For more than three years Brexit was a very boring affair, but now, as the deadline of October 31 fast approaches for the UK leaving, deal or no deal, a lot of things are starting to happen very quickly. If you’re a British national in Slovenia who wasn’t quite prepared for Brexit on March 31 then you should check your preparedness now, as you currently have just over two months to get things done, and some of them involve trips to upravna enota.

The question that started in all. Source: Wikipedia

Related: Social Security, British Nationals & No Deal Brexit in Slovenia

Note the date the stop of this story (30 August 2019) and be sure to check with the British Embassy’s website and Facebook to get the most official news and up to date news.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit then a number of EU countries have said they will offer continuity of rights to UK nationals already resident there. Slovenia has a law to take care of this, and the time of writing it’s been through all the processes except the last one (details here). The EU has put together a page explaining the implications of no deal for UK nationals’ residence rights in the EU27. The section on Slovenia can be summarised as follows, with some notes and observations, while the full text can be found here, with details for other Member States.

Residency in Slovenia after no deal Brexit

Even with no deal the Republic of Slovenia will protect your residency rights until the end of 2020, but you have to have a residence permit to prove these rights. If you’re not registered at all, then get temporary residence ASAP, while if you’ve got that and have been here at least five years then you should get permanent resident status.

Related: How to Get Temporary Residency in Slovenia

If you’ve been in Slovenia for more than five years then post-Brexit, then eventually you’ll be able to apply for “EU long-term resident status”. To quote the EU site:

This permit will grant you a permanent status, and allow you to enjoy the same treatment as nationals regarding access to employment, education, and core social benefits. This will also allow you, under certain conditions, to acquire the right to reside in another EU Member State.

I couldn’t find any details on how to apply for this, but I’d assume having proof of temporary / permanent residence would be a basic requirement. In short, get your residency sorted out.

Source: Led By Donkeys

Get a Slovenian driving licence

If you live here and drive here then you need a Slovenian driving licence. You can read how to get one here. If your upravna enota asks for documents that don’t exist in the UK then contact the British Embassy. They are aware of the problem and will issue a letter explaining the situation.

Basic rights in Slovenia after no deal Brexit

After Brexit most of your rights will remain unchanged, and you’ll be able to continue to live in Slovenia, work, look for work, study and buy property (which is open to all OECD members). One thing a British national shouldn’t be able to do post-Brexit is enjoy full free movement, so carry a passport if going over a border, even internal EU ones.

To that end, make sure your passport is valid and has at least six months on it. If you need to apply for a new one you can get it online (from a UK address, from overseas).

Source: Led By Donkeys

What the UK Embassy recommends

The advice listed above is culled from the EU website, based on the Slovenian side of the story. But what about the British Embassy in Ljubljana? The key point here is that the Embassy can’t force any changes in Slovenian law, and instead can only advise on how best to deal with the situation. The latest set of advice for UK nationals with regard to the possibility of no deal can be found here.

The main things they tell you to do – in a text dated 9 July 2019 – are as follows, and do read the whole thing if you’ve already done these:

• register as a resident in Slovenia – and change from temporary to permanent if you’ve been here for at least 5 years
• read the Embassy’s guidance on healthcare cover if the UK leaves the EU without a deal
• exchange your UK driving licence for a Slovenian licence
• check your passport is valid for travel (and get a new one if yours runs out in six months. This can be done online)
• sign up for email alerts for more guidance
• follow the British Embassy in Ljubljana on Facebook

Source: Led By Donkeys

News from the Government of Slovenia on no deal Brexit

In the event of a no deal Brexit, the Slovenian government has said it will notify UK citizens of any changes and deadlines required for any procedures to follow in order to retain their rights. However, they won’t notify you personally. Instead, a notification will be published on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and on the Info Tujci web portal. The government will also notify the UK Embassy, which should then pass on this advice.

For more information on Brexit, the best sources are the official sources. The Slovenian government has its own site (in English) on Brexit here, while the British Embassy’s current advice can be found here, you can sign up for email alerts here, and follow the Ambassador and her team on Facebook. All our posts on Brexit are here, but none of them are as valid as the official sources.

Related: Social Security, British Nationals & No Deal Brexit in Slovenia

STA, 29 August 2019 - The government has decided to help 47 Venezuelans of Slovenian origin settle in Slovenia under a law that permits repatriation from countries hit by a severe political or economic crisis.

 Acting on requests it received in June, the government decided on Thursday to immediately launch repatriation procedures.

Seven ministries will be involved and the effort coordinated by an interdepartmental task force, said Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter Jožef Česnik.

"There are 47 applicants in total ... These people have decided that the situation is unbearable," he said. Several Slovenian companies have expressed readiness to hire skilled individuals from the group.

According to the Office for Slovenians Abroad, Slovenia has limited experience with repatriation: the only repatriation carried out so far was for a family from Syria in 2013 due to the civil war there.

Under the law on Slovenians abroad, individuals of Slovenian descent are eligible for repatriation when their countries of residence are hit by a severe political or economic crisis.

Since the outbreak of political turmoil in Venezuela and the ensuing economic crisis, the government has received multiple requests for aid.

A key condition to launch repatriation proceedings is Slovenia designating the situation a grave economic and political crisis. This has already been done several times before by the Foreign Ministry.

Slovenian Interior Ministry data puts the number of Slovenian citizens living in Venezuela at 335, while the total number of people of Slovenian descent is estimated at 1,000.

Repatriation status can be used by individuals for a maximum of 15 months. In this period they have the right to free healthcare, Slovenian language lessons, a work licence, enrolment in higher education institutions under favourable conditions, as well as to favourable treatment when applying for a job compared to third-country citizens.

To accommodate repatriated individuals, the government can set up an immigration home where basic provisions are secured, including financial aid for those below the minimum income threshold.

The 15-month status cannot be extended, meaning the repatriated individual needs to secure a different status as the basis for continued residence in Slovenia, for instance Slovenian citizenship, the status of a Slovenian without Slovenian citizenship, or an appropriate status of a foreign citizens with a residence permit.

STA, 29 August 2019 - While the volume of construction work in Slovenia in the first half of the year was up by 14% year-on-year, certain statistical indicators suggest the trend may reverse. Major builders expect the volume of business to be similar to last year's, but are cautious as they would like to see more stability in state investments.

The volume of construction work has increased, but the statistics on building permits suggests that the trend could reverse in the near future, as the number of permits has been dropping steadily over the past three years.

In the first half of 2019, the number of approved permits was down by 10% year-on-year, with the number of permits for residential buildings increasing, and the number of permits for non-residential buildings significantly dropping.

The latest business sentiment data for the sector show a deterioration both on the monthly and annual levels, but the indicator is still above the long-term average. Construction companies have decreased their prospects of hiring, while expectations related to orders are somewhat more optimistic.

Major builders such as Kolektor Koling, Kolektor CPG, CGP and Pomgrad have confirmed for the STA that they are cautious regarding future operations. They expect this year to be similar to last, and are ready for a potential cooling of the market.

They would like to see more stability on the market, including by the state embarking on major projects, especially in road infrastructure.

Kolektor Koling and Kolektor CPG say that there is demand for construction work and that this will be the case at least until the end of the year. They complain about the growth of costs and prices of input material and a shortage of qualified staff.

The members of the construction arm of the Kolektor conglomerate are currently building a new technological centre of the national grid operator ELES, upgrading the Rimske Toplice-Laško railway and reconstructing the railway infrastructure in the Croatian port of Rijeka.

For 2020, they expect the current rate of growth to be maintained, but are cautious about many risk factors, so they will constantly monitor the situation and be ready for a quick response to possible changes.

Kolektor Koling and Kolektor CPG admit that the construction sector in the country is highly dependent on public projects, such as the new Koper-Divača railway line, the Third Development Axis expressway and the second tube of the Karavanke tunnel.

"If the state stays true to its commitments and provides for a continuity of demand, then we can expect a stable and healthy growth also after 2020," they assessed.

The company CGP currently operates at full capacity, with its ongoing projects including a multi-storey car park in Koper, a high-end residential and hotel complex in Ljubljana and a Lidl logistics centre in Arja Vas, among others.

"We intend to end this year on a par with the previous year," said the company whose projects in the coming year include an Ikea shopping mall in Ljubljana and construction of apartments for the public Housing Fund.

"In the coming years we see a lack of projects mostly in the field of reconstruction and construction of public roads," CGP has told the STA, pointing a finger to the government.

Pomgrad is also operating at full capacity this year, with its ongoing projects including the upgrade of the Pesnica-Šentilj and Poljčane-Slovenska Bistrica rail sections and elderly homes near Ptuj and in Croatia's Osijek.

Together with GH Holding and VGP Drava Ptuj of Slovenia and the Croatian utility company Bikarac, they have signed a EUR 26.5 million deal to design and build a waste management centre for the city of Šibenik and its surroundings.

According to Pomgrad management board member Boris Sapač, the company expects to sign some more major contracts soon. But he complained about "public procurement procedures being too slow, which makes it hard to make plans".

The company has noticed a standstill in investment in state roads, which is something it does not welcome. "The volume of investment or tenders should be stable. This would also be good for road infrastructure, which is in a poor condition."

Sapač said that builders needed stable conditions instead of steep annual growth rates and deep falls. "This is why we are cautious optimists in our company. Excessive growths are not sustainable in our sector."

STA, 29 August 2019 - The logistics group Intereuropa generated EUR 80.57 million in sales revenue in the first half of the year, slightly more than in the same period last year, while net profit was up by 14% to EUR 3.07 million, shows the unaudited report published on Thursday.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were up 3% to EUR 7.07 million, and operating profit increased by 2% to EUR 6.84 million.

While the group increased net profit above all expectations, as it exceeded the plan by 25%, the amount of sales revenue was 5% below the plan.

This is mostly due to some of the planned one-off deals in the air, railway and road transport failing to materialise, the company says in the report, adding that revenues were up year-on-year only in the logistics solutions segment.

In the land transport segment, the group generated 52% of its total sales and generated EUR 42 million in sales revenue, which is 1% less year-on-year and 4% below the plans.

EBITDA were 7% above the plan, which Intereuropa attributes mostly to the received payment of a years-old claim based on a court settlement.

Labour costs in the first half of the year were up by 1% compared to the same period last year, with a growth of average labour costs per employee having the largest impact.

At the end of June, the group employed 1,359 workers, which is 32 more than at the end of last December. This is due to the direct hiring of some workers who had previously worked for the group through temping agencies.

The group's operating profit amounted to EUR 3.8 million, or 2% more than in the first half of 2018, while net financial debt of the group was down by 10% compared to the end of last year to EUR 53.9 million.

The core company Intereuropa, based in Koper, saw its sales revenue increase by 1% to EUR 57.14 million, while net profit surged by 30% to EUR 2.96 million.

The core company's EBITDA and operating profit were meanwhile down by 2% and 4% to EUR 4.95 million and EUR 2.79 million, respectively.

The report notes that EUR 691,000 in turnover with Intereuropa shares had been generated on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE) in the first half of the year, which is more than 25% less year-on-year.

In the January-June period, the share lost 2.3% of its value on the LJSE.

STA, 29 August 2019 - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, the leader of the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), dismissed on Thursday Brane Kralj as the party's secretary general following a report against him which claims that Kralj had tried to exert staffing pressure. Šarec told the press he had not been aware of the controversial phone call.

The decision comes after the party launched a debate on the allegations, saying it would take action regarding the incident.

Kralj has been reported to the authorities by the chief supervisor of Uradni List, Irena Prijović, who claims that he called her and tried to secure a top job at the state-owned publisher of the Official Gazette for former MEP Igor Šoltes and exert staffing pressure on her.

After holding talks with Kralj, Šarec concluded that "the truth is somewhere in between and that it was not that brutal".

"I trust Kralj more than some other people who would have probably not reported the issue if the caller was someone of the right kind," said Šarec, adding that this was a "one person's word against another one's" incident.

According to the prime minister, Kralj did however behave in a naive, inexperienced and incorrect manner, with the phone call being inappropriate.

#Požareport - Ekskluzivno razkritje:
Kako je "vaški fant" Brane Kralj, generalni sekretar @StrankaLMS, v imenu države zahteval imenovanje @isoltesEP za direktorja Uradnega lista!
Več: https://t.co/QlonYERkEU @vladaRS @sarecmarjan pic.twitter.com/R6uJVwyxcQ

— BojanPožar (@BojanPozar) August 29, 2019

Allegedly, Kralj instructed Prijović on 21 August to appoint former Court of Audit president Šoltes as the gazette's new director and to report directly to him, bypassing Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), the state asset custodian.

Prijović then reported him to the Corruption Prevention Commission as well as to SSH.

Kralj has told the STA he had indeed called the chief supervisor, but only to tell her that Šoltes, who had applied for the top post at Uradni List as part of a call for applications, was a good candidate.

However, Šarec highlighted today that Kralj as the party's secretary general could not have been lobbying on the state's behalf since only the government could do that.

"I respect Šoltes, but I do not like him that much to sacrifice a secretary general for him," said Šarec.

"Šoltes was not our candidate. It is definitely important to recruit people who are competent," added the prime minister, highlighting that any kind of staffing should be transparent.

In this case there was an open call for applications and it is completely inappropriate to try to exert influence in such a manner, said Šarec.

"Kralj will no longer be the LMŠ secretary general because we are putting our house in order. When such a situation occurs, one needs to deliver right decisions," said Šarec.

He added that such phone calls were probably common, but since there were not a lot of reports, the right people had to be calling. This incident could serve as an opportunity for the media to investigate other cases as well, he added.

Kralj will remain the party's member and will serve as a stand-in secretary general until the appointment of a new one, since, according to Šarec, the LMŠ cannot continue without its legal representative.

The prime minister believes Kralj, if called upon, will cooperate with the Corruption Prevention Commission, which launched the proceedings today.

SSH, which is processing Prijović's report as a priority, highlighted today that it was up to the supervisory boards of state-owned companies to decide on management appointment procedures in such companies.

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:

PM Šarec dismisses Brane Kralj as LMŠ secretary general

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, the leader of the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), dismissed Brane Kralj as the party's secretary general following a report against him which claims that Kralj had tried to exert staffing pressure. Announcing the decision which comes after the party launched a debate on the allegations, Šarec told the press he had not been aware of the controversial phone call. Kralj has been reported to the authorities by the chief supervisor of Uradni List, Irena Prijović, who claims that he called her and tried to secure a top job at the state-owned publisher of the Official Gazette for former MEP Igor Šoltes and exert staffing pressure on her.

Coalition rejecting Left's proposal, budget support ultimatum

LJUBLJANA - The coalition parties rejected the opposition Left's proposal for abolishing top-up health insurance, deeming it ill-conceived. They highlighted they would not give in to the party's threats of withholding its support for the crucial 2020-2021 budgets if the government did not back the proposal. PM Marjan Šarec said after a government session the Left had the right to carry out its own politics, but added the government had other options in case the Left decides to withdraw its budget support. Asked whether he was implying cooperation with New Slovenia (NSi), the head of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) replied that it all depended on the further developments.

Government to help 47 Slovenians in Venezuela

LJUBLJANA - The government initiate repatriation procedures for 47 Venezuelans of Slovenian origin, who will be able to settle in Slovenia under a law that permits repatriation from countries hit by a severe political or economic crisis. Seven ministries will be involved and the effort coordinated by an interdepartmental task force, said Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter Jožef Česnik. Slovenian Interior Ministry data puts the number of Slovenian citizens living in Venezuela at 335 but only 47 have so far asked for repatriation.

Cerar briefly meets Croatian counterpart in Helsinki

HELSINKI, Finland - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar met his Croatian counterpart Goran Grlić-Radman on the sidelines of an informal EU ministerial, but he had said in advance that the border arbitration agreement would not be a topic. Cerar did emphasise at the meeting Slovenia's commitment to the rule of law. Ahead of the meeting held on the sidelines of a dinner as part of the two-day informal meeting, Cerar told the press that Slovenia would advocate the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans and that respect of the rule of law was important. He told RTV Slovenija that it would be a short, informal talk which would mostly discuss the priorities of the EU presidency.

Energy and climate plan not to be ready by end-2019 deadline

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a report on the drafting of the National Energy and Climate Plan, a document which will set the course of action for ten years until 2030. Faced with delays, the government will probably not be able to send the final version to Brussels by the end-of-the-year deadline, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said, adding that her ministry was working on the plan and related calculations expeditiously.

New US and Dutch ambassadors present credentials

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of four new ambassadors to Slovenia: the new US Ambassador Lynda Gaye Cleveland Blanchard, Dutch Ambassador Marco Hennis, Guatemalan Ambassador Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas and Lao Ambassador Sithong Chitnhothinh. Only the US and Dutch ambassador are stationed in Slovenia.

Govt adopts decree to improve fire safety at waste storage facilities

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a decree on storing combustible hard waste at open-air facilities in a bid to improve fire safety at such waste storage facilities to minimize environment pollution. The decree sets down standards and rules for the facilities at which such waste is stored, including rules for the storage of bulk waste and baled waste, as well as firewall rules. "This year we've seen a number of waste storage facilities catch fire. The new decree reduces the likelihood of such fires," Environment Minister Simon Zajc said.

Slovenians in Italy cautious about new Conte-led govt

TRIESTE, Italy - The Slovenian minority in Italy is cautious about the new Italian government which is to be formed by caretaker Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), but still, they expect to get guaranteed representation in Italy's parliament. Since Senator Tatjana Rojc is a member of the minority and of the PD, Walter Bandelj of the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO) umbrella organisation expects the representation issue to be resolved.

Ascent Resources to demand EUR 50m in damages from Slovenia

LONDON, UK - The London-based oil and gas exploration company Ascent Resources will demand EUR 50 million in damages from Slovenia for delays in obtaining a permit to develop the Petišovci gas field in the north-east of the country, news portal Litigation Finance Journal reported. The British company earlier said it was preparing "legal claims for damages against the persistent delays in permitting relating to the further development of the tight gas reservoirs in the Petišovci gas field".

MHP holding buys out small Perutnina Ptuj shareholders

PTUJ - The Ukrainian MHP holding, the new majority owner of poultry producer Perutnina Ptuj, bought out the rest of small shareholders at an AGM, with the latter announcing to challenge the decision in court. MHP has thus squeezed out the small shareholders, who have not responded to the holding's recent takeover bid for the remaining shares. It now has 99.2% of the company's shares, excluding Perutnina Ptuj's own shares. The buy-out price tag includes compensation of EUR 22.34 per share, the same as the price offered in the bid.

Women's volleyball team in round of 16 at European Championship

LODZ, Poland - The Slovenian women's volleyball team made it to the round of 16 at the European Volleyball Championship as they beat Ukraine on Wednesday in five sets in the last match of the group stage. Slovenia fell behind 1:2 in sets in last evening's match, but then won two sets in a row, the last one decisively, to qualify for the elimination round. There, Slovenia will play Germany, the winner of Group D, in Slovakia's Bratislava on Sunday.

Maribor bid farewell from European competitions

MARIBOR - Slovenian football champions Maribor are out of the European club competitions after being eliminated in the last qualifying round of the second-tier Europa League by Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. Maribor played a 0:0 draw with Ludogorets in the first leg last week, and played out another draw (2:2) against the Bulgarians at home on Thursday evening, but the latter made it to Europa League by virtue of scoring more away goals. Maribor had been previously eliminated from the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League by Rosenborg of Norway.

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

The summer holidays are almost over, and next week children will be going back to school in Slovenia, with some feeling relieved, others tentative and afraid of the new, much like their parents.

To put things in some context we visited the excellent Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), to get the numbers on schoolchildren in Slovenia. Note that, unless otherwise stated, all figures are for the 2018/19 academic year.

Elementary schools and class sizes in Slovenia

Last year 21,945 children entered the first grade of primary school, with this generally happening when the child is 6 years old, although in September 2018 10% of new pupils were aged 7, a significant rise from the 6% seen five years before. Just under a fifth (19.8%) of such 7-year olds have special needs, and most of the others were born in November or December, and thus would have been among the youngest in their classes if joining aged 6.

In total, 186,328 children were enrolled in elementary schools in Slovenia in 2018/19, a rise of around 5,000 on the year before, and up significantly from 2010/11, when just 161,046 children where in such classes.

The average elementary school class had 19 pupils in 2018/19, with the  lowest average number found in the Koroška statistical region (16) and the highest in the Osrednjeslovenska statistical region (21.5). 

Slovenia's changing population mix, 1971 to 2061. Children born 10-15 years ago are part of a smaller cohort than those born more recently. For example, in 2018/19 there were 22,000 first graders (starting age of 6) compared to 17,751 ninth-graders (starting age 15). However, birth rates have been declining again, and in coming years the size of first grade classes will start shrinking. More details on demographics in Slovenia here

RELATED: Public Education in Slovenia: What is School in Nature?

Secondary schools in Slovenia – general, vocational and technical

The number of children entering upper secondary school pupils has been falling, with the 73,110 pupils attending in 2018/19 being some 5,000 fewer than five years before, although SURS expects this trend to reverse next week as a large cohort of 15-year-olds will enter the system. Most first-year students were taking the classes for the first time, with just over 4% needing to repeat the year or having changed their study programmes.

General programmes saw 35% of all upper secondary school pupils in Slovenia in 2018/19, 61% of these girls. In contrast, 46.2% of all pupils were enrolled in technical programme, and 47% of these were girls, while and 18% of all pupils were in vocational education (30% of them girls). Over the last 8 years the share or students going to vocational and technical schools has increased by 5%

Seventy-four percent of male pupils are in technical and vocational schools, especially in technical fields (39% of all male pupils) and computing (11%). In contrast,, 56% of female pupils are in technical and vocational programmes, with the focuses being personal services (13% of all female pupils), health (12%) and business and administration (10%).

An overview of the education system in Slovenia

The following video, produced in 2017 and published by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in šport)  introduces the education system in Slovenia, from pre-school to university.

All our stories on education in Slovenia can be found here, while more statistics can be found here

STA, 29 August 2019 - The London-based oil and gas exploration company Ascent Resources will demand EUR 50 million in damages from Slovenia for delays in obtaining a permit to develop the Petišovci gas field in the north-east of the country, news portal Litigation Finance Journal reports.

As the British company said in a release on Tuesday, it is preparing "legal claims for damages against the persistent delays in permitting relating to the further development of the tight gas reservoirs in the Petišovci gas field".

Ascent also insists on its appeal against the decision of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) requiring an environmental impact assessment for the re-stimulation of its producing wells.

In March, ARSO decided that an environmental impact assessment will have to be made to establish whether gas extraction with hydraulic fracturing has no damaging effects on the environment.

"This is definitely a procedure which will change the physical reality of the environment," said ARSO's decision, which was also upheld by the Environment Ministry.

Ascent is also exploring possibilities to further develop the Petišovci gas field without hydraulic stimulation.

According to its press release, it is reprocessing the Petišovci 3D seismic survey acquired in 2008-2009.

It is currently interpreting preliminary data volumes in preparation for a full evaluation of the new seismic volumes, with the final data expected by mid-September.

Its CEO John Buggenhagen said the company planned to work with its partners in Slovenia to also increase production through new conventional drilling opportunities.

Ascent and its Slovenian partner Geoenergo are moreover working on documents to secure an extension of the concession for Petišovci, which is valid until 2022.

All our stories on this issue can be found here

STA, 28 August 2019 - Work has started on another mass-grave site in the woods of Kočevski Rog in south-eastern Slovenia to prepare it for exhumation of the remains of victims executed in reprisal killings after the Second World War. The victims are presumably mostly Slovenians.

Currently the main project of the government commission for mass graves, the Macesnova Gorica site is being cleared out with the exhumation scheduled to begin next year.

According to the commission, the remains of more than 1,500 Slovenians lie in the underland of the Kočevski Rog woods, where numerous summary execution sites and mass graves have been discovered in the past years.

Following the government's backing of the commission's programme for this year, the Economy Ministry selected the Kočevje public utility as the project's contractor.

Related: Mass Concealed Graves in Slovenia, an Interactive Map

The company started preparation works in August and has already completed site deforestation. Last week, it started to clear the site of rocks which were piled up after the Second World War to conceal the grave.

"We will remove about 800 cubic metres of rocks, protect embankments and prepare an access for archaeologists this year. We will also create a work site for them out of removed rocks," the commission's president Jože Dežman told the STA.

Selected experts will then exhume the remains and analyse them - a process that will presumably start next year.

Objects, such as prayer cards, crosses and Home Guard paraphernalia found near the pit indicate that the bodies of Slovenian victims lie inside the mass grave. The burial site for them is yet to be determined.

Dežman told the STA that a burial site location for the victims of reprisal executions committed by the Communists just after the Second World War could be set at the Ljubljana Žale cemetery this year pending an agreement on the cooperation between the government and the Ljubljana city.

Historians have determined that there are around 750 mass graves and execution sites across the country, with some 150 possible new locations of concealed graves being considered.

STA, 28 August 2019 - Trade unions were alone in welcoming on Wednesday the Left's (Levica) proposal for the abolition of top-up health insurance, while coalition parties, insurers and employers mostly argued against an "ad hoc" and "solo" proposal for a step estimated to be worth half a billion euro.

The centre-left coalition parties - the PM's Marjan Šarec List (SMC) has not yet commented - mostly agreed the current top-up insurance scheme needed to be abolished, but they took issue with their tentative opposition partner failing to consult them before unveiling the proposal and with the Left's threats it will not back the forthcoming government budgets if it is ignored.

SocDems deputy group head Matjaž Han argued healthcare was too important to be involved in any horse trading. He did note that insurers had done themselves a poor favour by raising top-up insurance premiums - which are basically obligatory - in recent months and announced the coalition would probably already discuss the matter ahead of the next government session.

The Modern Centre Party's (SMC) Igor Zorčič said such a proposal would need to have been drawn up in cooperation with the Health Ministry and that it was very telling the Left first presented it to the press.

The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) also spoke of a "solo manoeuvre" and argued a legislative solution to such a major issue should not come from a single party but from the government. SAB is on the other hand also losing patience with the Health Ministry, saying it had also failed to present concrete proposals on how to shorten the waiting times in healthcare.

The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) was surprised to be finding out about such a major topic from the media. "Even more striking is that the Left is interfering with the work of the ministry, which is working hard on this issue," the party wrote, saying the government expected to have the ministry's proposal on the table next June.

The Left proposes that top-up insurance be replaced with higher employer contributions and a new capital gains tax in order to offset the estimated half a billion euro top-up insurance currently injects into the healthcare system.

The idea was rejected categorically by employer representatives, with Igor Knez of the Slovenian Business Club saying the proposal did not bode well for Slovenians, who were also facing an additional contribution for long-term care.

He said employers had been given nothing by way of tax relief and that this also applied to highly trained staff that Slovenia would have a hard time keeping or attracting.

Knez added the proposal did nothing to address key questions in healthcare, a view echoed by the secretary general of the Trade Crafts and Small Business Employers' Association Igor Antauer, who said the issue of top-up health insurance would need to resolved in a package with a new act on healthcare and health insurance.

Meanwhile, health insurers said they still needed to study the proposal, while they warned that any rushed measures could destabilise the financing of health services.

Vzajemna, the mutual health insurer which has been managing the bulk of top-up insurance paid in, also argued that all stakeholders would need be included in the adoption of a solution and that "healthcare, which is having problems, will not improve" as a result of the Left's proposal.

Insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav said the Left's approach was not sustainable, since "gradually the amount of funds collected would decrease as a result of a decline in the active working population and an increase in the number of pensioners, while the ageing population will also entail increasing healthcare needs".

Positive reactions to the Left's proposal only came from trade unions, but Lučka Böhm of the ZSSS confederation pointed to bad past experience which such proposals.

She welcomed the Left's proposal to have the state chip in when the health care purse runs out of money, noting "the ageing population in itself was reason enough for finding additional sources of healthcare funding".

"In any case, the abolition of top-up insurance should not lead to poorer access to health services and to irregular payments to providers," Böhm added, while also raising the issue of job security for people currently working with top-up insurance.