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This summary is provided by the STA:
Three presidents urge acceleration of EU talks for W Balkans
BRIJUNI, Croatia - The presidents of Slovenia, Croatia and Austria urged accelerating EU accession talks with Western Balkan countries and condemned the war in Ukraine, which they believe cannot be resolved diplomatically at the moment. At their annual meeting in Croatia, they also discussed NATO enlargement and Croatia's eurozone and Schengen zone entry. They welcomed the latter, agreeing that this will benefit all the three countries.
Govt appoints new non-executive directors at bad bank
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed on Wednesday Žiga Debeljak, Miha Resman, Diana Milivojević and Rok Marolt non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), who are responsible for appointments of executive directors and the chairman. The move comes after Franci Matoz stepped down as chairman of the board of directors immediately after the new government took office. The news was revealed by Klemen Boštjančič, the finance minister, at the Tarča late-night show on TV Slovenija on Thursday.
Three state-owned electricity companies get new supervisors
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed at a correspondence session the supervisors at three state-owned electricity companies, ELES, Borzen and SODO, as well as at DRI, a consulting and engineering company specialised in infrastructure projects. It also appointed their successors, who are taking over on Saturday, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said.
Maja Pak returns to Tourism Board helm
LJUBLJANA - The new government appointed Maja Pak the director of the Slovenian Tourism Board (STO) for a full five-year term. Pak is returning to the helm of the STO after stepping down as director in November 2021 due to disagreements with the then economy minister, Zdravko Počivalšek. Pak will take up her post on Monday, said the Government Communication Office after the first correspondence session of the Robert Golob government.
Fines issued based on unconstitutional, unfair measures to be annulled
LJUBLJANA - The new justice minister, Dominika Švarc Pipan, said that there would be no blanket annulment of epidemic-era fines for infringements of restrictions. Only those that had been issued based on unconstitutional and unfair measures introduced under the previous government will be annulled. As she formally took over from Marjan Dikaučič, she said the issue would need to be tackled systematically as this had been "systematic unfair punishing of citizens".
Lukashenko opponent detained in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - Dzmitry Hleizer, an opponent of the regime of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, has been detained in Slovenia based on an international arrest warrant which the Belarus diaspora in Slovenia says was prompted by his taking part in anti-government protests in Belarus. Hleizer has been in detention since late April after spending a year and a half in Spain, where he was not arrested. After a hearing at the Kranj District Court on Thursday, he is waiting for a decision on his potential extradition to Belarus, POP TV reported.
Police unions welcome appointment of new commissioner
LJUBLJANA - The two police trade unions have welcomed the appointment of Boštjan Lindav as acting police commissioner. He is a career police officer who enjoys good reputation among the general public and in particular in police ranks, the SPS trade union stated in a written response. The PSS described Lindav as "one of the few individuals in the police force who over the past two years spoke out publicly in defence of the rule of law and an independent police force".
Prosecutor organisations welcome appointments of 13 prosecutors
LJUBLJANA - Organisations of prosecutors have welcomed the new justice minister's decision to clear the appointments of 13 state prosecutors. As a result, the new government appointed on Thursday the state prosecutors, who had been endorsed by the State Prosecutorial Council, ending a blockade that started under the previous government. The Association of State Prosecutors looks forward to additional appointments, and the council expects proactive action by all those who decide on appointments of prosecutors.
Parliamentary speaker visits Ukrainian children in Postojna
POSTOJNA - National Assembly Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič visited the children from a Luhansk orphanage who are temporarily staying in the village of Slavina near Postojna. She said she would strive for their integration and for securing additional staff to help their Ukrainian guardians. She said she expected the new government to adopt the necessary regulation to provide more staff as soon as possible.
Slovenia's exports up 29% year-on-year in April
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's merchandise exports expanded by 28.2% year-on-year in April but were far outpaced by a 42.6% growth in imports, further widening the trade deficit, the latest Statistics Office data show. The export-import ratio stood at 88%. Exports to EU countries rose by 24.1% and imports from the EU by 25%. The bloc accounted for nearly 63% of total exports and 57.5% of total imports. Trade outside the EU grew at a brisker pace, with exports surging by 37.5% year-on-year and imports by 76.2%.
Jobless total drops below 56,000
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's jobless total stood at 55,854 in May, down 3.8% from April and 25.7% from the year before. This is the lowest figure since 1990, the Employment Service said. Just under 4,000 were registered as newly unemployed in May, down 5.5% compared to April. At the same time, more than 6,000 jobless persons were unregistered, two-thirds of whom got a job.
No irregularities found in Krka's activities in Romania
NOVO MESTO - The Romanian anti-corruption watchdog has found no irregularities in connection to allegations from 2020 that Slovenian drug maker Krka had been paying doctors in Romania kickbacks to prescribe its products. The procedure against Krka Romania has been closed as a result, Krka said on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.
French insurer Groupama enters Slovenian market
LJUBLJANA - Groupama, a French insurance company, has entered the Slovenian market, initially offering life insurance for borrowers of SKB bank after receiving the go-ahead from the Agency for Insurance Supervision. Sandi Šterpin, who heads Groupama's Slovenian branch, said the market entry was "a natural expansion of the group in our region."
Nova Gorica culture capital project head resigns for new job
NOVA GORICA - Kaja Širok is bidding farewell as the head of a public institution in charge of organising the city of Nova Gorica's stint as the European Capital of Culture in 2025. She is leaving to become a state secretary in charge of culture at the prime minister's office. The mayor of Nova Gorica, a city which was designated the European Capital of Culture 2025 together with Italy's Gorizia, said a procedure to select a new head had already been launched.
Event marks 77th anniversary of US Army ski race on Mt Mangart
BOVEC - A special ceremony marked 77 years since the 10th Mountain Division of the US Army held a ski race on the slopes of Mt Mangart. The event at the Mangart Saddle was attended, among others, by US Ambassador to Slovenia Jamie Harpootlian. What followed in the evening was the Slovenian premiere of American filmmaker Chris Anthony's documentary dedicated to the post-WWII race, which was held in the nearby town of Bovec.
Slovenia open Nations League with loss against Sweden
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia went down to top-ranked Sweden 0:2 in the opening of the Nations League on Thursday, in what was their first match in the B league after two years in the third tier of the competition. Slovenian head coach Matjaž Kek acknowledged this was "a different level of play" than the C league, one where all mistakes are punished. This was also the third match in a row that the Slovenian side did not score.
