Omicron variant confirmed in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The highly infectious Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2 has been confirmed in Slovenia with PM Janez Janša announcing the news in parliament before Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, told reporters the new variant was confirmed in four samples, all of them from Ljubljana. One of the persons had already had Covid last year. The samples are from the period between 29 November and 6 December.

Covid-19 vaccination of children aged 5-11 starting

LJUBLJANA - Vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 is starting in Slovenia as the vaccine for them is already available. Vaccination will take place at vaccination centres, and from Thursday on, also at UKC Ljubljana hospital's Paediatric Clinic, where 70 children have been already registered for a jab. This comes as the advisory group on immunization at the National Institute of Public Health yesterday backed a proposal by paediatricians to recommend Covid-19 vaccination for children in this age group.

Decline in coronavirus infection numbers slows down

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,712 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, down by about a tenth on the week before, as the decline in daily caseload appears to be slowing down. A further 14 Covid-19 patients died, while Covid-19 hospitalisations dropped by 57 from yesterday to 817, as ICU cases declined by one to 235, government data shows. Over the last month daily cases were declining by 20%-30% on a weekly basis, but Monday marked the second day in a row that the case count dropped by only a tenth.

Decision on energy vouchers expected end of January

LJUBLJANA - The government will decide on whether to introduce energy vouchers for the poorest households in January, when it has more data about energy price increases. Before that, the main measure to combat rising prices will be the special allowance for pensioners, included in the latest Covid relief package, PM Janez Janša told MPs. The energy vouchers under consideration would be distributed to "slightly over 60,000" people but "only if the situation lasts longer than predicted".

SMC deputy Udovč defects to Our Land party

LJUBLJANA - Mateja Udovč, a member of the deputy group of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), is joining the Our Land party of former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, the latter party confirmed for the STA. The SMC said that it had not been informed about the move. It is not yet clear whether Udovč will stay in the deputy group or exit it, and whether she will support the coalition in future votes in the National Assembly or whether the coalition will lose another vote in parliament.

Opposition, coalition and Janša clash over "mafia state"

LJUBLJANA - Centre-left opposition MPs clashed with PM Janez Janša during the questions and answers time in parliament over what they claim is mafia-style governance of the country by Janša, his SDS party and the government. Janša dismissed the allegations, while saying mafia-style governance indeed existed, had very deep roots, yet came from the transition left.

Expo: Koritnik says AI basis for efficient digital transformation

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Artificial intelligence with an emphasis on sustainable development is a foundation for an efficient digital transformation, said Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik as he took part in a conference on blockchain technology and artificial intelligence at Expo 2020. The event revolved around the impact of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence on sustainability as expressed through the 2030 sustainable development goals, the ministry said.

Interior ministry rep discusses migration at Salzburg Forum meet

VIENNA, Austria - The interior ministers of the Salzburg Forum, a Central European security partnership, discussed illegal migration at an online conference, with Slovenia's Interior Ministry State Secretary Božo Predalič stressing the importance of cooperation on the Balkan migration route. "We welcomed the Joint Coordination Platform initiative, which aims to improve the effectiveness of mutual cooperation in dealing with migration issues along the Balkan migration route," Predalič said.

Slovenian presidency welcomes revival of Serbia's accession process

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan chaired a ministerial session of the intergovernmental conference with Serbia on EU accession that saw the Western Balkan country getting the green light to open talks on four policy areas. Dovžan said this was the first time such progress had happened under the new enlargement methodology. He also chaired a session of EU ministers in charge of foreign affairs that adopted EU enlargement resolutions, but no progress regarding the most pressing enlargement issue - the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania - has been made.

Three new ambassadors present credentials

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of three new ambassadors accredited to Slovenia, Kosovo's Valdet Sadiku, the Dominican Republic's Laura V. Faxas and New Zealand's Brian Joseph Hewson, at the Presidential Palace. The Kosovo ambassador is based in Ljubljana. The ambassador of the Dominican Republic and the ambassador of New Zealand are meanwhile headquartered in Austria's Vienna.

EU ministers reach agreement on fishing quotas for 2022

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU ministers in charge of fisheries reached agreement on fishing rights in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for 2022 based on a proposal drawn up by the Slovenian presidency. Announcing the deal, Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek said the talks were tough. Catch limits are set by the Council each December based on a proposal drawn up by the European Commission.

New bill on communicable diseases tabled

LJUBLJANA - The deputy group of unaffiliated MPs filed into parliamentary procedure amendments to the communicable diseases act drawn up by NGO Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy in cooperation with experts to make measures aimed at preventing the spread of contagious diseases in line with the constitution. Speaker Igor Zorčič said unaffiliated MPs had assessed the proposal was good and would bring an end to governing by means of executive decisions that are not in line with the constitution.

Police reportedly search national lab over Covid test verification

LJUBLJANA - Crime investigators visited the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH) to interview director Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, reportedly over verification of rapid antigen tests bought by the state late last year. While the police said house searches were under way at several locations around the country, media reports say police also visited Majbert Pharm, the company picked in December last year to supply test kits used for voluntary mass testing.

Illegal migration down 35% in January-November year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - The police caught 9,158 illegal migrants in the first eleven months of the year, a 35% decrease on the same period in 2020. Most persons attempting to cross Slovenia's borders illegally from January through November this year were citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan or Bangladesh. On the other hand, the police recorded a significant decrease in illegal migrants from Morocco and Algeria.

Garnbret, Pogačar, men's basketball team declared best in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Sport climber Janja Garnbret, cyclist Tadej Pogačar and the national men's basketball team have fetched the main accolades at the 2021 Athlete of the Year ceremony. Garnbret, the Tokyo Olympic gold medal winner, collected 333 points to be followed by judoka Tina Trstenjak, while Pogačar, who won his second consecutive Tour de France this year and grabbed bronze in the road race at the Olympics, topped the vote in the men's category with 262 points for his first Athlete of the Year title. He was followed by the fellow cyclist Primož Roglič (218), who won the gold medal in Tokyo in time trial.

Ana Barič Moder wins French Institute translation prize

LJUBLJANA - The French Institute in Slovenia presented its Charles Nodier Award to Ana Barič Moder for her translation of the novel Handbook For Exiles (Priročnik za izgnance, 2020), written in French by Velibor Čolić, a writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The judging panel said that Barič Moder "transposed several important works of modern francophone prose into Slovenian and acquainted the public with trends in French literature, while her texts also demonstrate a pleasure in translating". They praised her knowledge of the French language, literature and culture, also acknowledging skills in Slovenian.

Immigration to Slovenia accelerating

LJUBLJANA - Immigration to Slovenia is accelerating and as of 1 January this year one in seven residents, or 13.9% of the entire population, were born abroad. This compares to 8.5% ten years ago, show Statistics Office data. Almost two-thirds of foreign-born residents immigrated after Slovenia's independence and one in five arrived between 2018 and 2020. In 2020 a record 23,383 immigrants were recorded. Former Yugoslav republics are by far the biggest source of immigration.

Logar says situation in Republic of Srpska worrying

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The latest activities of the Republic of Srpska are worrying and are dangerously unlocking the door for which we though would not be opened, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said in Brussels after the Republic of Srpska's parliament triggered last week a process to withdraw this entity from Bosnia-Herzegovina's institutions. He said that to prevent an escalation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a concerted action of the entire EU and with the US was needed. However, he declined to comment on a possibility of the EU imposing sanctions on Serbian member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency Milorad Dodik, arguing this topic had not been discussed by EU foreign ministers today.

Logar and EU ministers discuss Russia, Afghanistan and China relations

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU foreign ministers were clear as they met in Brussels that any aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have political consequences and a high economic cost, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, while Slovenian FM Anže Logar added there was a general awareness of the gravity of the situation. "Any misinterpretation of an action could trigger a chain reaction that no one wants," Logar told Slovenian correspondents in Brussels. The build-up of Russian forces near and inside Ukraine will also be discussed by EU leaders on Thursday.

Slovenia requests UN Human Rights Council session on Ethiopia

GENEVA, Switzerland - Slovenia, in its capacity as the presiding EU country, requested a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Ethiopia, and more than 50 countries supported the call, Slovenia's Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva announced on Twitter. EU Ambassador to Geneva Lotte Knudsen tweeted the UN Human Rights Council must fulfil its responsibilities. A special session could take place this Friday.

Logar says resolution on Slovenia "political document"

BRUSSELS - The resolution on the rule of law in Slovenia that the European Parliament will vote on later this week is a political document which does not require special attention, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said in Brussels, from where he will travel on to Strasbourg to attend the plenary. He said the MEPs' November debate on this topic had proven there was no great interest in the document. If endorsed on Thursday, the resolution will express concern over deep polarisation in Slovenia and call on prominent public figures and politicians to ensure a respectful and civilised public debate.

Number of new coronavirus cases lowest since mid-October

LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases continues to drop in Slovenia, with 677 new cases detected on Sunday, the lowest daily count since mid-October. Government data show that a further 16 Covid-19 patients died yesterday, putting the number of deaths since the start of the epidemic in March 2020 at almost 5,750. Hospitalisations totalled 874 this morning, down by nine on the day before, including 236 in intensive care, down by seven. The 7-day case average dropped by 13 to 1,386 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population by 16 to 1,050.

MPs green-light changes to investment incentives legislation

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Economy Committee endorsed a set of changes to the investment promotion act, under which the state will no longer provide incentives based on the creation of jobs but will encourage high-capital-intensive, high-productivity and green investments to support Slovenia and the EU's green transition. The government aims to increase the country's green and digital competitive edge with the bill, which will enable drawing investment incentives out of the EU recovery and resilience fund and will be put to the vote at the plenary on Thursday.

Coalition, opposition clash over nominations for RTV Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission proposed that the National Assembly appoint to the programme council and supervisory board of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija five candidates each who had been proposed by the coalition, the opposition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the National Party (SNS). Centre-left opposition MPs strongly objected to the proposals, with the argument that there were no representatives of factions that had a combined 43 deputies in the National Assembly.

Koritnik discusses importance of digitalisation at Expo

DUBAI, UAE - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik stated a several-day visit to the Dubai Expo as part of a Slovenian business delegation to present as representative of the EU presiding country the activities and goals of the EU and Slovenia in the field of data, Aa and blockchain. "Digital transformation has the potential to become the driving force behind our society's progress," he was quoted by the ministry as he addressed a business forum of Slovenian companies and participated in a panel on the use of data.

Army denies proposal for establishing new officer school

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) said it was not establishing an officer training school. Brig. Peter Zakrajšek, commander of the SAF Centre of Military Schools, told the press the SAF "are only trying to accredit our educational programmes in accordance with the quality standards that apply in the public education system, especially the post-graduate forms of education and educational programmes for officers". The response comes after defence studies experts criticised changes to the higher education act two coalition parties presented last month to create a legal basis for establishing a military academy.

Audit finds public pharmacies in breach of procurement law

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit has examined drug procurement practices in three public pharmacy chains to find that medicine procurement in the country is still in disarray and public pharmacies keep flouting public procurement rules, issuing an adverse opinion to Pomurske Lekarne, Lekarna Velenje and Lekarna Sevnica after examining their drug purchasing practices in 2020. The main complaint is that they did not select providers in open calls but instead resorted to open-ended supply contracts with selected suppliers.

Opposition parties submit energy vouchers bill

LJUBLJANA - Four centre-left opposition parties filed a bill on temporary measures to prevent energy poverty to parliament to provide the most vulnerable households with energy vouchers - EUR 150 for 75,000 socially deprived persons and EUR 40 for 200,000 child benefit recipients in the first six income brackets. The government is meanwhile working on its own solution. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said in parliament it would provide help when needed, arguing "an ad-hoc solution at the moment could just help the speculating market".

Govt rating higher, SDS widens lead in latest Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - The latest Mediana poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo sees the share of respondents who perceive the government's work negatively decrease slightly, with the ruling Democrats (SDS) gaining three points to 18.9% over November to widen their lead on the opposition Social Democrats (SD), which lost a point to 11.8%. The share of undecided respondents dropped by a point, and the share of those who are not convinced by any party by almost five, with their combined share falling from around a third to 26%.

Surgeon opposing hospital's Covid bed plans to return to work

ŠEMPETER PRI GORICI- Danijel Bešič Loredan, the head of the Nova Gorica general hospital's orthopaedic ward, who had been banned from work due to his opposition to the hospital's Covid reorganisation plans, is expected to return to his post on Tuesday. The new management, recently appointed by the government, has decided he will only receive a written warning.

Suits looming as Covid rules dampen mood at Christmas markets

LJUBLJANA/KOPER/MARIBOR - The government ban on outdoor food and drink stalls has dampened down the festive mood at Christmas markets across Slovenia as inspectors clamped down on the vendors trying to get around the restrictions. Dismayed at what they see as unfair and unlawful rules, hospitality providers are now mounting class action to claim damages. The government initially detailed rules for Christmas markets on 26 November when those had already opened in some cities, setting out they should be fenced off to make sure only Covid pass-carrying visitors are allowed inside the railings. A week later, prompted by its Covid-19 advisors, it banned the serving of food and drinks at open-air stalls to prevent socialising.

Survey: 85% paediatricians in favour of vaccinating own kids

LJUBLJANA - A survey commissioned by the paediatricians' section of the Slovenian Medical Society shows 76.7% of paediatricians that participated in the survey have already decided to vaccinate their own children aged 12 to 18 against Covid-19, while another 8.9% plan to do so. A tenth said they do not intend to vaccinate their own children, while 4.4% were undecided. A total of 262 paediatricians took part in the online survey between 25 November and 5 December, the Medical Chamber said in a release. Vaccination of children under 12 has not yet started in Slovenia, but should this week.

CoE fund backs Slovenian animated co-production

LJUBLJANA - The animated feature film Of Unwanted Things and People, a co-production of Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and France, is one of this year's recipients of financial support by Eurimages, the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe. The film will receive EUR 380,000. All the producers have an equal share in the production. The Slovenian chief co-producer is Kolja Saksida from Zavod ZVVIKS, said the Slovenian Film Centre.

MEPs to vote on Slovenia rule of law resolution Thursday

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament will take a vote on a resolution on fundamental rights and rule of law in Slovenia at the plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday. The draft resolution, tabled by the socialists (S&D), liberals (Renew), Greens and the Left, expresses "deep concern about the level of public debate, climate of hostility, distrust and deep polarisation in Slovenia, which has eroded trust in public bodies and between them". The European People's Party (EPP), the political family of Slovenian PM Janez Janša, did not sign on the resolution. It is expected to adopt the guidance on the vote on Wednesday.

Podgoršek expects tough talks on EU fishing quotas

BRUSSELS, Belgium - As the last session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council under the Slovenian EU presidency got under way in a bid to reach a political agreement on the fishing quotas for 2022, Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek said he expected the talks to be tough but was confident a balanced solution would be found. In a statement released by the Slovenian government, Podgoršek described talks on fishing opportunities in EU and non-EU waters, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea as one of the most important topics of the Slovenian presidency.

Digitalisation and AI in focus at Slovenia Expo pavilion next week

DUBAI, UAE - A delegation of 36 Slovenian business representatives of 19 companies is heading to Dubai on Sunday for a three-day visit of the Expo show focussing on digitalisation and artificial intelligence. The main event will be a business forum at the Slovenian pavilion on Monday themed Data for Better Business and Living. The event will be addressed by Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik. On Tuesday a conference will discuss the role of blockchain and AI in sustainable development goals as part of the Slovenian presidency of the EU.

Coronavirus cases, hospitalisations continue to decline

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 783 new coronavirus cases for Saturday, a decline of 30% from the same day a week before, as 14 patients with Covid-19 died and hospitalisations kept falling, government figures show. This morning 883 patients were still hospitalised with Covid-19, including 243 in intensive care. The figures mark a decline 26 and four from the previous day. The 7-day average of new cases dropped by 47 to 1,399 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people is now at 1,066, down by 33 from the previous day.

Slovenia signs cooperation agreement with Google

LJUBLJANA - Government representatives met with representatives of the US internet giant Google to discuss the achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency in digital transformation and sign a cooperation agreement under which Google will invest EUR 2.5 million over the next two years to support Slovenia's digital transformation. "This is the largest investment of its kind in our history and will make a significant contribution to Slovenia's digital breakthrough," said Digital Transformation Minister Mark Boris Andrijanič.

Hojs says EURODAC reform elusive during Slovenia's presidency

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expressed the hope that progress could still be made by the end of 2021 on changes to the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (EURODAC), a part of the new Migration Pact. He noted that there would not be a major breakthrough regarding the pact during the Slovenian EU presidency and it had not been expected either.

Hojs says Croatia meets conditions for entering Schengen Area

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Coming out of a meeting of EU home affairs ministers, Slovenia's Aleš Hojs said it had been agreed that Croatia meets the conditions for entering the Schengen Area, and that it was a key step towards a final decision on the expansion of the no-passport zone. Hojs believes other steps will follow relatively soon.

Much overdue long-term care act passed in narrow vote

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed in a narrow vote the act on long-term care that brings a number of measures for adults who depend on other people's assistance to perform basic activities. This field is now being systemically regulated after some 20 years of efforts. Under the act, adults who depend on other people's assistance will be able to choose between institutional care, home care, care by a family member and financial compensation.

Govt raises wages of police employees over increased workload

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to increase wages of employees of the police force and the Interior Ministry due to the increased volume of work and special workload related to support tasks of the police. The decision will be applied as of December wages. The increase in monthly wages will range from EUR 100 to EUR 130 gross, depending on the classification of individual employees, the government said.

MPs pass medical act changes facilitating licensing of doctors

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the medical services act that facilitate licensing of doctors, transfer the jurisdiction of professional exams to the Medical Chamber and simplify hiring of foreign doctors with regard to Slovenian language skills. The Health Ministry has argued that the changes would improve the functioning and accessibility of the healthcare system, in particular at primary level.

Deal reached to extend roam-like-at-home scheme until 2032

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Council of the EU, currently chaired by Slovenia, has reached a provisional agreement to extend the EU's "roam-like-at-home scheme", which allows for roaming without extra costs, until 2032. The current roaming regulation, which entered into force in 2017, expires on 30 June 2022, so a revised regulation has been drawn up to extend the scheme with negotiators from Council and Parliament reaching a provisional agreement on the update today.

Financing of 2022 budget will require over EUR 5bn in borrowing

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a budget financing programme envisaging that the implementation of the state budget for 2022 would require borrowing to the tune of EUR 5.05 billion. The amount of financing of the implementation of the state budget has been estimated in view of the adopted supplementary budget for next year, which shows a total deficit of EUR 2.735 billion.

Govt endorses project to boost primary healthcare

LJUBLJANA - The government gave its go-ahead for more money to be secured to make primary healthcare more accessible through an increase in staff, incentives for teams facing increased workload and a system where services will be paid based on realisation rather than plan. The plan was set out as the government adopted an annex to the general healthcare agreement for the year, which provides the basis for the public health insurer ZZZS to pay providers for their services.

New investment and internationalisation promotion plan adopted

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a new programme for the promotion of investment and internationalisation of the economy, which focuses on sustainability, innovation and digitalisation. It systematically defines measures for promoting Slovenian investments abroad for the first time, and deals with development of a common Slovenian economic space. The programme drafted by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology sets out out an ambitious vision of internationalisation of the Slovenian economy under the Green, Creative, Smart slogan.

Provisional agreement on e-CODEX reached

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached on Wednesday a provisional agreement on a proposal for a regulation on the e-CODEX system. The main aim of the system is to enable digitalisation of cross-border judicial communication and provide better access to judicial protection for citizens and businesses. The e-CODEX system will become the digital backbone of the EU's judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, said Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič.

Slovenia to bid for non-permanent seat on UN Security Council

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will formally announce in New York its candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 period, the Foreign Ministry said. Elections in the General Assembly will be held in June 2023. The country was a non-permanent member of the Security Council before, in 1998-1999.

Pahor calls for respectful dialogue at Biden's democracy summit

WASHINGTON, US - President Borut Pahor took part in a virtual summit for democracy hosted by US President Joe Biden to draw attention to the crisis of confidence in democratic institutions and the low level of political and legal culture. He called for a respectful dialogue that includes the willingness to reconcile different views. In his video address, Pahor said Slovenia and other countries could and must do more for liberal democracy, which was based on the rule of law and full respect for human rights.

Podgoršek points to role of new technologies in agriculture

LJUBLJANA - New technologies in agriculture are an important aspect of the reform of the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP), sustainable agriculture and rural development as part of the European Green Deal, Slovenian Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek said at Agrobiznis, a conference organised by newspaper Finance with support of his ministry. The CAP reform, sustainable agriculture and rural development are three of the priorities of Slovenian EU presidency, the ministry said in a release after the conference.

Issuing of biometric ID cards to start at end of March 2022

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed the government-proposed amendment to the identity cards act under which new biometric ID cards will start to be issued on 28 March 2022, instead of 3 January 2022, as initially planned. In line with the change, it will be possible to use expired ID cards until the end of March. Whoever needs a new ID card before that date will be able to get one, but it will not yet be biometric, the Interior Ministry has explained.

Weekly drop in Covid infections continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 1,687 new coronavirus infections for Wednesday as a week-on-week drop in cases continued, show fresh data by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). Nine Covid-related deaths were recorded, according to government data. The number of persons hospitalised with Covid-19 stood at 948, down by 15 compared to the day before, of whom 248 were in intensive care, a daily drop of 10.

Ex-energy boss Golob entering politics

LJUBLJANA - After failing to get another term as CEO of the energy trader GEN-I, Robert Golob is entering politics. He told the newspaper Delo his decision to get active in politics through a non-partisan movement was final, and is not ruling out a bid in the April general election. Golob is planning to get active through a movement in which he would like to connect different players with a view to giving civil society a much bigger role in mobilising people to cast their vote and in particular in changing political culture in the country.

Five Commodity Reserves Agency employees cleared of integrity breaches

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) has not established any violations of integrity legislation in 12 procedures targetting five employees of Slovenia's Commodity Reserves Agency over suspicion of irregularities in the agency's purchases of protective equipment last year. The procedures against them have been therefore closed, the anti-graft watchdog said, including four procedures against the agency's former acting director Tomi Rumpf and one against former director Anton Zakrajšek.

Poorest households soon to get energy vouchers

LJUBLJANA - Amid rising energy prices, the government and the centre-left opposition are working on separate proposals to help the most vulnerable households with energy vouchers. The Infrastructure Ministry has indicated those could be available in the first quarter of 2022. Unofficially, 66,000 poorest families are to be eligible for the vouchers. The opposition plans to table its bill on Monday.

Bill on whistleblower protection in the making

LJUBLJANA - Transparency International (TI) Slovenia urged the government to adopt a quality law when transposing the EU whistleblower protection directive, as it issued a written statement on International Anti-Corruption Day. The ministry said that it was intensively engaged in drafting the bill, but provided no details about its content. The NGO would like the Slovenian law to bring better protection than the directive guarantees, and has thus provided examples of good and bad practices as part of a supplemented analysis by Transparency International.

Foreign Minister Logar to visit Washington on 20 Dec

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar has told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee that he will visit the US on 20 December to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss Slovenian-US cooperation. "I always emphasise this alliance is one of the key partnerships Slovenia has to build, nurture and develop. We advocate the same stance at EU level," he told the MPs.

Slovenia close to ratifying OCCAR agreement to buy 45 Boxer APCs

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee confirmed a bill ratifying the agreement between Slovenia and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the purchase of 45 eight-wheeled Boxer armoured personnel carries (APCs). The vote in which nine MPs voted for and four against followed a debate in which Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret said the final price was not yet known but it would not exceed EUR 410 million in any case.

European Parliament to vote on Slovenia resolution next week

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament will take a vote on a resolution on the rule of law and fundamental rights in Slovenia at the plenary session in Strasbourg next Thursday, follows from the agenda endorsed by the Conference of Presidents. The draft resolution needs to be submitted by Friday. Unofficially, the European People's Party wanted the resolution withdrawn as two key issues, the appointment of European delegated prosecutors from Slovenia and STA financing, have been resolved.

Fmr police commissioner says she was being bullied

LJUBLJANA - Tatjana Bobnar, who was replaced as police commissioner as the Janez Janša government took over in March 2020, told the parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work that she was being bullied for the past year and a half. She said she was sad to see police losing people's trust and that the current level of social dialogue within the force was so low. Meanwhile, incumbent Commissioner Anton Olaj rejected the allegations of political interference in police work, citing a survey showing improved sentiment among staff.

Govt official describes SDS financing inquiry as witch-hunt

LJUBLJANA - A parliamentary inquiry looking into allegedly unlawful financing of the ruling Democrats (SDS) was described on Tuesday as a "witch hunt" by Božo Predalič, one of the co-funders of Nova24, the company behind the private broadcaster Nova24TV. Predalič, now a state secretary, dismissed allegations about shady financing deals involving the media outlet. Allegations of wrongdoing were also denied by Nova24TV director Boris Tomašič and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, a former director of Nova24TV, who said the broadcaster's services paid by Hungarian companies had not been a sham.

Debate calls for recognition of German-speaking community

LJUBLJANA - A panel discussion organised by the Institute of Ethnic Studies and the Umbrella Organisation of Cultural Associations of the German-Speaking Community in Slovenia heard participants call for the the German-speaking community in Slovenia to be formally recognised, but there was no consensus on how to attain that. The community's representative Christian Lautischer noted progress in terms of funding, but called for the community to be recognised in the Slovenian constitution.

Podgoršek advocates for fairer, greener agricultural policy

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek presented at a virtual conference the main achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency in agriculture, environment and climate change, noting that the main file of the presidency had been the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) to make it fairer and greener. Podgoršek as the chair of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council took part in the virtual conference on efforts for better future of climate and environmental policies held under the auspices of the global youth climate coalition Generation Climate Europe and Slovenia's Youth Council.

EU trio holds consultations as end of Slovenia's stint nears

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia hosted on Tuesday consultations between the trio of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia in light of their joint 18-month presidency of the Council of the EU, with the importance of economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic being emphasised. The meeting, hosted by Barbara Sušnik, the head of the EU affairs directorate at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, also featured Axel Dittmann representing Germany and Nuno Lucio representing Portugal.

Covid hospitalisations drop below 1,000

LJUBLJANA - The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals fell below 1,000 for the first time in three weeks with 258 patients still in intensive care units. This was as 1,847 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Tuesday, a daily drop of 5% and a weekly drop of 18% and 16 Covid-19 patients died. The National Institute of Public Health estimates 25,966 people are actively infected, down by over 9,100 from a week ago.

Anti-Covid drug molnupiravir available from next week

LJUBLJANA - The anti-viral drug molnupiravir will be available for treatment of Covid-19 in Slovenia expectedly from Monday after doses for over 5,700 treatments have already arrived in the country. The medicine will be prescribed to adults, except pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, who are likely to develop a severe form of Covid-19. The drug will be first available at four hospitals, UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor, Celje General Hospital and the Golnik Clinic for Respiratory Diseases.

Ban on blood donation for homosexual men found discriminatory

LJUBLJANA - Equal Opportunities Ombudsman Miha Lobnik found the permanent ban on blood donations for men who have sexual relations with men discriminatory, saying they are excluded from taking part in this philanthropic activity despite the fact that the safety of blood donations is ensured by additional testing for viruses. The Blood Transfusion Centre said Slovenia was due to change the current regulation in 2022 to introduce temporary bans on blood donation under which donors will be selected on the basis of the riskiness of their sexual behaviour, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Adria Tehnika extends cooperation with Wizz Air

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian aircraft maintenance company Adria Tehnika announced it had signed a new long-term contract with Hungarian low-budget carrier Wizz Air. Even though the previous contract was still valid, long-term cooperation with Wizz Air will become more active under the new four-year deal, Adria Tehnika said. Adria Tehnika is expected to carry out the first inspection of a Wizz Air aircraft in autumn 2022.

Chemistry institute wins AmCham best business practice award

LJUBLJANA - AmCham Slovenia declared the Institute of Chemistry this year's winner of its best business practice award as part of the Best of the Best project. The institute earned the accolade with the CCEdit project for developing the use of the improved CRISPR gene editing system. The team led by Tomaž Bizjak of the institute's department for synthetic biology and immunology is also establishing an international business and development relationship with foreign organisations.

30 years since Badinter Commission declared Yugoslavia breakup

LJUBLJANA - Exactly thirty years have passed since an international commission established that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had disintegrated and that there had been no secession of individual republics. Its findings paved the way for the international recognition of Slovenia and an agreement on succession to Yugoslavia. A few days after the commission's opinion was published, Slovenia was recognised on 19 December by Iceland, Germany and Sweden.

Documentary made on Garnbret's climb to Olympic gold

LJUBLJANA - After winning gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Slovenia's sports climbing superstar Janja Garnbret will be paid tribute with a documentary film that follows her training for the competition along with three other climbers, Shauna Coxsey of the UK, Brooke Raboutou of the US and Miho Nonaka of Japan. The Wall - Climb for Gold, which is expected to be released this winter, was pre-screened for the Slovenian audience in the Cukrarna venue today.

Kovesi notes pressure on Slovenian prosecutors

LJUBLJANA - European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi said as she visited Ljubljana no one could dismiss European delegated prosecutors without the consent of the EU's chief prosecutor. Slovenia's two delegated prosecutors Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir have been appointed for fully-fledged five-year terms, starting with 1 December, she highlighted at an online news conference. This is in reference to the government proposing changes that would enable it to recall delegated prosecutors and give it a greater say in their appointment. She warned about pressure on Slovenia's judiciary, stressing the importance of an independent judicial branch.

Recover-vaccinated rule for state administration quashed by top court

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has found the government's regulation imposing Covid-19 recovery or vaccination mandate (PC) on state administration employees at work place in disagreement with the constitution for not being aligned with the relevant law. The new rule was to come into effect on 1 October, but was suspended by the court a day earlier after it had been challenged by several groups of state administration employees, including police trade union PSS, which hailed the court's decision as a victory for the rule of law. Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said the decision did not mean the measure would be disproportionate or not useful, adding that some common solutions will have to be found now quickly.

Triple murderer sentenced to life in prison

PTUJ - Silvo Drevenšek, who has pleaded guilty to murdering his former spouse and her parents in front of his four-year-old son on Christmas Eve 2020, was sentenced to life in prison, the first time a Slovenian court has handed down this sentence since it was reintroduced to the criminal code in 2008. The Ptuj District Court thus upheld the proposal of the prosecution, which argued that Drevenšek had killed three people out of revenge after the partner left him and demanded a division of common assets.

Slovenia estimated to lose up to EUR 3.5bn to corruption annually

LJUBLJANA - Some estimates suggest Slovenia could be losing up to EUR 3.5 billion a year due to corruption, which amounts to 13.5% of its GDP, Robert Šumi, the head of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, said ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day. If these funds were allocated to help the poor, nobody in Slovenia would live in poverty, he illustrated. He underlined the importance of integrity of top state officials, their closest associates, and all public sector employees.

GZS comes up with aid proposals for energy-intensive companies

LJUBLJANA - The economy is held hostage by higher energy costs, which makes development and investment funds its victims, said the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) as it presented its proposals for a state aid scheme to help companies, especially energy-intensive ones. The GZS believes its proposals would mitigate the impact and help the companies get through this situation, and it expects the government to take action as soon as possible. "We count on dialogue and communication to build on this scheme," GZS head Aleš Cantarutti told the press.

Labour minister happy with EU deal on minimum wage (adds)

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU's Employment and Social Policy Council reached agreement on a minimum wages directive which is aimed at securing fair pay. Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj, who chaired the session, said he was happy such an important agreement had been reached after intensive talks. "Decent and fair pay must be guaranteed for the work that is done. This a matter of basic respect for people and their work," he said.

Slovenia reports 775 coronavirus cases for Sunday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 775 new coronavirus cases for Sunday, the lowest daily count since 24 October and down a quarter from a week ago. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population fell to 1,361, down by 29. There were 1,050 Covid patients in hospital this morning, up by 16 from yesterday in what is a typical weekend dynamic. The number of patients in intensive care declined by three to 268, and 16 patients died.

New parties have potential to reshuffle cards, survey shows

LJUBLJANA - New parties and alliances could upend the ratings of established parties, according to a new poll by Mediana carried by public broadcaster TV Slovenija. Offered a choice of established parties, respondents produced rankings broadly in line with other polls. But when offered new parties that have announced to contest the general election in spring, the ranking was significantly different as the rankings of the coalition SDS and NSi, and the opposition SD and LMŠ, declined.

RTV Slovenija gets new ombudsman

LJUBLJANA - Marica Uršič Zupan, a journalist for the regional newspaper Primorske Novice, was appointed ombudsman at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, an office concerned with processing complaints by viewers and listeners. She will start her five-year term on 18 January pending approval by the public broadcaster's general manager to succeed veteran RTV Slovenija journalist Ilinka Todorovski, who failed to receive enough votes for a second term.

Subsidy approved for Li-ion battery plant

LJUBLJANA - The government approved a EUR 9.8 million subsidy for a Li-ion battery plant that TAB, the Slovenian maker of starter and industrial batteries, plans to set up with its Chinese partner Haidi Energy Technology. The company has welcomed the decision as a major step towards the implementation of the project. TAB director Bogomir Auprih said production could be launched in the first half of 2023. He estimates 120 new hires will be needed initially and another 60 in the second phase of the project.

Bangladeshi migrant found dead in border area

KOPER - A 31-year-old citizen of Bangladesh has been found dead in the Dragonja valley in the border area between Slovenia and Croatia with initial information indicating hypothermia as the cause of death, the Koper Police Department reported. The police release said there had been no indications of foul play involved, but a post mortem had been ordered and the Embassy of Bangladesh has been notified.

New Fraport Slovenija boss optimistic about Ljubljana airport's future

BRNIK - Fraport Slovenija's managing director Babett Stapel, who took over at the helm of the company operating Ljubljana's international airport in October, is optimistic about the airline industry and airport's future depite the pandemic, but she expect a full recovery only in 2025. While passenger numbers are growing, they are still expected to be 75% below the 2019 figure at the end of 2021. The company expects to finish 2021 with a positive EBITDA, while the bottom line will still be negative, despite a thriving cargo business.

Schwentner, Book of the Year awards given out at Book Fair

LJUBLJANA - The 37th Slovenian Book Fair, held online between 22 November and 5 December, formally closed on Saturday evening with an awards ceremony. Art editor at publisher Mladiska Knjiga Pavle Učakar received the Schwenter Award for his contribution to publishing during his almost 40-year career. Erica Johnson Debeljak's compelling book about widowhood received the Book of the Year Award. The book Devica, Kraljica, Vdova, Prasica (Virgo, Queen, Widow, Bitch) was selected by the fair's visitors in an online vote among seven books shortlisted by a jury.

Impossible Figures and Other Stories I wins Animateka's main prize

LJUBLJANA - The Jury Grand Prix of the 18th Animateka international animated film festival was conferred on Impossible Figures and Other Stories I by Polish director Marta Pajek as the festival ended on Saturday with the awards ceremony. The award is given to a film competing in the Eastern and Central European section. The festival's audience chose Babičino Seksualno Življenje (Granny's Sexual Life) by Slovenian director Urška Djukić and France's Emilie Pigeard as their favourite. Animateka featured 344 short animated films and seven feature films, and was held in-person, with some films also been available online.

Survey: Environment not factor in choosing means of transport

LJUBLJANA - A survey on Slovenia's energy efficiency (Reus) has shown that 25% of households are considering using public transport such as city bus or train more often, while only less than 5% are ready to increase use of public transport. "This means that a good quarter of all households has the potential to increase use of city buses or train. However, more than two thirds of households are not ready to increase use of public transport," said communication agency Informa Echo. However, environmental impact of transport is a key factor determining their choice of transport in only less than 10%.