Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Matjaž Merkan steps down as CEO of Telekom Slovenije
LJUBLJANA - Matjaž Merkan, the chairman and CEO of the state-owned telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije, resigned after less than two months on the job effective immediately. The resignation, submitted at a supervisory board session, comes after days of media reports that Merkan was on his way out. Radio Slovenija said he would step down after refusing to launch an inquiry into his predecessor Rudolf Skobe, whose tenure has been in the spotlight after Telekom has been ordered by an arbitration tribunal to pay millions to the Greek Antenna Group, which wants to exit a media joint venture.
All clear for repatriation of Slovenians from Venezuela
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an action plan that lays the groundwork for accepting persons of Slovenian descent who have asked for repatriation from Venezuela. A total of EUR 1.2 million has been set aside for a project that has been months in the making. The Office for Slovenians Abroad has so far received 17 requests for a total of 53 individuals, while the money covers a maximum of 70 persons over the 15-month validity of the repatriation status, State Secretary Olga Belec told the press about the "pioneering project". Official data show 335 Slovenian citizens live in Venezuela, with another several hundred who are of Slovenian stock but do not have citizenship.
Insurer Triglav's net profit up 1% in first nine months
LJUBLJANA - Zavarovalnica Triglav, Slovenia's largest insurer, said it had posted group net profit of EUR 59.1 million for January-September, a 1% year-on-year increase. Gross written premiums rose by a tenth to EUR 905.5 million. Premium growth was recorded in all three insurance segments and in most group markets, with non-life insurance premiums up by 11% and health insurance premiums rising by 22%. Life and pension insurance premiums grew by a more modest 2%. Claims payouts remained constrained, rising by just 2% year-on-year to EUR 505.5 million.
Bidding for Divača-Koper port rail track open until 20 December
LJUBLJANA - 2TDK, the state-owned company managing the construction of the new rail track between the port of Koper and the Divača hub, announced a two-stage tender process for the EUR 1bn-plus project. Bids are scheduled to be opened on 20 December and, absent major issues with appeals, construction could start in the second half of 2020. 2TDK director Marko Brezigar said that two separate calls for bids are to be published in the coming days, one pertaining to the Divača-Črni Kal section of the rail track and one to the Črni Kal-Koper part. 2TDK moreover wants to first examine the competences of the bidders and only then start discussing prices.
Minister Pivec challenging Erjavec for DeSUS leadership
LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec announced for the STA that she would run for the leader of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) at the election congress in January, thus challenging DeSUS's long-standing leader Karl Erjavec, the defence minister, to fight for the top position. Pivec believes that she could provide new strategies and perspectives as well as a different approach to leading the coalition party. Responding to the challenge, Erjavec said DeSUS was a democratic party and that every member was free to bid for the top post. The congress will be held on 17 January, with the deadline for bids being set on Friday. Apart from Erjavec and Pivec, other names have come up as possible candidates vying for the DeSUS top position as well.
Speaker may urge govt to declare climate crisis
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly hosted a debate on climate change that encouraged Speaker Dejan Židan to announce he may call on the government to declare a climate crisis. He expects to receive a number of letters urging him to do so after the discussion. Indeed, Andrej Gnezda of the environmental NGO Umanotera said that more than 230 NGOs had so far called on the government to declare a climate crisis while Environment and Spatial Planning Minister Simon Zajc said that Slovenia already felt the consequences of climate change.
Fiscal Council unhappy with amended budget documents too
LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council repeated its concerns about the risks inherent in the budget documents for the coming two years, even after these have been amended by the government. The government has amended the budget documents for 2020 and 2021 by integrating the effects of the new income tax legislation, and the documents will be debated by the Finance Committee on Friday before being submitted for the final passage at the plenary session of parliament starting on 18 November. However, in a new assessment the Fiscal Council said that there were still discrepancies between the projections of some items and the measures valid or proposed.
SDS deputy Mahnič under fire for "mafia" statement related to top court
LJUBLJANA - Former Constitutional Court judge Matevž Krivic urged the Constitutional Court and President Borut Pahor to bring defamation charges against opposition Democrat (SDS) MP Žan Mahnič for calling the top court "mafia" as Mahnič responsed on Wednesday to the court imposing a temporary injunction preventing a parliamentary inquiry he chairs from investigate prosecutors. Mahnič's comments were also denounced by the State Prosecutors' Association, which labelled them unacceptable. Pahor's office said the president continues to reiterate that everyone, politicians in particular, should refrain from making any statements that could be understood as insulting, intolerant or hostile.
Govt restricting access to classified info
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted amendments to the classified information act in a bid to improve security of such data, with the circle of officials with access being narrowed in line with NATO and EU standards. The government said the major aim was to improve the efficiency of the classified information system and enhance the protection of such data. The bill introduces provisions on protection of classified information in communication and information systems, and sets out explicitly the responsibilities of the relevant government office.
Creative sector seen as a generator of stability
LJUBLJANA - The cultural and creative sector is increasingly becoming a strategic asset, an engine of economic growth and a key generator of social stability, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar stressed as part of the Creative Forum Ljubljana. As Culture Minister Zoran Poznič also addressed a high-level political conference on the third day of the event hosted by the Foreign Ministry, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the German Agency for International Cooperation, Culture Minister Zoran Poznič called for humanisation of technology. The event will close on Friday.
The Login couple again by far wealthiest Slovenians
LJUBLJANA - The total assets of 100 wealthiest Slovenians amount to EUR 5.6 billion, down 2% over 2018, the magazine Manager reported, attributing the drop to a worse outlook for doing business. The spouses Iza Sia Login and Samo Login, the main founders of Outfit7, the company which has developed globally popular apps, continue to top the list for the sixth year running, with their assets estimated at EUR 689 million, the same as in 2018. The wealth of the 2nd placed Sandi Češko and his partner Livija Dolanc, who recently sold their 55% stake in Studio Moderna, an omni-channel retailer, is estimated much lower than that of the Logins, at EUR 296 million, a drop of 11% from last year.
Studio Moderna gets new CEO
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian-founded omni-channel retailer Studio Moderna got a new CEO, as Jan Heere, former global managing director of the cosmetic division at Percassi Group, was appointed to the post. He will succeed Adrian Burleton, who was CEO for the last eight years, and who will go on to become chairman. Prior to his post at Percassi Group, Heere held various senior positions at a Spanish multinational clothing company Inditex, and also served as international director at Marks and Spencer. Studio Moderna, founded in 1992 by Sandi Češko, one of the richest Slovenians, has evolved into a leading omni-channel e-commerce and direct-to-consumer platform in CEE.
Slovenians increasingly eager for fruit
LJUBLJANA - Cereals, vegetables and meat dominate the Slovenian diet, with the consumption of all three food groups staying mostly level last year compared to 2017. Slovenians ate more fruit in 2018 on the annual level - 88 kilos per capita, up 16 kilos on 2017. Domestic fruit growers picked some 192,500 tonnes of fruit last year, with the harvest being five times better compared to the previous year due to favourable weather conditions, the Statistics Office said. Slovenian fruit consumption almost doubled compared to 2017 - some 400,000 tonnes of fruit were consumed in 2018, with the self-sufficiency rate for fruit (47%) increasing by as much as 32 percentage points.
Slovenia's project at Venice architecture biennial about co-op homes
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's showpiece at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice next year will be a project exploring the 70-year history of co-operative homes as centres of small-town social life. The project Common in Community has been created by architects Blaž Babnik Romaniuk and Rastko Pečar and curators Martina Malešič and Asta Vrečko, both art historians, the Culture Ministry announced. The Slovenian pavilion at the Arsenal will be open between 23 May and 29 November 2020, with Matevž Čelik Vidmar, director of the Ljubljana Museum of Architecture and Design, as the commissioner.
Ljubljana Biennial of Design to explore information crisis
LJUBLJANA - The 26th Biennial of Design (BIO 26) got under way in Ljubljana. Running until 9 February under the title Common Knowledge it will explore the information crisis and the struggles of traditional bearers of truth. Elaborating on the concept of BIO 26 for the STA, its curator Thomas Geisler said design, in particular graphic design, had always had the task of translating information and knowledge or visualising complex content.
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
