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This summary is provided by the STA:
Commissioner candidate Lenarčič endorsed at committee
LJUBLJANA - Janez Lenarčič, Slovenia's candidate for EU commissioner, was endorsed by the EU Affairs Committee in an 8:2 vote with several abstentions. Slovenia's current ambassador to the EU told the committee that he would strive for equal treatment of citizens from all members states, consistent observance of EU law, and strengthening of the rule of law. The government is expected to take note of the committee's opinion tomorrow, when it formally nominates him for the post.
Five bids submitted for Karavanke tunnel, Cengiz cheapest again
LJUBLJANA - DARS, the national motorway company, has received five fresh bids in what is the latest chapter in the construction of Slovenia's half of the second 8km tube of the Karavanke tunnel to Austria. Turkish builder Cengiz, already picked in a procedure last year that was subsequently quashed, is the cheapest bidder again. Cengiz, which had promised to execute the project for EUR 89.3 million in 2018, now issued a bid worth EUR 99.6 million, DARS announced after opening the bids, which will now be examined in detail.
Constitutional Court clears use of drones by police
LJUBLJANA - After annulling legislative amendments that allow the police to use equipment for automatic license plate recognition, the Constitutional Court has now cleared provisions that allow them to use drones. The use of drones and systems for automatic license plate recognition were introduced into law through amendments to the police tasks and powers act, passed by parliament in February 2017. These and some other changes, including those on collection of air passenger data, have been challenged by Human Rights Ombudsman at the Constitutional Court on grounds of invasion of privacy.
Slovenian MEPs welcome EU pressure on Austria over child benefits
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Two Slovenian members of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee welcomed the EU Commission decision to continue infringement proceedings over Austrian child benefits as a sign that discrimination will not be allowed. "This is welcome news for our commuters," Romana Tomc (SDS/EPP) said. Milan Brglez (SD/S&D) said the EU may not allow discrimination, in particular when children are the ones being discriminated.
Business sentiment in Slovenia improves with summer
LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia improved with the summer, with the relevant index increasing by 1.4 percentage points in July compared to June, mostly due to more optimism in the manufacturing sector, the Statistics Office reported. The sub-index measuring business sentiment in manufacturing was up by 1.4 percentage points at the monthly level, while other sub-indices had no major influence.
Reports on attempts to limit access to Maribor airport corrected
MARIBOR - Media reports that the Chinese owners of airport operator Aerodrom Maribor, who are terminating the 15-year lease agreement it signed in 2017, are trying to limit access to the airport by putting up no trespassing signs seem to have been exaggerated. "There are no problems for now. We all park normally and drive normally across these land plots," said Smiljan Kramberger of DRI, the state-owned consulting and engineering company which took over the management of the airport from Chinese-backed SHS Aviation in June. Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek visited the airport today to confirm that the easement had been settled.
Gorenjska Banka doubles half-year profit
KRANJ - Gorenjska Banka, the Kranj-based bank now in sole ownership of Serbian AIK Banka, nearly doubled net profit in the first half of the year compared to year before, to EUR 22 million. The bank's total assets increased by 2.2% compared to the end of 2018 to EUR 1.872 billion on 30 June, which the bank attributes mainly to growth in retail deposits, capital and lending. The bank reported that the proportion of bad loans decreased by 26%. As of 30 June, gross credits amounted to EUR 1.1 billion with the capital adequacy ratio at 15.1%.
Human smugglers filling Slovenian prisons
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has been seeing a spike in illegal migration in recent months, but while most of the migrants are being returned to Croatia, the smugglers who helped them across the border are filling up Slovenian prisons. A report by the rtvslo.si cites official data showing that foreigners account for nearly a quarter of Slovenia's prison population. Half of them, 176, have been incarcerated for smuggling migrants.
Maribor win first leg of Champions League qualifier with AIK
MARIBOR - Slovenian football champions Maribor opened the second round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League against AIK Stockholm with a 2:1 win at home on Wednesday evening. The team is happy with the win, but is aware that the away goal scored by the Swedish side will make the return leg next week very difficult. Maribor head coach Darko Milanič said the opponent was very difficult, "perhaps even too good for this stage of competition", which is why he expects a tough return leg on 31 July. The winner of the encounter will play in the next round of qualifying against the winner of the matchup between BATE Borisov of Belarus and Rosenborg of Norway.
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