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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
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This summary is provided by the STA
Šarec highlights Luka Koper as link between Europe and China
DUBROVNIK, Croatia - PM Marjan Šarec highlighted the port of Koper as the closest link between Central and East Europe, and China as he addressed the eighth summit of China and 16 Central and East European countries in Croatia's Dubrovnik. Šarec minister stressed that China was Slovenia's biggest trade partner in Asia and that thanks to the 16+1 initiative trade between Slovenia and China rose by 15% since 2013. An agreement was scheduled to be signed in Dubrovnik between the Slovenian Engineering Academy and the Nanjing Jiangning High-tech Industrial Park for the setting up of an international science and research, and transformation centre, as well as an interbank agreement meant to support SMEs. Also, automotive supplier TPV said it is to open a production plant in China in two years.
Shipping company Splošna Plovba in dire straits
PORTOROŽ - Splošna Plovba, the sole Slovenian-based shipping company, is selling off its assets, Dnevnik reported, inferring that its German owner Döehle ICL appears to be withdrawing from Slovenia. The paper wrote that the company's financial results are cause for concern, citing data showing that the company's sales revenue collapsed from EUR 214m in 2008 to EUR 30m in 2017 when the company posted a EUR 3.7m loss. In its annual report the company blamed the loss on lower fares and partly on the tax liabilities resulting from its subsidiary Genshipping failing to reinvest the proceeds from the ships sold in 2012.
NLB to pay EUR 143m in dividends or EUR 7.13 per share
LJUBLJANA - The supervisory and management boards of the recently privatised NLB bank, in which the state currently holds a 35% stake, have proposed that EUR 142.6m in distributable profit go for dividends at EUR 7.13 gross per share. The proposal will be put to vote at the annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for 10 June. The EUR 142.6m out of the total distributable profit of EUR 194.5m for last year is almost half of last year's dividend payout of EUR 270.6m, when the bank was still fully owned by the state. The remaining EUR 51.9m will remain undistributed.
Slovenia acting to assist young people in Western Balkans
BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Simona Leskovar represented Slovenia at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Berlin Process , presenting Slovenia's activities related to the future of the young people in the Western Balkan countries. The state secretary noted that the region was facing high unemployment rates for young people and insufficient opportunities in education, as well as low mobility, which needs to be addressed.
Army's force commander protests dismissal
LJUBLJANA - Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc has filed a protest against his dismissal as the army's force commander over late night shooting at the Poček training area. The soldiers' trade union, which represents Škerbinc, claims he acted lawfully and demands an apology from Defence Minister Karl Ejravec, who in turn said his instruction not to conduct training using heavy weapons after 11 PM had been ignored. Erjavec dismissed Škerbinc last Friday at the proposal of the chief of the general staff, Major-General Alenka Ermenc. Škerbinc rejected speculation he had been involved in the spreading of rumours about Ermenc's health problems.
Despite financial distress, parties open bank accounts for EU elections
LJUBLJANA - All parliamentary parties and seven non-parliamentary ones have opened their special bank account to finance the election campaign for May's EU elections. However, they are not expected to mount lavish campaigning since their finances are not exactly in good shape as many finished 2018 in the red following two elections and a referendum last year, public broadcaster Radio Slovenia reported on Friday. The only coalition party which did not end 2018 with a loss was Prime Minister Marjan Šarec's LMŠ, which posted a surplus of around 10,000 euro.
The EDP's manifesto adopted, Erjavec elected vice-president
LJUBLJANA - The council of the European Democratic Party (EDP) adopted its manifesto for EU elections during a session in Ljubljana. Karl Erjavec, the head of the Slovenian Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), which is a member of the EDP, was elected the EDP's vice-president. The manifesto, entitled The Social Challenges of the EU, will serve as the May elections programmes' basis for the party's candidates. Erjavec told the press that the manifesto called for an integrated Europe, new jobs, particularly for the young, economic growth, as well as security and foreign policies.
Slovenia selects Expo 2020 pavilion concept
LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry has chosen the thematic concept of Slovenia's pavilion at the global show Expo 2020 in Dubai. The 1,550 m2 pavilion, expected to cost some EUR 5m, will be showcasing Slovenian nature, economy and culture. The selected concept of a three-storied structure was created by the architecture firm Magnet Design and will present Slovenia as a green oasis in Europe as well as in the desert during the exhibition.
Artist and illustrator Milan Erič honoured with Jakopič Prize
LJUBLJANA - Artist, illustrator and animator Milan Erič received the Rihard Jakopič Prize, the top annual national award for lifetime achievement in fine arts and visual art, at a ceremony at the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana. According to the jury, Erič tackles serious every-day issues in a critical and often humorous manner in his work, which attests superb painting and drawing skills. He has been a central figure at the intersection of various types of visual arts in Slovenia for decades, a prominent representative of the Slovenian new image art, highlighting individual's experience and imagination.
Painter Aleksij Kobal to exhibit in Nova Gorica
NOVA GORICA - The Nova Gorica City Art Gallery put on display works by contemporary Slovenian painter Aleksij Kobal, with art historian Andrej Medved presenting the painter and his diverse oeuvre at the opening. The exhibition, entitled Podtaknjenci (Plant Cuttings), is Kobal's first solo exhibition at the gallery in more than ten years. It will run until 10 May. Kobal is considered one of the most prominent Slovenian contemporary painters, famous for his atmospheric landscapes and urban motifs inspired by the Renaissance.
