Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 12 May 2020

By , 12 May 2020, 08:51 AM News
Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 12 May 2020 Flickr - kishjar CC-by-2.0

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Government lifts ban on passenger air transport

LJUBLJANA - The government allowed resumption of passenger flights from EU and third countries to Slovenia's international airports from Tuesday. The ban on flights from abroad to local airports remains in place until 12 June. Restrictions on international passenger air transport were initially introduced on 17 March to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. Ljubljana airport has prepared safety measures to accept passengers, but said most carriers had suspended flights until the end of May.

Public transport resumes

LJUBLJANA - Public transport started running again after nearly two months. The relaunch will be gradual and restrictive measure have been put in place to ensure social distancing is observed. Passengers have to disinfect their hands upon entry, wear a face mask and keep a safety distance of at least 1.5 metres to each other, with signs indicating which seats must remain vacant. Buses are outfitted with special barriers for drivers. There were few passengers at launch, but their numbers are expected to gradually increase as more businesses reopen.

Parliament raises 2020 budget spending cap by EUR 2 billion

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to a document capping general government spending, so as to allow the government to draft a supplementary budget for this year to accommodate measures to help the nation overcome the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. The government plans to have the supplementary budget ready before summer. Total general government spending is to increase from EUR 21.48 billion to EUR 23.63 billion with state budget expenditure now capped at EUR 12.525 billion.

In letter to EU, FM highlights long proceedings, biased judges

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar highlighted long procedures, failure to implement Constitutional Court rulings and biased judges in a letter supplementing an interministerial report on the rule of law the government sent to the European Commission. He also noted Slovenia had lost a number of cases at the European Court of Human Rights and argued the prosecution of bank crime was ineffective and the appearance of impartiality was not honoured in the judiciary. Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlović said she did not deem Logar's comment necessary and the Supreme Court was taken aback by it, while the opposition Left wants it debated by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee.

Three new Covid-19 cases confirmed for total of 1,460, no new deaths

LJUBLJANA - Three new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Sunday as 537 people were tested, which takes the total number so far to 1,460. No deaths were recorded, meaning the death toll remains at 102, shows data released by the government. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals increased by one to 42, ten of whom are in intensive care.

FM promotes bolstering cooperation with Poland

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz agreed in a videoconference that bilateral as well as regional and panregional cooperation between the two countries should be further strengthened. Poland and Slovenia are EU partners and NATO allies and share numerous views and standpoints on key international issues, said the Foreign Ministry. In terms of regional cooperation, the ministers noted the Three Seas initiative and the Visegrad Group efforts.

Coalition preparing new stimulus measures, backs Počivalšek

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The four coalition parties met at Brdo estate to discuss topical issues, announcing that a third package of measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis would start to be drafted next week. The measures would be aimed at the most affected sectors, such as tourism, and tackle red tape. The coalition also agreed to stand firmly behind Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who is facing a opposition-sponsored motion of no confidence.

Employers happy with government support so far

LJUBLJANA - Five employer associations and chambers expressed support for the government efforts to mitigate the economic fallout from the coronavirus epidemic. They think the measures introduced so far have been timely and appropriate, and they are ready to cooperate in working out the third stimulus package. The statement was signed by the heads of the Employers' Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business, Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Employers in Craft and Small Business of Slovenia.

Govt rating drops significantly in Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - The latest poll conducted by Mediana for the newspaper Delo shows that, following a high mark for the Janez Janša in the first full month in office in April, the share of those who support it dropped in May. Support for the Democrats (SDS) is also down, but the ruling party is still ahead of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ). The poll sees slightly more than 31% of the respondents assessing the government's work as positive or very positive, which is 13 percentage points less than in April.

Deferral requested for 3% of all loans

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian borrowers have made 22,230 requests for the deferral of loan payments in a month, or 3.3% of all bank loans, show central bank data. The vast majority of the requests, almost 16,000, were from households. Micro, small and medium-sized companies made almost 6,500 requests, while large enterprises put in 154. Creditors are able to request loan deferral under an emergency law that entered into effect in late March to help people and companies weather the coronavirus crisis.

Industrial output in March lowest in almost three years

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output in March, half of which was affected by measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic, was lowest since July 2017. Compared to February, industrial output in Slovenia was down by 10.7%, the largest monthly drop since November 2008, as output in manufacturing decreased by 12.2%. Sales revenue in industry was was down by 14.2% to hit the lowest level since April 2017.

AmCham survey: companies in Slovenia expect 15% revenue drop

LJUBLJANA - Companies operating in Slovenia can expect a 15% drop in revenue this year, a 6% cut in labour force and a 13% drop in investment, a survey conducted by AmCham Slovenija suggests. The hardest hit are the automotive and transport sectors, manufacturing, services, media and education. The survey among AmCham members also revealed that companies in chemistry and health sectors were seeing positive trends. Almost 30% of the companies surveyed expect cash flow problems over the next three months.

Overseas Security Advisory Council office opens in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - AmCham Slovenija and the US Embassy in Ljubljana opened an office of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), a public-private global security partnership, in Ljubljana. Slovenia has thus joined more than 140 countries around the world with an OSAC office. The OSAC was created in 1985 to promote security cooperation between American private-sector interests worldwide and the US Department of State. US Ambassador Lynda Blanchard was quoted in an AmCham release as saying that the partnership will ensure effective security collaboration between local businesses and the US Embassy.

Top football league may resumed in early June

LJUBLJANA - There is still hope for football lovers in Slovenia that the season at the top level may be resumed. Depending on the situation related to the coronavirus epidemic and provided the government's go-ahead for competitions at the top level, the premier league will continue at the beginning of June, the executive committee of the Slovenian Football Association (NZS) said. It also decided that the second league for men and the first league for women have ended.

Mountaineering legend Tone Škarja dies

LJUBLJANA - Tone Škarja, a professional climber considered one of the pillars of Slovenian mountaineering, died. The 83-year-old, famous for numerous challenging expeditions, was also a mountain guide, author and photographer. Škarja, who had been a member of the organisation since 1951, completed more than 1,000 alpine ascents, including participating in more than 30 trailblazing expeditions. He was part of the Yugoslavian Mount Everest expedition in 1979.

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