Jump to the changes on the red and green lists

STA, 21 August 2020 - Following a new four-month high of 43 cases on Wednesday, Thursday's coronavirus tests confirmed 38 new infections. One person died, which raises the death toll to 130.

There are currently 18 Covid-19 patients in hospital. Nobody needs intensive care and one patient was discharged from hospital on Thursday.

The largest number of cases, nine, was again confirmed in Ljubljana, while infections were discovered in 23 more municipalities.

There have been so far 2,574 confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections, with 341 active at present, according to the national tracker covid-19.sledilnik.

The Hrastnik care home, the site of a major breakout in July, said that two more of its employees were confirmed to have contracted Sars-CoV-2 in recent days, which means it presently has 22 active infections among residents sand six among staff.

While dozens of positive cases have been recorded at the Hrastnik care home since 10 July, no infections have been detected outside of the care home in the town for three weeks.

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Note: You can't find the yellow list online, but it includes all nations not on the green and red lists

Nine countries added to red list, nine to yellow list

STA, 21 August 2020 - Slovenia has placed nine countries, including six from Europe, on the red list of countries where the risk of coronavirus is high and quarantine required for most travellers. Nine countries slipped from the new green list effective today.

Under a decision adopted by the government yesterday, nine European countries have lost the green status: Denmark, Greece, France, Ireland, Iceland, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, and some regions of Spain that had previously been green.

At the same time, ten countries were added to the red list: Croatia, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Venezuela.

If a person regardless of their citizenship enters Slovenia coming from one of the countries on the red list, they are put in a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Exemptions apply in a limited number of cases.

Even though Croatia is on the red list as of today, Slovenian holidaymakers will be able to return without being ordered to quarantine until the end of the day on Monday, a move aiming to reduce tailbacks at border crossings.

However, Health Ministry State Secretary Tina Bregant called on all those returning to self-isolate even though they will not have a formal decision to go into quarantine.

While in the past weeks coronavirus cases returning from Croatia were mostly youngsters who got infected at parties, Bregant said today that infections are now being confirmed also in people who kept to themselves while on vacation.

In a red-listed country a visit to the grocery store where somebody had not been wearing a mask could be enough to be infected, she said. "Croatia is now objectively in the red. It is objectively dangerous there now."

Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said he believes the number of daily confirmed cases will increase in the coming weeks, as thousands of Slovenians return from Croatia.

Bulgaria was removed from the red list and now falls in the middle, yellow category on Slovenia's traffic-light classification, which includes all countries that are neither on the green or the red list.

There is a quarantine requirement for travellers from countries on the yellow list, but there are many exemptions.

Following the latest change, the green list includes 19 countries seen as being less dangerous. Almost all are in Europe. The red list now spans almost 70 countries.

There are no coronavirus-related restrictions for travellers from countries that are on the green list.

It’s been a strange summer, for obvious reasons, with many events being cancelled. Three of the larger ones for the season are still on, though – the Ljubljana Festival (which continues until 30 August), Piran and Koper’s Tartini Festival (until 11 September), and Maribor’s Lent, which started yesterday and is on until 29 August.

Ana Desetnica will be there. Photo: Festival Lent 

Lent – which takes its name from the location, not the time before Easter, and thus no fasting required – offers a packed programme of folklore and dance, music, theatre, film, art, exhibitions, children’s activities, sport and more. There really is a lot going on in Maribor the next 10 days, so if curious – and if there’s any chance you’ll be in Maribor this month then you should be curious, because who knows when you’ll next see a live show again? – take a look at the website and dig around. It’s all in Slovenian, but plays well with Google Translate.

Photo: Festival Lent

Look at the music alone and you’ll see a truly eclectic line-up that includes big local names such as Siddharta, Terra Pop, Pero Lovšin, the Wacky Blues Professors (Prismojeni profesorji bluesa), Igor Matkovič, Koala Voice, MRFY, Vlado Kreslin, Dan D, Lačni Franz and Elvis Jackson, in addition to a reduced selection of foreign guests, due to the covid restrictions, making this year's Lent an especially Slovenian celebration culture

DJ Umek, in 2019. Photo: Festival Lent

The full programme – for music, theatre, art, and so on – can be found here. Take a look, click around, and find another good reason to visit Maribor this summer.

STA, 20 August 2020 - In a landmark ruling for the rights of migrants entering Slovenia, the Supreme Court has reportedly overturned an Administrative Court ruling that allowed for no return of migrants to Croatia without a formal decision. The Supreme Court argues this is allowed under an agreement on fast-track returns signed by Slovenia and Croatia in 2006.

Deciding in a case of a Moroccan migrant, the Administrative Court had ruled fast-track returns based on an inter-state agreement but without an issued decision and thus a chance for appeal violated European and Slovenian legislation and constitutionally secured rights, Dnevnik reported on Thursday.

The Supreme Court, ruling in favour of an appeal filed by the Interior Ministry, disagreed, the paper said, adding that what is the first ruling pertaining to the 2006 Slovenia-Croatia agreement has been welcomed by the ministry and police.

They told Dnevnik the Supreme Court had ruled the agreement did not breach EU law, nor had it established human rights violations.

The paper adds that legal rules envisage that such a decision be issued by Croatia, but Croatia fails to do so, instead pushing back the migrants to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Taskforce for Asylum, an activist group, responded by saying that Slovenian police obviously did not need to check how Croatian police acted once the migrants were returned and by announcing a challenge at the Constitutional Court

The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman told Dnevnik that the Supreme Court ruling did not yet establish a "case law", pointing out that the Administrative Court has also ruled that a migrant from Cameroon - who had been subjected to a similar expulsion and ended up in Bosnia - be returned to Slovenia, be allowed to seek asylum and receive damages.

Blaž Kovač of Amnesty International Slovenije meanwhile expressed his conviction that Slovenia's involvement in chain refoulement made it co-responsible for the Croatian police's treatment of refugees and for the inhumane accommodation conditions they are subjected to in Bosnia.

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Croatia put on Slovenia's coronavirus red list as of Friday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia put Croatia on the red list of countries from which travellers must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine effective on Friday, but the government also put in place a number of exemptions to make sure trade, commerce and cross-border ties run smoothly. There are exemptions for daily and weekly cross-border commuters, persons who have health reasons to visit Croatia and several other groups, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said. There is also a special exemption for owners of boats and real estate in Croatia. They will be allowed to go to Croatia for 48 hours to sort out any errands concerning their property without having to quarantine on return.

New daily confirmed Sars-Cov-2 cases rise to 43 in Wednesday's testing

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 43 new confirmed Sars-Cov-2 infections in 1,168 tests on Thursday, a figure that had last been seen on 3 April and means a new record for the second wave which has seen a steady rise in the last 10 days. No Covid-19 patients died on Wednesday, which means the death total remains 129. Seventeen patients need hospital treatment, two are in intensive care. There have so far been 2,536 confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections, with 313 active at present. The younger population continues to stand out among the cases discovered during the second wave. On Wednesday, 10 cases were in the 15-24 age group, 11 among 25 to 34-year-olds, seven among people aged 35-44, and four among 45-54-year-olds.

Govt demographic office set up, to be led by DeSUS minister

LJUBLJANA - The government established an office for demographic affairs, which will be up and running in 15 days. Led by a minister without portfolio from the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the office will be headquartered in Maribor. Aleksandra Pivec, DeSUS leader, said that with the new office Slovenia was getting "a specialised institution to address demographic challenges". The establishment of the office also fulfils some of DeSUS's and the government coalition's strategic commitments, she stressed. The office "focusing on the consequences of ageing and on strengthening human resources at all levels" represents a strong expert-based and political platform for the field.

Supreme Court rules fast-track returns of migrants to Croatia legal

LJUBLJANA - In a landmark ruling for the rights of migrants entering Slovenia, the Supreme Court has overturned an Administrative Court ruling that allowed for no return of migrants to Croatia without a formal decision, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. The Supreme Court argues this is allowed under an agreement on fast-track returns signed by Slovenia and Croatia in 2006. Deciding in a case of a Moroccan migrant, the Administrative Court had ruled fast-track returns based on an inter-state agreement but without an issued decision and thus a chance for appeal violated European and Slovenian legislation and constitutionally secured rights.

Inspectors checking protection of classified information at NBI

LJUBLJANA - The Internal Affairs Inspectorate has launched a review of the protection and handling of classified information at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), weeks after a review of several closed cases had been ordered by the interior minister triggering accusations of political meddling in police work. The inspectors are checking whether NBI staff are handling and protecting classified information in line with the law on classified information and other regulations, the General Police Directorate told the STA. The confirmation comes after the portal 24ur.com reported that inspectors were not only checking the handling of classified information but looked for classified documents even though they are not allowed to check the content thereof.

New defence intelligence service boss appointed

LJUBLJANA - The head of the Defence Ministry's Intelligence and Security Service (OVS), Andrej Osolnik, was relieved of his duties and Jaroš Britovšek was appointed acting director general by the government. The government said in a press release that Osolnik asked to be relieved of his duties on 15 August, which Defence Minister Matej Tonin accepted. Osolnik handed in his resignation five months after being appointed for a full five-year term at the government's maiden session. Britovšek will take over as acting director general on 1 September. He will serve in this position until a full-fledged director general is appointed.

Government proposing e-tolling for cars

LJUBLJANA - The government amended the road tolling act to put in place a legal basis for an electronic tolling system for cars as of 1 December 2021. The Infrastructure Ministry said that e-tolling would be a fairer version of the current tolling system because subscription would be valid for a year, whereas the vignettes are only valid until 31 January of the following year. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said that the new system would be based on the screening of licence plates. Motorway company DARS will be in charge of the system. Subscriptions purchase is to be possible via app, online or at gas stations.

Sava H1 revenue up by 16.6% to EUR 314.2m, net profit by 42% to EUR 32.2m

LJUBLJANA - The insurance group Sava generated EUR 314.2 million in operating revenue and a net profit of EUR 32.2 million in the first half of 2020, 16.6% and 42% increases year-on-year, respectively, shows the group's business report. The group's "operating revenue reached 51.5% of the original full-year 2020 target, and the net profit 71.5% of the original annual target", says the report. There was also a 2% drop in the group's non-Slovenian non-life premiums and operating revenues of assistance business also saw a decline. "Covid-19 had a major impact on the financial markets, eroding the value of assets under management in pension companies and in the fund management company," the report says.

Trimo sold to Irish building materials company Kingspan

TREBNJE - Polish private equity fund Innova Capital has sold the outright stake in Trimo, the Trebnje-based maker of prefabricated building components, to Irish concern Kingspan. No details are known yet about the deal which needs to get regulatory approval, probably in the last quarter of the year. Trimo said in the new ownership structure the company was to keep its development, decision-making and corporate brand independence. "We are happy that Trimo will continue to develop independently and promote its brand on the global market," said CEO Božo Černila. Trade unionist Peter Štrekelj said he was "happy that the new owner respects our independence and that no major changes are expected when it comes to employees".

GZS urges investments in six priority fields to boost economy

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) has come up with a document proposing projects with which it believes Slovenia should give its economy a fresh impetus post-Covid, including by encouraging domestic consumption and infrastructure projects and by investing in digitalisation, R&D and smart specialisation. "It is of utmost importance for Slovenia's development how we support development projects which will have a long-term impact on sustainable business transformation and which will stimulate productivity growth," the GZS said asi it presented Fresh Economic Impetus for Slovenia 5.0, a document with six priorities to achieve economic revival and social progress.

Festival honouring Tartini's 250th death anniversary

PIRAN - The 19th Tartini Festival will get under way tonight as part of more than 60 events dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the death of Piran-born Italian Baroque composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770). The opening concert will be given at St George's Church in the coastal town of Piran by the Venice Baroque Orchestra and acclaimed violinist Giuliano Carmignola. The festival's series of 13 concerts connecting Piran and Koper will then wrap up in Ljubljana on 3 December at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.

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

STA, 20 August 2020 - Slovenia has put Croatia on the red list of countries from which travellers must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine effective on Friday, but the government has also put in place a number of exemptions to make sure trade, commerce and cross-border ties with Croatia as well as other neighbouring countries run smoothly.

There will be a special exemption for owners and lessees of boats and real estate. They will be allowed to leave the country for 48 hours to sort out any errands concerning their property without having to quarantine on return. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said this was not a blank check for such persons to travel back and forth all the time.

This exemption will apply to all neighbouring countries in the event they are placed on the red list; Croatia is currently the only red-listed neighbouring country.

There is also a new exemption for those who have a medical exam in a neighbouring country: they are allowed to return without quarantining if they get back immediately after the completed exam and present evidence thereof.

Additional exemptions have been added for all red-listed countries. Professional athletes and their staff, and members of foreign official delegations will be allowed to enter without quarantining but must present a negative Covid-19 test.

Students, those travelling for family matters and those attending funeral will be allowed to travel outside Slovenia without quarantining as well, provided they are back within 24 hours.

The government had debated red-listing only the most heavily affected regions in Croatia, which is exactly what Germany has done, but Hojs said the average across the entire country was already "deep in the red zone" so it was decided to put the entire country on the red list.

There were also ideas that people could avoid quarantine by taking a coronavirus test, but according to Hojs, epidemiologists said a 14-day quarantine was the best precautionary measure.

Since there are well over 100,000 Slovenians currently on holiday in Croatia, the government has given them until the end of Monday to return without having to quarantine. This should prevent heavy traffic on the border.

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Hojs said the government would monitor the situation in Croatia on a weekly basis and change the relevant decree if the epidemiological situation there improves.

In a related development, the government removed Greece from the green list, placing it on the interim, yellow list, from which most arrivals except Slovenian nationals and residents must undergo quarantine.

At the same time, conditions have been tightened for some persons who must present a negative Covid-19 test to avoid quarantine.

Only tests from certified third-country laboratories will be accepted and their suitability will be checked by the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, and the National Health Laboratory. The list of recognised third-country laboratories will be published on the website of the National Health Laboratory.

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

STA, 20 August 2020 - Slovenia recorded 43 new confirmed Sars-Cov-2 infections in 1,168 tests on Thursday, a figure that had last been seen on 3 April and means a new record for the second wave which has seen a steady rise in the last 10 days.

No Covid-19 patients died on Wednesday, which means the death total remains 129. Seventeen patients need hospital treatment, two are in intensive care.

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There have so far been 2,536 confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections, with 313 active at present, according to the national tracker covid-19.sledilnik.

The younger population continues to stand out among the cases discovered during the second wave. On Wednesday, 10 cases were in the 15-24 age group, 11 among 25 to 34-year-olds, seven among people aged 35-44, and four among 45-54-year-olds.

The figure for the 55-64 group was one, for 65-74 five, and for 75-84 three. One infection each was also confirmed for the above 85 group and for the 5-14 group.

The new cases were again dispersed around the country, involving 22 municipalities. Ljubljana had ten new cases and has 75 active cases presently.

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STA, 20 August 2020 - The 19th Tartini Festival will get under way tonight as part of more than 60 events dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the death of Piran-born Italian Baroque composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770).

The opening concert will be given at St George's Church in the coastal town of Piran by the Venice Baroque Orchestra and acclaimed violinist Giuliano Carmignola.

The festival's series of 13 concerts connecting Piran and Koper will then wrap up in Ljubljana on 3 December at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.

The concert will feature Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein, a German chamber orchestra, and its artistic director, Dutch violinist Isabelle van Keulen.

Apart from Tartini, it will feature Beethoven as part of Beethoven's Year, as well as Dvoržak, Bartok and Slovenia's contemporary composer Aldo Kumar.

To make the anniversary especially festive, some of the greatest European violinists specialising in Tartini have been invited to the festival.

Artistic director Jasna Nadles highlighted Giuliano Carmignola and Giorgio Fava from Italy, David Plantier from France and Laszlo Paulik from Hungary.

Music lovers will also get a chance to hear the sound of Tartini's violin which was made by Italian master luthier Nicolo Amati and is kept at Piran's Maritime Museum.

It will be played at the 29 August concert given by I Solisti Veneti, the festival's regular guest from Italy, which has prepared a special tribute to the composer.

Several young musicians will meanwhile play jazz arrangements of Tartini music at two concerts as part of a Tartini Junior series.

With the exception of the opening and closing concerts, all concerts will be held in the open air.

One of the highlights of Tartini 250, organised by the Piran municipality and partners throughout Tartini's Year, meanwhile took place before the festival.

On 2 August Portorož hosted the Roma Philharmonics (I Filarmonici di Roma) with acclaimed soloist Uto Ughi, who played a Tartini violin.

The concert coincided with the day 124 years ago when the Tartini monument was unveiled in Piran's square bearing the composer's name.

Tartini, the most famous Piran resident, was christened on 8 April 1692 at St George's Church, which is considered his birthday. He died in Padua on 26 February 1770.

Check out the website or Facebook page, with the full programme here, and find another great reason to visit the small but perfectly formed Slovenian coast.

STA, 20 August 2020 - As soon as the strict coronavirus measures were relaxed at the end of April the property market picked up, yet there are still fewer transactions than before the epidemic. Demand still exceeds supply, keeping average prices high, partly because of the many deals in Ljubljana, where prices are well above the national average.

"At the moment there are fewer transactions on the property market," the director and owner of real estate agency Stan Nepremičnine, Stanka Solar, told the STA.

She said this trend could be seen over the past month, so she partly attributes it to the summer season and a lack of adequate supply of used flats at good locations.

Solar said demand was strong in particular for higher-end new housing, but she believes new flats or houses are "slightly mispriced given the buyers' expectations".

"The majority of people expect a price correction for property which needs energy renovation and for more expensive new housing."

Similarly, Boris Veleski from Mreža Nepremičnin said the number of transactions was much lower after the epidemic, even though a month after it the market started to rebound.

Remax Ljubljana said that "at this moment we don't see any major changes in transactions, as demand still exceeds supply".

Urška Hočevar from this estate agent said the market is dominated by strong, motivated buyers who have a clear vision and know how they will finance the purchase.

Preliminary data by Slovenia's Surveying and Mapping Authority (GURS) for the first six months shows some 5,400 deals with flats and houses were carried out, down 35% from the same period in 2019.

However, these transactions amounted to EUR 532 million, which is 70% of all property transactions, an absolute record for a six-month period, GURS has recently said.

According to Solar, there is much demand for one- and two-room flats, but also for three-room flats, especially second-hand properties which do not require major investments.

Flats with a lift and a parking area are also in high demand.

She said there is an increasing number of buyers who have some savings and deem a piece of property the safest investment.

Mreža Nepremičnin said there is a lot of demand for smaller flats, up to 65 square metres, but also for larger ones, over 100 square metres.

Remax said cheaper flats near the city centre are in high demand.

"However, already during the epidemic we detected some more demand for houses, holiday homes and land, as many found it hard to be in a flat during lockdown," said Hočevar.

GURS data also shows the prices of used flats rose by 7% in the January-June period compared to the same period in 2019, with an average price per square metre exceeding EUR 1,900 for the first time.

Solar corroborated this, saying "the prices of used properties have increased. Demand still exceeds supply and there is currently a lack of housing at desired locations into which a new owner could move in a few months".

She said the prices of rental homes had meanwhile dropped by some 15-20% compared to before the coronacrisis.

Mreža Nepremičnin and Remax have not noticed any price drops either. Hočevar said a downward correction was possible in the long-term.

Fewer tourists from abroad have meanwhile given a headache to many owners who took out loans to buy flats for short-term rental. These loans need to be repaid regardless of the current lack of demand by tourists.

"Some of these flats have been put up for sale, but not that many, other owners have opted for medium-term rental if they could, because many hope or believe that things will soon be the same as before the epidemic," said Veleski.

Solar said many of those who had been renting through Airbnb and Booking decided to rent to students or other individuals for the long or medium term.

Hočevar said that even those owners who insisted on short-term renting this summer in Ljubljana or other tourist areas will eventually be forced to rent for the long-term or even sell.

The estate agents largely agree that the pandemic has made it hard to predict the trends in the coming months.

Solar does not expect any major price changes until the end of the year, except for housing in need of energy renovation and for relatively pricey new housing.

Veleski believes much will depend on developments outside Slovenia's borders. He thinks the existing trend will last at least until spring 2021.

All our stories on property in Slovenia

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PM says Slovenia supports democratic demands of Belarusians

LJUBLJANA - The EU's primary concern is that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Belarusians, including the right to free and fair election and self-determination about their international connections, are respected, Prime Minister Janez Janša told a virtual EU summit. He said Russia should recognise these rights as well. "Slovenia knows about stolen elections from its own experience and it thus understands and supports the democratic demands by the Belarusians," he was quoted as saying. Only a new presidential election with a strong presence of OSCE observers can lead to stabilisation of the country and ensure peace.

Slovenia plans to red-list Croatia as of Friday

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia plans to put Croatia on the red list of countries from which travellers must undergo a 14-day quarantine. Those already in Croatia have until the end of the week to avoid quarantine, those travelling there as of Friday will have to quarantine, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said. The decision to red-list Croatia will formally be made at Thursday's cabinet session and published in the Official Gazette the same day. "Fact is that the situation in Croatia is deteriorating dramatically. Data on infections show that the situation is really bad," Kacin said after the government meet epidemiologists to discuss the way forward.

Tuesday's tests confirm 37 new Sars-CoV-2 infections

LJUBLJANA - The number of new Sars-CoV-2 infections reached a new four-month high on Tuesday, as 37 out of 1,092 tests came back positive. There were no deaths, meaning the death toll remains at 129. Presently 17 patients need hospital treatment, with three receiving intensive care. There have so far been 2,493 confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections in Slovenia with 285 of them active infections, according to the national tracker covid-19.sledilnik. The infections were again very much dispersed regionally, involving 22 municipalities, with by far the largest number of active cases, 70, being reported for Ljubljana.

Slovenia's new ambassador to Serbia presents his credentials

BELGRADE, Serbia - Slovenia's new Ambassador to Serbia Damjan Bergant presented his credentials to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Vučić expressed the wish that the new ambassador contribute to better relations between the two countries, the Serbian press agency Tanjug reported. Bergant forwarded to Vučić regards from Slovenia's President Borut Pahor and expressed hope that circumstances would soon allow in-person contacts at the highest level.

Perutnina Ptuj reports record sales revenue for 2019

PTUJ - Perutnina Ptuj, the poultry group that was taken over by Ukrainian Holding MHP early last year, recorded EUR 285 million in sales revenue in 2019, a new record and 5% increase on the year before. EBITDA were up 43% to EUR 41.7 million. The group moreover managed to reduce its net financial debt by EUR 33 million and increased investment by 18% to EUR 9.1 million. Employing 3,693 people at the end of 2019, half of which in Slovenia, Perutnina Ptuj preserved the leading market position in Slovenia, while increasing its market share in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. The company said the positive operations have continued this year despite the Covid-19 situation.

Almost 260 illegal migrants, seven smugglers caught last night

LJUBLJANA - Police last night caught 257 foreign citizens who entered Slovenia illegally and seven people smugglers, as part of enhanced border control in the areas policed by the Ljubljana and Novo Mesto police departments, in the south and south-east of the country. The purpose of enhanced control was to prevent and detect illegal crossings of the border in areas of the country most at risk of illegal migrations.

Celje over first hurdle in Champions League qualifiers

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Slovenia's football champions Celje defeated Ireland's Dundalk with a clean 3:0 in the first round of the first qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League and will face Norway's Molde in the second round. This was the first appearance for Celje in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

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STA, 19 August 2020 - Police last night caught 257 foreign citizens who entered Slovenia illegally and seven people smugglers, as part of enhanced border control in the areas policed by the Ljubljana and Novo Mesto police departments, in the south and south-east of the country.

Police said on Wednesday the purpose of enhanced control was to prevent and detect illegal crossings of the border in areas of the country most at risk of illegal migrations.

Apart from police officers from the two police departments, a number of officers from various specialised units took part, while police dogs and drones were also deployed.

The campaign targeted the areas near the border with Croatia, from which the majority of illegal migrants come, and with Italy, where many continue their journey.

Several large groups of migrants were caught, including 85 in Črnomelj area in the south-east.

The group, which entered Slovenia from Croatia on foot, featured 62 citizens of Afghanistan and 22 Pakistani citizens.

Another group of 48 citizens of Bangladesh was found in the same area, having entered the country in a van driven by a Ukrainian citizen.

Around the town of Cerknica, some 35 km south of Ljubljana, 42 illegal migrants were caught in a van driven by two Slovenian citizens.

The majority of the group (33) were citizens of Pakistan, five came from Afghanistan.

Nine Afghan nationals entering Slovenia on foot were apprehended in Metlika area, near Črnomelj.

With the help of two drivers, an Afghan and a Cuban, they were to continue their journey towards Italy in a car with Italian licence plates.

In nearby Kočevje, another three Afghans, who were transported by an Ukrainian in a car, were caught.

All seven smugglers have been detained.

Elsewhere in the country 35 more illegal aliens were apprehended last night.

The police released statistics for 1 January to 18 August showing 8,762 illegal crossings of the border were detected, down from 8,802 in the same period last year.

It said, however, that a rising trend in illegal migrations had been noticed over the past two months.