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Janša says talks under way on "exchanging representatives" with Taiwan

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša revealed in an interview with the Indian broadcaster Doordarshan that Slovenia and Taiwan are working on "exchanging representatives". The exchange of representatives would not take place at the level of embassies but the "same level that many EU countries already have." He also called China to account over its handling of the Covid outbreak saying that it was necessary to "make the Chinese accountable" for "not acting in good faith" when it comes to notifying the rest of the world about the threat of the novel coronavirus in a timely manner.

Absolute daily record of 8,681 coronavirus cases on Monday

LJUBLJANA - An absolute daily record of 8,681 new coronavirus cases was confirmed in Slovenia on Monday as the positivity rate reached almost 63%. The weekly increase in new cases was nearly 17%. Government data show hospitalisations remain stable, but the head of the Institute for Microbiology and Immunology, Miroslav Petrovec, said labs could no longer cope with this quantity of samples.

Only vulnerable groups to be automatically tested with PCR method

LJUBLJANA - Due to an overwhelming number of coronavirus infections, labs in Slovenia are swamped so the country is switching to a new regime of Covid testing. As of tomorrow, only vulnerable groups with Covid symptoms will automatically be tested with the PCR method, while the rest will need to use rapid tests or self-tests first. PCR testing as a payable service for people without symptoms may still be available only with private providers.

Minister promises coal regions not to be left on their own

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec reiterated his promise that the state would help the coal-mining regions through transition as he responded to misgivings aired by those dependent on the industry over the strategy to exit coal in 2033. Vrtovec said 2033 when Slovenia was to exit coal to generate power was an ambitious but also very realistic goal. "The Šalek region won't be left on its own, the state will help a lot through legislation," he said.

Treasury official nominated for central bank vice-governor

LJUBLJANA - Marjan Divjak, who has served as director general of the Finance Ministry's treasury directorate since 2013, has been put forward by President Borut Pahor to succeed Primož Dolenc as one of four vice-governors of the Slovenian central bank. The president submitted the nomination to the National Assembly today after examining the bids and consulting deputy factions, his office said.

Slovenian MEPs welcome Metsola's election

STRASBOURG, France - Roberta Metsola's election as European Parliament president was hailed by Slovenian MEPs from the ranks of her European family, the EPP, but also others as Renew and S&D members expressed the expectation for her to represent the Parliament's common position on issues such as the right to abortion. The Maltese, who was the candidate of the European People's Party (EPP), mustered 458 votes to win the election in the first round.

Slovenia's request for new recovery funds likely in spring

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is expected to submit a request to get further EU recovery funds in the spring, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said. It is not possible to talk about the amount of the new funds, he said, as it is not yet clear how many or which objectives will be achieved by the time the request is submitted.

Agriculture Minister Podgoršek to run on NSi slate in election

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek announced he would run in the general election on the slate of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), saying that the party provided political stability. NSi president Matej Tonin said the NSi was open to experts and people who want to implement its platform. Podgoršek had already cooperated with the NSi in the past, serving as a municipal councillor in Vodice, and participating in the party's campaign for the 2018 general election.

Left against holding tax referendum along with election

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left opposes the idea floated by PM Janez Janša to hold a referendum on amendments to the income tax act along with the general election in April and is considering withdrawing its petition for such a referendum. "We reject the initiative for a referendum on a single issue, that is the income tax, to obscure the weight of the future we will decide in this election," said Left leader Luka Mesec.

Electoral Commission seeks input on pandemic voting

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The National Electoral Commission discussed ways of making sure people can cast their ballots in an election even if they have to isolate or quarantine due to coronavirus. It plans to seek additional inputs from health authorities before proceeding with the debate. A meeting will be organised next week, National Electoral Commission director Dušan Vučko told the STA.

Committee rejects proposal to further raise minimum wage

LJUBLJANA - The Labour Committee rejected a proposal for an increase in minimum wage beyond the 4.9% rise set by the labour minister. The opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Left, which had requested the sessions, respectively, called for the higher increase, arguing that the 4.9% spike was by far insufficient in light of rising living costs, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.

Orthopaedist gets three years for accepting bribe

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court has sentenced orthopaedic surgeon Gregor Kavčič of the Novo Mesto hospital to three years in prison, media report today. A three-member panel of judges agreed with the prosecution that he had accepted bribes from medical supplier Emporio Medical in exchange for having the company supply knee replacement products by Biomet to the Novo Mesto hospital. Kavčič has announced an appeal.

Separate university quota introduced for Slovenians from abroad

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport has introduced a separate quota for the enrolment of Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship in universities in Slovenia. The separate quota has been advocated by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch, who has welcomed the change. The rules have so far stipulated a joint quota for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship and for all other non-EU nationals.

GZS urges easing of quarantine rules in business

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) called on the government to loosen quarantine rules along the lines of changes that will be put in place in some critical infrastructure sectors from Wednesday. This would mitigate the situation, as companies are facing problems with quarantine-related staff shortages. "We expect the same for all sectors of the economy," GZS director Aleš Cantarutti said.

36 people in Šentjur mistakenly given saline instead of Covid shot

ŠENTJUR - Out of 126 persons who were vaccinated for Covid-19 in the Šentjur Community Health Centre last Friday, 36 were mistakenly given a shot of saline solution that had been put in empty vials. All 36 persons were contacted, with 34 responding immediately, and the remaining two persons, who had not been reachable at first, being informed about the mistake later. All of them have subsequently received shots of the Pfizer vaccine, except one person, who will be vaccinated next week.

Over 40 athletes to represent Slovenia in Beijing

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will be fielding a total of 41 athletes at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, a group featuring a number of established Olympians as well as some potential dark horses. Based on the season so far, the women's and men's ski jumping teams are seen as having the best chance of winning an Olympic medal. The athletes had been picked out of the 53 candidates by the Slovenian Ski Association, and the decision was cleared Slovenian Olympic Committee.

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Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Record weekend Covid case count confirmed on Saturday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 6,012 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Saturday in what is a record daily case count confirmed over the weekend since the start of the pandemic, showed fresh government data. Hospitalisations stood at 549 this morning, up by 35 on the day before. The total of ICU cases remained level at 156. One Covid-19 patient died yesterday.

Baerbock marks 30 years of Germany's recognition of Slovenia

LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Marking the 30th anniversary of Germany's recognition of Slovenian independence, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday that this jubilee in German-Slovenian relations was an incentive "to continue to advocate European interests and values consistently and to shape our future in the EU together and in a positive way", reads a press release by the German Embassy in Ljubljana.

Slovenia, Croatia reportedly seal deal on fishing in Piran Bay

LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - Croatian media have reported that Slovenia and Croatia are said to have reached an agreement under which Slovenian fishers would be allowed to fish in the Gulf of Piran in the Croatian territorial waters as far as the town of Umag, and Croatian fishers in Slovenian waters as far as Koper. Slovenia has neither confirmed nor denied these reports.

Prominent politicians receive threat mail, report says

LJUBLJANA - A number of high-profile politicians, most of them from the ruling Democratic Party (SDS), have received threatening letters, including Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj, media have reported. They received a letter in the post reading "We know where you live" and featuring a drawing of a gallows and a bullet. Some of them have already reported the incident to the police.

Maribor WWII bomb deactivated

MARIBOR - Authorities successfully neutralised an unexploded WWII aerial bomb that was found in Maribor earlier this week. A part of Slovenia's second largest city had to be evacuated until roughly 1:30pm when sirens marked the end of danger. Some 150 members of various teams in the field of civil defence, rescue and safety took part in today's deactivation effort, said the Maribor Civil Defence.

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PM Janša sees India as strategic partner

MUMBAI, India - Prime Minister Janez Janša told The Economic Times, an Indian newspaper, that Slovenia saw India as an "important global, indeed, strategic partner of Slovenia and the EU as a whole." He said the informal EU-India summit in May 2021 had "reinforced the EU-India strategic partnership, which is underpinned by the shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights." "We are aware that the EU is one of India's largest trading partners and foreign investor and we know that in the new digital era, we need close cooperation on global digital standards and also in relation to and beyond 5G."

Golob to stake out his political future by end of moth

LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the former chairman of electricity trader Gen-I, told Večer it will be clear by the end of January if he will enter the election race and if he does, whether he would form a new party or have a go with one of the existing parties. He said he was in talks almost on a daily basis with representatives of various parties and movements, but noted that particracy was one of the reasons why Slovenia is in its current position and "taking over any of the established parties is not the right path."

New daily record, hospital figures stable

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 7,580 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, an increase of nearly 70% on the week before and a new daily record two weeks into the omicron-driven surge. The caseload has not caused an uptick in hospitalisations yet. Hospitals treated 514 patients with Covid, down by ten on the day before, with intensive care cases rising by one to 156. Nine patients died, government figures show. The PCR test positivity rate hit 53%.

New quarantine rule on border as of Monday

LJUBLJANA - Travellers who are ordered on entry to Slovenia to quarantine will no longer be able to cut their quarantine short with a PCR test under new rules adopted by the government last night that will take effect on Monday. The decision comes after quarantine was cut short from ten to seven days this week, the Government Communications Office said.

Food company Proconi acquired by Eta Kamnik

MURSKA SOBOTA/KAMNIK - Slovenian food processing company Eta Kamnik has recently acquired the Murska Sobota-based food company Proconi from its sole owner, the French agri-food firm Fleury Michon. Eta Kamnik plans additional investments in Proconi, which is primarily known for its ready-made meals. Eta's director Marko Konič told the STA that Eta Kamnik, best known for its pickled foods under the brand Natureta, acquired Proconi as a strategic owner with the intentions of continuing the company's core business in Murska Sobota.

Slovenian mutual funds managing record-high assets

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian mutual funds managed assets worth a record EUR 4.337 billion at the end of 2021, up by a record EUR 1.101 billion annually, as investors seem to have increasingly opted for alternatives to bank deposits at a time of extremely low interest rates and newly-introduced fees for deposits of over EUR 100,000. The last time payments into mutual funds increased at such a brisk rate was before the economic and financial crisis, in 2007, when they reached almost a billion euro.

Surge in environmental investment in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia saw its gross investment in environmental protection surge by almost 70% to EUR 412 million in 2020, nearly half of which (EUR 200 million) went toward protecting ambient air and climate. According to a report from the Statistics Office, current expenditure for environmental protection in 2020 amounted to EUR 698 million, up 1.6% from the year before. Over 56% (EUR 393 million) was spent on waste management.

Slovenia win team event at ski jumping World Cup in Zakopane

ZAKOPANE- Slovenia won the ski jumping World Cup meet in Zakopane, beating second-placed Germany and third-placed Japan by almost seventy points. Lovro Kos, Peter Prevc, Timi Zajc in Anže Lanišek finished the first round almost thirty points ahead of Germany after Prevc landed at 133.5 metres and Lanišek added a 129-metre jump. In the second series, Prevc wowed with a 140.5-metre jump, only for Lanišek to finish the job as the last jumper with the same distance.

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FRIDAY, 7 January
        LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec doubled down on Slovenia's support for making nuclear energy a part of the EU's taxonomy of sustainable energy sources, telling the press that nuclear was crucial to Slovenia's and EU efforts to carry out the green transition.
        LJUBLJANA - Doctors entrusted with monitoring, warning and raising awareness of the health risks of pollution voiced opposition to proposed regulation on waste incineration. The regulation should set emission limit values as low as possible, they said, warning that waste incineration should be a last resort.
        LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Slovenian Police (SPS) tabled a bill backed by over 7,000 voter signatures to give employees better protection when they receive a warning before termination, a system they say would protect workers against abuse of this disciplinary sanction.
        
SATURDAY, 8 January
        LJUBLJANA - Jaša Jenull, one of the figureheads of Friday's bicycle protests, was reported facing a lawsuit in which the Interior Ministry alleges he is responsible for the costs of policing a 2020 anti-government rally. Jenull described the lawsuit as a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful protest.
        KRANJSKA GORA - Sara Hector of Sweden won the women's Alpine Ski World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora ahead of France's Tessa Worley in second and Italian Marta Bassino in third. The best Slovenian was Tina Robnik in 8th.

SUNDAY, 9 January
        DRAŽGOŠE - Former President Milan Kučan stressed the importance of resistance and warned of a proliferation of signs of revival of Fascism as he addressed a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the WWII Battle of Dražgoše.
        IZOLA - Voters in the coastal municipality of Izola rejected a spatial plan that would have opened up large swathes of the coastal municipality to development, including on prime agricultural land. Sunday's referendum vote was 72% against and 28% in favour.
        KRANJSKA GORA - Petra Vlhova from Slovakia won the women's Alpine Ski World Cup slalom event in Kranjska Gora. Swiss Wendy Holdener, who was in the lead after the first run, was second, and Anna Swenn Larsson from Sweden finished third.

MONDAY, 10 January
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission investigating suspicion of political interference in the work of police adopted an interim report and a resolution proposing the National Assembly urge Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and both of his state secretaries, Franc Kangler and Božo Predalič, to resign, its chair citing evidence that politicians are dictating the work of the police force.
        ŠENTJUR - 57 of Slovenia's 212 mayors gathered in Šentjur, east of Celje, to form a Club of Independent Mayors upon the initiative of Kočevje Mayor Vladimir Prebilič. The idea is to form an alliance to make a mark in this year's super election year in Slovenia, but the club is yet to decide how to take part in each of the three elections.
        LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute, one of the NGOs that initiated a referendum on changes to the waters act last year, presented a proposal to repeal eleven pieces of legislation that it describes as harmful. The goal is to collect 60,000 signatures in the course of the campaign.
        LJUBLJANA - The European Research Council (ERC) has granted EUR 2.2 million in funding to a project in which Anna Dragoš from the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana will research the virus-bacteria interaction.

TUESDAY, 11 January
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted amendments to the mining act under which low-volume hydraulic fracturing would be allowed but high-volume fracturing banned, legislation that paves the way for fracturing in the only location in Slovenia where it is currently being explored, the Petišovci gas field in the east.
        LJUBLJANA - The alliance of four centre-left opposition parties, the Marjan Šarec Party (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), the Left and the SAB, discussed election campaigning and their joint efforts. They expressed willingness to discuss the potential cooperation with ex-GEN-I director Robert Golob.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and his two sons were acquitted of tax evasion concerning the sale of shares of the retailer Mercator in 2006 as the court handed down its ruling after a month-long trial. Janković said he had expected an acquittal. The prosecutor announced an appeal.
        KOPER - The Faculty of Humanities at the University of Primorska has been awarded the UNESCO chair in partnership with the Škocjan Cave Park, joining another three UNESCO chairs in Slovenia. The Škocjan Cave has been on UNESCO's world heritage list since 1986.

WEDNESDAY, 12 January
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported a new record of 7,420 new daily coronavirus cases, a wave driven by the Omicron variant. Hospital numbers remained low, but massive quarantining was becoming an increasing problem: 10% of primary school children and 16% of secondary students were self-isolating.
        LJUBLJANA - The news web portal N1 cited unofficial sources in reporting that Slovenia is to appoint several ambassadors and consuls this year with the list of candidates to include several closest aides of Foreign Minister Anže Logar. State Secretary Gregor Dovžan is to be appointed new ambassador to Croatia, while State Secretary Stanislav Raščan is to serve in Bratislava.
        LJUBLJANA - The Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy called on Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik to draft changes to electoral legislation to ensure that those who may be ill with Covid-19 or self-isolating during elections could still cast their vote.
        LJUBLJANA - A new party called Liberal Democrats (LIDE) was founded with National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič elected as one of up to three leaders in a move showing the party is open to alliances. Promoting liberal values, the party will seek to strengthen the middle class.
        LJUBLJANA - MP Željko Cigler left the deputy group of the opposition Left to join the Social Democrats (SD). The head of the SD's deputy group, Matjaž Han, said this did not affect the relations within the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), whose members are both the Left and SD.
        LJUBLJANA - Representatives of the Bank Association urged the lifting of restrictions that the central bank imposed on consumer lending in 2019, calling them illogical and not giving the banks a level-playing field. The association's director Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo argued that Slovenian households were among the least indebted in Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - Toyota Yaris Cross was selected the Slovenian Car of 2022 in what is the first time in the 30-year history of the contest that the title went to the Japanese car maker. A total of 15 models vied for the title.

THURSDAY, 13 January
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a national strategy to phase out coal and restructure coal regions in line with the just transition principles. The document envisages that coal used for electricity production will be fully phased out by 2033 at the latest. Environmental NGOs believe Slovenia should phase out coal by 2030.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium/BREST, France - Defence Minister Matej Tonin attended an informal meeting of EU defence ministers, warning that while focussing on Ukraine and Mali, the EU must not forget about the Western Balkans, especially Bosnia-Herzegovina, because Russia had certain interests in the region, which could deteriorate the situation there.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly confirmed amendments to the pension and disability insurance act that provide a tiered indexation of pensions, of between 1.7% and 3.5%, as a means of bridging the gap between pensions and wages caused by austerity measures during the economic and financial crisis.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to public procurement legislation that regulate purchase of medical devices by introducing a system of reference prices. The coalition said this would result in lower prices, while the opposition warned that more taxpayer money would be channelled into private pockets.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a proposal for a resolution on the national social protection programme 2022-2030, with development of the welfare system, reduction of the risk of poverty and higher social inclusion among the key goals.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a resolution on the 2030 national programme for higher education, terming it a key strategic document for forming quality goals, standards, measures and policies in Slovenian higher education.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) plans a 5% return on assets in the portfolio under its management for this year, which is slightly less than the estimated return for 2021, shows the annual plan for 2022, which was approved by the government. A slight increase in return is expected in 2023.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce has declared Slovenia's glass manufacturer Steklarna Hrastnik the winner of its award for innovation for 2021. The prize is given out together with the German Embassy in Slovenia and WISE Institute.

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Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Govt adopts strategy to phase out coal for electricity production by 2033

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a national strategy to phase out coal and restructure coal regions in line with the just transition principles. The document envisages that coal used for electricity production will be fully phased out by 2033 at the latest, the Government Communication Office said after the government session. TEŠ and the coal mine operator Premogovnik Velenje responded to the news by saying that the green transformation was a demanding and responsible task, and that they would be actively involved in the process. Environmental NGOs believe Slovenia should phase out coal by 2030.

Tonin says EU shouldn't forget about Bosnia-Herzegovina as it focuses on Ukraine, Mali

BRUSSELS, Belgium/BREST, France - Defence Minister Matej Tonin attended an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in France's Brest, warning that while focussing on Ukraine and Mali, the EU must not forget about the Western Balkans, especially Bosnia-Herzegovina, because Russia had certain interests in the region, which could deteriorate the situation there.

Pension indexation confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly confirmed in a unanimous vote amendments to the pension and disability insurance act that provide a tiered indexation of pensions as a means of bridging the gap between pensions and wages caused by austerity measures during the economic and financial crisis. The pensions of those who retired before the end of 2010 will increase by 3.5%, for those who retired in 2011 by 1.7%, and for all the others by 1%.

Changes to procurement of medical devices passed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to public procurement legislation which regulate purchases of medical devices by introducing a system of reference prices. The coalition claims this will result in lower prices, while the opposition warns that more taxpayer money will be channelled into private pockets. Under the new legislation, the reference price will be defined in a public procurement procedure and set by a newly-established government office in charge of central records.

MPs endorse higher language standard for bilingual schools

LJUBLJANA - The parliament passed changes to the legislation that set a higher Italian language standard for staff working in Slovenian-Italian bilingual kindergartens and schools. The amendments to the act on special rights of the Italian and Hungarian minorities in the field of education were endorsed in a 44:33 vote. The changes were tabled by the two MPs representing the minorities, Ferenc Horvath in Felice Žiža, and received support of the coalition.

SSH state asset custodian plans 5% yield this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) plans a 5% return on assets in the portfolio under its management for this year, which is slightly less than the estimated return for 2021, shows the annual capital asset management plan for 2022, which was approved by the government today. A slight increase in return is expected in 2023.

Omicron wave keeps spiralling

LJUBLJANA - A total of 6,855 new coronavirus cases were reported in Slovenia for Wednesday, a day after a record of more than 7,400 were confirmed. Hospitalisations continued to decrease, and additional seven people with Covid died, show fresh government data. The estimate of active cases topped 50,000, according to the National Institute of Public Health. The PCR test positivity rate stood at 51%.

Digital minister happy with EU presidency achievements

LJUBLJANA - Mark Boris Andrijanič, the minister for digitalisation transformation, finds Slovenia has attained many successes in his brief during its term at the helm of the EU. He noted in particular the digital services act, the declaration on digital rights and principles and the first ministerial conference of the Three Seas on digital transformation. "Our presidency of the Council of the EU has proved that even a small country can be an effective and successful mediator between all member states," he said.

Maximum wage rise for doctors heading to Constitutional Court

LJUBLJANA - The presidents of Slovenia's five trade union associations have asked the Constitutional Court to have its say on a provision in the latest Covid relief law that raises the pay ceiling in the single public sector wage system only for the benefit of doctors and dentists. They disagree with the government that the maximum wage rise for just one group of public employees has anything to do with emergency measures aimed at tackling the Covid-19 emergency.

Culture minister urged to resign as several culture organisations left without funds

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Social Democrats (SD) have urged Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti to immediately resign after it has become clear that several prominent independent culture producers or artists were left without funds as part of a 2022-2025 call for applications worth EUR 3.8 million. SD MP Marko Koprivc said "some of the most important and most prominent culture workers in Slovenia have been left without funding for the four-year period". Media reports suggest these are choir Carmina Slovenica, alternative musical group Laibach, festival City of Women, theatre company Glej, performing arts producers Zavod Maska, Zavod Emanat and Center Delak, and the Nomad Dance Academy Slovenija.

Protesters present petition against political meddling in RTV

LJUBLJANA - After the latest edition of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija's show Tarča sparked controversy and criticism, a petition was launched in support of the show, its host Erika Žnidaršič, and media freedom at RTV Slovenija, gathering over 6,000 signatures, which were presented to the RTV's programming council. The critical reactions also prompted an urgent meeting of RTV Slovenija's programming council, which resulted in a demand that RTV's management provides additional material for further discussion.

Basovizza Heroes monument granted cultural significance status

TRIESTE, Italy - A memorial site in Italy's Basovizza dedicated to four Slovenian victims of Fascism executed in September 1930, known as the Basovizza Heroes, has been granted a status of cultural importance by Italian regional authorities, the Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reported on Wednesday. By doing this, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region has laid the groundwork for the memorial to become a monument of national importance in Italy in the future. The granting of the status was welcomed by President Borut Pahor and the umbrella organisations of the Slovenian minority in Italy.

Bill to remediate Celje Basin voted down

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee voted down on Wednesday a bill sponsored by unaffiliated MP Janja Sluga, a former MP of the ruling coalition, that would see the chemical company Cinkarna Celje pay EUR 16 million and the state EUR 7 million in a decade to remediate the heavily polluted Celje Basin. The bill was backed by all centre-left deputy factions, but the coalition and the government argued a systemic bill was needed to tackle the problem not only in Celje but also elsewhere.

Govt proposes key social protection objectives for 2022-2030

LJUBLJANA - The government has adopted a proposal for a resolution on the national social protection programme 2022-2030, with development of the welfare system, reduction of the risk of poverty and higher social inclusion among the key goals, the government said after Thursday's session. Other key goals include improving the availability and accessibility of services and programmes, and creating the conditions for good functioning of social security organisations.

Govt adopts resolution on national programme for higher education

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a resolution on the 2030 national programme for higher education and will send it into parliamentary procedure. According to the Government Communication Office, this is a key strategic document for forming quality goals, standards, measures and policies in Slovenian higher education. The resolution, which is based on the guidelines adopted by the Government Council for Higher Education in April 2021, aims to raise the quality of higher education, make it more flexible and appealing given the needs of the economy and the society as a whole.

Steklarna Hrastnik honoured by German business

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce has declared Slovenia's glass manufacturer Steklarna Hrastnik the winner of its award for innovation for 2021 at its online event that included addresses by German and Slovenian representatives from politics and business and a round-table discussion on sustainable development. The prize is given out by the chamber together with the German Embassy in Slovenia and WISE Institute.

Toyota Yaris Cross voted Slovenian Car of 2022

LJUBLJANA - Toyota Yaris Cross has been selected the Slovenian Car of 2022 in what is the first time in the 30-year history of the contest that the title went to the Japanese car maker. A total of 15 cars vied for the title with the five finalists picked by the readers, listeners and viewers of nine automotive media and shows. The final selection was made by the journalists and editors of the media involved.

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Record 5,164 coronavirus cases on Monday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported a record 5,164 new cases of coronavirus for Monday, the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. This pushed the 14-day case notification rate stood to 1,879, and the seven-day case average to 3,891. Three Covid-19 patients died, while total hospitalisations fell to 553 as intensive care cases rose by three to 160, according to the government.

Slovenian politicians express condolences upon Sassoli's death

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's senior politicians and MEPs took to Twitter to express their condolences on the death of David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, lauding him as a great democrat, and a proud and sincere European. National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič said he was honoured to have been able to work with Sassoli during Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of last year.

Recovery, resilience at the forefront of ECOFIN presidency

LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said fighting the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic had been at the forefront of Slovenia's EU presidency in the field of finance and noted that during this time, the EU had approved 22 national recovery and resilience plans and paid out EUR 54 billion in funds to 20 member states.

Vrtovec discusses logistics digitalisation at Expo

DUBAI, UAE - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec visited the Slovenian Expo pavilion to address a business forum accompanying the visit by a delegation of Slovenian logistics companies. He discussed the need for digitalisation in logistics and Slovenia's ambition to become a green nexus of Europe. The forum discussed ways to shorten the maritime route to Europe, reduce the carbon footprint and promote Europe's tourist attractions.

Centre-left willing to talk cooperation with Golob

LJUBLJANA - The alliance of four centre-left opposition parties, the Marjan Šarec Party (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), the Left and the SAB discussed election campaigning and their joint efforts. They expressed willingness to discuss the potential cooperation with ex-GEN-I director Robert Golob, but will not decide on the matter until they get acquainted with the programme of his new potential party. Meanwhile, unaffiliated MP Janja Sluga is tipped to be forming a party with Golob.

Ljubljana Mayor Janković, sons acquitted in tax evasion case

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and his two sons were acquitted of tax evasion concerning the sale of shares of the retailer Mercator in 2006 as the court handed down its ruling after a month-long trial. Janković, a former CEO of Mercator, was charged with tax evasion in the sale of 47,000 Mercator shares to the family company, and his sons, Jure and Damjan, were charged with abetting. Janković said he had expected an acquittal, accusing the prosecutor of bullying, while the latter announced an appeal.

Committee approves bill to regulate medical procurement prices

LJUBLJANA- The parliamentary Home Affairs Committee endorsed a coalition-sponsored proposal to regulate the prices of medical supplies and equipment under a system of reference prices comparable with those in other EU countries. Medical equipment could only be procured in agreement with suppliers when a specific item could not be procured at the reference price, not even with a legally permissible variation of up to 10%. The centre-left opposition argued the solution would increase corruption risks.

Covid-related spending up by 40% last year

LJUBLJANA - After tackling the Covid-19 epidemic cost the state EUR 2 billion in 2020, expenditure rose by a further EUR 800 million in 2021. The bulk of expenditure in 2020 was on job retention and liquidity measures, but last year most went for hazard bonuses in the public sector. The direct cost of the epidemic-related measures from the spring of 2020 to the end of 2021 amounted to EUR 4.8 billion, as another EUR 2.8 billion was added to the cost last year.

Doctors' union demands own wage system for healthcare

LJUBLJANA - The annual conference of FIDES, the trade union of doctors and dentists, gave the union's leadership the mandate to apply all forms of industrial pressure to implement the rise in the wage ceiling for doctors enacted in the latest Covid law and extract healthcare from the single public sector wage system. The union sees the step as the only way to prevent doctors from leaving for better paid jobs in the private sector and abroad. They also call for a sweeping health reform.

Primorska university awarded UNESCO chair

KOPER - The Faculty of Humanities at the University of Primorska has been awarded the UNESCO chair in partnership with the Škocjan Cave Park, joining another three UNESCO chairs in Slovenia. The Škocjan Cave has been on UNESCO's world heritage list since 1986. The main goal of the Chair for Interpretation and Education is to develop heritage interpretation and education for professionals and the general public through a comprehensive approach to heritage.

Online grade book target of phishing attack

LJUBLJANA - A popular online grade book used by hundreds of Slovenian schools and an estimated 35,000 teachers has been compromised in an apparent phishing attack that has affected an as yet unknown number of grades. The developers said the system, called eAsistent, had been compromised via a fake website with the help of which teachers' login credentials were stolen and then used to log into the genuine system. The phishing site has already been taken down.

Nataša Kovačević becomes Woman Engineer of the Year

LJUBLJANA - Nataša Kovačević, a research project manager at Kolektor Group company, was named the Woman Engineer of the Year. The title was declared for the fourth year to encourage young women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics at a hybrid event at the Presidential Palace. She has done research on corrosion and passivation processes on the surfaces of metal materials.

Zdenka Badovinac to head Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art

ZAGREB, Croatia - The Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List reported that Zdenka Badovinac, the former long-serving director of Moderna Galerija, the Ljubljana Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, won the open call to head the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb. The vetting commission's pick now needs to be endorsed by Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević. Badovinac served as director of Moderna Galerija from 1993 to 2021.

Novel about National Hall arson shortlisted for Italian literary prize

TRIESTE, Italy - Fiamme Nere, the Italian translation of the Slovenian novel Črni obroč (Black Ring) by Trieste-based writer and poet Marijo Čuk, has been nominated among the 11 finalists for the Italian national literary prize named after Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov. Črni obroč gives an account of the arson of the Slovenian National Hall in Trieste by Italian fascists. The winner of the Nabokov Prize will be announced on 5 February.

Czechia helps Slovenia reach renewables goal

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia met its EU-committed target for renewables to account for 25% of its gross final energy consumption in 2020 after statistical transfer with the Czech Republic, the Statistics Office said. In 2020, 24.14% of gross final energy consumption actually came from renewables, with the remaining part transferred with the Czech Republic for almost EUR 5 million.

Triglav Glacier campaign to plant 13,000 trees in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The Triglav Glacier to Beijing campaign, which is bringing a small piece of ice from the glacier on Mt Triglav to the Winter Olympics venue in Beijing, will plant a tree in Slovenia for every kilometre travelled. At least 13.000 new trees will be planted, the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS) said. The Triglav Glacier to Beijing campaign raises awareness about the need to preserve glaciers.

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This summary is provided by the STA: