As part of the US Embassy’s programme to encourage cultural exchanges between the US and Slovenia, the town of Kamnik will see a series of free events, no registration required, starting this Friday, March 8, to be held at Samostan Mekinje (the Mekinje Monastery).

 This will see the renowned American artist and writer Manuel Gonzalez and photographer Jesse Burke making appearances and presenting workshops for the general public. Kamnik resident and Slovenologist Noah Charney is also involved, and will be interviewing the visitors.

More details are below, as taken from the related website (with the calendar in Slovene only):

Program:

Friday, March 8th

11.00 Opening of the photographic exhibition by Jesse Burke in the lobby of the Municipality of Kamnik (by the Mayor Matej Slapar) and a guided tour of the exhibition (Jesse Burke)

18.00 Interview with photographer Jesse Burke in the Mekinje Monastery (led by Noah Charney)

Saturday, March 9th

18.00 Press conference for the presentation of the project and both artists, with a tasting of American food at the Mekinje Monastery

19.00 Public reading and interview with the writer Manuel Gonzales at the Mekinje Monastery (led by Noah Charney)

Monday, March 11th

18.00 Workshop on creative writing at the Mekinje Monastery (Manuel Gonzales)

Tuesday, March 12th

17.00 Workshop on creative writing for young people from the age of 13 in the Library of France Manuel Gonzales,

Wednesday, March 13th

18.00 Workshop on photography in the Mekinje Monastery (Jesse Burke)

If you'd like to learn more about the programme supporting these visits, and perhaps apply for a grant of up to US$10,000, then you can do so here

STA, 4 March 2019 - The Slovenian insurance group Triglav collected EUR 1.07bn in insurance premiums last year or 7% more than in 2017, to increase its net profit by 16% to EUR 80.8m, according to an unaudited report published on Monday.

Premium growth was recorded in all insurance markets and segments, the report says, noting that the group's pre-tax profit was up 15% to EUR 97.5m.

The parent company Zavarovalnica Triglav posted a net profit of EUR 65.5m last year, up 5% year-on-year, while pre-tax profit amounted to EUR 78.5m, or 6% more than in 2017.

STA, 4 March 2019 - Iranian journalist, blogger and human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari, has found refuge in Slovenia under the ICORN programme. "I'm very happy and grateful that you've accepted me. I've found my peace and freedom here," she told a press conference in Ljubljana.

The press conference was hosted by the Mira women's section of the Slovenian PEN centre ahead of International Women's Day.

The 34-year-old Iranian has been residing in Ljubljana for four months under the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) programme, in which cities and regions offers shelter to writers, journalists and artists at risk of persecution.

The Tehran native has been reporting on various social topics in Iran, including child labour, treatment of political prisoner, extreme poverty and women's rights, Mira president Tanja Tuma said at the presentation.

Nazar Ahari has published articles in prominent web portals and has also been writing for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, of which she is a founding member. She also had a blog, which is now closed.

She has received numerous awards and accolades, including the inaugural Advocate Behind Bars award in 2012 by the American Islamic Congress.

Nazar Ahari was imprisoned in 2009 by the Iranian authorities for organising a campaign with several other activists for demanding that presidential election pay attention to women's rights.

Accused of "waging war against God", she was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after less than a year under pressure from international organisations, including PEN International.

"I felt that I needed fresh air. I was actually also somewhat disappointed and tired," Nazar Ahari said, adding that she was leaving Iran in a very difficult economic situation.

The situation is deteriorating because of international sanctions, food is getting more expensive every day, people live in fear and are worried about the future, there are no human rights, let alone democracy, she said.

"I'm happy that I have the opportunity to be in Ljubljana. I don't believe that any other city would provide me such peace in this period," added Nazar Ahari.

https://english.sta.si/2612119/pahor-promises-slovenias-support-for-albania-on-way-to-eu

Pahor: Slovenia Will Support Albanian Membership of EU

STA, 4 March 2019 - President Borut Pahor started his two-day official visit to Albania on Monday by meeting his counterpart Ilir Meta and promising continued Slovenian support for Albania's efforts to join the EU. Pahor and Meta also confirmed the interest of both countries to expand political and business cooperation.

Economic & trade relations & also regional coop. the main focus of today’s talks w/ President of #Slovenia @BorutPahor. Grateful for ?? support in the framework of the #european integration process & in opening accession negotiations with #EU. ????? pic.twitter.com/utRM7VGZha

— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) March 4, 2019

The two presidents agreed that bilateral political cooperation is good, and that bilateral relations are friendly and without open issues, Pahor's office said in a press release.

The Slovenian president believes that there are numerous opportunities for further cooperation, especially in business, where it has been relatively modest so far.

Albania was only the 58th Slovenian trade partner in 2017, with the countries exchanging EUR 53.1m in goods. Bilateral trade picked up somewhat last year.

Meta acquainted Pahor with the progress Albania has made in implementing the key priorities required to open the EU accession negotiations. He expects that Albania will get the green light to launch the talks in June.

Srečanje predsednika Republike Slovenije Boruta Pahorja s predsednikom Vlade Republike Albanije Edijem Ramo. pic.twitter.com/KqkBSM664H

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) March 4, 2019

Very pleased to welcome to Tirana, President of #Slovenia @BorutPahor. Strong common will & interest to give a new impulse & intensify relations btw. the two countries. Slovenia is an important regional and #european partner for #Albania. ????? pic.twitter.com/pX1wMLBXr8

— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) March 4, 2019

Pahor said that Slovenia would continue to support Albania in these efforts and promised assistance in and support for the reform process in Albania.

He stressed that the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans should be treated as a geopolitical and not a technical issue.

The two presidents also discussed Albania's preparations to host a meeting of a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process on 8 and 9 May. They agreed that the regional cooperation initiative had resulted in numerous positive shifts.

On the first day of the visit, Pahor also met Prime Minister Edi Rama, and is also scheduled to meet Lulzim Basha, the head of the Democratic Party of Albania, the main opposition party in the country.

On Tuesday, Pahor Pahor will meet with Chairman of the Parliament of Albania Gramoz Ruci and Mayor of Tirana Erion Velia.

He will visit the nearby town of Kruje, the home town of national hero Skenderbeg (1405-1468).

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Tuesday, 05 March 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Budget spending
"Who gets to have the sweetest doughnut": MPs will examine the revised budget for 2019 today, with 15 hours of debate scheduled. Since the Left has agreed to support the legislation, confirmation is not questionable. (front page, 2)

Culture minister nominee
"New man in the 'snake pit'": Zoran Poznič, the nominee for culture minister, announced a very ambitious plan of action at the committee hearing yesterday. Before the year is out, he plans to tackle several things that have been on the table for a very long time. (front page, 3)

Aid for Darfur
"Drilling rig headed for Darfur": Human rights activist Tomo Križnar and several like-minded people will realise old dreams of getting a drill rig for water wells to the Sudanese region of Darfur. (front page, 3)

DNEVNIK

EU elections
"Female candidates to set the campaign tone": By picking POP TV journalist Irena Joveva as its top candidate, the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) has become the fourth major party to put a woman to the top of its slate. (front page, 3)

Hate speech trial
"Tadej Strehovec no longer charged with hate speech": Tadej Strehovec, a senior member of the clergy, is in the clear after the prosecution dropped its charges. It realised it was impossible to identify who really published a 2016 article that prompted the charges. (front page, 2)

Venezuela
"Opposition leader Guaido in homeland again, still free": The self-proclaimed Venezuelan leader Jose Guaido returned to his homeland yesterday. Contrary to announcements by President Nicolas Madurro, he was not arrested on arrival. (front page)

FINANCE

Funding for culture
"How the euro for culture will hit us": Culture minister nominee Zoran Poznič announced the introduction of a euro for culture. The idea is not new, it has been around for years. (front page, 2, 3)

Social contributions for sole traders
"Sole traders, you will pay EUR 660 more for contributions than in 2015": The minimum monthly social contributions for sole traders rose by 13 euros in February. (front page, 2, 3)

Automotive
"Car ownership is last year's fashion": With car sales dropping around the world, it appears that the era of car ownership is coming to an end. (front page, 6, 7)

VEČER

Social work
"Centre moving to the centre of the city": Residents of Maribor will no longer have to go to Tezno borough to submit applications for child benefits and welfare. The Social Work Centre now has two offices, one in Tezno and one in the centre. (front page, 8)

State secretary's resignation
"Vilfan says he is leaving disappointed": Peter Vilfan, who resigned as state secretary at the PM's office, says he is bidding politics farewell, noting that unlike in sports, politics is replete not just with opponents but with enemies as well. (front page, 4, 5)

Franc savers
"Solution for franc loans or the courts": The National Council, the upper chamber of parliament, plans to take the initiative regarding a legislative solution for Swiss franc savers if the National Assembly and the government fail to take steps to address the issue. (front page, 6)

STA, 4 March 2019 - President Borut Pahor will embark on a two-day official visit to Albania today. Hosted by his counterpart Ilir Meta, he will also meet Prime Minister Edi Rama and Speaker Gramoz Ruci, the president's office said in a press release.

The visit is seen as an opportunity to get more closely acquainted with Albania's domestic political situation and its headway in EU accession negotiations.

Pahor wants to strengthen the already good bilateral ties and cooperation between the countries and he intends to express Slovenia's support for Albania's EU accession efforts, the president's office said.

Albanian and Slovenian representatives will also exchange views on topical issues in the region and regional cooperation, also in the light of the Brdo-Brijuni summit, which Albania will host in May.

Pahor is moreover expected to underline the importance of continuous constructive cooperation among neighbours and countries in the region.

He will arrive in Tirana in the afternoon and hold a tete-a-tete with Meta, followed by bilateral meetings of the Slovenian and Albanian delegations.

The presidents will hold a joint press conference, after which Pahor will meet Rama, followed by a meeting with Luzim Basha, the head of the opposition Democratic Party. Tonight, Meta will host a dinner in Pahor's honour.

Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor se na povabilo predsednika Republike Albanije Ilirja Mete mudi na uradnem obisku v Republiki Albaniji. pic.twitter.com/poYoITVMWh

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) March 4, 2019

On Tuesday, Pahor will lay a wreath at a burial site dedicated to national heroes and meet Mayor of Tirana Erion Velia. He will moreover visit the nearby town of Kruje, the home town of national hero Skenderbeg (1405-1468). Pahor will also meet the speaker on the second day of his visit.

Pahor's meetings in Tirana will also revolve around cooperation in multilateral organisations, which is deemed good.

While the countries have good political ties, there is still room for improvement in economic cooperation, which is relatively modest.

Albania ranked 58th among Slovenia's trade partners in 2017, with trade amounting to EUR 53.1m. Data for the first three quarters of 2018 place the trade figure at EUR 34.3m, 14.1% less than in the same period in 2017.

The countries are also linked in terms of development aid, as Slovenia provided more than EUR 2m in aid to Albania between 2010 and 2016.

Moreover, Slovenia supported several projects in Albania in 2017 and 2018 relating to the EU, women's empowerment and environmental protection.

March 4, 2019

Although the whole point of masquerade is to scare the winter away, it was precisely the warm weather that made this Pust weekend so successful this year. Saturday morning was extremely pleasant in Ljubljana, as you can see from the pictures below, with locals in costumes cheering the visiting masks in a parade.

Reports of large crowds celebrating one way or another also come from other parts of the country.

Moreover, in a celebrity twist, various stories in the media claim that on Friday night a large party crowd in Ptuj irritated a drunk Olympian Filip Flisar to the point that he attacked and broke the shield of a police van, which landed him in jail for several hours.

As reported by the STA, after his release the athlete is quoted as saying: "I'm not running away from my actions," adding that a difficult season had left him with some frustration to release.

He went on to explain: "There was a thousand people [at the carnival] who were all very drunk and everybody tries telling you something, everybody's getting at you…[But] II have to face up to the consequences of my actions, after all, they are my doing. Let this be a cautionary tale for me and everybody else. Let's love each other and everybody will be happier."

While the general question being raised is whether or not such a behaviour becomes a national hero, we’d like to know what Filip Flisar was doing out on Friday night in Ptuj without wearing a costume.

STA, 2 March 2019 - Around EUR 7.8m in budget funds was spent on migration-related issues last year. The Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants accounted for the bulk of spending, EUR 3.48m, and it estimates outlays will rise to EUR 4m this year.

Of that, EUR 3.6m will be spent on supplies and services, EUR 100,000 for transfers to individuals and households, and EUR 300,000 for other domestic transfers, Finance Ministry data show.

The Foreign Ministry spent roughly EUR 1.2m on helping refugees in Turkey and Western Balkans, a figure projected to drop in 2019, with the Slovenian Armed Forces booking EUR 2.4m in migrations-related expenses.

The Interior Ministry, the Public Administration Ministry, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, the government's secretariat-general, and the Financial Administration did not have any migration-related expenses last year.

The Health Ministry did not spend any money on migrants either, although hospitals and health centres recorded around EUR 338,000 in migration-related expenses.

All our stories on migrants and Slovenia can be found here

STA, 2 March 2019 - The parliamentary Finance Committee rejected all amendments to the revised 2019 budget filed by the three right-leaning opposition parties as it debated the document on Saturday, with the parties seeking to redistribute some EUR 80m out of more than EUR 10bn in expenditure, mainly for infrastructure projects.

Debating the document as the last parliamentary working body before the next week's plenary vote, the committee rejected all 34 amendments filed by the Democrats (SDS), New Slovenia (NSi) and National Party (SNS).

In addition to infrastructure projects and support activities in the fields of labour, the family and social affairs, the SDS wanted that the government earmark an extra EUR 15m for investments in school and sport infrastructure.

The proposals from the NSi that an additional EUR 10m is earmarked for the maintenance of cultural heritage sites, and EUR 5m each for investments in schools and kindergartens have also failed to garner sufficient support.

The party is not satisfied either with the amount of funds earmarked for the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, which it would increase by EUR 500,000.

The three parties also proposed that additional funds be earmarked for the development of a number of road sections, but all proposals were rejected by the committee.

The revised 2019 budget, which was discussed by the other parliamentary bodies at the beginning of February, increases the planned revenue by 6.2% to EUR 10.35bn, and expenditure by 4.8% to EUR 10.16bn.

The budget is thus expected to have EUR 193.6m in surplus by the end of the year, which is 0.4% of Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP), said Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj as he presented the documents to the MPs.

The minister said that the budget was stable and development-oriented, and that it represented the foundation for structural measures. The main priorities are healthcare, science, infrastructure and drawing of the EU funds.

Bertoncelj also pointed to the objective of reducing general government debt and noted that the state of public finances was improving, which positively affected economic growth. This also shows in increased tax revenue, he added.

However, the Fiscal Council, the body advising the government how to follow the golden fiscal rule, has warned that the planned expenditure is too high, while the budget has also been criticised by the opposition.

The SDS deputies said at today's session that the budget did not ensure medium-term stability of public finances, and that it did not contain any measures which would reduce structural deficit.

The NSi is reserved to the budget too, with MP Ljudmila Novak noting that while expenditure was increasing, there were no measures which would bring long-term revenue to the budget.

"Revenue will be really high until the economic growth is high, but we know that the economy is already cooling down, particularly in Germany, on which Slovenian exporters depend greatly."

Anja Bah Žibert (SDS) does not agree that the budget is development-oriented as it "has no true objectives at all", while Jani Ivanuša (SNS) warned against excessive expenditure as the expected economic growth is only an estimate.

Jože Lenart of the ruling Marjan Šarec Party (LMŠ) retorted that "you cannot develop by saving money", noting that the additional expenditure would go for development and reforms dictated by the demographic trends.

Matjaž Han of the coalition Social Democrats (SD) said that "we never had so much money than now in the last 15, 20 years", adding that this was also a result of policies of the previous governments, not only of the current one.

The document was also endorsed by the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) as it gives more funds for municipalities, public sector and pensioners, as well as healthcare, research and social affairs.

Also promising support for the budget is the opposition Left as the partner of the minority coalition, with MP Luka Mesec assessing that it was both socially- and development oriented, which was something Slovenia needed at the moment.

However, the coordinator of the party said earlier today that an agreement was expected to be signed between the Left and the coalition on cooperation for this year before the vote on the budget, which is to take place on Wednesday.

The committee also went through changes to the act implementing the 2018 and 2019 budgets, which accompanies the revised 2019 budget. Minister Bertoncelj said that the document reduces the required amount of borrowing by the state.

Compared to the current act, the amount for 2019 is reduced by some EUR 1.4bn, the minister told the MPs, with EUR 1.89bn being required for the implementation of the budget instead of EUR 3.26bn.

The document takes into account the planned budget surplus of EUR 193.6m, EUR 570.5m in pre-financing in 2018 and the EUR 602.6m in proceeds from the privatisation of the NLB bank last November.

The state has already secured a part of the needed EUR 1.89bn with a EUR 1.5bn bond issue in January.

STA, 2 March 2019 - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič has won the premiere UAE Tour, the third race of the 2019 UCI World Tour, taking place around the United Arab Emirates.

Roglič was in the lead from the first to the last stage, which concluded in Dubai on Saturday. He won the first stage and an additional two stages of the seven-stage race.

This is the seventh win in stage races for the 29-year-old member of the Jumbo-Visma professional racing team, and the third in the UCI World Tour series. Roglič won the first two, in Basque and Romandy, last year.

Roglič said after the last stage that "it was very windy from the very start, and I was a bit nervous. But we ended like we started."

"The ending was perfect. The beginning of the race, with the team winning the time trial, was crazy, and we continued in this rhythm," he added.

With three UCI World Tour wins, Roglič equalised Simon Špilak, who is the only other Slovenian to manage the feat, having won the Tour of Switzerland two times and the Tour of Romandie once.

Roglič's next challenge is the Tirreno-Adriatico race between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts, which starts on 13 March.