STA, 27 February 2020 - The outgoing government endorsed on Thursday the National Energy and Climate Plan, a set of energy policy and climate change mitigation measures until 2030. The document, which will now be sent to Brussels, is "realistically ambitious", said Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek.

The plan, which was revised after its draft was met with criticism from both industry and environmental NGOs, will serve as the basis for Slovenia's long-term climate strategy.

The government called it "a key step towards a climate-neutral Slovenia until 2050" on Twitter today.

Bratušek told the press after today's cabinet session that the goal was to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by 36%, improve energy efficiency by at least 35% and have at least 27% of energy come from renewable energy sources.

The outgoing minister announced that investment into research and development would reach 3% of GDP, of which 1% would be public funds.

These are the minimal goals that Slovenia has to meet until 2030 if it is to avoid sanctions, Bratušek said, adding that the document adopted today also clearly showed how these goals would be achieved.

If Slovenia fails to raise its share of renewable energy to 25%, it will have to pay a fine of some EUR 10 million as early as next year.

The plan preserves the country's nuclear power facilities in the current size although with less use of fossil fuels and more renewable energy sources, in particular solar and wind, and adds waste co-incineration.

Following criticism by the state-owned power utility HSE and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) that the draft plan did not involve new hydro plants on the central Sava river, the final version includes plans for further use of hydro energy.

Analyses of alternatives to hydro and the role of hydro energy use in meeting Slovenia's goal of becoming climate neural by 2050 are also planned.

As for a new reactor at the Krško Nuclear Power Station (NEK), the document says that a decision on a potential construction should be made by 2027 at the latest.

A decision will also have to be made on the extension of the lifespan for the existing reactor, which expires in 2023. "This is why we must make sure that it will be able to function by 2043 as planned," Bratušek said.

Coal use has not been tackled yet and is to be resolved in Slovenia's Energy Concept until 2060.

Slovenia was obligated to adopt the Energy and Climate Plan and forward it to the European Commission under the EU regulation on the governance of the energy union and climate action if it wants to draw cohesion funds in 2021-2027.

The GZS welcomed the new version of the plan yesterday, but still voiced some concerns, especially regarding GDP growth estimates. The GZS believes economic growth is underestimated in the document and subsequently also the total energy consumption.

A 30% share of renewable energy sources is still beyond reach for industry as there are no assurances that green sources of energy will be available, said the GZS, which also called for a compensation scheme for indirect emissions, which all EU countries bar Slovenia and Romania have.

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Cerar quits party he founded after SMC joins Janša coalition

LJUBLJANA - Miro Cerar, Slovenia's outgoing foreign minister, announced he was quitting the party he founded, saying the Modern Centre Party (SMC) lost its face after joining the new coalition led by Janez Janša of the right-wing Democrats (SDS). While not yet saying if he will return to serve as MP, Cerar acknowledged he had "seriously considered [SMC head] Zdravko Počivalšek's proposal to head the National Assembly", but only so "the SMC could protect the principle of the division of power and serve as a liberal corrective to a right-wing government". Revealing the offer to Cerar had in fact been withdrawn, Počivalšek said the party needed to undergo a consolidation and go forward.

PM: Slovenia will have to react quickly if migrations surge

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will have to react very quickly if migrations increase after Turkey decided to open its borders with Greece, outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec told reporters. Šarec said Slovenia would act in line with an agreement with other European countries. But if no such agreement is reached, it will have to rely on its own forces, he added. "We will not be able to allow people to cross the country freely without papers. So we are preparing all possible scenarios." Legislative changes granting additional powers to the army are ready and may be confirmed by parliament as needed.

Lenarčič says cooperation needed to contain coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič underscored the need for joint action in the combat against the novel coronavirus, saying in a televised debate last night that it was an illusion to think an individual country could successfully contain the outbreak. Appearing on TV Slovenija, the Slovenian commissioner said that the epidemic should be taken seriously although panic was uncalled for. Commenting on Turkey's decision to open its borders to let migrants head to the EU, Lenarčič said "the EU counts on Turkey to abide by the agreement and not to allow an uncontrolled flow of refugees or migrants to the west".

Business welcomes agreement to form a new coalition, unions mission reform plans

LJUBLJANA - The Association of Employers said a new government as soon as possible was the best solution and AmCham Slovenija also welcomed the signing of the agreement to form a new, centre-right coalition, including the intention to reduce administrative barriers and upgrade the tax system. ZSSS trade union confederation head Lidija Jerkič on the other hand noted the document said nothing about an overhaul or reform of the pension, health or tax systems, or the employment relationships act.

SDS opens huge gap to LMŠ in Nova24TV poll

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS) have increased their lead in the latest weekly poll commissioned by the private broadcaster Nova24TV, despite losing voter support compared to a week ago. The SDS polled at 20.4% this time, as much as 7.2 percentage points ahead of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) of the outgoing prime minister, on 13.2%. The SDS, the party at the centre of an incoming right-wing government, polled at 22.4% a week ago and the LMŠ at 16.2%. The SocDems replaced the Left in third after gaining 2.5 points to 7.8%.

SocDem leader seeking cooperation agreement on the left

LJUBLJANA - The leader of the Social Democrats (SD) called on fellow centre-left parties that will soon be relegated to the opposition to forge a cooperation agreement after Janez Janša forms a conservative government."It is time that the fighting between the parties in the new opposition is pushed to the background and we look for a way to cooperate better," Dejan Židan said in an open letter to the leaders of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

European Journalist Federation concerned by threats to Slovenian journalists

LJUBLJANA - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Slovenian Association of Journalists in condemning the "intensive attacks" on journalists reporting about alleged funding from Hungary of media close to the Democrats (SDS). The EFJ called on the Slovenian authorities to secure a safe environment for journalists. "Death threats can lead to targeted violence and endanger journalists ... Fear and violence should not be part of the journalists' daily life," said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.

Renault to produce electric Twingo in Slovenia

NOVO MESTO - The new electric version of the Renault Twingo, expected to be released at the end of this year, will be produced at the assembly plant Revoz in Slovenia, Revoz confirmed. Revoz is currently in the process of getting prepared for the new project, including setting up an additional facility for assembling batteries. Meanwhile, Revoz plans to complete a transition to half-night night shifts by April and thus decrease its production from 950 vehicles per day to 800. It also intends to slash the number of workers by some 250.

Triglav Group net profit increases 4% to EUR 84m in 2019

LJUBLJANA - Triglav, Slovenia's leading insurance group, saw net profit increase 4% to almost EUR 84 million in 2019 on the back of an 11% increase in gross written premiums, which totalled EUR 1.18 billion, show unaudited results. Return on equity improved marginally to 10.9% and the combined ratio, a key insurance industry benchmark, improved to 91.5% from 91.8%. Premium growth was recorded on all insurance markets and in all insurance segments. Non-life insurance premium increased by 10%, health insurance premium by 23%, and life and pension insurance premiums by 4%.

R&D spending up in 2018 after four years of decline

LJUBLJANA - After four years of decline, gross spending on research and development (R&D) increased in 2018 to almost EUR 900 million, or 11% more than in the year before, the Statistic Office said. This is however still 1 percentage point bellow the target of at least 3% of GDP invested in R&D by 2020. The Statistic Office has been monitoring data on R&D investments in the business, public, higher education and non-profit private sectors, with the business sector being the largest with 14,415 out of the total of 23,633 employees.

Ulay, German conceptual artist who lived in Slovenia, dies

LJUBLJANA - Ulay, a major contemporary visual artist best known as a pioneer of body art and collaborator of performance artist Marina Abramović, has died aged 76, Slovenian media reported on Monday. He lived between Amsterdam and Ljubljana for the past decade. In the course of his career he exhibited at major galleries including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Centre Pompidou in Paris and the MOMA in New York.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

STA, 2 March 2020 - As the coronavirus outbreak is spreading in the neighbouring countries, Slovenian officials faced questions on Monday as to whether testing for the virus should be expanded considering no one has yet tested positive.

The outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec defended action taken by the authorities over the coronavirus scare in questions time when challenged by Iva Dimic, the deputy for New Slovenia (NSi), who said the government did not realise the seriousness of the threat until the virus claimed first lives in Italy.

Šarec rejected her claim, listing measures taken and assuring her that there were plans how to respond to first infections or a potential outbreak. He also noted that Slovenia had not detected any coronavirus infections yet.

However, Dimic wondered whether all the necessary tests were being taken, commenting that it was odd Slovenia had not had any positive case yet.

She offered the example of a family that wanted to have their child tested after a holiday in Italy, but was told that would be unnecessary as long as the children were not coughing.

"It's experts who are responsible for testing, with coordination running through the Health Ministry. If people want to get tested this should be available to them," Šarec said.

The question also came up as the parliamentary Health Committee continued its session about Slovenia's preparedness for a potential coronavirus outbreak.

Alenka Jeraj, a deputy for the Democratic Party (SDS), wanted to know why the country was not conducting preventive tests on those who returned from the virus-hit areas even if they were in good health.

"Isn't it better for their safety that they should learn as soon as possible whether they might be ill so they get treatment as soon as possible," wondered Jeraj.

She criticised the fact that "only about 200 tests" for the novel coronavirus had been conducted in the country.

Nina Pirnat, director of the National Institute of Public Health, said that it made no sense taking swabs from healthy people; negative smear tests could give them a false sense of security should they fall ill later.

"The important thing is to take swabs from sick people," said Pirnat.

Meanwhile, committee chair Franc Trček from the Left commented that France was capable of testing 'only' 300 people a day.

Miroslav Petrovec, the chair of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology in Ljubljana, rejected the speculations that test kits in Slovenia may be faulty or inferior.

"I strongly reject speculations about the absence of cases in Slovenia being the result of faulty tests. This is pure conjecture and disinformation," he said, adding that Slovenia was among the first European countries to get testing kits.

He said every person with clinical symptoms was being tested, but "it is an illusion to test everyone with symptoms of the common cold in wintertime."

Slovenia has not yet had the first confirmed coronavirus case. Health authorities tested 255 persons by Monday afternoon with all results negative.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 1 March 2020 - Slovenian authorities say they are prepared for a possible increase in migrations after Turkey decided to open its borders with Greece claiming it can no longer cope with a new migrant wave from Syria.

"We are ready for a possible increase in illegal crossings of the national border. We have a variety of activities and measures available that we will adjust to the situation on the ground," the Interior Ministry said Saturday evening.

The ministry said it was monitoring the situation in the region and exchanging information with countries in the region on an ongoing basis, stressing that police were in control of the situation.

Police said they were exchanging information with other countries and making adjustments as necessary.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised fears of a renewed surge in migrations along the Balkan route after announcing Turkey was opening its borders towards Europe.

Reports by global media suggest thousands of migrants have already crossed into the EU and are en route north.

Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, the conceptual artist who was the long-time creative and romantic partner of Marina Abramović, died on Sunday night at the age 76. Born in Germany and based in Ljubljana since 2009, Ulay produced a rich body of visual art but had the most impact in his series of performances, both with and without Abramović, which were often extreme and physically dangerous. Although Ulay appeared to have recovered from lymphatic cancer in 2014, media reports indicate that cancer was the cause of death.

Ulaj was a familiar figure on Trubarjeva cesta and Petkovškovo nabrežje, with an apartment overlooking Dragon Bridge. You can see some examples of his work in the following videos.

Project Cancer from Journeyman Pictures on Vimeo.

STA, 29 February 2020 - If endorsed in parliament, the Janez Janša centre-right coalition government is planning to overhaul the public sector pay system to make it more performance-based, as well as reform justice legislation.

The coalition would like to establish order in the public administration by setting up central databases of all employees and their responsibilities and of all state-owned assets.

It plans to reorganise and streamline various state offices, bodies and services, and reduce costs by introducing paperless administration and reducing costs of outsourcing.

The savings are to go toward rewarding above-preforming employees. The pay system is to stimulate above-average achievers by pegging part of pay to performance.

The coalition agreement calls for stepping up digitalisation of the public administration, courts and the whole country.

Plans in the judiciary include making court rulings fully public and giving judges on panels the option to pass dissenting opinions, part of a long-standing centre-right agenda to improve the transparency of the judiciary.

The coalition would like to put in place a system in which courts of higher instance would in fact rule on cases rather than return them for retrial to courts of lower instance.

As things currently stand, higher courts rarely weigh in on the substance matter of cases and most often just uphold them or order retrials while focusing on technicalities.

Judges' work would be appraised by court presidents rather than the Judicial Council, while the head of the prosecution service would have to sign their name on rejected criminal complaints.

The plans also include establishing specialised courts to handle the gravest forms of organised corporate crime and gross damage to public funds.

The coalition has pledged to examine the option to introduce a trial period for judges, and to make assignment of cases to judges coincidental.

Both priorities reflect long-standing qualms by the Democrats (SDS), the senior partner in the incoming coalition, who have made several attempts to change the rules so as to make judges more accountable for their work and believe the current system of assigning cases is marred in corruption.

This is part of a series on the new government’s plans, with the whole set here

STA, 29 February 2020 - Like several ruling coalitions before it, the incoming centre-right coalition is promising to deal with red tape and create conditions conducive to business, and step up infrastructure and energy projects.

The coalition agreement lists measures such as reducing red tape for acquiring development permits, simplifying public procurement procedures and those for hiring foreign labour force, and "rationalising" demands on company reporting.

The coalition would like to enforce responsible management of state assets by imposing clear goals on managements and supervisory boards at state-owned companies and holding under-achievers to account.

It pledges to decentralise the country and to promote balanced regional development, as well as reform housing policy to increase the fund of rental housing for youth and young families.

The coalition agreement also places emphasis on investment in infrastructure and information infrastructure with plans to speed up modernisation of the rail infrastructure and expand the motorway network, while making public passenger transportation system friendlier and more affordable.

The plans include measures to reduce congestions, and CO₂ emissions, and replacing the motorway toll stickers for cars with electronic vignettes.

The coalition will examine the possibility of transferring 2TDK, the state-owned company managing the Koper-Divača rail project, to the national rail operator.

One of the goals is energy self-sufficiency with a view to Slovenia's long-term energy independence.

Consensus will be sought of Slovenia's long-term energy concept, to ensure responsible resource management and cleaner energy sources to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

This includes exploitation of nuclear and tackling exploitation of geothermal energy. The only concrete energy project set out is the construction of the Mokrice hydro power station on the Sava.

The coalition is more reserved about plans for tax changes. It does plan to further reduce tax on business performance bonuses, increase the threshold for entrepreneurs eligible for flat-tax rate and form a competitive excise policy for oil products.

The coalition agreement does not mention plans to return VAT to pre-crisis rates or reduce personal income tax, both of which the Democratic Party (SDS) as the senior coalition partner have advocated in the past.

This is part of a series on the new government’s plans, with the whole set here

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenia prepared for possible surge in migrations

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian authorities said they were prepared for a possible increase in migrations after Turkey decided to open its borders with Greece. "We are ready for a possible increase in illegal crossings of the national border. We have a variety of activities and measures available that we will adjust to the situation on the ground," the Interior Ministry said Saturday evening. It said it was monitoring the situation and exchanging information with countries in the region.

Slovenia remains without confirmed coronavirus cases

LJUBLJANA - There were no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Slovenia by Sunday evening, but given that the virus has been spreading east from Italy in recent days, Slovenian authorities acknowledged the first confirmed case is imminent. Just over 200 tests have conducted so far and all of them have been negative, but "the first confirmation of infection is just a matter of time," the government said.

Criminal complaints filed in connection with Friday's protest

LJUBLJANA - At least two criminal complaints have been filed in connection with a recent protest that targeted the incoming coalition. One criminal complaint was filed on behalf of the organisers against an unknown person who shouted "Kill Janša" in the crowd. The other was filed against SDS MP Zvonko Černač, who reposted a post on Twitter that the organisers say was hateful.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

Six Slovenian cities and towns applied to be one of the EU’s two Capitals of Culture for 2025, with Ljubljana, Lendava, Nova Gorica, Ptuj, Kranj and Piran all submitting bids at the end of 2019. Last week news came back that all bar Lendava and Kranj had moved forward to the next round.

Related: Get to Know Slovenia's Cultural Heritage Through 17 Historic Towns

Ljubljana, which is in the race with the support of 25 nearby municipalities,  has three measurable goals for its cultural programme should it win: raising citizens' satisfaction with the capital’s cultural offering to at least 90%, being listed among the top five cultural and creative cities in Europe by 2026, and building a new cultural identity for the region. However, while winning the title would be a boost to the city, even if it’s not named then Mayor Zoran Janković has said the various projects will still go ahead  projects . You can see a PDF outlining details of the bid here.

Nova Gorica has entered a joint bud with its Italian neighbour, Gorizia, with the project seen as way for the twin cities – “divided by wars, but untied by friendship and intense cooperation” –  to further strengthen cross-border collaboration (something the committee that chooses the Capital of Culture is known to favour). More details on this bid can be found here.

Another cross-border bid, and one with a cross-border name, Piran-Pirano 4 Istria 2025. This brings together Piran, Koper, Izola and Ankaran on the Slovenian side, Trieste and Muggia in Italy, as well as Croatia's Istria County and the coastal town of Opatija. A solid three-country entry, with more details here.

The fourth Slovenian town (or, as it turns out for all entries, region) to go through to the next round is Ptuj, with support from 20 municipalities. The oldest city in Slovenia is basing it’s bid on promoting its cultural heritage, and improving the presentation of its cultural offering and the reaping the benefits in developmental terms, for both urban and rural areas. Details can be found here.

Related: Slovenia Becomes First Country Named a European Region of Gastronomy

The Slovenian winner of the title European Capital of Culture 2025 will be announced in December and joined by one from Germany, with the shortlisted cities for that being Chemnitz, Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, and Nürnberg.

Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here. What to find out what happened last week in Slovenia? Look no further.

The following schedule was prepared by the STA:

MONDAY, 2 March
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will start its monthly plenary with a Q&A session with the outgoing government.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will discuss Slovenia's preparedness for a coronavirus outbreak.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič will pay a working visit and attend a celebration marking Civil Protection Day.
        LJUBLJANA - Insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav will present preliminary financials for 2019.
        KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper will speak about plans for this year after posting disappointing 2019 results.

TUESDAY, 3 March
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will vote on whether to appoint Democrat (SDS) leader Janez Janša as prime minister-designate.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and eight co-defendants will be arraigned in a case related to the suspected misuse of EU funds in the construction of the Stožice sports complex.
        LJUBLJANA - A Japanese-Slovenian conference will debate the humanistic aspects of a concept dubbed Society 5.0.
        LJUBLJANA - The the organisers of the feminist and queer festival Red Dawns will declare the results of a poll for the most sexist statement of 2019.

WEDNESDAY, 4 March
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar will host an informal ministerial of the Brdo-Brijuni process dedicated to regional cooperation in the fight against human trafficking.
        ZAGREB, Croatia - Outgoing Defence Minister Karl Erjavec will attend an informal EU ministerial; until 5 March.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will debate legislative amendments tabled by the Democrats (SDS) in January that would reintroduce conscription.
        LJUBLJANA - The central bank will host a debate on open banking featuring Governor Boštjan Vasle and the director of the Slovenian Bank Association Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo.
        LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry will hand out its annual awards for business excellence.
        LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service will release registered unemployment figures for February.
        LJUBLJANA - The Engineering Chamber will host an event to celebrate the first World Engineering Day.
        LJUBLJANA - The start of year-long celebrations of the tenth anniversary of the Slovenian Art Cinema Network.

THURSDAY, 5 March
        ZAGREB, Croatia - Outgoing Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will attend an informal session of EU foreign ministers.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly plenary will wrap up with a vote on a bill submitted by 59 MPs to change the electoral system in line with a landmark Constitutional Court ruling.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Environment Minister Simon Zajc will attend a session of the EU's Environment Council discussing the European Green Deal.
        LJUBLJANA - The feminist and queer festival Red Dawns will open; until 8 March.

FRIDAY, 6 March
        LJUBLJANA - The National Council will host a debate on the financing of municipalities. The leaders of five parties are expected participate.
        KOPER - Logistics group Intereuropa will release preliminary business results for 2019.

SATURDAY, 7 March
        LJUBLJANA - Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform at Stožice Arena.

SUNDAY, 8 March
        No major events are scheduled.