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STA, 1 July 2019 - The parliamentary Education Committee has endorsed, in a narrow vote, a controversial government-sponsored bill designed to implement a 2014 Constitutional Court decision under which the state must provide 100% funding for publicly approved curricula taught at private primary schools.
The committee on Monday rejected all amendments, so the changes to the law on financing education will now be put to vote at a plenary in the form adopted by the government in early June.
Under the changes, the state is to finance fully publicly approved curricula at private primary schools. However, any publicly approved curricular content considered above-standard (pre- and after-school classes etc) will be exempted from state funding. At the moment, both programmes are funded 85%.
This is what the centre-right Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi), pushing for full state funding of all services, had tried to change with their amendments.
The amendments filed by four coalition parties, which had acted after the parliament's legal service found the changes rather problematic, were also voted down.
However, unofficial information indicates further changes are possible, as the coalition has not yet given up on trying to come to an acceptable model of financing.
The coalition is apprehensive the bill, if passed as it is, would be sent into constitutional review and found unconstitutional again.
If the state provides no funds for publicly approved above-standard activities which are part of normal daily routine, the overall funds Slovenia spends on private primary schools would drop.
The parliament's legal service believes the lower amount of public funding would encroach upon the legal position of private primary schools.
One of the amendments filed today by the ruling Marjan Šarec List's (LMŠ) had thus tried to raise the funding a bit.
It said the state would fund part of the publicly approved extra-curricular activities such as classes for under- and over-performing students and morning day-care for first graders.
The amendment was a kind of a compromise reached by four coalition parties bar the Social Democrats (SD), which met before the committee session to negotiate a deal.
The SD, on the other hand, insists on the original bill, which was drafted by the Education Ministry, led by Jernej Pikalo from its ranks.
During the debate Marko Koprivc of the SD said the bill was in line with the court decision, and he was happy it would not dismantle the network of public schools.
"For us, it would be absolutely unacceptable to finance public and private schools equally. This would lead to further stratification," he said.
The debate on the committee was expectedly held along partisan lines, focussing on differing views on public vs private education.
SDS and NSi MPs said passing the bill unchanged would be in breach of the court decision.
Jožef Horvat of the NSi criticised the coalition for wanting to "destroy private schools". "The bill contains some very clear signals that private schools are not welcome in Slovenia," he said, adding Slovenia would most probably find itself before the European Court of Human Rights.
The opposition Left, meanwhile, called for changing the Constitution, arguing it is not clear about financing private schools.
Several MPs regretted though that the court decision, made four and a half years ago, had not yet been implemented.
The bill will now be sent into second reading in the National Assembly, which has recently already held a public debate on it.
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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenian, Italian police launch joint border patrols
KOPER - The Slovenian and Italian police forces started jointly patrolling the countries' border today in a bid to control illegal migration. The measure taken under an agreement signed by Slovenia and Italy is expected to be in place until 30 September. According to the Slovenian General Police Administration, four joint patrols a week are planned, three on the Slovenian side of the border and one on the Italian side. Police will be active along the green border and on former border crossings but Marjan Štubljar of the General Police Administration told the press today that "this is definitely not a restoration of border checks" and will not affect passengers.
Delaying uniform cigarette packages voted down at committee
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee voted down proposal from a group of MPs to postpone obligatory standardised packaging for tobacco products until 2023. The debate heard warnings from numerous organisations that the postponement would have negative consequences on public health. Given today's developments, coming after the proposal took heavy flack and was also denied the government's support, the National Assembly will not take a vote on the proposal, meaning uniform packaging will be introduced in 2020. The proposal also envisaged the setting up of a tobacco fund, which would manage the revenue coming from tobacco excise duties and fund anti-smoking programmes.
Committee backs controversial changes to primary school funding
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Education Committee endorsed, in a narrow vote, a controversial government-sponsored bill designed to implement a 2014 Constitutional Court decision under which the state must provide 100% funding for publicly approved curricula taught at private primary schools. The committee rejected all amendments, so the changes to the law on financing education will now be put to vote at a second-reading plenary in the form adopted by the government in early June. However, unofficial information indicates further changes are possible, as the coalition has not yet given up on trying to come to an acceptable model of financing.
Govt set to discuss migration strategy document
LJUBLJANA - The public debate stage has ended for a blueprint of Slovenia's approach to migration which the government is expected to discuss in July. The document encompasses plans to boost migrant labour, secure effective asylum procedures, as well as control illegal migration and security threats whilst simultaneously safeguarding the dignity of migrants. While clearly presenting the increasing need for migrant labour, the document notes the need to control illegal migration and effectively implement intergovernmental agreements on the return of persons.
EU fund payments to Slovenia may be suspended due to IT issues
LJUBLJANA, BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU cohesion funds payments to Slovenia may get suspended unless the country manages to address faults of the IT system it uses for drawing funds in the next two months, according to the government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, which said it had received a warning from the European Commission. Slovenia has now two months to respond. Based on the country's response, the Commission will decide whether the payments should be suspended.
Constitutional Court allows employee management participation in big banks
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has found unconstitutional the part of the banking act that prevents employees from participating in management, saying that the legislature failed to provide sufficient reason to ban employees from management bodies. The contentious Article 33, stating that the act regulating the cooperation of employees in management does not apply to banks, was challenged by the in-house trade union of NLB. NLB is a two-tier board company with more than 3,000 employees who should be represented in the supervisory and the management boards, the union said.
Fusion of nature and culture at Sajeta Creative Camp
LJUBLJANA - The 20th Sajeta art and music festival will get under way near the town of Tolmin today, bringing progressive music and ideas to the north-western Sotočje region. The festival's international line-up will include the cult krautrock German band faUSt and popular Montenegrin performer Rambo Amadeus, dubbed Rambo Amadeus the World Kilo Tzar. Since its launch in 1998, the Sajeta Creative Camp festival has strived towards setting up a cultural-artistic lab in nature, and according to the organisers, it also aims to transcend generational, social or geographical differences and integrate various audiences, thus promoting inclusion and acceptance.
US first lady sculpture to be revealed in her hometown
SEVNICA - A life-size, wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump has been erected near her hometown Sevnica in south-east Slovenia. The intriguing sculpture will be presented on Friday as part of the Ta Eho exhibition by US artist Brad Downey, who aims to explore the extent of Melania Trump's roots and the reaction of the locals. Sevnica, a town of some 5,000 inhabitants has capitalised on Melania Trump's rise to fame by coming up with its own First Lady brand.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
If you live or even just spend a little time in Ljubljana you can't help but be struck by the vibrant arts scene, both in the formal sense of galleries, large and small, but also in the street art and style that make the place such an attractive place to hang out in. In that context, and with a little money in your pocket and bare walls at home, you may be wondering: where can I buy some Slovenian art? One man who has answer to this question, and many more about the local art scene is Damjan Kosec.
Damjan and the SLOART team have at least two long-term plans. One is related to his studies, in computer science and artificial intelligence, where he's working on his PhD in Ljubljana, following a line of research that we'll no doubt be covering at a later date on this site. The other, and the focus of today's story, is project that started more or less in 2005, when became interested in the local art scene, and which has grown steadily since then.
Inside the space on Trubarjeva cesta
The current incarnation of this interest – which is itself composed of at least 16 different projects, six of which have now been realised, with the remainder due to come online by 2025 – is called SLOART. In brief, this aims to connect Slovenian artists with buyers and collectors, using both an online platform and brick-and-mortar gallery, a new version of which has just opened at the funky end of Trubarjeva cesta, opposite the always under-threat Rog squat.
Inside the space on Trubarjeva cesta
It offers works from 1800 to the present day, and even just a passing familiarity with the biggest names of Slovenian art, as seen in the National and Modern Galleries, will make clear what an impressive list of names SLOART offers. Names such as Drago Tršar – the subject of a major retrospective earlier this year, and the man behind many of the most well-known sculptures in Ljubljana; Hinko Smrekar – who did the illustrations for much-loved edition of Martin Krpan; Zoran Mušič – who has his own room at the National; or Rihard Jakopič, the leading Impressionist who founded the school that would go on to become the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Ljubljana. Beyond the dead there’s the living, with exciting works by current artists with years of work and discovery ahead of them.
Duša Jesih - Menage a trois, Acrylic on canvas, 100 cm x 100 cm, 2015
But how is SLOART different from any other gallery? Since the offices of TSN are currently located in the corner of a bedroom on Trubarjeva cesta, nestled between a window and closet and less than 100 metres from the new establishment, I went along to learn more. I didn't record the conversation because the art world is full of stories you won't hear with a device in your hand, so while none of this comes from direct quotes it’s an abbreviated version of our conversation, based on notes and sent back to Damjan for approval.
What’s the main problem with the local art market?
Ten years ago the Slovene art scene, in terms of buyers and sellers, collapsed. There were a lot of scandals, few ethics and an overall lack of transparency. Art was, for example, used to commit fraud laundering, so an appraiser would get sent an email with a picture attached and value it for millions, no questions asked. Even without such obvious criminal actions, the market was too small, too unknown, for buyers to have much confidence. Moreover, if they did make a purchase then very often they were being ripped off, being sold a work at three times what the artist should have been commanding, based on previous sales, exhibitions, and so on. This led to a very bad first experience for many buyers here, and so they never returned to the market.
Arjan Pregl - Butterflies, Oil on canvas, 120 cm x 100 cm, 2017 - 2018
And what does SLOART do to change this?
My main goal is to grow the market here, and that can only come with the right ecosystem. So, for example, one of the projects we have that should launch next year is ArtIndex. This will be a database of Slovenian artists, where you can find details of their resumes, and so on. But more than that, it'll have records of the prices paid for their work, plus a system whereby they'll get points for how many exhibitions they've had, and where. Based on this people will be able to have some idea of a fair price for the artist's work, making the whole thing more transparent and returning some confidence to the market. More than that, though, we'll use AI along with a group of art experts to predict where the market might go for a particular artist.
Tina Dobrajc - This is bat country!, Acrylic and artificial flowers on canvas, 305 cm x 155 cm, 2014
We also want to develop artists careers in a more active, collaborative way. A new project we have is Gallery Y (pronounced “epsilon”, not “y”), which is also in the same space here [Trubarjeva 79], and we plan to open another gallery in the centre of town sometime next year. The idea here is that we'll choose, say, 10 outstanding Slovenian artists in 10 years and showcase their work, really try and help them break through on the international scene.
Sašo Vrabič - Smartphones, Oil, acrylic on canvas, 6 artworks: 24cm x 40cm and 18cm x 30cm
What are some of the practical problems artists face here?
Mostly it’s difficult for an artist to make money, to support themselves from their work, so there's a constant need produce and sell. And this can be a real existential crisis, in the sense that the means of your existence are always under threat, even if you make regular sales. The government could do more in this regard, especially to help artists who are just starting out in their careers. But even with all that, Slovenia has a lot of very talented, dedicated artists, and I’m convinced that once trust and transparency have returned to the market it can attract more serious collectors, or just people who’d like some Slovenian art for their homes, because right now the market is very undervalued.
You can see more of the works on offer at SLOART on the website, or visit the gallery at 79 Trubarjeva cesta
Some of Arjan Pregelj's works at the Moderna Galerija. Photo: JL Flanner
Related: Ljubljana's Modern Gallery Highlights Recent Painting in Slovenia
I recently took a trip to Bela krajina, and as part of that stayed a few days at Big Berry resort, by the River Kolpa. It a was nice, relaxing experience, a way to get away from the demands of my day job and do nothing but eat, drink, read and sleep.
But not everyone goes to Big Berry to leave work behind, as I found out when talking to one of the staff, Tjaša Perhavec, who told me about the many organisations who come to the site for team-building exercises, as follows…
How long have you been offering team-building, and what kind of organisations come here?
We’ve been doing it since the beginning, four years ago, but started more actively in the last year. Now that the product is really defined and the guests can truly enjoy all the benefits this amazing location can offer.
With regard to organisations, there’s a great variety, but some of the bigger names you might recognise are BMW, AMZS, Finance, Moje leče, Porsche Slovenija, Časnik Finance, HP, the Slovenian Olympic Committee, and IEDC - Bled School of Management.
And what do offer organisations like that?
The first and the biggest asset is definitely the entire resort, with its 25.000 m2 of fairytale land caught between two rivers, a spring and a picturesque field. This is a large area that offers enough space and variety for all sorts of outdoor activities on land and in the water. All major companies that have team-building exercises can find the perfect spot for whatever activity they want to do, no matter the size.
Other than that we provide seven luxurious houses that can serve as accommodation for smaller groups. These have everything one would need for a productive stay here – big comfortable beds, private bathrooms, a kitchen with all the utilities, a living room connected directly to the terrace and the outdoor space. Each house has its own private hot tub with an amazing direct view of the river. They offer privacy, relaxation and the possibility to reconnect with nature, oneself and the team.
Besides that, teams can also use the BBQ area located on the resort. It can be used for a barbecue, to have private meetings in nature, as a catering venue. The other covered option for the activities is the reception and connected terrace, where we also offer the technical equipment needed for meetings and lectures.
How long can organisations spend at BB for team-building?
They can come for just half a day if that’s all the time they have, just to have a couple of productive and out-of-the-box meetings away from the crowds and a good, relaxing time. However, the majority stay for a couple of days, to really soak in the nature, experience the local hospitality and connect with the team. But there is also a possibility of a longer stay of up to a month and even more for individuals and for teams – the idea of a so-called “workation” when remote work is strongly connected with a vacation. Just imagine waking up to birdsong with an all local fresh breakfast and working with your colleagues or our own team in a coworking space with the amazing view of the river and all the green scenery that surrounds us. And then just jump in the river for a quick break.
What about the food and drink?
The local food is just amazing. The majority is eco-friendly and all of it as fresh as it gets. We directly only offer a breakfast basket, filled with local products that will help you start the day right. For everything else we recommend local partner restaurants and catering because they know what they are doing and they are amazing at it. Everything can be organised on the location as well, if the group prefers to stay in the resort, such as local food catering, finger food, a BBQ picnic, homemade goulash by our chef or even a traditional pig or lamb on a spit.
Besides regular meals for the teams we also strongly suggest workshops - like one showing how to make the local flat bread, Belokrajinska pogača – or different wines and even local beer tastings. These can be done in the local cellars or on the resort.
What about at the end of day, when the work is over?
Anyone who stays here can use the bicycles, canoes, beach volleyball court and a lounge area for relaxation. Through our many local partners we can also provide them with local catering, workshops, wine or beer tastings, yoga classes, massages, activities on the river and so on, the possibilities are endless.
Then there are many possibilities for after-work events on the terrace or anywhere on the resort. We can offer several band and DJ options – although guests can bring their own as well – that go well with our new mobile cocktail BB van. We can even organise an outdoor movie night for the team, or have any “daytime” activity done at night.
To be honest, it’s just that the sky and your imagination are the limits. We’ll do everything we can to make you feel comfortable and we’re sure you’ll love it.
You can learn more about Big Berry, as a team-building or vacation destination, here.
STA, 1 July 2019 - A life-size, wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump has been erected near her hometown Sevnica in south-east Slovenia. The intriguing sculpture will be presented on Friday as part of the Ta Eho exhibition by US artist Brad Downey, who aims to explore the extent of Melania Trump's roots and the reaction of the locals.
The exhibition will open in the Ljubljana Vžigalica gallery on Thursday, while the sculpture, portraying the Slovenian-born first lady and bearing her name, will be showcased near the area where she grew up.
According to the gallery, the artist based the exhibition on the myth of Echo and Narcissus as a way to address and reflect on the issues he raised when he first visited Slovenia - where do the roots of the current US first lady lead to as well as the opinions of the locals or Slovenians in general on the issue.
The mountain nymph Echo was punished for trying to cover up Zeus's infidelity. His wife Hera condemned her to the life of being able to utter only echoes, to speak merely the last words spoken to her. When the nymph met self-centred Narcissus, she was thus unable to inform him of his love.
Taking into account the lack of a specific local or public response and restrictions related to the first lady status, the Kentucky-based artist ordered and funded the wooden sculpture, which was created by a local craftsman and sculptor using a chain saw.
The sculpture "portrays the first lady, who is greeting her hometown Sevnica" in her inaugural gown and is considered the first public sculpture of the first lady, said the gallery.
Apart from focusing on the story of the sculpture's creation process, the exhibition will also display a copy of former US president Ronald Reagan's press briefing room.
Sevnica, a town of some 5,000 inhabitants in the Posavje region, has capitalised on Melania Trump's rise to fame by coming up with its own First Lady brand, including local wine, pastry, chocolate, tea as well as pottery and cosmetic products. Visitors can also indulge in the Melania cake or pie.
All out stories about Melania Trump are here
July 1, 2019
The hunt for the bear who attacked an 80-year-old woman in Želimlje last week was called off at the end of Sunday, when the deadline for hunters to track and kill the mother bear and her two cubs expired.
On Saturday the bear broke into a beehive not far from where the woman was attacked, but this did not meet the criteria for the hunt to be extended.
For now the three bears will continue to live unbothered by hunters unless the mother attacks another person.
STA, 1 July 2019 - The Slovenian and Italian police forces will be jointly patrolling the countries' border as of Monday in a bid to control illegal migration. The measure taken under an agreement signed by Slovenia and Italy is expected to be implemented until 30 September.
According to the Slovenian General Police Administration, four joint patrols a week are planned, three on the Slovenian side of the border and one on the Italian side.
The patrols will be carried out in sections where frequent illegal crossings of the border are detected, and will feature officers from the Koper and Nova Gorica police departments.
Police will be active along the green border and on former border crossings but Marjan Štubljar of the General Police Administration told the press today that "this is definitely not a restoration of border checks" and will not effect passengers.
The police said that in addition to the operational value, the mixed patrols are expected to produce indirect results, such as faster exchange of information and learning the terrain in the neighbouring country for cases of cross-border pursuit.
The measure is also a clear signal to traffickers of illegal migrants that entry to another country does not mean that procedures would not be launched against them in the country which they fled.
The patrols will be led by the home officers and the visiting police officers will only be able to use firearms for the purpose of self-defence.
The Slovenian police have already participated in this way with Austria and Hungary, while Italy already has mixed patrols with Austria, Switzerland and France.
Slovenian police handled 5,306 crossings of the border by 29 June this year after the figure reached 3,612 in the same period in 2018. Italian authorities returned 146 foreigners to Slovenia by 29 June this year (158 in same period in 2018), mostly citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria and Pakistan.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday that, if the mixed patrols failed to prevent illegal migration, Italy would erect physical obstacles on the border with Slovenia.
The measure was first proposed by Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar to Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi in mid-May as the number of migrants coming from the Balkans to Italy through Slovenia has been increasing.
Cerar said he thus wanted to show to Italy that Slovenia wanted to strengthen mutual trust, and the idea was also discussed and agreed on shortly after that by the countries' police commissioners.
STA, 30 June 2019 - The Slovenian women's national basketball team will play in the play-off match for the quarter-finals of the EuroBasket as it ended the group stage in Serbia's Niš on Sunday in third place in Group C.
The final ranking for Slovenia was determined after a 57:75 loss to Italy today.
Slovenia opened the campaign at the EuroBasket by losing 84:88 to Hungary on Tuesday, bouncing back from the loss the next day by defeating Turkey 62:55.
Slovenia already secured the play-off match for the quarter-finals in Belgrade by beating Turkey, while today's match only determined the seeding.
Slovenia's opponent is yet to be determined, but it will be a team from Group D featuring the hosts Serbia, Belarus, Belgium and Russia.
"By making it to the knock-out stage in Belgrade, we have made our wishes come true, and places Slovenian women basketball a level higher," said head coach Damir Grgić, adding that the team needed to continue with such an approach.
This is the second the Slovenian woman basketballers participate in the European basketball championship, coming after 2017, when Slovenia finished 14th with a 1:2 record.
Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also ollow 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
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Šarec says Timmermans good candidate for EU Commission president
BRUSSELS, Belgium - As he arrived for an EU summit seeking an agreement on appointments to senior EU positions, PM Marjan Šarec said that the proposal that had been circulating was not bad, and added that Frans Timmermans, which is unofficially tipped to become the next European Commission president, was "certainly a good candidate". The unofficial scenario is that the post of the European Commission president goes to the Party of European Socialists (PES), the post of the European Parliament President and a senior foreign policy post to the European People's Party (EPP), and the post of the European Council president to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Regarding Timmermans, he added that "we will see where the talks will lead and whether someone has some other proposals."
First ever Pride Parade in Maribor held on Saturday
MARIBOR - The first ever Pride Parade was held in Slovenia's second largest city Maribor on Saturday, with some 800 people peacefully parading the city streets to spread a message of love, equality and inclusion, according to the organisers. As Marja Guček of the Maribor Youth Culture Centre told the STA, the attendance exceeded all expectations and the event concluded without any incidents. The participants were addressed by Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič, British Ambassador Sophie Honey, Andra Camelia Cordos of the Romanian organisation Go Free, among others.
Slovenian women ballers survive first round at EuroBasket
NIŠ, Serbia - The Slovenian women's national basketball team will play in the play-off match for the quarter-finals of the EuroBasket as it ended the group stage in third place in Group C. The final ranking for Slovenia was determined after a 57:75 loss to Italy today. Slovenia opened the campaign at the EuroBasket by losing 84:88 to Hungary on Tuesday, bouncing back from the loss the next day by defeating Turkey 62:55. Slovenia's opponent is yet to be determined, but it will be a team from Group D featuring the hosts Serbia, Belarus, Belgium and Russia.
Sea fish catch in Slovenia down for fourth year in a row in 2018
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian fishermen brought a total of 126 tonnes of fresh sea fish and other seafood to Slovenian ports last year, which is 2% less than in the year before, according to the Statistics Office. Last year was the fourth year in a row with a drop in the fish catch, and last year's catch was actually only 3% higher than the average monthly catch in 2002. Around 75% of the total catch was fresh fish and 24% was molluscs, most of them musky octopuses, while crabs represented only 1%.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
STA, 30 June 2019 - The first ever Pride Parade was held in Slovenia's second largest city Maribor on Saturday, with some 800 people peacefully parading the city streets to spread a message of love, equality and inclusion, according to the organisers.
As Marja Guček of the Maribor Youth Culture Centre told the STA, the attendance exceeded all expectations and the event concluded without any incidents.
The participants were addressed by Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič, British Ambassador Sophie Honey, Andra Camelia Cordos of the Romanian organisation Go Free, and Simona Muršec of the Ljubljana Pride Parade Association.
The speakers emphasised the importance of such events around the world in the light of the fight for equality of persons with different sexual orientations and for acceptance and inclusion of all.
Also expressing support for the first Pride Parade in Maribor was also expressed by the UEFA president, Slovenia's own Aleksander Čeferin, Köln Mayor Andreas Wolter and 19 organisations and companies from the city.
The parade was also attended by Susan K. Falatko, the new chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Slovenia, French Ambassador Florence Ferrari, British Council Slovenia director Dragan Barbutovski and numerous representatives of the Maribor city council.
All our LGBT+ stories can be found here
Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also ollow 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
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Koper-Divača rail track reopens, transport to and from Koper port resumes
LJUBLJANA - The rail track between Koper and the Dviača inland hub was reopened at 12:30pm following the emergency cleanup of Tuesday's massive kerosene spill. The track, a key transport link for the Koper port, was originally expected to reopen on Friday, but more time was needed for additional emergency operations tackling around 10,000 litres of kerosene spilled as a train derailed in a tunnel near Hrastovlje in the south-west of the country. The Environment Agency (ARSO) said that railway operator Slovenske železnice under its expert guidance had removed the contaminated material and thus reduced the environmental damage as much as possible. The groundwater on the coast, which only has one water source, is being tested regularly and is uncontaminated for now.
Šarec urges more personal engagement and responsibility at Najevnik tree meet
ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Addressing the traditional political gathering at the Najevnik Linden Tree, the largest tree in Slovenia, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec urged more optimism, but also more personal engagement and responsibility among Slovenians, in particular those in charge of state institutions. Šarec told a crowd of around 300 in Črna na Koroškem in the far north of the country that Slovenia definitely had a future even though many opportunities had been missed in recent years. Several high-ranking local as well as state officials and entrepreneurs attended the meeting, among them Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj and several mayors from the Koroška region.
SSH overhauls supervisory board of energy utility Gen energija
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) has replaced all of the supervisors of Gen energija representing the state as the owner of the power utility, citing the need for new competences in the face of new challenges, including major new investments. In line with the decision adopted by the state asset manager on Thursday, Karl Peter Peršolja, Sašo Ivan Geržina, Vanessa Grmek and Roman Dobnikar have been replaced by Mateja Čuk, Miha Šebenik, Miha Butara and Lovro Lapanja. The four new supervisors of what is the owner of the Slovenian half of the Krško nuclear power plant have been appointed for a four-year term and are joining worker representatives Samo Fürst and Robert Bergant whose term ends on 1 October.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
