STA, 29 May 2019 - The NGO DrogArt has launched a campaign to raise the level of nightlife culture in Slovenia and reduce the dangers of reckless partying.

The NGO is urging nightclubs, bars and event organisers to have trained staff available at all times and raise awareness among their guests about the dangers of drink and driving, including with brochures.

DrogArt would also like them to offer water, condoms and ear plugs to their customers free of charge.

The clubs and events organisers who will meet all these demands will be awarded a special NightArt quality certificate.

Related: Ljubljana Ranks High in European Consumption of Cocaine and MDMA, in Mid-Range for Amphetamines

According to the head of the NightArt project, Lucija Golčer, many clubs around Europe have such certificates, which cost EUR 200 a year.

In Slovenia no club has received it yet.

DrogArt has promoted the project in several clubs in Ljubljana and one in Maribor, with its activists distributing 550 condoms and 300 ear plugs. The campaign was very well received by the revellers, Golčer said.

DrogArt campaigns against alcohol and drug abuse, offering counselling, psychotherapy and psychosocial assistance to addicts.

Related: Drogart - The Party Drug Harm Reduction Association

Its 2017 on-line survey among 554 drug users and 102 attendants of drug abuse programmes in Slovenia has shown most drug users take drugs a few times a year (22%) and several times a month but less than once a week (22%). They mostly smoke marijuana, or take MDMA, cocaine and amphetamines.

Among the attendants of drug abuse programmes, most respondents said they take drugs every day, mostly methadone, tranquillisers, heroin and marijuana.

Related: What’s on in Ljubljana…

STA, 29 May 2019 - Slovenia, Finland and Norway have placed third on the list of the safest countries for children to grow up in globally, according to NGO Save the Children's latest End of Childhood index, released on Tuesday.

Slovenia, always ranking very high by child safety, has thus slipped from the first place it shared last year with Singapore, which remains the world leader.

The index measures health and prosperity of children around the globe, taking into account nutrition, access to education, infant mortality, child marriages, child labour, teenage pregnancies and regional conflicts.

Slovenia recorded 0.5% of child marriages, slightly more than four teenage girls per 1,000 gave birth, and 2.8% of children did not go to school in 2013-2018.

Related: Primary, secondary and tertiary education in Slovenia

Save the Children said in the latest report The Many Faces of Exclusion the situation had improved from last year's report in 173 out of 176 countries.

Nevertheless, an estimated 690 million are still being denied a carefree childhood due to disease, death, child marriages, premature pregnancies and undernourishment.

However, this is an improvement on 2000, when the figure was put at 970 million, the report said.

The situation is worst in some African countries, whereas the best countries to grow up in are Singapore and Sweden in second place.

Except for Singapore and South Korea, the list of best-rated countries come from Europe. The US again placed 36th.

The charity's director Helle Thorning-Schmidt urged governments to do more to give every child the best possible start in life.

The full report can be seen here

Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning, or follow us on Facebook

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:

Cerar, Lavrov discuss W Balkans, bilateral cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Topical issues, above all the Western Balkans, dominated the agenda as Foreign Minister Miro Cerar hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for a visit. Addressing a joint press conference, the pair noted good political ties between the two countries. Cerar underlined the importance of the EU's role in the Western Balkans, while Lavrov said all issues in the region must be resolved through dialogue. Bilateral relations and the Ukraine crisis were in the focus as Lavrov met President Borut Pahor and PM Marjan Šarec. The latter will visit Russia in September.

Šarec urges fast appointment of top EU officials

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec called for a rapid "package decision" on the appointments of top EU officials at Monday's post-election EU summit in Brussels. "The outside world will not wait," he said. Šarec, whose LMŠ party is an ALDE member, reiterated his opposition to the Spitzenkandidaten concept, arguing it reduced options too much. He repeated he would like to see Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager, the incumbent competition commissioner, as commission president.

Tonin says testimonies by SOVA bosses, arbitration agent do not add up

LJUBLJANA - Matej Tonin, the chair of the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission, which heard two Slovenian officials that were embroiled in the 2015 border arbitration intelligence scandal, said that the testimonies by two former directors of the intelligence agency and that of arbitration agent Simona Drenik did not add up. "Their testimonies did not match," Tonin said, announcing that the commission would interview on 4 June other former directors of SOVA and continue to check which part of the story held true.

Slovenia hails recommendation to start accession talks with Albania and N Macedonia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Foreign Ministry welcomed the European Commission's recommendation for the EU to launch accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. The ministry reiterated Slovenia's position that member states should approve the launch at the June summit. The ministry agrees with the Commission that the EU's enlargement policy is a strategic investment in peace, security, progress and stability of Europe.

Poklukar announces additional measures on southern border

ČRNOMELJ - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar visited the south-eastern region of Bela Krajina to assure the locals that the police will introduce video surveillance to boost the protection of the southern border from illegal migration. He labelled the smuggling of persons by organised groups as the biggest problem. After meeting Andrej Kavšek, the mayor of Črnomelj, the minister said the police had been using both visible and concealed measures on the border with Croatia, adding that the statistics showed the police were effective. He added that the police were also being successful in detecting smugglers of illegal migrants, arresting 120 of them this year.

Slovenia honours UN Peacekeepers Day

LJUBLJANA - Observing the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Slovenia's Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude and respect for professionalism and courage of those deployed in UN operations and missions. The ministry also honoured the UN peacekeepers who lost their lives while striving to preserve peace. So far, Slovenia has taken part in six missions, deploying some 560 soldiers and 140 police officers. In April, 15 soldiers were stationed in Lebanon (UNIFIL mission) and thee in Syria (UNSMIS mission).

Social consensus vital in combat against precarious work

LJUBLJANA - A national debate featuring several ministers and other officials heard that the fight against precarious work required systemic measures and participation of the entire society. The officials urged precarious workers to join trade unions and to report labour law violations. There were an estimated 322,000 precarious workers in Slovenia in 2017, representing 35% of all workers. A strategy to help tackle the issue is expected to be drawn up by next spring.

Bankers discuss regulation, other challenges

LJUBLJANA - Bank regulation and supervision were in the focus of a conference hosted by the Slovenian Bank Association (ZBS) in Ljubljana. ZBS head Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo urged striking a balance between regulation and supervision to provide for a quality risk management framework without hindering business crediting as the industry's basic mission. Gonzalo Gasos, banking supervision head at the European Banking Federation, described the crisis due to a lack of profitability as a major challenge.

Adria Airways denies seeking govt help

LJUBLJANA - The German-owned air carrier Adria Airways confirmed that its director general Holger Kowarschs visited PM Marjan Šarec last week to discuss cooperation, including during Slovenia's stint as EU presiding country in 2021. However, the company denied the allegation by the news web portal Siol that Adria was seeking the government's help and was threatening to close shop and lay off the employees. "We are actively looking for ways to improve cooperation," Adria said in a press release.

Fisheries inspectorate gets new cutting-edge vessel

PORTOROŽ - The Inspectorate for Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting and Fisheries obtained a new cutting-edge vessel for conducting fisheries inspections and sea rescues. The EUR 400,000 boat was bought in Croatia, with the EU covering 75% of the cost. Next to classic engines, the boat also has electric engines and is equipped with cutting-edge navigation, communication and video systems, including thermographic cameras. The fisheries inspectorate has powers not only on Slovenia's territory but the entire EU territory.

Slovenia world's third safest country for children

WASHINGTON, US - Slovenia, Finland and Norway placed third on the list of the safest countries for children to grow up in globally in the latest End of Childhood index, released by the NGO Save the Children on Tuesday. Slovenia thus slipped from the first place it shared last year with Singapore, which remains the world leader ahead of Sweden. The index takes into account nutrition, access to education, infant mortality, child marriages, child labour, teenage pregnancies and regional conflicts.

SAZU scholars urge protection of Slovenian language

LJUBLJANA - Twenty-eight members of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) sent a letter of protest to the government, parliament and the Constitutional Court, claiming that constitutionally and legally laid down care for the Slovenian language was being neglected. They urged the public to start looking after Slovenian in all areas of life. Their petition mentions "an endless sea of English signs", English lectures at university, and a lack of Slovenian language support in Apple's operating systems.

Fewer graduates last year than decade ago

LJUBLJANA - Last year, 16,680 students in Slovenia completed higher education, which indicates a slight upward trend (+1.3%) over the previous year. On the other hand, the figure shows a decrease of 3.1% compared to ten years ago, according to data released by the Statistics Office. Most of last year's graduates completed business, administration or law studies (some 20% altogether). As in previous years, female graduates (61%) outnumbered male graduates in 2018, except for higher vocational education, where 55.2% of graduates were men.

Locals demand bear and wolf cull

LJUBLJANA - Three local civil initiatives demanded legislative changes and an immediate cull of bears and wolves in areas where livestock is being attacked, in what is an escalation of long-simmering tensions over how to deal with Slovenia's growing population of large carnivores. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Marjan Šarec earlier this week, the civil initiatives demand that hunters immediately shoot the number of bears and wolves designated for culling by the Forest Service but repealed by court.

Public forest service praised for securing billions in gains

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia Forest Service marked its 25 anniversary with officials praising it for having produced net gains of over EUR 10 billion. In the last 25 years the growing stock increased by 58%, increment by 47%, and potential cut by 116%. The value of the growing stock is estimated to have grown from EUR 14 billion to EUR 21 billion. "The forests we have today are much stronger and much more vital, all the disasters notwithstanding," the services' head Damjan Oražem told reporters.

This May coldest since 1991

LJUBLJANA - After a spell of 13 months with above average temperatures, May average in Slovenia will be the lowest since 1991. This month has also been much wetter and duller than usual, with record low amounts of sunshine in some places. The average temperature in the last month of meteorological spring, which ends on Friday, will be two to three degrees Celsius lower than the long-term average, according to the Environment Agency. The rainy spell is expected to stop by Thursday evening across the country.

STA, 29 May 2019 - Foreign ministers of Slovenia and Russia, Miro Cerar and Sergey Lavrov, confirmed that political ties between the two countries were good, as they addressed the media following a meeting in Ljubljana Wednesday morning. The pair discussed topical issues, above all the Western Balkans.

Cerar told the press that Slovenia deemed it important to nurture regular dialogue at the top level with permanent members of the UN Security Council and key players in international relations.

Slovenian FM @MiroCerar is meeting Russian FM Lavrov at @MZZRS: an active dialogue at the highest level is all the more important among the countries that, for overcoming modern global challenges, are committed to #multilateralism. ????#Slovenia #Russia #Lavrov pic.twitter.com/TU9IB6Wy6J

— SLOVENIAN MFA (@MZZRS) May 29, 2019

"Being a member of the EU and NATO, Slovenia is striving for stability in the international community, especially in our neighbourhood, the Western Balkans. Therefore, we support open dialogue with Russia on all topical issues of international significance," said Cerar.

Cerar underlined the importance of the role played by the EU in Western Balkans, while Lavrov said that all open issues in the region must be resolved in a peaceful manner and through political dialogue.

They also commented on tensions in Kosovo triggered earlier this week. Lavrov said that the the tensions were provoked by those who want to make the Balkans a "sanitary cordon" targetting Russia, adding that this is being allowed by the EU and NATO.

Cerar expressed belief that the events will undoubtedly have broader consequences for the relations between Prishtina and Belgrade.

The foreign ministers also talked about other international challenges such as terrorism, the crises in Syria and Libya, the growing tensions between the US and Iran, and relations with China.

Cerar also underlined the need to do everything possible to resolve the Yemen conflict and bring one of the worst humanitarian disasters to an end.

Commenting on the Ibiza scandal that recently broke in Austria, Lavrov said that this was a case of Russo-phobia, adding that the noise had died down since it became clear that the alleged Russian oligarch daughter was not who she pretended to be.

The ministers announced that Prime Minister Marjan Šarec would visit Russia, accompanied with a business delegation, in mid-September.

Lavrov and Cerar confirmed good bilateral cooperation in business, culture and science, with Cerar saying that Russia was a key economic partner to Slovenia.

Merchandise trade between the countries amounted to EUR 1.16 billion last year, according to Slovenia's statistics, while those provided by Russia are even higher.

Russia is the fourth most important partner in terms of Slovenia's foreign direct investments, while Slovenia is becoming an increasingly popular destination among Russian tourists.

Cerar added that a bilateral commission for economic cooperation plays an important role in this and that the body would meet in Slovenia on 13 and 14 June.

Moreover, a Slovenian business delegation led by Economic Development and Technology Minister Zdravko Počivalšek is expected at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in early June.

This was the foreign ministers' second meeting following Lavrov's arrival on Tuesday. Last night, they met behind closed doors at Strmol Castle, some 20 kilometres north of Ljubljana.

Today, Lavrov also held separate meetings with President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. Pahor said in a tweet that they discussed preparations for the Three Seas Initiative meeting, which Pahor will be hosting next week.

Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor je sprejel ministra za zunanje zadeve Ruske federacije Sergeja Lavrova, ki se mudi na obisku v Sloveniji. pic.twitter.com/GBAAGvd2P2

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) May 29, 2019

The pair also discussed topical multilateral issues, focusing especially on the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Western Balkans.

The Ukraine crisis was also discussed in the meeting between Lavrov and Šarec, with the prime minister's office saying that Slovenia supported a peaceful solution in eastern Ukraine and underlined the importance Minks Agreement implementation.

They also discussed bilateral relations, labelling them friendly and adding that the countries are in ongoing dialogue in a number of fields, including economy, culture, science and education.

Zahvaljujoč posameznikom, kot je Davorin #Hostnik, avtor prvega slovensko-ruskega slovarja, so se skozi zgodovino odnosi med ruskim in slovenskim narodom razvijali v duhu prijateljstva in razumevanja. Razumeli smo se tudi takrat, kadar se nismo strinjali. ???? pic.twitter.com/IT9GyCy0WJ

— dr. Miro Cerar (@MiroCerar) May 29, 2019

The foreign ministers were today also scheduled to unveil a monument honouring Davorin Hostnik (1853-1929), the author of the first Russian-Slovenian dictionary, who made a significant contribution to bilateral relations in culture and science at the turn of the century.

The Marathon Franja BTC City – the main cycling event in Slovenia – is a race that was first run in 1982, as organised by Rog, the famed bicycle manufacture and the name behind the Pony brand. The marathon got its name from a secret hospital from WW2 that the cyclists still ride by. It’s a hospital that was named after Dr Franja Bojc, and which took care of Partisans, members of the Allied forces, civilians and others who needed help during the fight against fascism.

Now, almost four decades later, the marathon has grown to a long weekend of activities for cyclists of all ages and abilities, with a festive atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.

The main event (Marathon Franja BTC City) takes riders along a 155km route, and this is joined by 97km race (Triglav Little Marathon Franja), as well as an 83km Barjanka event that takes riders through the beauty of Ljubljana’s swamp. In addition to these, and in keeping with the inclusive nature of the whole weekend, there’s a 22km event called the Hofer Family & School Marathon for Everybody, and finally a 1.2km race, the Vzajemna Kids Marathon, aimed at those aged from 3 to 7. More details of each race can be found on the website.

The route of the main race

All the races start and end in BTC City, the vast complex of shopping malls, food courts, offices and logistics centres just outside of Ljubljana, with the focal point being the road in front of Hall A. In addition to the start and finish lines, here you’ll find a cycling expo, making it a great destination for everyone who rides a bike, and not just those in the race

The fun starts Friday, 7 June (2019), and lasts all weekend. You can see the fees for each race here – the price is lower the earlier you apply – and the online application form is here, with applications for everything (apart from the time trials) open until the race itself.

STA, 27 May 2019 - Three Slovenian and three Croatian archives have joined forces for a project presenting various topics related to wine and wine-growing on both sides of the border, which is expected to result in a travelling exhibition.

The agreement on cooperation in the Wine at the Border project was signed in Maribor on Monday by representatives of archives from Croatia's Varaždin, Zagreb and Štrigova and from Slovenia's Maribor, Ptuj and Celje.

The project is a continuation of years of successful cooperation between the six archives, coming after two similar projects. This time, the institutions want to present the wine-growing heritage of the area they cover.

"We want to present the rich history in this field by means of the archival material," Ivan Fras, the director of the Regional Archive Maribor, said on the occasion.

Borut Batagelj, the head of the Historical Archive Celje, added that it was not an extensive research project, but a presentation of the related material kept in the six archives.

The final product of the project will be a catalogue and a travelling exhibition on the wine-growing districts from Prekmurje to Posavje in Slovenia and from Međimurje to Zagorje in Croatia.

The project, whose Croatian part has already acquired EU funds, aims at presenting the border area as a whole, said Batagelj.

"Several topics will be presented: from the cultivation of land, vineyards, wine cellars, sale and consummation of wine to anti-alcohol movements," he added.

"The border is what actually connects us in this aspect, which is especially topical in the time when we are getting the feeling that the two areas are being increasingly divided."

Darko Rubčić, the director of the National Archive in Zagreb, is convinced that further cooperation between the institutions will help people from both sides of the border learn more about each other.

"Archives, which are frequently recognised in the public as defenders of national interests, want to show with such joint projects that relations in the closer border area have always been good," the initiators concluded in a press release.

All our stories about wine can be found here

STA, 28 May 2019 - Slovenia remains level in the latest World Competitiveness Rankings, retaining 37th place among 63 countries after climbing six places last year. While it made gains in business efficiency, government efficiency and development of infrastructure, it fell behind in economic efficiency.

Slovenia slipped four places in economic efficiency to rank 33rd, while gaining seven spots in business efficiency (40th), one spot in infrastructure (27th) and three spots in government efficiency (39th).

"Slovenia's overall ranking is solid," said Sanja Uršič of the Institute of Economic Research, which partners with the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in compiling the index.

But as researcher Peter Stanovnik pointed out, several challenges remain, among them an insufficient scope of investments, tax restructuring and health reform. He also pointed to innovation, staffing and productivity as areas that need to be tackled.

On the other hand, Slovenia performs well in measures such as exports, price competitiveness and education.

Stanovnik said investments had improved, but not enough. "Investments are essential for gains in productivity, which is still 20% behind the European average."

The government efficiency indicator improved due to progress in public finances and legislation governing business, while fiscal policy and the social framework held it back.

The improvement of business efficiency was driven be higher productivity, better management practices and values. The situation on the labour market deteriorated. "This is probably due to changes of the minimum wage act, which employers feel will not achieve their intended purpose," said Mateja Denovšek of the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics.

Gains in infrastructure are the result of higher marks for technological infrastructure and education.

"The overall estimate of Slovenia's attraction is based on a well trained workforce, high education levels and reliable infrastructure," according to Drnovšek.

Singapore tops the IMD rankings, followed by Hong Kong and the US. Statistical indicators account for two-thirds of the grades and survey-based indicators provide one-third of the final estimate; in Slovenia 100 managers responded to the survey.

The full rankings can be seen here

Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning, or follow us on Facebook

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:

Slovenia wants EU to give N Macedonia accession talks date in June

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec voiced Slovenia's strong advocacy for North Macedonia to get a date for the launch of EU accession talks in June, as he met his counterpart Zoran Zaev. Addressing a joint press conference, Šarec described Zaev's official visit to Slovenia as very important, noting that North Macedonia was at a crossroads. Moreover, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said at a business conference that the countries plan to increase the volume of bilateral trade from EUR 300 million to EUR 500 million over the medium term.

Lawyer Čeferin most likely new Constitutional Court judge

LJUBLJANA - Lawyer Rok Čeferin is the most likely new Constitutional Court judge, as most parliamentary parties backed him in consultations with President Borut Pahor. While the two biggest parties, the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) are yet to decide, the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) is more in favour of Janez Pogorelec, while the colaition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) would support either one. The opposition National Party (SNS) and MPs representing the two national minorities did not participate due to absence.

Slovenia remains 37th in IMD competitiveness rankings

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia remains level in the latest World Competitiveness Rankings, retaining 37th place among 63 countries after climbing six places last year. While it made gains in business efficiency, government efficiency and development of infrastructure, it fell behind in economic efficiency. Slovenia slipped four places in economic efficiency to rank 33rd, while gaining seven spots in business efficiency (40th), one spot in infrastructure (27th) and three spots in government efficiency (39th). Singapore tops the IMD rankings, followed by Hong Kong and the US.

Parliament ratifies agreement on Serbian migrant workers

LJUBLJANA - MPs ratified a Slovenia-Serbia agreement governing the employment of Serbian workers in Slovenia. The agreement, which for instance ties Serbian citizens to a single employer for a year, is meant to help address the needs of Slovenian companies and safeguard worker rights, but a rights group has not welcomed it. The agreement, reached under the previous governments in February 2018, is modelled on a similar accord Slovenia had signed with Bosnia, the country from which it has the largest number of foreign workers; Serbia places second.

Parliament transposes EU tax info exchange directives

LJUBLJANA - The MPs endorsed amendments to the tax procedure act that transpose EU directives that expand mandatory automatic exchange of information to potentially aggressive cross-border tax planning arrangements and upgrade mechanisms for resolution of cross-border tax disputes. The government expects that the more transparent tax would enhance trust in the tax system and encourage taxable persons to meet their tax liabilities. As a result of the amendments, legal entities doing business across borders are also expected to be more willing to invest in Slovenia.

Slovenian banks' quarterly profit flat

LJUBLJANA - The brisk pace of profit growth in the Slovenian banking sector after the crisis appears to have tapered off, with banks reporting a cumulative net profit of EUR 130.2 million for the first quarter, up 1.1% over the same period last year. Profit before tax was up 4.8% to EUR 149.5 million, shows a monthly central bank report. Gross revenue dropped by 0.2% to EUR 290.5 million, as net interest revenue rose 6.2% to EUR 165.7 million whereas non-interest revenue was down 7.6% to EUR 124.9 million. Banks' total assets rose 4.8% year-on-year to EUR 39.5 billion.

Environment Ministry moves to have govt scrap Mura hydro plant project

LJUBLJANA - The Environment Ministry proposed to the government to halt the drafting of zoning plans for a potential hydro power plant on the Mura river in the north-east of the country. The ministry has examined three proposed options for the plant and found them all environmentally inappropriate. The proposal comes after the government, acting in line with the coalition agreement, had announced the scrapping of plans for hydro power plants on the river but has not yet rescinded a license granted for the project to state-owned utility HSE in 2005.

Law passed for bids for European Public Prosecutor's Office

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed two sets of legislative amendments that will allow Slovenia to nominate candidates for the European Public Prosecutor's Office, and allow lawyers form the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland to do business in Slovenia. The main piece are amendments to the state prosecution service act transpose the EU directive establishing the European Public Prosecutor's Office, an independent supranational prosecution office authorised to investigate, prosecute and bring to judgement crimes against the EU budget.

Prelesnik expected to remain information commissioner

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor consultations with the heads of parliamentary groups to discuss the candidacy of Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik for another term. Prelesnik, who is the only candidate for the post, was backed by a majority of factions although some have not yet come to a formal decision. Two candidates had responded to Pahor's public call for applications for the information commissioner - besides Prelesnik, whose five-year term will end on 17 July, journalist Rajko Gerič applied as well, but later withdrew his candidacy.

Triglav shareholders to get EUR 2.50 dividends

LJUBLJANA - Shareholders of the insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav endorsed the proposal from the management and supervisory boards that EUR 56.8 million in distributable profit or EUR 2.50 gross per share be earmarked for dividends. The proposed payout represents 70% of the consolidated net profit for 2018 or 85% of the insurer's distributable profit. The ex-dividend date is 12 June, Zavarovalnica Triglav said in a press release.

Gorenje no longer public company

VELENJE - The owners of the bonds of Gorenje that continued to be listed on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange after the withdrawal of its shares by the new owner, China's Hisense, agreed to have them delisted. This means the household appliance maker is no longer bound to the responsibilities of a public company. Gorenje will enable the holders of the GV02 bonds to sell them to the issuer at EUR 1,025 plus interest apiece, the company said after an assembly. Hisense acquired 95.4% in Gorenje in mid-2018 and then squeezed out small shareholders to become the sole owner.

Survey shows hiring to continue in second half of 2019

LJUBLJANA - Employers' projections for hiring in the second half of the year are encouraging, shows an Employment Service survey, as companies plan to increase headcount by 2.6% or 31,100 staff. They plan to create some 17,300 new jobs and are mainly looking for staff because of retirement, parental leave and resignations, but also because of the growing demand for their products or services, or expansion of business. The sector expected to employ the most people is construction, where a 9.3% rise is planned, but hiring is also planned in other industries (+6.2%).

Slovenian banks working on instant payment system

LJUBLJANA - The business paper Finance reported that Slovenian banks are working with the national payment processor Bankart to develop a national system for instant peer-to-peer money transfers. Developed in conjunction with Nets, a Danish company, the system will allow transfers of up to EUR 15,000 between the accounts of physical persons and will work in mobile banks and online banks or in mobile apps. Finance says that this requires building an interbank payment system from scratch as domestic transactions of up to EUR 50,000 are currently settled every two hours.

Slovenia is a small country in the south-eastern corner of Europe. However, as small as it is, it has a very diverse countryside. So much so that it makes it unique compared to many much larger countries around the world. This diverse countryside has much to offer, and many people come to Slovenia to explore this diversity. Since the country’s independence in 1991, it has become active and alive. Alive with the more active lifestyles the people are living. One of the best ways to experience and explore the diversity and beauty the Slovenian countryside has to offer is by bicycle.

I am glad that I brought my bike with me when I moved to Slovenia in 1994. I started cycling soon after arriving and continued with my amateur cycling. Thus I experienced first-hand how cycling has developed and expanded in Slovenia. One of the principal components of this expansion is the various cycling events which are held every year — varying from events for the amateur cyclist, all the way to marathons for the professional and most enthusiastic cyclists. Events which also bring cyclists from other countries to Slovenia.

I was never the competitive type of cyclist and never attended any cycling events. But in 2015, that was destined to change. After the encouragement and challenges of friends, I decided, “OK, let’s go for it”. It was a brave and almost crazy decision I made, because for my first ever cycling event, I decided to take part in the most challenging one, the “Marathon of the Alps”. It covers over 130km, through two picturesque valleys and more, all separated by mountain passes.

The marathon starts and finishes in Kamnik. A picturesque town at the foot of the Kamnik Alps, which lies at only 380m AMSL (metres above sea level). Kamnik is also my home town, and I enjoy being out early on the day of the marathon, going through town as the final preparations are being made. The ambience and proportions of the event become evident as cyclists begin to assemble in town. But the full magnitude only becomes apparent as the marathon starts. Usually, about 600 cyclists take part in the marathon.

As the marathon starts, it takes quite some time for all contestants to leave the starting gate and get going. The first 40 to 45km is through relatively flat countryside of Carniola. This provides for a proper warm-up before we hit the slopes and it also allows for the body of cyclists to stretch out, which makes for more comfortable riding since we are no longer clutched together in a large body. The course then gradually makes its way up towards the first mountain pass at Jezersko, which is at 1211m AMSL. This is a border post with Austria. The road drops relatively quickly into Austria, but not too far before the route turns and heads back up for the main climb, over the Pavlič pass and back into Slovenia. This is also the highest point of the marathon, at 1338m AMSL.

Getting up and over this pass requires riding along narrow mountain roads with several tight hairpin bends. Going down the slopes back into Slovenia, we eventually come out onto the next flat section of the marathon. Here the route meets up with a stream and carries on through one of the most scenic areas of Slovenia. As the road carries on, weaving along with the stream, which gets wider and stronger as we go, the landscape also opens up more. If the route carried on along with the river it would follow one of the great rivers of Slovenia, the Savinja river. But it doesn’t. It makes a right turn towards the third pass and back towards Kamnik. The road leading up to that third and final pass gradually turns into an uphill, but fortunately not as steep as the roads of the two passes already covered. But it is tiring anyway, since we already have over 115km behind us, especially the final stretch to reach the summit because it’s quite a long stretch. This pass is well known to the majority of cyclists in Slovenia, with a unique name, “the 902”. It is the elevation of the pass, at 902m AMSL. From the pass, it is only 13km and almost all downhill to get to Kamnik.

It’s true that “the Marathon of the Alps” is a tough one, but it is undoubtedly unique. If you cover the route then you can certainly say: “I have seen Slovenia.” The next marathon is on Sunday, 7 July 2019, and you can register to enter at the official site.

https://www.facebook.com/Maraton-Alpe-186631339709/

STA, 27 May 219 - Animals and natural habitats in Slovenia are not doing very well, suggests a report by the Institute for Nature Conservation, calling for measures to protect the environment. The conservation status of more than half of species has been labelled as unfavourable, while almost a third of habitats are doing poorly.

The conservation status of less than a third of animal and plant species in Slovenia (30%) has been assessed as "favourable". More than half of them are in an unfavourable situation, of which 38% are in an "inadequate" state and 14% are in a "bad" state.

There is no sufficient data to assess the situation for 18% of species.

The situation is the most worrying for amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies, followed by beetles, fish, crabs, reptiles and bats.

The biggest threat to Slovenia's biodiversity is agriculture, urbanisation, industrialisation and human interfering with aquatic ecosystems.

The conservation status of some 38% of habitats has been found to be good, while for 30% of the habitat types it has been found to be "bad" and for some 32% as "insufficient".

Maritime, coastal and inshore habitats, rocks and screes and forests are doing well, while the most problematic areas are inland waters, grasslands, moors and marshes.

"Although Slovenia declares itself a green, wonderful country, our nature is not doing well," said Martina Kačičnik Jančar of the Institute for Nature Conservation, who presented the report in line with the EU habitats directive.

The institute also pointed to a recently published report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which suggested that globally a million species face extinction.