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This summary is provided by the STA:
First case of coronavirus confirmed among pupils schools reopened
MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - A pupil at the Ludvik Pliberšek Primary School in Maribor tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in what is the first positive case among children after they started returning to school on 18 May. The 17 classmates of the infected third-grader, who was asymptomatic, and their teacher were sent into a two-week quarantine, while the remaining pupils at the school will continue going to class. Mario Fafangel of the National Institute of Public Health said this was probably a case of an infection contracted within the family. Slovenia registered two new infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1,475. The death toll remained unchanged at 109.
More than 1,000 police officers dispatched to southern border
KOČEVJE - Over 1,000 additional police officers were dispatched to Slovenia's border with Croatia to tight border control until Friday. The aim of the four-day campaign, ordered by acting Police Commissioner Anton Travner, is to show migrants and smugglers that an attempt to enter Slovenia does not pay off, Deputy Police Commissioner Jože Senica said. According to police data, there are more than 10,000 migrants in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina who want to continue their journey to the EU. He said the number of people on the Balkan migration route had increased in the past two weeks after countries started lifting restrictions they had had in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
SAB latest to reject Janša's proposal for partnership
LJUBLJANA - The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) rejected the offer for a partnership agreement on key legislation proposed by PM Janez Janša, joining the other left-leaning opposition parties in opposing the proposal which is now apparently only supported by the National Party (SNS). The SAB executive committee decided not to join because there have been too many mistakes and divisions created by the government or the ruling Democrats (SDS) for SAB to formally sign the agreement. Party leader Alenka Bratušek said "the proposal itself is not too bad, but the circumstances around it are", but announced the party was still willing to cooperate, yet on a case-by-case basis.
Diplomat says Trump's response to George Floyd case could haunt him
LJUBLJANA - Božo Cerar, a former Slovenian ambassador to the US, assessed that President Donald Trump should have immediately condemned the death of African American George Floyd, which has sparked mass protests around the US. The failure to do so could come back to haunt him in the presidential election in November, diminishing his chance of re-election. Cerar told the STA commenting on the protests that the US had been dealing with incidents such as the "manslaughter of African American George Floyd for years". He believes the American society should treating all human beings as equal regardless of the colour of their skin. "I think that they are in for a lot of work, education, teaching by example. This cannot be achieved over night, but one needs to start somewhere."
Two members of bad bank's management board dismissed
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Tomaž Besek and Mitja Križaj as non-executive directors on the management board of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) and appointed Alenka Urnaut Ropoša and Boris Novak to replace them, serving from 3 June until the end of 2022. The government provided no explanation for the replacements. Novak is director general of the state-owned postal operator Pošta Slovenije, a member of the supervisory board of the lottery operator Športna Loterija and the chief supervisor of the logistics company Intereuropa. Urnaut Ropoša owns the real estate agency Renova Real and is also a certified real estate appraiser, according to the company's website. Under the current version of the BAMC law, the bad bank is set to wrap up its operations at the end of 2022.
Slovenia spent EUR 54m on protective equipment during epidemic
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia purchased EUR 54.4 million worth of protective equipment through the national Agency for Commodity Reserves during the epidemic. Between 14 March and 31 May, the agency signed 64 contracts worth EUR 184 million, which includes contracts that were subsequently annulled or not realised. The combined value of outstanding contracts currently stands at EUR 89 million, but all open orders will probably not be fully realised. Now that the epidemic is officially over, the procurement of protective equipment was transferred back onto health institutions.
Two biggest banks to lay off about 10% of employees
MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's two biggest banks, NLB and NKBM, continue to cut their workforce as part of their plans to streamline operations in the face of growing digital service use by clients and banking sector consolidation. NKBM and Abanka, which will be merged by the end of the year, currently employ about 2,090 people, while another 160 work at NKBM's leasing arm Summit Leasing. Unofficial sources say that some 250 employees are to be laid off in the coming months. Meanwhile, the newspaper Finance reported NLB planned to lay off over 300 employees out of a total of 2,650 by the end of 2020, while NLB told the STA its medium-term plan as regards the number of employees remained unchanged - 20% or over 500 people are to be let go.
Two bidders vying for Telekom's Planet TV, unofficial report says
LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian channel TV2, whose owner is associated with the Fidesz party, and Croatian entrepreneur Ivan Ćaleta are bidding to purchase Planet TV, the troubled subsidiary of telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije which produces the eponymous TV channel, reported web portal Necenzurirano, citing an unofficial source. According to newspaper Delo, Planet TV has cost Telekom Slovenije EUR 80 million in the form of capital injections, advertisements, loans and other services since it was launched in September 2012, and has operated in the red all the time.
Slovenia pledges EUR 20,000 for Yemen
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Slovenia pledged EUR 20,000 in an online donor conference for Yemen, launched by the Saudi Arabia and the UN. The conference aims to get pledges for US$2.4 billion to ensure humanitarian aid to the war-torn country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Slovenia pledged to provide the funds through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. Since 2016, it has provided EUR 280,000 for Yemen.
Slovenian, Italian epidemiologists OK with border opening
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian and Italian epidemiologists said after they met in Ljubljana they had no major reservations regarding the opening of borders between the two countries, given that both Slovenia and Italy had a good epidemiological situation. However, the decision is to be made by the Slovenian and Italian governments. Slovenian government coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin meanwhile said the border with Italy would be open when the National Institute of Public Health assessed the epidemiological situation in Italy was good enough to allow free movement, and when a subsequent political decision on this was made. He also said the Italian government was expected to abolish the 14-day quarantine requirement for Italian citizens returning from Slovenia.
PM Janša announces digitalisation push
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced a major digitalisation effort that would accompany the cutting of red tape in the public administration, telling Nova24TV on Monday evening that the first major steps should be taken this year. "Modern technologies make it possible to speed up procedures," he said. Digitalisation will also be accelerated in the educational system. According to Janša, the Education Ministry is working on a proposal to provide laptops for students and move workbooks online.
Public transport providers urge relaxing Covid-19 rules
LJUBLJANA - Public road transport providers associated in two major employer organisations called on authorities to take a more pragmatic approach as regards coronavirus precautionary measures in passenger transport now that the epidemic is over, or else over 3,000 jobs in coach transport could be at risk. The public transport providers at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and Chamber of Small Business (OZS) criticised the strict measures as out of touch with reality, giving as an example a van, in which only two passengers can be transported at a time. Public transport was relaunched on 11 May.
Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires increases revenue, sales in the region
KRANJ - The Kranj-based Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires saw its net sales revenue rise by 2.6% to almost EUR 226 million last year. The company attributes the rise to higher sales in the local Adriatic markets (+6.8%), higher prices and a structured sales programme. Net profit rose from EUR 6.55 million in 2018 to EUR 8.02 million last year, but this is mainly due to deferred taxes. Operating profit dropped by 17.8%, from EUR 6.89 million to EUR 5.66 million, largely due to higher tyre production costs caused by higher costs of raw materials.
Small business struggling with drop in orders, layoffs expected
LJUBLJANA - About a third of small businesses in Slovenia believe they will have to cut jobs as a result of the coronavirus crisis, as orders are expected to remain significantly lower in the coming three months, showed a survey by the Chamber of Small Business (OZS). The chamber said 97% of the 1,510 sole traders and small businesses that participated in the survey are experiencing the impact of the crisis and 91% expect the drop in orders to persist in the coming months.
Car sales bounce back in May after April slump
LJUBLJANA - Car sales in Slovenia picked up in May due to substantial discounts after the automotive industry was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus crisis. In the first five months of 2020, sales were down by 37% year-on-year. Between January and May this year, 21,440 new vehicles were registered - 37.2% less than in the same period in 2019, the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (TZS) said. In May alone, almost 5,090 cars were sold, down 31.7% compared to the same month in 2019.
Footballers to get tested before national league resumes
LJUBLJANA - Players of the clubs participating in the first Slovenian football league will get tested for the new coronavirus on Wednesday, in what is an announcement by the Slovenian Football Association (NZS) coming virtually at an eleventh hour as games are scheduled to resume on Friday. The mandatory testing is part of the latest instructions for the clubs, issued on Monday, and testing will be carried out it two areas in Slovenia tomorrow. Games will be played without spectators and the first Slovenian league is expected to be concluded on 22 June.
Ljubljana Festival going ahead with opera star Anna Netrebko
LJUBLJANA - The 68th Ljubljana Festival will go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus crisis, taking place in Ljubljana between 2 July and 30 August. Cancellations by acclaimed ensembles have been replaced by sought-after performers, such as opera star Anna Netrebko and the Milan La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. "The Ljubljana Festival team has prepared a programme that is in no way corona-like regarding its quality," Darko Brlek, the festival's director and artistic director, said as he addressed Tuesday's press conference.
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