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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:
Taiwanese diplomat sees room to grow relations
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Taiwan do not have diplomatic ties, but this does not mean they cannot strengthen cooperation, Vanessa Shih of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Austria, told the STA. The 23-million nation provides great business opportunities for Slovenian companies, she believes. Shih expressed regret that she has only limited access to Slovenian authorities. She has had some contact with Slovenian government representatives but not complete access to ministries and government offices and believes that the Chinese embassy in Ljubljana is the likely reason for this situation.
Šarec: Slovenia no exception in terms of third-country immigrants
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is no exception when it comes to immigrants from third countries, it is "the same in some other parts of the EU", PM Marjan Šarec said in parliament as he answered an opposition MP's question about an alleged major rise in third-country immigrants in Slovenia. Zmago Jelinčič of the National Party (SNS) also warned about a consequent rise in social transfers claimed by foreigners. Šarec admitted some might abuse the permanent or temporary residence procedure to claim benefits, but stressed the state had been dealing with this issue for some time.
Refund initiative for foreign film productions showing promise
LJUBLJANA - A 25% refund incentive for foreign film productions choosing Slovenian locations, which was introduced in Slovenia in 2017, is already yielding results. The Slovenian Film Centre (SFC) said EUR 775,000 had been refunded for EUR 3.1 million in total production costs last year and that similar figures were expected this year. The first call, which was published in 2017 and enabled the drawing of funds for in 2018, attracted producers from Italy, the Philippines, Croatia, Serbia, Korea, the US and the UK, the SFC told the STA, explaining the productions ranged from large-scale to TV series.
Quantity of municipal waste increasing, recycling rate too
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office warned that the quantity of municipal waste generated in Slovenia is increasing, standing at 495 kilos per capita, 13% more than in 2014. However, the rate of recycled municipal waste was also up between 2014 and 2017, rising by 22 percentage points. The quantity of municipal waste generated in households increased by 18% between 2014 and 2018, but the office is not surprised by the increase in the face of a consumer-oriented society.
Grid operator ELES launches high-tech analytics centre
DOL PRI LJUBLJANI - National grid operator ELES officially launched a high-tech diagnostics and analytics centre designed to provide a systematic approach to energy infrastructure management. The primary goals include the planing, construction, expansion, modification and maintenance of energy infrastructure, the head of the centre Uroš Kerin told the press. By making use of the digital potential, the objective is to monitor the efficiency of the network in real time, optimise costs and also find optimal solution in crisis moments.
Ljubljana city green-lights construction of new prison
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana city council unanimously endorsed a decree on the municipal zoning plan to allow the government to build a new men's prison in Dobrunje on the eastern outskirts of Ljubljana. The new facility will accommodate 388 inmates and is to replace the prison in Povšetova Street in Ljubljana, the occupancy rate of which ranges from 110 to 120%. The investment is estimated at around EUR 68 million. The Justice Ministry hopes construction could start in 2021.
Higher court annuls Electa Holding's simplified debt restructuring
LJUBLJANA - The Higher Court in Ljubljana annulled the simplified debt restructuring of Electa Holding, the partner company of the Electa group owned by the sons of Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković. Electa Holding's simplified debt restructuring was backed by the Ljubljana District Court in late-August, as the holding wanted to do away with EUR 7 million in debt. As a result, its creditors would get repaid only 5% of their claims by the end of 2021, which is only a fraction compared to a full-fledged debt restructuring. The same procedure was endorsed for another two companies from the group, Electa Inženiring and Electa Naložbe, with around EUR 29 million in total debt written off.
Slovenia one of safest countries for travellers
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is one of the safest countries in the world for travellers, faring very well in all three key indicators - security, medical risks and road safety, shows a risk world map for 2020 released by SOS International, an NGO. On a 1-5 scale for security, Slovenia places among only a handful of European countries with "insignificant" travel security risks alongside Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Greenland. The country also places highest in the category of medical risks.
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