Austrian citizens may enter Slovenia without restrictions from Friday
LJUBLJANA - The government put Austria on a list of countries whose citizens are free to enter Slovenia without restrictions from midnight, a move that comes after Austria opened its borders for all neighbours bar Italy. Government coronavirus spokesman Jelko Kacin said the National Institute of Public Health is keeping a close eye on the situation and analysing when restrictions might be lifted. He indicated more would be clear when Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio visits on Saturday.
Economy minister's right-hand man resigns
LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek confirmed that his right man Aleš Cantarutti is leaving the ministry. Cantarutti intended to leave the post of state secretary before the change of government but was willing to stay on until the end of the Covid-19 epidemic, Počivalšek said, adding he had decided to return to the corporate sector a while ago. Media had speculated that Cantarutti was leaving over alleged irregularities in the procurement of supplies to fight Covid-19 outbreak.
House searches under way over Adria Airways bankruptcy
LJUBLJANA - The National Bureau of Investigation unofficially conducted house searches in connection to the bankruptcy of the air carrier Adria Airways. The news portal 24ur reported that Adria Airways receiver Janez Pustatičnik had confirmed investigators were searching the company's headquarters. Unofficially, police are looking into suspected abuse of office and business fraud. The company had been owned by German 4K Invest fund before going into receivership in October 2019.
No new coronavirus infections recorded
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has recorded no new coronavirus cases among 828 tests carried out yesterday, fresh data from the government show. Five Covid-19 patients remain in hospital, none of them requiring intensive treatment. The total number of Sars-Cov-2 cases so far confirmed in the country remains at 1,477, but only five cases remain active. The death toll remains at 109.
President's climate change committee resigns over NGOs developments
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor's entire advisory committee on climate change resigned in protest against Pahor's lack of response to recent legislative measures restricting the involvement of NGOs in environmental assessment and building permits procedures. "We had expected he would intervene to at least preserve the status NGOs had before the emergency legislation," said geographer Dušan Plut.
Minority looking forward to return of Trieste National Hall
TRIESTE, Italy - As Italy is expected to symbolically return National Hall in Trieste to the Slovenian minority a hundred years since the then commercial and cultural hub of the Slovenian community in the city was burnt down by the Fascists, ethic Slovenians see the move as a symbolic act of reconciliation and a correction of history. Narodni Dom represents the lungs of the Slovenian community, Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO) head Walter Bandelj told the STA.
Committees reject criticism of Logar's rule-of-law letter
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary committees on foreign policy and EU affairs rejected the left-leaning opposition's criticism of Foreign Minister Anže Logar's disparaging comments on the judiciary that he attached to Slovenia's report for the European Commission's first annual rule of law report. After more than ten hours of debate, the coalition majority instead condemned a letter sent to the Commission by the MEPs of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) which accused Logar of promoting the ruling party's views.
Olaj new state secretary at Interior Ministry
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed former criminal police officer Anton Olaj a new state secretary at the Interior Ministry as on 8 June. Olaj served in the police force from 1981, when he joined a police station in Ljubljana, to 2012, when he finished his police career as Novo Mesto Police Department director. He will succeed Franc Breznik, who resigned in April due to speeding and drunk driving.
Slovenia implemented two-thirds of GRECO recommendations
STRASBOURG, France - Slovenia has implemented two thirds of GRECO's recommendations pertaining to preventing corruption among MPs, judges and prosecutors, which puts it among the top ten countries in terms of implementation, shows a report released by the Council of Europe's (CoE) Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) for 2019. However, Slovenia was one of the 14 countries which did not fully implement a single recommendation for prevention of corruption among MPs.
Court of Audit unhappy with regional development management
LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit found Slovenia's regional development management only partly effective in an audit that included the government, the Economy Ministry and six municipalities in the period between 2014 and 2017. It found that the government failed to define goals and provide concrete guidelines, and failed to establish a comprehensive overview system for reporting on individual issues of regional development. The court issued recommendations on how to amend the situation.
Slovenia seeks balance between transport safety, business sense
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia called for a balance between safety and commercial viability for transport companies as EU ministers in charge of transport debated how to kick-start the transport sector after the coronavirus epidemic. There was agreement about the need to find a compromise solution that would ensure passenger safety and give transport companies a sustainable business model, said Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Aleš Mihelič.
Fraport Slovenija to slash workforce due to Covid-19
BRNIK - Ljubljana airport operator Fraport Slovenija plans to cut staff due to a substantial decline in revenue. Negotiations between the management and in-house trade union will start next week. Faced with large-scale redundancies, the union hopes for solutions and government aid. According to unofficial information, the operator plans to reduce its workforce by 120 - as much as a quarter of the entire staff of 475.
Magna paint shop workers still on furlough
MARIBOR - The majority of just over 200 staff at the Magna Steyr car paint shop near Maribor remain on furlough until the end of June, just as the Environment Agency has started processing the company's application for an environment permit for an extension of the investment, two years since it was filed, the newspaper Večer reported. The exiting facility paints cars assembled in the Magna plant in Graz, Austria, which reportedly produces only a minimal number of cars at the moment.
Hit opening casinos on Austrian border
NOVA GORICA - Gaming company Hit announced that it will open its casinos on the Austrian border on Saturday. The decision, coming as most restrictions for tourism services have been lifted and as Austria is fully opening its border with Slovenia, means Hit's Mond casino and hotel in Šentilj, as well as its Korona and Casino Larix units in Kranjska Gora will open for business again. Its casinos on the Italian border will remain closed for now.
Luka Koper signs construction contracts for container pier extension
KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper and construction company Kolektor Koling signed a building contract for the extension of the Koper port's first pier, a project worth EUR 45.6 million. The first phase entails the pier extension by 98.5 metres in length and 34.4 metres in width and is to be completed by March 2021. The second phase entails the construction of 24,830 square metres of storage area on the south side of the pier is to be finished in early 2022.
Elektro Ljubljana happy with 2019 operations despite drop in profit
LJUBLJANA - Elektro Ljubljana, the largest of the five companies managing Slovenia's electricity distribution network, generated EUR 13.9 million in net profit in 2019, a 18% drop on 2018 that the company also attributes to divestment of non-core assets. Elektro Ljubljana spent almost EUR 40 million on investment, a record in the last ten years. CEO Andrej Ribič said he was happy with the investment executed.
Slovenian cities vying to join 100 Intelligent Cities
CELJE - A consortium of eleven Slovenian cities has applied for an open call for the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge, a programme funded by the European Commission. The initiative aims to set up a network of 100 innovative and smart cities that could help develop new technologies and sustainable strategies. The group comprises Celje, Ljubljana, Maribor, Kranj, Koper, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Velenje and Murska Sobota.
Comprehensive culture study reveals sector's significance
LJUBLJANA - The first comprehensive national analysis of the culture and creative sector showed the industry employs almost 72,000 workers or 7% of Slovenia's workforce, and generates almost 3% of GDP, more than the chemical industry, for instance. The study is to help culture stakeholders to plan new policies. The analysis had been commissioned by Centre for Creativity at the Museum of Architecture and Design from Ljubljana's Institute for Economic Research.
Bor Turel honoured with composers' award
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Composers' Association presented the Kozina Award for 2020 to Bor Turel, one of the pioneers of electroacoustic and experimental music in Slovenia. Turel was honoured for his all-round oeuvre of electroacoustic music, including electroacoustic compositions, radiophonic musical pieces and ars acustica pieces. His compositions have been performed at major international contemporary music festivals, including those in Paris and Cologne.
Ding Dong Stories declared best children's book
LJUBLJANA - Ding Dong Zgodbe (Ding Dong Stories) by Jana Bauer, illustrated by Bojana Dimitrovski, has won the Desetnica Prize for the best children's and youth book of the last three years. Published in 2018, the six short stories bring adventures of a little girl hidden behind blue doors and a boy peaking behind red doors. The transition from reality into a fantasy world is always marked by a door bell.
Top footballers all given clean bill of health
LJUBLJANA - A day before the Telekom Slovenije League football championship matches resume, the Slovenian Football Association (NZS) announced that all players had been given a clean bill of health after being tested for Covid-19. Players and staff from ten first-division teams as well as referees were swabbed on Wednesday, with all tests coming back negative.
