STA, 19 February 2019 - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and his Finnish host Juha Sipilä agreed in Helsinki on Tuesday that the two countries shared a number of interests and views as regards the future of the EU. They focused on topical EU issues and Finland's upcoming presidency over the bloc.

Highlighted as an example of shared interests was the recent letter for higher EU rural development funding after 2021, initiated by Slovenia and singed by the agriculture ministers of 15 member states. Finland was one of the main supporters of the initiative.

Meanwhile, Šarec listed the deepening of the common market, the circular and digital economy, stronger foreign trade and climate change among the key challenges of the EU.

He argued that the common market still needed to get rid of remaining limitations to the free flow of persons, goods and services, the government said in a press release.

The pair also talked about EU presidency preparations, with both countries being small members and thus benefiting from the exchange of experience. Finland's six-month stint is due later this year and Slovenia's in the second half of 2021.

Brexit and the EU's 2021-2027 financial perspective were given ample attention as well, with Šarec and Sipilä calling for closer cooperation between the two countries, not only in EU affairs but also in the economy, culture and other fields.

As part of the working visit, Šarec also met the leadership of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats. Slovenia plans to step up activities this year to join the centre, which currently has 20 EU and NATO members cooperating in efforts against hybrid threats, the government announced.

Šarec also attended a working dinner featuring his counterparts from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and the Netherlands. All of them members of ALDE, they exchanged views on EU affairs ahead of the 9 May informal summit in Sibiu, Romania.

They issued a joint statement after the meeting in which they reiterated their call for a strong Europe that will be an engine of growth, create jobs, security and prosperity for all.

They also called for a Europe that will promote the rule of law and act as a global leader in the fight against climate change.

Moreover, the statement highlights the importance of the upcoming European elections and warns against the negative consequences of populism.

STA, 18 February - President Borut Pahor will meet top EU and NATO officials in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday to promote a conference which Slovenia will host in June as part of the Three Seas Initiative. Their meetings will also focus on the upcoming EU elections.

On Wednesday, Pahor is scheduled to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

A meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk is scheduled for Thursday.

"The visit to Brussels is an opportunity to continue dialogue on topical international, European and regional issues at the highest political level," Pahor's office said before the visit.

Pahor is expected to discuss in Brussels Slovenia's active role in the EU and NATO, the EU's future and preparations for two conferences - a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process in Albania in May and the meeting of the presidents of the countries of the Three Seas Initiative in Slovenia in June.

"Both conferences are to be attended by high EU representatives," the president's office said. Promoting the conference hosted by Slovenia is one of the main purposes of the visit, it added.

The initiative, comprising a dozen EU members and connecting the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea, aims to strengthen the cooperation in infrastructure on the north-south axis and is to help find investors for these projects, including from the US, according to the office.

Slovenia will host the fourth summit of the initiative, which is still evolving. Pahor said at the Munich Security Conference last week that the initiative was "an advocate of a strong and united Europe" and "support to pan-European cooperation."

He also rejected allegation that the US wanted to turn the forum into a club like the Chinese 16+1 initiative.

According to the European Commission, Pahor will discuss topical EU issues with the EU officials in Brussels. The meeting with Mogherini is expected to focus on the Western Balkans.

An important topic will also be the upcoming EU elections and the rise of right-leaning, Eurosceptic parties.

The controversial statements made by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani at a commemoration in Basovizza, Italy, last week, which Slovenia interpreted as territorial claims, are also expected to come up.

Meanwhile, Pahor's meeting with Stoltenberg will be an opportunity to discuss topical NATO issues, reaffirm Slovenia's participation in the alliance and exchange views on other political and security issues that concern Slovenia and NATO, the president's office said.

Defence spending will undoubtedly be discussed as well, given that Slovenia is far from achieving NATO's goal of allocating 2% of GDP to defence by 2024. Slovenia's defence spending is to rise to 1.5% of GDP by then.

NATO member states should invest 20% of their defence budget funds into development of their capabilities, while Slovenia invests only 4.5%.

Pahor's visit also marks the 15th anniversary of Slovenia's EU and NATO memberships.

The president last paid a visit to Brussels at the beginning of January 2017. This will be his fourth meeting with the heads of EU institutions since he took office.

The first meeting was held in January 2013, when he chose Brussels for his first official visit after assuming office a month earlier.

Pahor's visit to NATO's headquarters will be the second visit of a Slovenian president since the country became a full-fledged member. It was Pahor who paid the first visit, in January last year.

Pahor has spent quite a lot of time in Brussels in his career. Prior to becoming prime minister in November 2008, he served as MEP from 2004. As prime minister he regularly attended EU summits there until February 2012.

STA, 15 February 2019 - The European Commission has approved EUR 44.3m for Slovenia for projects as part of the LIFE programme for the environment and climate action, including EUR 27.3m for projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The European Commission has announced it will provide a total of EUR 116.1m for twelve major environmental and climate projects in ten countries.

The funds from the programme, combined with other sources, will mobilise a total of EUR 3.2bn in additional support for projects supporting Europe's transition to a low-carbon, circular economy, the European Commission said.

Slovenia will get EUR 17m for integrated projects carried out together with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal.

The projects are expected to contribute to the preservation of the natural environment and biodiversity and improvement of the management of the Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas.

The European Commission noted that Slovenia had one of the highest biodiversity rates in the EU, with around 38% of its territory being included in Natura 2000.

The LIFE programme is already present in the country, and the additional funds are aimed at securing its long-term functioning and greater inclusion of stakeholders.

Slovenia will also get EUR 27.3m for projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which will focus on the implementation of the national goals.

The projects relate to the construction of infrastructure, emission-free road traffic, carbon sequestration and improvement of energy efficiency of buildings.

STA, 13 February 2019 - The party of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec (LMŠ) has decided to run independently in the 26 May elections to the European Parliament, while the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) will try to field a joint list of candidates.

SMC leader Miro Cerar and Bratušek announced the news after Wednesday's meeting of the leaders of the three Slovenian members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

Cerar said the meeting was over in 15 minutes, after Šarec told them his party wanted to contest the Euro election on its own. Bratušek said this was said to be the desire of LMŠ membership.

Related: Elections 2018, Party Profiles - Šarec Aims to Benefit From Voter Discontent (Feature)

"We told him we'd want us to run together because we believe the liberal story is important for Europe," said Cerar.

He and Bratušek agreed to propose to their parties to form a joint list of candidates because they believe that together they could be stronger and more convincing.

The LMŠ's decision might have been prompted by its high voter approval ratings at the moment, with some polls indicating the party enjoys the biggest popularity among all parties.

However, Šarec said they were not entering the EU elections on their own "just because we might be complacent about poll results. We are driven by one desire only. We want to change Slovenia and Europe as well."

Related: Elections 2018, Party Profiles - SMC – “Lukewarm Centrists” (Feature)

He looked back at the LMŠ's stellar rise from a local party in Kamnik to his forming Slovenia's first ever minority government against the odds and despite claims that the party lacked a platform and staff.

"The elections ahead are a new opportunity for us to prove what we can." Šarec said they wanted to have their fate in their hands, and however they fare they would be responsible for their result themselves.

Despite Slovenia's small size, Šarec said the country wanted its voice heard in the EU. "We're not promising the impossible ... but we will do our best to show people it's worth trying for a better Europe."

Related:

Bratušek found the meeting a disappointment. She said she could have heard what she heard at the meeting over the phone.

"It's our strong belief that the SMC and SAB are capable of compiling a quality slate and achieving an excellent result in the election," she said.

Unofficial information prior to today's meeting indicated that the LMŠ wanted to have the top three spots on a joint list of candidates and the option to veto the candidates of the other two parties.

Cerar had said before that his party's condition in forming the joint list was that all three parties should negotiate as equal partners.

Today, Šarec said that there had been strong pressure for the three parties to run in the elections together from other European ALDE parties ad well as from Slovenia.

Asked whether the SMC and SAB would now invite the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) to join them for the EU elections, Bratušek said the two parties needed to agree technicalities first but that they had discussed that it was in their interest to invite another party.

STA, 13 February 2019 - President Pahor has called elections to the European Parliament for 26 May, initiating formal procedures leading up to the vote.

This year's elections to the European Parliament will take place across the continent between 23 and 26 May. Since Slovenia holds elections on Sunday, the only possible date is 26 May.

The writ issued on Wednesday means candidates will be able to formally register starting on 25 February, with the election campaign officially starting a month before voting day.

Pahor said he will not intercede in the campaign directly but will "dare to emphasise as president of the republic how important the EU is for our national interest."

This year's election could chart the course of future development of the EU, either in the direction of stronger integration or towards a smaller and weaker EU. This is why it is important that Europeans vote on the fate of the common European home.

"The results of our will need to be understood and respected after the election. This is why these elections ... are particularly important," he said.

Outlining the political landscape months before the vote, Pahor said the EU was experiencing a hiatus that has led to popular discontent and hence given rise to ideas for a loosening of integration and a "return to national frameworks".

But this does not bode well for Slovenia since it marks a "return to the old European geopolitics, which strengthens what divides us rather than what brings us together."

"The nurturing and development of the common European home guarantees peace, security and prosperity, its demise would jeopardise all that," he said.

Confused about the elections? The Wikipedia page is here with the basic facts and figures

STA, 31 January 2019 - The National Assembly passed legislative amendments on Thursday which transpose the EU directive setting down the conditions of entry and residence of third-country citizens for the purposes of research, studies and training.

The directive, which entered into force in May 2016, should have been translated into national law by member countries by 23 May 2018. Missing the deadline, Slovenia has already received a reprimand from Brussels.

The directive also deals with the entry of third-country nationals for the purposes of voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing.

Education Ministry State Secretary Jernej Štromajer said that the amendments to the research and development activity act entailed only minor changes.

The amendments were passed by unanimous vote, but many MPs said they expected much more from a bill reforming the act more thoroughly which is already in the pipeline.

However, the Left abstained from the vote, airing misgivings about the elimination of certain proofs in acquiring residence permits for third-country citizens hosted by research agencies.

The EU standards can be found in many languages and formats here

STA, 28 January 2019 - The Party of the European Left has nominated Slovenian MP Violeta Tomić of the opposition Left as one of the party's two Spitzenkandidaten for the European Parliament election in May.

What’s a Spitzenkandidaten? According to Wiktionary, “the first candidate on an electoral list, who is often the leader of the respective political party, or the person designated to lead the government in the event of the party winning the election”

In addition to Tomić, the European Left has nominated Nico Cue, the former secretary general of the Metalworkers' Union of Belgium, as the other front runner.

Tomić and Cue were announced as the top candidates on the party's list at a session of its executive committee in Brussels last weekend, the European Left said in a press release on Monday.

Only recently, Tomić was appointed rapporteur on the rights of the LGBT community by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE).

"With these two candidates, we want to make a clear offer to the people of Europe, because we are on the side of those who do not accept the growing contradiction between wealth and poverty," the European Left said in the release.

The Slovenian Left said it saw the nomination as an acknowledgement to the party's work in the European context, adding that it would promote a different Europe, which would not be undermined by neo-liberalism of the centre and populism of the right.

Tomić, who is the deputy coordinator of the Left, could not say if she would also top the Slovenian party's list for the European Parliament election.

Speaking to the press today, she said that the registering of the candidates was still under way, adding that she would make her name available.

The European Left will run in the May election with the slogan "For a progressive exit from the crisis. Vote left in the European Elections".

Elected MEPs from the member parties of the European Left sit in the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) group in the European Parliament, which currently has 28 seats in the 751-member legislature.

A reminder that your best source of information on Brexit and what it means for you in Slovenia – in terms what’s happening right now and what you should be doing, if not what will happen next, in which case ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ – remains the UK Embassy in Ljubljana, with the latest update from the British Ambassador Sophie Honey below (as of Friday January 18).

So while we’ll make sure to post updates when we have them, if you want the latest official news be sure to follow the Embassy on Facebook, here. To keep things covered from more angles, the British Chamber of Commerce can be found here, and the Slovenian Embassy in London is here. Finally, the lobby / support group British in Europe, billed as “the coalition of UK citizens in Europe”, can be found here.

STA, 21 January 2019 - Slovenian MEPs agree with the general assessment that this year's European elections will be decisive for the future of the EU as populist and Euro-sceptical parties are gaining on strength while Brexit is raising the awareness of the benefits of the EU membership, which large political groups in the European Parliament will try to emphasise.

Romana Tomc (SDS/EPP) said that "Europe is in a position when it is really important which political groups will achieve the best result - whether it will be the groups which advocate a better Europe and survival of the EU or European sceptics who promote the idea that the EU needs to be weakened further."

Tomc thus wants that the Democrats (SDS), the largest opposition party in the Slovenian parliament, make a candidate list as soon as possible and manage to convince the voters that they should go to the polls this May.

Lojze Peterle (NSi/EPP) too wishes that the discussion on candidates would turn into a debate on European topics as soon as possible. "Slovenia needs to agree on what vision of Europe it will promote," he believes.

Tanja Fajon (SD/S&D) thinks that the candidates, including her, would need to explain to the voters that this year's European elections are about "whether we want a social Europe, whether we want peace and stability and whether democracy will win over authoritarianism."

According to Fajon, the question is also "whether we will give in to fear or whether we want hope". "These will be the topics that the Social Democrats (SD) will be addressing in the campaign."

Analysts have noted that the turnout in the elections will depend on whether the candidates and political parties will be able to address in the campaign the topics that interest the voters.

According to an Eurobarometer survey, almost 60% of Slovenian voters want to hear answers, solutions and ideas from the field of the economy, followed by unemployment among the young and social protection of the EU citizens.

Milan Zver (SDS/EPP) is convinced that the turnout in Slovenia and the EU will be considerably higher this time also because all political parties dedicate more attention and money to the elections, while Euro-sceptical parties are also mobilising the voters.

Many pundits have warned nevertheless that other topics will also be important in the campaign, with the ALDE and Greens groups stressing that the issue of climate change should also be put on the agenda.

Igor Šoltes (Greens), who will go to the elections with his own list, thinks that the campaign would need discuss the protection of clean drinking water and food and the rise of hate speech and preservation of a cultured, civilised discourse.

Franc Bogovič (SLS/EPP) believes that concrete answers to concrete questions need to be found. Slovenia needs to answer the question of how to be a good building element of the EU, while being able to utilise funds and other instruments, he added.

Ivo Vajgl (DeSUS/Alde) added that Slovenia should already start thinking about the initiatives it will present as part of its presidency of the EU in the second half of 2021.

The Slovenian MEPs spoke to the Slovenian media as part of the latest session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Today’s Dnevnik has a report by Aleš Gaube examining what a no deal Brexit could mean for Slovenia. The story notes that if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement, as it’s currently set to do at midnight on March 29, then the status of Britons in Slovenia will need to covered by new legislation. The text continues on a comforting note, suggesting that not much will change for the around 720 UK nationals who currently live in the country, although it then claims they would no longer be able to buy real estate in the country (“Prav tako v naši državi ne bi več mogli kupovati nepremičnin.”). There would also be changes to how professional qualifications gained in the UK are recognised in Slovenia.

However, readers should note that no details are given with regard to these changes in status, and no official sources are cited, and also that the author of the original story seems to occasionally confuse a hard Brexit (with a Withdrawal Agreement) with a no deal Brexit (without an agreement). We also got in touch with a Ljubljana-based real estate agent, who said "citizens from OECD members can buy freely in Slovenia", so perhaps UK nationals do not need to worry on this point.

For the around 5,000 Slovenes in the UK, Dnevnik says that these should continue to enjoy the same rights set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, even in the case of a no deal Brexit. For Slovenians intending to visit the UK in the future, visa free travel to the UK should still be possible.

As the title of the article indicates – “Koliko nas bo stal trdi brexit?” (“How much will hard Brexit cost us?”) – the main focus is the issue of EU funds, a matter of particular interest in this context, since the UK is the third largest contributor to such funds. In the case of a no deal Brexit, which will see the UK not pay €16.5 billion into the current EU budget (which runs until 2020), Slovenia is expected to contribute between €42 and 57 million more to fill the hole, while Denmark would pay an extra €360 million.

David Brozina, Director-General of the EU Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the newspaper that while the government is planning for all eventualities, detailed legislation will only be announced when the UK’s position, and the kind of Brexit it wants to pursue, is known. He is also quoted as saying "The Ministry of Labour is investigating the possibility that, in the event of a hard Brexit, an agreement that regulates the transfer of insurance rights and reimbursement of medical treatment costs between the countries, as was the case prior to Slovenia joining the EU”.

Finally, the paper notes that the UK Embassy in Ljubljana is not commenting as to any ongoing talks with the Slovenian government on citizen’s rights. The full story, in Sovene and behind a paywall, can be found here.

All our Brexit coverage can be found here