What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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FRIDAY, 17 April
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ordered the government to immediately verify the justification for restrictions on the movement of persons put in place to contain coronavirus, whereupon it must examine the justification every week. The court suspended a provision that says the measures will be in place "until the cessation of the reasons". The suspension remains until the judges reach a substantive decision.
LJUBLJANA - The government's chief medical adviser for the coronavirus epidemic, Bojana Beović, announced the epidemic was believed to be under control allowing public life to gradually re-start. "The curve has now turned downwards and we can therefore start talking about a gradual relaxation of measures," she said. Between 17 and 22 April Slovenia recorded only 49 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, which means the total count rose to 1,366. The death toll was up by 9 to 79.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor started reaching out to European countries in a series of video addresses in the recipients' languages, expressing Slovenia's solidarity in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
LJUBLJANA - The European Broadcasting Union called on the Slovenian authorities to refrain from exerting political pressure on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija in the challenging times of the epidemic. On 21 April Reporters Without Borders and six other press freedom organisations urged the European Commission to put pressure on the Slovenian government and remind it of its responsibility to "protect the press". The country meanwhile advanced two spots in the latest Press Freedom Index to 32nd place.
LJUBLJANA - As schools are closed due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Education Ministry cancelled nation-wide primary school exams for the first time since they were introduced for sixth and ninth grade students 20 years ago.
KOPER - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec approved a 50% reduction in port fees for Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's only sea port, to make it more competitive. Vrtovec said the "discount" would remain in place until September and would be extended if necessary.
MARIBOR - Five suspects charged with running illegal call centres operated by trafficked Taiwanese were found guilty of human trafficking by the Maribor District Court. The Slovenian ringleader Allen Cvek was sentenced to four years in prison and the rest to two months less.
SATURDAY, 18 April
LJUBLJANA - As Slovenia managed to flatten the curve of coronavirus infections, restrictions to movement were eased a little. Accessing private land outside of one's municipality of residence for purposes such as maintenance and seasonal works was added to exceptions such as going to work, basic shopping, accessing emergency services, doing farm work and caring for family members.
SUNDAY, 19 April
LJUBLJANA - The Paka Hotel in Velenje stopped serving as one of two hotels used for quarantine for Slovenians returning home from Covid-19 hotspots around the globe as the last two persons quarantined there left for home. The hotels were turned into quarantine centres as the government engaged in extensive repatriation efforts. It said it had repatriated 800 citizens between mid-February and mid-April, while a further 1,500 got home alone with some assistance.
LJUBLJANA - The leaders of the opposition SocDem and Marjan Šarec List directed harsh criticism at the centre-right government, accusing it of manipulation and abuse of power under the pretext of the combat against coronavirus. SD leader Dejan Židan said he trusted the Slovenian police and army but did not trust the government. Former PM Šarec lambasted the government for attacks on the public broadcaster and contentious purchases of protective equipment.
LJUBLJANA - A survey conducted by Valicon showed public trust in the institutions vitally important during the epidemic has increased, including in the health system, public broadcaster and the police. The government enjoys a negative level of trust at -40%, which is still better by 15 percentage points than in November 2019 and the best score for the government since the Slovenia Mirror survey was first conducted.
MONDAY, 20 April
LJUBLJANA - Lockdown restrictions were further loosened, including with a reintroduction of public transport organised by businesses or local communities in order to get people to work. A string of retail and services establishments reopened, such as telecommunication operators, DIY stores, car showrooms, stores selling bicycles, technical goods and furniture, dry cleaners and some repair shops. Outdoor services such as gardening, roof and facade work, and food takeaways involving minimum contact, as well as sports such as tennis and golf received the green light too.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia launched comprehensive random population testing for coronavirus after invitations to take part were sent to 3,000 people picked in a representative sample. The survey is meant to give the authorities a reliable estimate of the extent of the epidemic and help plan the way out of the lockdown. Those agreeing to testing are visited by technicians, are swabbed and give blood samples for a serological test for antibodies.
LJUBLJANA - Brigadier Robert Glavaš pledged to work to secure the Slovenian Armed Forces staffing and material resources as he formally took over as the chief of the general staff by accepting the SAF battle standard from his predecessor. Glavaš said he was aware financial sources would be limited during the coronavirus epidemic and potential economic slowdown coming in its wake.
LJUBLJANA - The four left-leaning opposition parties announced they would seek a constitutional review of two articles from the first coronavirus emergency package, including one expanding police powers, as well as of the decree limiting movement to municipal borders.
LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service said it had received more than 32,000 applications for more than 262,000 employees until Sunday under the legislation providing state subsidies for wages and social security contributions for workers temporary laid-off or quarantined due to the coronavirus epidemic. The final figure is expected to be up to 10% lower because of some employers filing multiple applications.
LJUBLJANA - Interim data by the Employment Service showed that the coronavirus crisis continues to strongly affect the employment situation, albeit not as severely as in the first weeks. While the registered unemployment total rose by 7,955 between 1 and 17 April to 85,810, the figure for the final week of this period was 2,029.
LJUBLJANA - The Health Inspectorate said it had launched more than 2,900 procedures and issued fines worth more than EUR 32,000 to people violating lockdown restrictions. The cases processed have been mostly referred to the inspectorate by the police and involved individuals.
LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - The Democrats (SDS) of PM Janez Janša, at 22.5%, persisted at the top of the ratings in the latest Vox Populi poll, while the former ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) fell to 9.8%, which compares to more than 19% in January and 15% in March. The government's performance was rated successful by 65%.
LJUBLJANA - Revoz, the Slovenian subsidiary of the French car maker Renault, continues to top the Delo list of Slovenia's largest exporters, followed by pharmaceutical companies Lek and Krka, and the household appliances maker Gorenje, the only four companies whose exports exceeded a billion euro in 2019.
TUESDAY, 21 April
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted a second coronavirus stimulus package, proposing the state provide quick liquidity aid to companies to the tune of EUR 2 billion. Loans to micro companies and SMEs will be guaranteed for up to 80% of the principal, and up to 70% for large companies. The package will be debated by parliament next week, along with corrections to the EUR 3 billion-worth first package, including relaxed conditions for companies to apply for wage subsidies, and expansion in the number of people eligible for benefits.
LJUBLJANA - Amid mounting pressure over faults in dodgy procurement of PPE, the government replaced Agency for Commodity Reserves director Anton Zakrajšek, who had asked to be relieved of his duties while on sick leave due to Covid-19. While Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said transparency needed to be restored and indicated Zakrajšek had been pulling strings, Zakrajšek protested vehemently, suggesting the Economy Ministry had been calling all the shots in procurement. Zakrajšek was succeeded by ex-Kobilarna Lipica stud farm boss Toni Rumpf.
LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus situation in the four nursing homes that have accounted for over three quarters of all Covid-19 deaths in Slovenia escalated further and new solutions began to be sought after two hospitals told by the Health Ministry to accept nursing home users with mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 offered resistance.
LJUBLJANA - The plan to repatriate Slovenians from Venezuela has been put on hold due to the coronavirus epidemic, with the authorities announcing that repatriation will resume as soon as possible. Twenty-one Slovenians had been repatriated from the South American country before the pandemic broke out.
WEDNESDAY, 22 April
LJUBLJANA - The government decreed that the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) share with the police information about individuals who have been ordered to go into self-isolation, quarantine or undergo treatment for Covid-19. The Health Ministry said about 2,900 quarantine orders had been issued to date. Some 1,500 are currently in effect.
VELENJE - News broke that the Chinese-owned group Hisense Europe was planning to close 2,200 jobs by the end of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including 1,000 in Slovenia where it owns hosuehold appliance maker Gorenje. The latter confirmed the reports, saying the step was the result of Hisense Europe incurring a loss in the first quarter of the year, which is to further deepen in the second quarter. Hisense Europe employs almost 5,600 workers in Slovenia.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Participating in an EU ministerial on the bloc's approach to its neighbours to the east, Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed support for the reform processes under way in Ukraine. He said measures to fight the pandemic should not be abused for geopolitical pressure, spread of misinformation or failure to implement agreements.
LJUBLJANA - The police said they were investigating a suspected theft of protective equipment in the UKC Ljubljana hospital. It said that a 31-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, both from Ljubljana, seem to have made 40,000 euro by selling the stolen equipment online. Unofficially, the suspects were UKC Ljubljana employees.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces received five new military ambulances donated by the US. Defence Minister Matej Tonin and US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard were present as the shipment arrived in Koper.
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Monika Pintar Mesarič as the acting director of the Infrastructure Agency, appointing Liljana Herga in her place for up to six months. Herga has so far headed the agency's road maintenance and traffic safety department. A possible change hinted at last week by Planet TV when reporting about an allegedly contentious tender to set up a SCADA system for the railway infrastructure.
THURSDAY, 23 April
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said it would initiate a vote of no-confidence in Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek over his role in the purchases of protective personal equipment. Počivalšek responded with a tweet saying he saw the upcoming debate in parliament as an opportunity to "lay out all the evidence", including about how the Šarec government had handled the crisis.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia plans to intensify the construction of fencing on the border with Croatia and expand the use of other technical means to control the border and prevent illegal migrations, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs announced. The government is also pushing to give the army certain police powers on the border. While it has failed to get the opposition on board for this, pressure increased earlier in the week with a petition signed by mayors of 23 border municipalities, who argued the novel coronavirus would spread massively among migrants.
LJUBLJANA - Former President Milan Kučan said in an interview that the government's measures to fight the epidemic were adequate, but he is worried some of them could affect democracy.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian banks received just over 5,000 requests for deferral of loan payments from companies struggling with the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic by 10 April, data from the central bank show. Nearly 7,000 such requests have been made by individuals. Banks said they had adopted proactive approaches to addressing clients' problems and that solutions were being sought on a case-by-case basis.
LJUBLJANA - Environment and Spatial Planning Minister Andrej Vizjak announced a deregulation of construction legislation that he argues will substantially speed up construction in this crucial period. A key segment of the proposed changes envisages the integration of several construction permit procedures while ridding potential investors of the obligation to first obtain claims over the land slated for construction. Moreover, only NGOs with more than 50 members will be able to appeal permit decrees.
All our posts in this series are here