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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:

Fiscal framework through 2022 confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed a government decree that sets the outlines of public finances through 2022. Rejecting government assurances that it is fiscally sound, the opposition said it is not conservative enough. A surplus of 1% of GDP is planned for the entire general government sector in 2020 compared to 0.8% target for this year, rising to 1.1% in 2021 and 1.2% in 2022. While revenue growth will average 3.9% over 2020-2022, expenditure will expand by an average rate of 3.7%.

Parliament abolishes tax on holiday allowance

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly abolished taxes on holiday allowance amounting up to average gross monthly pay (EUR 1,715) as MPs endorsed amendments to the acts on personal income tax and pension and disability insurance. The only party to express reservations was the Left, the minority government's partner in the opposition, which abstained from vote. Personal income tax is currently deducted from holiday allowance, while social contributions are paid when the allowance exceeds 70% of average pay.

Matej Pirc appointed CEO of BAMC

LJUBLJANA - Matej Pirc, the former chairman of Slovenian Sovereign Holding, was appointed chief executive officer of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), having served as acting CEO since the end of January. The post became available after Imre Balogh resigned in mid-December last year, citing personal reasons, although there had been indications he no longer enjoyed the overhauled board's trust. BAMC saw an overhaul after an audit exposed the contentious sale of land in Logatec to Swiss Lonstroff.

State asset custodian posts 6.3% return on equity in 2018

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) estimated to have posted a 6.3% return on equity last year, which is 0.2 of a percentage point below the peak figure posted the year before, but above the target of 6.1%. SSH released the first return on profit estimate as it published the annual report for 2018, noting that the target appears to have been exceeded despite of the modified portfolio due to the sale of the majority stake in NLB bank. It collected EUR 266.8m in regular dividends from its own equity stakes and those managed on behalf of the state in 2018 for 2017.

Počivalšek tells Belt and Road Forum Slovenia open partner economy

BEIJING, China - Economic Development and Technology Minister Zdravko Počivalšek met Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhang in Beijing. He moreover addressed the 2019 Belt and Road Forum, underlining that Slovenia was an open, high-tech partner economy. A press release from the Economy Ministry quoted Počivalšek as saying that China appreciated the attendance of politicians at events such as the Belt and Road summit, which started today.

No need for border checks, interior minister tells Austrian counterpart

LJUBLJANA/VIENNA, Austria - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar talked to his Austrian counterpart Herbert Kickl over the phone, reiterating Slovenia's position that there is no need for border controls on the Austrian-Slovenian border, a measure Austria extended earlier this month. "Slovenia has the situation on the external Schengen border under control, while the border checks on the Austrian-Slovenian border cause traffic jams and dissatisfaction among the local population, passengers and hauliers, Poklukar added.

Gorenje plans to sack nearly 300 people

VELENJE - Household appliances maker Gorenje said it expected to lay off 270 people as the group undergoes reorganisation following a change in ownership. The newspaper Večer meanwhile learnt from the in-house trade union that 1,720 people would be sacked, of which 1,450 would be offered new contracts. The trade union said it was willing to use any measure to fight layoffs and refused to take part in talks about redundancy criteria.

MPs endorse free-of-charge counselling for crime victims

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the social assistance act to enact free-of-charge counselling and other forms of assistance for victims of crimes and their families provided by experts at social work centres around the country. Apart from the existing experienced staff, the Social Affairs Ministry believes plans to hire additional 16 councillors.

SDS proposes bill to create demographic fund

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) filed a bill to create a demographic fund to prop up the pension system. SDS leader Janez Janša called on all parliamentary parties to submit their remarks, saying that the only point the SDS would insist on is that all state assets be transferred to the fund, or else the bickering over which assets to transfer would never end. Coalition parties and the Finance Ministry plan to study the proposal. Several governments have tried but failed to set up such a fund.

Two more groups field candidates for MEPs

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left and the green-oriented coalition called Let's Connect were the latest to submit their lists of candidates for EU elections with the National Electoral Commission before the deadline expires on Friday, midnight. The Left's frontrunner MP Violeta Tomič, is also the European Left's spitzenkandidat, and the group's leader in the European Parliament, Gabrielle Zimmer, was in Slovenia to support the Slovenian affiliate. Let's Connect, which has the endorsement of the European Greens, is running with Urša Zgojznik, the leader of Ecologists Without Borders, as top candidate.

Some 7% of Slovenia's working population in poverty

LJUBLJANA - Figures released by the Statistics Office ahead of Labour Day reveal that of the approximately 981,000 working Slovenians, 7% live below the poverty line, and 2% receive financial or material assistance from welfare organisations. In households with no working family members who have to support children, 70% of the members live below the poverty line. Some 17% of the unemployed Slovenians are recipients of financial or material assistance from welfare organisations.

Excise duties on tobacco to go up in June

LJUBLJANA - The government increased excise duties on various tobacco products, a measure taking effect on 1 June. The excise duty on cigarettes will rise from 111 to 114 euro for 1,000 cigarettes. The government estimates this will make retail prices of tobacco products rise by an average 1.3%. The measure should bring EUR 2.8m in additional tax revenue provided that the higher excise duties push tobacco sales down 1%.

MHP raises share price in Perutnina Ptuj takeover

LJUBLJANA - Ukrainian MHP holding increased its takeover bid for the remaining 9.31% shares of the Slovenian poultry group Perutnina Ptuj it does not hold already by EUR 4.52 to EUR 22.34 per share. MHP acquired a 90.69% stake in Perutnina from the Russian-owned steel group SIJ for EUR 176.3m in November 2018. To acquire all the remaining shares, it would pay another EUR 22.69m. MHP is to set out a comprehensive modernisation plan for Perutnina later this year.

Almost 30% of food company Panvita up for sale

LJUBLJANA - The ownership of two companies within the Panvita food group could soon change as major shareholders Farme Ihan-KPM and Kona have decided to sell their combined stake of around 28% in both firms. On sale are 28.03% stakes in Panvita, the leading company in the Panvita group's crop production and trading division, and in Panvita Mesnine, the leading firm in the group's meat division. In 2017, Panvita generated EUR 7.21m in net sales revenue with its EBITDA reaching EUR 2.29m.

Car charging stations becoming payable

LJUBLJANA - Charging stations operated by the power distributor Elektro Ljubljana will become payable on 6 May due to the high management costs, ending years of free charging. On average, charging an electric vehicle for a 100 km drive will cost EUR 2-2.5. An additional fee of one euro will apply for one-time users and 50 cents for registered users for each charging. The service will be payable via a phone application. Elektro Ljubljana operates the largest network of charging stations in the country.

Erstwhile owner of Kolosej cinemas on trial

LJUBLJANA - Sergej Racman, the former owner of the cinema chain operator Kolosej, will be tried for cutting off creditors by selling the Kolosej cinema centre in Ljubljana, which had been pledged as collateral for almost EUR 13m in loans. Racman pleaded not guilty at today's pre-trial hearing. Media reported that a criminal complaint against Racman and Davorin Vidmar, the CEO of the company that bought the cinema centre at the Ljubljana's shopping district BTC, had been filed by the NLB bank.

Visual art of Kingdom of Yugoslavia on show

LJUBLJANA - Paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs and films created by more than 130 authors between 1929 and 1941 in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia went on show at Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana. On the Brink: The Visual Arts in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929-1941) provides an overview of the visual art from the start of the reign of King Alexander I on 6 January 1929 to the beginning of World War II in Yugoslavia in April 1941. The exhibition is open until 15 September.

The UK’s Ascent Resources PLC, often in the news in Slovenia for its attempts to increase production at its Petišovci gas field, issued 214.3 million shares earlier this week at £0.0035 (0.35 pence) per share, with the offer bought by a small number of institutional investors. A fell by over 20% after the share issue from the company says the funds raised are intended to reprocess 3D seismic data in relation to the Slovenian project, as well was as to pay for compression equipment, evaluate other regional opportunities and provide additional working capital.

While the company’s shares started the month at 0.20 pence, and jumped to 0.70 pence on April 8, with news that it had received a new permit from ARSOS, the Slovenian Environment Agency, they fell by over 20% after the share issue, and – at the time of writing – stand at 0.40 pence. The shares reached an all-time high of £5.85 in August 2007.

The Petišovci project has been the subject of some controversy and heated online debate, with some investors in the company alleging in correspondence with TSN that corruption at the highest levels of the Slovenian government has prevented the firm from developing its holdings there.

STA, 25 April 2019 - Figures released by the Statistics Office ahead of Labour Day reveal that of the approximately 981,000 working Slovenians, 7% live below the poverty line, and 2% receive financial or material assistance from welfare organisations.

Employment most notably affects the material aspect of life. "Households with no working family members who have to support children, are at the highest risk of poverty. Some 70% of the members of these households live below the poverty line," said Karmen Hren, deputy director of the Statistics Office, at Thursday's press conference.

Some 17% of the unemployed Slovenians are recipients of financial or material assistance from welfare organisations.

Being out of a job also affects health; some 80% of the working population would describe their health as good or very good, whereas for the unemployed that figure is lower, at 60%.

Following students, the working population is the most content with their life. Among the employed and the self-employed, over half describe themselves as very happy, and 2% as unhappy. The unemployed and other non-active Slovenians are the least happy.

All our stories on employment in Slovenia are here

STA, 24 April 2019 - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) hosted a meeting of businessmen from Slovenia and the Russian Samara region on Wednesday as part of a visit by a delegation led by Samara Governor Dmitry Azarov. On the occasion the GZS signed a cooperation agreement with its Samara counterpart.

A press release from the GZS quoted the chamber's executive director Sonja Šmuc in saying that the agreement would boost trade and business links between Slovenia and the Samara region.

Šmuc believes that Slovenia and Russia could match the record volume of trade seen in 2013, at EUR 1.5bn, in a year and a half.

Last year, bilateral trade amounted to EUR 1.15bn, around 45% of which was generated by the pharmaceutical industry, followed by telecommunications, engineering, household appliances and paints.

"We also want to set up cooperation in other areas, such as the agricultural and food industry, IT, cooling technology," Šmuc told the meeting, featuring more than 50 businessmen.

Governor Azarov noted huge potential for cooperation in particular in science and education, industry and tourism. He believes the agreement signed today would give a new impetus to business links.

According to him, the Samara region has a well diversified industry, excellent higher education and science, a suitable geographical position, and has taken fiscal and legislative solutions designed to attract capital and know-how.

The meeting was also attended by Russian Ambassador Doku Zavgayev, who said he believed in expanding ties between Slovenia and several Russian regions, with great potential in modern technology.

Victor Kudryashov, the first deputy of the chairman of the government of the Samara region, said that the region was open to new development partnerships and investment.

He said that the Samara Oblast as Russia's centre of the automotive and space industries welcomed Slovenian know-how, which could be implemented in the industry there.

All our stories about Slovenia and Russia are here

April 25, 2019

On Tuesday the Noordung Centre in Vitanje hosted an event titled Noordung Forum: Building European Blockchain Infrastructure. The forum was organised by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, the Noordung Hub and Tolar Hashnet, a blockchain developer.

Names worth mentioning from the crowd of representatives of business and states that attended the event are certainly Tadej Slapnik, a member of the former Prime Minister Cerar’s cabinet and the cabinet of MEP Ivo Vajgl, and currently the director of Tolar Hashnet; Minister of Culture Zoran Poznič; European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc; and Member of European Parliament Ivo Vajgl.  The event was announced by Nena Dokuzov, Head of the Project Group for New Economy and Blockchain Technology of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia. Nena Dokuzov is also a member of the European Blockchain Partnership and a former director of the Noordung Centre, a post she took following the controversial takeover of this originally privately owned establishment by the government.

The debate focused on various hypothetical uses of blockchain, with an underlying consensus on the “ground-breaking” and “world changing” characteristics of the technology. The event then climaxed with the launch of the Tolar Hashnet TestNet, which is basically yet another coin.

This one, however, is based on “advanced” blockchain technology which is “scalable” and “100% secure”.  Meaning, the system of Tolar has abandoned a classical blockchain mining component and moved towards a more efficient and therefore centralised system with just a few global nodes calculating the code chain. This allows for faster code processing and hence more daily transactions. Its capability however is still nowhere close to the functional level any means of exchange must meet in order to support the velocity of money.

Therefore, crypto currencies for now remain “digital currency schemes”, exhibiting key features such as being “assets, the value of which is determined by supply and demand, similar in concept to commodities such as gold, yet with zero intrinsic value” (BIS definition according to source, p. 21). Meaning that any returns on investment rely mostly on bringing more investors into the scheme. Of course this wouldn’t have worked, if it didn’t come with a good story, which provides its members with a sense of superiority (as the “technologically advanced” ones) and moralising tools of recruitment: saying “no” to blockchain (i.e. refusing to invest in crypto) means to be technologically uneducated and socially irresponsible, since blockchain is here to somehow bring back democracy and is also – according to Tadej Slapnik from Tolar Hashnet – environmentally friendly.

Things seem to have changed drastically since the Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies (KSEVT) was launched in Vitanje in 2012. The main emphasis of the project was not on technological advancement of space travel per se, as such a purely utilitarian stance quickly brings military-oriented goals while the function of human in space is to survive and follow protocols, hence reduced to the dilemma of Is it really a human or is it a robot?.

KSEVT’s project of space culturalization was inspired by the father of astronautics, Herman Potočnik Noordung, who spent most of his childhood in either Maribor or Vitanje, his mother’s birthplace. In 1929 Potočnik published his single but ground-breaking work The Problem of Space Travel – The Rocket Motor, in which he applied his engineering ingenuity to explore life in space from a humanistic perspective. His wheel-shaped space station inspired many to come, notably the design of the “Space Station V” in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

KSEVT was well accepted not just by proud local descendants of the space travel pioneer, but also by the international space agencies and astronauts, such as Sunita Williams, who visited and participated in several of events in Vitanje.

In 2014, KSEVT was transformed from a private institute into a public municipal institute, to become eligible to apply for public funding at the national and not just municipal level and in the same year also received some funding from the Ministry of Culture. However, the Ministry was not happy with KSEVT’s report on how the money was spent, which eventually led to the government takeover. The original founders were removed, and Nena Dokuzov from the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology was named acting director. 

In 2017 Nena Dokuzov established Noordung Blockchain Hub cooperative which attempted to register and operate from the Noordung Space Center in Vitanje. In early 2018 members of municipality council in Vitanje unanimously rejected Noordung Blockchain Hub’s request on the grounds that Cryptocurrencies do not have much in common with culturalization of space, the main activity of the Noordung Centre.

In 2018 Dominik Kobolt replaced Nena Dokuzov as the acting director of Noordung Space Centre. As evident from the latest events, attempts at the colonisation of cultural space by cryptocurrency salesmen continue with full support of Slovenian government officials and their representatives in the European Union.

More on original KSEVT

STA, 24 April 2019 - President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony commemorating the Jews deported during World War II from Lendava at the synagogue in this eastern-most Slovenian town on Wednesday. He underlined that the great European idea of peace and security must be protected, the president's office said in a press release.

Ob 75. obletnici deportacije lendavskih Judov je predsednik republike pred pričetkom komemorativne pietetne slovesnosti položil venec k spomeniku žrtvam nacifašističnega nasilja na judovskem pokopališču v Dolgi vasi. pic.twitter.com/IC5tRosx0u

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) April 24, 2019

The ceremony marked 75 years since a vast majority of Slovenia's biggest Jewish community was deported, a blow from which it never recovered.

Pahor dedicated his address to Erika Fürst, a holocaust survivor, inviting her to join him next year at the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Atrocities start when small signs of exclusion become the norm. Therefore, it is key to recognise the importance of early detection of exclusion, intolerance and hatred, said Pahor.

Before the ceremony, the president laid a wreath at the Dolga Vas cemetery, the biggest Jewish cemetery in Slovenia, alongside Lendava Mayor Janez Magyar and city councillor Ivan Koncut, who laid a wreath on behalf of the state of Israel.

All our stories on Jewish Slovenia are here

STA, 24 April 2019 - Slovenian researchers and scientists held a protest and a public debate in Ljubljana on Wednesday in a bid to draw the attention of the public and decision-makers to what they see as a flawed financing system which is driving cut-throat competition in science.

Duška Knežević Hočevar from the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, said that she had noticed despondency and unsportsmanlike competition growing among fellow scientists over the past decade.

She blamed the trend on quantified oversight and short-term project funding of science. "Science is a long-term activity that requires peace ... But in reality we are like nomads, jumping from one project to another. We spend a lot of time on project applications and paperwork."

Knežević Hočevar, who moderated the debate at the Old Ljubljana Power Station, said that the financing system which is based on short-term projects was misguided, because the rivalry it produced affected the relationships between and within the institutions involved.

As a result, the researchers and scientists, instead of focusing on their research, compete with each other or look for publications in journals that would score them more points. This in turn preserves the funding system as it is.

Marko Fonovič from the Jožef Stefan Institute, the country's leading research institution, challenged the government as to why it sought so hard to wriggle out of its responsibility to fund science, arguing that Slovenia, in its desire for business-based funding of science, "has gone further than the most capitalist countries".

He offered several reasons for that, including the prevailing belief that only physical labour counted as work. He illustrated this with the saying that children should learn so they did not have to work.

The participants in the debate offered several proposals to improve the state of science, including that all ministries should fund science rather than just the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, because everyone benefits from scientific advances.

Andraž Stožer from the Maribor Faculty of Medicine argued for funding of basic science and research, including such that does not appear to have applicative effects at first sight. He said that history was full of discoveries that did not turn out to be extremely useful until decades later.

The debate also pointed to the problem of poor communication about the importance of science and research. Stožer said that part of the blame lay with the scientists themselves, and part with the education system, which he said was based too much on dry listing of facts.

After the discussion, participants marched to protest outside the headquarters of the ministries of economy and education and science. The annual protest was held ahead of the global March for Science on 4 May.

For the past three years, Slovenian scientists and researchers have been calling for the establishment of a high-quality and transparent evaluation procedure, increasing science funding to 1% of the national budget, and for a set timetable for public calls for national research projects.

STA, 24 April 2019 - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek visited the headquarters of Hisense, the owner of household appliances maker Gorenje, on Wednesday, the second day of his visit to China. He said Hisense would get the government's support in simplifying procedures and having its investments approved in Slovenia.

Počivalšek was received by Hisense group vice president Tang Yeguo and the delegation visited the manufacturing plant for cooling devices and the showroom, the company said in a press release.

Počivalšek's five day trip to China aims at boosting business ties. He is scheduled to meet the representatives of Liaoning Shenyang, where automotive maker TPV is to launch a new facility.

Slovenia has improved its visibility in China over the past five years, which is reflected in the continuous growth of trade between the countries, the Economy Ministry said in a press release.

China is Slovenia's most important trade partner in Asia and 13th overall, ranking before Russia and the US.

Nearly 12,600 Slovenian companies imported from China last year, while 475 exported to China, generating EUR 1.3bn, 11.8% more than the year before.

All our stories on Slovenia and China are 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:

Šarec advocates proactive, balanced foreign policy

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec made the case for a proactive and balanced foreign policy as he addressed Slovenian diplomats gathered for their annual consultation. He highlighted the rule of law as a central tenet of Slovenia's foreign policy, and stressed Slovenia's continued commitment to a strong and effective EU and a firm transatlantic alliance. While relations with neighbours and like-minded EU countries remain a priority, he said it is also important that Slovenia expand its circle of partners and strengthen bilateral ties with other countries with shared interests.

In AP interview, PM warns of danger of populism

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec warned of the danger of populism in an interview with the Associated Press, arguing that the EU needed more efficient leadership to successfully counter the populist surge. Mainstream officials and parties have failed to deter right-wing groups, and populists are advancing in Europe because moderate parties have not been successful with their agenda, he said. "We need another leadership ... we need such leaders that will be proactive that will be more capable of fast decisions."

Parliamentary committees condemn Hungary's meddling in freedom of press

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary committees in charge of foreign affairs and culture condemned the interference of Hungary in the freedom of press in Slovenia, meeting almost three weeks after Hungarian Ambassador Edit Szilágyiné Bátorfi lodged a verbal note with the Foreign Ministry over the cover of the Mladina magazine portraying Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with his hand raised in a Nazi salute.
Foreign Minister Miro Cerar pledged to react decisively when basic values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and Slovenia's sovereignty are under attack in the future.

Parties submit formal candidacies

LJUBLJANA - The Social Democrats (SD), Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), Modern Centre Party (SMC) and the fringe United Slovenia formally submitted their candidacies for EU elections with the National Electoral Commission. SD plans to focus on restoring trust in Europe by highlighting jobs, climate change, security and migration as the main issues, while DeSUS plans to focus its campaign on its top candidate, MEP Igor Šoltes, with the slogan Šoltes, Our Man in Brussels. The SMC counts on winning one seat in the European Parliament, while United Slovenia will campaign for Slovenia's exit from the EU.

Economy minister visits Hisense, promises govt's support

BEIJING, China - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek visited the headquarters of Hisense, the owner of household appliances maker Gorenje, on the second day of his visit to China. He said Hisense would get the government's support in simplifying procedures and having its investments approved in Slovenia. Počivalšek was received by Hisense group vice president Tang Yeguo and the delegation visited the manufacturing plant for cooling devices and the showroom, the company said in a press release.

Underfunded, scientists driven into bitter rivalry

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian researchers and scientists held a March for Science and a public debate in Ljubljana to draw the attention of the public and decision-makers to what they see as a flawed financing system that is driving cut-throat competition in science. They believe the current short-term project financing system is misguided, because the rivalry it produces impacts on the relationships between researchers and institutions. They want the state to secure more and steadier funding.

Yet another ruling against LB and NLB in Croatia

ZAGREB, Croatia - The Finance Ministry announced that NLB bank and the defunct LB bank had lost another court case linked to Yugoslav-era bank deposits in Croatia as the Zagreb County Court upheld a ruling ordering them to repay more than EUR 8m in principal plus interest and litigation costs. The ruling runs afoul of Croatia's commitments under the 2001 Succession Agreement and the 2013 Mokrice Memorandum signed by Slovenia and Croatia. Should Croatia levy distress on NLB, the bank will be compensated by the Succession Fund, set up by Slovenia under legislation passed in July 2018.

Procedure launched to sell further 10% state stake in NLB

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) gave its go-ahead for hiring a legal adviser to sell a further 10% minus one share in NLB bank after the state already sold 65% in Slovenia'sd largest bank last year. The state needs to reduce its stake to 25% plus one share under commitments given to the European Commission when it approved a EUR 1.56bn state aid for the bank in late 2013.

Business ties with Russian Samara region promoted

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) hosted a meeting of businessmen from Slovenia and the Russian Samara region as part of a visit by a government and business delegation led by Samara Governor Dmitry Azarov. On the occasion the GZS signed a cooperation agreement with its Samara counterpart that is expected to help boost bilateral trade and business links. Governor Azarov noted huge potential for cooperation in particular in science and education, industry and tourism.

Triglav completes acquisition of Alta Skladi

LJUBLJANA - The fund management branch of insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav completed the acquisition of fund manager Alta Skladi to become the leading provider of mutual funds in the Slovenian market with a 34% market share. Alta, then Slovenia's largest asset management group, was sold in September 2018. The Austrian BKS bank purchased the group's brokerage business, while the fund management business was sold to Triglav pending regulatory approval.

Business sentiment deteriorating

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment decreased for the second month running in April. The indicator declined by 2.1 percentage points over March 2019 and by 6.4 points year-on-year, the Statistics Office said. The manufacturing confidence indicator had the greatest impact on the deterioration of the sentiment indicator at the monthly level, having dropped by 1.1 points.

Ceremony commemorates Jews deported from Lendava

LENDAVA - President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony commemorating the Jews deported during World War II from Lendava at the synagogue in this eastern-most Slovenian town. He underlined that the great European idea of peace and security must be protected. Pahor dedicated his address to Erika Fürst, a holocaust survivor, inviting her to join him next year at the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Exhibition presents Slovenian scenography

LJUBLJANA - An exhibition offering an overview of set design in Slovenia from the 19th century to 1991 went on display at the National Gallery. More than 220 exhibits are complemented by videos of theatre performances and computer visualisations of contemporary sets. Numerous scale models, sketches of sets in various techniques, and photographs of theatrical scenery will be on display until 8 September.

STA, 24 April 2019 - The Social Democrats (SD) became the latest party to formally enter the EU election race on Wednesday. Party officials said their campaign would focus on restoring trust in Europe by highlighting jobs, climate change, security and migrations as the main issues.

"These European elections will be a landmark for the future of Europe. Either we go down the path of dangerous disintegration, or the path of a strong Europe," the party's top candidate, MEP Tanja Fajon, said as the candidacies were submitted to the National Electoral Commission.

A strong and united Europe is of paramount importance for Slovenia, she said, noting that two decades of conservative dominance in the EU parliament had resulted in unfair taxations and multinational corporations and the rich not paying their taxes.

The party's goal is to have two MEPs in the next parliament - Fajon is currently their sole representative - and it has recently also started promoting the idea that Slovenia's next commissioner should be picked from the ranks of candidates contesting the election.

"The next commissioner from Slovenia ought to go through European elections. The people have the right to know who the commissioner will be," Fajon said.

Slovenia does not have strict rules about commissioner nominations. It is up to the government to pick a candidate, who then has to undergo a hearing at the European Parliament.

United Slovenia to campaign against EU membership

STA, 24 April 2019 - The far-right United Slovenia, led by the self-styled militia leader Andrej Šiško, who is fresh out of prison for attempts to subvert the constitutional order, fielded its candidates for MEPs on Wednesday. The party will be campaigning for Slovenia's exit from the EU.

Only three candidates will contest the election: Šiško, Joško Joras, a self-styled defender of the south border, and the party's co-president Anica Bidar.

Šiško, the party's front-runner, said United Slovenia was the only party that would protect the Slovenian Constitution in the election and advocate for Slovenia to leave the EU.

Learn more about the colourful Andrej Šiško here

"The EU in its current form is unacceptable for Slovenian citizens. The kind that the gentlemen from European elites want to build is even more unacceptable," Šiško said.

The United Slovenia movement promotes cooperation with European nations and countries, and wants a Europe of free and independent nations and countries that would also include Russia.

Calling on citizens who want change to turn out for the election, Šiško said that if their candidate got elected they would not join any of the European political groups but work on a project basis.

DeSUS campaign centred around top candidate, MEP Šoltes

STA, 24 April 2019 - The coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) plans to focus its EU election campaign on their top candidate, MEP Igor Šoltes. Their slogan will be Šoltes, Our Man in Brussels, the party said as it formally submitted the candidacies to the National Electoral Commission on Wednesday.

DeSUS is counting on the base to help it retain its sole MEP seat, party leader Karl Erjavec said, noting that turnout would be low, which was getting party members and supporters to vote would be decisive.

Šoltes joined DeSUS after winning his MEP seat with an independent list in 2014, and after the party's current MEP, Ivo Vajgl, decided to retire.

He said he would be the voice of those who are ignored and sidelined, focusing on issues such as longevity of society, standard of living for the elderly, the environment, healthy food and social justice.

DeSUS plans to spend roughly EUR 30,000 on the campaign. The emphasis will be on field work and social networks.

Looking ahead, Erjavec said that the vote would be followed by a "very turbulent period" on the domestic scene as parties that have their representatives in the EU parliament gathered strength.

He predicts that there will be consolidation on the left sooner or later since "it is difficult to run the country so fragmented."

All our stories on the EU elections are here, while those on the many and varied political parties in Slovenia are here