VERONA, Italy - Primož Roglič finished third overall at the Giro d'Italia for the first ever podium finish for Slovenian cyclists at the Grand Tour races. Ahead of the last stage, a 17-km time trial, the 29-year-old was fourth overall, but he showed his sprinting skills to overtake Spain's Mikel Landa to make it to the podium. The only Slovenian who previously managed to make it to the top ten in Italy was Tadej Valjavec, who was 9th in 2004. "It's funny to think that a small Slovenian can come to Giro and compete with the best," Roglič told Slovenian reporters in Verona Arena after the race.
Hundreds of troops taking part in Adriatic Strike
cerkle ob krki - A ceremony at the army barracks at the Cerklje ob Krki air base launched the annual international Adriatic Strike military exercise. Held in Slovenia for the eighth year running, the week-long exercise will involve 700 personnel, including 350 from 25 allied and partner countries. On the occasion, the Jernej Molan army barrack in the south-east of the country, held an open day so that visitors will be able to see the weapons and equipment of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) and a dynamic presentation of aircraft and helicopters participating in the war games.
New umbrella organisation of Serbs in Slovenia formed
LJUBLJANA - A new umbrella organisation of Serbs in Slovenia, the Union of Serbs of Slovenia, was established, bringing together a majority of the 30 currently active associations of Serbs in the country. Today's maiden session of the new organisation was held in the Orthodox Culture and Pastoral Centre adjacent to the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in Ljubljana. Marko Sladojević, who heads the working group establishing the Union of Serbs of Slovenia, told the STA the organisation's main objectives will be cherishing the friendly relations between Serbs and Slovenians.
National forest company ups net profit by 10% last year
LJUBLJANA - The state-run enterprise managing national forests had a successful 2018, increasing revenue by 32% to EUR 76.9 million and net profit by 10% to EUR 11.9 million, while operating profit was down by 16% to EUR 14.2 million. Slovenian State Forests (SiDG) sold 1.45 million cubic metres of wood last year at an average price of EUR 50.09 per cubic metre, which is 11 cents more than in 2017. Sales revenue amounted to EUR 72.7 million or 27% more than in 2017, shows the annual report.
Austrian climber found dead on Mt Prisojnik
KRANJSKA GORA - An Austrian climber has died in an accident on the mountain of Prisojnik in the Julian Alps in north-western Slovenia, as she apparently lost her footing and fell down the rocks. A police helicopter located the body of the Austrian on the mountain on Sunday morning after the woman went missing on Saturday evening. The unfortunate climber was taken down the mountain by a military helicopter carrying a mountain rescue and police team.
Ahead of the last stage, a 17-km time trial in Verona, the 29-year-old was fourth overall, but he showed his sprinting skills to overtake Spain's Mikel Landa to make it to the podium.
Competing for Jumbo Visma team from the Netherlands, Roglič finished the time trial in 22 minutes and 33 seconds to miss his third win in time trials at this year's Giro D'Italia by 26 seconds.
He was the 10th fastest racer today, beating Landa (Movistar) by 31 seconds for the first podium finish at the Grand Tour races (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana) for Slovenian cyclists.
The race totalling 3,547 km was won by Richard Carapaz of Equador (Movistar) ahead of Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida). He conceded 49 seconds to Nibali in the last stage to win with an advantage of 1 minute and 5 seconds.
The podium finish for the former ski jumper comes after Roglič finished fourth overall at last year's Tour de France.
The only Slovenian who previously managed to make it to the top ten in Italy was Tadej Valjavec, who was 9th in 2004.
"It's funny to think that a small Slovenian can come to Giro and compete with the best," Roglič told Slovenian reporters in Verona Arena after the race. He added that the podium finish was like a win to him.
"I'm proud and happy," said Roglič, adding that "it is very nice to stand on the podium" and that he would probably realise what he had achieved only later.
"I'm also happy that Slovenians and their fans have lifted the race to another level. I enjoyed in the exceptional support. Thanks to everybody who came to support us," was Roglič's message to fans.
Roglič was in the overall lead for the first five stages as the first Slovenian ever to manage that at the Grand Tour races.
By stage eight, he dropped to 12th place, but in the following stage, he climbed back to the 2nd overall.
Roglič kept the second overall place until stage 16, when he dropped to 3rd, the place he kept until the 19th, mountain stage, when he was overtaken by Landa after receiving penalty seconds.
Slovenia's Jan Polanc (Bahrain Merida), who briefly wore the pink jersey as the race leader in stages 12 and 13, finished the race in the 14th spot overall. His compatriot Grega Bole was 110th.
STA, 1 June - Two Austrian motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision near the village of Trnovo ob Soči by the north-western city of Kobarid just before midday on Saturday.
According to a press release from the Nova Gorica Police Department, initial information suggests that the accident was caused by a 66-year-old Austrian biker while overtaking a car.
The 66-year-old, riding in a group of four Austrian bikers on the regional road from Bovec in the direction of Kobarid, first hit a 48-year-old biker, also an Austrian, who was coming from the opposite direction on his lane, causing him to fall and sustain light injuries.
Still on the left side of the road, the 66-year-old then crashed head-on into another motorcycle coming from the opposite direction, driven by a 45-year-old Austrian biker.
The collision was so severe the pair were thrown about ten metres away from the carriageway. They died on the spot.
The 48-year-old biker who was hit first was taken to the Šempeter hospital with a broken leg.
The police have notified the duty investigating judge and state prosecution in Nova Gorica of the accident while inquires continue to establish the exact circumstances of the tragic event.
STA, 2 June 2019 - An Austrian climber has died in an accident on the mountain of Prisojnik in the Julian Alps in north-western Slovenia, as she apparently lost her footing and fell down the rocks.
A police helicopter located the body of the Austrian on the mountain on Sunday morning after the woman went missing on Saturday evening.
The unfortunate climber was taken down the mountain by a military helicopter carrying a mountain rescue and police team.
The police said that the Austrian had lost her footing on the snow cover and fell down the rocks.
STA, 1 June 2019 - Slovenian rider Primož Roglič fell further behind the pink jersey in Saturday's penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia to slip from third to fourth in overall standings, with his fans costing him precious seconds.
With only the 17-kilometre individual time trial to go before the finish at the Verona Arena, Roglič is now 3 minutes and 16 seconds behind Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, who retained the overall leader's pink jersey.
This includes ten penalty seconds slapped on the Jumbo-Visma rider after his Slovenian fans pushed his bike for a few seconds up the climb just below the Croce d'Aune pass.
This was after Roglič failed to defend an attack by Mikel Landa, Carapaz's lieutenant at Movistar, some 13 kilometres before the finish line.
A Slovenian fan was also involved in another incident following a few kilometres further as he knocked Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez off his bike running to close to him, earning a few punches from the Colombian in the process.
Today's tough 194-kilometre stage in the Dolomites, which featured five categorised climbs, finished at Monte Avena with the victory of Spain's Astana ruder Pello Bilbao ahead of his compatriot Landa, and Italian Giulio Ciccone.
Overall, Vincenzo Nibali continues in second, while Landa overtook Roglič in third.
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (3 to 9 2 June, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and if there's event you want to promote in a future edition of What's on in Ljubljana please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com or try and find me on Facebook.
In town and want to follow the news? Check out our regular morning headlines for Sloveniahere. Here’s a guide to many of the political, business, cultural, sporting and other events in Slovenia over the next seven days.
As ever, links to venues are after the following selections…
I took a boat ride last week, and it was great - see a timelapse video of a trip on the same boat, below, and read about it here.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
Lighting Guerrilla will continue to delight after dark at various locations around town until 15 June, so if you see anything strange and lit up, that’s why.
It might be too late to get tickets, but Sting is playing Stožice on Tuesday, 20:00. Wednesday Crack Cloud, who are claimed to be “one of the most exciting new bands at the moment”, will be at Kino Šiška.
Friday night the 33rd Biennial of Graphic Arts opens its doors at the International Centre of Graphic Arts in Tivoli Park, with what’s usually a fun party. This year the event, which runs until 29 September, is called Crack Up – Crack Down, and is curated by the collective Slavs and Tartars, with a focus satire and the graphic arts. I’ll be there, moving lightly between the free wine and exhibits, so say hello if you know my face.
Friday, 7 June, also sees the start of the June in Ljubljana Festival. This is free events in Kongresni trg / Congress Square – the big square in the centre of town that’s next to Zvezda Park – with a varied programme of music, dance, children’s shows, and so on. Some details are here, and a video from 2017 below.
Friday and Saturday there’s Salsa at the Castle (details), of the dance and not sauce variety, so leave the chips at home.
Saturday head to Pogačarjev trg square – the Market Square not from Triple Bridge, where Friday’s Open Kitchen is held – and you can enjoy the Karst Prosciutto (pršut) Festival, which should delight lovers of find dried and aged pork, plus wine.
Running from Friday to Saturday is the Marathon Franja, the country’s biggest cycling event. In addition to several races, which you can enter right up the day, there will be a big bike expo out at BTC where can see all the latest equipment. Details here.
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kids' movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, while non-English language movies for older viewers will have Slovenian subtitles.Parents should also pay attention to Kinobalon, which is Kinodvor's regular weekend series of film screenings and events for children, from babies on up, with special parent/child events, "first time in a cinema" screenings, and babysitting. Learn more about it here, and see the current schedule here.
Kinodvor –This is an arts cinema, not far from the train station, that shows new features as well as hosting the occassional festival.
Kinoteka – And not far from Kinodvor you can find this revival cinema, which shows art house classics along with some deep dives in the archives.
Kino Bežigrad - A relatively small theatre, but one which usually has the biggest of the new releases.
Kolosej -The multiplex out at BTC City Mall shows all the big movies, with well over a dozen titles on the schedule, although note that there are far more movies than screens, so some of the older ones mayonly be playing once or twice a week.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store shows two or three different features a week, usually including the biggest titles.
Compared to some European capitals it can seem that nightlife in Ljubljana ends rather early, especially along the river, but there are still bars that stay open late and clubs were you can dance until dawn, and perhaps the best place to stumble across something interesting is the legendary Metelkova. Be aware it's a grungy kind of place and not for all tastes, but also that there's considerable variety to found within the various clubs there, from death metal to electropop, gay cabaret to art noise. You can read "the rules" of the place here. And if you're curious about how the place started then read our story, and look at some pictures, about last year's 25th anniversary.
Božidar - DJ events aren't too common here, but when they happen they often have a big name.
Channel Zero – DJs shows here include regular dub nights as well as electronic music.
Gala Hala – Another Metelkova venue, you can sometimes hear bhangra and Bollywood here, but more often funk, hip hop, breakbeat and so on.
Klub Cirkus – The more commercial end of clubland, and a venue that aims to serve the student party scene. Expect house, anthems, and bangers.
Klub K4 – The home of techno, old and new, along with various other electronic genres,
Koncertna Dvorana Rog– There are irregular DJ sets at this underground (not literally) venue at the far end of Trubarjeva cesta, and they range from techno to goa to drum'n'bass.
Orto Bar– 80s and 90s throwback nights can often be found here, along with rock-based DJ sets.
Cankerjev dom- The main arts venue in the country always has something of interest going on.
Gledališče IGLU - IGLU Theatre – Saturday night this group is usually putting on an English improv show somewhere in town, but it’s generally promoted after this is written, so check the Facebook before putting on your shoes.
Kino Šiška – One of the top live venues in the city also hosts some dance performance, often of the more experimental variety.
Mini Teater Ljubljana –The English schedule of varied performances, for adults and children, for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - Puppetry has a long and noble tradition in Slovenia, and you can see performances for children and adults (including non-puppet shows) drawing from the Theatre's rich repetoire as well as new productons.
SNG Opera and Ballet - As the name suggests, here you'll find the best of opera and ballet in the country.
Španski borci - The home ofcontemporary dance(and the EnKnapGroup) in Slovenia.
Pocket Teater Studio– There are regular flamenco evenings at perhaps the smallest venue town, but note that the number of seats is very limited, and thus you should make a reservation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 070 325 522.
Drogart is an organization that aims to minimise harm on the party scene, and offers drug-testing services and reports on their webpage. It’s in Slovene, but you can Google translate it or work things out yourself, and our story on the group is here.You can find the latest warnings on fake drugs and high strength pills and powders (in Slovene) here. However, be aware that all the usual drugs are illegal in Slovenia.CBD is legal, though, and our retailer of choice can be found on Trubarjeva cesta - read more about Sena Florahere.
You can find our Top 12 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. If want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here, while our trip to the Museum of Illusions is documented here, and there’s always riverside walks, pizza and ice cream. With regard to the latter, take a look at our guide tosix places that serve good ice cream in winter, and thus are serious about the dessert.
Mini Teater Ljubljana – The season sees a lot of puppet performances for children, in Slovene, at this theatre not far from Križanke. The English schedule for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - The puppet theatre near the Central Market and next to the Castle funicular has a full programme or shows, for children and adults, with the schedule here.
If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here. If you're looking for more general links on "gay Slovenia", including a history of the scene and various projects, then you can find that here, while our stories about the community can be found here.
Klub Monokel– Thislesbian barin Metelkova is open every Friday, although sometimes there are other events
Klub Tiffany –And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays, while every Monday until June 2019 there'stangoat 18:00. Other things coulds also be planned, so click on the name to find out.
Pritličje – This seems to be the only "always open" LGBT-friendly cafe / bar / events space in town, and perhaps the country, so it's a good thing it's such a good one, open from morning to night, and with fliers and posters letting you know what's happening outside the narrow confines of, say, a general interest online what's on... guide.
Screenshot from Google Maps, showing the location of the Castle vineyard
Ljubljana Castle
The city’s main attraction is said to be the top tourist draw in the country overall, and to my mind it earns a spot near the top just for the history and views. But beyond that the current owners, the City of Ljubljana, have laid out a varied, interesting and enjoyable programme of events, one that rewards regular revisits. On until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title.
I try and get up there every Saturday morning to clear my head and move my feet on the trails, and never tire of that end of the hill. At the other end, where the Castle sits, there’s a lot more than fresh air on offer. There are guided tours, restaurants, a café, Castle museum, puppet museum, a Watchtower you can climb to the highest point in the city, art shows, dances, live music, movies under the stars, festival days and more – enough to reward multiple trips up the hill through the year. All of these activities and events can be found on the Castle website, while on TSN you can see “25 things to know about Ljubljana Castle” here, and “Ten Ways to Enjoy Ljubljana Castle” here.
Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum, and - as noted at the start
Cankerjev dom – A free to see show called Subterranean Worlds, showing cave photography, runs until June 16th.
Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner
Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character, and it's also in a really nice part of town, Trnovo, just a short walk or cycle upriver. Read about our guided tour here.
Balassi Institute – The Hungarian culture centre hasInterlacement – exhibition of Éva Farkasvölgyi and Žiga Okorn, showing tapestries and paintings on until June 14th.Free to enter, this venue is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here.
City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square an interesting permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, from prehistoric times to the present day, with many artefacts, models and so on that bring the story alive.You can read about my visit here. On until 25 September is Treasures from Russian Museums, an exhibition showcasing more than 80 Russian icons from leading Russian museums.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
International Centre of Graphic Art – The33rd Biennial of Graphic Arts opens its doors in the evening on Friday, 7 June, and runs until 29 September. It's called Crack Up – Crack Down, and is curated by the collective Slavs and Tartars, with a focus satire and the graphic arts.
Ljubljana Castle on until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title.
MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe. On until 19 September is a show called Creators, on contemporary Slovenian fashion and textile design, which is being promoted with the following image.
Photo: Urša Premik
Moderna galerija – The main branch of this gallery, to be found near the entrance to Tivoli Park, has a good collection of modern art, as well a nice café in the basement. Opening Thursday, April 25th, 20:00, TheVisual Arts in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1929–1941, which then runs until September 15th 2019. This offers “an overview of painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, and film from the time the king's dictatorship was set up (6 January 1929) to the beginning of World War II on Yugoslav soil (April 1941)” - you can read more about it here. The museum's Metelkova branch also has a big new show, runing until at least September 2019, an the art of the Non-Aligned Movement, with an example shown below.
Rafikun Nabi: Poet, 1980, print, 96.5 x 110 cm. Courtesy of the Contemporary Art Center of Montenegro. On display at the Metelova branch of the Moderna galerija
Alan Ford at the National Gallery
National Gallery – The country’s main gallery has “the best” of what’s on offer from the Middle Ages to non-contemporary modern visual arts, and is in a great location for exploring other areas, just by Tivoli Park and opposite the main branch of the Moderna galerija. You can read about our visit to the room containing sacred art from the Middle Ageshere. The Space Within the Space: Scenography in Slovenia before 1991 will provide a comprehensive historic, stylistic, visual and theatrical overview of Slovenian scenography until 8 September. There’s also a big show on Alan Ford, one of the great comic books of the Yugoslav era, on until 13 October.
JL Flanner
The real Robba Fountain can be found in the entrance to the National Gallery - the one you see in the Old Town is a genuine fake, as seen below and reported here.
Photo: JL Flanner
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more. Meanwhile, the museum's Metelkova branch, located between one branch of the Moderna galerija and the Ethnographic Museum has some rooms on Church art, furniture and weapons, with the latter including more guns than you'll see anywhere else in town, and quite a thrill if coming from a nation where such objects are not household items.
Natural History Museum – On until the end of June 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.
Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see below
National Museum of Contemporary History - Tucked away in park Tivoli, in addition to his permanent collection will be showingIn Search Of Freedom: 1968-2018 until 16 August. Until 2 June there’s From Letters to Facebook: Communication of Slovenian emigrants in Argentina with their homeland through time. Until 29 September there also a retrospective on the photographer Edi Šelhaus, which is being promoted with the following image. Opening 4 June and closing 3 November is Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture. With sculptures from the collection of the Santarelli family in Rome, ranging from the age of the Roman Empire to that of neoclassicism.
Union is "the Ljubljana beer", but now both it and Laško are owned by Heineken. There are many local brews on offer around town, though, if you want to explore IPAs, stouts, wheatbeers, sours and so on Photo: JL Flanner
Union Experience – The Ljubljana-based brewer has a museum showing the history of the company, with the ticket also including access to part of the factory and a few samples of the product. You can read about our visit here.
Volčji Potok Arboretum - Running until 3 November you can see a large collection of cacti here.
It's not a formal museum, but if you're interested in "Yugo-stalgia" then you'll enjoy a trip to Verba, a small, privately run space that's crammed with objects and pop culture items from the era, and is conveniently located at the start of one of the short walks to the castle. It's also a great place to take pictures, if you leave a donation, and you can read more about it here.
Verba. Photo: JL Flanner
Alternative Ljubljana isn't a museum or gallery, as such, but instead turns the city streets into a museum and gallery. Learn more about their tours of street art, history and LGBT Ljubljanahere.
Open Kitchen brings market stalls selling food and drink from some of the best restaurants in town every Friday, from 11am to 11pm, in the square between the cathedral and the river - just follow your nose and the crowds. Read more about it here.
Photo: Open Kitchen
If you'd like to spend an evening painting with others, then take a look at Design with Wine, which organises painting parties on Trubarjeva cesta,
If you want to see some antiques, then check out the wonderful Antika Carniola, as discussed here. The man behind it, Jaka Prijatelj, has a fine eye for life on this street, as you can see on his Facebook account.
Photo: JL Flanner
If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.
And if you're bored with the Old Town, why not take a walk, cycle or boat ride to nearby Špica and enjoy the riverside life. Learn more about that here.
Prefer to have someone else stretch you? The check out the totally legit massages you can get from Sense Wellness - either in one of their spas or in you home, office or hotel. (And - to repeat - these are legit and non-sexual in nature)
If you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here, and if you want to use the bike share system, as useful for visitors as it is for residents, then you can learn more by clicking this. Visitors with reduced mobility will be pleased to find that downtown Ljubljana is generally rated as good with regard to accessibility, and that there’s a free, city-sponsored app called Ljubljana by Wheelchair highlighting cafés, attractions and so on with ramps, disabled bathrooms and Eurokey facilities, which you can read about and download here. Manual wheelchair users can also borrow, for free, an attachment that will motorise their equipment, as reported here.
Screenshot from a Twitter video
If you’re driving into town and don’t know where to part, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.
There aren't many places to eat after midnight, and most of them are by the train station, as reported here.
Want / need cigarettes but the stores have closed? Here's an incomplete list of bars downtown that will satisfy your craving for the demon weed. While if you’re having trouble with the ATMs then here’s a guide to the Slovene you’ll see on screen. If you get a hangover then find out where to get paracetamol (and prescription drugs) in Ljubljana here, while details on emergency birth control can be found here.
Ljubljana is a small and relatively safe city, but if need to contact the police then there’s a special number for foreigners, and that’s 113.
MUNICH, Germany - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will meet Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy Hubert Aiwanger. BUCHAREST, Romania - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec will attend an informal session of the EU's Agriculture and Fisheries Council. LJUBLJANA - The results of the mail-in vote from abroad will be added to the results of the 26 May EU election. LJUBLJANA - A panel debate featuring ministers of infrastructure, home affairs, justice and health will discuss ways to improve road safety in the country. LJUBLJANA - An international conference on economic justice, co-organised by Eurodad, a network of NGOs from 20 European countries; until 5 June. LJUBLJANA - Waste packaging management companies Dinos and Interseroh will speak to reporters about the situation involving packaging waste. LJUBLJANA - A reception for Slovenian riders Primož Roglič, Jan Polanc and Tadej Pogačar following their latest achievements in road cycling races.
TUESDAY, 4 June LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission will conduct interviews with three former directors of the national intelligence agency SOVA behind closed doors. MUNICH, Germany - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will take part in the opening of Transport Logistic, the world's leading trade fair for logistics and mobility. LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Faculty of Engineering will launch the country's first Smart Factory demonstration centre. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce will present the German economy's award. OPATIJA, Croatia - The parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food will be briefed on the impact of natural calamities on the woods in Slovenia and Croatia. CELJE - The shareholders' meeting of the chemical company Cinkarna Celje will decide on distribution of last year's profit and a buyback plan. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Insurance Association will present the results of a survey on financial literacy. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Muslim community will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Composers' Association will present the Kozina Award for lifetime oeuvre. LJUBLJANA - A concert by English musician Sting. LJUBLJANA - New administrative prices of regulated fuels will kick in.
WEDNESDAY, 5 June LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host a two-day meeting of the Three Seas Initiative, while Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will host the initiative's business forum. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee will resume debate on the national security strategy resolution. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Labour Committee will debate amendments to the prevention of undeclared work and employment act. ČRNOMELJ - A panel debate on migration, held by the Slovenian Philantrophy. LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption will present key findings from its annual report for 2018. LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service will release registered unemployment total for May. VELENJE - A conference on the future of the energy sector in the valley that is home to the Šoštanj coal-fired power station TEŠ and the Velenje coal mine. LJUBLJANA - The committees on labour and home affairs, and public administration will debate abuse of social transfers by fictitious residents at a session called by the opposition Democrats (SDS). LJUBLJANA - The shareholders' meeting of retailer Mercator is to appoint two new supervisors, among other items on the agenda. ZREČE - The shareholders' meeting of the state-owned tool maker Unior will decide on distribution of last year's profit. LJUBLJANA - The winner of the Vilenica Prize will be declared ahead of the 34th annual international literary festival, between 10 and 15 September. IZOLA - The film festival Kino Otok - Isola Cinema will open, to run until 9 June. LJUBLJANA - Memoirs written by Ani Župančič (1891-1967), the wife of poet and playwright Oton Župančič (1878-1949), will be launched to mark the 70th anniversary of the poet's death.
THURSDAY, 6 June LJUBLJANA/BRDO PRI KRANJU - The second day of the Three Seas initiative summit. LJUBLJANA - A regular weekly session of the government. LJUBLJANA - A ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the Slovenian Science Foundation. LJUBLJANA - Diggit, the national conference on digital communications. LJUBLJANA - Eastern European Countries Committee of Insol Europe will hold a conference on how to navigate companies in distress. RIMSKE TOPLICE - A conference of the Slovenian Hoteliers' Association. LJUBLJANA - Primož Trubar Day will be observed to pay tribute to the 16th-century protestant priest who printed the first Slovenian books.
FRIDAY, 7 June KRŠKO - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will address a ceremony on Slovenian Exiles Day. LJUBLJANA - On World Food Safety Day a debate will be held by the Ministry of Agriculture, Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection and the National Council. LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release external trade data for April. KLAGENFURT, Austria - Slovenia will play Austria in a 2020 Euro qualifier. LJUBLJANA - June in Ljubljana, a three-week festival, will open with Giselle performed by the Ljubljana ballet ensemble.
SATURDAY, 8 June LJUBELJ - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will address a ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp below the Ljubelj mountain pass. PTUJ - Summer festival Arsana, running until 27 July, will start with an opera spectacle.
SUNDAY, 9 June LJUBLJANA - The Franja cycling marathon will be held.
STA, 1 June 2019 - June brings change to public transport as a universal integrated transport service kicks in on Saturday. A passenger, buying one pass, will be able to use all means of public transport available, notably bus, coach and railway services of all transport service providers.
For those commuting daily to Ljubljana from nearby towns, 35 to 40 new fast bus or coach services will be introduced, which means they will have only one stop in-between.
Monthly and annual passes will be available as of today, with the former costing the equivalent of 32 single passes and the latter the equivalent of eight monthly passes.
This is in line with the government's decision in April, when a decree on the new integrated system of public transport for passengers was adopted.
New single, daily and weekly passes will be introduced in August, to be followed up in 2020 with an integrated monthly pass at the price of only 26 single passes.
Prices depend on the length of the journey; the lowest one was set for a distance of up to 5 kilometres (EUR 1.3) and the highest for over 150 kilometres (EUR 13).
Transport providers taking part in the new scheme will have an option of offering up to a 30% discount for monthly and annual passes.
The government decreed a 20% discount as the lowest possible for annual passes, as its goal is to have more than 80% of all passengers opt for annual or monthly passes.
The set prices are generally the prices of coach services, although transport officials have expected lower prices to encourage the use of public transport.
Although rail and bus fares should cost the same under the decree, business daily Finance recently reported rail operator Slovenske Železnice (SŽ) did not plan a price rise.
Commenting on the new system for Finance, Robert Sever of the GZS's transport section said last month: "We don't expect a revolution, but the fast lines will attract somewhat more passengers. However, passengers from Postojna will still get stuck in traffic jams on the motorway just like those in cars."
The expansion of the integrated passenger transport service comes after secondary school and university students started testing it in the 2016/17 academic year.
Finance has reported some EUR 120 million is available for public transport services a year, of which SŽ and 25 coach companies as the providers of the public service of integrated passenger transport received almost EUR 44 million for subsidised student passes in 2018.
The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 31 May 2019
Mladina: The poor election results of the Left
STA, 31 May - Analysing the poor showing of the opposition Left in Sunday's EU election, the weekly Mladina says that rather than by a negative attitude it received from the media, the party was affected by the choice of candidates on its list, in particular Violeta Tomić as the frontrunner.
Although faced with constant opposition from all parties bar the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and a negative attitude of the media, the Left has managed to create a base of voters for itself among intellectuals, urban population and leftists.
Its cooperation with the government also did not harm its public ratings, Mladina editor-in-chief Grega Repovž notes in Friday's editorial.
So the reason for the party's election result must lay in its list of candidates, which was topped by Tomić, who has not been received well by the voters.
"People are put off by her appearance, which intentionally or unintentionally comes across as rough and thus unpleasant to most voters of the Left."
Although the views she advocates are completely in order, she simply does not leave a positive impression, Repovž says. "A large part of voters of the Left will not vote for her or would do so with unease. She is therefore simply not the right top candidate."
If a stronger candidate topped the list, which was solid and no worse than those of other lists running in the election, the Left might have won more votes. But with Tomić in the lead, the whole list lost credibility.
"Unfortunately that was not the only mistake. The party put its president (Luka) Mesec in the last spot - as a kind of public recognition that the party itself does not believe in its list. Voters perceived this as underestimating."
Winning a seat in the European Parliament is important and the Left was left without one entirely by its own blame. The poor election result also made the party weaker in the domestic political arena, Repovž says under the headline The Left.
Demokracija: EU elections mean PM on his way out
STA, 30 May 2019 - Examining the Eurovote results in its commentary on Wednesday, the right-wing weekly Demokracija says that the days of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec are numbered because he would not form alliances with other parties. This cost Igor Šoltes, the grandchild a late senior Communist Party official, his seat in the European Parliament.
Demokracija editor-in-chief Jože Biščak says under that headline Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock... that Šarec will never be forgiven by the deep state for costing Edvard Kardelj's grandchild his MEP seat.
The paper says that the people who "made a comedian a prime minister" failed at creating a liberal bloc that would comprise the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) for the Eurovote.
Despite support from the mainstream media, Šarec's support has dropped. He lost the election and his party only got two seats in European Parliament.
"If Slovenia was a functioning democracy and the land on the sunny side of the Alps had a rule of law, Šarec would offer his resignation, dissolve the coalition and demand an early election."
"In a year and a half, he lost as many as four elections and with the exception of the presidential vote (which is special), he was always defeated by the Democrats (SDS).
"But because Slovenia is ruled by the deep state and the uncles drawing all the strings do not want to give up their transitional advantages, measures had to be taken to repair the damage."
This meant that left-leaning political analysts went on to proclaim the SD and the LMŠ winners of the election, while the SDS, which ran on a joint ticket with the People Party (SLS) was the loser because one of the three seats won by the coalition went to the SLS.
This perverted logic indicates a poor understanding for how the Eurovote works, Biščak says, going on to explain that election coalitions are a logical decision for EU elections, where success threshold is much higher than in the national parliamentary election.
He says that if New Slovenia (NSi) joined the SDS+SLS coalition, they could have won as many as five of Slovenia's seats in European Parliament. But the "whisperers from the background" managed to persuade NSi president Matej Tonin that he should not be in SDS head's Janez Janša's shadow.
Biščak says that the SDS would get the three MEP seats even if it did not cooperate with the SLS, while the latter could not have gotten a single MEP on its own. This alliance will allow the SLS to become a major national player once again.
Šarec's days are numbered because he refuses to listen, Biščak says, explaining how his refusal to connect with other parties cost Šoltes, who has served as MEP in the previous term, his seat in Brussels.
STA, 31 May - Mercator, Slovenia's largest retailer, posted a group net loss of EUR 3.7 million for the first quarter of 2019 compared to a net profit of EUR 1.9 million for the same period last year, as sales declined by 3.1% to just under EUR 500 million, according to preliminary results released on Friday.
Group operating profit (EBIT) rose 5.6% to EUR 9.6 million, with normalised profit before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) up 75% to EUR 39.7 million.
The core Slovenian company saw net profit rising marginally to EUR 4.8 million on sales that topped EUR 281 million, an increase of less than a million euro from the same period last year.
Mercator said the year-on-year results were not entirely comparable as a new international accounting standard came into effect on 1 January affecting how rents are booked.
The sales decline is also partially attributed to the Easter shopping season falling into March last year and April this year, and stiffer competition in Serbia, which accounts for about a third of overall sales.
The release comes a day after Mercator revealed it had signed an EUR 80 million agreement with VTB bank of Russia to refinance its super senior loan facility, seen as paving the way for the next phase of financial restructuring.
Owned by bankrupt Croatian conglomerate Agrokor, Mercator is officially still part of the Agrokor group but is slated for transfer to Fortenova Grupa onto which healthy Agrokor assets have been shifted.
The company said today that the transfer is conditional on approval by Mercator's creditor banks, approval by competent anti-trust institutions, and successfully completed takeover bid for the shares of the core company Poslovni sistem Mercator.
Net financial expenditure almost doubled to EUR 11.55 million at the level of the group, increasing by 15.7% to EUR 4.95 million at the core company.
The group's debt-to-equity ratio as of December 2018 stood at 1:2.08. The report notes that through financial restructuring in recent years the group improved the composition of financial liabilities by maturity.
Slovenia remains the most important market, while the strongest growth in revenue was posted in Bosnia-Herzegovina, mainly as a result of stabilisation and establishment of partner relationships with the suppliers, and transfer of best practice from Mercator's other markets.
Mercator finalised the sale of ten shopping centres in Slovenia and some other smaller divestments, divesting a total of EUR 122.8 million in the first quarter of the year. Most went toward meeting financial liabilities.
Nearly EUR 3.5 million was reinvested in fixed assets. In all markets, a total of five new retail units were leased, comprising 3,000 gross square metres of new store space.
Mercator has also launched a process to collect bids for project documentation development for the construction of a new logistics and distribution hub in Ljubljana. The building designer is to be chosen by the end of June.
The new logistics and distribution centre is expected to reduce the costs of logistics, and improve efficiency, profitability and business processes.
The group employed 20,242 people at the end of March, 1.9% fewer than a year ago.
Keep up with business news in Slovenia here, and follow the daily headlines here
STA, 31 May 2019 - Slovenian canoeists Benjamin Savšek, Anže Berčič and Luka Božič won the team event at the European Canoe Slalom Championships in France's Pau on Friday, beating the second-placed French team by a mere 0.16 seconds. The kayak team followed the success up by grabbing silver.
The battle with the host nation was tough and nail-biting from the start until the very end, with the Slovenians eventually prevailing. The third place went to Russia.
This is the second gold medal at the European championships for Slovenia in team events, the first coming in 2014 in Vienna with the same line-up of Savšek, Berčič and Božič.
The trio, which has been competing together for eight years, had been considered favourites due to their quality and experience, which they indeed proved on the course after narrowly missing gold at last year's world championship.
"We managed to merge all three 'egos' into one. We managed an excellent run, we made no mistakes, and I'm really happy that we got the gold. The fight was really tough, it was so tense at the finish line," said Savšek.
The trio will have to wait a little bit to properly celebrate the win, as they are scheduled to take part in an individual competition on Saturday.
"A new competition, a new day is ahead of us tomorrow. Everything will start from scratch. I hope that this win will not be the only one and that we will be celebrating two wins tomorrow," added the 32-year-old veteran.
This was not the only medal for Slovenia today, as kayakers Peter Kauzer, Martin Srabotnik and Niko Testen were second in the team event, conceding only to the Czech team, while finishing ahead of Germany.
"The Czechs deserved to win, they were too good. It is important that we started the competition with a medal, and I sincerely hope that we will win some more," said the veteran Kauzer.
This is the fourth gold medal for Slovenia in team events at the European championships, with Kauzer being a member of all four teams. He will have the opportunity to win another one in the individual competition on Sunday.
STA, 30 May 2019 - The government has formally aborted plans to build hydro power stations on the river Mura in the north-east. The decision, expectedly inviting mixed responses, was taken after the former environment minister announced in January the project was not viable due to environmental concerns.
The government on Thursday halted the drafting of the zoning plan for the Hrastje-Mota hydro power station upon the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry's proposal.
The ministry had examined three proposed options for the new facility, finding them all environmentally inappropriate.
Speaking after the government session, Minister Simon Zajc said it was impossible to find a suitable location that would not affect the environment, even if measures to alleviate its impact were taken.
"Without a valid national zoning plan, nothing can be constructed, not even the power stations," he said, recalling this was in line with the coalition agreement, in which the coalition parties pledged there would be no power stations on the Mura.
Environmentalists, who have campaigned for this for years, welcomed the decision, hoping it would be followed up by stripping the investor, power utility Dravske Elektrarne Maribor (DEM), of the licence to build eight power station on the Mura.
Andreja Slameršek of the Let's Save the Mura! campaign said she expected DEM to seek the reimbursement of the funds it had already invested in the project.
Environment Ministry data shows the company has so far spent over EUR 12 million on a variety of studies, measurements and other activities related to the project.
But this is nothing "compared to preserving the Mura, the sources of drinking water and possibilities for sustainable development of the people in the Mura area", she said.
However, Zajc said he was not afraid of the potential claims for the invested funds. "They can of course demand it, but they have no legal grounds to do so."
DEM regretted today's decision, attributing it to pursuing partial interests of one sector (the environment) to the detriment of other broader goals (social, agricultural, climate and energy ones).
DEM also said in a release studies had shown the Hrastje-Mota project would have been environmentally viable if measures to alleviate the impact on the environment had been taken.
It did not say whether it would seek reimbursement of the incurred costs. But back in February, DEM and its parent company HSE called against rushing any decisions, saying a solution that would be in Slovenia's long-term interest should be found.
The river Mura is one of the areas with the highest level of biodiversity not only in Slovenia but also in Europe. Last July, UNESCO declared it a biosphere reserve.
