Ljubljana related
STA, 24 July 2019 - On an average day in 2018 there were 54 births and 56 deaths in Slovenia; 78 people immigrated, 37 people emigrated, there were 20 weddings and 6 divorces, show Statistical Office data.
There were 19,585 live births and 20,485 deaths, in what was the second year in a row with more deaths than births. Most children were born in the summer, while most deaths happened in the winter.
A total of 7,256 couples married in 2018, which is 12% more than in 2017. With as many as 1,100 couples marrying in June, it was the most popular month for weddings in 2018. May, August and September are the only other months in which more than a thousand couples married.
There were 2,347 divorces last year, 1.7% less than in 2017.
More details on this data can be found here, while our other stories on statistics and Slovenia are here
STA, 18 July 2019 - The Slovenian government has adopted a framework migrations strategy that addresses both legal migrations as a major source of much needed labour, as well as illegal migrations as a source of security threats and challenges with regard to integration.
The strategy, the first such document in Slovenia, deals with migrations "over a long-term horizon in a multi-faceted and comprehensive way, prioritising a better understanding of all aspects of migrations," the government said on Twitter on Thursday.
In illegal migrations, Slovenia plans to focus on fast verification of eligibility for international protection, effective return of such persons, and elimination of sources of risk to national security.
The government says that "orderly and safe" migrations are beneficial for everyone, while illegal migrations "threaten the lives, security, health and basic human rights of migrants" and fan anti-immigration sentiment in recipient countries.
For legal migrations, the strategy aims to focus on eliminating structural imbalances on the labour market by attracting foreign workers as well as adopting concrete measures to entice Slovenians who have moved abroad to return.
The document was drafted by a task force that included ministries, law enforcement and intelligence services and will be followed up by action plans as well as a more detailed strategy for economic migrations.
Non-governmental organisations dealing with migrations welcomed the adoption the strategy and said they had been involved in the drafting of the document. Nevertheless, they said additional stakeholders should have been involved as well.
It would have made sense to involve trade unions, academia, and local government, said Katarina Bervar Sternad of PIC, a platform that offers legal advice to NGOs.
The document is an improvement on the original blueprint but involving more stakeholders would have given it a more long-term perspective on the challenges and opportunities that migrations bring, she told the STA.
STA, 17 July 2019 - More than 4,300 Slovenian citizens and some 24,100 foreigners immigrated to Slovenia last year, with the total share of Slovenia's population growth attributable to immigrants being the highest since 2008 - there were almost 15,000 more immigrants than emigrants, shows the Statistics Office data released on Wednesday.
Almost 6,600 Slovenians and more than 6,900 foreigners emigrated in 2018.
The share of immigrants increased by 51% last year compared to 2017, while the share of emigrants dropped by 23%.
The population growth attributable to Slovenian immigrants was negative for the 19th consecutive year - Slovenian emigrants exceeded Slovenian immigrants by almost 2,250 persons, while the immigration trend of foreigners remained positive for the 20th consecutive year.
Most foreigners who came to Slovenia (almost 50%) hailed from Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by citizens from Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Croatia.
On the other hand, Slovenians returning back to the native country usually migrated from Germany and Austria (24% and 17%, respectively), followed by Switzerland, the UK and Italy.
A quarter of Slovenians who moved out of the country in 2018 went to Austria, with the rest emigrating to Germany, Switzerland and Croatia.
Most foreigners who left Slovenia behind moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina (24%), Germany, Serbia and Croatia.
Slovenia's internal migrations decreased by some 7% in 2018 on the previous year, totalling almost 104,000 changes of residence (some 89,500 Slovenians and around 14,500 foreigners).
Almost half of people moving within the country were aged 20-39 years, with the majority (80%) moving to another municipality.
Foreigners were again more mobile than Slovenians - among the former, one out of ten moved at least once in 2018 on average, while one Slovenian out of 24 changed the place of residence on average.
More details on these figures can be found here
STA, 13 June 2019 - The government adopted on Thursday a decree updating Slovenia's list of safe countries from 2016. The list has three new names, while Turkey has been removed from it. This means that Slovenia will no longer return migrants or extradite suspects to Turkey.
The new list contains 14 countries: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, Kosovo, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, and newcomers Georgia, Nepal and Senegal.
A third country, meaning a non-EU member, is considered safe if it can be assumed, based on several factors, that in general it does not see persecution, torture, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, and that people there are not in danger due to an international or internal conflict.
There was a push last year to remove Turkey from the list after Slovenia rejected the asylum applications 38 Turks even though they had fled Turkey for fear of persecution, but the motion was rejected at committee by the previous parliament.
The move comes about a month and a half after Swedish news portal Nordic Monitor reported that the Turkish Embassy in Ljubljana spied on critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan living in the country, likely believed to be the followers of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who the Turkish authorities believe was behind the failed 2016 coup d'etat.
STA, 6 June 2019 - Slovenia has so far welcomed almost 300 refugees based on EU solidarity schemes, some from other EU members and others from third countries, government data shows.
As part of the relocation scheme, Slovenian had pledged to accept 567 applicants for international protection from Greece and Italy, but eventually accepted 253 during the scheme's duration in 2016-2018.
As for the resettlement programme for migrants residing in non-EU countries, Slovenia had pledged to accept 60 people, but eventually accepted only 34, all from Turkey.
Of the 253 foreigners relocated from Greece and Italy, 152 were Syrian citizens, 77 Eritrean, 17 Iraqi and one Yemeni citizen, whereas six were without citizenship.
A total of 234 foreigners were granted the refugee status and eleven subsidiary protection, the Interior Ministry said.
Five foreigners were denied international protection, one person was stripped of the refugee status, and the procedure was aborted in three cases, it added.
The majority of relocated refugees reside in the areas of Maribor and Ljubljana, whereas 47 left Slovenia after receiving the status, data from the Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants show.
Six Syrian families came to live in Slovenia as part of the resettlement scheme, which was carried out under the UN wing. All of them live in Maribor's integration centre.
All refugees accepted as part of the two schemes have taken part in a special three-month programme designed to facilitate their living.
As part of "the orientation programme", refugees learn the basics of Slovenian language, get to know various social systems in the country and get assistance in finding housing.
Although both schemes ended in 2018, Slovenia still occasionally expresses solidarity to share the burden of refugees with other EU countries.
Just recently the government has decided to accept up to five asylum seekers who meet the requirements for international protection from Italy.
In February, it decided to accept five asylum seekers from Malta, but they are yet to arrive here, while it accepted eight refugees from this island country in 2010.
Looking through a recent report on immigration and Slovenia, we found an interesting table at the end, created using Eurostat data, showing the number of foreign citizens registered as resident in Slovenia by country of birth. The headline news was that out of total of 2,066,880 people living in Slovenia (as of January 2018), 250,226 were born in another country, with the vast majority (86%) being from other Ex-Yugoslavian nations.
Related: The places where foreigners live in Slovenia and where they come from (July 2016 data)
Since such figures are of obvious interest to our readers, we reproduce them below in two forms. First, place of birth ranked by number of residents, and second (you can jump there here) in alphabetical order. Note that continents and regions are also included in the data, and we know that Africa is not a country.
Place of birth, by number
Slovenia 1,816,654
Bosnia and Herzegovina 107,676
Croatia 44,994
Serbia 25,372
Northern Macedonia 17,128
Kosovo 17,050
Germany 7,255
Italy 4,136
Montenegro 3,344
Russia 3,009
Asia 2,966
Austria 2,641
Ukraine 2,495
Americas 2,358
Bulgaria 1,241
North America 1,140
East Asia 1,123
France 1,119
China including Hong Kong 977
Switzerland 922
South America 832
Africa 822
United States 768
United Kingdom 642
West Asia 554
Slovakia 541
South East Asia 529
South Asia 464
Hungary 429
Argentina 413
Romania 407
Poland 392
Canada 372
Oceania 372
Australia and New Zealand 368
Czech Republic 363
Moldova 361
Australia 342
Netherlands 336
North Africa 333
Sweden 324
Belgium 308
Central Asia 296
Caribbean 288
Thailand 269
West Africa 214
Syria 199
Belarus 192
Kazakhstan 187
Dominican
Republic of 185
Turkey 184
India 181
Spain 179
Brazil 165
East Africa 164
Philippines 150
Iran 143
Egypt 127
Albania 126
Greece 119
Central America 98
Iraq 93
Japan 87
Cuba 85
Mexico 78
Tunisia 78
Venezuela 75
Uzbekistan 70
Denmark 68
Nigeria 64
South Africa 62
Jordan 60
Portugal 59
Ireland 58
South Africa (Rep.) 58
Ghana 56
Indonesia 56
Peru 56
Central Africa 49
Colombia 49
Libya 47
Pakistan 46
Lithuania 46
Israel 42
Luxembourg 41
Afghanistan 38
Finland 37
Algeria 37
Chile 36
South Korea 35
Kenya 33
Morocco 31
Guinea-Bissau 31
Lebanon 30
Nepal 28
New Zealand 27
Eritrea 26
Somalia 25
Azerbaijan 25
Georgia 24
Norway 23
Cameroon 23
Estonia 22
Vietnam 22
Taiwan 22
Saudi Arabia 21
Gambia 20
Kyrgyzstan 13
Madagascar 18
Armenia 18
Sri Lanka 17
United Arab Emirates 17
Ethiopia 16
Zimbabwe 15
Yemen 15
Uruguay 14
Bangladesh 13
Kuwait 12
Sudan 12
Turkmenistan 12
Bolivia 12
Democratic Republic of Congo 11
Malaysia 11
Ecuador 11
Liberia 10
Liechtenstein 10
Singapore 9
Tajikistan 9
Congo 9
Cambodia 8
Cyprus 7
Guinea 7
Jamaica 7
Malta 7
Mauritius 7
Zambia 7
Burkina Faso 7
Iceland 6
Costa Rica 6
Sierra Leone 5
Uganda 5
Belize 5
Burundi 4
Cape Verde 4
Mali 4
Mongolia 4
Mozambique 4
Nicaragua 4
Palestine 4
Senegal 4
Trinidad and Tobago 4
Angola 4
Ivory Coast 3
Honduras 3
Laos 3
Malawi 3
Melanesia 3
Namibia 3
Paraguay 3
Tanzania 3
Barbados 3
Central African Republic 2
Guyana 2
Haiti 2
Myanmar / Burma 2
Panama 2
Papua New Guinea 2
Qatar 2
Rwanda 2
Western Sahara 2
Aruba (NL) 2
Benin 1
Botswana 1
Chad 1
Dominica 1
Salvador 1
Fiji 1
Former Netherlands Antilles 1
Gabon 1
Guatemala 1
Maldives 1
North Korea 1
Oman 1
Polynesia 1
San Marino 1
St. Thomas and Prince 1
Togo 1
Wallis and Futuna 1
Andorra 1
In alphabetical order
Afghanistan 38
Africa 822
Albania 126
Algeria 37
Americas 2,358
Andorra 1
Angola 4
Argentina 413
Armenia 18
Aruba (NL) 2
Asia 2,966
Australia 342
Australia and New Zealand 368
Austria 2,641
Azerbaijan 25
Bangladesh 13
Barbados 3
Belarus 192
Belgium 308
Belize 5
Benin 1
Bolivia 12
Bosnia and Herzegovina 107,676
Botswana 1
Brazil 165
Bulgaria 1,241
Burkina Faso 7
Burundi 4
Cambodia 8
Cameroon 23
Canada 372
Cape Verde 4
Caribbean 288
Central Africa 49
Central African Republic 2
Central America 98
Central Asia 296
Chad 1
Chile 36
China including Hong Kong 977
Colombia 49
Congo 9
Costa Rica 6
Croatia 44,994
Cuba 85
Cyprus 7
Czech Republic 363
Democratic Republic of Congo 11
Denmark 68
Dominica 1
Dominican
East Africa 164
East Asia 1,123
Ecuador 11
Egypt 127
Eritrea 26
Estonia 22
Ethiopia 16
Fiji 1
Finland 37
Former Netherlands Antilles 1
France 1,119
Gabon 1
Gambia 20
Georgia 24
Germany 7,255
Ghana 56
Greece 119
Guatemala 1
Guinea 7
Guinea-Bissau 31
Guyana 2
Haiti 2
Honduras 3
Hungary 429
Iceland 6
India 181
Indonesia 56
Iran 143
Iraq 93
Ireland 58
Israel 42
Italy 4,136
Ivory Coast 3
Jamaica 7
Japan 87
Jordan 60
Kazakhstan 187
Kenya 33
Kosovo 17,050
Kuwait 12
Kyrgyzstan 13
Laos 3
Lebanon 30
Liberia 10
Libya 47
Liechtenstein 10
Lithuania 46
Luxembourg 41
Madagascar 18
Malawi 3
Malaysia 11
Maldives 1
Mali 4
Malta 7
Mauritius 7
Melanesia 3
Mexico 78
Moldova 361
Mongolia 4
Montenegro 3,344
Morocco 31
Mozambique 4
Myanmar / Burma 2
Namibia 3
Nepal 28
Netherlands 336
New Zealand 27
Nicaragua 4
Nigeria 64
North Africa 333
North America 1,140
North Korea 1
Northern Macedonia 17,128
Norway 23
Oceania 372
Oman 1
Pakistan 46
Palestine 4
Panama 2
Papua New Guinea 2
Paraguay 3
Peru 56
Philippines 150
Poland 392
Polynesia 1
Portugal 59
Qatar 2
Republic of 185
Romania 407
Russia 3,009
Rwanda 2
Salvador 1
San Marino 1
Saudi Arabia 21
Senegal 4
Serbia 25,372
Sierra Leone 5
Singapore 9
Slovakia 541
Slovenia 1,816,654
Somalia 25
South Africa (Rep.) 58
South Africa 62
South America 832
South Asia 464
South East Asia 529
South Korea 35
Spain 179
Sri Lanka 17
St. Thomas and Prince 1
Sudan 12
Sweden 324
Switzerland 922
Syria 199
Taiwan 22
Tajikistan 9
Tanzania 3
Thailand 269
Togo 1
Trinidad and Tobago 4
Tunisia 78
Turkey 184
Turkmenistan 12
Uganda 5
Ukraine 2,495
United Arab Emirates 17
United Kingdom 642
United States 768
Uruguay 14
Uzbekistan 70
Venezuela 75
Vietnam 22
Wallis and Futuna 1
West Africa 214
West Asia 554
Western Sahara 2
Yemen 15
Zambia 7
Zimbabwe 15
STA, 14 May 2019 - Although the general belief in Slovenia is that immigrants from the Western Balkan countries are mostly unqualified labourers, a survey presented by the charity Caritas on Tuesday suggests that most immigrants have secondary education and are often overqualified for the work they do in Slovenia.
Interestingly, Slovenia also does not export only young educated people but also unqualified workers and the number of people leaving the county almost matches the number of people moving into Slovenia, says the publication Our Common Home (Naš skupni dom), funded by the European Commission and the Slovenian Foreign Ministry.
In 2017, 17,555 people moved out of the country, mostly to other EU countries, while 18,808 people moved to Slovenia.
Slovenians living abroad significantly contribute to the development of Slovenia, the authors say. "Our data show that the Slovenian diaspora contributes more (to Slovenia) than the immigrants here contribute to their source countries," a co-author of the publication, Nina Stenko Primožič, said at today's presentation.
Most migrants in Slovenia (86%) were born in one of the Western Balkan countries. According to Eurostat data from 2018, 108,000 of them were born in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 45,000 in Croatia, 25,000 in Serbia, 17,000 in Kosovo, 17,000 in North Macedonia and 3,300 in Montenegro.
Most of the people moving to Slovenia have finished high school but since they could not find a job that would suit their education, they take on jobs for which they are overqualified and accept lower pay.
However, most young people from the Western Balkan countries who currently reside in Slovenia are highly qualified and often work as experts.
In 2015, 10% of female immigrants and 8% of male immigrants in Slovenia had tertiary education. Among Slovenians, the share of people with tertiary education was higher, at 25.7%. But the authors of the publication note that not all highly qualified people from the Western Balkans move to Slovenia.
Foreign students accounted for 4.5% of all students in tertiary education in Slovenia in 2017/2018, according to data by the Statistics Office. Most of them (over 90%) came from the Western Balkan countries, especially North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, and EU countries (mostly Croatia).
Among migrants from non-EU countries, most came from Russia (3,000), China (977), the US (768), Argentina (456) and Canada (372). Migrants from Russia were highly educated (more than 50% of men and 43% of women had tertiary education). Among South Americans, 35% of men and 40% of women finished tertiary education.
Since the end of the crisis, companies and public institutions in Slovenia are trying to attract highly qualified staff from abroad, doctors in particular. In mid-2018, the government prepared legislative changes facilitating the hiring of doctors from non-EU countries.
According to data from 2016, 13% of the 7,500 doctors in Slovenia were foreigners.
The biggest share of migrants from the EU (24%) live in central Slovenia, 18% in Podravje in the north-east and 14% in the western and coastal region.
Most people from Bosnia-Herzegovina live in central Slovenia as do more than half of those from Montenegro and almost 40% of those from Serbia.
People from Albania and Kosovo are more widespread around the country, mostly because of their family businesses.
Many migrants who moved to Slovenia while it was still a part of Yugoslavia live in the areas which used to be strong industrial centres.
According to Eurostat data, just over 250,000 people living in Slovenia at the beginning of 2018 were born outside the country, which is 12.1% of the population. More than a half of them had Slovenian citizenship.
The publication is a part of the project MIND (Migration. Interconnectedness. Development.), financed by the European Commission and led by Caritas Austria with Caritas Europa in the co-lead and ten further Caritas organisations as partners.
The full report, in Slovenian, can be found here
STA, 13 May 2019 - Employers have been pointing to their difficulties in finding qualified new employees for quite some time, but the situation has only been worsening to the point when it looks more dire than it was in 2008, before the economic crisis. Employers' organisations thus urge the authorities to take action by promoting economic migrations.
Employers have been hiring foreigners to alleviate the shortage, but the manpower pool of the former Yugoslav republics is depleting as well.
The organisations thus expect the government to speed up measures to tackle the issue and come up with a strategy for promoting economic migrations.
According to the Employment Service's data, in the past six months, almost 50% of employers were faced with the shortage, with the share standing at 70% among large companies.
The deficiency is most pronounced in the restaurant business (69%), construction (62%), social and health care (62%) and manufacturing (56%).
"Employers often encounter problems when trying to recruit employees for jobs which are paid less, physically demanding and/or come with demanding working schedules. There's also the issue of finding candidates for technical jobs requiring specific skills which are difficult to be obtained quickly by not (yet) trained and inexperienced people," said the service.
Increasing systemic discrepancies are present in the labour market, according to the service, with the number of available jobs growing, and the number of jobless decreasing.
As a result, the share of the unemployed with primary education or without it is increasing, same as the share of jobless people who are limited in finding employment and require active support.
On the other hand, the share of the unemployed disabled people is decreasing more slowly than the share of all unemployed people.
Employers are thus trying to fill in the gaps by adopting measures such as overtime or temporary increased workload, recruiting through temping agencies, encouraging the young to find jobs more quickly, discussing post-retirement work with older employees and attracting foreign employees, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) Samo Hribar Milič has told the STA.
The Slovenian Employers' Association (ZDS) secretary general Jože Smole also said that recruiting foreign employees was one of the key ways to tackle this issue.
According to the Employment Service, the number of work permits increased from 14,811 in 2015 to 18,049 in 2018. The numbers do not include single residence-work permits, with 1,180 of them being issued in 2015 and a significantly higher number of them in 2018 - 20,889.
In the first four months of this year, 9,693 foreigners obtained permits to reside and work in Slovenia. But getting such permits does not automatically denote receiving a work permit at the administrative unit in charge.
The majority of foreign recruits are from the former Yugoslav republics. Slovenia issued 16,596 work permits to citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina last year, 1,281 to citizens of Croatia, and 140 to citizens of Serbia.
The share of single residence-work permits was highest in case of migrant workers from Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Russia.
Employers criticise the length of procedures for hiring employees from third countries. Moreover, they have been waiting a year for the ratification of the treaty on employing Serbian citizens in Slovenia.
The protocol for implementing the treaty was signed in November last year, but the ratification has not taken place yet. However, employers caution that the manpower pool in the former Yugoslavia is being drained as well.
Hribar Milič thus called for ratification of treaties which would enable employing citizens of countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. He also urged the authorities to follow Germany's example and establish offices in charge of employing third-country nationals, for example in Sarajevo, Kiev or Skopje.
"The state already promised that, but has still not delivered on it," he pointed out.
The newspaper Delo recently reported that around a third of the foreigners getting work permits in Slovenia used that opportunity as a stepping stone for migrating to another EU country.
Commenting on this, Hribar Milič said that GZS member companies had been pointing that out, having invested in foreign recruitment only to be faced with recruits moving on to other EU countries.
He denied accusations of Slovenia importing workforce to the EU at dumping prices as Slovenian labour costs are lower, which makes workers from Slovenia cheaper. He said the accusations were based on individual cases, which should be sanctioned by law.
Smole said that given the amount of labour costs in Slovenia one could not speak about dumping.
He expects the government to step up action mitigating the manpower drain, reduce red tape and come up with an operational strategy for economic migrations.
On the other hand, the GZS is pleased about its collaboration with the Employment Service since the latter is developing personalised training and further courses for the unemployed in cooperation with the organisation. However, Hribar Milič concluded that there was room for improvement in that respect as well.
All our stories about employment in Slovenia are here
STA, 9 May 2019 - With a number of countries within the Schengen zone continuing to carry out internal border checks, including neighbouring Austria, a majority of the parties standing in the 26 May European election claim such checks are unwarranted. Some perceive them as an expression of a lack of trust in Slovenian politics.
The coalition parties generally share the opinion that internal border checks are not warranted, as passing borders without checks is one of the most tangible advantages of EU membership.
The ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) believes that the rules on temporary border checks within the Schengen zone should be redefined to prevent abuse of the system.
The Social Democrats (SD) think that checks on internal borders are unwarranted, except in extraordinary situations. Any obstacles to the free flow of people, services, goods and capital are unacceptable, the party says.
The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) finds Austria's border checks unacceptable. "We don't want a future in which counties make unilateral decisions about such fundamental values and treaties, such as the Schengen Agreement."
The Modern Centre Party (SMC) sees Austria's decision as a violation of the fundamental principles of the EU, arguing that Slovenia is protecting the Schengen border responsibly. It sees the political situation in Austria as the main reason for border checks.
Also stressing that the checks on the Slovenian-Austrian border are unwarranted is the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which says it is a mere "implementation of cheap nationalist politics".
The opposition Democrats (SDS) and the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS), who are running on a joint ticket, believe that internal border checks are a result of the increasing threat of terrorism and illegal mass migrations.
Internal border checks run counter to the idea of free movement of people, but only effective protection of the external border would make internal checks unnecessary, the parties says.
While noting that internal border checks undermine one of the fundamental freedoms in the EU, the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) believes that these are an obvious sign of distrust among EU member states, a problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The Left, an opposition partner to the minority ruling coalition, warns that checks on internal borders run against the concept of open borders as one of the fundamental EU values. The measure is unlawful and undermines the principles on which the EU is based.
The opposition National Party (SNS), meanwhile, believes that Slovenia should seal its Schengen border with Croatia and let only people with valid documents in the country. Controls on the border should be constant and strict.
Similarly, the Homeland League (DOM) thinks that Austria's measure is self-explanatory, as Slovenia has failed to protect its border since 2015. "If border protection is not effective, the Schengen border will be moved from the river Kolpa to the Karavanke mountain range."
On the other hand, the Let's Connect list believes that such checks are no longer warranted from either the security or customs aspects. It is propaganda aimed at creating the false feeling of an outside threat, it says.
Good State believes that Austria is using the situation for political purposes. Internal checks are unwarranted and the Slovenian government should take counter-measures and check people coming to Slovenia from Austria.
STA, 8 May 2019 - The parties standing in the upcoming EU election have very different views on the issue of migration, which the EU has been struggling with in recent years. While coalition parties mostly advocate for a common EU migration policy and sharing the burden, the opposition, bar the Left, want better border protection.
The senior coalition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) as well as the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) believe in solidarity.
The SMC thinks quotas are one of the possible solutions to the current situation, while the LMŠ believes a balance between solidarity towards migrants and the safety of Slovenian citizens should be found.
Both parties believe the problem of people leaving their countries should be tackled at its source, with the LMŠ noting a clear distinction should be made between legal and illegal migrations.
The coalition Social Democrats (SD) have told the STA that a united pacifist foreign policy of the EU would be crucial to deal with migration, along with protection of external EU borders.
Also important will be fair trade and a high level of environment protection and labour standards, the SD believes.
The party thinks countries share the responsibility for the situation and should also share the burdens.
The coalition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) agrees. "No country will be able to deal with this challenge alone and border fences will not stop immigration."
The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), another ruling coalition party, thinks the migration influx has caught the EU completely unprepared.
"Each country took its own steps and what we witnessed at the end of 2015 is a disgrace for all of us who believe that Europe is a humane and civilised community," it says.
The opposition Left thinks the EU's foreign policy and its policy towards neighbouring countries need a thorough overhaul. Rather than building fences, buying weapons and gathering troops, the EU should invest in peace building in its neighbourhood, the party stresses.
"These people are fleeing from hunger, poverty, wars, ecological disasters," the Left has said about migrants.
In contrast, the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS), running on a joint ticket, think the EU has made the right call when it recently decided to send 10,000 police officers at its external borders.
The SDS+SLS alliance believes the migration issue should be tackled in source countries and opposes obligatory refugee quotas for EU member states.
The opposition National Party (SNS) has even more radical views, calling for immediate closure of EU borders for all migrants.
The party also thinks all those who are already in the country and do not meet the criteria for residence should immediately be sent back to their countries.
The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) thinks the main problem is the lack of dialogue between central and western Europe.
"We need a European solution that will not breach the sovereignty of countries. We cannot have one Europe and two migration policies and two interpretations of the rule of law."
The issue of migration should primarily be addressed by tackling economic and social problems in source countries, the NSi believes.
Among the non-parliamentary parties and lists, the Homeland League (DOM) holds the most radical view, demanding that the EU protect its borders using all means available and prevent illegal migration from the Middle East and Africa.
The far-right United Slovenia, led by the self-styled militia leader Andrej Šiško, even talks of a "planned genocide against European nations" which started with the 1975 Strasbourg resolution. It claims that with the resolution, the EU predecessors agreed to accepting Arab immigrants in exchange for access to oil.
All our stories on the EU elections are here, while those on immigration are here
