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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:
Photographer and ballet dancer win this year's Prešeren Prize
LJUBLJANA - Photographer Stojan Kerbler, 81, and ballet dancer and choreographer Milko Šparemblek, 91, are the winners of this year's Prešeren Prize for lifetime accomplishments in the arts. The Prešeren Fund Prizes for achievements in the past three years will go to graphic designer Nejc Prah, actress Nina Ivanišin, composer and accordionist Luka Juhart, film director Rok Biček, translator Suzana Koncut and costume designer Alan Hranitelj, the Prešeren Fund Committee announced. According to tradition, the awards ceremony will be held on 7 February, the eve of Culture Day.
Pahor rejects criticism over Iraq troop withdrawal
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor sought to counter mounting criticism following the decision to bring back the six Slovenian troops serving in Iraq, rejecting the allegation that the move tarnished the reputation of the country and its armed forces. The decision to bring the rotation back early from Erbil in the wake of the Iranian attacks on the air base there, "was right in the context of all circumstances", Pahor said in a video address. "The main reason was the fact that conditions were not met for them to perform their mission, which is to train the Kurdish security forces."
Šarec tells Janša there are no reasons for government collapse
LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec told today's Delo there was no reason for his government to fall, as he responded to an assessment by opposition Democrat (SDS) leader Janez Janša that the coalition was clinically dead. He also noted Janša had had the opportunity to form a government after the 2018 election but had rejected it. While he admitted problems did exist, Šarec said that "if all of us worked for the same goal, we would be able to solve many of these problems".
President consulting parties on EU General Court judges
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor started consultations with parliamentary factions to determine which candidates for two slots on the EU General Court in Luxembourg reserved for Slovenia enjoy support in parliament, but statements by deputy group leaders indicate everything remains open for now. The three candidates backed by the Judicial Council - Klemen Podobnik, Nina Savin Bossière and Jure Vidmar - are the favourites, as three coalition parties and one opposition party support either all three or at least two of them. But the conservative opposition refrained from naming any favourites, and highlighted potential problems in the selection criteria.
Group fighting church sex abuse calls for resignation of Archbishop Zore
LJUBLJANA - A Catholic civil society group dedicated to fighting sexual abuse in the Slovenian Roman Catholic Church called for the resignation of Slovenia's most senior cleric, Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore, due to the church's persistent failure to tackle sexual abuse allegations. The Dovolj.je (It's Enough) group has so far received 38 reports by victims against 22 priests. The Slovenian Bishops' Conference rejected the call as "unfounded", saying it was under Zore's chairmanship of the conference that the church had continued taking action against sexual abuse.
Competitiveness among main goals of farming development strategy
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Agriculture Committee debated a future agriculture and food production strategy, expressing support for the document while pointing to the issue of small size of Slovenian farms, age structure of farmers and the lack of competitiveness of Slovenia's agriculture sector. Presenting the draft resolution on the national programme on strategic guidelines for the development of Slovenian agriculture and food production, Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec said the main goals were resilient and competitive growing and processing of food and sustainable management of natural resources.
Government drafts 30-year spatial development strategy
LJUBLJANA - A spatial development strategy until 2050, a 85-page document drafted by the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry, entered a two-month public consultation period. Minister Simon Zajc said it provided a vision, goals and concept of the country's spatial development, addressing numerous trends related to demographic and climate changes. The ministry expects it to be passed in parliament by the end of the year.
Eritreans protest against rejection of asylum applications
LJUBLJANA - A group of five Eritrean citizens whose asylum applications were rejected in December staged a protest in Ljubljana to point to what they believe is systematic rejection of Eritreans by state authorities, whose decisions suggest that Eritrea is a safe country while it is actually among the most repressive regimes in the world. The protesters and their supporters highlighted the fact that Slovenia had until recently been granting international protection to Eritrean citizens as part of the EU relocation scheme. The Interior Ministry rejected the allegations about unprofessional and politically motivated decisions, adding all applications were treated individually and all personal circumstances of every applicant were considered.
Provocative Christmas tweet sparks protest
LJUBLJANA - Several hundred people turned up to protest in front of Government Palace over a single provocative Christmas Eve Twitter post by Education Ministry State Secretary Jernej Štromajer that conservatives have interpreted as deriding Christmas and Christians. The protesters, a mix of Christian conservatives and right wing politicians, carried banners with slogans such as "We're not giving up Christmas", "Shame on you, Jernej" and "We're not filthy animals," as they called for his resignation. They said the activities will continue until he steps down.
Počivalšek offers support for Albanian tourism after quake
TIRANA, Albania - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek attended a regional tourism summit in Albania dedicated to solidarity and sustainability, at which he was one of the introductory speakers, according to today's release from his ministry. The event, hosted by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment, discussed the experience Albanian providers of accommodation for tourists had with the recent earthquake. Počivalšek also met Minister for the Protection of Entrepreneurship Eduard Shalsi.
NLB asset managing arm looks back on successful year
LJUBLJANA - NLB Skladi, the asset management arm of NLB bank, attained a market share in excess of 34% in 2019, the largest among all Slovenian mutual funds, managing more than EUR 1 billion in mutual funds. Slovenian mutual fund managers saw assets under their watch rise by more than 20% last year to EUR 3.01 billion. The bulk of the growth was generated through an increase in the value of investment, with net payments into the funds amounting to EUR 83.6 million, NLB Skladi told the press.
Ljubljana airport passenger traffic down 5%
BRNIK - The Ljubljana international airport saw a 5% drop in passenger traffic in 2019 over 2018, welcoming some 1.72 million of passengers, its operator Fraport Slovenija said. The downturn coincided with flag carrier Adria Airways going into receivership at the end of September. In December, the airport recorded an almost 22% drop in passenger traffic, with cargo traffic decreasing by 2.5%. At the annual level, the latter decreased by 8%.
Average salaries up in November
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's average net pay for November was EUR 1,235, up by 10% in nominal terms and 9.9% in real terms compared to October. Year on year, it rose by 4.1% nominally and 2.7% in real terms. The surge was due to extra payments at the end of 2019, such as Christmas and performance bonuses, shows the Statistics Office data. Meanwhile, the average gross pay rose by 9% nominally to EUR 1,898, up 8.9% in real terms compared to October.
Road traffic safety declined in 2019
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's road safety statistics for 2019 shows a 12% rise in the number of road traffic deaths - more than 100 persons lost their lives in road accidents, mostly due to drink driving, speeding and reckless driving. Drivers under influence caused more than 1,520 accidents, killing some 30 persons, a slight rise compared to 2018. The Traffic Agency highlighted the importance of raising awareness about responsible driving, as it presented the statistics.
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