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:
Croatia's outgoing president to visit Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will visit Slovenia on Wednesday to meet President Borut Pahor in her last trip as president. The working and informal meeting will be the culmination of the pair's intense dialogue, said Pahor's office. The exact date of the meeting has not yet been given, but it is expected to take place by the end of this week. Croatia's new president, Zoran Milanović will be sworn in on 18 February. He is yet to decide which country to visit first.
Cerar attends business conference in Istanbul
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Outgoing Foreign Minister Miro Cerar took part in a business conference in Istanbul held as part of his two-day visit to Turkey. Cerar, who met his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Monday, noted the importance of commercial diplomacy, which the country plans to enhance further. He also met Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Kasapoglu, a co-chair of the bilateral commission on economic cooperation, with the pair expressing interest in business cooperation in third countries.
Speaker in N Macedonia as NATO accession protocol ratified
SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan addressed the North Macedonian parliament as it ratified the country's NATO accession protocol as the only foreign guest. In his speech, Židan reiterated that Slovenia supported North Macedonia's accession to both NATO and the EU. Židan also met President Stevo Pandarovski and Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski, and attended the signing of a EUR 2 million development cooperation memorandum for 2020 and 2021.
SDS in talks in a bid to form new government
LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS) responded to speculation about a second round of coalition talks with the Modern Centre Party (SMC), New Slovenia (NSi) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) by saying the talks had been under way since last Friday and would continue in the coming days. The SMC, NSi and DeSUS have been tight-lipped about the talks. The SDS said it was not clear yet whether a third round of talks, which is to discuss responsibilities within a new government, would be held or not. Meanwhile, outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has not given up the possibility of an alliance with the SMC in case of a snap election.
Hungarian funding for media close to SDS under spotlight
LJUBLJANA - The public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported that the National Bureau of Investigation is investigating the funding of some media outlets close to the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS). The media are suspected of having received funding from Hungarian business people with close ties to Fidesz, the party of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. The web portal necenzurirano.si reported on Monday that EUR 4 million had been transferred since August 2018 from accounts in the UK and Hungary to accounts in Slovenia.
Pahor puts forward three candidates for EU General Court
LJUBLJANA - Following talks with parties, President Borut Pahor put forward to parliament three candidates for two Slovenian judges at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg, backing Klemen Podobnik, Nina Savin Bossiere and Jure Vidmar, who had also received the endorsement of the Judicial Council. To be appointed, candidates need the support of a majority of all MPs, whereupon they are interviewed by a special vetting committee in Brussels, which failed to endorse a Slovenian candidate in 2019.
Industry endorses national energy and climate plan
LJUBLJANA - The Energy Industry Chamber endorsed the draft national energy and climate plan which sets out measures for energy and climate change mitigation until 2030. But it also raised some issues, including the absence in the plan of new hydro power plants and a new reactor at the Krško Nuclear Power Station. There are also no guidelines on how gas would replace fossil fuel at the TEŠ thermal power plant, the chamber's head Marjan Eberlinc said.
Final vacancies filled on Petrol board
LJUBLJANA - After the appointment of Nada Drobne Popovič as the CEO of energy group Petrol in January, the supervisory board filled the remaining two vacancies on the management board on Monday by appointing Matija Bitenc and Jože Bajuk board members effective on 11 March. Presenting the new management's strategy, Drobne Popovič said Petrol would continue its transformation from a fuel retailer to an energy company. EBIT is projected to top EUR 200 million and net profit EUR 100 million in 2020.
Parliamentary committee asks police for Roma settlements security report
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Interior Affairs Committee unanimously called on the police force to draw up a report on the security situation in areas with Roma communities and a proposal for systemic changes to improve it. Subcommittee chair Predrag Baković, a SocDems MP who dealt with Roma issue throughout his pre-parliamentary career, recently told the STA that the subcommittee, which comprises MPs from areas with Roma communities, had been receiving many letters and calls from local communities and civil initiatives to address the topic, and that trust in institutions was poor.
Gender stereotypes, bias holding back women in science
LJUBLJANA - Women remain under-represented in scientific and technical professions, especially at senior levels. Unconscious bias, double standards and gender stereotypes are some of the reasons why headway towards gender equality in this field remains sluggish. The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia's largest, has been dominated by men since it was established a century ago. The latest figures show the ratio of men to women among faculty is roughly 60:40, with the share of women declining further up the career ladder.
Seed producer Semenarna taken over by Serbia's Agromarket
LJUBLJANA - Semenarna, the biggest seed producer in the country, has been sold to the Serbian Dušan Mojsilović businessman and his Agromarket company, which will make the latter one of the biggest seed producers and sellers in the region, the newspaper Delo reported. Mojsilović unofficially paid EUR 5.5 million for Semenarna along with the claims held by Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), the bad bank.
Contemporary Austrian art on show in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Contemporary Austrian art was put on show at Galerija Vžigalica in Ljubljana, presenting "contemporary artistic positions" by artists from the state of Carinthia. Running until 15 March, the show is a collaboration with the Klagenfurt University's Universitätskulturzentrum UNIKUM, which has been producing contemporary art projects outside established cultural institutions since 1987.
Couch Festival bringing cultural revolution to living rooms
LJUBLJANA - The sub-cultural Couch Festival, dedicated to various genres of music and performative arts, kicked off in Ljubljana, featuring 130 events at some 90 venues. Running until Saturday, the festival brings musicians, puppeteers and other performers from Slovenia and abroad to public spaces as well as people's homes, fusing cosy, intimate settings and quality artistic 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
