STA, 20 May 2019 - Three months after being launched, a civil initiative fighting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and providing assistance to victims has received reports about 15 priests who allegedly abused 25 victims. Criminal complaints have been filed against seven priests so far.

Talking to the press on Monday, Matej Križanič of Dovolj.je (It's Enough) said that 14 of the victims were male and 11 female; 15 of them were underage. Most of them came from Ljubljana.

Križanič, a permanent deacon and assistant director of the Bežigrad Social Services, said that the initiative had filed criminal complaints against seven priests.

He added that a support group for victims would be established in October, led by two acclaimed therapists.

"After three months of listening to many testimonies, we are even more determined to go all the way in supporting the victims," said Igor Vovk, the director of Catholic portal Iskreni.net.

A victim of sexual abuse also talked at the press conference. She said she had decided to speak out to encourage other victims.

Expressing disappointment that her molester faced no sanctions and was still allowed to work with youths, she revealed his name. The priest in question started working in the Murska Sobota diocese this year.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Šarec stresses decision on potential Mali and Lebanon withdrawal still open

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec and Defence Minister Karl Erjavec stressed that a decision on Slovenia's potential withdrawal from the peacekeeping missions in Mali and Lebanon had not yet been taken. "No decision has been taken," Erjavec told press after Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said last week that the Defence Ministry was considering such a move. Erjavec expressed regret that Cerar had disclosed the details of "what is a confidential procedure" and explained the Defence Ministry was "constantly monitoring all missions, including the degree of risks involved". Šarec said the government remained to deliberate on this on the basis of an expert evaluation.

SDS proposes tightening asylum legislation

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) filed to parliament a bill to change the international protection act so that a foreigner entering Slovenia from a safe country could not ask for asylum in Slovenia. "The idea is to avoid the mass abuse of asylum applications," MP Branko Grims said. The SDS also proposes that all criminal acts and even reasonable suspicion that a foreigner has committed a crime are treated as a reason to deny the foreigner the asylum procedure or stop it when it has already started. The party would also like the period in which a migrant has to file the asylum request to be shortened to three days after entering Slovenia.

Hungarian minority MP determined to hold two offices

LENDAVA - Ferenc Horvath, the MP representing the Hungarian minority in Slovenia, will not give up his seat or resign as the head of the minority's umbrella organisation after the anti-corruption commission urged him to do so. "I haven't resigned as the head of the council of the Pomurje Self-Governing National Community", he saod after its session. He said the law to which the anti-corruption watchdog had referred when citing the rules on incompatibility of offices did not apply to MPs. Horvath explained he had decided not to resign as the minority's umbrella organisation's leader based on legal opinions, amd announced he would use all legal means to prove his case.

Speakers laud Slovenia-Switzerland cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Marine Carobbio Guscetti, the speaker of the lower chamber of the Swiss National Assembly, met her counterpart Dejan Židan during her official visit to Slovenia with the pair lauding good bilateral cooperation and efficient use of Swiss contribution to EU cohesion funds in Slovenia. The pair also paid tribute to World Bee Day observed today. Carobbio Guscetti also met Slovenia's other top officials, including President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Marjan Šarec.

Cooperation with Latin American in focus of conference

LJUBLJANA - A conference dedicated to cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean kicked off today with calls for closer ties, not just in trade but also in areas such as science, education and culture. "We share the commitment to active multilateralism, human rights, sustainable development, peaceful resolution of disputes and international law," Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said in his opening address.

Šarec defends govt handling of migration

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec defended measures taken by his government in response to a spike in illegal migration in questions time in parliament, arguing that the situation did not call for activating an article that gives the army additional powers. In response to criticism voiced the opposition Democratic Party (SDS), Šarec listed several measures taken by the government to increase army and police presence on the border. He suggested the SDS was exploiting the topic because it failed to form a government.

Poklukar says border fence plot owners to be fairly compensated

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar announced that his ministry is drafting legislative changes to compensate the owners of land along the border with Croatia where the state erected a fence in 2015. The minister announced the motion to change the state border control act as he answered a question from MP Blaž Pavlina of the opposition New Slovenia (NSi), who said the ministry was being late in establishing the easement right on such land. Poklukar said that the Interior Ministry was aware of the fact that the relevant procedures were slow, adding that it was looking for solutions to make the procedures more effective and faster in cooperation with other departments.

Analyst says Austrian scandal revealed methods of populist parties

LJUBLJANA - Political analyst Marko Lovec assessed for the STA that Austria's corruption scandal would definitely impact the EU election in Austria, it is however not clear to what extent it would affect the elections as a whole. The scandal clearly demonstrated that some populist parties in Europe are open to embracing foreign meddling, Lovec said. "The problem of rightist populist parties is that they are building their campaign on being different from existing elites, on the promise they will operate in a fairer way, be closer to the people," the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences professor said.

SDS+SLS top Vox Populi poll ahead of EU vote

LJUBLJANA - The joint list of the Democrats (SDS) and the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS) emerged as the favourite ahead of the EU elections in the latest Vox Populi poll. It is followed by the Social Democrats (SD) and the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ). The poll, conducted by Ninamedia for the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the newspaper Dnevnik, shows 18.9% of the respondents opting for the SDS+SLS ticket headed by MEP Milan Zver, 18.1% for the SD list headed by MEP Tanja Fajon and 16.9% for the LMŠ with Irena Joveva.

Slovenia ambitious in its climate goals, PM says

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has ambitious energy and climate goals, PM Marjan Šarec said during questions time in parliament. To meet the goals, Slovenia will need to shut down the TEŠ thermal power plant, but before doing so, it will need to provide the answer on how it would produce electricity. Šarec defended the country's energy and climate change plan after Luka Mesec of the opposition Left noted that the NGO European Climate Foundation had recently labelled Slovenia's climate change plans the worst in the EU.

Three months after launch, sex abuse initiative reports seven priests

LJUBLJANA - Three months after being launched, a civil initiative fighting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and providing assistance to victims has received reports about 15 priests who allegedly abused 25 victims. Criminal complaints have been filed against seven priests so far. Talking to the press, Matej Križanič of Dovolj.je (It's Enough) said that 14 of the victims were male and 11 female; 15 of them were underage. Most of them came from Ljubljana.

Efforts for new national library revived after long hiatus

LJUBLJANA - Reviving the new national library project that has been in the planning stages since 1989 and last saw a seven-year hiatus, Education and Science Minister Jernej Pikalo signed an annex to the contract for the building's design documents. Estimating the entire project at EUR 50 million, Pikalo said there were different possibilities of financing. One would entail changes to the 1994 act, another option are EU funds and yet another the funds from the so called Juncker Plan or the European Fund for Strategic Investments. In the end, the sources are bound to be mixed, the minister announced.

Project for faster boarding tested at Ljubljana airport

LJUBLJANA - Amadeus, a company specialising in IT solutions for tourism and travel, is testing a solution at Ljubljana airport to make check-in and boarding faster and easier for passengers. The project relies on biometric data to make check-in, security and boarding up to 75% faster. The joint project of the Ljubljana airport, the Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways and the Polish carrier Lot is aimed at reducing the pressure on airport infrastructure in the face of the growing number of passengers, and cut queues at airports.

Locals call for new take-off procedures at Ljubljana airport

BRNIK - Mayors of six municipalities near Slovenia's biggest airport, the Jože Pučnik Airport Ljubljana, have called on the Civil Aviation Agency to adopt measures to lower the level of noise. The municipalities demand that pilots fly in corridors so as to avoid low overflights. The noise has been increasing since new departure procedures were introduced in 2013 in which municipalities did not have a say, the mayors said. To allow "relatively negligible private financial savings of airlines, state institutions completely ignored the effects of noise, and public interest six years ago".

Nova Gorica, Gorizia seeking European Capital of Culture title

NOVA GORICA/GORIZIA, Italy - The border city of Nova Gorica and its Italian neighbour Gorizia plan to vie for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2025. Both mayors see the joint bid as an opportunity for the twin cities and an extension of the way the cities already collaborate. Nova Gorica and Gorizia plan to structure their bid around the strong role the conurbation plays on the border as a place that connect languages and cultures.

Climbing: Garnbret continues perfect season, eyeing two more titles

MUNICH, Germany - Slovenia's Janja Garnbret continues to perform in a league of her own in this year's climbing World Cup, having won her fifth straight bouldering event in Munich on Sunday. The 20-year-old has already clinched the overall bouldering title for the season and will now be out to also win the lead climbing and combined titles. While this is the second bouldering World Cup title for Garnbret after 2017, she also hopes to win the sixth and final bouldering event of the season in Vail, Colorado in June to become the first ever climber with a perfect bouldering record.

Young Slovenian making waves on pro cycling circuit

PASADENA, US - Tadej Pogačar, a 20-year-old Slovenian rider, is rapidly climbing in the world of professional cycling. The UAE Emirates team member won a WorldTour race in California this weekend, to gain 84 spots in the pro rankings. The young Slovenian left behind some of the world's top riders to win the Tour of California, having donned the yellow jersey in the penultimate stage and then defending it with a winning ride on Mt. Baldy ahead of Sergio Higuita.

Strahovnik's piece wins Rostrum music competition

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Prana, a piece written by Slovenian composer Petra Strahovnik and played by the public broadcaster's Symphony Orchestra, has won the Rostrum annual competition of contemporary classical music, which was recently held in Argentina. The public broadcaster RTV Slovenija hailed it as a historic achievement for Strahovnik and its radio station Radio Slovenija at the Rostrum since it was first held in 1954. While composing Prana, Strahovnik, 33, worked closely with the Symphony Orchestra to experiment with new sound techniques.

STA, 20 May 2019 - The peak cruise ship season has started at the Slovenian seaside, with some 2,500 cruise passengers sailing into the Koper harbour last Saturday and almost 5,000 being expected this week.

MS Mein Schiff 6, which is part of the TUI Cruises' fleet and carries more than 1,000 crew members in addition to the passengers, arrived in Slovenia's only sea port for the first time on Saturday.

Being almost 300 metres long and over 40 metres wide, Mein Schiff 6 is one of the biggest ships the harbour has ever welcomed, said the Koper municipality.

To mark the occasion, the municipality's representatives as well as representatives of the port operator Luka Koper met with the ship's captain.

The ship is one of the fleet's new vessels, being launched in January 2017, and it embarked on its maiden voyage in June 2017.

It offers mid-priced cruises, accessible to a wider range of customers, with a few suites designed for more high-end passengers.

Koper expects to welcome three cruise ships this week, including MSC Musica on Tuesday, Marella Discovery on Wednesday and Viking Star on Friday.

MSC Musica, carrying some 2,000 passengers, will sail from Venice and later continue its journey to Zadar in Croatia.

Marella Discovery visited Koper already at the beginning of May and will make a stop in the Slovenian harbour again during its voyage to Venice, carrying some 1,800 passengers.

Viking Star, on the other hand, is a luxury cruise ship, having space for almost 1,000 passengers.

STA, 20 May 2019 - Marine Carobbio Guscetti, the speaker of the lower chamber of the Swiss National Assembly, met her counterpart Dejan Židan during her official visit to Slovenia on Monday with the pair lauding good bilateral cooperation and efficient use of Swiss contribution to cohesion funds in Slovenia.

Židan described Slovenia and Switzerland as two nations in an amicable relationship which cooperated well and ever more. Last year, bilateral trade topped EUR 2 billion, EUR 1.5 billion of which was in goods and EUR 0.5 billion in services, Židan noted, adding that trade was quite balanced.

He also welcomed growing numbers of Swiss visitors to Slovenia. Their number rose by 12% and the number of the nights they spent in Slovenia rose by 16% last year.

Židan said that he and Carobbio Guscetti also talked about Switzerland's contribution to EU cohesion funds, "which has been spent efficiently in several fields" in Slovenia.

Predsednica @ParlCH @MarinaCarobbio nadaljuje obisk v Sloveniji.

????

Danes uradni pogovori v DZ, sodelovanje na okrogli mizi...

V letu 2018 smo sicer zabeležili rast gospodarske menjave, ki je bila večja od 2 milijard EUR. Za 12% pa je večji tudi obisk švicarskih turistov pic.twitter.com/GFB97Vg5wa

— Dejan Židan (@ZidanDejan) May 20, 2019

On Sunday they visited the Josip Plemelj Primary School in Bled whose heating system had been overhauled under the REAAL (Renewable Energy Across the Alpine Land) project with the help of Swiss funds.

Židan also noted Switzerland's cooperation in the development of the oncology centre at the UKC Maribor hospital. The country has donated the centre two radiation devices and enables training of experts.

Carobbio Guscetti finds it "important to see the results of Swiss contributions in Slovenia". She too noted the good relationship between the two countries, and remarked that Switzerland ranks third in terms of foreign direct investment.

The speakers also discussed political developments, not only in Slovenia and Switzerland, but also in the EU and the Western Balkans.

They also talked about World Bee Day with Carobbio Guscetti commenting that she was happy to be in Slovenia on this day initiated by Slovenia, an initiative that Switzerland supported.

#journeemondialedesabeilles ? en #Slovénie. @MarinaCarobbio à propos de la disparition des abeilles : « Sans abeilles, pas de plantes; sans plantes, pas d’agriculture; sans agriculture, pas de nourriture », lors d’une table ronde en présence du réalisateur??#MarkusImhoof pic.twitter.com/XJU5ARujqU

— Parl CH (@ParlCH) May 20, 2019

Židan and Carobbio Guscetti also took part in a round-table debate at the Slovenian National Assembly marking World Bee Day.

In the afternoon, the speaker of the Swiss National Council is due to meet President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Alojz Kovšca, the head of the upper chamber of Slovenia's parliament, and members of the parliamentary committees on foreign policy and EU affairs.

Carobbio Guscetti will also visit Maribor, Slovenia's second city, on Tuesday.

STA, 20 May 2019 - The government has not yet presented the priorities for Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021, but the parties running for seats in the European Parliament have some ideas, although quite different ones, about the topics that should be prioritised.

The ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) says it is too early to discuss priorities as these have to be set by all three countries from what is termed the presidency trio.

This is why Slovenia has already entered dialogue with Germany and Portugal, which will chair the Council 12 months before Slovenia.

A similar view is held by the opposition Democrats (SDS), which were in power when Slovenia presided over the EU for the first time in 2008.

The SDS says Slovenia, Germany and Portugal will jointly set long-term goals and produce a common programme of topics to be discussed from July 2020 to December 2021.

Nevertheless, security, defence and the protection of citizens, alongside demographic trends and the environment should top the list of the trio's priorities, says the SDS, which has a joint list of candidates with the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS).

The coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) would like topics such as a stronger social union, the rule of law, innovations, sustainable development and security challenges to be at the forefront.

Security and the related issue of illegal migrations was also highlighted as the first priority by the non-parliamentary Homeland League (DOM).

Prosperity should be the next on the list, says DOM, which also notes the EU's cohesion policy has not bridged the development gap between various EU regions.

Meanwhile, consistent respect for the EU and international law, protection of human rights and dignity, the establishment of a fully-fledged European Social Union and a fresh impetus for EU enlargement, remain key topics for Slovenia for the coalition Social Democrats (SD).

Climate change, poverty eradication and sustainable agriculture should also be prioritised, the party says.

Similarly, the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) believes Slovenia should provide for a fresh impetus to EU enlargement towards the Balkans.

It also believes the country should promote the good practices from home, such as solid environmental protection and enhanced solidarity.

The opposition Left believes EU presidency will be an opportunity to focus on reforms to make the EU more democratic, fight against tax havens, implement climate goals from the Paris Agreement by 2030, and to produce a green New Deal.

Slovenia could also promote some of its successful policies, such as the constitutional protection of drinking water and a minimum wage that is by 20% higher than the minimum costs of living.

The non-parliamentary Good State says Slovenia as the presiding EU country should highlight the respect for EU citizens and for the rule of law.

The Let's Connect list believes the four priorities should be "a green, safe, socially just and clean Europe".

The non-parliamentary Greens of Slovenia say Slovenia should focus on the CAP, environment, competition and technology.

Meanwhile, the coalition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) says Slovenia should highlight all EU advantages, but also do its best to enhance its own influence in the EU.

For the opposition New Slovenia (NSi), it would be good for Slovenia to build on the reputation of a leader in healthcare and in fighting cancer it earned during the 2008 EU presidency.

But environmental issues, including the protection of pollinators, as well as the development of agriculture and SMEs should also be in the focus.

The non-parliamentary United Slovenia believes the only priority should be "consistent efforts for overhauling the EU into a union of sovereign and free nations".

This would require a thorough reform of the EU's foundations, but the party believes interests of multinationals and capital should no longer be at the forefront.

The opposition National Party (SNS) doubts Slovenia has enough qualified staff to produce a good programme for EU presidency in the first place.

Still, it believes the country should bring up a number of problems during the presidency which have resulted from poor decisions taken by previous governments.

All our stories on the European Union are here

STA, 16 May 2019 - Members of parliament have urged the government to help Venezuelans of Slovenian origin leave the country by immediately starting repatriation procedures as permitted by law.

The appeal came at a session of the parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad in the midst of mounting media reports that many of the several hundred Venezuelans of Slovenian origin would like help from Slovenia to escape the hardship.

Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter Jožef Česnik said he had already received several requests from people in Venezuela and urged immediate action to help them.

Since repatriation is a complex procedure, he said an interdepartmental task force should be formed to facilitate the procedure, while the government should provide immediate assistance in cash and medicines.

Interior Ministry data suggest 323 Slovenian citizens live in Venezuela, but the Office for Slovenians Abroad estimates there could be as many as 1,000 together with their families.

Dejan Valentinčič, an official at the Office for Slovenians Abroad, said the authorities needed to be flexible, as some documents, for example police clearance certificates, were very difficult to obtain.

Repatriation requires a government decree under article 72 of the act on relations with Slovenians abroad.

Slovenia plans to hold consular days in Caracas this month to provide advice to those who want to leave Venezuela.

Ambassador to Brazil Alain Brian Bergant will try to help them get the necessary documents if they want to leave the country, and collect information which will assist the government, the Foreign Policy Committee was told yesterday.

Delo reported today (May 16) that at least 17 people have already formally requested repatriation.

The plight of ethnic Slovenians in Venezuela has received significant media coverage in recent days and revived memories of the early 2000s, when many ethnic Slovenians returned from Argentina at the peak of a severe economic crisis there.

Related: How “Brazilian Fever” Led Many Slovenes to South America

The weekend saw another IFSC competition event, this time bouldering in Munich, with five Slovenian women in the top 8, and two Slovenian men in the same.

As usual, the women’s event was won by Janja Garnbret, with second and tird places going to Fanny Gibert (France) and Mia Krampl (Slovenia). The other Slovenes in the top 8 were Katja Kadić (6^th), Vota Lukan (7^th) and Lučka Rakovec (8^th).

Turning to the men’s event, this was won by Austria’s Jakob Schubert, followed by Adam Ondra (Czech Republic) and Jan Hojer (Germany).The Slovene’s in the top 8 were Anže Perharc (5^th) and Gregor Vezonik (8^th).

If you’re in Ljubljana and want to see the world’s best sports climbers in action, then note that on Saturday Kongresni trg will see Janja Garnbret and others in a free event, Triglav the Rock, with details here.

STA, 19 May 2019 - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič won stage nine of the Giro d'Italia by finishing first in today's 34.8-kilometre time trial that ended in San Marino. His second victory in time trial earned Roglič second place overall. "My goal is to have the (pink) jersey in Verona," Roglič told the press.

Roglič, who already won the opening time trial, finished today's race on wet roads that ended with a 12-kilometre ascent to San Marino, in 51 minutes and 52 seconds.

Belgian Victor Campenaerts, the European champion who broke the hour record last month, came 11 seconds behind him, followed by Dutch Bauke Mollema, who was a minute behind.

Italian Valerio Conti has retained his pink jersey, but Roglič is now only a minute and 50 seconds behind in second place.

"Everything worked out for me today. It was a shame that the rain started just before the start and it stayed rainy until the end. I tried to minimise the risks in the turn, and make up for the difference in the difficult parts," Roglič told the press.

The third and decisive time trial will be held on the last day of the race in Verona. "My goal is to have the (pink) jersey in Verona. I'm not sorry that I don't have it now," said Roglič, smiling.

He was hinting to the media obligations that the pink jersey brings. Cyclists will have a day off on Monday, and since the Tuesday and Wednesday races will be more or less flat, he is planning on saving his strength.

After wearing the pink jersey for the first five days of the legendary race, Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) lost the overall lead to Conti (UAE Emirates) on Thursday and dropped to 11th place.

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 says far-right parties are threat to democracy

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar commented on the political scandal in Austria by tweeting that far-right parties were a threat to European democracy. He called on citizens to say no to such parties in the upcoming EU election. In contrast, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec would not comment on the situation. It is an internal political issue which Austrian politicians and voters must solve, his office told the STA. It added that the political crisis in Austria would have no major effect on the Slovenian-Austrian relations.

Židan hosts Swiss speaker

BLED, RADOVLJICA - Parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan hosted his Swiss counterpart Marina Carobbio Guscetti as she started her official three-day visit to Slovenia. The pair discussed bilateral relations and cooperation as well as EU-Swiss relations. Židan and Carobbio Guscetti spent the first day of the visit in Bled and Radovljica in north-western Slovenia, where they stopped at the Beekeeping Museum.

Slovenia's energy and climate plan ranked worst in EU

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has the worst draft energy and climate plan among all EU member states, according to a report by NGOs that highlights lack of ambition and credibility and absence of a clear path to carbon neutrality by 2050. In the report Planning for Net Zero: Assessing the draft National Energy and Climate Plans, the European Climate Foundation looked at how credible national goals are, how comprehensive and detailed policy proposals are, and how good the drafting process was.

Ljubljana fairgrounds growing, expanding congress business

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana fairgrounds, which annually hosts around 20 fairs, has been boosting its congress-hosting business lately, with the share of its revenue gained from this activity increasing from 25% in 2010 to 44% last year. Its operator believes that the venue will continue to grow and record another successful year in 2019. Presenting the figures for the STA, Iztok Bricl, the director of Gospodarsko Razstavišče, stressed that the fairgrounds operator's total revenue was up by 10% last year, with the goal being to grow at an annual rate of 5%.

Roglič wins stage nine at Giro d'Italia

SAN MARINO, San Marino - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič won stage nine of the Giro d'Italia by finishing first in today's 34.8-kilometre time trial that ended in San Marino. His second victory in time trial earned Roglič second place overall. Roglič, who already won the opening time trial, finished today's race on wet roads that ended with a 12-kilometre ascent to San Marino, in 51 minutes and 52 seconds. Belgian Victor Campenaerts came 11 seconds behind him, followed by Dutch Bauke Mollema, who was a minute behind.

May 19, 2019

While staying awake to the end of the Eurovision Song Contest is too much of a challenge for some, others gain in excitement as the show progresses, with casting votes and adding the points being the highlight they’ve been waiting for.

Although the Eurovision Song Contest was established as an entertainment and politics-free event that would bring Europe together, it has never avoided being heavily influenced by regional geopolitical factors throughout the voting or even in songs themselves. In 2016, for example, two years after Russian annexation of Crimea, Ukraine won the contest with a song about the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Stalin’s Soviet Union, sparking protests from Russia. This year, on the other hand, the Icelandic group Hatari displayed Palestinian flags in Tel Aviv during the popular vote announcements, sparking anger from the production staff, who demanded the flags be handed over to them as objects of political statement are not allowed on the premises of the competition.

"Give me palestine flag" so we can pretend they dont exist. #HATARI #12stig #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/szBh0PdfiI

— Stefán Ágústsson (@stebbisnaer) May 18, 2019

Even if we move past these singular events, it has been observed that countries of particular regions, for example the Balkans or Scandinavia, tend to exchange votes for songs among themselves – as do Greece and Cyprus, Belarus and Ukraine – unless something really spectacular is put on stage, such as this year’s Australian princess Elsa “flying” on a long stick. But since the songs tend to address as big an audience as possible, Eurosong acts are quite bland in general, which allows political divides to show.

So how did Slovenia vote this year?

Since voting is divided between the jury, which gives 50% of the vote, and popular audience, who gives it the other 50%, the results come in two separate columns:

Source: Eurovision.tv

Although some of the middle range of the countries chosen by the jury and the popular vote look similar, the top two suggest that the popular vote decided for some regional bonding, while the jury seems to have had things other than Yugoslav friendship in mind when deciding which song to award with 12 and 10 points. Also, we can see that the jury might have been playing safe and conservative when deciding whom to award points. Most notably we can see the jurors skipped goth-techno band Hatari from Iceland, but also Australia, whose performance was also quite unique, although perhaps meant for a different age group than Iceland’s bondage spectacular. Both of these countries were nevertheless awarded with points from the popular vote and so was Norwegian dance banger.