Mladina: Slovenia has short-sighted migration policy
STA, 17 May 2019 - Commenting on the migration situation, the weekly Mladina says in Friday's editorial that the government of Marjan Šarec is continuing the short-sighted policy of the previous government of Miro Cerar by increasing the number of police officers and soldiers on the border, setting up more fence an preventing asylum requests.
"However, it does not have the courage to set up reception centres and face the migration flow, process these people and determine who meets the conditions [to stay in the country] and who does not, help them integrate or return them to their countries if they are not danger zones - in short, what this country was actually doing before the 2015 refugee wave," says editor-in-chief Grega Repovž.
The number of crossings of the border and asylum requests has not risen so much. "We have seen all this before and dealt with it for decades - but now we have closed the borders and thus turned refugees into illegal migrants and pushed them to city streets, outskirts of villages and forests."
We have no idea how many of them are moving illegally across the country or waiting for transport out of the country in Ljubljana, Repovž says.
We also have no idea how many people are illegally transporting refugees or provide them with shelters in exchange for money, or how many supply them with food. That is the reality, according to Repovž.
As soon as a country starts breaking the law, it has a hard time demanding from others to respect international law.
"And that is what is our biggest mistake. We know that refugees in Croatia have no rights. That they are being illegally transported to Bosnia-Herzegovina. By copying these patterns, we are losing the opportunity to demand the respect of European asylum rules from our neighbour," Repovž says under the headline More Fences, More Soldiers, More Cops.
Demokracija: Critical of govt's inaction after abduction
STA, 16 May 2019 - The right-wing weekly Demokracija is critical of the government after an elderly man was abducted by a group of illegal migrants who stole his car to reach the border with Italy.
"Pro-migrant activists and the agitprop of mainstream media launched a theory that Moravec was not abducted, that the abduction had been staged for the purpose of EU election campaign."
It is horrifying how far some politicians, pro-migrant mouthpieces and agitprop Bolsheviks have gone.
Instead of condemning the abduction and promising to do anything in their power to prevent something like this from happening again, the left has decided to criminalise the victims.
What is more, they labelled the protest in which locals expressed their concern a rally of intolerance and hate speech. It is incomprehensible that people even have to take to the streets for the government to start following the rules.
"We need to make it clear: It's been enough! If the government fails to guarantee security and respect for its own laws, the people have the right to protect their property and lives themselves!" the weekly says under the headline Hostage and Soros's Devil's Advocates.
STA, 19 May 2019 - The Slovenian duo Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl have won 13th place at the Eurovision song contest, the best result for the country since Maja Keuc in 2011.
Their downtempo song Sebi (To Yourself) collected a combined 105 points from spectators and juries to finish in the middle of the 26-strong field.
The Netherlands secured their first win after 1975 with Duncan Laurence's Arcade. Italy finished second and Russia was third.
The Slovenian entrants said that they were overjoyed with the result - they were projected to finish around 20th place - but most importantly, that they managed to bring their music close to the people.
"We're glad and proud about the performance and the rehearsals, but we also learned a lot about other things. We're looking forward to coming home, but this was one of the best experiences in out lives," Kralj said.
The real-life couple stood out in the crowded field with a static, minimalist performance. Dressed in all-white, they simply stood opposite each other for a starry-eyed-lovers routine that earned them praise as well as ridicule.
But they stayed true to their form until the end. They wrapped up their Tel Aviv trip with an Instagram post with a picture of Gašper carrying Zala on his back on a sandy beach captioned "Thank you very much for this experience, we are going home to cuddle now."
Poll has SDS + SLS, SD and LMŠ within 1.5 p.p. ahead of EU vote
LJUBLJANA - The latest Mediana poll, published by Delo, projects an EU elections victory for the joint list of the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS). SDS + SLS got 12.2% in the poll, followed by the junior coalition SocDems at 11.1% and senior coalition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) at 10.7%. Support dropped a little for the SDS and for the LMŠ, while it increased for the National Party (SNS), which got 8.1% in fourth place, and New Slovenia (NSi), which got 7.3%. Support also decreased for the Left, which polled at 6.4% and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), which got 3.5%. Meanwhile, the ratings of the government and of parliament remain on the decline.
PM's aide Urlep believes demographic fund will need to invest abroad too
LJUBLJANA - Vojmir Urlep, a top aid to PM Marjan Šarec, told Dnevnik that the planned demographic fund will not be able to relieve the state budget of its burdens and fully cover the fast rising pension system costs. Additional measures will be needed, including an overhaul of the state asset management strategy. Asked whether the fund should also partly operate as a state fund, meaning also invest in foreign securities and holdings and manage such an investment portfolio, Urlep said no coalition agreement had been reached on this so far. He personally feels this will necessary and "will only be possible with a smart investment policy that will need to go beyond the scope of the domestic environment".
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (20 - 26 May, 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. As ever, links to venues are after the following selections…
In town and want to follow the news? Check out our regular morning headlines for Sloveniahere.
Kinoteka has a week of Italian movies, with the schedule here (check the dates, as the link takes you to whatever the current week is).
Tuesday, 21 May, a centenary of Slovenian ballet will be celebrated at Cankerjev dom with an international ballet gala.
Wednesday evening, from 18:00, you’ll hear a live brass band making it’s way up and down the river.
Slovenia is a climbing nation, both alpine and sport, and you can get a feel for the latter on Saturday, 25 May, with free to view Triglav, the Rock Ljubljana international bouldering competition, taking place in Kongresni trg from 13:00 to 22:00,m with the world's best sports climber, the Slovene Janja Garnbret, due to taka part.
Every night, in various spots around town, you’ll see some interesting light-based art installations, as part of Lighting Guerilla. While I found the display around Križanke a little disappointing compared to last year, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. Look out for little round tags on some installations which indicate some touching is needed.
With regard to clubs, K4 is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, with a documentarmy made for its 15th shown above. The big day is really May 25, but the 30K4 Festival begins Friday, 17 May and runs until the 31st.
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.
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.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
International Centre of Graphic Art – There must be something on here, but in the main the place will be getting ready for the big Biennal, starting 7 June.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
MONDAY, 20 May LJUBLJANA - Days of Latin America and Caribbean, an international conference held under the auspices of the Bled Strategic Forum; until 26 May. LJUBLJANA - Swiss Parliament Speaker Marina Carobbio Guscetti will hold talks with Speaker Dejan Židan, President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and National Council President Alojz Kovšca on day two of her visit. LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will start its plenary with a Q&A session with Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. BRUSSELS, Belgium - Maj-Gen Alenka Ermenc, the chief of the general staff, will attend the annual EU-NATO conference. BUCHAREST, Romania - Environment Minister Simon Zajc will attend an informal session of the EU's Environment Council. GENEVA, Switzerland - Health Minister Aleš Šabeder will attend a meeting of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) General Assembly. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will discuss the ratification of an agreement on employment of Serbian citizens in Slovenia. LJUBLJANA - The programming council of RTV Slovenija will set the guidelines of the public broadcaster's programme in 2020. LJUBLJANA - The Week of Italian Film will open at the Slovenian Cinematheque. LJUBLJANA/ROME, Italy - Several events will be held in Slovenia to mark World Bee Day, while Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec will attend a ceremony at the Food and Agricultural Organisation.
TUESDAY, 21 May ŠIBENIK, Croatia - President Borut Pahor will hold three-way talks with Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen and Croatia's Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in the framework of a three-country initiative known as the Trilateral. LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will resume its session by discussing the opposition-sponsored bill to set up a national demographic fund. LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) will host a debate on their proposal for the setting up of a national demographic fund. LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) will vote on whether to give president Boštjan Gorjup a second term. LJUBLJANA - Annual general meeting of Sava Insurance Group. LJUBLJANA - The Education Ministry will present the results of a study on the workload of primary school children. MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - Druga Godba, a festival of world music; until 25 May. LJUBLJANA - German trio Die Ärzte will perform in Kino Šiška. LJUBLJANA - A gala concert will be held at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre to mark the 100th anniversary of the Slovenian ballet. LJUBLJANA - Early voting will start ahead of the EU election.
WEDNESDAY, 22 May BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will hold talks with German and Portuguese counterparts as part of preparations for presidency of the EU. LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will discuss changes to the health care and health insurance act. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission investigating the financing of political parties will meet behind closed doors. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian-German Chamber Commerce and Industry will host an event to present the opportunities for Slovenian companies in Germany. PORTOROŽ - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will address a Microsoft NT conference dedicated to artificial intelligence. ROGAŠKA SLATINA - The Slovenian Tourism Board and the Slovenia Green Consortium will host Green Day of Slovenian Tourism, the annual conference promoting sustainable tourism. LJUBLJANA - The National Culture Council will present statistics on the achievements of Slovenian artists abroad.
THURSDAY, 23 May LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will discuss changes to the energy act. LJUBLJANA - Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will start a two-day official visit by meeting his host President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. LJUBLJANA - Weekly cabinet session. BRUSSELS, Belgium - Culture Minister Zoran Poznič and Education Ministry State Secretary will attend separate sessions of the EU's Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council. LJUBLJANA - The public broadcaster TV Slovenija will host two EU election debates, respectively with the candidates of parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties. LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) will host a debate on the minimum wage. NOVO MESTO - The drug maker Krka is expected to release Q1 results. LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release the consumer confidence index for May. KOPER - The logistics company Intereuropa will release its unaudited business report for the first quarter of 2019.
FRIDAY, 24 May LJUBLJANA - NLB bank is expected to report Q1 results. LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release business sentiment data for May. LJUBLJANA - The last day of the EU election campaign. MARIBOR - The Maribor opera ensemble will put on an Opera Night in the city park.
SATURDAY, 25 May LJUBLJANA - Some of the best climbers in the world will compete in Triglav the Rock, an international bouldering event that is part of the IFSC International Climbing Series. NOVA GORICA/GORIZIA, Italy - Slovenia's Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia will formally announce their joint bid for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2025. LJUBLJANA - Election blackout will set in ahead of the EU elections.
SUNDAY, 26 May LJUBLJANA - Elections to the European Parliament.
STA, 18 May 2019 - Slovenia is gearing up to celebrate the second international World Bee Day, designated by the UN on Slovenia's own initiative, with the main event marking the holiday taking place in Ravne na Koroškem (N) on Saturday. Several exhibitions and workshops will also be organised.
The international day acknowledging the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem is observed on 20 May, the birthday of Slovenian Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, born in 1734.
The day dedicated to honeybees was declared in December 2017 by the UN General Assembly with a special resolution, honouring the initiative and efforts for bee protection by the Slovenian government and the national Beekepers' Association.
"The declaration represents one of the greatest diplomatic achievements of Slovenia ever," the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry said ahead of the event.
It added that the main purpose of World Bee Day was to raise the awareness of the global public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humankind in the light of efforts to eradicate global hunger.
The ministry noted that bees and other pollinators were indispensable from the economic, social and environmental aspects, and a source of income for more than two billion farmers.
They also significantly contribute to food security, prevention of hunger, preservation of diversity of ecosystems and the implementation of sustainable development goals.
But the ministry also noted that bees were increasingly endangered due to the intensive farming, diseases, mass use of pesticides and climate change.
"World Bee Day is an opportunity for experts, politicians, businesses and public to get active in preserving bees, developing beekeeping, maintaining biodiversity and planning activities which ensure the survival of bees and humans."
The main international ceremony will be held in Rome on Monday, hosted by the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), featuring Minister Aleksandra Pivec and FAO Director-general Jose Graziano da Silva.
The common thread of the second World Bee Day is empowering women through beekeeping, while the ministry has also pointed to its initiative presented to the European Commission for mandatory labelling of honey mixtures and origin of honey.
The latter is something Slovenian beekeepers have been calling for, in addition to the fight against fake honey, lower taxes for medicines for bees and refunds of excise duties for energy they spend for transporting and caring for bees.
Boštjan Noč, the head of the Beekeepers' Association, recently said that additional efforts were needed to protect bees as they were effectively endangered. "World Bee Day has resulted in a sea of change in Slovenia and the world, but celebrations and photo shoots will not save bees."
The association has long argued bees should be classified among endangered species, with Noč stressing the animals cannot survive without human help, which requires the state changing some rules.
Beekeepers have also warned that due to the unfavourable weather, this year's harvest will be lower by more than 30% than expected.
Among the promotional activities related to World Bee Day, Slovenia plans to introduce a Golden Bee award for best and most innovative projects focused on the protection of bees and other pollinators. The award would be conferred every year or every two years by the president, with the first award scheduled for 2021.
To mark the day, the Statistics Office published some beekeeping statistics, noting that Slovenian beekeepers produced a total of 1,746 tonnes of honey last year, which is 10% above the average for the last ten years.
The average price for a kilogram of honey increased in the last ten years by 81%, reaching almost ten euros last year, according to the Statistics Office.
The record year in the last ten years was 2011, when Slovenian beekeepers produced 2,472 tonnes of honey, followed by 2013, when the production reached 2,400 tonnes.
Slovenia imported around EUR 3.5 million-worth of honey from other EU member states last year, mostly from Croatia, Hungary and Germany, while exporting around EUR 212,000, mostly to Italy.
In addition to honey, Slovenian beekeepers also export Carniolan honey bees, with exports last year amounting to around EUR 47,000, mostly to the Middle East countries and Japan.
The number of beekeepers in Slovenia increased in the last ten years by 30% to around 10,100, while their number in the EU is decreasing. The area intended for bee pasture in Slovenia has also been increasing in the recent years.
In 2016, there were a total of 167,000 bee hives in Slovenia or 1.1% of the total number in the EU, with the average number of bee hives per beekeeper at 17.
There are around 20,000 sub-species of bees in the world, with the Carniolan honey bee, originating from Slovenia, being the second most widespread sub-species in the world.
STA, 17 May 2019 - With just over a week to go until voting day in EU elections, migrations and security have become firmly established as the main campaign topics. While there are still several major TV debates on the agenda, the outlines of the likely results are already clear, according to analysts.
Migrations are undoubtedly the no. 1 topic, trailed by climate change and Brexit. People are also interested in the benefits of the EU, but issues such as trade agreements and personal data protection are not prominent, Igor Kršinar, a journalist for the conservative weekly Reporter, told the STA.
Andraž Zorko, an analyst with the pollster Valicon, said he was surprised issues that had been prominent in the past year - trade agreements, digital services, attitude to multinationals - had not gained traction despite being "issues that are resolved at the European level."
Regardless of the issues that are prominent in the campaign, Zorko thinks that "the cards have already been dealt" barring any major surprises in the final week of debates.
He said the Democrats (SDS) already had two seats secured, with New Slovenia (NSi) and Social Democrat (SD) front-runners, Ljudmila Novak and Tanja Fajon, shoo-ins as well, and Angelika Mlinar of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) is likely to succeed too.
"From here on it is much less certain. I personally think the Left is most likely to win a seat. Although, two or three weeks ago I was certain about that, now I'm less so. There have been quite a few mistakes, Violeta Tomić in particular has not performed very well, in particular on the international scene," according to Zorko.
As for the remainder of Slovenia's eight seats, Zorko says the NSi could conceivably win one more, with either MEP Lojze Peterle or Žiga Turk having the potential to secure enough preferential votes.
The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Modern Centre Party (SMC) are likely to fight it out for the last remaining seat, according to him.
Kršinar meanwhile thinks the joint slate of the SDS and People's Party (SLS) might clinch three seats, with either of the two SLS candidates, MEP Franc Bogovič or former Maribor mayor Franc Kangler, the likeliest to win enough preferential votes.
On the left side of the spectrum, Kršinar is not convinced that Tomić would be the one to be elected if the Left gets enough votes. He thinks the party leader, Luka Mesec, is more likely to receive sufficient support.
But it is also entirely possible that instead of opting for the "radical left," voters support other players, for example DeSUS's Igor Šoltes, Kršinar said.
Civil group says police violating human rights on Schengen border
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police officers are systemically denying migrants the right to asylum and are illegally returning them to Croatia, according to a report by Info Kolpa, a civil initiative launched about a year ago in response to growing allegations by migrants that Slovenia was denying them the right to asylum. The head of the border police, Peter Skerbiš, rejected the accusations saying the actions of the Slovenian police were professional and in line with the law. He said these claims had been checked several times in the past by NGOs, the Human Rights Ombudsman and the UNHCR but no irregularities had been found. Police denied the claims.
Police union hits back at govt over border checks, says measures insufficient
LJUBLJANA - A police trade union is pushing back against government comments on border protection, arguing that measures ostensibly designed to step up border controls would come to naught. Joint border patrols with soldiers are a "Sisyphean effort" since soldiers cannot perform police duties, Kristjan Mlekuš, the president of the Trade Union of Police Officers (SPS), told the press. With shortages of police officers, he also wondered who would man the joint Slovenian-Italian police patrols that Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said would be established to improve protection of the border with Italy.
Slovenian, Italian police hashing out details of joint border checks
ROME - Slovenian Police Commissioner Tatjana Bobnar met with her Italian counterpart Franco Gabrielli in Rome on Friday to discuss the details of joint border checks. While the general guidelines are set, details will be agreed at the operational level. The joint patrols are to be conducted on both sides of the border on sections where illegal crossings are most common, the police said, adding that both countries have assessed joint patrols will make the Western Balkan migration route less attractive.
Govt defends public sector pay system in parliament
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly is debating the opposition Democratic Party's (SDS) call for extracting some professions from the single pay system in the public sector in an emergency session. The government has argued for upgrading the system rather than dismantling it. The session comes after the majority on the Home Policy Committee has already voted down the SDS's recommendation to the government to draw up proposals to remove soldiers, doctors and nurses from the system, which was put in place by an SDS-led government in 2008.
Slovenian soldiers suspend training of Iraqi forces
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) have suspended their training of the armed forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan in Erbil due to the aggravated security situation in the country. The Slovenian contingent will nevertheless stay in Iraq and continue to perform other tasks, Slovenian media reported. The move comes after the US Central Command announced American soldiers in Iraq and Syria were at the highest level of preparedness, as credible threats by the Iranian forces had been detected in the region.
The first to suspend the training of the Iraqi forces were the German and Dutch military.
Cerar advocates multilateral system at CoE ministerial
HELSINKI, Finland - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is attending a meeting of the Council of Europe's (CoE) Committee of Ministers in Helsinki. In his address, he said that Slovenia was a supporter of the multilateral system based on international law. He pointed out that the enforcement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgements was one of the basic principles of the rule of law, said a Foreign Ministry press release.
Analysts: migrations top campaign issue, most seats already decided
LJUBLJANA - With just over a week to go until voting day in EU elections, migrations and security have become firmly established as the main campaign topics. While there are still several major TV debates on the agenda, the outlines of the likely results are already clear, according to analysts. Migrations are undoubtedly the no. 1 topic, trailed by climate change and Brexit. People are also interested in the benefits of the EU, but issues such as trade agreements and personal data protection are not prominent, Igor Kršinar, a journalist for the conservative weekly Reporter, told the STA.
S&P lifts NLB rating to investment grade
LJUBLJANA - Rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P) raised NLB's credit rating by one notch on Friday, to BBB- from BB+ (outlook stable), a move that takes it to investment grade territory. Justifying the upgrade, S&P said that industry risks in Slovenia's banking system had decreased because of the state's reduced ownership of banks, and stronger banking supervision.
Petrol reports slightly higher Q1 profit
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian energy company Petrol saw its sales revenue grow by 19% year-year to EUR 1.4 billion in the first quarter of the year, while net profit rose by 2% to EUR 18.2 million. According to a regulatory filing posted on the web site of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, the group's quarterly adjusted gross profit increased by 10% year-on-year to EUR 112.1 million.
Abanka to pay our EUR 66.7m in dividends before privatisation
LJUBLJANA - The state-owned bank Abanka will pay out EUR 66.7 million in dividends or roughly three-quarters of the total distributable profit to the state as the only shareholder just before privatisation. The state will get roughly EUR 11.1 million of the sum in the form of Abanka's shares in the insurer Sava Re.
GPs give govt more time to tackle primary care crisis
KRANJ - Two dozens of general practitioners who handed in their resignations at the Kranj Community Health Centre in April in collective protest at excessive work overload, have extended their notice periods until 15 September after the government effectively reduced the upper number of patients per GP. In a written statement, the doctors said the move taken by the government on Thursday was a signal from politicians that they wanted to tackle the situation in primary care.
Govt, locals still on opposing sides over Poček training grounds
POSTOJNA - A session of the parliamentary Defence Committee on Thursday showed that the Defence Ministry and the Postojna community are still on opposite sides over the use of the Poček military training grounds. Local initiatives expressed doubts about state-commissioned reports on the effects of war games on drinking water, showing increased levels of certain metals but within safe levels for drinking water.
Pikalo signs agreement on R&D projects funding with China
BEIJING, China - Minister of Education, Science and Sport Jernej Pikalo met with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang in Beijing during his visit to China. The pair signed a memorandum of understanding between the two ministries today on the joint financing of research and development (R&D) projects. The agreement outlines the joint R&D funding between universities, institutions and other organisations in both countries.
Slovenia calls for decriminalisation of homosexuality
LJUBLJANA - Marking International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, observed on 17 May, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that human rights applied for all and called for decriminalisation of same-sex relationships around the world. The ministry noted the recent progress of ensuring human rights for the LGBTI community, but it also pointed out that in more than 70 countries, same-sex relationships were still criminalised and could result in the death penalty.
The colourful and much-visited Trubarjeva Road in Ljubljana has been undergoing reconstruction since this February, and work will continue for another year. While small business owners, visitors and citizens are grappling with the new reality, many have almost forgotten how nice and lively this street used to be, with tourists and locals now walking on gravel and navigating an ever-changing system of diversion.
Living nearby and expecting this to happen, we snapped some photos at the end of last summer, when the construction works were announced, and are placing them side by side with some shots taken in the last few days. Work on the central section of the road has not yet commenced.
STA, 17 May 2019 - Slovenian police officers are systemically denying migrants the right to asylum and are illegally returning them to Croatia, according to a report by Info Kolpa, a civil initiative launched about a year ago in response to growing allegations by migrants that Slovenia was denying them the right to asylum. Police deny the accusations.
The initiative wanted to determine whether migrants who requested asylum in Slovenia were refouled to Croatia, where they were subjected to systemic physical and psychological abuse by the police.
To determine what was happening along the Schengen border, the initiative set up an SOS number to which migrants are able to report their names along with their intent to request asylum and their locations upon entering the country. The initiative then forwards the data to the police, the human rights ombudsman and Amnesty International.
The report also notes that there was a rapid drop in the number of asylum seekers in the span of a single month. In May 2018, the Črnomelj police station apprehended 379 migrants of whom 371 (98%) requested asylum. "In June, there was a drastic change in how procedures were conducted at the Črnomelj police station: out of 412 persons processed, only 13 requested asylum."
The report, compiled in cooperation with the Border Violence Monitoring NGO, says that this was proof that the police were covering up what was going on at police stations along the border, and "mass malversation in how asylum procedures are conducted by the Slovenian police".
"This radical change is in correlation with contentious instructions by Police Commissioner Simon Velički about returning migrants to the Croatian police ... dated to 25 May 2018."
The report lists several cases of migrants who sent their names and locations to Kolpa Info. It is not known what happened to many of them after their information was forwarded to the police.
Moreover, in many cases people were refouled back to Croatia and further south to Bosnia-Herzegovina, often being beaten by the Croatian police. Many report of having their money taken by the Croatian police, as well as cellphones and other possessions.
The report includes the story of a man whose shoes were taken away by the Croatian police in February and had to have his toes amputated as a result.
The initiative says that the stories of migrants paint a grave picture about the way Slovenian police operate when it comes to the treatment of migrants.
"The violations are not sporadic and they do not depend on individual police officers, they amount to systemic denial of the right to international protection, an order coming from the top of the police force, and with the knowledge of the top officials of the Interior Ministry."
The head of the border police, Peter Skerbiš, rejected the accusations saying the actions of the Slovenian police were professional and in line with the law. He said police did not deny anyone the right to international protection.
Skerbiš told the press today that these claims had been checked several times in the past by NGOs, the Human Rights Ombudsman and the UNHCR. No irregularities had been found, he said.
Police officers have received no instruction to push people back and the foreigners who express the intention to request asylum are transported to the asylum centre.
Only those who do not want to request for asylum are returned to Croatia after evidence is gathered that they entered Slovenia from there.
Regarding claims about Croatian police violence, Skerbiš said that Croatia is an EU member state and considered a safe country. "We have so far received no information or instruction from EU institutions that foreigners must not be sent to Croatia."
The initiative demands an immediate stop of what they say is collective refoulement of migrants on the basis of a bilateral border control agreement, immediate annulment of this agreement and the upholding of the right of international protection.
The initiative also demands civil oversight over police work when it comes to migrants. Moreover, it says the police must disclose contentious internal communication, while investigations must be launched against former commissioner Simon Velički, his successor Tatjana Bobnar, as well as former interior minister Vesna Györkös Žnidar and former state secretary Boštjan Šefic.
STA, 17 May 2019 - Marking International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, observed on 17 May, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that human rights applied for all and called for decriminalisation of same-sex relationships around the world.
The ministry noted the recent progress of ensuring human rights for the LGBTI community, but it also pointed out that in more than 70 countries, same-sex relationships were still criminalised and could result in the death penalty.
Even in countries with national legislation safeguarding LGBTI rights, the community is still facing discrimination, hate speech, prejudices or even stigma, said the ministry in its Friday's press release.
Thus, the rights of LGBTI persons are violated, including their citizenship, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
The criminalisation of same-sex intimacy allows the perpetrators of anti-LGBTI hate crimes to go unpunished while encouraging intolerance and violence within individual societies, said the ministry.
Countries thus need to fulfil their obligations based on international human rights protection documents, and do their best to provide equal treatment to everyone without discrimination.
Slovenia will continue to strive at the international level to keep the issues of discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity on the agenda of international and regional organisations, including the UN, CoE and EU.
This is in line with the EU guidelines on promoting and protecting all human rights of the LGBTI community as well as the EU guidelines on non-discrimination in external action.
Since 2016, Slovenia has been actively participating in the international Equal Rights Coalition, which is dedicated to the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons and strives to end discrimination and violence against them.
Marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), the International LGBTI Asscociation ILGA, which cooperates with the CoE, has published the Rainbow Europe Map, ranking countries according to their level of anti-LGBTI discrimination and violation of LGBTI human rights.
Slovenia ranked 20th among 49 countries, ahead of Estonia and following Hungary.
The ILGA warned that Slovenia still did not ensure completely equal marriage laws for everybody, nor did it unequivocally grant same-sex couples the right to adopt children or to artificial insemination.
The association also pointed out that the country had a law banning hate speech based on sexual orientation, but it did not have a law banning hate speech on the grounds of gender identity.
The Slovenian NGO Legebitra called for en end to violence against LGBT persons, including verbal abuse in public, discrediting of LGBT organisations, bullying, discrimination in healthcare or other institutions as well as physical abuse.
The organisation said that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia were still present in society, while LGBT rights NGOs were being targeted more frequently due to the rise of fake news.
According to them, promoting hate and violence against the LGBT community has pervaded some parties' manifestos and politicians' statements ahead of the EU elections.
Legebitra has thus urged all the parties and candidates standing in the upcoming EU elections to oppose this discrimination and to protect LGBT rights.
All our stories on the LGBTQI community in Slovenia are here
