STA, 23 April 2019 - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will start a multi-day visit to China on Tuesday designed to strengthen economic relations between the two countries as well as Slovenia's role in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Počivalšek will present the government's action plans for potential investors and the situation in Slovenian business. Tourism cooperation will also be on the agenda.

The minister will visit the headquarters of the Chinese appliance and electronics manufacturer Hisense, the owner of the Slovenian white goods maker Gorenje.

He will meet with representatives of the local authorities in the province Liaoning Shenyang, where the Slovenian automotive supplier TPV would like to launch a production facility.

Počivalšek will attend the second Belt and Road Initiative Forum, addressing participants at the silk road innovation conference.

China is Slovenia's leading trading partner in Asia, listed as 13th among the country's top trading partners, ahead of Russia and the US, said the Economy Ministry, adding that Slovenia is particularly supportive of hi-tech projects.

More than 12,500 Chinese companies exported to Slovenia last year, while almost 500 Slovenian companies traded with China. Bilateral trade in goods increased by almost 12% year-on-year, amounting to EUR 1.3bn.

The scope of Slovenia's investment in China is on the rise as well, currently estimated at EUR 45m, as over 30 Slovenian companies have affiliates in China.

In Slovenia, there are roughly 110 companies in 100% Chinese ownership and 23 companies with mixed Chinese ownership, according to Economy Ministry data.

All our stories on Slovenia and China are here

STA, 23 April 2019 - With turnout at European Parliament elections exceptionally low - under 25% in 2014 - the path to success hinges on mobilising core constituents in the weeks leading up to polling day. This will also crucially inform the substance of the debate, according to political analysts.

Mobilisation of decided voters will be key, says Alem Maksuti of the Institute of Political Management, a private think-tank. This gives established parties an advantage.

Addressing the hard core of constituents will be instrumental, and this is most easily achieved with field work, which plays to the advantage of established parties, according to Rok Čakš, a columnist for the conservative portal Domovina.je.

This is also why the campaign is unlikely to feature substantive debates on the future of the EU.

Related: How to Vote in the 2019 EU Elections in Slovenia

"I'd be glad if debate about pressing issues concerning the shared future in the EU is more substantive and less populist this time, but knowing the Slovenian political and media reality, this is overly optimistic," Čakš told the STA.

Maksuti likewise believes there will be no room in the campaign for the future of the bloc. Instead, the focus will be on the parties and their candidates.

"Politics is on the back burner here. Since the parties are relatively similar and pursue a practically identical policy, I don't expect substantive differences," he said.

But despite the focus on personalities, many parties old and new have fielded weak candidates overall, according to Maksuti.

He thinks that party affiliation will be the key factor determining success, with individual names less important, with the exception of MEPs, who are "already stored in people's brains".

Čakš thinks that some parties, in particular the Democrats (SDS), Social Democrats (SD) and New Slovenia (NSi) have put together strong slates and are offering "people who understand what the EU is about".

Newer parties, meanwhile, are concealing their lack of substance with "polished images, apt public appearances and the repetition of general, principles populist sentences".

As regards the campaigning techniques, Čakš believes that TV debates will remain the biggest media events, while social networks will be "cheap support for all other activities."

Maksuti, meanwhile, thinks tools such as debates are less relevant, even as they are often ascribed significant importance.

Turning to the likely outcome, Čaks said fragmentation on the left could cost the left-liberal bloc an MEP seat at the expense of the opposition Left or the centre-right.

Maksuti believes the distribution of votes will be very similar than four years ago, in particular for established parties.

In 2014 conservative parties that are members of the European People's Party (EPP) got five of the eight MEPs allocated to Slovenia, with liberal and left parties getting three.

All our stories on the EU elections are here

April 21, 2019

Večer reports that last Wednesday the UK’s Ambassador to Slovenia, HMA Sophie Honey, joined a discussion at the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce in Maribor, where the possibilities of economic cooperation between the two countries during the Brexit uncertainty and after were discussed.

Iztok Kračun, the director of the Institute for Strategic Solutions said that it is a very difficult task for many small and medium-sized enterprises to get to the volume of business which is required to be profitable in the UK, however, he sees the opportunity for niche market products with high added value, which is thus what Slovenian economy should be based in the future.

Panvita CEO Toni Balažič agreed that niche products were the right answer to the export question, and added that companies should remember the a large immigrant community from the former Yugoslavia in the UK, who are already familiar with Slovenian products. He then mentioned how Panvita’s čevapčiči are popular among the Brits. Ambassador Sophie Honey seconded him by saying that her children also love čevapčiči, and are already worried about where they’ll get them on their return back home.

A total of 77 teams competed in the 2018-2019 Textron Aviation/Raytheon Missile Systems/AIAA Foundation Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition, held April 11-14, at the Tucson International Modelplex Park Association (TIMPA) Airfield, Tucson, Arizona. Fifty-six teams were from within the United States, while 21 came from abroad, including the winning team – from the University of Ljubljana. In second place was the ream from Georgia Tech, while third place was taken by Austria's FH Joanneum of Applied Sciences.

The team of 17 students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering took part in it under the mentorship of Dr. Viktor Šajn, and was led by the engineering student Timotej Hofbauer. The group chose to build the aircraft entirely from composites with the help from sponsors Pipistrel, Akrapovič, and Zavod404.

Speaking about the project, and quoted on the University’s website, Hofbauer said: “We have been building the aircraft for more than half a year and committed more than 2000 hours of work to it. We succeeded in building an incredibly fast and light composite aircraft that can reach speeds of over 100 km/h and is capable of flying at the competitive speed for more than 10 minutes. The aircraft, ready to fly, weighs approximately 9 kg, of which 35 % constitute the batteries alone. It can carry 18 “bombs” and has a wing span of 2.5 meters.”

As noted in the related press release from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation, “the DBF competition encourages and recognises excellence in aerospace engineering skills at the undergraduate and graduate levels by challenging teams to design and fabricate a radio-controlled aircraft conforming to strict guidelines, submit a written report about the aircraft's design, and fly their aircraft over a defined course while carrying a payload and landing it without damage. This year, the design simulated a multi-purpose aircraft to support carrier operations.”

More photos from this year’s event can be seen here, while the following video (from 2018) gives a flavour of the event.

STA, 20 April 2019 - Ninety-three residents were evacuated from a block of flats in the Ljubljana borough of Nove Jarše after a fire broke out on the sixth floor just after midnight. The fire was put out quickly, but five people were injured.

According to the Ljubljana Fire Brigade, the fire broke out on one of the balconies on the sixth floor of a multi-flat building in Bebler Square, before spreading to other flats and the roof of the building.

Three apartments were in flames and the fire had spread to part of the attic when the firefighters arrived. The blaze completely destroyed two apartments and partly damaged two more.

During the evacuation, five people were injured, including two police officers and three residents. One of the persons sustained grave burns, while the others suffered smoke inhalation injuries, including both policemen.

The Ljubljana city civil protection and disaster relief provided blankets for the residents, water, a heated bus and substitute flats for the residents whose homes had been destroyed.

The residents living in flats up to the fifth floor were able to return to their homes at around 3:30 AM on Saturday, and later other residents, except for those from the most damaged flats.

The Ljubljana city will see to the accommodation of those who are unable to return to their homes. The firefighters will cover the damaged parts of the roof with tarpaulin.

A criminal investigation is under way to establish the cause of the fire, the Ljubljana Police Department said.

41 firefighters with 13 trucks were involved in the intervention, including members of voluntary fire brigades.

STA, 21 April 2019 - Easter festivities will culminate with processions and holy masses glorifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the predominantly Catholic Slovenia on Sunday, followed by family gatherings.

Religious and many non-religious families will get together for the traditional Easter breakfast, a feast consisting of the food that was taken to blessings in baskets on Easter Eve.

A typical basket includes "pirhi", the elaborately decorated hard-boiled eggs, as well as ham, horse radish, the potica cake, and selected local specialities.

Many families and villages will hold traditional ester egg competitions, involving egg rolling, bowling or trying to target the egg with a coin.

Related: Slovenian Easter Traditions Live on in Koroška (Feature)

In many a village, Easter processions will be accompanied by bell-ringing and loud banging produced by small cannons or mortars using gunpowder or carbide.

The smaller Protestant community, centred in the north-east of the country, will have children hunting for Easter eggs and bunnies.

In his Easter message, Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore wished everyone who is looking for truth to "feel the joy of meeting Jesus", just like his disciples did when they found his grave empty.

Bishop Geza Filo, the leader of the Evangelic Lutheran Church, said that it was not democracy, market economy, welfare state or psychoanalysis that can bring a true and lasting solution, but only faith.

The extended weekend will run until Easter Monday, a public holiday.

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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

Higher Court reduces fine over contentious SDS loan

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik reported that the Higher Court had reduced the fine imposed by the Ljubljana Local Court on the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) over two illegal loans from EUR 20,000 to EUR 4,200. It also reduced the fine imposed on SDS leader Janez Janša from EUR 2,000 to EUR 500. The court granted the party's appeal in the case of a EUR 60,000 loan taken from the publisher Nova Obzorja, while it has yet to decide on a EUR 450,000 loan granted by Bosnian citizen Dijana Đuđić.

Žižek faces off Peterson in sold-out debate

TORONTO, Canada - Slavoj Žižek, the internationally acclaimed Slovenian philosopher, and Canadian bestselling author and psychologist Jordan Peterson, faced off their views on capitalism vs Marxism in a packed auditorium in Toronto on Friday night. The long-awaited debate at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts saw Peterson defend capitalism, arguing it also created wealth for the poor, while Žižek pointed to climate change as one instance of what is eating capitalism inside today.

Easter baskets blessed on Holy Saturday

LJUBLJANA - Easter is considered the biggest church holiday in the predominantly Roman Catholic Slovenia, but even many non-believers went to church today for a ritual that remains hugely popular despite declining church attendance rates - the blessing of the basket of food. Most people filled the basket with pirhi, the elaborately decorated hard-boiled eggs, bread, ham, horseradish, the potica cake, and selected local specialities.

Impol obtains certificate for aerospace industry

SLOVENSKA BISTRICA - Impol, Slovenia's largest maker of aluminium products, has obtained a certificate proving its compliance with the international quality standard for the aerospace industry. The Slovenska Bistrica-based company said the EN 9100 standard certificate would make it possible to get into the demanding market of top-quality products. It will also upgrade the company's profile. Impol had made products for the aerospace industry before, but the clients had not yet set such high demands.

93 evacuated in Ljubljana apartment building fire

LJUBLJANA - Ninety-three residents were evacuated from a block of flats in the Ljubljana borough of Nove Jarše after a fire broke out on the sixth floor just after midnight. The fire was put out quickly, but five people were injured. According to the Ljubljana Fire Brigade, the fire broke out on one of the balconies on the sixth floor of a multi-flat building in Bebler Square, before spreading to other flats and the roof of the building. The blaze completely destroyed two apartments and partly damaged two more.

Protests after waste facility on fire again in Lenart

LENART - Local authorities in Lenart urged suspension of a waste sorting operation in the north-eastern town after waste deposited there went up in flames twice in less than a week. The locals also plan to stage a protest on Tuesday. The latest fire at the Salomon operation broke out on Friday, just hours after Environment Minister Simon Zajc visited the site in wake of a fire last Sunday. An investigation is under way, while unofficial information suggests the fires were caused by a spontaneous combustion.

STA, 20 April 2019 - Slavoj Žižek, the internationally acclaimed Slovenian philosopher, and Canadian bestselling author and psychologist Jordan Peterson, faced off their views on capitalism vs Marxism in a packed auditorium in Toronto last night.

The long-awaited debate at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts opened with an introduction by moderator Stephen Blackwood, who pointed out how unusual it was to see "the country's largest theatre packed for an intellectual debate".

According to the newspaper Dnevnik, Peterson admitted that capitalism produces inequality, but added that it also created wealth for the poor, while all other systems produced only inequality. "The poor are not getting poorer under capitalism; the poor are getting richer under capitalism," he said.

He criticised Marx for being uncritical about his own ideas when writing the Communist Manifesto. He does not agree with the focus on the economic class struggle, arguing that biological differences were are more important and that is where hierarchies emerge.

Peterson also defended the motive of profit as a reward for good work, what enabled growth and showed what the demand was for. There is no surprise then that Peterson will keep the profit form ticket sales, while Žižek will give it away for charity.

Žižek acknowledged deficiencies of communism and communist regimes, offering the example of China and its rise since it added the capitalist system to authoritarianism, asking the audience whether the Chinese were happier now than they were under communism.

He said that the stories about the disintegration of traditional values and the refugee crisis were false ideological stories made up by people in order to find the justification for their actions, in this case to conceal the problems of capitalism as such.

He believes that capitalism today is also being corroded inside by the threat of climate change and depletion of natural resources because of the logic of expanding production.

He pointed out the paradox of an increasingly linked but at the same time divided world, and the willingness to mitigate the consequences but not to deal with the root causes of global problems. He does not think solving these is a utopia, but rather that it is a utopia to expect the problems would not need to be solved.

Žižek sees equality as an opportunity for an individual to pursue creative and personal aspirations instead of just trying to satisfy basic conditions for survival.

He reproached Peterson for being active in society because he was aware it was not enough to advise an individual to get their lives sorted out, as this was really possible only when made possible by the society's structure and its system.

Peterson, who expressed surprise that he was not taking to a hard-line communist, partly agreed with Žižek, but also insisted that individuals had to take on the responsibility to solve their own problems to be able to take on bigger, even social problems.

The Žižek-Peterson debate, themed Happiness: Capitalism vs Marxism, was one of the most eagerly awaited events in the academic world, featuring two ideologically completely different thinkers.

The initiative for the debate was made by Peterson in November last year as he visited Ljubljana to promote his book d 12 Rules for Life. The 3,200 tickets for the Toronto debate sold out quickly, with resellers charging exorbitant fees - as much as $950 for a seat. The debate was made available online at a cost of $14.95.

All our stories on Žižek are here

As prepared by the STA

MONDAY, 22 April

        LJUBLJANA - Easter Monday, a public holiday.
        MIRNA PEČ - The local automotive club will organise a traditional blessing of motorcycles and cars.

TUESDAY, 23 April
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The annual consultation of Slovenian diplomats will start with addresses by President Borut Pahor and Foreign Minister Miro Cerar.
        BEIJING, China - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will start a visit to China; until 27 April.
        LJUBLJANA - The coalition Social Democrats (SD) will confirm their slate for the EU election and a new party manifesto.
        LJUBLJANA - A joint session of the parliamentary committees for labour and economy will discuss the 2019-2020 National Reform Programme.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will debate the financial performance of health institutions in 2018.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Agriculture, Forestry and Food Committee will debate the financing of an Agriculture Ministry campaign promoting Slovenian produce and products.
        LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host a conference on the management of family firms.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host a debate on how small businesses are preparing for the cooling of the economy.
        VITANJE - An event dubbed the Noordung Forum will explore blockchain technology. Culture Minister Zoran Poznič and European Commissioner Violeta Bulc will be on hand.
        BANOVCI - The coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) will host a debate on retirement, to be attended by Labour Minister Ksenija Klampfer.
        LJUBLJANA - Presentation of the programme of the 67th Ljubljana Festival (2 July - 5 September).
        LJUBLJANA - The 24th Slovenian Book Days, running between 15 and 18 May, will be presented to the press.

WEDNESDAY, 24 April
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and National Assembly Speaker Dejan Židan will address Slovenian diplomats on the final day of their annual consultation.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary culture and foreign policy committees will debate Hungary's recent appeal for government intervention in Slovenian media.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee will debate amendments to the income tax act and the National Reform Programme 2019-2020.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee will debate the STA's annual report for 2018.
        LJUBLJANA - The Urban Forum, an event organised by the Environment Ministry and the Association of Municipalities, will debate sustainable solutions in city management.
        LJUBLJANA - The retailer Mercator is expected to release its audited annual report for 2018.
        LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release business sentiment data for April.
        LJUBLJANA - A round table debate on science will be held before scientists stage a Rally for Science in front of the buildings of the economy and education ministries.

THURSDAY, 25 April
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly is expected to adopt a set of legislative amendments that reduce the taxation of holiday allowance.
        LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec will attend an international conference on forests.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad will review the state of play regarding proposals made at a major diaspora meeting in mid-2017.
        LJUBLJANA - An exhibition on visual art in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia will open at the Museum of Modern Art.

FRIDAY, 26 April
        LJUBLJANA - The campaign for the EU election will officially get under way a month before election day.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services will debate the draft National Security Resolution.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary EU Affairs Committee will debate the National Reform Programme 2019-2020 and a report on the implementation of EU cohesion policy.
        KRANJ - The main ceremony marking Resistance Day.

SATURDAY, 27 April
        LJUBLJANA - US singer Lenny Kravitz will give a concert at Stožice Arena.
        PODČETRTEK - The start of the annual Festival of Wine and Chocolate.

SUNDAY, 28 April
        No major events are scheduled.

Mladina: Government failing to protect national interest from Hungary

STA, 19 April 2019 – The left-leaning Mladina is critical of Slovenia's reluctance to protect its national interests in a commentary accompanying revelations about connections between the European Commission, the Hungarian government and a bank vying to take over Abanka. The weekly underlines that strong financial institutions are the backbone of a sovereign country.

Editor-in-chief Grega Repovž says that a journalist of Mladina found new connections between the Hungarian government and a Hungarian official at the European Commission who insisted that Slovenia privatise its banks.

The situation is becoming increasingly problematic because the revelations trigger doubts about the actions of those involved in Slovenia, as well as the expertise of the European Commission.

Mladina shows connection between the Hungarian government led by Viktor Orban and István P. Székely, who works for the commission, also highlighting the efforts of Hungarian OTP bank to take over Abanka, which is being privatised.

It wonders why the Hungarian Imre Balogh, who also has links to the Orban government, was appointed the CEO of Slovenian bad bank in 2015 and why Laszlo Urban, a member of Orban's party Fidesz, was appointed a member of the NLB supervisory board in 2016.

"What sort of network has the Hungarian government already woven in Slovenia, apart from the obvious links to the Democrats (SDS) and the media it bought from it?" the weekly wonders, adding that Ambassador Edit Szilágyiné Bátorfi had met privately with Slovenia's central bank governor Boštjan Vasle.

The world is changing and countries are pursuing increasingly selfish interests. "Small countries, above all, need to think very carefully about future relations and how to position themselves today to be safe from turbulence in the future."

But Slovenia does not have many experts capable of thinking so far in advance, Mladina says under the headline Time for the Wise.

Strong banks and financial institutions are the backbone of a country but the incumbent government does not seem to be aware of this.

It has not stopped the privatisation of Abanka although countries are fighting for "the last segment of Slovenia's financial backbone" in plain sight.

Demokracija: Politicians should not speak of media freedom

STA, 18 April 2019 – The right-leaning Demokracija says in its latest commentary that the concern for freedom of the press expressed by ruling politicians in the wake of the alleged pressures on the private broadcaster POP TV should be taken with a grain of salt, adding that journalists should actually be worried about politicians who are doing that.

The ruling politicians were quick to swear on democracy and presented themselves as defenders of media independence from politics and capital, but this care of politicians for freedom of the press should raise concern among journalists.

Friday's editorial headlined Riders of Freedom notes that, for instance, MEP Tanja Fajon of the coalition Social Democrats (SD) said on Twitter that "if there is no democracy, there could be no media freedom".

Fajon's idea that democracy ensures freedom of the press is wrong. It is the opposite: freedom of the press, individuals, expression and economy can ensure democracy, which manifests itself in various forms, the editor-in-chief of the right-leaning weekly, Jože Biščak, argues.

Slovenia has around 20,000 laws and by-laws and also has media legislation. "What is regulated by law cannot be free. The media are therefore not free, they are regulated. And the government will make media legislation only stricter."

Some have gone as far as proposing licences for journalists, which would be a very totalitarian thing, as an "expert committee" appointed by politicians would determine who is journalist and who is not.

They say this is a method to fight bad journalism, protect the public from fake media and fake journalists, and improve media professionalism. But this has no basis in reality, as despite the increasing regulation, there are a lot more media outlets today, and they are much more accessible to an average citizen.

"It is not up to the state or politicians to recognise the legitimacy of the media, it is up to every individual to choose freely what sources and media they will believe. This is how it goes in free societies."

Biščak concludes by saying that those who think that the majority of Slovenian citizens are not capable of differentiating between disinformation and information and that politics could "help" them in that, are inclined to dictatorship.

All our posts in this series can be found here