strategy until 2050. The centrepiece of the document is zero net emissions or climate neutrality by the target year. The use of coal is planned to be reduced by 60% by 2030 compared to 2005, and a decision on a new generator at the NEK power plant is to be made by 2027. The goals are is "a challenge and an opportunity for sectors" such as transport, energy, industry, agriculture, construction and land use, the ministry said.

July exports down by 2.9% y/y, imports by 10.9%, surplus 2nd highest in a decade

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports amounted to EUR 2.94 billion in July, a 2.9% year-on-year decrease, while imports were down by 10.9% to EUR 2.74 billion, which made for the second highest external trade surplus in a decade, the Statistics Office said. In the first seven months of 2020, exports declined by 4.3% and imports by 10.0%, but a surplus was generated each month.

Postojna Cave operator to make significant staff cuts

POSTOJNA - The operator of the Postojna Cave has been forced to lay off a number of employees as it grapples with a 83% drop in visit due to the coronavirus crisis. Postojnska Jama said it would need to "dismiss a larger number of workers" as a last-resort measure for the sake of long-term sustainability of operation. The management will announce the exact number of redundancies to employees by Friday, while Primorske Novice reports that up to 60 out of the 174 employees are to be sacked.

Work starts on car park, mall extension in Rudnik

LJUBLJANA - Ground was broken for a multi-storey car park between the Supernova and Eleclerc shopping malls in the Ljubljana's shopping district of Rudnik, and for an extension to Supernova. The EUR 70 million investment is expected to create 800 jobs and will significantly expand the already large retail district. The car park is scheduled to be finalised in the spring of 2021, and the extension of Supernova one year later.

First Slovenian women writer's fairy tale finally published

LJUBLJANA - A fairy tale about a girl soldier written by the first Slovenian women writer, Josipina Urbančič Turnograjska (1833-1854), was published for the first time almost 170 years after it was written. Rožmanova Lenčica, written in 1852, tells a story about Lenčica, a brave girl who decides to go to war against the Turks to defend her homeland and its values. The book was illustrated by Jelka Godec Schmidt, while the story was adapted and the language modernised by Mira Delavec Touhami.

Women prisoners found to be discriminated against

IG - Slovenia's Equality Rights Ombudsman has found that prisoners in the country's sole incarceration facility for women are discriminated against compared to their male counterparts in Slovenia's largest prison. The ombudsman has established the inmates at the Ig prison just south of Ljubljana are subject of discrimination when it comes to visitors, private and intimate contacts, phone calls and electronic communication.

Slovenia has one of lowest child mortality rates, UNICEF says

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranks among the countries with the lowest mortality rate for children under five years, shows the latest UNICEF report on child survival in the world. The total of children aged below five who died last year was the lowest in the past three decades. The report indicates that under-five mortality rate dropped from 12.5 million in 1990 to 5.2 million last year, said UNICEF Slovenija.

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

STA, 9 September 2020  - Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Aleksandra Pivec resigned on Thursday, after previously vowing to fight efforts by the party's council to unseat her. She announced, however, that she would run for chairmanship again when the party holds an election congress given that she has "strong grassroots support".

Pivec, agriculture minister in Janez Janša's government and one of the deputy prime ministers, offered her resignation to the party's executive committee just before the council, a more senior body, was scheduled to vote on her dismissal following weeks of infighting. The executive committee accepted her resignation.

In a letter to the party members on Tuesday, Pivec said she would carry on. Today, she said she realised a solution that would be legally clean was not in sight. "When I realised this would not be the case, I decided to stop this by resigning."

Pivec has long insisted the council does not have the power to dismiss party leader, arguing that she was elected with an overwhelming majority at the January congress, where she defeated Karl Erjavec in a 143:80 vote, and that only the congress had a say over her fate.

After the party's own committee for legal issues decided the council does indeed have the power to dismiss the party leader, she initially indicated she would challenge the decision in court.

Pivec remains convinced that the party "bypassed all legal standards" and claims she is the victim of "a coup of sorts". DeSUS deserves a better future, regardless of who the president is, she said.

"I think there have been more than enough divisions in the party... We have forgotten about the dignity of individuals and the entire party, this is why I do not wish to debate in public about who's to blame and what went on behind the scenes."

As to her role in government, Pivec said her presidency had nothing to do with her ministerial role. "If a new president is elected at the congress, the time will come for debates on who will be the deputy prime minister."

Pivec has come under fire in her own party for mixing official and private business on two trips to western Slovenia. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption has launched an ethics investigation.

The party will be led by Tomaž Gantar, the health minister, until the election congress. Gantar, one of the harshest critics of Pivec's conduct, stepped down as chair of the council to act as interim leader, spokesman Janez Ujčič revealed.

STA, 9 September 2020 - Slovenia has lost another case targeting its neighbour as the General Court of the EU dismissed its appeal to annul the European Commission's delegated regulation that allows Croatian wine producers to use Teran, the name of a red wine protected by Slovenia, on their wine labels. The decision was met with frustration and blame game at home.

Under the derogation granted to Croatia in 2017, the designation Teran may be used to refer to a wine grape variety on the labels of wines produced in Croatia, but only for the designation of origin Hrvatska Istra and on condition that Hrvatska Istra and Teran appear in the same visual field and that the font size of the name Teran is smaller than that of the words Hrvatska Istra.

Slovenia had Teran, a red wine traditionally produced from the Refosk grape grown in the region of Kras, recognised as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in 2006.

In challenging the regulation, Slovenia raised its retroactive effect, alleging infringement of the second subparagraph of Article 100 (3) of Regulation No 1308/2013, which is the legal basis of the contested regulation, and infringement of the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations.

The third paragraph of Article 100 reads: "Where the name of a wine grape variety contains or consists of a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication, that name shall not be used for the purposes of labelling agricultural products."

The second subparagraph says: "In order to take into account existing labelling practices, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 227 laying down exceptions from that rule."

The court found that the Commission had indeed applied the subparagraph concerned retroactively - it took effect on 1 January 2014 - but said the regulation pursued an objective in the public interest, which made it necessary for it to be given retroactive effect.

It said the objective pursued by the contested regulation was "to protect legal labelling practices existing in Croatia on 30 June 2013" when the country joined the EU, and "resolve the conflict between those practices and the protection of the Slovenian PDO Teran".

The court also held that Slovenia failed to prove the Commission failed to have regard to the principles of legal certainty, the respect for acquired rights and the protection of legitimate expectations by giving retroactive effect to the contested regulation.

The court fully upheld the Commission's arguments that Teran was also a grape variety in Croatia so the exception was possible under EU rules to use the name without affecting Slovenian Teran wine producers, who preserve exclusive PDO rights.

The row over Teran goes back to spring 2013 when Slovenia removed Croatian wine carrying Teran labels from its store shelves. Croatia protested, calling for a joint cross-border protection of Teran, which Slovenia said was not possible because of different agroclimatic conditions in which the grapes are grown and wine produced.

Despite the ruling, the row may not be over yet, as General Court judgements may be appealed at the Court of Justice of the EU. Slovenia has two months to appeal, but it is not clear yet whether it will, with those responsible saying they would first need to examine the judgement before deciding on further steps.

Wine growers from Kras who produce Teran believe the government should appeal and will seek a meeting with PM Janez Janša to explain to him how they are affected by the judgement.

Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec said the judgement would cause damage to Slovenian Teran producers with concerns that Croatian Teran could flood the Slovenian market, but also said the judgement needed to be respected.

Slovenian officials were quick to engage in a blame gave over who is responsible for the outcome, the second such after Slovenia lost its case against Croatia over its failure to implement the border arbitration award.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar criticised the Slovenian diplomatic service for "falling asleep", failing to react promptly on time in the preliminary procedure.

Announcing a debate in parliament on the matter and an examination of all activities pertaining to it, Logar raised the issue of "responsibility of those who opted for the legal action we lost".

"Let's remember another suit that we've lost. Lost suits certainly do not testify to active and confident foreign policy action that would improve the position, influence and reputation of foreign policy, rather the opposite," he said.

However, Dejan Židan, who served as agriculture minister at the time of crucial developments between 2010 and 2018, and who championed the idea to challenge the derogation in court, dismissed the allegation against him saying he was "proud" of action to protect Teran.

Returning the ball to the incumbent government, the Social Democrat said the government of the time had little chance to communicate within the European People's Party that key decision-makers came from, asserting that had Germany or Italy been in Slovenia's place the Commission "would never have adopted such a delegated regulation".

Similar frustration was expressed by Teran growers and experts involved in the case, who argued that Slovenia's arguments were sound, but the problem was politics and a lack of unity in Slovenia.

Regretting the development, parliamentary parties argued that experts should decide whether Slovenia should appeal against the General Court's decision. Many were critical of Židan, as well as a lack of unity among Slovenian political representatives.

Meanwhile, the Commission responded by saying that both Slovenian and Croatian wine producers can continue producing and selling their wines.

"The delegated regulation allows Croatian wine producers that had traditionally produced wine with Teran grape variety to continue labelling the wine with this name. However, it also introduces three conditions restricting the scope of the derogation and avoiding any sort of confusion between this wine and the Slovenian PDO wine Teran, reads a release from the Commission.

Although sunny weather and a swim in the sea are good enough reasons to travel to the coast this weekend, a stroll down the beach to the Homemade from Istria festival this Friday afternoon will make the trip even more worthwhile.

The event will take place in the long building of the former salt warehouse Monfort situated right at the beginning of Portorož/Portorose beach. From 3pm to 8pm this Friday visitors will be offered best of the Istrian cuisine, which includes the country’s best olive oils and wines.

After the Istrian delicacy warm up, the visitors will also be invited to explore some of the local traditional crafts and traditions, as in addition to various local producers the event is also held by several local museums and performance groups including the Association for cultural and natural heritage Anbot Piran, Folk dance group Šaltin Sv. Peter, Men choir Pergula Sv. Peter, Maritime museum Piran, Institute Mediteranum with the Piran Shells Museum and Soline d.o.o..