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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:
Slovenia in favour of Brexit delay if well-grounded
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's position on the British parliament's request for another postponement of Brexit is that "another delay would make sense" as long as it would justifiably contribute to an orderly Brexit. Prime Minister Marjan Šarec's office declared Slovenia's position after he announced he would discuss Britain's request with European Council President Donald Tusk in the coming days. He said that Slovenia was being constructive and would accept any solution acceptable for Ireland in particular. The European Council's decision to sign the withdrawal agreement was endorsed by the government today.
Catalonia support committee protests with Slovenian, EU officials
LJUBLJANA - Three days after being set up, a Slovenian committee in support of Catalan political prisoners sent a protest statement to Slovenian and European leaders over the high prison sentences for nine Catalan leaders and over the silence in Europe surrounding them. "The draconian prison sentences handed down on nine respectful and democratically elected Catalan leaders seriously undermine the foundations of European values. To have political prisoners in the EU is a disgrace," reads the statement, sent to senior Slovenian and EU officials plus the European Representation in Slovenia, the Spanish Embassy in Ljubljana and all embassies accredited to Slovenia.
Šarec believes relative preference vote to be enacted
LJUBLJANA - Addressing parliament in questions time, PM Marjan Šarec said he was convinced a draft proposal amending Slovenia's electoral law by adopting the relative preferential vote would get enough support in parliament, while the alternative involving redrawing of the electoral districts would be more of a challenge. Šarec believes the preferential vote could get the necessary two-thirds majority, considering that during the May EU elections more than 75% of the voters cast preferential vote.
Šarec wants to further boost business ties with China
LJUBLJANA - Taking questions from MPs at the outset of the October plenary session of parliament, PM Marjan Šarec told MPs that China was Slovenia's most important Asian trading partner and that Slovenia wanted to further boost this economic cooperation. For exports to China to increase, new market niches need to be identified for high value added products to compensate for costs of transport and competition. This was in response to a question about Slovenia's inclusion in China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Kangler inquiry starts work, OECD concerned
LJUBLJANA - Ex-Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler appeared as the first witness in the contentious parliamentary inquiry into the allegation that criminal prosecution against him was politically motivated. Kangler, who serves as a member of the upper chamber of parliament, which initiated the inquiry, described the prosecution against him as a plot unthinkable in a law-ruled country. The inquiry proposed for the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission to conduct oversight of the Maribor police force. While the inquiry is being examined by the Constitutional Court, concern has also been raised by the OECD.
Slovenian, Serbian home ministers discuss bilateral ties, migrations, EU
BELGRADE, Serbia - Bilateral relations, migrations and Serbia's EU integration topped the agenda as Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar met his Serbian counterpart Nebojša Stefanović. The pair agreed countries on the Balkan migration route were faced with a rise in illegal crossings of the border, but Poklukar hailed Slovenia and Serbia's police forces' good work in preventing illegal migrations. Poklukar said the Slovenian police had processed over 12,800 illegal crossings on the border with Croatia since the beginning of 2019, up 70% from the same period last year. Poklukar reiterated Slovenia's support for Serbia's EU integration.
Police bust ten migrant smugglers in intl operation
KOPER - Representatives of the police forces of Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europol presented the conclusion of an international investigation into smuggling of illegal migrants to the EU through the Balkan countries in which they filed charges against 10 persons, including four Slovenians. They are charged with at least 24 cases of transportation of illegal migrants across the border. They smuggled at least 150 migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea and Afghanistan across the border.
Economist praises ECB crisis measures, warns of risk of "Japanisation"
LJUBLJANA - As Mario Draghi's term at the helm of the European Central Bank (ECB) is about to end, economist Vasja Rant assessed that unless the ECB had taken measures during the financial crisis, there would probably be no more eurozone as we know it and the consequences of the crisis would be much worse. However, the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics professor also warned that the ECB does not have any more room to take classic monetary measures in case of a new crisis. The eurozone is thus at risk of a "Japanisation" of its monetary policy.
Slovenian army to purchase 14 light military vehicles
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces are planning to purchase 14 six-wheeled (6x6) military vehicles, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told MPs during questions time in parliament, noting Slovenia had 85 such vehicles, which he labelled the backbone of the Slovenian defence system. He said the decision on the six-wheelers had been made after the planned purchase of the eight-wheeled vehicles had been delayed for a while. The 6x6 vehicles the army has are an average 16 years old and pretty warn out, Erjavec said in response to an MP question from Matej T. Vatovec of the opposition Left.
Ministry warns of problems in closing dump sites
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has still not closed eight of the potentially dangerous 21 dump sites the EU's Court of Justice ordered it to close a year ago. The Environment Ministry said part of the blame for the delay are non-responsive site operators and property ownership issues. If Slovenia fails to close the sites, it faces a fine. In a similar procedure, Slovakia was given a EUR 1 million fine plus EUR 5,000 for each day the ruling was not implemented. Italy and Greece had to pay EUR 40 million and 10 million, respectively.
Shareholders increase payments for NLB supervisors
LJUBLJANA - The shareholders' meeting of NLB, the bank in which the state holds a controlling 25% stake plus a share, approved an increase in payments for its supervisors. The move comes after pay was increased for the management board in June despite opposition by the representatives of the state. The Slovenian Sovereign Holding voted against, while MP Naložbe and Facig, two small shareholders, announced they would challenge the decision in court.
Ljubljana Music Academy turning 80
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Music Academy will mark its 80th anniversary with a ceremony at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre on Wednesday. Dean Marko Vatovec told the STA in an interview that the academy had indeed come a long way and was contributing a lot given its circumstances, which include continuing efforts to secure a proper location. "We are walking side-by-side today with what is happening elsewhere," he said. The academy's students and graduates can be found all around Europe, including in leading orchestras.
Ljubljana Fashion Week gets under way
LJUBLJANA - The autumn iteration of Ljubljana Fashion Week got under way, bringing fashion shows, lectures and exhibitions to the capital until Friday. The event is touted as a fashion extravaganza featuring creations by more than 30 Slovenian and foreign fashion designers. It will also include a conference on the fashion industry, a display of a new collection by acclaimed fashion and costume designer Mateja Benedetti and collection exhibitions.
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
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