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This summary is provided by the STA
Doctors' trade union announces general work-to-rule strike for 1 June
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian doctors and dentists will start working strictly by the workload standards and norms as set out in the 2008 Blue Book as of 1 June, their trade union announced amid a crisis in primary healthcare. Addressing reporters after a session of the leadership of the FIDES trade union, the union's boss Konrad Kuštrin said that the government and the Health Ministry had enough time to implement suitable solutions by 1 June.
National Review Commission head Borut Smrdel resigns
LJUBLJANA - The head of the National Review Commission Borut Smrdel resigned, citing pressure on the commission and the questioning of its integrity. Resigning after the commission has continuously made headlines in connection to delayed infrastructure projects, Smrdel said he had naively believed that expertise and honesty would suffice for him to do a good job when he was appointed in 2012.
Report: Croatian intelligence behind arbitration wiretapping
LJUBLJANA - The recordings of phone calls between Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the border arbitration, which were leaked to the public only to have Croatia declare the process irrevocably tainted, were made by the Croatian Intelligence Agency (SOA), news portal 24ur.com reported. The communication between Jernej Sekolec and agent Simona Drenik, who were not allowed to communicate with each other, was reportedly picked up in July 2015 by SOA operative Davor Franić.
Coalition reaches deal on funding of private primary schools
LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Jernej Pikalo said the coalition had come up with an agreement on the state funding of private primary schools, under which the mandatory state-approved curriculum would be fully funded, and the extended curriculum not funded, which would apply for new generations of students. The announcement comes as the five-member minority coalition is trying to implement the Constitutional Court's ruling from 2014 mandating full state funding of private primary schools teaching state-approved curricula. The right-leaning opposition parties rejected the proposal, while some coalition parties are also cautious and call for consultations with experts.
Committee okays talks on no-tariff deal between EU and US
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Economy Committee okayed the government's approval in principle for the European Commission to start talks with the US on an agreement eliminating tariffs on industrial goods. The debate heard some reservations from the MPs, mostly from the opposition Left. The government's opinion is that the agreement must be signed under the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and that the issue of the still valid mandate for the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which have come to a standstill under the Trump administration, should be adequately addressed.
Left to monitor implementation of measures from govt deal
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left has published a chart on it website allowing people to monitor progress in the implementation of measures it has agreed with coalition parties in exchange for supporting the Marjan Šarec minority government. The chart will allow citizens to monitor the progress in the implementation of the measures the Left has proposed in precarious employment, housing, taxation of capital, and the supplementary health insurance, Left head Luka Mesec told the press.
Advantages of European Innovation Council presented in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - The new European Innovation Council (EIC), which the European Commission has designed to promote industrial innovation in Europe, was presented in Ljubljana today. The participants of today's conference in Slovenia, which was selected as the first country to promote the EIC, agreed boosting innovation was key to sustainable growth. "It is disruptive innovations that change business models and put Europe on a par with other superpowers," said Draško Veselinovič, head of the Brussels-based Slovenian Business and Research Association, with which the Commission paired up to organise the conference.
Minister hails Probation Administration a year after inception
LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Andreja Katič praised the work of the Probation Administration, the probation management and oversight body which was launched a year ago, while warning the staff was buckling under an excessive workload. Katič is relieved that the revised state budget has provided for additional hiring. Katič said the administration had been "doing an excellent job ... raising the quality of work done with convicted individuals, increasing the number of alternative sentences and reducing the number of people locked up in prisons".
Strike of maritime pilots in Koper port averted
KOPER - A strike of workers providing piloting services in the port of Koper that could have seriously hampered operations at Slovenia's sole maritime port has been averted. The agreement, reached by the employees and management of Piloti Koper on Monday evening, provides improved labour and economic conditions both for the pilots and boat masters. While the details of the agreement have not been disclosed, the strike demands included 50% higher wages for maritime pilots and 75% higher wages for boat captains, as well as greater safety at work, which would be secured with additional hirings and more boats.
Local referendum on migrant registration centre declared unlawful
ILIRSKA BISTRICA - The Administrative Court has declared unlawful the decision of the Ilirska Bistrica city council to hold a referendum on a centre for the acceptance and registration of migrants in the south-western town. The locals say they will nevertheless continue with activities against the government's plans to set up such a centre there.
Consulate of Monaco reopens
LJUBLJANA - The Consulate of Monaco in Ljubljana was officially reopened on 20 March after being closed since 2016. Franjo Bobinac, the managing director of the household appliances maker Gorenje, was appointed the honorary consul. Slovenia and Monaco have been strengthening their diplomatic relations since 2007, when they decided to upgrade their consular relations, which were established in 2000, with ambassadors. Monaco's first consul in Slovenia was Marko Kryžanowski, who stepped down in 2016 for personal reasons. Since then, no new consul was appointed.
Part of biggest doctor bribery case to become statute barred
LJUBLJANA - Radio Slovenija reported that at least four of the 15 people indicted in the biggest health corruption case in Slovenia's history will not stand trial because the crimes they are accused of will become statute-barred. The case involves a scheme in which doctors were paid kickbacks by medical equipment suppliers, revealed in a series of house searches conducted in 2013. After the indictment became final last month, pre-trial hearings are due to start in mid-May. The suspects were reportedly charged with accepting bribes, money laundering and falsification and destruction of documents, however at least four of the crimes would become statute barred as early as this month.
Jobless total down 5.8% y/y in March
LJUBLJANA - The positive trend on Slovenia's labour market continued in March, as the jobless total dropped 5.8% year-on-year and 5.2% over February to 76,533. The average number of jobless persons in the first quarter of the year was 80,026, which is 5.8% less than in the same period last year, show figures by the Employment Service.
DOPPS shocked as charges against alleged bird smugglers dropped
LJUBLJANA - The Bird Watching Association (DOPPS) expressed its disappointment with the prosecution dropping the charges of bird smuggling against three Romanian citizens who were caught with more than 1,300 dead birds of protected species in October 2018. The DOPPS, which is campaigning against bird poaching and illegal transporting of birds across the Slovenian territory, the decision is a message to bird smugglers that they can continue with their wrong-doings without any fear of retribution.
Music Days celebrate centenary of Music Academy predecessor
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Music Days, an annual festival to be held for the 34th year running from 3 to 12 April, will celebrate the centenary of a conservatory from which the Ljubljana Music Academy developed in 1939. The conservatory was established in 1919 as part of the Glasbena Matica musical society, which also encouraged Slovenian composers to write music. Its establishment is considered one of the key events in Slovenia's music history.
