Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 22 May 2019

By , 22 May 2019, 02:35 AM News
Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 22 May 2019 Flickr - 白士 李 CC by 2.0

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

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

This summary is provided by the STA:

Bill providing recourse over bail-in passes first reading

LJUBLJANA - A government-sponsored bill designed to provide legal recourse for holders of subordinated bank liabilities who were wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout was endorsed on first reading at the National Assembly although MPs expect improvements in later stages of the legislative procedure. All deputy factions voiced their support for the belated bill, which should have been adopted by May 2017 under a Constitutional Court decision that held that subordinated creditors and shareholders did not have sufficient access to recourse under existing legislation.

MPs reject SDS proposal for demographic fund

LJUBLJANA - MPs voted down a proposal by the opposition Democrats (SDS) that conceived the emerging demographic fund as a single roof for all of the state's assets with the goal of shoring up the pension system. Most MPs find the more restrained version of the fund recently outlined by the Finance Ministry to be more appropriate. Unlike the ministry, whose soon expected proposal is likely to have the fund focus on the state's portfolio investments and keep Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) in tact as the manager of strategic investments and the fund's second pillar, the SDS proposed dismantling SSH and pooling all of the state assets.

Červek returns to helm of National Review Commission

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly appointed Samo Červek as the new president of the National Review Commission. Červek, who already ran the commission between July 2006 and November 2008, is succeeding Borut Smrdel, who resigned on 3 April after almost seven years citing pressure on the commission and the questioning of its integrity. Review procedures and public procurement in the country have been subject to criticism for years, in particular in connection to delays in major infrastructure projects.

Three members of Permanent Court of Arbitration appointed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly appointed Verica Trstenjak, Ana Stanič and Jure Vidmar new Slovenian members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Having been put forward by President Borut Pahor following consultations with the parliamentary parties, they will join Maša Zgonec-Rožej to fill the four seats in the court reserved for Slovenia. Mirjam Škrk is meanwhile bidding farewell from the Hague-based court as her term expires on 4 August.

Police data show surge in illegal migration

LJUBLJANA - The police have bee registering a rapid increase in the number of illegal border crossing cases with the latest data showing more than 3,000 cases handled in the first four months of the year, which compares to 1,300 in the same period a year ago. There has been a significant increase in the number of illegal migrants from Algeria, Pakistan and Morocco. More than 1,260 migrants asked for asylum until end of April this year, an increase of 25% year-on-year.

OECD corrects Slovenia growth forecast

LJUBLJANA - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) downgraded its forecast for Slovenia's economic growth for this year by 0.2 percentage points to 3.4%, while upgrading the 2020 forecast by 0.4 points to 3.1%. The OECD expects that private consumption will increase this year by 3% and by 3.1% in 2020 and companies investments in fixed assets will expand by 8% this year and by 7.2% in 2020), with exports growing by 5.8% this year and 7% in 2020.

Early voting begins in EU elections

LJUBLJANA - The voters unable to turnout at the polls on Sunday, can cast their ballots in the elections to the European Parliament early between Tuesday and Thursday. 59 polling stations were set up for the purpose around the country, mostly at the headquarters of district electoral commissions. On election day, around 3,060 polling stations will be open from 7am to 7pm across Slovenia plus another 31 at the country's diplomatic missions around the globe.

Cerar says Slovenia has well-functioning diplomatic network

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar addressed an event at the Foreign Ministry ahead of Slovenian Diplomacy Day, 22 May, saying that Slovenian diplomacy as a whole functioned well. He finds it important that Slovenian diplomacy is responsive, that it adapts itself creatively to new circumstances and recognises new opportunities. Cerar told Slovenian diplomats and members of the diplomatic corps, Cerar said that diplomats were no longer dealing only with standard political, security and geo-strategic topics.

World Bee Day marked at UN

NEW YORK,US/ROME, Italy - The role of bees and other pollinators for humanity, sustainable development and the elimination of hunger was highlighted as the Slovenian mission at the UN held a ceremony marking World Bee Day at the UN's Trusteeship Council Chamber in New York on Monday. UN officials praised Slovenia for initiating the designated day and for keeping bees on the UN's agenda. An Event celebrating World Bee Day was also held at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

Name of holiday celebrating Primorska to remain unchanged

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly failed to overturn an upper chamber veto of a proposal to rename the holiday celebrating Slovenia's reunification with the western region of Primorska. A group of MPs lead by the coalition SocDems' Matjaž Nemec had wanted to replace "vrnitev" or the "return" of the region to Slovenia as part of the Paris Peace Treaty with "priključev" or "integration/annexation". Opponents successfully argued that in international law annexation denotes forcible acquisition of territory and that the proposal, even if meant to echo the way the development is called by the people of Primorska, was harmful.

Minister Pivec talks bees, wine, CAP during Italy visit

ROME, Italy - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec met Italian Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Alessandra Pesce. The pair highlighted the problem of counterfeit honey and the need for protective measures at the level of the EU. Pivec also said Slovenia was ready to cooperate with Italy in cross-border efforts to secure protected designation of origin status for the Rebula wine in the Brda-Collio area. Also, forestry was identified as a priority area where the two countries need to strengthen concrete cooperation.

Bishops oppose public exposure of priests accused of child abuse

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Bishops' Conference expressed regret after a Catholic civil initiative publicly named priests suspected of child abuse. But the bishops said they were willing to cooperate with civil initiatives and state authorities providing assistance to victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The bishops regret that alleged abusers should be named before being proven guilty, urging for preservation of the dignity of victims as well as of suspected offenders.

Survey shows doctors exposed to violence at work

LJUBLJANA - A survey carried out among members of the Medical Chamber has shown that a majority of doctors and dentists have been exposed to physical or psychological violence from patients or their relatives, while more than one-third have been exposed to violence from their superiors or colleagues. Presenting the results, representatives of the chamber said that physical or psychological violence suffered by healthcare workers was a serious problem.

Intel agency seeking undercover agents with public job ad

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA) has made an unprecedented decision to enlist new agents by publishing a job ad in newspapers and online. The agency is looking to fill seven job vacancies, including for analysts, tech staff and legal personnel, as well as two jobs described as "acquisition of data with covert cooperation". SOVA said the job ad was "another step towards the stated goal of improved transparency". SOVA director Rajko Kozmelj told the media this was a "step towards rejuvenating the agency", while it would also help prevent nepotism in staffing. He added all candidates would be checked extremely thoroughly.

Gorjup reappointed GZS president

LJUBLJANA - The assembly of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) appointed Boštjan Gorjup for a second two-year term as the chamber's president. The CEO of BSH Hišni Aparati, the Slovenian subsidiary of the Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group, pledged to build on constructive and positive relations within the GZS and with the government, trade unions and other employer organisations. His list of priorities includes boosting internationalisation and value added.

Stock market capitalisation up 12% last year

LJUBLJANA - The favourable economic situation in Slovenia reflected in the domestic capital market last year, with total market capitalisation of the financial instruments listed on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange increasing by more than 12% to EUR 33.37 billion, according to a report by the Securities Market Agency. The bulk represented bonds (EUR 27.02 billion), while total market capitalisation of all shares combined was EUR 6.35 billion.

Sava Re shareholders to get EUR 0.95 gross dividends

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of Sava Re, Slovenia's second largest insurance group, endorsed the proposal that EUR 14.7 million in distributable profit be used for dividends at 95 cents gross per share, 15 cents more than last year. The remaining EUR 16.3 million will remain undistributed. The largest shareholder is Slovenian Sovereign Holding with a 20% stake. The dividends will be paid out on 14 June. The group's net profit rose by 38.3% last year to a record EUR 43 million.

Hurra Studios wins start-up of the year award

MARIBOR - The company Hurra Studios' Little Heroes start-up project, creating personalised children's books, was declared the Slovenian start-up of the year at a ceremony during the Podim start-up conference in Maribor. The company has so far attracted more than 600,000 customers, with the number expected to rise to 1.5 million by the end of this year.

Celje archaeological pavilion wins European Heritage Award

CELJE - A pavilion located in Celje's main square that showcases archaeological finds is one of the winners of this year's European Heritage Awards, conferred by the European Commission and Europa Nostra, an organisation protecting and promoting Europe's cultural and natural heritage. The judging panel said that the "elegantly designed building has enriched the cultural heritage of the town centre and successfully informs both the local community and tourists about the city's past".

Druga Godba world music festival gets under way

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's leading world music festival, Druga Godba, kicked open at Ljubljana's Channel Zero with Ar Ker, featuring Seb Brun, one of the most active musicians on the French noise jazz scene. Running until Saturday in Ljubljana and Maribor, the 35th annual festival will see a total of 16 concerts. The acts come from eleven countries, with US guitarist Yonatan Gat and Ukrainian folk quartet DakhaBrakha two of the highlights.

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