STA, 28 February 2019 - President Borut Pahor was received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Thursday in what is considered the highlight of his official visit to the UK. The conversation with the queen was longer than had been expected, according to Pahor's office.

Predsednik republike Borut Pahor se je v Buckinghamski palači srečal s kraljico Združenega kraljestva Velike Britanije in Severne Irske, njenim veličanstvom kraljico Elizabeto II. pic.twitter.com/3btg0QiXQg

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 28, 2019

Pahor said the queen had been extremely friendly and very much focussed on the talks, telling TV Slovenija that he was surprised by how well informed she was. "Substantively the talks were much richer than I would have expected."

Even though the monarch does not take sides on political issues, Pahor said she did this time, and she induced him to share his views on issues that concern her.

Pahor started the second day of his official visit to the UK by laying a wreath to the memorial to innocent victims of war and oppression in front of Westminster Abbey. He then went on a tour of the 11th century abbey, which is one of the best known religious buildings in Europe.

After the wreath laying, President @BorutPahor was taken on a tour of the Abbey by members of our clergy.
???? pic.twitter.com/tyzIEZHSQU

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) February 28, 2019

He also met several British MPs and lords, including Labour MP Paul Farrelly, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary British-Slovenia Group, and Lord Speaker Norman Fowler.

The talks focussed on Britain's exit from the EU, which is planned for 29 March, although the divorce process may be extended.

Pahor told TV Slovenija he had been acquainted with a variety of views on Brexit, noting that his wish was to express support for those who are looking for solutions that benefit London as well as Brussels and Ljubljana.

"It is probably not possible to find a solution that will be good just for one side, such a solution would not be sustainable," he said.

Predsednik republike se je srečal s predsedujočim Lordski zbornici lordom Normanom Fowlerjem. pic.twitter.com/q9PF0lThTy

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 28, 2019

Pahor said it was in Slovenia's interest to find a solution that will enjoy the support of the British Parliament and Ireland, whereby it may not divide the EU. "Chaotic exit from the EU is a danger for both sides, for Great Britain and EU countries."

A no-deal Brexit could prove problematic for an estimated 5,000 Slovenians living in the UK. Pahor will meet some of them at a reception hosted by Slovenia's Ambassador Tadej Rupel in the evening.

On the final day of his visit, on Friday, Pahor will visit the City to ring the bell of the London Stock Exchange and meet financiers at Goldman Sachs. He will also meet Lord Mayor of the City of London Peter Estlin and expectedly also British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Predsednik Pahor je drugi dan uradnega obiska v Združenem kraljestvu Velike Britanije in Severne Irske začel s položitvijo venca pred obeležje vsem nedolžnim žrtvam vojn pred Westminstrsko opatijo. Ceremonialu je sledil ogled opatije. @wabbey pic.twitter.com/RMqrl2Szku

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 28, 2019

Pahor started the visit on Wednesday by meeting Prince Edward and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Pahor and Hunt praised the relations between Slovenia and the UK as very good, with Pahor saying that Slovenia had "genuine interest" for the bilateral relations to strengthen also after Brexit.

The talks with Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, focussed on the the Duke of Edinburgh's award for young people as part of the MEPI programme. The awards are annually conferred in Slovenia as well.

According to Pahor's office, Prince Edward, who visited Slovenia in 2013 with his wife Sophie, accepted Pahor's invitation to visit Slovenia again soon.

Predsednik republike Borut Pahor začel uradni obisk v Združenem kraljestvu s srečanjem s princem Edwardom: https://t.co/LwSQNW70PJ pic.twitter.com/ae1ILA2crB

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 27, 2019

 All our stories on Slovenia and the UK can be found here

STA, 28 February 2019 - Slovenia had another record year in tourism in 2018, with the number of tourists up by 8% to 5.9 million and the number of nights they generated up by 10% to 15.7 million, the Statistics Office said Thursday. While the number of foreign guests went up, the number of Slovenian guests was about the same as in 2017.

Tourists from abroad generated 4.4 million arrivals (up 11% from 2017) and 11.2 million nights (up 15% from 2017).

"This means that every day in 2018, 4,084 more nights than in 2017 were generated by foreign tourists on average," the Statistics Office said.

Note that the previous year = 100 for the index

The number of Slovenian guests was level at 1.5 million and they generated some 4.5 million nights, which is almost the same as in 2017.

The share of foreign tourist-generated nights has been on the rise since 2010. While tourists from abroad generated 56% of all tourist nights nine years ago, the share rose to 64% in 2015, 68% in 2017 and 71% in 2018.

They mostly came from Germany and Italy (both 12%), Austria (9%) and the Netherlands and Croatia (5% each).

The number of nights generated by guests from the Netherlands was up the most (by 22%), followed by Germany and Croatia (+17% and +16%, respectively).

Outside Europe, the most visitors came from the US, generating 3% of all nights (a 24% increase from 2017), followed by Asia and Israel.

Hospitality services in the Alps generated EUR 1.77m in revenue, which is 11.4% more than the year before, recording 4.49 million nights, up 14% year-on-year. Nearly a third of the guests came from abroad.

Hotels, B&Bs and other hospitality establishments in and around spa resorts generated EUR 1.01m in revenue (up 1%), recording 3.49 million nights, which is level with 2017. Nearly 40% of the guests were Slovenian.

At the seaside, tourism generated slightly over EUR 929,000 in revenue (6% up year-on-year) with 3.01 million overnight stays (6.9% more than in 2017).

Hotels and other facilities in Ljubljana generated EUR 1.02m in revenue (9.1% more than the year before) and recorded 2.18 million of overnights (22.3% more than in 2017).

The highest number of tourist nights were recorded in the municipalities of Ljubljana, Piran, Bled, Kranjska Gora, Brežice, Bohinj and Moravske Toplice.

Hotels accounted for 53% of overnights, with guests staying for an average of 2.6 nights, which was also average duration of all stays last year. Guests in spa resorts tended to stay the longest, 3.5 nights on average.

The Slovenian Tourism Board (STO) welcomed the latest statistics, saying 2018 had been the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for Slovenian tourism.

"The guests are staying longer on average and we're particularly happy that the value of travel exports is rising and that it reached EUR 2.7bn last year," the STO said.

More data can be found here, while all our stories on tourism on Slovenia are here

STA, 27 February 2019 - Slovenia has not seen progress in healthcare, long-term care and the pension system, the European Commission said as part of its European semester winter package and country reports released on Wednesday. It also assessed the updated draft budget plan for 2019 remains at risk of non-compliance with the requirements of EU budget rules.

The Commission argues that Slovenia's economy, currently experiencing strong growth, could become even more resistant to future shocks by strengthening investment and resolving challenges related to the ageing population.

The report features mixed findings as regards progress in the implementation of recommendations issued in 2018.

Progress is for instance acknowledged in privatisation, alternative financing sources for fast growing companies, while limited progress was established in public procurement and the employment of older and low-skilled workers.

Considered as seeing no progress are healthcare, long-term care and the pension system, areas that are all burdened by the ageing population.

The Commission indicated that expenditure related to the ageing population could rise by 6 GDP percentage points between 2016 and 2070, which is one of the biggest increases in the EU. In the 2020-2050 period public pension costs could rise from 11% to 15.6% of GDP.

However, the Commission said Slovenia was performing well in most social indices, while saying that fairness in the system could be improved further.

Another finding says that Slovenian SMEs rely strongly on bank loans and that major administrative burdens as well as shortcomings related to public procurement persist despite an improved business environment.

Despite the good progress in the privatisation of the country's no. 1 and no. 3 banks, the Commission said the state continued to play a dominant role in a number of sectors, which entailed competition distortion risks.

Also, Slovenia is not on course to meeting renewable energy goals for 2020 and goals for investment in research and development. It is on other hand nearing its employment rate target.

Meanwhile, in an assessment of Slovenia's budget plans for 2019, the Commission said that the last draft remains at risk of non-compliance with the requirements of the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact.

The Commission said the draft could lead to a substantial deviation from the adjustment path towards reaching medium-term budgetary objectives.

European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said these findings may come as a surprise, as the public finances situation improved substantially in nominal terms and as public debt is falling. However, high economic growth has played a crucial role in this, he added.

The plan's structural effort is not compliant with the 2018 June recommendation that the nominal growth rate for primary expenditure must not exceed 3.1% this year, which would require an annual structural effort of 0.65% of GDP.

Commission data indicates a 0.7% of GDP gap between the plan and the target as regards expenditure, and a 0.8% of GDP gap as regards the structural effort.

The Commission's and the government draft budget plan data diverge markedly, with the latter assessing the expenditure gap at 0.5% of GDP and the structural effort gap at 1.3% of GDP.

Meanwhile, the Commission highlighted pressure on expenditure, mostly due to wages and social services, as key challenges for Slovenia's public finance in the coming years.

The opinion on the recently updated plan comes after the draft submitted to the Commission under the no policy change scenario last October had already been deemed at risk of non-compliance.

In a first review on the updated draft on 1 February, the Commission acknowledged the plan projected the budget to remain in surplus, at 0.8% of GDP in 2018 and 0.6% of GDP in 2019, but argued, among other things, that the planned rate of expenditure growth exceeded the recommended maximum increase.

STA, 27 February 2019 - Lavishing praise on the work of Environment Minister Jure Leben, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec announced on Wednesday that they had come to a conclusion that it would be hard for Leben to continue in his job whilst investigation is under way over his role in the previous term in a tender related to the Koper-Divača rail project.

"We made this decision with a heavy heart," said the prime minister, underlining that they had made the decision together after a lengthy talk.

He added that he would be happy to work together with Leben in any other capacity in the future if no fault is found with the outgoing minister for the tender for a scale model of the Divača-Koper track, a project Leben oversaw in his capacity as Infrastructure Ministry state secretary.

Šarec said that Slovenia had not had an environment minister like Leben for 15 years. "He was the first after a long time to start moving things [at the department], the first to be out in the field, the first to regularly report to me about all activities, be it Saturday or Sunday or any other day of the week. He really cares about this department."

The prime minister underlined that he would demand that Leben's successor kept up the work he started and the pace he had set.

He believes that the Modern Centre Party (SMC), which got the department in coalition talks, would provide a good candidate but "I will reserve my right to decide whether the candidate is appropriate for the job".

Šarec: Leben did a good job, surprise that complaints were not voiced earlier

"Minister Leben has done a very good job, he will continue doing it until his successor is appointed and I want the same work continue at the ministry."

The prime minister also expressed surprise that the alleged wrongdoings had only been voiced now, wondering why the people who "now claim to have known a lot" had not acted earlier.

Today's announcement comes after weeks of speculations about a 2017 tender for the track scale model in which the more expensive of the two bidders got the order, only to hire the cheaper bidder to actually make the model, which had ultimately not been paid.

Šarec also said he expected the resignation of Damir Topolko, the head of the Infrastructure Agency, which handled the scale model tender. If Topolko refuses to resign, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek should dismiss him, Šarec said.

Šarec said that his insistence on Topolko's resignation was logical, as he himself had said that the tender chose the wrong bidder due to an algorithm error in an Excel table. He also said that other people involved in an email correspondence about the tender should take their responsibility.

He was referring to an email correspondence including several officials at the agency, as well as representatives of a PR agency that handled the project and of the companies that made the model, as well as the former prime minister's office.

Nonetheless, Šarec said that the correspondence had not persuaded him that Leben had "ordered to choose this or that bidder".

Moreover, Šarec said he expected of Bratušek to make sure that Leben would not be the only one shouldering political responsibility.

The prime minister also warned against drawing parallels among the three ministers who offered their resignation since the government was sworn in in mid-September 2018.

While Cohesion Minister Marko Bandelli and Culture Minister Dejan Prešiček both had to go because of mistakes they made while serving as ministers in Šarec's government, Leben's alleged wrongdoings stem from his work in the previous government, said Šarec.

STA, 27 February 2019 - President Borut Pahor started his official three-day visit to the UK on Wednesday by meeting Prince Edward and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Pahor and Hunt praised the relations between Slovenia and the UK as very good, with Pahor saying that Slovenia had "genuine interest" for the bilateral relations to strengthen also after Brexit.

The pair assessed that the two countries would be bound by many joint values and tradition also after the UK leaves the EU.

The UK will remain Slovenia's important business partner and an alley within NATO. The two countries share the awareness of the importance of multilateralism, security and stability, and progress in the world in general, especially in Europe, Pahor's office said in a press release.

Predsednik republike Borut Pahor se je v okviru uradnega obiska v Združenem kraljestvu danes sestal z ministrom za zunanje zadeve Jeremyjem Huntom. pic.twitter.com/LsmKKZon1f

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 27, 2019

Slovenia and the UK are enhancing their cooperation in business, tourism, investment, science, education and culture. Trade between the countries has been rising and has exceeded EUR 1bn for the first time last year.

Hunt presented to Pahor the parliamentary procedure for the passage of the Brexit agreement and the UK's possible scenarios for the future.

Next stop @HouseofCommons. Positive meeting between President @BorutPahor & FS @Jeremy_Hunt covering #Brexit and our long term partnership. pic.twitter.com/vahz5qjGVV

— Sophie Honey (@HMASophieHoney) February 27, 2019

Pahor stressed the importance of finding appropriate solutions both for the EU and the UK and the responsibility in the efforts for the passage of the Brexit agreement as the best possible compromise solution that would enable an orderly Brexit and mitigate the potential negative consequences for the people and the economies.

Apology accepted over “vassal state” remark, Pahor will meet the Queen

Hunt raised some dust during his visit to Slovenia last week for referring to Slovenia as a former "Soviet vassal state". He and Pahor discussed the issue today with Pahor saying on Twitter that Hunt had started the conversation by offering an explanation, which Pahor accepted as an apology.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry told the STA today that the British side had turned to the ministry about the matter after Hunt's visit. The ministry explained it to the British ambassador that Hunt's statement had been inappropriate and had caused unease.

Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is expected to discuss this with Hunt at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers, the ministry added.

Pahor's talks with Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, earlier in the day focussed on the the Duke of Edinburgh's award for young people as part of the MEPI programme. The awards are annually conferred in Slovenia as well.

Princ Edward se je z veseljem spomnil obiska v Sloveniji, ko sta s soprogo Sophie, grofico Wesseško, leta 2013 prvikrat obiskala Ljubljano in se srečala s predsednikom Republike Slovenije Borutom Pahorjem in gospo Tanjo Pečar. pic.twitter.com/FP40f1xyfX

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) February 27, 2019

According to Pahor's office, Prince Edward shared his memories of his visit to Slovenia in 2013, during which he and his wife Sophie had been received by Pahor.

The prince also accepted Pahor's invitation to visit Slovenia again soon.

Later in the afternoon, Pahor gave a lecture on the global positioning of Europe at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

He will continue his official visit on Thursday by meeting Queen Elizabeth II, the representatives of both houses of the UK Parliament and expectedly also PM Theresa May.

He will address Slovenians living in Britain at a reception in the evening.

All our stories on Slovenia and Brexit are here

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Thursday, 28 February 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Leben resigns
"Six months, third resignation": PM Marjan Šarec accepted the resignation of Environment Minister Jure Leben over a seemingly fixed tender in his previous capacity as Infrastructure Ministry state secretary. He also expects the resignation of the head of the Infrastructure Agency. (front page, 2)

Rare diseases
"Show your rarity!": On Rare Disease Day, marked on 28 February, experts will meet in Slovenia's Brdo pri Kranju for an international conference. A new European platform for a register of rare diseases will also be launched today. (front page, 4)

Trump-Kim meeting
"War and peace in the nuclear galaxy": The second meeting between US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un in Vietnam started yesterday, with Trump tweeting that they would "try very hard to work something out on denuclearization". (front page, 3)

Conflicts
"Tensions in Kashmir": After an Indian fighter jet was shot down by the Pakistan air force in Kashmir, the world hopes that the two nuclear powers will ease the tensions, be rational and sit down to negotiate. (front page, 7)

DNEVNIK

Leben resigns
"PM Šarec reluctantly gives up Minister Leben": Environment Minister Jure Leben yesterday tendered his resignation, which was reluctantly accepted by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, who expects from the Modern Centre Party (SMC) to find an appropriate, if not a better replacement. (front page, 2, 16)

Trump-Kim meeting
"Trump and Kim full of optimism as meeting in Hanoi starts": Red-blue flags provided a colourful background to the second meeting of US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un in Vietnam's Hanoi, with the main topic being denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. (front page, 3)

Euthanasia
"Respected names demand regulation of euthanasia with petition": A petition signed by more than a hundred Slovenian intellectuals and public figures from various fields in support of legal regulation of euthanasia will be presented today. (front page, 4)

FINANCE

Healthcare
"How burned out and stressed Slovenian doctors and nurses really are": The paper looks into pure numbers as doctors and nurses are complaining about the shortage of staff and unsustainable conditions, while Health Minister Samo Fakin is saying that the situation is improving. (front page, 2-3)

Tax reform
"When will the 30% capital gains tax enter into force?": The paper examines what the transitional period could be like ahead of the planned introduction of a higher, 30% tax on capital gains, and what else could change in the field of taxes. (front page, 5)

Interest rates
"You have a loan with EURIBOR? It is being reformed as we speak": A facilitated reform of the European reference interest rates EURIBOR and EONIA is under way, which could bring changes to many loan contracts in euros in Slovenia. (front page, 6-7)

Bad banks
"Sale of Heta going into second round, Miodrag Kostić reportedly offering the most": The sale of the Slovenian subsidiary of the Austrian bad bank Heta Asset Resolution is entering the second round, with four bidders remaining in play. One of them is the MK Group of Serbian businessman Miodrag Kostić. (front page, 14-15)

VEČER

Leben resigns
"Leben leaving too": It was difficult for PM Marjan Šarec to accepted the resignation of Environment Minister Jure Leben, who has been under pressure for weeks over a seemingly fixed tender in his previous capacity as Infrastructure Ministry state secretary. (front page, 2-3)

Education
"Problem of forged diplomas": The number of detected fake diplomas is actually declining, while a majority of fake diplomas from abroad are vocational secondary school diplomas. (front page, 4-5)

Healthcare
"Anaesthesiologists on duty again": The management of the UKC Maribor hospital has reached an agreement with anaesthesiologists to again start working extra hours in the afternoon, which means that the hospital will require less outsourced help. (front page, 8)

February 27, 2019

In an article by Siol, published today and titled “He talked about ‘Soviet vassals’ and lobbied for ‘fracking’ in Pomurje” (Govoril o "sovjetskih vazalih", lobiral pa za "fracking" v Pomurju), the authors claim that one of the main reasons behind the British Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt’s visit to Slovenia last week was to lobby for environmental permits for the ecologically controversial gas extraction in Pomurje.

Although most of the Slovene public remembers Mr Hunt’s visit last week for his patronising appraisal of Slovenia’s progress from a “Soviet vassal state” to an EU and NATO member, little has so far been said about the alleged other purpose of his visit, nor the topics of discussion with his Slovenian counterpart, the Foreign Minister Miro Cerar, beyond Brexit-related matters.

Hunt brought up environmental permits for “fracking” at Petišovci

However, the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to Siol.net that the Petišovci project was one of the topics discussed during the visit. Siol quotes the Ministry’s response to their inquiry as follows:

"The Foreign Minister also addressed investment cooperation, including the investment of the British company Ascent Resources in Petišovci. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Miro Cerar, explained that the procedures in this case are in line with Slovenian legislation, in accordance with the prescribed high environmental standards.”

According to information Siol claims to have obtained from diplomatic circles, the Petišovci project was one of the priority topics in Hunt’s meeting with Cerar. Furthermore, Ascent Resources CEO Colin Hutchinson was also in Slovenia last week, albeit only meeting with partners on the project. Hutchinson emphasised that he did not meet with the British Ambassador on this trip, and has never met Jeremy Hunt.

Environmental permits for “fracking” at Petišovci

ARSO (Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning) is currently deciding on two environmental permits applied for by Ascent Resources and a local partner and minority shareholder Geoenergo: a permit that would allow for the operation of a gas processing plant, and another to boost production of the two existing wells by the method of “hydraulic stimulation”.

Although ARSO refused to comment on the possible results, Siol reports that based on unofficial information it will order the applicant to carry out an environmental assessment, which in turn means that no “fracking” permits will be granted for now.

Meanwhile Leben offers his resignation to PM Šarec

Hunt’s visit coincided with what Siol termed a “media war” against Jure Leben due to controversial second-rail model public procurement when he still served as a state secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure of the previous government. Jure Leben offered his resignation to the Prime Minister Marjan Šarec yesterday. The news of his departure has been met with approval on social media by Ascent Resources shareholders, who have seen Mr. Leben as one of the main obstacles for gas extraction in Petišovci.

Siol also claims that the British Ambassador, Sophie Honey, met with Mr Leben last year to discuss the issue, a meeting that the report says ended with “raised voices”. Leben then made a report to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (Komisiji za preprečevanje korupcije), while the British Embassy in Ljubljana issued a strong denial that it had attempted to influence the decision of the Slovenian authorities.

All our stories on fracking in Slovenia can be found here.

STA, 27 February 2019 - Slovenia and Croatia have succeeded in their joint application for EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for extra virgin olive oil from Istria under the name Istria olive oil. This is the second Slovenian-Croatian protection for an agricultural product, after the countries protected Istrian prosciutto together in 2015.

The protection was granted by the European Commission in an implementing regulation published on Wednesday in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The first application for EU PDO under the name Istria extra virgin olive oil was submitted to the Commission by Croatia alone in 2016. Slovenia objected to the move, arguing that the proposed appellation could cause confusion, since both countries share the same geographical area.

Following negotiations the Croatian and Slovenian oil makers reached an agreement in 2017 to submit a joint application for EU PDO of the Istria extra virgin olive oil, produced both in Croatian and Slovenian parts of Istria.

The bid does not affect the already protected extra virgin olive oil from the Slovenian Istria, which has had EU PDO status since 2007.

The protection with the PDO label means that the growing and processing of olives for the particular product may take place within the designated geographical area of Istria both in Croatia and Slovenia, the Agriculture Ministry said in a press release.

Istria olive oil is the 26th Slovenian agricultural product protected by the European Commission and the second Slovenian-Croatian protection, after the countries protected Istrian prosciutto together in 2015.

Last May, Slovenian and Croatian beekeepers drafted a joint application for the protection of Istrian honey, while cheesemakers are mulling a similar move for protecting Istrian cheese.

The joint bids mark a positive change after the row over the EU protection the Teran red wine.

STA, 25 February 2019 - Following President Borut Pahor's recent assessment that the work of the government commission for mass graves has "become not only socially acceptable but also socially accepted", substantial progress in the field has also been confirmed by the commission's vice-president Mitja Ferenc.

So far 233 mass graves and post-WWII execution sites have been confirmed and registered in Slovenia. Full or partial reburial was performed at 129, while the the existence of body remains has been confirmed for the remaining 104, Ferenc told the weekly paper Reporter.

The historian attributes major importance to the 2015 act on concealed mass graves and the burial of victims, adopted under a centre-left coalition at the initiatives of the centre-right opposition New Slovenia (NSi).

In the last three years, 162 summary execution sites were marked and tended to. The remains of at least 2,532 bodies were discovered in them and 1,615 were buried, he said.

Related: Mass Concealed Graves in Slovenia, an Interactive Map

The commission's main project presently is the Larch Hill mass grave in the south-east of the country, where he hopes exhumation will already start in the spring.

Expecting to discover around 1,500 victims, Ferenc said "the objects found near the pit indicate that Slovenian victims lie inside".

While asserting that the EUR 480,000 allocated to the commission by the state annually suffice for its tasks, Ferenc is not happy with the attitude of the Economy Ministry.

He said legislation tasked the commission with a large number of tasks that are demanding and require assistance. A key issue are delays in tenders and unreasonable deadlines, which for instance give the commission six weeks for reburial on demanding terrain and winter conditions.

Meanwhile, Ferenc said that concealed mass graves are not the only problem in Slovenia: "We have a neglectful attitude to all grave sites, including those of the Partisan forces. They are not looked after, the registry is not systematic, there are also sites that do not really contain any victims."

Ferenc, who said it was time to stop looking away, announced an initiative to establish an institute for war graves, to be presented on the occasion of the nearing tenth anniversary of the entry into Huda Jama, a site which contained 1,416 victims.

Related: Post-War Massacres in Slovenia (Video)

STA, 26 February 2019 - A group critical of the government's Koper port rail project has filed a criminal complaint with the police against Environment Minister Jure Leben and several other officials over their role in the scandal around the 2018 scale model tender for the project, the commercial broadcaster POP TV reported on Monday evening.

The group that filed the complaint includes Jože Duhovnik of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering who had proposed an alternative, much cheaper solution for the Koper-Divača rail upgrade back in 2017.

Apart from Leben, who was in charge of the Koper-Divača project at the Infrastructure Ministry in the previous term, the list of those the group says misled the public and caused great damage to public finance includes the former Infrastructure Minister Peter Gašperšič and top officials of the roads and infrastructure agencies.

The leadership of the state-owned company managing the rail investment, 2TDK, and its supervisory board are also on the list along with Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Nina Mauhler.

Duhovnik told POP TV last night that the investment programme for the Koper-Divača project had shown that those in charge had been "systematically misleading the public, fixing and adjusting data" all along.

The group is accusing Leben and company of "grand fraud, misrepresentation of data and misleading of the public", which led to "tremendous financial damage to public finances". They have estimated the damage at EUR 1.5bn-2bn.

Meanwhile, Leben and Gašperšič announced that they would report the group to the police for making a false criminal complaint.

A press release sent out by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning on Tuesday afternoon said Leben and former infrastructure minister were convinced that the complaint was based on "groundless lies and malicious imputations" and was filed with the intention to attract media attention.

Police revealed in mid-February that they were investigating the commission of the scale model of the 27-kilometre track that had been revealed in early 2018 and turned out to be a major PR fiasco for the previous government, to the extent that the government abandoned the promotional activities and refused to pay for the model.

Media also reported of the email correspondence among those involved, purportedly proving that the commission of the scale model was effectively coordinated by a PR agency retained by the ministry to do promotional activities for the rail project.

While there was no smoking gun shown to point the finger at Leben, several emails revealed close coordination by the PR agency, Futura, and the public relations officer at the ministry, Nataša Pelko, who is now in charge of public relations at 2TDK.

Leben pointed his finger at Pelko on several occasions, but yesterday she struck back, according to POP TV. She wrote a letter to the supervisors and the entire leadership of 2TDK, saying she did not act on her own but "exclusively under instruction" from her then bosses, Minister Gašperšič and the project head, Leben.

Pelko says in the letter she was not involved in the talks on the scale model, did not know who the bidders were or who was picked in the end. She also denies having cooperated with Futura.