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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:
Adria Airways temporarily suspends operations
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian carrier Adria Airways suspended virtually all its flights for Tuesday and Wednesday due to a shortage of cash, in what is the biggest upset in Slovenian civil aviation in decades. The carrier, sold by the state in 2016 to the German fund 4K Invest, said "the suspension is merely temporary" and that it was looking for solutions together with a potential investor. The cancellations caused frustration for passengers at Ljubljana airport and have already begun to affect tourism. Amid calls for government help, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said the only thing that could save Adria was a well devised restructuring plan agreed with the creditors, while he ruled out giving any money to Adria under its current owner.
Bill on airline subsidies ready
LJUBLJANA - A bill that would allow the Slovenian government to subsidise selected routes to and from Ljubljana Airport has been drafted and could be adopted as early as this week, the Infrastructure Ministry said after Adria Airways temporarily suspended operations. The bill would take effect in the event Adria is grounded for good and would ensure Slovenia retains air links that are deemed vital for the country, which is also one of the conditions for clearance from the European Commission. Route subsidies are one of the only direct ways the state can help. Pure state aid is only permitted every ten years and Adria was bailed out with EUR 50 million in 2011.
Šarec deems Slovenia credible on climate change
NEW YORK, US - Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec attended the UN Climate Summit and a World Economic Forum (WEF) debate on sustainable development, held in New York on Monday as part of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. He said Slovenia was a credible country when it came to climate measures. "It is among the most ambitious countries with regard to the carbon footprint and other environmental issues," he told Slovenian reporters. Šarec said the biggest countries would have to come around and acknowledge that climate change is taking place and join the fight.
Path clear for passage of bill protecting bailed-in bank creditors
LJUBLJANA - The MPs paved the way for the passage of a bill providing recourse for junior creditors affected by the 2013 state-sponsored bailout of banks as it completed the second reading of the bill having processed all the amendments submitted at committee two weeks ago. The general purpose of the bill remains the same as originally proposed by the government: the Slovenian central bank will be subject to lawsuits by holders of subordinated bank bonds and shareholders, and liable for any damages. Finance Ministry State Secretary Metod Dragonja said the government has "sufficient arguments" for this solution in the event the legislation is challenged in court.
Cerar takes part in high-level meeting on Syria
NEW YORK, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar took part in a EU-hosted high level meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, condemning attacks on civilians. Addressing a meeting, which is a continuation of donor conferences in Brussels and the UN, Cerar emphasized that the solution to the Syria conflict could only be a political one. "Violation of international law and basic human rights must end. Justice must be served," Cerar was quoted by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry. The Slovenian foreign minister also held a bilateral meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu about ways to enhance bilateral trade.
Business sentiment worsens
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's business sentiment deteriorated in September to 4.8 percentage points, down 1.2 percentage point on the month before and down 3.4% year-on-year, fresh data from the Statistics Office show. The monthly decline was driven by a 0.8 percentage-point deterioration in consumer confidence, and, to a lesser extent falling confidence indicators in manufacturing (-0.4% pp) and retail (-0.2 pp). Dampened optimism in the services sector contributed the most to the year-on-year deterioration with the respective index falling by 1.5 percentage points.
Govt rejects NGOs' criticism of new fossil fuel subsidies
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Bojan Kumer rejected the recent allegation by several NGOs that Slovenia is planning new subsidies for fossil fuels, arguing that such subsidies will be phased out. Slovenia's draft Energy and Climate Plan, to be sent to the European Commission, clearly says such subsidies will be phased out, Kumer said in Brussels. The draft plan says the phasing out will start in 2021, while the final target year has not been set, but Kumer believes it could be completed by 2025.
AmCham Slovenia to continue fostering ties under new head
LJUBLJANA - AmCham Slovenia's new president Sašo Berger presented his plans for enhancing dialogue and improving the business environment at a press conference in Ljubljana. A step in this direction will be made already next week, when AmCham will host an investment and development conference in Ljubljana. Berger, the CEO of S&T Slovenija, said he would strive to strengthen the ties with businesses, state and the civil society, as this was the only way to improve business environment in the country.
Sij honours 150 years of industrial ironworks in Slovenia
JESENICE - Steel maker Sij marked 150 years since the launch of industrial ironworks in Slovenian lands. Ironworks has a very long tradition in Slovenia, but the groundwork for industrial production was laid only in September 1969, when the Kranjska Industrijska Družba was established, merging several small-scale operations in and around Jesenice. The company was the predecessor of what is now Sij group, a Russian-owned employer of nearly 4,000 people, some 40% of the Slovenian metallurgy workforce.
Election officials from Balkans, East Europe meeting in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana is hosting the 28th annual conference and General Assembly meeting of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) from the Balkans and East Europe. The two-day meet, which started on Tuesday, will discuss judicial protection of electoral rights and the transparency of elections. The conference focuses on the role of election bodies and their dialogue with courts and other interest groups such as voters and political parties in a bid to secure sufficient protection of electoral rights, the Slovenian National Electoral Commission, which co-hosts the event, says on its website.
Festival promoting science kicks off
LJUBLJANA - The 25th Slovenian Festival of Science opened in Ljubljana under the banner When Science Becomes My Passion. Running until Thursday, the festival will bring an abundance of lectures, presentations, experiments and guided tours. The first day celebrated Slovenian rocket scientist Herman Potočnik Noordung (1892-1929), the second day will be dedicated to the Slovenian-born chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Friderik Pregl (1869-1930) and the third to Slovenian missionary Ignacij Knoblehar, active in southerh Sudan in the mid-19th century. The festival is hosted by the Science Foundation in cooperation with researchers of the faculties of chemistry, chemical technology and biotechnology, the National University Library, and science and research organisations from Austria, Sweden, UK, US and China.
Slovenia beat Russia to enter Euro volleyball semi-finals
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian men's national volleyball team is in the semi-finals of the European Championship after beating the defending champions Russia in Ljubljana on Monday evening, earning the chance to win another medal after getting silver in 2015 for its best result to date. Powered by more than 11,000 fans in the sold-out Stožice Arena, Slovenia avenged the 0:3 loss to Russia in the group stage with an incredible and heroic performance which earned them the semi-final, to be played against Poland in Ljubljana this Thursday.
City of Women celebrating 25 years and telling #HerStory
LJUBLJANA - The 25th City of Women, an international festival of contemporary arts, will kick off in Ljubljana on 1 October. However a series of events will take place as a prelude to the festival's opening, the first of them being an exhibition Cheers to Women - 25 Years of Film and Video, which has just opened at Alkatraz Gallery in the Metelkova Mesto alternative arts centre. The feminist festival, running until 13 October, will be held under the slogan #HerStory, a pun referring to female, often forgotten or erased, history as well as female stories.
Sonica brings to Ljubljana some of the finest sound artists
LJUBLJANA - The 11th Sonica, a festival of contemporary electronic music and transitory art, will explore avant-garde sounds and audiovisual art as it brings some of the world's finest sound artists, an exhibition, film screenings, a sound walk and discussions to various venues in Ljubljana until Saturday. Held under the slogan Sentinels, Sonica will open with the Antiphonic Incidence exhibition at the Metelkova Museum of Contemporary Art (MSUM) tonight.
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