26 Oct 2019, 02:05 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 26 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Top court suspends controversial inquiry into Kangler's prosecution

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court decided on Thursday to impose a temporary injunction on the legislation governing parliamentary inquiry pending its final decision. This means the National Assembly's inquiry into prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler, a member of the upper chamber of parliament, will not be able to investigate judges for now. The Judicial Council, which had petitioned the court, believes the legislation does not contain proper safeguards to prevent interference in the judiciary's independence. The inquiry started its hearings on Monday, but is boycotted by coalition parties and the opposition Left. Its chair Žan Mahnič of the Democrats (SDS) announced they would respect the decision, but otherwise continue their work.

Management of energy company Petrol resigns

LJUBLJANA - The Tomaž Berločnik-led management of energy group Petrol resigned "by mutual agreement" yesterday, capping a day of speculation about its fate amidst what media labelled a politically-motivated struggle to control one of Slovenia's largest companies. The official reason for the resignation of all but the employees' representative on the board is differences in views on the implementation of the strategy with the supervisory board. Since becoming director general in early 2011, Berločnik has transformed Petrol from a traditional fuel retailer into a well-performing all-round energy group. The government expects a detailed explanation of the move by 4 November.

Erjavec defends presence in Afghanistan, defence spending

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec stressed the government would continue investing in the Slovenian Armed Forces as he rejected the calls by the opposition Left to withdraw Slovenian soldiers from Afghanistan and cancel the planned purchase of Valuk six-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Erjavec, speaking on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial in Brussels, said "if everybody started to withdraw, we could expect terrorism to flourish there, and repeated mass violations of human rights and disrespect of international law".

Slovenia signs special operations memorandum with Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec signed a memorandum to set up regional command for special operations with his counterparts from Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia as part of a NATO ministerial in Brussels. According to Erjavec, Austria also signed the document. Erjavec told the press the initiative was important, because the Western Balkans could face mass migration or other challenges that could pose a threat to the public order, peace and stability.

PM Šarec to visit Hungary on Monday

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec will pay his first official visit to Hungary on Monday to discuss with counterpart Viktor Orban bilateral relations, economic cooperation and a number of EU-related topics. He will also meet Speaker Laszlo Köver and the Slovenian ethnic minority living in Hungary. The prime minister's office said the visit would confirm the good neighbourly relations and regular political dialogue between the two countries, both members of the EU and NATO.

Commissioner-to-be Lenarčič quits diplomatic service

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's likely new European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, who has worked for the Foreign Ministry since 1992, handed in his resignation last week in what seems a move made out of protest against a legal requirement which he belives deters Slovenian diplomats from taking jobs in international institutions. The law says a diplomat who does not return to the ministry after six years of serving in an international organisation and after that does not remain at the ministry for at least half of the duration of their absence, must pay a contractual penalty amounting to 50% of their last basic pay at the ministry. He said his resignation was an act of protest against the neglectful attitude of the ministry toward "diplomats, diplomacy and by that the state", but the ministry said it had launched the procedure to change the foreign affairs act months ago.

Two Slovenian minority officials honoured with state decoration

LJUBLJANA - Rudi Pavšič and Marjan Sturm, the long-serving retired leaders of umbrella minority organisations representing ethnic Slovenians in Italy and Austria, respectively, were honoured with the Medal of Merit for their decades-long efforts to promote minority rights and inter-cultural dialogue. Pavšič, 67, headed the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union (SKGZ) for 22 years until last March. Sturm, 68, served as head of the Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO) for 25 years. In his acceptance speech, Pavšič said the Slovenian minority in Italy now enjoyed a better status than ever before, while Sturm acknowledged his political credo of consensus and dialogue had not always been met with approval, even among the minority, but said that a large majority would follow it.

Horizon Europe presented in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The EU's new programme promoting research and innovation, Horizon Europe, was presented in Ljubljana at an event hosted by the Brussels-based Slovenian Business and Research Association (SBRA) and the Education, Science and Sport Ministry. According to SBRA head Draško Veselinovič, the idea was to provide information on the drawing of EU funds "first hand". With Horizon Europe for the 2021-2027 period, the EU wants to "correct the mistake of the current programme, Horizon 2020", he said. Under the current proposal, almost EUR 100 billion will be available in the next seven years.

Business sentiment deteriorates in October

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia again deteriorated at monthly level in October, dropping by 0.7 percentage points over September and being by 7.5 points lower year on year, the Statistics Office said. Affecting business sentiment the most at the monthly level was a drop in consumer confidence, while the deterioration at the annual level is mostly attributed to a lower confidence in manufacturing. Slovenia's consumer confidence worsened for the third month running this month to reach a three-year low.

Supervisors get code of conduct to tackle political pressure

LJUBLJANA - A code of conduct advising members of supervisory boards on how to act in case of political pressure has been formed to tackle the issue in wake of a recent staffing pressure scandal. The new protocol provides specific guidelines, aiming to make any kind of pressure on supervisors completely unacceptable. The code of conduct was produced by the Commission for the Corruption of Prevention and the Slovenian Directors' Association after the secretary general of the ruling LMŠ party called the chief supervisor of Official Gazette to allegedly try to secure a top job for a former MEP.

Spreme Court wins Crystal Scales of Justice Prize

OSLO, Norway - The Slovenian Supreme Court received this year's Crystal Scales of Justice Prize, an award given out by the EU Council and the European Commission for innovative and effective judicial practices in the EU. The court received the award at today's ceremony in Norway for its initiative Improving the Quality of Justice, which focusses on further improving judicial skills, know-how exchange, training court personnel and fairness of procedures.

UEFA fines Olimpija for racial abuse

LJUBLJANA - The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has slapped the Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana with a EUR 50,000 fine over its fans racially abusing the goalkeeper of the Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in a qualifier for the UEFA Europa League in August, the newspaper Delo reported. The Ljubljana club was also ordered to play its next home match in the European competitions in a partially empty Stožice Stadium. According to the sports newspaper EkipaSN, Olimpija has already appealed against the fine.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

25 Oct 2019, 01:56 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 25 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Property prices showing signs of stagnation

LJUBLJANA - After three years of steep growth, real estate prices started to show signs of stagnation in the first half of 2019. Prices of flats are very close to the record figures from 2008, while prices of houses are lagging behind significantly, show data from the Mapping and Surveying Authority. The average price of a second-hand flat in Slovenia in the first half of 2019 was EUR 1,810 per square metre, which was 1.7% more than in the second half of 2018. The average price of a second-hand apartment in Ljubljana was at EUR 2,780 per square metre between January and June, about 0.5% more than in the second half of 2018. The authority says that prices have stagnated in Ljubljana since the beginning of 2018.

Church reported to have won EUR 22m damages over denationalisation

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court has ordered the state-run Farmland and Forest Fund to pay almost EUR 22 million to the Ljubljana Archdiocese within 15 days over protracted denationalisation procedures, Dnevnik reported. According to the newspaper, the damages of EUR 13.3 million plus default interest, litigation and other costs stem from lengthy procedures in the restitution of the forests in the area of Mozirje (N) and Pokljuka (NW) that were nationalised after WWII. The fund explained for the STA it had so far paid over EUR 17 million and owed another EUR 4 million to the archdiocese, which would eventually get EUR 21.17 million in compensation.

Ambassador Jarc to replace Lenarčič as ambassador to the EU

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to recall Slovenia's Ambassador to Serbia Iztok Jarc to appoint him Slovenia's permanent representative to the EU. He will succeed Janez Lenarčič, who is expected to be appointed European commissioner. Jarc will be recalled on 17 November, after less than a year in Belgrade. He previously served as ambassador to Israel and the UK and also as agriculture minister in the first Janez Janša government (2004-2008).

Šarec lays wreath at Nazi concentration camp memorial in Italy

TRIESTE - PM Marjan Šarec laid a wreath at Risiera di San Sabba, a former Nazi concentration camp in Trieste, ahead of All Saints' Day, condemning Nazism and Fascism and urging co-existence among nations. "Despite the horrors that took place here, this is now a place where we meet and send out a message that nations want to cooperate," Šarec said at the commemoration. He was particularly happy that Boris Pahor, a Slovenian writer from Trieste and a concentration camp survivor, attended the commemoration. "Some are still living witnesses of those events."

Govt amends weapons act to introduce stricter supervision

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted amendments to the weapons act which bring a change in the categorisation of weapons and tasks administrative units to check ex officio every five years whether the owners of weapons meet certain criteria, including public order concerns and reliability. It also adopted a decision on the National Security Council to expand its members with the minister in charge of infrastructure and the state secretary in the prime minister's office in charge of national security.

Govt takes measures to cut short wait times in healthcare

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an annex to the agreement governing the scope of public healthcare services and their financing to expand it in order to cut short waiting times for medical services. The annex determines that the Health Insurance Institute (ZZZS) will secure EUR 10 million more funds for the type of services for which waiting times are long. The annex would also secure funds for vaccinations and a pilot project to optimise waiting times, as announced by Health Minister Aleš Šabeder a while ago.

Govt injects 2TDK with EUR 56 million

LJUBLJANA - The government as the founder and only shareholder of 2TDK decided to inject the company managing the Koper-Divača rail project with EUR 56 million. This will raise the company's share capital to EUR 77 million. The capital increase is in line with the act on the new rail track to the Koper port. In line with the investment plan, the money for the project will be provided by Slovenia and possibly another capital partner. In case it decides to finance the project alone, Slovenia will have to provide more than EUR 500 million.

Player in JBTZ affair dies

LJUBLJANA - David Tasić, a former journalist of the weekly Mladina, a publisher and one of the four political convicts in the 1988 JBTZ trial, a key event in the mosaic of Slovenian independence, has died, the newspaper Delo reported. Tasić was known for covering political events in Slovenia and Yugoslavia, and opening up topics that were considered taboo. He left Mladina in 1989 and established one of the first independent private publishers in Slovenia, Založba Karantanija. After 1999 he kept a low public profile.

NKBM hearing aborted over plea bargain

MARIBOR - The plea hearing in a case against former executives of NKBM bank hardly begun at the Maribor District Court when it was adjourned because the judge recused herself after rejecting a plea bargain reached between the prosecution and one of the accused. Even though most of the defendants, including former NKBM chairman Matjaž Kovačič and former board member Manja Skernišak, were present for the hearing, they were unable to enter their pleas. Kovačič and Skerinšak are charged with abuse of office in relation to suspicious real estate transactions in Croatia in which the bank was allegedly swindled out of EUR 28 million in 2006-2009.

Ring smuggling Chinese to Italy arrested

MARIBOR - Slovenian police busted last week a ring that made an estimated EUR 1.3 million in illegal gain by smuggling at least 143 Chinese from China to Italy through Slovenia over the past year and a half. Of the four Slovenians and eight Chinese operating the ring, three are in detention and two in house arrest. One of the detained suspects is Slovenian and the others are Chinese with permanent residence in Slovenia, Maribor police said. To get illegally from China to Italy, a Chinese citizen had to pay from EUR 9,000 to EUR 14,000.

Slovenian households more frugal last year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian households stepped up saving in 2018, recording a gross household saving rate of 12.6%, up 0.2 percentage points on 2017. The country's gross rate, which shows what share of household disposable income is saved, was one of the highest in Europe, the Statistics Office (SURS) said. "The saving rate was increasing in the recent years, but it's still lower than it was before the financial crisis," said SURS deputy head Karmen Hren ahead of World Savings Day, observed on 30 October. For the second consecutive year, the rate was higher than the average rates in EU-28 and EA-19 member states - 10% or 12.4%, respectively.

Kaja Teržan wins top poetry award with The Circle

LJUBLJANA - This year's Jenko Prize, the most prestigious national award for the best poetry collection from the past two years, has been given to Kaja Teržan for her second collection, Krog (The Circle). Teržan, born in 1986, gets the prize, given out by the Slovenian Writers' Association, with a 1,000 euro grant. The judging panel said Teržan had become one of the country's up-and-coming poets already with her debut Delta (2015), which received critical and public acclaim. The awards ceremony in Kranj this evening, which Teržan was not able to attend, was the culmination of Jenko Days, a festival held in honour of 19th-century poet Simon Jenko.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

24 Oct 2019, 01:38 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 24 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

National Assembly slightly reduces taxes on labour

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a package of tax bills that slightly reduce the taxation of labour in favour of higher taxes on capital gains, rental income and a minimum corporate income tax rate of 7%. Finance Minister Andrej Bertonclj rejected calls for more substantial cuts by arguing fiscal constraints meant these would need to be gradual. He argued the bills would particularly reduce the tax burden of highly skilled workers. The Left insisted the reform would primary benefit the rich.

Pahor meets Japanese PM Abe

TOKYO, Japan - President Borut Pahor met Shinzo Abe for a bilateral meeting after attending Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in Tokyo yesterday. Pahor and Abbe talked about bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, agreeing that effort should be invested to find a peaceful solution and achieve reconciliation. Pahor also visited the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (KEK) in Tsukuba, where Slovenian scientists have been involved in an antimatter project. He decorated KEK director-general Masanori Yamauchi with the Order of Merit for helping promote Slovenian science.

Janša critical of govt's opposition to Croatia entering Schengen

LJUBLJANA - A day after the European Commission decided that Croatia met the requirements to enter the Schegen zone, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Janša argued that Croatia's joining the Schengen zone was in Slovenia's strategic interest, and that the Slovenian government alone was incapable of politically blocking Croatia in the European Council. Meanwhile, Slovenian diplomatic source expressed belief that the country should veto Croatia's joining the passport-free zone.

ICC president visits Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Chile Eboe-Osuji, the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held meetings with Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and Justice Minister Andreja Katič as part of a visit to Slovenia. They discussed the challenges of international criminal justice and the court in particular. Cerar pledged for Slovenia to remain a firm ally of the ICC and to promote the values of the Rome Statute in bilateral and international activities. Eboe-Osuji hailed Slovenia as an example to other countries.

Slovenia puts forward candidates for EU public prosecutor

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that the government had put forward to Brussels three candidates for the post of Slovenia's prosecutor at the emerging European Public Prosecutor's Office; Jaka Brezigar, Tanja Frank Eler and Marjana Grašič. Headed by Romania's Laura Codruta Kövesi, the European Public Prosecutor's Office will have one prosecutor from each member country. Its job will be to investigate, prosecute and bring to judgement crimes against the EU budget.

Not all risks can be budgeted for, FinMin tells Fiscal Council

LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj welcomed the Fiscal Council's assessment that the budget documents for the coming two years are in compliance with the fiscal rule, but commenting on the council's concerns about risks, he said these could not be fully included in the budget documents. "We're carefully monitoring developments in our major trading partners, and the government will respond to any change in projections, but it's impossible to include all risks in those two documents," he said.

Thousands of pensioners sign petition for back payments

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Pensioners and a civil initiative presented a petition calling for an extraordinary indexation of pensions to compensate for the austerity measures that have affected pensioners since 2010. The difference between the paid amount and the amount pensioners are eligible for under the systemic law is estimated at 7.2%, or roughly EUR 50 a month. Signed by almost 14,000 people, the petition was handed today to Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan.

FDI stock up for fifth consecutive year in 2018

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's inbound total foreign direct investment (FDI) stock increased by 8.6% in 2018 to EUR 15.2 billion, as outbound FDI stock rose by 1.6% to EUR 6.1 billion, according to data from the central bank. Both inbound and outbound FDI stock recorded growth for the fifth consecutive year in 2018. The rate of increase in inbound FDI stock was even higher than the year before, at 7.6%. Average return on inbound FDI stock reached 5.4%, while return on outbound FDI stock was at 2.9% last year.

Official says German, Slovenian companies prepared for slowdown

LJUBLJANA - Gertrud Rantzen, the head of the German-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the economic outlook at a talk in Maribor, noting that economic slowdown was a reality which would also affect Slovenian companies. However, she also said that companies, both in Slovenia and Germany, were better prepared for a potential new crisis than the last time around. She believes a bigger problem for the German economy and Slovenia's is a shortage of trained staff.

Trade union to file charges against food safety administration

LJUBLJANA - The trade union of the Agriculture Ministry announced it would bring criminal charges against the Administration for Food Safety in the wake of the banned meat additive scandal. Inspectors working at the administration claim the veterinary arm of the service had known about the additive for more than three months before informing them. The union said that the government body in charge of food safety had thus jeopardised consumers' health for more than three months and had violated the inspection act, which states that an immediate notification of the public is required in cases of danger and unlawful practices.

Ljubljana and Vienna want to tackle challenges together

LJUBLJANA - The mayors of Ljubljana and Vienna, Zoran Janković and Michael Ludwig, met as part of the three-day event Vienna Days, assessing that despite the Austrian capital being six times larger, the cities faced many common challenges. They agreed that the cities should play a more prominent role in the creation of European policies. Janković and Ludwig noted the good cooperation between the two cities, saying they wanted to learn from each other.

Consumer confidence drops to a three-year low

LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence in Slovenia deteriorated for the third month running in October to fall to the lowest point in the last three years. The most influential factor was the more pessimistic expectations about the state of the country's economy. A report from the Statistics Office shows the consumer confidence indicator falling by two percentage points compared to September to a level where it was last time in mid-2016. It was still six percentage points above the long-term average, though.

Labour costs up 3% last year

LJUBLJANA - Average monthly labour costs per employee reached EUR 2,286.36 in Slovenia last year, which is 3.1% more than in 2017, the Statistics Office reported. The costs were the highest in the energy and financial sectors, and the lowest in the hospitality sectors and activities such as security, cleaning and maintenance. Labour costs comprise of the costs of wages, including bonuses and various allowances (85.6% last year), as well as social and other contributions.

Lidl opens new logistics centre in Arja Vas

ARJA VAS - The Slovenian subsidiary of the German discount supermarket chain Lidl opened a new EUR 70m logistics centre in Arja Vas near Celje. The new hub, spanning 13 hectares and with a surface area of 57,000 square metres, is Lidl's largest and most modern centre in Slovenia and the wider region, said Lidl Slovenija director-general Gregor Kosi. The investment is to create 100 new jobs as well as reduce the greenhouse gas footprint. The opening was also attended by Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek.

Ljubljana film festival to highlight Slovenian cinema

LJUBLJANA - The 30th Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) will bring a vast choice of films to the capital between 13 and 24 November, notably those by seminal filmmakers such as Abel Ferrara and Agnès Varda as well as recent Slovenian cinema achievements. Those include Gregor Božič's acclaimed debut Stories from the Chestnut Woods, as well as the first two parts of the noir crime-thriller TV series The Lake. Ferrara will be in Ljubljana for the occasion and his Tomasso will open the festival.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

22 Oct 2019, 22:42 PM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 23 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Šarec says Commission decision on Croatia and Shengen political, Slovenia expects compliance with rules

LJUBLJANA - Commenting on the European Commission assessing that Croatia has met the conditions to enter the Schengen zone, PM Marjan Šarec regretted that such an important decision had been made right before the end of the Commission's term. Speaking of a political decision, Šarec expects Croatia to meet all technical and legal conditions. "We had already said that if the decision was political, then Slovenia would also act politically and in line with its interests," Šarec reiterated. The opposition Democrats (SDS) were alone in their support for the Commission decision, but several other MPs also warned against the option of Slovenia, which is suing Croatia for EU law violation with respect to the border arbitration, blocking Croatia's Schenen zone accession.

Fiscal Council warns of risks surrounding budget plans

LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council has found the proposed budgets for 2020 and 2021 to be in compliance with fiscal rules, but expressed concern because they do not factor in the financial impact of bills that are being adopted. "As far as fiscal rules go, these are complied with," the council's head, Davorin Kračun, told reporters. However, he also pointed to "risks that cast shadow" of doubt that the fiscal rules will be implemented.

Bill on recourse over bank bail-in finally passed

LJUBLJANA - A government-sponsored bill designed to provide legal recourse for holders of subordinated bank liabilities wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout was passed in a 46:34 vote. But it may take a while before the erased investors are compensated, as the central bank had announced a constitutional review. The bill provides easier access to recourse for up to 100,000 potential plaintiffs, both shareholders and holders of junior bonds wiped out on instruction of the EU. It was passed after the Constitutional Court said in 2016 that a provision from the law on banking did not give the subordinated creditors and shareholders effective access to recourse.

President attends Emperor Naruhito's enthronement

TOKYO, Japan - President Borut Pahor attended Japanese Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in Tokyo, which marked his formal ascension to the throne. Pahor said in a tweet that his participation in "this unique historic event" was of symbolic nature and would deliver an opportunity to further reinforce bilateral ties between Slovenia and Japan and the countries' political dialogue. The president will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday.

Erjavec says Croatia ready for EU presidency regarding defence

ZAGREB, Croatia - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec met his Croatian counterpart Damir Krstičević in Zagreb, with the pair agreeing that Slovenia and Croatia's defence cooperation was excellent. Erjavec did not want to comment on whether Croatia was prepared for joining the Schengen area. Erjavec said that the question was not relevant for his ministry, while Krstičević said that his country was ready to enter Schengen and that he expected a go-ahead from the European Commission, which was later today indeed given.

Cerar to visit United Arab Emirates next week

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is to pay a working visit to the United Arab Emirates next Tuesday and Wednesday. As part of the trip, Cerar will inaugurate the Slovenian Embassy in Abu Dabi, which has been operating as the first Slovenian embassy in a Gulf country since 2018, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Cerar is scheduled to meet counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, while he is also to chair with UAE Economy Minister Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoor the first meeting of a joint commission for Slovenia-UAE economic cooperation.

Poklukar visits Slovenian officers on Serbian-N Macedonian border

PREŠEVO, Serbia - Slovenian Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar and his Serbian counterpart Nebojša Stefanović visited the Preševo border crossing with North Macedonia, where members of the Serbian and Slovenian police jointly control the migrant flow and prevent illegal crossings of the border. As part of the visit to the border crossing in southern Serbia, Stefanović said that the cooperation of the countries in the prevention of illegal migration showed that it was possible to provide security to citizens and prevent illegal migration with a joint effort.

Facing public uproar, MPs give up planned new priviliges

LJUBLJANA - A bill that would have introduced a number of privileges and benefits for MPs was voted down in the National Assembly even though it had been initiated by almost all MPs bar those of the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) and the Left. The majority withdrew their support after the changes came under fire from the public. The privileges that drew the most criticism were tax benefits, significantly raised transport allowances, a secured right to unemployment allowance after a single day as an MP, and what seemed like a legal vacuum preventing the penalising of MPs who simultaneously serve in posts deemed incompatible with public office. A bill was meanwhile passed that aims to make the National Assembly more autonomous, and more independent from the government.

Parliament provides more funds for medical profession trainees

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the medical practitioners act providing more funds for medical profession trainees. Hoping to address the shortage of doctors, the 2020 draft budget earmarks EUR 80 million for medical traineeships, while the actual cost is estimated at EUR 91.7 million. The additional funds will be provided by the public Health Insurance Institute (ZZZS).

MPs raise minimum hourly rate for student work to EUR 4.56 net

LJUBLJANA - Parliament backed legislative changes that raise the minimum net hourly rate for student work from EUR 4.13 to EUR 4.56. The opposition Left, which initiated the raise, had been pushing for more, but failed to get support from the coalition and remaining opposition parties, which fear businesses may have trouble handling the new rate. The raise becomes effective on 1 January 2020.

SDS voices support for state guarantees for two key infrastructure projects

RAVNE NA KOROŠKEM - The largest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS), announced its support for the government-sponsored bill on state guarantees for loans to build a vital north-south motorway and a second rail link between Divača and the Koper port. Speaking at a public debate in Ravne na Koroškem last night, party leader Janez Janša said the bill had shortcomings but would "go through".

Foundation stone laid as Housing Fund starts expanding stock

LJUBLJANA - The foundation stone was laid for the construction of nearly 500 flats in the Ljubljana Brdo borough. The EUR 57 million project is only the first step of the national Housing Fund to build additional 1,500 rental flats as part of expanding its portfolio by 10,000 new flats by 2025. The Novo Brdo housing estate will expectedly be ready for its residents to move in in 2021.

Pipistrel completes aircraft order to Indian govt

AJDOVŠČINA - Pipistrel, the Slovenia-based ultralight electric aircraft maker, has delivered nearly 200 aircraft to the Indian ministry of defence, the company announced, saying that it was happy to finish the delivery despite warnings from other players in the industry that this was too tall an order for the company. Pipistrel said it had met the delivery conditions, while services like maintenance, customer support and supply of spare parts will be provided for a long time after this first stage is completed.

Household disposable income higher in 2018

LJUBLJANA - The average disposable income of Slovenian households was up 5.8% across Slovenia in 2018 on the year before. The northern Koroška region had the highest disposable income per citizen, followed by south-eastern and central Slovenia, the Statistics Office said. Meanwhile, the lowest disposable income was recorded in the north-eastern Pomurje region. The average Slovenian household disposable income stood at some EUR 11,870.

Prešeren's muse Julija Primic in focus of new opera

NOVO MESTO - An opera dedicated to Julija Primic (1816-1864), the muse of Slovenia's most celebrated poet France Prešeren (1800-1849), is being created in Novo Mesto, a city in south-east Slovenia where she spent the final 14 years of her life. Scheduled to premiere in February, the opera is being composed by Aleš Makovac and directed by Rok Rappel Rocc, while the libretto has been written by historian and literary historian Igor Grdina, an expert on Prešeren.

Enfant terrible of Slovenian art scene wins Ježek Award

LJUBLJANA - Public broadcaster RTV Slovenija has bestowed this year's Ježek Award on rebellious singer-songwriter and performer Marko Brecelj. He will receive the award, which celebrates lifetime achievement in satire on radio and TV, on Sunday. Brecelj is widely known as the founder and lead singer of Buldožer, an iconic progressive rock band from the 1970s which was inspired by Frank Zappa's music.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

22 Oct 2019, 01:46 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 22 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenia in favour of Brexit delay if well-grounded

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's position on the British parliament's request for another postponement of Brexit is that "another delay would make sense" as long as it would justifiably contribute to an orderly Brexit. Prime Minister Marjan Šarec's office declared Slovenia's position after he announced he would discuss Britain's request with European Council President Donald Tusk in the coming days. He said that Slovenia was being constructive and would accept any solution acceptable for Ireland in particular. The European Council's decision to sign the withdrawal agreement was endorsed by the government today.

Catalonia support committee protests with Slovenian, EU officials

LJUBLJANA - Three days after being set up, a Slovenian committee in support of Catalan political prisoners sent a protest statement to Slovenian and European leaders over the high prison sentences for nine Catalan leaders and over the silence in Europe surrounding them. "The draconian prison sentences handed down on nine respectful and democratically elected Catalan leaders seriously undermine the foundations of European values. To have political prisoners in the EU is a disgrace," reads the statement, sent to senior Slovenian and EU officials plus the European Representation in Slovenia, the Spanish Embassy in Ljubljana and all embassies accredited to Slovenia.

Šarec believes relative preference vote to be enacted

LJUBLJANA - Addressing parliament in questions time, PM Marjan Šarec said he was convinced a draft proposal amending Slovenia's electoral law by adopting the relative preferential vote would get enough support in parliament, while the alternative involving redrawing of the electoral districts would be more of a challenge. Šarec believes the preferential vote could get the necessary two-thirds majority, considering that during the May EU elections more than 75% of the voters cast preferential vote.

Šarec wants to further boost business ties with China

LJUBLJANA - Taking questions from MPs at the outset of the October plenary session of parliament, PM Marjan Šarec told MPs that China was Slovenia's most important Asian trading partner and that Slovenia wanted to further boost this economic cooperation. For exports to China to increase, new market niches need to be identified for high value added products to compensate for costs of transport and competition. This was in response to a question about Slovenia's inclusion in China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Kangler inquiry starts work, OECD concerned

LJUBLJANA - Ex-Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler appeared as the first witness in the contentious parliamentary inquiry into the allegation that criminal prosecution against him was politically motivated. Kangler, who serves as a member of the upper chamber of parliament, which initiated the inquiry, described the prosecution against him as a plot unthinkable in a law-ruled country. The inquiry proposed for the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission to conduct oversight of the Maribor police force. While the inquiry is being examined by the Constitutional Court, concern has also been raised by the OECD.

Slovenian, Serbian home ministers discuss bilateral ties, migrations, EU

BELGRADE, Serbia - Bilateral relations, migrations and Serbia's EU integration topped the agenda as Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar met his Serbian counterpart Nebojša Stefanović. The pair agreed countries on the Balkan migration route were faced with a rise in illegal crossings of the border, but Poklukar hailed Slovenia and Serbia's police forces' good work in preventing illegal migrations. Poklukar said the Slovenian police had processed over 12,800 illegal crossings on the border with Croatia since the beginning of 2019, up 70% from the same period last year. Poklukar reiterated Slovenia's support for Serbia's EU integration.

Police bust ten migrant smugglers in intl operation

KOPER - Representatives of the police forces of Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europol presented the conclusion of an international investigation into smuggling of illegal migrants to the EU through the Balkan countries in which they filed charges against 10 persons, including four Slovenians. They are charged with at least 24 cases of transportation of illegal migrants across the border. They smuggled at least 150 migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea and Afghanistan across the border.

Economist praises ECB crisis measures, warns of risk of "Japanisation"

LJUBLJANA - As Mario Draghi's term at the helm of the European Central Bank (ECB) is about to end, economist Vasja Rant assessed that unless the ECB had taken measures during the financial crisis, there would probably be no more eurozone as we know it and the consequences of the crisis would be much worse. However, the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics professor also warned that the ECB does not have any more room to take classic monetary measures in case of a new crisis. The eurozone is thus at risk of a "Japanisation" of its monetary policy.

Slovenian army to purchase 14 light military vehicles

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces are planning to purchase 14 six-wheeled (6x6) military vehicles, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told MPs during questions time in parliament, noting Slovenia had 85 such vehicles, which he labelled the backbone of the Slovenian defence system. He said the decision on the six-wheelers had been made after the planned purchase of the eight-wheeled vehicles had been delayed for a while. The 6x6 vehicles the army has are an average 16 years old and pretty warn out, Erjavec said in response to an MP question from Matej T. Vatovec of the opposition Left.

Ministry warns of problems in closing dump sites

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has still not closed eight of the potentially dangerous 21 dump sites the EU's Court of Justice ordered it to close a year ago. The Environment Ministry said part of the blame for the delay are non-responsive site operators and property ownership issues. If Slovenia fails to close the sites, it faces a fine. In a similar procedure, Slovakia was given a EUR 1 million fine plus EUR 5,000 for each day the ruling was not implemented. Italy and Greece had to pay EUR 40 million and 10 million, respectively.

Shareholders increase payments for NLB supervisors

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders' meeting of NLB, the bank in which the state holds a controlling 25% stake plus a share, approved an increase in payments for its supervisors. The move comes after pay was increased for the management board in June despite opposition by the representatives of the state. The Slovenian Sovereign Holding voted against, while MP Naložbe and Facig, two small shareholders, announced they would challenge the decision in court.

Ljubljana Music Academy turning 80

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Music Academy will mark its 80th anniversary with a ceremony at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre on Wednesday. Dean Marko Vatovec told the STA in an interview that the academy had indeed come a long way and was contributing a lot given its circumstances, which include continuing efforts to secure a proper location. "We are walking side-by-side today with what is happening elsewhere," he said. The academy's students and graduates can be found all around Europe, including in leading orchestras.

Ljubljana Fashion Week gets under way

LJUBLJANA - The autumn iteration of Ljubljana Fashion Week got under way, bringing fashion shows, lectures and exhibitions to the capital until Friday. The event is touted as a fashion extravaganza featuring creations by more than 30 Slovenian and foreign fashion designers. It will also include a conference on the fashion industry, a display of a new collection by acclaimed fashion and costume designer Mateja Benedetti and collection exhibitions.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

21 Oct 2019, 08:18 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 21 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Central bank governor says Slovenia in good economic condition

WASHINGTON, US - Central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle and Finance Ministry State Secretary Metod Dragonja attended this week's autumn meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington where they said that Slovenia's economic condition was currently good despite risks to the global economy.

Pahor to attend Emperor Naruhito's enthronement

TOKYO, Japan - The president's office announced that President Borut Pahor will attend on Tuesday a ceremony celebrating the formal ascension of Japan's Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. On Wednesday, the Slovenian head of state will also meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Govt sees drop in popularity in October

LJUBLJANA - The October Vox Populi poll commissioned by the public broadcaster TV Slovenija and newspapers Dnevnik and Večer shows that the senior coalition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) continues to top party rankings; however, the prime minister's party lost some of its popularity in October compared to the month before.

PM highlights importance of Slovenian WWII liberation front

PUCONCI - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec attended a ceremony commemorating the fallen soldiers of the National Liberation Army, the Slovenian anti-Nazi resistance, in Prekmurje on Sunday, highlighting the importance of the resistance movement for Slovenia's existence. He called for the nation's unity, including in politics.

Spa tourism trade show starts in Šmarješke Toplice

ŠMARJEŠKE TOPLICE - A business event focussing on spa and wellness tourism got under way in Šmarješke Toplice, a spa resort in south-eastern Slovenia, on Sunday. The conference, running until Wednesday, will include presentations of 15 Slovenian and seven foreign spa resorts intended for 25 invited guests from European spa tourism agencies.

Cycling star wraps up season in third place

NANTES, France - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič finished on Sunday this year's cycling tour season with a third place at the 38th Les Herbiers Chrono des Nations time trial in France. Roglič is the first Slovenian to have made it to the podium at the French single-day individual race.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

20 Oct 2019, 01:14 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 20 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Beethoven's "gift" to Ljubljana comes out in facsimile edition

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Academy of Music published a facsimile of a copy of Ludwig van Beethoven's manuscript of Symphony No. 6 containing the composer's handwritten corrections, allegedly Beethoven's present to the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana in gratitude for being admitted as its honorary member in 1819. Kept by the National and University Library (NUK), the Ljubljana copy of the Pastoral Symphony is one of the two preserved copies of Beethoven's autograph score. The English-Slovenian facsimile edition was launched in Ljubljana on Friday.

Lafarge planning to resume operations in Trbovlje

TRBOVLJE - Delo reported that Lafarge Cement, the Slovenian subsidiary of the Switzerland-headquartered multinational LafargeHolcim, asked for an environmental permit to resume cement grinding, storage and dispatch in Trbovlje at the beginning of next year. In February 2015 Lafarge Cement suspended operations, due to a ban following a loss of an environmental permit. Eko Krog, the environmental NGO that has been fighting the company for years, fears it might try to use the permit for other purposes.

Marifarm aiming to make own medicines

MARIBOR - The Maribor-based pharmaceutical company Marifarm is gradually implementing its strategy of becoming a drug manufacturer instead of just packaging drugs. So far, it has been manufacturing drugs for other pharmaceutical companies, but Marifarm plans to enter the market with its own drugs. The company was privatised in 2016, being acquired by Arterium International, a company registered in Amsterdam, which invested over EUR 11 million in three years. In August the ownership passed to the Vienna-based Aquer GMBH group, while Arterium International remains Marifarm's strategic partner.

Notary fees go up for first time in decade

LJUBLJANA - Notary fees rose slightly today for the first time in more than a decade. Some of the notary fees have not been adjusted to inflation since 2002 and have also gone down several times. The rise has been agreed in intensive talks between the Notary Chamber and the Justice Ministry. For example, the fee for verification of signatures on a contract worth up to EUR 4,590 rose by a euro to EUR 6. The cost of compiling a contract worth between EUR 114,750 and EUR 367,200 went up from EUR 275 to EUR 314.

Golden Drum festival closes with award ceremony

PORTOROŽ - McCann Worldgroup was declared the most successful agency network for the forth consecutive year as the 26th Golden Drum festival came to a close in Portorož on Friday night. Milan-based Publicis Italy took the Golden Rose for the best advertising agency and SOK Media from Helsinki won the Golden Dragon Award for the best independent advertising agency. The two-day festival, hosted by the Slovenian Advertising Agency, attracted around 1,000 visitors.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

19 Oct 2019, 01:33 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 19 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Šarec says EU's credibility shaken after no to N Macedonia, Albania

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Commenting on the EU summit's failure to greenlight the launch of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said that an opportunity had been missed, that the damage was done now and that the EU's credibility in the region was shaken. There will be problems in the future, because these countries will no longer trust the EU and it is uncertain whether we will manage to put them on the European path, Šarec said in Brussels.

Slovenia wants Croatia Schengen decision taken by next Commission

LJUBLJANA - Six Slovenian MEPs urged for the decision on Croatia's readiness to join the Schengen zone to be taken by Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission, arguing that such a strategic decision should not be taken by an outgoing Commission. In the appeal addressed to von der Leyen, Jean-Claude Juncker, and current and next president of the European Council, all Slovenian MPs, bar the pair from the ranks of the opposition Democrats (SDS), say it would be completely incomprehensible if a decision with long-term and strategic consequences for the EU was to be taken by Junker's Commission. This view was also expressed in the evening by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec.

Views on budget divided on Finance Committee but no amendments adopted

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee discussed as the final among the committees the budget documents for 2020 and 2021. While views were divided along the coalition-opposition divide - the opposiiton does not agree the record high budgets are development-oriented - no amendments were adopted. The National Assembly is expected to vote on the budget documents in November.

Cerar discusses EU and Mediterranean issues in Cyprus

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar met his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides as part of an official visit to Cyprus for a exchange of views on topical developments in the EU, Mediterranean and the Middle East. Cerar also discussed the topics with Parliament Speaker Demetris Syllouris. Cerar called Cyprus a valuable partner and called for close cooperation in the time leading up to Slovenia's presidency of the EU in 2021. Cerar was accompanied on the two-day visit by a business delegation.

Committee established in support of Catalan leaders

LJUBLJANA - A committee in support of Catalan leaders held its maiden session in Ljubljana to protest against the lengthy prison sentences handed out to the nine independence leaders as well as against the EU institutions' silence on the issue. The committee was set up at the initiative of former President Milan Kučan, philosopher and sociologist Spomenka Hribar, Ljubljana Faculty of Arts professor Rudi Rizman and former Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl. It currently numbers more than 40 members.

SOVA boss defends hiring at intel agency

LJUBLJANA - SOVA director Rajko Kozmelj argued there was nothing amiss in the hiring of a female acquaintance of PM Marjan Šarec by the intelligence agency in an interview with the weekly Mladina. He said the person in question had not been employed through a public call for applications because "the hiring had been made before we introduced new rules". He denied having spoken to Šarec or his aide about the employment beforehand. He also called for greater powers for SOVA in addition to better oversight.

Army chief abandons prosecution of fmr force commander

LJUBLJANA - The chief of staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Alenka Ermenc, withdrew her proposal for the prosecution of Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc whom she had dismissed as the army's force commander in April. While Ermenc had reported Škerbinc to the military police on 17 May this year with the claim his commenting of her health had harmed her reputation, the Defence Ministry now announced Ermenc had changed her mind on 10 September.

Slovenian officials attend IMF and World Bank meetings

WASHINGTON, US - Central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle and Finance Ministry State Secretary Metod Dragonja are in Washington for the main part of the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The meetings will be culminating with a session of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the IMF and the joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee. The Slovenian delegation will also be holding meetings with IMF and World Bank officials.

Committee hears drawing of EU funds has improved

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary EU Affairs Committee debated a quarterly report on Slovenia's drawing of EU funds in 2014-2020, noting progress in several areas. "The drawing is not ideal yet, but has improved considerably. With the three most productive months ahead, we expect it to further significantly improve by the end of the year," said Nevenka Ribič of the Government Office for Development and Cohesion Policy. By the end of August 2019, decisions had been issued for 82% of all EU funds available.

Ex-minister loses privacy lawsuit against ant-graft watchdog

LJUBLJANA - Ex-Education Minister Stanka Setnikar Cankar lost a EUR 31,000 damages suit against the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption for making public her earnings as a Public Administration Faculty professor, which cost her her ministerial job in 2015. The Ljubljana District Court rejected her claim even though the Supreme Court found in 2017 that the commission violated her constitutional right to personal data protection by releasing the data without having legal grounds to do so.

Slovenia joins anti-human trafficking campaign

LJUBLJANA - On the eve of EU Anti-Trafficking Day, 18 October, the European Crime Prevention Network and 24 European countries, including Slovenia, launched a prevention campaign. The Slovenian government also appointed a task force to combat human trafficking on Thursday to compile periodic action plans and monitor their implementation. The government also adopted the first report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention against violence against women and domestic violence, finding major progress.

Sawn-off hand case sees its day in court

LJUBLJANA - Pre-trial hearings were held at the Ljubljana District Court in an insurance fraud scheme case in which a young woman cut off her hand at the beginning of the year to claim insurance. Two suspects pleaded not guilty, one was absent, while the hearing for Julija Adlešič, the 21-year-old who cut off her hand, was suspended for procedural reasons. Her 29-year-old partner Sebastien Abramov, who allegedly put her up to it, pleaded not guilty. They are both in custody.

Poet Simon Jenko remembered 150 years after death

KRANJ - Marking the 150th anniversary of the death of poet Simon Jenko, the city of Kranj is hosting Jenko's Days, a festival during which the Slovenian Writers' Association will give out the Jenko Prize for best poetry collection in the past two years. Jenko (1835-1869) wrote love, reflective and patriotic poems, excelling particularly at tender and bitter love poems and at reflective lyrical poetry. Living in Vienna, he wrote Obrazi (Faces), a series of poems inspired by Heine's sentimental lyrical poems.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

18 Oct 2019, 01:31 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 18 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Šarec welcomes Brexit deal, urges start of accession talks for N Macedonia

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Arriving for a two-day EU summit, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec welcomed the deal on an orderly Brexit reached by EU and British negotiators and expressed the hope that the deal would get support in the UK, as "time is really running out". Šarec said he was happy with the deal. He warned that unless EU leaders gave North Macedonia the go-ahead to start EU accession talks, the situation there would get unpredictable. He said a positive decision was being legitimately expected in Skopje.

Two proposals for electoral reform on govt table

LJUBLJANA - The government got acquainted with two draft proposals for electoral reform after the current system was declared unconstitutional a year ago. Now it is up to the parliamentary parties to state their opinion, said Public Administration Minister Rudi Medved. Under one proposal, electoral units would remain roughly the same, while electoral districts would be scrapped, so parties would run with 11 candidates in each electoral unit, and voters would have the option of a relative preferential vote. The other solution envisages changing the borders of electoral districts in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court to have approximately the same number of voters in every district.

Tax bills finalised

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee finalised a package of tax bills that slightly reduce the taxation of labour in favour of higher taxes on capital, after adopting last-minute amendments to counter criticism that the legislation amounted to a generous handout to the rich Wednesday evening. Under the legislative package slated for passage at the National Assembly plenary next week, the thresholds for all five brackets will be slightly increased and the general tax credit will rise. In the second and third tax brackets, which cover mostly the middle class, the tax rate will drop by a percentage point. Those on the minimum wage will see their earnings rise only marginally, while those on average pay can expect roughly EUR 150 more per year.

MPs point to lengthy court proceedings and number of unclosed cases

LJUBLJANA - The Justice Committee discussed a report on courts' efficiency in 2018, mostly agreeing with the assessment by the Supreme Court president that courts were successful. The MPs were meanwhile critical of lengthy court proceedings and the number of unsolved cases, with the latter affecting courts' reputation. Presenting the report, Supreme Court President Damijan Florjančič said courts managed the inflow of new cases and continued to reduce the backlog.

Chemistry Institute inaugurates new NMR spectrometer

LJUBLJANA - The Chemistry Institute and the National Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Centre inaugurated a new 600 MHz NMR spectrometer. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives of the Japanese and US embassies to Slovenia, including Japanese Ambassador Masaharu Yoshida. The funds for the EUR 1 million investment have been secured through the centre's commercial projects. Its economic partners and co-founders are pharma companies Krka and Lek as well as coatings group Helios.

Foundation stone laid for first Ikea shop in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The construction of the long-awaited first Ikea shop in Slovenia officially started as the foundation stone was laid in the BTC shopping district in Ljubljana. The 31,000 square metre shop, which is expected to employ around 300 people, is to be completed in a year's time. The ceremony was attended by Ikea South East Europe CEO Sara Del Fabbro, who said that the company was looking forward to the opportunity to cooperate with Slovenian suppliers and local communities.

Govt strikes jackal from protected wild animal list

LJUBLJANA - With the population of the jackal in Slovenia stabilising, the government struck the species from the decree on protected wild animal species, setting a transitional period until 1 May 2020 for the relevant rules to be adjusted. The population of the jackal in the country will now be sustainably managed under the legislation governing hunting. The EU law does not require strict protection of the jackal, and expert studies have shown there are no reasons to protect the animal in the national legislation.

Slovenia seeing record number of HFRS cases

LJUBLJANA - More than 230 cases of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) have been recorded in Slovenia so far this year, a record since monitoring started in 1983, according to the government's response to a question raised by Left MP Franc Trček. The figure stands out markedly, with the last outbreaks in 2008, 2012, and 2017 seeing 45, 185 and 76 cases respectively. The government said it would back the introduction of continuous monitoring in case the relevant ministries received professionally-backed and financially sound proposals that would "prove this measure cost effective".

Speculum Artium brings insight into virtual consciousness

TRBOVLJE - The Speculum Artium festival of new media art opened, offering a number of art projects and lectures which deal with virtual consciousness. The three-day festival will showcase Tree, an award-winning virtual reality experience of US-based Serbian artist Milica Zec and designer Winslow Porter which traces a tree's growth from the seed to a full-grown plant, and Digital Shaman, a collaboration of Japanese artist Etsuko Ichihara, company Yaskawa Slovenija and Ljubljana's Jožef Stefan Institute which explores new forms of mourning for the deceased in a digital era.

Ljubljana Marathon aiming for new women's record

LJUBLJANA - After posting a new record in men's category last year, Ljubljana Marathon will now strive for a record in the women's category. The most popular running event in Slovenia will be held on 27 October, with several thousand runners expected to hit the streets of the capital. The organisers are hoping not just to set the women's record below 2:22:00, but also to turn around the dwindling numbers of participants by introducing new sign-up policies and organisational strategies taking into account global trends.

Gymnastics great Cerar celebrates 80th birthday

LJUBLJANA - Former gymnastics great Miroslav Cerar, who will turn 80 at the end of October, is still active in sport, having recently been appointed the head of the Slovenian team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. An exhibition on his achievements is on display at Ljubljana Town Hall. Cerar describes his successes as a piece in the Slovenian sports mosaic. He speaks bout Slovenian athletic achievements in superlatives, saying they are the most effective promotion of the country possible.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

17 Oct 2019, 02:07 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 17 October 2019

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Šarec defends course in SOVA hiring inquiry

BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Marjan Šarec denied claims that oversight of the SOVA intelligence agency had been prevented. Taking a swing at the opposition-led parliamentary oversight commission, he insisted the public employees inspectorate and not the commission was responsible for investigating allegations that he had intervened for a friend to get a job at SOVA. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference at Brdo estate, Šarec said that everyone would be informed about the findings. In Facebook post he suggested the commission had become "a politicised body in the service of certain figures from the opposition".

Cerar urges dialogue in Spain, says US Syria withdrawal mistake

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar commented on developments in Spain in the wake of the prison sentences handed down on Catalan leaders by saying he believed the situation should be addressed through dialogue and in a democratic manner. Speaking to the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee, he said that Catalan leaders could appeal against the rulings in Spain and abroad. He also expressed the view that the US's withdrawal from northern Syria was a geostrategic mistake.

MPs want more funds for diplomatic missions

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee discussed the draft state budgets for 2020 and 2021, focussing on the Foreign Ministry's budget. The funds are budgeted to increase from EUR 94 million this year to EUR 100.4 million in 2020 and EUR 112.6 million in 2021. Minister Miro Cerar said the rise was mostly due to Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021, which would cost the country EUR 80 million. Cerar as well as MPs would also like more funds for diplomatic and consular missions.

Minister orders audit after banned meat additive scandal

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec decided to launch an internal audit in the government body in charge of food safety following its late reporting on the discovery of a banned additive in ground meat sold in five shops in Slovenia. The minister told the press that she wanted "to examine the story in detail" with the audit in the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection, which only recently made public the discovery of the banned additive in samples taken in June. "A number of questions need to be answered ... and I want to get to the bottom of it. I will find the one who is responsible for this, if necessary," Pivec said.

Illegal migration slowed down in September

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police recorded a drop in illegal migration in September, however the number of illegal border crossings in the first nine months of the year is still 70.5% above last year's figure. Since the beginning of the year, police handled 11,786 cases of people crossing into the country illegally. More than 3,000 of them were from Pakistan, and another 1,600 from Algeria and 1,300 from Afghanistan. The number of those turned away at the border rose by 14% year-on-year to 3,397.

President welcomes four new ambassadors

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of four new non-residential ambassadors, Armenia's Ashot Hovakimian, Morocco's Azzeddine Farhane, South Korea's Shin Chae-hyun and Ghana's Eudora Hilda Quartey Koranteng. Based in Prague, Hovakimian has most recently served as Armenia's deputy minister of foreign affairs. Farhane, a career diplomat, will cover Slovenia from Paris. Ambassador Shin is based in Vienna and Ambassador Eudora Hilda Quartey Koranteng in Rome.

Situation in wake of Adria shutdown stabilising

LJUBLJANA - Adria Airways's receivership caused serious disruption at Ljubljana airport and impacted on Ljubljana tourism, but the situation is slowly getting back to normal as other carriers are restoring Adria's links with SWISS launching scheduled flights between Zurich and Ljubljana today. The airport saw a 10% year-on-year drop in passenger numbers in September. Turizem Ljubljana registered a 10-20% decrease in the number of announced participants in business events and conferences for the second half of September and October. Adria's official receiver Janez Pustatičnik estimated the cost of receivership at EUR 685,622, most of which, EUR 400,000, will go for wages of people handling the procedure.

National security conference calls for expanded police powers

LJUBLJANA - The Day of National Security conference heard calls in favour of beefing up police powers and policing technology to adapt to modern reality. Also highlighted was the need for cooperation between police and other security bodies. Interior Ministry Boštjan Poklukar said that legislative changes were in the pipeline after the Constitutional Court annulled provisions allowing automatic license plate recognition. Defence Minister Karl Erjavec argued that security institutions should be protected against political bickering, and transparent oversight secured.

Slovenia opens consulate in Katovice to support business ties

KATOVICE, Poland - Economic Development and Technology Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, accompanied by a business delegation, took part in a bilateral conference on investment potentials during a two-day visit in Katovice, Poland. He also opened an honorary consulate there on Tuesday. The ministry said that Katovice was a key business hub that generates 13% of the country's GDP. Slovenia's new honorary consul is Tomasz Zjawiony, the head of the city's Chamber of Trade and Industry.

Publisher Delo preparing ground for layoffs

LJUBLJANA - Delo, the largest newspaper publisher in Slovenia, is preparing ground for major staff cut-backs due to a drop in newspaper and magazine sales, and advertising revenue. It is not clear yet how many staff will lose their jobs, but media reports suggest at least 30 people will be made redundant. Delo currently employs 322 people, including 150 journalists. Unionist Simona Fajfar, called the planned layoffs a "disaster". Delo saw its net profit slashed by 46% to EUR 598,000 last year.

Redundancies looming at dairy Mlekarna Celeia

ARJA VAS - Mlekarna Celeia, the Arja Vas-based dairy employing more than 220 workers, is to lay off between 30 and 45 staff on fixed-term contracts according to unofficial information. The company told the STA it was planning a set of measures to raise productivity in a bid to improve business results and secure long-term development. The co-operatives-owned dairy saw its revenue increase by 2% in 2018 to EUR 61 million, but incurred a loss of EUR 270,000 after generating a profit of EUR 500,000 in 2017.

Report reveals new contentious payments at Ljubljana University

LJUBLJANA - After a number of revelations showing that the Ljubljana and Maribor universities paid out millions of euros to professors in addition to their salaries, the commercial broadcaster POP TV reported about internal audits at the University of Ljubljana showing that nearly EUR 12 million had been paid to 200 employees in addition to their salaries between 2016 and 2018. The funds were paid out on the bases of freelance contracts.

Police welcome eagerly-awaited multi-purpose helicopter

BRNIK - An AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter was welcomed at the helipad of the airborne police unit at the Ljubljana airport, in what is an essential addition to the police fleet which has so far numbered only two airworthy aircraft. The eagerly-awaited twin-engine, 10-seat helicopter will be used for all police tasks and is a major addition to the fleet, said Dejan Kink, the commander of the airborne police unit, told the press. Worth EUR 14.6 million, this is the first new helicopter in the last 12 years at the helipad. It is expected to be fully operational in half a year.

Slovenian PEN joins protest against jailing of Catalan authors

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian PEN Centre joined the protest by PEN International against the prison sentences imposed on the Catalan writers and civil society leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart by the Spanish Supreme Court. While PEN International said that the nine-year prison sentences for Sanchez and Cuixart were "shocking" and that they must be annulled, the Slovenian organisation called on the government and the highest authorities in the country to "take a clearer and more resolute stance on the developments in Spain and the trampling on the human rights."

German translations in focus of Slovenia's Frankfurt fair promotion

FRANKFURT, Germany - Slovenian literature is being promoted at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair with a focus on German translations, as the country gears up to be the guest of honour at the world's largest book show in 2022. The country's promotion features a national stall and nine events, including a talk with Drago Jančar, who will promote his award-winning novel In Ljubezen Tudi (Wenn die Liebe Ruht), translated by Daniela Kocmut, at Das Blaue Sofa (Blue Sofa), the most prestigious stage at the fair.

On World Food Day, calls for safe and quality food

LJUBLJANA - On World Food Day, a panel debate featuring various stakeholders heard that cooperation between agriculture, education, environment and healthcare was needed to secure safe and healthy food, in addition to awareness-raising campaigns. Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec said that food in Slovenia was of very good quality, but there should be more organic food. Statistics show that Slovenian consumers spend EUR 1,400 per capital on food a year. Slovenia imported 1.7 billion worth of food and exported EUR 1 billion in 2018.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

Ljubljana related

Editorial

Gourmet

Photo of the Month

Photo galleries and videos

Real Estate in Slovenia