News
STA, 19 December 2019 - There were 2,089,310 residents in Slovenia on 1 July 2019, of whom there were more men than women for the first time in 160 years, show the latest Statistics Office (SURS) data. There were 2,360 more men than women. This trend can only be seen in three other EU countries, Sweden, Malta and Luxembourg.
"This is mostly a result of immigration, since the majority of immigrants in Slovenia are men," Barica Razpotnik explained at Thursday's news conference in Ljubljana.
However, the immigrants excluded, the country's population increase was negative in the first six months, as the number of newborns was below the number of people who died.
Related: Survey - Young Slovenian Women Unhappy at Work, Would Move Abroad
Related: Where to Find the Most Women in Slovenia
Taking into account the immigrants, the increase in the country's population in January-June was positive.
As many as 28,455 moved to Slovenia last year and 13,527 moved out of it, so the difference of nearly 15,000 makes for the steepest rise in foreigners in 10 years.
As a result, the number of foreign citizens in Slovenia increased to 6.6% in 2018, Razpotnik said.
Half of the foreigners who immigrated here were from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
An average foreigner who moved to Slovenia last year was a 32-year old man with Bosnian citizenship who has completed vocational education and had a job in the construction industry.
The number of immigrants granted Slovenian citizenship in 2018 stood at 1,978, of whom two-thirds were from Bosnia. A third were children under 15.
SURS director general Bojan Nastov said that projections showed Slovenia's population would be rising until 2023 and then start to slowly drop to reach 1,796,000 in 2100.
Another major change in coming decades will a major increase in the number of older people.
Related: Slovenia’s Aging Population, in Graphic Form
At the moment 20% of Slovenia's residents are older than 65, but the share is projected to grow to almost 32% by 2055.
Interestingly, the number of centenaries, now at 200, is to grow to around 5,600 in 2100.
Around one million people in the third quarter of 2019 were persons in employment, who clocked in an average 34 hours of work a week.
Nastov said it was encouraging that unemployment rate in the first three quarters of the year was below 5%, as opposed to over 6% in the EU.
The average monthly net pay was EUR 1,114, up 3.7% in nominal and 2% in real terms.
Monthly pay has been rising in the private and public sectors, and could well result in the highest annual pay growth since 2008 by the end of the year.
Higher pay translated into more disposable household income; in the first half of the year it was by 7% higher than in the same period in 2017.
Retail prices rose by 2% from the start of the year until the end of November, with inflation mostly fuelled by higher prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, but also services, with Nastov highlighting higher health insurance.
This year's inflation was somehow cushioned by lower prices of fuel and energy.
Housing prices in the second quarter of the year rose by nearly 6% and the value of all sold housing units in that period amounted to EUR 330 million.
Over the past year and a half, the number of used homes sold totalled a record 3,452, whereas only 42 new homes were sold in this period.
More on all this data can be found here
STA, 19 December 2019 - The budget of the ZPIZ pension fund will stand at EUR 5.8 billion in 2020, but the state will have to chip in almost EUR 680 million to balance revenue and expenditure.
Under ZPIZ's financial plan for next year, adopted by the fund's council on Thursday, 84.2% of all revenue or EUR 4.9 billion will go for pensions.
Another EUR 145 million is planned to be spent on the annual holiday allowance for all pensions, up EUR 4.6 million from this year.
Almost 82% of the ZPIZ's revenue will come from contributions for social security and other taxes, with EUR 50 million expected from the state-owned KAD fund.
Pensions are planned to rise twice - by 3.5% in February, and by EUR 6.5 at the end of 2020 as part of an extraordinary rise if economic growth exceeds 2.5%.
Deputy ZPIZ director general David Klarič said as he outlined the plan the EUR 6.5 rise could still change as the upper chamber of parliament had filed a bill to rise pensions not in an absolute sum but as of percentage. In this case, the rise would amount to 1%.
The financial plan will now be sent to the government for approval. The government's representative on the council, Simona Poljanšek, said it was well prepared.
Klarič, however, said the budget would probably have to be overhauled in mid-2020 to adjust it to the latest pension changes which are expected to cost EUR 33 million.
The only council member voting against the financial plan was Frančiška Ćetković, who represents pensioners.
The plan does not envisage pensioners getting back what was taken from them due to the 2012 austerity legislation, which she assessed at 7.2%.
"We won't accept this share not being paid out," she said.
In response, Katja Rihar Bajuk from the Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Ministry announced the ministry would analyse retirement conditions as those retiring during the crisis were more affected than others.
Council president Dušan Bavec, who represents employers, said more pension revenue could be collected with more effective measures against grey economy.
STA, 19 December 2019 - Angelika Mlinar, a member of the Slovenian minority in Austria and a former MEP for Austria, has been appointed minister of development, strategic projects and European cohesion policy.
Mlinar was born on 29 June 1970 in the village of Altendorf in the south of the Austrian province of Carinthia.
She has a PhD in law from Salzburg University, having previously obtained her master's degree at American University in Washington.
She has worked for several NGOs, and also served at the European Commission Representation in Ljubljana from early 2000 to mid-2005.
She has been an active member of the Slovenian minority, but not a traditionalist one, she says.
Between May 2009 and June 2010, she was secretary general of the National Council of Carinthian Slovenians (NSKS), one of the two umbrella organisations of the Slovenian community in Austria.
Some of her statements in that capacity earned her a lawsuit from the right extremist organisation Heimatdienst, while a few years ago she said she had not been very popular among politicians because of her criticism of the attitude of the Slovenian state to the minority in Carinthia.
Mlinar became known in Slovenia in the autumn of 2013, when she was elected to the Austrian parliament as the first female member of the Slovenian minority. She represented the liberal party Neos, which she co-founded, until June 2014, when she went on to became MEP.
As MEP she advocated a more cohesive and stronger Europe, and promoted human rights and women's rights. She also worked extensively with refugees.
In November 2014, she was elected a vice-president of ALDE.
But last spring she decided to quit as NEOS vice president, saying she was "too independent and too liberal for NEOS". She said she did have enough support within her party to stand in the 2019 European elections and even announced she would resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term.
But then she topped the ticket of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) in Slovenia in the May EU elections. Although she performed well on preference votes, this did not suffice for her to become one of the eight Slovenian MEPs given the party's poor showing overall.
In the campaign, she spoke in favour of common European values and solutions, and called for more determination in the representation of Slovenia's interests within EU institutions. She was also critical of Austria's policy towards Slovenia.
As candidate for MEP she did not yet have Slovenian citizenship although she had residence in Slovenia, where she lived for 13 years.
And it was the citizenship that turned out to be the biggest obstacle to her appointment as minister without portfolio for development and cohesion policy.
She had requested Slovenian citizenship before asking for permission for dual citizenship from Austria. After Austria gave her the green light, Slovenia granted her Slovenian citizenship on grounds of national interest.
The right-wing opposition and conservatives in general have taken issue with the way she was granted citizenship and questioned her loyalty to Slovenia.
The situation escalated at her committee hearing, where she failed to secure support for the appointment amidst nationalist criticism that some critics say undermined relations with the entire Slovenian ethnic community in Austria.
As minister she plans to focus on improving the efficiency of EU funding. She highlighted R&D, information and communication technologies, competitiveness and regional development as the key areas Slovenia needed to invest the just over EUR 3 billion in cohesion policy funds it is entitled to in the current multiannual financial framework.
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:
Mlinar named minister in charge of cohesion policy
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted 44:43 to appoint Angelika Mlinar, an ethnic Slovenian from Austria, minister without portfolio in charge of cohesion policy, as the government secured a slim minority after several days of uncertainty. Mlinar said the vote showed that "we want to overcome borders". The vote came after Prime Minister Marjan Šarec urged the National Assembly to discuss the nomination on substance, as he criticised committee debates earlier this week that focused on her nationality and origin.
Environment minister urges leniency in carnivore management
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Environment Minister Simon Zajc told an ministerial that EU rules should consider specific circumstances of individual EU countries regarding their large-carnivore management. He called for a more flexible approach in dealing with wolves and bears, in particular when the species are not threatened but are thriving, as is the case in Slovenia. He sees improved management or new EU legislation as possible ways forward.
Bratušek corruption allegation returns after two years
LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption issued an opinion finding Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek was in conflict of interest in 2014, when she nominated herself for EU commissioner. Bratušek said she would challenge the claim, just as she had successfully challenged a previous opinion, which was dismissed by courts on procedural grounds.
Cerar praising CEI role in enabling EU enlargement
ROME, Italy - Attending the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Rome, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar highlighted the role of the forum in enabling European integration processes and paving the way for potential new EU member states. Other participants urged support for the countries aspiring to join the bloc as well.
Govt adopts resolution on environmental protection, changes to water law
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a draft resolution on the national environment protection programme for 2020-2030. To implement the national programme, an estimated 47 to 53 million euro a year will be needed. The resolution sets down goals, guidelines and tasks related to environmental protection, nature preservation and water management. It also adopted a set of changes to the water law which makes it easier for the state to provide financial aid for emergency works in natural disasters.
New reading promotion strategy adopted
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a national strategy on the development of reading literacy that revolves around the promotion of reading literacy as an essential skill throughout all age periods. The goal is to achieve a degree of reading literacy that will "make it possible for every individual to optimally develop skills for active life and work," according to the Government Communications Office.
Pension fund will need EUR 680m from state budget in 2020
LJUBLJANA - The budget of the ZPIZ pension fund will stand at EUR 5.8 billion in 2020, but the state will have to chip in almost EUR 680 million to balance revenue and expenditure. Under ZPIZ's financial plan for next year, adopted by the fund's council on Thursday, 84.2% of all revenue or EUR 4.9 billion will go for pensions. Another EUR 145 million is planned to be spent on the annual holiday allowance for all pensions, up EUR 4.6 million from this year.
Archbishop Zore keen to resume talks with state
LJUBLJANA - Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore would like the Catholic Church to settle practical matters with the state, so they do not change with every change of government. Talking with the STA, he also discussed the changing manifestation of faith, denationalisation, and the negative image of the Church in the media.
Slovenia-Croatia relations remain frozen
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian-Croatian relations have remained burdened by Croatia's refusal to implement the border arbitration award in the past year, a source of instability that Slovenia's former ambassador to the country says is rubbing off on the whole region. Speaking to the STA, Ambassador Vojko Volk attributed the responsibility for the state of affairs mainly to Croatia, which he says has been unable to tackle border issues with any of its neighbours.
Hisense exec says Gorenje important in plans to grow
TIANJIN, China - Hisense, a Chinese conglomerate with global presence, said its Slovenian company Gorenje played an important role in its plans to grow; the multinational would like to double its revenue from last year's 17 billion US dollars in five years' time. The group's success also depends on home appliances maker Gorenje, which it took over in 2018, Gorenje CEO Lan Lin told reporters at Hisense's seat in China's Qingdao.
NEK expects to exceed annual production plan by 1-2%
KRŠKO - The management of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) has announced that if the operation remains stable until the end of the year and barring security issues, the plant will exceed the planned annual production of 5.43 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity by one to two percent. The operation is stable and reliable, and the objective for 2020 is operation at full capacity throughout the entire year, NEK chairman Stane Rožman said at the traditional end-of-year press conference.
Active employment funds to increase by third in 2020
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to increase the funds for active employment policy by nearly a third. While EUR 64 million were available this year to encourage employment, EUR 92.8 million will be available in 2020. Some 38,400 people are to be included in the policy measures. While nearly EUR 32 million will come from Slovenia's budget, the rest will be covered by the European Social Fund.
New collective agreement ups holiday allowance in construction
LJUBLJANA - Construction companies and trade unions have signed an annex to the existing collective bargaining agreement, improving the position of workers, including through higher lunch compensation and a holiday bonus of at least EUR 1,000. Employers' representatives and the trade unionists said that compensation for work on remote locations has been increased by 5%, while lunch compensation was set at a minimum of EUR 5 a day.
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
In Part 1 we presented our selection of the President’s best Instagram posts from the first half of 2019. His Instagram posts are arranged in a timely fashion. The first part ends with July and the second part begins with August.
Although the year has not finished yet, we find his December 12 post the best conclusion to this collection as well as a food for thought in, as Paul Krugman puts it in a recent YouTube advertisement I’ve had to watch repeatedly, the strange times we are living in.
- August 11: Disco Borut
- August 30: Borut’s advice to pupils for the first day of school: Keep your head open and use your own head, even when it comes to his own advice on using one’s own head. The bloopers suggest one can get far even without using one’s head much.
The content includes scenes that may be unsuitable for parents or guardians of young children. Children’s guidance is therefore recommended for adults viewing. #rumenarutka #pahor #president #presidentpahor #slovenia
- September 2: Pahor and Kersti in roller skating doubles.
- September 19: Borut tells a sexist joke in an attempt to be manlier. We believe, however, that the President really only cares about his own attractiveness.
- September 20: Adria Turbulence?
Dry martini, shaken not stirred, with zero alcohol, please.
- September 21: Standing ovations at an “almost rock’n’roll” gathering
- September 26: President breaks the 100,000 Instagram followers mark.
- October 13: Instagram analytics
- October 16: The President is grateful when diplomats don’t wear boring usual clothes.
- October 20: On rare white tie occasions (and his still youthful figure)
- October 22: Borut does Tokyo
- October 27: Ljubljana marathon
- October 29: Wrinkle trouble
- November 3: Borut realises where those 4 seconds went
- November 14: On devastating criticism.
- November 21: On blue shirt that has to wait to become fashionable again
- November 23: The best day is a good hair day
- November 24:A cCurious journalist drilling into Borut’s Instagram
- November 29: Photographer’s success: a spiritual picture of Borut
- December 5: Ultrapositive
- December 8: Hipster accessories: Reanult 4 aka Katra #2
- December 12: Borut owns it.
Kenya Airways, Africa’s sixth largest airline, has expanded its codesharing agreement with Air France, with its flight numbers and designator code now added to the French carriers services from Paris to Ljubljana and Zagreb. While media reports claims that tickets from Nairobi to the two European capitals can now be booked via Kenya Airways’ website.
All of Total Slovenia's stories on Brexit can be found here
Dear All,
I am sure that you will have seen the result of last week’s General Election in the UK, which returned Boris Johnson as Prime Minister with a substantial majority in Parliament. The Prime Minister has made clear that the Government’s first priority is to leave the EU on the 31st January, on the basis of the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, and then conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement and security partnership by the end of 2020.
After the UK leaves the EU there will be an implementation period lasting until the end of 2020. During this period, arrangements will remain broadly the same while the UK and EU agree a future trade and security relationship. This will include, among other things, future immigration and work provisions for British nationals who come to live and work in Slovenia after 2020. This will not affect your status, which is guaranteed by the Withdrawal Agreement.
You might be wondering what this means for you. In short, if you have temporary or permanent residence in Slovenia, you will continue to be able to live and work in Slovenia as now. Your rights will be guaranteed by the Withdrawal Agreement concluded with the EU. The only action you may need to take is to ensure that you are legally resident in Slovenia before 31 December 2020, if you have not already done so. More information about how to do this is on our Living in Slovenia Guide.
I recognise that while there is clarity on the UK Government’s approach post-election, some of you may still be feeling uncertain about your status and what happens next. I will be hosting an event for UK nationals in the course of January to answer any questions you may have. Please check our Facebook page for further details. Please keep following us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and send any questions to our website or call us on (01) 200 39 10.
For now, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during the course of next year.
Sophie Honey
British Ambassador to Slovenia
STA, 18 December 2019 - The Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC – aka “the bad bank”) is in talks with potential partners to increase flight frequencies on routes connecting Ljubljana with Frankfurt, Munich, Zürich and Brussels following the bankruptcy of air carrier Adria Airways, its director Matej Pirc told the STA.
While Lufthansa and its affiliates quickly filled the gaps on these routes, which are considered key hubs for Slovenian business executives and for tourism, there have been complaints about schedules, in particular about the absence of morning flights to Brussels often used by public administration officials.
Pirc said the bad bank was in talks with "European regional carriers" to increase flight frequency on these routes. Up to three carriers, which he would not name, would operate the additional flights in exchange for government subsidies.
The scenario is in the works after the government abandoned plans to set up a new national carrier due to excessive risk. According to Pirc, calculations showed the new carrier would post an annual loss of roughly EUR 8 million in the long term.
The subsidies would achieve the same goal - improving connectivity with European airports - but their advantage is cost control. The period of subsidies would be limited as well, he said.
As a result, the annual cost to the state would be lower and "significantly easier to manage" than a capital injection that would be necessary to get a new carrier off the ground.
Pirc admitted, however, that subsidies are "not simple", otherwise other countries would use them more frequently as well. "We expect that all these issues will be known at the start of next year."
STA, 18 December - Slovenia has placed 35th in this year's human freedom index ranking, retaining the same place as last year. The ranking includes 162 countries, with New Zealand topping the list. Slovenia's index is 7.97, above the average of 6.89.
Among the country's neighbours, Austria is the only one doing better, ranking 13th, while all the others lag behind - Italy ranked 32nd, Croatia 37th and Hungary 45th.
Screenshot from the full report
"Freedom is not only priceless, it also has a vital role in creating prosperity, fighting against poverty and propelling economic development and democratic stability, so it is key that it is assessed as accurately as possible and that the measure is as broad as possible," said Tanja Porčnik of Visio Institut, a Slovenian institute which co-authors the report along with the US think tank Cato Institute.
Other contributors include Canadian Fraser Institute, German Liberales Institut and Russian Institute of Economic Analyses.
The ranking uses publicly available data, with the 2019 report based on the 2017 figures.
On a scale of 0 to 10, the 2017 average human freedom index was 6.89, with 70 countries improving their ranking and 88 ranking lower.
Since 2008, the index has dropped by an average 0.07 - mostly a result of populism, nationalism and authoritarianism worldwide, according to Porčnik.
The index encompasses 76 indicators of personal and economic freedoms, including the rule of law, security, movement, religion, assembly, civil society, expression and information, identity and relationships, legal system and property rights, currency stability, international trade and regulations.
Screenshot from the full report
Country profiles can be found here (PDF), while the full report (PDF) can be found here
One of the many areas of life where climate change is being felt is winter sports, with snow becoming less reliable and both resorts and more informal spots to ski, snowboard and sled now facing shorter or even non-existent seasons, if not aided by snow machines. Indeed, last year only two resorts, Vogel and Kanin, operated without artificial snow, and all are working to supplement their winter operations with more attractive summer programmes.
Related: 70% of Alpine Ski Resorts Could be Lost Due to Climate Change by 2100
As such, you can no longer just look at the calendar and book a trip to the mountains – you need to check the current conditions and forecast. One excellent place to do so is Bergfex, which offers details of opening dates, closing dates, weather reports, snow reports, snow forecasts, webcams and more, to help you plan your trip and avoid disappointment.
Webcams and snow reports for ski resorts Slovenia
For example, the snow reports, which give the depths and number of ski lifts in operation, are currently given for 16 locations in Slovenia (see here).
Note this screenshot is from 19/12/19
While if you want the most up-to-date view of your potential destination then there’s also a collection of webcams (here).
Note this screenshot is from 19/12/19
Overall it appears to be great site (along with an app, for both Android and IoS) if you want to hit the slopes at the weekend – although note that Mondays and Tuesdays are better days to go, weather and work permitting, due to the lower number of visitors. We should also note that there’s also a site called Slovenia Alps which offers weather reports, but these appear to be more limited than those available at Bergfex.
STA, 18 December 2019 - The Competition Protection Agency (AVK) has temporarily seized 70% of Mercator shares from its owner, Croatian group Agrokor. The move is to ensure that Agrokor pay a EUR 53.9 million fine the agency imposed in September after Agrokor failed to notify it of its 2016 takeover of Slovenian bottled water company Costella.
The agency decided to seize the shares on Monday, according to Wednesday's press release from Fortenova group, the successor of Agrokor which is in the process of taking over Agrokor's viable businesses, as Agrokor is buried under a massive loan debt.
Fortenova says that the anti-trust agency does not have the power to seize the shares, arguing such a move should have been made by a court.
The agency meanwhile responded by saying that the decision is not yet final and that it can be challenged with an appeal.
It cited on its website the regulation on which it based the decision, but could not comment any further, as the procedure is ongoing.
Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said he believed that the agency was acting in line with rules and legislation, while again rejecting speculations that the Slovenian state was interfering in the transfer of Mercator to Fortenova.
The minister, who is on a working visit to Germany, also wrote in the response that he could not comment on the case, as neither the ministry nor him as the minister were acquainted with the agency's acts in individual cases.
"But I believe that the agency, when it comes to the failure to report concentration and the imposed fine, acts in accordance with the adopted rules and legislation," he added.
Počivalšek said that the public part of the agency's decision showed that Agrokor had been called on to report concentration related to the takeover of Costella, but had failed to do so.
Regarding speculations in the public about the state allegedly interfering in the transfer of Mercator from Agrokor to Fortenova, he said that "the rule of law applies in Slovenia, and institutions, including the agency, act independently".
Počivalšek said that the case should not be connected with relations between Slovenia and Croatia. "We are connected with many good joint projects and opportunities we must seize. We need to work on this."
Fortenova said earlier in the day that it plans to protect its assets with all means available, including by informing all embassies of EU countries in Slovenia as well as the US and Russian embassies of the agency's move.
Agrokor took over Costella's parent company three years ago. Since it failed to report market concentration, the watchdog imposed the fine on it three months ago. It now took a step further, seizing 69,57% of Mercator shares, worth EUR 140 million, from Agrokor.
Fortenova meanwhile argues that the decision on the fine is not final because Agrokor has lodged a request for legal protection. However, the agency has not forwarded the request to court, Fortenova says, launching instead the shares seizure procedure.
When the fine was imposed, Agrokor said that Costella was purchased by Agrokor's former owner Ivica Todorović without the knowledge of other executives in the group.
Fortenova finds it problematic that Agrokor's shares were seized based on regulations applying to offences, such as traffic offences, where the perpetrator is caught while committing an offence.
Fortenova claims that the watchdog intentionally abused the law to seize the shares.
Moreover, Fortenova CEO Fabris Peruško held a press conference in Zagreb today, with the Croatian press agency HINA citing him as saying the watchdog's move was designed to hinder transferring Mercator from Agrokor on to Fortenova.
All our stories on Mercator are here
