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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
US victim of Trump's unpredictable foreign policy, ex-president says
NEW YORK, US - Slovenia's former President Danilo Türk, who is in New York for several events before the UN General Assembly session, says US foreign policy is being undermined due to President Donald Trump's unpredictable and poorly thought through decisions. In an interview for the STA, he said "Trump does not seek advice, has no systematic approach, does not think about the consequences, and the US foreign policy is in a serious crisis". He also hopes the tensions between the US and Iran do not result in a new armed conflict in the Middle East.
Interior minister expects spike in illegal border crossings before winter
LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar expects Slovenia to see a rise in the number of people crossing the border illegally before the winter, but not to the extent seen in 2015 and 2016, he said during questions time in parliament. So far this year, nearly 11,300 people have been found crossing the border illegally. Most of those crossing into Slovenia are citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Algeria and Morocco, and most of them are returned back to Croatia, the minister said. The Slovenian Armed Forces meanwhile said they had stepped up their activities, sending two infantry companies to the border. They did not specify the number of troops deployed.
Voter approval rating for govt falls below 50% in POP TV poll
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, his party and the government all saw their popularity ratings fall in the latest poll commissioned by the private broadcaster POP TV, with voter support for the government falling below 50% for the first time this year. The voter approval rating for the government fell by 1.9 percentage points to 49.7%, as the proportion of those who disapprove of its job rose by 0.8 points from August to 33.7% with 16.6% undecided. The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) continues to lead among the parties, but with a lower margin, having lost 2.7 points to 16.1%. The opposition Democrats (SDS) placed second with 14.9%.
Diplomat Kirn says Slovenia playing Russia game poorly
LJUBLJANA - Roman Kirn, a seasoned diplomat who has until recently served as the foreign policy adviser to PM Marjan Šarec, was critical in an interview for Reporter of Šarec's recent visit to Russia, in particular because it had not included a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Kirn, who stepped down as a state secretary in Šarec's office in March, argued for the weekly paper that the 10-11 September visit to Moscow had been "poorly prepared", since "all protocol and content features of such a visit should have been envisaged with care".
Postal operator to pay EUR 28.8m for Intereuropa
KOPER - Pošta Slovenije, the state-owned postal operator, plans to acquire a 72% of the logistics company Intereuropa at EUR 1.45 per share. It is to purchase 9,168,425 regular and 10,675,965 priority shares, which totals EUR 28.75 million, Intereuropa said on the web site of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange. This is in line with the contract Pošta Slovenije made with a consortium of sellers, comprising SID Banka, NLB, NKBM, Gorenjska Banka, SKB Banka and Banka Intesa Sanpaolo, on 10 May. The takeover was approved by the competition watchdog at the beginning of September.
New property sales prices lowest on record, used highest since 2017
LJUBLJANA - Sales of new housing properties have dropped to the lowest level on record in the second quarter of 2019, according to data released by the Statistics Office. Meanwhile, more than 1,360 second-hand houses were sold this second quarter, the most since the second quarter of 2017. In total, sales reached highest value since 2017. New flats are on the other side of the spectrum, as only 42 were sold, the least since new real estate sales have been recorded. But faring even worse were new houses, with only 18 being sold in the second quarter.
Ptuj comes forward to host waste incineration plant
PTUJ - The Ptuj municipality in the north-east has emerged as a possible location for Slovenia's first waste incineration plant after the local council endorsed a proposal to launch a debate on the issue. Slovenia does not have a purpose-built waste incineration plant, but in recent years debates about the need for such a facility have intensified due to chronic problems with waste, particularly waste packaging. While it has not yet been decided whether such a plant should in fact be built, the Environment Ministry has recently asked local communities whether they would be open to being the site of a waste incineration facility.
Electronic warfare exercise under way in Slovenia
POSTOJNA - An international military exercise in electronic warfare, dubbed Ramstein Guard 2019, got under way in Slovenia today. Lasting until Friday, the exercise will feature units and commands that are part of NATO's Air Command and Control System, the Slovenian Armed Forces said. The activities will focus on operations involving electronic interference, meaning training units to recognise electronic interference, reduce its impact and operate effectively despite interferences in operation of radars, means of communication and systems of command and control.
Slovenian minority writer to get Austrian literary award
VIENNA, Austria - Klagenfurt-based Slovenian-Austrian author Maja Haderlap is to receive an Austrian Art Prize which comes with EUR 15,000. Apart from Haderlap, who has won the prize in the literature category, Austria will also bestow a cultural initiative prize on the Rož Slovenian cultural association from the Austrian region of Carinthia, established in 1902. The awards ceremony will take place at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna on 25 November. Austrian Art Prize recipients are selected by a judging panel of experts and awarded by the Austrian culture minister.
German settlers' culture celebrated in Kočevje
KOČEVJE - A festival honouring culture and heritage of Kočevarji (Gottscheers), German settlers who first settled in the Kočevje region in southern Slovenia in the 14th century, opened this evening with President Borut Pahor delivering an opening address. The 5th Days of Gottschee Culture are hosted by three municipalities, Kočevje, Semič and Dolenjske Toplice, under Pahor's auspices. The festival strives to protect the vanishing culture of Kočevarji and highlight the issues of ethnic groups.
Maribor to get wine-growing museum next year
MARIBOR - Maribor has recently started setting up a museum dedicated to the city's rich wine-growing and wine-making heritage. Works are expected to be finished next year, with the investment estimated at more than EUR 350,000. "The museum will host presentations of various wine-growing areas in Slovenia, and feature a shop and wine tasting of selected wines," Maribor city representatives told the STA. The museum will be housed in a former cold room storage facility from the 17th century, with the transformation being part of a wider city re-development plan.
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