STA, 8 September 2020 - The EU Commission has given a go-ahead for an investment worth EUR 80 million out of the cohesion fund to co-finance the new rail section from Divača to Koper, said the Commission on Tuesday. The funds will be spent on building a tunnel and two viaducts on the track, which is to improve rail interconnection.

The project would not only boost rail links in Slovenia but also support the internal market by strengthening economic and social cohesion, said European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira as quoted in a press release.

"The new section is vital for managing the growing demand along the track and for linking the key corridor in the core network and maritime routes," said Brussels.

Ferreira pointed out that the EU's investment was necessary for strengthening rail links between Central Europe and port operator Luka Koper, with the latter being an important nexus of cargo and passenger traffic.

By switching from roads to railways, the project will moreover help reduce emissions and improve air quality in line with the Green Deal targets, which are also pursued by cohesion policy, said the Commission.

The price tag of the entire Divača-Koper project, the biggest publicly-financed construction project currently under way in Slovenia, is estimated at EUR 1.194 billion.

The investment will be financed from various sources, with Slovenia expected to invest the biggest share. The amount of state funding will depend on potential cooperation with another EU country along the corridor.

The project will be moreover funded by EU grants, loans by international financial institutions, commercial banks and SID Bank, the state-run export and development bank.

The National Review Commission has recently shortened the list of suitable bidders for the principal construction works on the rail section. While some bidders will reportedly be asked to supplement their bids, one bidder each from Slovenia, Turkey, China and Austria remain in play.

More details on the state of the project will be presented at a press conference of Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec scheduled for tomorrow.

STA, 8 September 2020 - Gorenje Group generated a net loss of EUR 55.2 million last year, down from 2018's EUR 111.2 million. One-off events excluded, the group's loss amounted to EUR 37.3 million. Revenue meanwhile rose by 4% to EUR 1.23 billion, shows the group's annual report published on the website of the AJPES agency.

Profit before tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 4.4% to EUR 28.3 million, while operating loss rose from 28.2 million in 2018 to EUR 44.6 million.

The group said the loss was largely a result of poor performance in the first quarter of 2019, when the volume of sales was rather low.

Following a number of measures to avert the trend, business improved, with a pronounced upward trend recorded in the second half of the year, which was however not enough to offset the early poor start.

The group generated almost 57% of revenue in eastern Europe, about a third in western Europe and the rest around the globe.

The group's home appliances unit increased its revenue by 6.6% to EUR 1.15 billion, posting the biggest rise (+11%) in east European markets.

It had an average 10,661 employees last year, or 437 fewer than in 2018, mostly because of sale of four non-core companies.

The parent company Gorenje meanwhile generated EUR 836.6 million in sales revenue, up 2.1% from 2018, posting a net loss of 59.6 million, down from EUR 126.8 million.

The group continued integration into China's Hisense Group last year, transforming from a publicly listed company into a limited company.

To improve efficiency, reorganisation of business processes at the level of the entire Gorenje group was launched after the group was bought by Hisense in 2018.

Gorenje announced a new investment cycle for this year to develop new products and modernise production in a bid to offer new and competitive products.

This should bring about growth in sales and revenue, so Gorenje Group expects to finish 2020 with a profit.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Janša, Kurz advocate joint approach to coronavirus, migration

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for a joint approach to coronavirus and to illegal migration as they met in Ljubljana. They agreed a full lockdown should be avoided this autumn, with Kurz stressing that a "light at the end of the tunnel" could be seen. Turning to illegal migration, Janša called for a strengthening of border protection, a joint EU approach and assistance to the countries that could be hit the hardest. Janša and Kurz agreed protecting the external borders was essential for removing check points on internal borders. Kurz also met President Borut Pahor, who welcomed the Austrian government's plan to tackle issues of minorities. After talks, Janša and Kurz climbed the North Face of Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak.

Monday's new Covid-19 infections at 42, no new fatalities

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 42 new coronavirus cases from 1,581 tests carried out on Monday, which brings the overall tally of cases since the first one was confirmed in early March to 3,232. 546 cases are active, according to the national tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org. No new Covid-19-related fatalities were reported, leaving the national total at 135. The number of hospitalisations rose by two to 28; four persons are in intensive care.

Several LMŠ MPs ordered to quarantine

LJUBLJANA - Several MPs of the LMŠ party of the former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec are self-isolating after coming into a contact with a person who had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Šarec said four LMŠ MPs had been issued quarantine orders, with two more to follow precautionary measures recommended by the National Institute of Public Health. They will work from home and expect to be able to cast their vote remotely as parliament votes on an opposition-sponsored proposal to oust Interior Minister Aleš Hojs on Monday. Speaker Igor Zorčič will put the proposal for remote vote for the vote on Friday.

Italy increases military and police presence on Slovenia border

TRIESTE, Italy - The Trieste-based Slovenian newspaper Primorski Dnevnik reported that Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese announced that Italy would not close small border crossings on the border with Slovenia due to increased migration, but would bolster the presence of the military and police in the border area. Visiting Trieste, the minister also announced that mixed border patrols would be reintroduced. Joint Slovenian-Italian border police patrols were discontinued when the Covid-19 situation started to escalate.

Opposition to media law changes continues as public debate ends

LJUBLJANA - Despite the public consultation period on the government-proposed media reform having expired, debate continues, as the public broadcaster and other media and associations involved continue to protest against the amendments, as do most of the opposition parties. RTV Slovenija director general Igor Kadunc said the broadcaster stood to lose EUR 7.7 million a year directly as a result of the amendments along with almost EUR 10 million in lost revenue from its transmitting business.

EU Commission approves EUR 80 million for Koper-Divača track

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission gave its go-ahead for an investment worth EUR 80 million out of the cohesion fund to co-finance the new railway from Divača to Koper, which is valued at EUR 1.194 billion. The funds will be spent on building a tunnel and two viaducts on the track, which is to improve rail interconnection. "The new section is vital for managing the growing demand along the track and for linking the key corridor in the core network and maritime routes," said the Commission.

ECHR denies appeal in Roma drinking water case

LJUBLJANA - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) grand chamber dismissed on Monday an appeal lodged by two Roma families in June who alleged violations of basic human rights because of inadequate access to drinking water and sanitation. The ruling, quashing such allegations, is thus final, said the State Attorney's Office. In March, the court found that Slovenia had taken adequate steps to provide Roma settlements with drinking water, rejecting an application by the Roma families.

Pivec discusses fisheries with German, Portuguese counterparts

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec held an online discussion with the German and Portuguese ministers in charge of fisheries to exchange views on open issues and talk about the development of fisheries during the EU presidency of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia. Slovenia advocates a balanced approach to the interests of the industry on the one hand and small, traditional coastal fishing on the other, Pivec said. The trio expressed hope for a timely agreement in the Brexit negotiations, but said the EU must prepare measures in case no agreement is reached.

Vrtovec attends conference on EU maritime shipping industry

HAMBURG, Germany - Infrastructure Minister Minister Jernej Vrtovec supported proposed European Green Deal measures and said Slovenia was in favour of cutting CO2 emissions in maritime transport at EU and global levels as part of the International Maritime Organisation, as he attended a conference of EU transport ministers in Hamburg. He said greening the maritime shipping industry should go hand in hand with its digital transformation.

Slovenia secures EUR 78m in fresh short-term borrowing

LJUBLJANA - The treasury has auctioned off three- and six-month T-bills for a total of EUR 78 million in fresh borrowing with negative yield. The sum secured with three-month bills was above and that raised through six-month bills below the planned amount. The state had set out to issue a total of EUR 60 million worth of three- and six-month treasury bills, of which EUR 20 million in three-month bills.

Finance Committee backs 2% rise in pensions

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee backed a proposal for a 2% rise in pensions in December regardless of the amount of GDP growth in the past year, which would come at the cost of EUR 94 million. The government has not yet taken a position on the proposal, which is sponsored by the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), one of the junior coalition partners, however the proposal appears to have been agreed within the ruling coalition.

Slovenia, Austria working to manage border Mura river together

BAD RADKERSBURG, Austria - The Slovenian Environment Ministry and the Austrian Agriculture Ministry held the first Forum for the Mura in Bad Radkersburg, Austria, as part of the permanent Slovenian-Austrian commission for the border river. The head of the Slovenian delegation, Mitja Bricelj, said this was the first such forum in Europe. It is to hear proposals from people living along the Mura for improvements, especially in light of climate change, which affects water levels.

Gorenje posts EUR 55 million loss in 2019

LJUBLJANA - Gorenje Group generated a net loss of EUR 55.2 million last year, down from 2018's EUR 111.2 million. One-off events excluded, the group's loss amounted to EUR 37.3 million. Revenue meanwhile rose by 4% to EUR 1.23 billion, shows the group's annual report published on the website of the AJPES agency. The group said the loss was largely a result of poor performance in the first quarter of 2019, when the volume of sales was rather low. The group expects to post a profit this year.

Vilenica literary festival fusing on-site and virtual events

LJUBLJANA - The 35th international literary festival Vilenica got under way with an international comparative literature colloquium streamed online via Zoom and an on-site event in Ljubljana showcasing Vinko Möderndorfer, the Slovenian author in spotlight. Most of the events running until Sunday will be virtual due to coronavirus concerns and restrictions, with a total of five held in-person in Slovenia and Italy. The Vilenica Prize had been presented to Slovak poet Mila Haugova ahead of the festival.

Bach's Mass in B Minor to open Philharmonic's ambitious season

LJUBLJANA - Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor opened the new season of the Slovenian Philharmonic at Cankarjev Dom. Bach's magnificent composition was conducted by Englishman Stephen Layton, featuring English soloists Anna Dennis, Helen Charlston, Ruairi Bowen and Laurence Williams. This was the first in a series of concerts this year marking the 30th anniversary of the Slovenian Philharmonic's choir.

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

STA, 8 September 2020 - Slovenia recorded 42 new coronavirus cases from 1,581 tests carried out on Monday, which brings the overall tally of cases since the first one was confirmed in early March to 3,232. 546 cases are active, according to the latest data posted on the national tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

No new Covid-19-related fatalities have been reported, leaving the national total at 135 since Friday.

The number of hospitalisations has meanwhile risen by two to 28; four persons are in intensive care.

The number of new daily cases has been dropping since the recent spike of 55 recorded on 1 September, when 1,608 tests were performed.

The number of tests is not falling, and the number of new cases shows the situation is slowly stabilising, which is encouraging, the government's Covid-19 spokesperson Jelko Kacin told the press on Tuesday.

He said eleven local sources of infections had so far been detected for Monday's new cases, while epidemiologists have a hard time finding the sources as some infected persons would not or cannot tell them how they contracted the disease. 19 cases are thus still being investigated.

However, more worrying trends can be noticed in Italy and Hungary, while the situation also remains worrying in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, said Kacin.

Nevertheless, only one of yesterday's infections has been imported, although the figure could rise once the sources of the 19 mentioned infections have been fully examined, he added.

Still, the government is not considering closing the border like it did in spring. "This is not an option for the time being, it is not being discussed, nor is closing municipal borders".

Kacin also denied rumours that schools would close towards the end of September after several classes around the country have been put in quarantine since the new school year started on 1 September. He said "there is no truth there" and "it has never been discussed".

He explained that individual schools could close in case of infections.

Asked whether any stricter measures were being planned to contain the virus, such as dedicated hours for certain vulnerable groups at shops, he said they were not.

Kacin also presented some statistics about oversight of quarantine orders and of anti-coronavirus measures in public places.

Health inspectors have so far carried out almost 21,500 quarantine oversights, issuing fines in almost 185 cases worth over EUR 70,000.

They have also visited almost 400 shops and restaurants or bars to check face mask wearing and sanitiser use since a relevant decree entered into force on Friday.

Yesterday alone, they visited almost 190 objects, or which 90 bars or restaurants and 96 shops, issuing seven fines at shops and one at a restaurant for non-compliance with face mask rules.

STA, 8 September 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz have climbed the North Face of Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, following talks in Ljubljana on Tuesday.

The government has posted three photos of the two leaders in climbing gear on its Twitter profile. In one they are pictured with helmets on their heads, in another with helmets in their hands.

Predsednik vlade ?? @JJansaSDS in zvezni kancler Republike Avstrije ?? @sebastiankurz v osrčju gora. #Triglav #SevernaStena

Foto: Dragan Tatic/BKA pic.twitter.com/PV3q1XzpZ5

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) September 8, 2020

Two photographs appear to have been taken at the start of the ascent and a third one shows them higher up the rock from below.

Janša also posted several photos of the feat on his Twitter profile. "The Slovenian route in Triglav North Face climbed. Glorious weather on top. Fine company of excellent mountaineer Sebastian Kurz and substantive discussions," Janša tweeted.

Slovenska smer v S Triglavski steni preplezana. Čudovito vreme na vrhu. Odlična družba izvrstnega gornika in @sebastiankurz in vsebinski pogovori ???? pic.twitter.com/mA56vTMQvr

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) September 8, 2020

One of the photographs shows Kurz in the wall, and in two others the pair are pictured in high spirits "above the clouds", just below the summit.

Triglav North Face is the highest, broadest and most magnificent of Slovenia's rock walls. It is criss-crossed with climbing routes.

Mount Triglav (2,864 metres) is Slovenia's most popular peak as well as the national symbol.

Es hat mich sehr gefreut, heute mit @JJansaSDS als erfahrenem Bergsteiger eine Bergtour bei beeindruckender Kulisse im schönen #Triglav Nationalpark machen zu können!

Foto: BKA/ Dragan Tatic pic.twitter.com/HmjuEXpEkT

— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) September 8, 2020

Kurz met Janša earlier during his first bilateral trip abroad since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing reporters after talks, they called for a joint approach in combating the novel virus and illegal migration.

Asked how he felt about the climbing venture ahead of the attempt, Kurz said that the Slovenian prime minister was an experienced climber and he had no worries ahead of the climbing test.

STA, 8 September 2020 - Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has announced that Italy will not close small border crossings on the Italian-Slovenian border due to increased migration, but will bolster the presence of the military and police in the border area. She has also announced that mixed border patrols will be reintroduced.

Joint Slovenian-Italian border police patrols were discontinued when the Covid-19 situation started to escalate.

But Lamorgese said in Trieste on Tuesday that the joint activities would be renewed "already this evening", lauding cooperation with the Slovenian police, reported Primorski Dnevnik, the Trieste-based newspaper of the Slovenian minority in Italy.

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region will see the arrival of additional soldiers "to monitor the region more efficiently", she said during her visit to Trieste, where she mostly discussed illegal migrations with regional authorities, according to the Italian press agency Ansa.

Additional soldiers will be primarily deployed to small border crossings as well as to roads and expressways to upset the apple cart for migrant smugglers.

Lamorgese said that the authorities needed to be one step ahead of the smugglers, who are inventive in coming up with new routes.

More than 3,000 illegal migrants have taken the Western Balkan route to arrive in Italy this year, which compares to 2,100 migrants crossing the Slovenian-Italian border illegally in the same period last year. Some 850 were handed over to the Slovenian authorities, said Lamorgese.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia President Massimiliano Fedriga is meanwhile disappointed that small border crossings remain open, reported Ansa. But he said the minister had told him she would see no alternative to closing them if sending additional manpower did not prove efficient.

Lamorgese hopes the move will bring positive results though. A total of 21 small border crossings will see reinforced border control already tonight.

STA, 8 September 2020 - The public consultation on government-proposed changes to three media acts has ended, but the debate is still on as the national broadcaster continues to protest the legislation and some of the opposition parties are not happy either. Two relevant associations have also called on the government to withdraw the proposals.

The management of RTV Slovenija told the press on Monday it is opposed to the changes to the three acts - one of them deals with the public broadcaster - and called on the Culture Ministry to withdraw them.

The main point of contention is the proposal to distribute 8% of the public broadcaster licence fee among other media - 3% for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and 5% for other media.

Director general Igor Kadunc said that the proposals encroached upon the funds available to RTV Slovenija, which would stand to directly lose as much as EUR 7.7 million a year along with almost EUR 10 million in lost revenue from its transmitting business, which would be transferred onto a new fully state-owned company.

Kadunc stressed that the public broadcaster was EUR 8 million short every year already, and that it had EUR 6 million less to work with last year than it had in 2012.

Since 2012, no government has dealt with the development of RTV Slovenija, he said, while rejecting the allegations that the public broadcaster was not solving the financial situation with streamlining and reorganisation.

Kadunc believes that the legislative changes in their present form will not be passed in parliament. He added that the management of RTV Slovenija was ready to participate in drafting expertise-based and comprehensive changes to media legislation.

Radio Slovenija director Mirko Štular added that the public media service might be destabilised at the detriment of the public. The funding cuts are already resulting in staff shortages and the programme would suffer even further, he added.

TV Slovenija director Natalija Gorščak said that the legislative changes were not only an attack on the public broadcaster, but on the Slovenian cultural identity and language in general.

Trade unionist Simeona Rogelj added that the public broadcaster could lose up to 500, or a quarter of all employees, if the proposed changes were implemented, with journalists being the first to go.

Meanwhile, the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) reiterated its call for the legislation to be withdrawn, arguing that it is being opposed by practically the entire professional public.

The media space shows that the current government is taking the path taken by authoritarian regimes in Europe, SAB deputy group head Maša Kociper told the press on Monday.

She believes the changes aim at weakening the public broadcaster and giving power to other, commercial media outlets, which are inclined to the current government, in particular the ruling Democrats (SDS).

The Left has meanwhile called on President Borut Pahor to change the title of a debate on RTV Slovenija he is hosting on Friday, which suggests that the public broadcaster is not a free and politically unbiased media outlet.

Left MP Violeta Tomić said that the concept of the debate implied that Pahor gave legitimacy to the "attempts at discrediting RTV Slovenija by the ruling SDS to politically subjugate the public broadcaster".

Zmago Jelinčič, the head of the opposition National Party (SNS), meanwhile said that the arguments from the other opposition parties lacked content, while agreeing that there are some mistakes in the proposals, which can be corrected with amendments.

The Slovenian Advertising Chamber and the Slovenian Media Association have also reiterated their calls for the legislation to be withdrawn, saying that such changes required a comprehensive, in-depth and expertise-based discussion.

The chamber said that 5% of the public broadcaster licence fee and special taxation of cable operators would create the largest state media fund under direct control of the government.

Instead of ensuring the greatest possible transparency and professionalism in distribution of funds at the systemic level, the changes open the door wide to "arbitrary decision-making and cronyism".

It also brings further commercialisation of the public broadcaster also at the expense of other entities on the market, their press release adds.

Journalists are also up in arms, with Petra Lesjak Tušek, the president of the Slovenian Journalists' Association (DNS), saying that "a resolute no should be said in particular to the attack on the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the STA".

The latter is a reference to the proposal that the STA is no longer financed from the budget and to the plan to switch the STA supervisory board appointment powers from the National Assembly to the government.

The other organisation of journalists, the Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP), meanwhile endorsed the public broadcaster licence fee distribution proposal, while also saying that it did not matter whether STA supervisors were appointed by the government or parliament.

The Association of Independent Radio Stations, which brings together more than 20 local radio stations, is in favour of the changes to the media law, arguing they would facilitate creating fair conditions for long-term coexistence and development of all, big and small media outlets in the country.

The association pointed in Tuesday's press release to what it believes is an extremely uncompetitive and monopolised situation in the fields of TV, press and radio, which benefits large media outlets.

It said these have "over the years, often by resorting to dodgy practice and moves, created strong monopolies in advertising, which now enables them to control the entire media market", thus preventing healthy competition and plurality.

The situation cannot be blamed only on the Culture Ministry's past inaction, but in the area of radio, also on the Agency for Communication Networks and Services, which has failed to regulate commercial radio networks when it noticed they did not meet the criteria of producing shows with local contents, the association said.

Responding to the latest calls, the Culture Ministry said certain corrections would be made and noted that there were several alternative proposals regarding the financing of RTV Slovenija and distribution of its licence fee.

"A word or two needs to be also exchanged with the coalition partners," Media Directorate head Ivan Oven told RTV Slovenija yesterday, as the changes have not been fully coordinated yet within the coalition.

STA, 7 September 2020 - The Kobilarna Lipica stud farm expects this year to see only a third of last year's number of visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a business report which also shows that in the first half of the year, its operator recorded only 34% of the revenue from the same period in 2019.

The pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of a large number of planned events, a decline in visits by foreign guests and large organised groups from Slovenia and abroad, and the renovation of Hotel Maestoso, Holding Kobilarna Lipica told the STA on Monday.

However, the drop in revenue does not stand out when compared to the results of other comparable tourist destinations, the company's supervisory board has assessed, while adding that additional measures to cut costs and maximise the income needed to be nevertheless introduced.

Lay-offs are not envisaged for the time being and, considering the tourism trends and the situation related to Covid-19, the current number of employees is appropriate, the management has assessed.

The management has been tasked with coming up with a new marketing campaign, which will include the promotion of Hotel Maestoso, which is expected to reopen at the beginning of 2021 with a doubled number of rooms.

Holding Kobilarna Lipica also said that the medium-term goals also included taking a EUR 5 million bank loan to renovate the swimming pool and wellness complex of the hotel.

STA, 8 September 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for a joint approach to the new coronavirus and to illegal migration as they met in Ljubljana this morning.

Janša and Kurz agreed that a full lockdown because of coronavirus should be avoided this autumn, with Kurz stressing that a "light at the end of the tunnel" could already be seen in the fight against the virus.

The chancellor said Austria's goal was to keep schools open, and preserve normal life in all areas as much as possible but with certain rules and adjustments.

Janša warned that the danger of the epidemic was not over yet, as infection numbers were going up throughout Europe. But unlike in the spring, now fewer people develop the disease and die from it, which probably means "we've learned something" and that the protective measures work, he said.

The prime minister noted that Austria and Slovenia had worked closely when the pandemic started, and that Austria had been a kind of a role model for Slovenia in the first, worst weeks of the battle against the virus, being one of the few European countries that were well prepared for the pandemic.

The pair agreed such cooperation would continue.

Obisk v ?? Sloveniji z delovnim zajtrkom z @JJansaSDS pričenja zvezni kancler ?? Republike Avstrije @sebastiankurz. Pogovori o odnosih med državama #koronavirus. pic.twitter.com/4iOisIO9TC

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) September 8, 2020

Bundeskanzler @sebastiankurz in Slowenien. Treffen mit slowenischem Premier @JJansaSDS. Gespräche über die Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Ländern. ????#coronakrise pic.twitter.com/sACfdBZOYM

— Austrian Embassy SI (@AUSTRIAinSI) September 8, 2020

Turning to illegal migration, Janša stressed that protecting the EU's external borders would be crucial. He called for a strengthening of border protection, a joint EU approach to the issue and assistance to the countries that could be hit the hardest so as to avoid the situation Europe was in in 2015.

He also said countries on the EU's external borders should be assisted. Janša and Kurz agreed that protecting the external borders was essential for removing check points on the EU's internal borders.

The Austrian chancellor, who is on his first visit abroad since the start of the pandemic in February, said "we need a stronger, more competitive Europe in the globalised world". He said today's visit to Slovenia was a sign of a special bond between the two countries.

The pair labelled bilateral relations between Slovenia and Austria as good. Austria is Slovenia's third most important economic partner and the biggest foreign investor.

Janša said the government was preparing measures to make Slovenia even more attractive to foreign investors. Kurz welcomed this, noting that Slovenia was an important economic partner of Austria and that several thousand Austrian companies operated in Slovenia.

The talks also touched on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite, after which a sizeable part of the Slovenian-speaking territory became Austria after World War I, and the plans for the Slovenian and Austrian presidents to mark the anniversary in Klagenfurt on 10 October together.

This will be the first time that the presidents of both countries will attend the ceremony, so Janša welcomed the initiative. He said several issues regarding the Slovenian minority in Austria remained open but that now they could be tackled easier than in the past.

Kurz also discussed this with President Borut Pahor today, who welcomed the programme of the Austrian government for tackling the issues of minorities and expressed hope that some of the measures discussed would become laws soon. Kurz expressed his genuine readiness for this, according to Pahor's office.

In talks with Janša, Kurz said that his government's programme for the anniversary did not envisage only a financial present for the minority to mark the anniversary but also other measures to support the Slovenian community in the future. He did not specify though when the minority is to receive this present.

Kurz also touched on the efforts to recognise the German-speaking community in Slovenia as a minority in the Constitution, saying Vienna was "grateful" for that.

Janša and Kurz are later scheduled to head to Triglav for a climbing adventure in the north face of Slovenia's highest mountain, with Kurz telling the press he was not worried as the Slovenian prime minister was an experienced climber.

STA, 7 September 2020 - Slovenia has for years now been witnessing a rise of precarious forms of labour, which mostly exclude the right to paid sick leave, holiday, lunch and transport allowances. The Covid-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse and while NGOs, calling for systemic changes, are pessimistic, the Labour Ministry is planning some steps in the autumn.

Absent a formal definition of precarious work in Slovenia, estimates of the number of precarious workers vary. The Statistics Office, counting student workers, agency workers, those working short-time involuntarily, and the self-employed working for a single employer, put the figure at 39,000 in the first quarter this year.

The Movement for Dignified Work and Welfare Society estimates the figure much higher, at between 200,000 and 250,000, as it also factors in those on fixed-term contracts and the self-employed who work for several clients but are exposed to competition.

Speaking with the STA, Mirsad Begić of the ZSSS trade union confederation pointed the finger at state institutions and employers as regards the absence of a single definition, while he also took issue with the distinguishing between legal and illegal precarious labour arrangements.

He argued this took normal labour arrangements out of the picture and suggested precarious work was only about exploitation that is illegal. "Such a rendering of the concept is misleading, since people are often excessively exploited even in entirely legal forms of work."

Borut Brezar in Hana Radilovič of the the Movement for Dignified Work and Welfare Society moreover warned that the coronavirus crisis further aggravated the status of precarious workers, who often live below the poverty line.

A study conducted recently among the self-employed showed a third were feeling depressed while 14% even had suicidal thoughts after starting the path of self-employment.

Aid provided to the self-employed during the epidemic amounted to EUR 350 in basic income in March and EUR 700 each in April and May along with covered social contributions.

While calling for systemic measures, the union and movement are pessimistic as regards promises of political action. "It seems that it still holds in politics that changes are avoided by forming a taskforce," said Brezar and Radilovič, pointing out this had also happened without any results under the past two governments.

The movement is proposing a minimum hourly wage for precarious work forms and paid sick-leave for the self-employed, while it also promotes changes to public procurement rules, which often prioritise cheap bidders that exploit workers.

Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Minister Janez Cigler Kralj told the STA he was aware of the negative impact of precarious work at the micro and macro levels.

"At the micro level we speak of negative effects in terms of the absence of minimal legal, economic and social security. At the macro level, it is the existence and maintenance of social security systems and tax policy that are affected," he said.

Calling for measures based on in-depth studies, he said he was looking forward to the results of a multidisciplinary analysis of precarious work, which will be presented in the autumn. "If needed, we will propose measures on the basis of this," he announced.

One perceived issue is the absence of collective organisation among precarious workers. Begić pointed out that a Trade Union of Precarious Workers had been formed almost four years ago but had so far failed to win proper recognition.

"There have been no tangible results due to the difficult situation of those affected, the tough conditions for unions in general and scarce resources," he said.