STA, 4 April 2019 - Health Minister Aleš Šabeder has signed a decree that allows hiring up to 90 doctors from non-EU countries this year in order to deal with an acute shortage of general practitioners in Slovenia.

Šabeder announced the measure for the public broadcaster TV Slovenija and commercial broadcaster POP TV late last evening.

The ministry also sent to the Medical Chamber yesterday a proposal for speciality training for 49 trainee doctors this year, a "measure that will have an effect on the system only in a few years' time".

A favourable number of trainee doctors is also planned for 2020, but there will be fewer in 2023 and 2024.

He said these were the first short-term measures agreed in the meetings earlier this week with representatives of GPs and of the community health centres grappling with the most acute staff shortages.

The decree allowing hiring a total of 90 doctors from third countries adds 55 doctors to work in primary healthcare to the 35 doctors for which medical organisations expressed the need a while ago, explained the minister.

The ministry today submitted for public consultation until 11 April a proposal lifting the ceiling on doctor job offerings by 56 from the 35 posts determined in December, which will allow the import of 91 doctors from third countries. More than half (55) will be for GPs.

The minister also announced that further measures would follow to implement the agreed workload standards and norms and deal with the crisis which erupted after GPs started giving notices in protest at excessive workload.

FIDES, the trade union of doctors and dentists, announced that, on 1 June, all doctors would start sticking to the workload standards agreed in the collective bargaining agreement after the 2016 strike.

"It will be necessary to secure additional financing sources, and measures are also being taken in this direction," Šabeder said, indicating that these measures could be expected by June or July.

In response to FIDES's announcement of what is in effect a work-to-rule strike, the trade union of nurses said that, being members of medical teams, nurses "will work as much as doctors do".

The union's boss, Slavica Mencinger, told the STA today that a "major problem will be to ascertain who will be the one to turn away patients, to triage them and answer for the consequences".

STA, 3 April 2019 - Education Minister Jernej Pikalo has announced that the coalition has come up with an agreement on the state funding of private primary schools, under which the mandatory state-approved curriculum would be fully funded, but the extended curriculum would not get any funds.

The announcement on Wednesday comes as the five-member minority coalition is trying to implement the Constitutional Court's ruling from 2014 mandating full state funding of private primary schools teaching state-approved curricula.

Currently, private primary schools have 85% of both their mandatory public curriculum and extended programme covered by the state. Extended programme includes remedial classes for struggling students and additional classes for outperforming students, as well as pre- and after-class activities.

Under the planned changes to the organisation and financing of education act, the generations already attending primary schools would have their mandatory public curriculum fully financed, while extended programme would be financed at a 85% rate.

For the generations enrolled after the changes enter into force, mandatory public curriculum would be fully financed, while extended programme would not be financed, Pikalo explained.

He added that the proposal, which will now enter public consultation, clearly defined the conditions for such state funding and instructions to institutions on how to meet these conditions.

The minister hopes the public consultation would result in a solution which would be accepted before the start of the next school year.

Pikalo noted that the wording of the changes had been discussed today only by the coalition, adding that the talks with the Left, the government's tentative partner from the opposition, would be held separately.

Announcing the proposal, the minister said that it implemented the Constitutional Court's decision on the one hand, and protected the network of public schools on the other.

He said that the proposal "brings together what is sometimes perceived as impossible", adding that his personal opinion was that it was not right that same primary education programmes were funded differently.

Pikalo said he would look to secure the broadest possible consensus on the proposal, adding that he would present it to all parliamentary deputy groups.

But the first reactions from the opposition are that the proposal is unconstitutional, while some coalition parties are also cautious despite the minister saying that the proposal had been agreed on.

The Democrats (SDS) noted that the Constitutional Court's decision stipulates full funding of publicly approved programmes, where extended programmes belong.

Tomaž Lisec, an MP of the largest opposition party said on Twitter that the proposal was "unconstitutional".

The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) said it supported "100-percent funding of publicly approved programme, without the artificial differentiation between the mandatory and extended part."

The NSi noted that a very small number of private primary schools in Slovenia would be eligible for full funding under that proposal. "This would not threaten public education in any way," the party said on Twitter.

Aljaž Kovačič of the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said it was only a proposal on which other stakeholders would give their opinion, adding that constitutional experts would also needed to be consulted.

Igor Zorčič, the head of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy group, said the party expected from Pikalo to consult jurists on whether the proposal was appropriate in order to prevent possible new unconstitutionalities.

The proposal is supported by Pikalo's Social Democrats (SD) and the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), with the latter saying that the public education network should be protected.

In Slovenia, primary education is provided to all children, the SAB said, adding that Slovenia was one of the least socially stratified societies in the world, which needed to be preserved.

The party believes that the "material Minister Pikalo presented to the coalition parties, despite some remarks, addresses the issue appropriately".

All our stories on education are here

STA, 2 April 2019 - The Slovenian provider of energy and sustainable solutions Resalta will get an EUR 6m capital injection from the European Investment Fund (EIF) and private investors. The resources will help the company make a transition from a start-up to a major international energy provider.

Resalta and the EIF, whose main shareholder is the European Investment Bank (EIB), signed the investment agreement on Tuesday, striving to further develop the company's independent energy services and renewable energy solutions, thus investing into a positive impact on Slovenia and the EU's economy as well as on the environment.

The investment will be guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the key part of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan.

Half of the recapitalisation amount will be provided by a joint instrument of the EIF and the Slovenian Development Bank (SID), with the other half provided by the Bulgarian BlackPeak Capital investment fund and private investors.

Resalta was established by three Slovenian major companies - home appliances maker Gorenje, gas wholesaler Geoplin, and the capital's public utility company Energetika Ljubljana - and is present in eight markets, including Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, doing business with individual clients, companies, and municipalities.

The company endeavours to assist its clients in reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption, saving on energy-related costs.

The EIF pointed out that the company has developed and implemented solutions that saved 300GWH of electric energy, thus reducing carbon emissions by 30,000 tons per year, which is equal to planting 3,400 hectares of forest.

Contributing to the City of Ljubljana's project, Resalta also reduced carbon emissions in a number of the municipality's facilities and was given the European Energy Service Award by the European Commission for this achievement.

The company's CEO Luka Komazec said that the investment was an important stepping stone to Resalta's development, helping them develop new energy service projects and transforming the region into a more eco-friendly environment.

STA, 2 April 2019 - Visitors to the famous Postojnska Jama caves will be able to access yet another well- hidden secret as of today, but this time of a very different kind. A museum of eavesdropping will open at Jama Hotel right next to the caves after a "non-existing" phone surveillance nest of the communist secret police was discovered during renovation works.

The premises of the complex, which looks very much like a former spying hub, number several rooms and can also be accessed from the caves. They were discovered only in 2017, as they were reportedly not drawn in the hotel's original plans.

Jama Hotel was built during a Yugoslav boom period in 1971 and welcomed many a political leader from around the world. It was left to dilapidate after the breakup of Yugoslavia but was saved and reopened a few years ago.

According to Marjan Batagelj, the general manager of tourism firm Postojnska Jama, one of the side entries to the hotel oddly stood out after renovation, since its door had failed to get replaced.

Hiding behind the door was a world from the past, equipped with furniture from the 1970s, boxes for storing tapes, and phone tapping terminals connected to the hotel's lines and way beyond.

The police were the first to examine the premises, followed by employees of the Slovenian national intelligence agency SOVA and of the national archives.

The equipment and furniture were left behind, while the documentation was taken to the archives with copies made for the needs of the museum.

Visitors will be able to listen to selected recordings and to an audio guide about what is believed to have happened in these rooms. Only six people will be able to visit at a time.

"It is not up to us to look for the truth. We decided to bring in experts and let them explain how this equipment works. If we have no evidence - with the exception of a single army tape - we cannot say that these rooms were used for eavesdropping," Batagelj told the press on Monday, adding visitors would be able to reach a conclusion on their own.

The website to learn more about the tour is here

STA, 3 April 2019 - The Administrative Court has declared unlawful the decision of the Ilirska Bistrica city council to hold a referendum on a centre for the acceptance and registration of migrants in the south-western town. The locals say they will nevertheless continue with activities against the government's plans to set up such a centre there.

The ruling of the court was announced for the STA on Wednesday by Ilirska Bistrica Mayor Emil Rojc, who added that the objective of the municipality and most of the residents remained that the centre was not established there.

The city council voted to hold a consultative referendum on the centre, planned to be set up at the Jelšane border crossing with Croatia, at the beginning of March in what was a second vote on the issue.

After the vote to hold a referendum on 14 April, Rojc said he would ask the court to rule on its legality after legal opinions suggested that under the Slovenian law, a municipality cannot hold a referendum on migration policy.

The mayor explained at the time that the municipality had obtained three opinions, from two law firms and the government's local government service, which all say a municipality cannot hold such a referendum.

Rojc told the STA today that the municipality had received the ruling of the Administrative Court last week, in which it said that the decision to hold the referendum was unlawful, which meant that it could not be held.

The mayor said that the locals had other options available but would not go into details, adding that the goal that the centre is not set up in the municipality had been reached for the time being.

"The fact is that the state wanted to start the construction and that it has not done it so far," he added.

The planned centre near the village of Ješane, which has some 250 residents, is to feature ten containers and two tents with the total capacity of between 600 and 1,000 beds.

Rojc, a member of the coalition Social Democrats (SD) said that the activities against the centre by a local civil initiative continued, adding that while the municipality had nothing to do with them, he personally supported them.

Signatures are being signed for a petition against the centre, and a protest is planned to be held on 27 April, he added.

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This summary is provided by the STA

Doctors' trade union announces general work-to-rule strike for 1 June

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian doctors and dentists will start working strictly by the workload standards and norms as set out in the 2008 Blue Book as of 1 June, their trade union announced amid a crisis in primary healthcare. Addressing reporters after a session of the leadership of the FIDES trade union, the union's boss Konrad Kuštrin said that the government and the Health Ministry had enough time to implement suitable solutions by 1 June.

National Review Commission head Borut Smrdel resigns

LJUBLJANA - The head of the National Review Commission Borut Smrdel resigned, citing pressure on the commission and the questioning of its integrity. Resigning after the commission has continuously made headlines in connection to delayed infrastructure projects, Smrdel said he had naively believed that expertise and honesty would suffice for him to do a good job when he was appointed in 2012.

Report: Croatian intelligence behind arbitration wiretapping

LJUBLJANA - The recordings of phone calls between Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the border arbitration, which were leaked to the public only to have Croatia declare the process irrevocably tainted, were made by the Croatian Intelligence Agency (SOA), news portal 24ur.com reported. The communication between Jernej Sekolec and agent Simona Drenik, who were not allowed to communicate with each other, was reportedly picked up in July 2015 by SOA operative Davor Franić.

Coalition reaches deal on funding of private primary schools

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Jernej Pikalo said the coalition had come up with an agreement on the state funding of private primary schools, under which the mandatory state-approved curriculum would be fully funded, and the extended curriculum not funded, which would apply for new generations of students. The announcement comes as the five-member minority coalition is trying to implement the Constitutional Court's ruling from 2014 mandating full state funding of private primary schools teaching state-approved curricula. The right-leaning opposition parties rejected the proposal, while some coalition parties are also cautious and call for consultations with experts.

Committee okays talks on no-tariff deal between EU and US

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Economy Committee okayed the government's approval in principle for the European Commission to start talks with the US on an agreement eliminating tariffs on industrial goods. The debate heard some reservations from the MPs, mostly from the opposition Left. The government's opinion is that the agreement must be signed under the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and that the issue of the still valid mandate for the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which have come to a standstill under the Trump administration, should be adequately addressed.

Left to monitor implementation of measures from govt deal

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left has published a chart on it website allowing people to monitor progress in the implementation of measures it has agreed with coalition parties in exchange for supporting the Marjan Šarec minority government. The chart will allow citizens to monitor the progress in the implementation of the measures the Left has proposed in precarious employment, housing, taxation of capital, and the supplementary health insurance, Left head Luka Mesec told the press.

Advantages of European Innovation Council presented in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The new European Innovation Council (EIC), which the European Commission has designed to promote industrial innovation in Europe, was presented in Ljubljana today. The participants of today's conference in Slovenia, which was selected as the first country to promote the EIC, agreed boosting innovation was key to sustainable growth. "It is disruptive innovations that change business models and put Europe on a par with other superpowers," said Draško Veselinovič, head of the Brussels-based Slovenian Business and Research Association, with which the Commission paired up to organise the conference.

Minister hails Probation Administration a year after inception

LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Andreja Katič praised the work of the Probation Administration, the probation management and oversight body which was launched a year ago, while warning the staff was buckling under an excessive workload. Katič is relieved that the revised state budget has provided for additional hiring. Katič said the administration had been "doing an excellent job ... raising the quality of work done with convicted individuals, increasing the number of alternative sentences and reducing the number of people locked up in prisons".

Strike of maritime pilots in Koper port averted

KOPER - A strike of workers providing piloting services in the port of Koper that could have seriously hampered operations at Slovenia's sole maritime port has been averted. The agreement, reached by the employees and management of Piloti Koper on Monday evening, provides improved labour and economic conditions both for the pilots and boat masters. While the details of the agreement have not been disclosed, the strike demands included 50% higher wages for maritime pilots and 75% higher wages for boat captains, as well as greater safety at work, which would be secured with additional hirings and more boats.

Local referendum on migrant registration centre declared unlawful

ILIRSKA BISTRICA - The Administrative Court has declared unlawful the decision of the Ilirska Bistrica city council to hold a referendum on a centre for the acceptance and registration of migrants in the south-western town. The locals say they will nevertheless continue with activities against the government's plans to set up such a centre there.

Consulate of Monaco reopens

LJUBLJANA - The Consulate of Monaco in Ljubljana was officially reopened on 20 March after being closed since 2016. Franjo Bobinac, the managing director of the household appliances maker Gorenje, was appointed the honorary consul. Slovenia and Monaco have been strengthening their diplomatic relations since 2007, when they decided to upgrade their consular relations, which were established in 2000, with ambassadors. Monaco's first consul in Slovenia was Marko Kryžanowski, who stepped down in 2016 for personal reasons. Since then, no new consul was appointed.

Part of biggest doctor bribery case to become statute barred

LJUBLJANA - Radio Slovenija reported that at least four of the 15 people indicted in the biggest health corruption case in Slovenia's history will not stand trial because the crimes they are accused of will become statute-barred. The case involves a scheme in which doctors were paid kickbacks by medical equipment suppliers, revealed in a series of house searches conducted in 2013. After the indictment became final last month, pre-trial hearings are due to start in mid-May. The suspects were reportedly charged with accepting bribes, money laundering and falsification and destruction of documents, however at least four of the crimes would become statute barred as early as this month.

Jobless total down 5.8% y/y in March

LJUBLJANA - The positive trend on Slovenia's labour market continued in March, as the jobless total dropped 5.8% year-on-year and 5.2% over February to 76,533. The average number of jobless persons in the first quarter of the year was 80,026, which is 5.8% less than in the same period last year, show figures by the Employment Service.

DOPPS shocked as charges against alleged bird smugglers dropped

LJUBLJANA - The Bird Watching Association (DOPPS) expressed its disappointment with the prosecution dropping the charges of bird smuggling against three Romanian citizens who were caught with more than 1,300 dead birds of protected species in October 2018. The DOPPS, which is campaigning against bird poaching and illegal transporting of birds across the Slovenian territory, the decision is a message to bird smugglers that they can continue with their wrong-doings without any fear of retribution.

Music Days celebrate centenary of Music Academy predecessor

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Music Days, an annual festival to be held for the 34th year running from 3 to 12 April, will celebrate the centenary of a conservatory from which the Ljubljana Music Academy developed in 1939. The conservatory was established in 1919 as part of the Glasbena Matica musical society, which also encouraged Slovenian composers to write music. Its establishment is considered one of the key events in Slovenia's music history.

STA, 3 April 2019 - The recordings of phone calls between Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the border arbitration, which were leaked to the public only to have Croatia declare the process irrevocably tainted, were made by the Croatian Intelligence Agency (SOA), news portal 24ur.com reported on Wednesday.

The communication between Jernej Sekolec and agent Simona Drenik, who were not allowed to communicate with each other, was reportedly picked up in July 2015 by SOA operative Davor Franić.

According to 24ur.com, which quotes Bosnian media and own sources at SOA, Franić has triggered a number of scandals under the instruction of top Croatian politicians.

After the recordings of the conversations between Sekolec and Drenik were leaked in the summer of 2015, both of them resigned.

Even though the tribunal decided the breach was not so grave as to abort the process, Croatia declared the process irrevocably compromised and declared it would not accept the arbitration award.

So far it had been speculated that German or US intelligence services were behind the wire-tapping.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry would not comment on the news today, saying only that it had closely cooperated with the relevant Slovenian bodies after the recordings were made public.

The police told 24ur.com that they could not reveal any details from on-going investigations.

According to the web portal, Franić was a low-profile agent until only a few months ago. Allegedly he had been involved in several failed operations, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But after the arbitration operation, he was propelled to the very top of the SOA, where he is now the chief of staff in the office of the SOA head, Daniel Markić.

A few days ago, his name came up in a case involving recruiting of fighters and smuggling weapons from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with which Croatia allegedly attempted to show its neighbouring country as a playground for terrorist.

Franić was allegedly using Bosnian hauliers who have a residence permit in Slovenia as weapons mules. The hauliers reportedly turned to the Bosnian Embassy in Ljubljana for help.

All our stories about the Croatian border can be found here

STA, 2 April 2019 - Slovenian prisons are slightly overcrowded, shows a report on the state of European prison systems released by the Council of Europe (CoE) on Tuesday. The country's incarceration rate remains one of the lowest in Europe, with an increase of foreign prisoners recorded last year.

The number of inmates in Slovenia slightly exceeded the number of places available in 2018. Slovenia had an average 100.5 inmates per 100 places available, while the European average was 91.4.

Responding to the report, the Slovenian Prison Administration said it was trying to solve the problem by means of organisational measures, however the only long-term solution would be building a new prison.

Slovenia has been grappling with the problem for years. It culminated in 2014 when the prison population peaked. It was declining in the coming years, but the prison population trend turned up again in 2018.

The administration said the current occupancy rate was 104%. Due to an increase in remand prisoners, some facilities are overcrowded. There were an average 319 remand prisoners in 2018, an eight-year high.

The CoE report highlights eight countries dealing with severe prison overcrowding, including North Macedonia (122.3 inmates/100 capacity), Romania (120.5/100) and France (116.3/100).

Slovenia is below the EU average regarding the share of prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants (61.1/100,000), with Iceland being the country with the lowest share - 46.8. The CoE did not take into account countries with less than 300,000 inhabitants.

Countries where the number of inmates is among the highest include Russia (418.3 inmates per 100,000 people), Georgia (252.2/100,000) and Azerbaijan (235/100,000).

The number of foreign prisoners grew significantly in Slovenia last year. They accounted for 14% of the prison population, compared to 9% in 2017.

The Prison Administration said the trend was related to illegal migration. A total of 874 foreigners were incarcerated in Slovenia in 2018, most of them (565) were remand prisoners.

According to the administration's data, the percentage of foreigners among all of those incarcerated in Slovenia rose from 18% in 2017 to 23.5% in 2018.

Switzerland had the highest share of imprisoned foreigners, 71.4%.

Slovenia was also listed among the countries which notably increased the prison budget in 2018, having earmarked an additional 17.5% in funding for the purpose.

The Prison Administration said its expenditure in 2018 amounted to EUR 39.9m, about 2% more than in 2017, whereby it realised all key planned activities and provided basic living and working conditions for the staff and inmates.

The priority going forward will be to secure funding to increase staff numbers, provide investment maintenance, purchase new equipment and uniforms, and to modernise security systems.

The report included 44 prison administrations and 47 CoE member states, indicating that the share of prisoners in Europe between 2016 and 2018 dropped by 6.6%. On the other hand, the share of detainees increased to 22.4%, compared to 17.4% in 2016.

A PDF of the full report can be found here

http://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2019/04/FinalReportSPACEI2018_190402.pdf

Kinodvor and Kinoteka, Ljubljana twin temples of art cinema, are giving themselves up once again to the cheap thrills and honest trash of the annual Kurja Polt (“Goosebumps”) festival of genre film, this year in its 6^th shocking incarnation.

This one is titled Freaks, and in addition to the Tod Browning classic of midnight screenings includes a number of other films that, for one reason or another, simply could not – and perhaps should not – be made today. Thus you’ll be able to marvel at underground classics like Isla – Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks, a film that, as the NSFW trailer attests, fully lives up (or down) to the potential of its title, with something to offend everyone.

Or you can enjoy the Italian giallo sex and violence thriller with perhaps the best title of the festival – in a programme packed with contenders – Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave, aka Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. Sadly, no trailer for this is available, but the synopsis begins as follows:

Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli), a frustrated writer and an abusive husband to Irina (Anita Strindberg), amuses himself by holding drunken hippy orgies in their crumbling country villa. But when one of his lovers is found dead, he becomes the prime suspect to a series of mysterious murders. To complicate matters even further, Oliviero’s beautiful and seductive niece Floriana (Edwige Fenech) arrives for an unexpected visit….

With regard to family fun, and not just for the Mansons, there’s the legendary Roar, dubbed the most dangerous movie ever shot, with a cast of wild animals that at any moment could have decided to eat the actors:

Hank (Noel Marshall) is an energetic scientist, living in the bush country of East Africa, alongside a menagerie of over 100 wild lions, tigers, panthers and an elephant or two. They all live together in apparent harmony. Until one day, just as his wife and children (real-life wife Tippi Hedren, step-daughter Melanie Griffith and his sons John and Jerry Marshall) arrive from Chicago, a battle for dominance erupts between the lions. And things go badly wrong.

In addition to confirmed classics there are those in the making, including the intriguing Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur, or Knife + Heart:

Paris, the summer of 1979. Anne (Vanessa Paradis) is a 40-something gay porn director with titles like Anal Fury and Homocidal under her belt. After her editor and lover Lois leaves her, she tries to win her back by shooting her most ambitious film yet. But a mysterious killer starts murdering her actors one by one.

Non-western movies also get their turn on the big screen, with Filipino director Khavn de la Cruz appearing in person at both a workshop and screenings of Bamboo Dogs and Balangiga: Howling Wilderness.

While the Nigerian film Hello Rain will also be playing:

Through a potent but dangerous combination of juju and technology, three scientist witches Rain, Philo and Coco create magical wigs that grant them untold supernatural powers. But power corrupts and Rain, the leader, finds herself in a confrontation with her friends. She must stop them before they destroy the entire nation.

If you’re not afraid to take a walk on the wide side then I recommend you head over to the official site in order to see the full schedule, which also includes seminars, workshops, performances, and an art exhibition. As bonus for readers of TSN, non-English language films will be screened with English subtitles, so you’ll be able to enjoy every minute..

Finally, note that fans of this event should put the Grossmann Fantastic Film Festival in their calendars, which this year (2019) takes place 16–20 July in Ljutomer, while whenever you’re reading this you can see our guide to what’s on in Ljubljana, including at cinemas, here.

STA, 3 April 2019 - The head of the National Review Commission (Državne revizijske komisije – Dkom) Borut Smrdel resigned on Wednesday, citing pressure on the commission and the questioning of its integrity.

Resigning after the commission has continuously made headlines in connection to delayed infrastructure projects, Smrdel said he had naively believed that expertise and honesty would suffice for him to do a good job when he was appointed in 2012.

He said he had not been aware that "it is completely acceptable today to use targeted PR-campaigns to consistently try to influence the work and decisions of independent state bodies".

"That it is acceptable to systematically raise doubts about the professional attitude and integrity of these bodies' employees merely because individual decisions, irrespective of how well-founded they are, are not in line with the expectations, wishes or interests of the parties to the procedure or somebody else," Smrdel said.

Smrdel, who told the STA he would continue working at the commission after the resignation, argues he can no longer preform his job in a situation when institutions are being blamed for causing delays by exposing illegal actions.

Review procedures and public procurement in the country have been subject to criticism for years, in particular in connection to delays in major infrastructure projects.

The Review Commission already protested in December against the communication style of the stakeholders in individual tenders, arguing it undermined the commission's integrity.

The list of the most notorious cases includes the Škofja Loka bypass road and the introduction of the electronic toll system for motorways, which even involved calls for the commission to be abolished.

Things escalated recently as the national motorway company DARS repeatedly failed to secure a contractor for the Slovenian section of the second tube of the eight-kilometre Karavanke motorway tunnel with Austria.

The tunnel situation, which is now again in the hands of the National Review Commission, also got a political dimension in January through calls issued by the parliamentary Commission for Public Finance Oversight at the proposal of the opposition Democrats (SDS).

The parliamentary commission urged a reform of legislation governing public procurement reviews and called on the Corruption Prevention Commission to examine potential corruption risks and conflict of interest with individual members of the National Review Commission.

It moreover proposed the Court of Audit conduct a review of the consequences that the decisions of the Review Commission had on the costs of major projects involving public procurement in the past 10 years.

While the state executes around 6,400 large tenders each year, around 350 involve appeals with the Review Commission. The commission agrees with the appellants in 30-45% of the cases.

Responding to the resignation, Matej T. Vatovec of the opposition Left said that Smrdel's resignation letter was "worrying in what it reveals or what it at least wants to say between the lines".

"If the reason for the resignation is that he has stopped the Karavanke deal with the Turkish company, which has been proven to brutally stomp on workers' rights ... while having support here, this is inadmissible," he added.

Vatovec said that lobbyist pressure and other pressure on officials and representatives of the state should not be tolerated, adding that "all state bodies should face this and make a concrete analysis about what is going on."

Jani Möderndorfer of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) said that Smrdel should have remained at the post if he talked about professionalism. "Because, you know, resigning actually means admitting defeat, which is a shame."

Franc Jurša of the coalition Pensioner's Party (DeSUS) said that Smrdel's job was exposed to "a great deal of various interests and something has been probably going on". He called for a new head of the National Review Commission to be appointed as soon as possible.

Matjaž Han of the coalition Social Democrats (SD) said that Public Administration Minister Rudi Medved had presented proposals for a reform of public procurement.

"If the changes go to that direction, we will probably be able to avoid those companies which file appeals only for the sake of the appeal, and will be able to start implementing a project earlier," he added.