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This summary is provided by the STA:
Another school class quarantined as pupil tests positive
LJUBLJANA - A Jesenice primary school year-two class was placed under quarantine for two weeks after one of the pupils tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The pupil was tested after her mum, a nurse at the Jesenice general hospital tested positive on Thursday. None of her workmates or the patients she had been in contact with have so far tested positive, but six staff were quarantined. The nurse was one of the two new cases confirmed on Thursday, bringing the total of cases to 1,479. Six Covid-19 patients are treated in hospitals, none requiring intensive care. Out of some 500 self-pay tests performed in May, none came back positive.
Slovenia against mandatory migrant quotas for EU countries
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Seven EU members, including Slovenia, addressed a letter to the European Commission expressing their resolute opposition to compulsory redistribution of migrants among EU countries. Apart from Slovenia, the letter was signed by the Visegrad four - Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Estonia and Latvia. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said the idea was to clearly say in advance a compulsory redistribution was unacceptable, so a different solution had to be sought.
Slovenia finds epidemiological situation should be criteria for opening EU borders
BRUSSELS, Belgium - A videoconference of the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council dedicated to control of internal borders heard that there must be no discrimination based on citizenship when the bloc's borders reopen, but Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said Slovenia thinks the epidemiological situation of third countries and reciprocity must be taken into account to the largest possible extent. Slovenia is keen to open borders to citizens from the Western Balkans.
US ambassador: Those responsible for George Floyd's death will face justice
LJUBLJANA - Commenting on current mass protests and widespread unrest in the US, US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda C. Blanchard said that those responsible for the death of George Floyd would be held accountable. "None are above the law, and those responsible for this tragedy will face justice," Blanchard was quoted as saying in a press release. "I join Americans across our nation as we grieve the senseless, tragic death of George Floyd. The United States believes that those charged with ensuring the security of their communities should always be held accountable when they violate that trust," the ambassador said.
Controversy as ban lifted on Croatia nationalist singer's concert
LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - The Interior Ministry's decision to annul the Maribor administrative unit's ban on a concert by Marko Perković - Thompson, a Croatian nationalist singer, raised controversy with all centre-left parties, including those that make part of the ruling coalition asserting that Thompson as a person inciting intolerance should not be welcome in Slovenia. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said the ministry had assessed that the concert was organised to make money not commit crime.
Slovenian minority reps in Ljubljana on the eve of Di Maio visit
LJUBLJANA - Several representatives of the Slovenian ethnic minority in Italy visited Ljubljanabefore Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio's visit to discuss open issues with President Borut Pahor, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch. The expected restitution of National Hall topped the agenda. Italy is expected to return the minority's former commercial and cultural centre in Trieste by the end of this year.
Ministry orders oversight at care homes during epidemic
LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry ordered "extraordinary systemic oversight" at eleven care homes around the country to establish whether the elderly there received adequate medical treatment during the Covid-19 epidemic. The oversight will be carried out by the Medical Chamber and the Chamber of Nurses and Midwives. The Medical Chamber had proposed oversight after media reports alleging lists of the elderly were being compiled to establish which one of them was to be sent to hospital if they fell ill with the coronavirus and which not.
Over 140 illegal migrants apprehended since Tuesday
LJUBLJANA - Police identified 144 persons who crossed into Slovenia from Croatia illegally from Tuesday until Friday - during a four-day enhanced policing of the southern border. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs already announced that such surveillance will continue. Over 1,000 additional police officers were sent to the border with Croatia for the four days to let smugglers and migrants know the border is tightly secured.
Cycle protests continue in bad weather
LJUBLJANA - Despite the stormy weather, anti-government protesters on bicycles hit the streets of several Slovenian towns for the seventh consecutive Friday, the biggest crowd rallying in the capital Ljubljana. The initiatives organising the protests decided that next Friday the protest will be held on foot rather than on bicycles to allow everyone to take part in a demonstration against authoritarian politics.
Fiscal Council's estimate of 3rd package much lower than govt's
LJUBLJANA - While the government has estimated that the third stimulus package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus fallout will cost the budget around one billion euro, the Fiscal Council said its first estimate was only EUR 561 million or 1.2% of Slovenia's GDP. The package, whose main measures are subsidies for short-time work and tourism vouchers, had been initially estimated at EUR 1 billion, and later changes were made in the parliamentary procedure which could have additional impact on the budget.
C-bank head confident ECB measures are helping economy recovery
LJUBLJANA - As the European Central Bank (ECB) almost doubled its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme to EUR 1,350 billion, Banka Slovenije governor Boštjan Vasle assessed that, barring new complications in healthcare, the economic situation in the EU is expected to improve, including because of the ECB's measures. "Pandemic programme is intended for crisis situations, is of temporary nature and is a very flexible instrument. We are all trying to set up measures so that we weather the storm in these few months, which are very problematic, and then we will try to go back to normal life as much as possible," Vasle said, adding that this would not be very easy.
Telekom Slovenije to pay out EUR 23m in dividends
LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije endorsed the decision to pay out EUR 22.77 million in dividends (EUR 3.50 gross per share). The management had proposed the entire EUR 30.16 million in distributable profit for 2019 be retained due to uncertainties stemming from the Covid-19 crisis, but the meeting backed a counter-proposal of Slovenian Sovereign Holding. Former Health Minister Aleš Šabeder was appointed a new member of the Telekom supervisory board.
Top court rejects Agrokor's appeal over Mercator share seizure
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court rejected an appeal by Agrokor, the Croatian group owning the retailer Mercator, against the Ljubljana District Court's decision to uphold the competition watchdog's decision to temporarily seize Mercator shares. The agency seized 70% of Mercator shares from Agrokor to ensure the insolvent Croatian group pay a EUR 53.9 million fine for failing to notify it of the 2016 takeover of Slovenian-based water bottling company Costella.
Former AKOS boss Simonič acquitted in Tušmobil trial
LJUBLJANA - Tomaž Simonič, former director of the Agency for Communication Networks and Services (AKOS), has been acquitted of charges of abuse of office by the Ljubljana District Court in a Tušmobil bribery trial, the newspaper Delo reported. The prosecution has appealed against the verdict. Simonič had been charged with abuse of office for giving a portion of wireless spectrum to telecoms Tušmobil in 2008 in exchange for an apartment provided by Mirko Tuš, at the time the owner of the company.
Ex-Trimo boss investigated over management buyout
NOVO MESTO - Police reported three managers and a company to the Specialised State Prosecution due to suspicion of abuse of office in a management buyout. According to an unofficial report by news portal Dolenjski List, the former long-serving chairman of Trimo, Tatjana Fink, is among the suspects. Fink led the prefabricated construction materials company from the town of Trebnje for more than 20 years.
until February 2014. In late 2015 creditor banks sold Trimo to Polish equity fund Innova.
E-conference told plastics management should be smart
LJUBLJANA - An e-conference marking World Environment Day and held by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry discussed smart management of plastics. The panellists highlighted that single-use plastics should be reduced and stressed the role of an effective system of collecting and recycling or reusing waste. The coronavirus crisis has shown that single-use plastics are indispensable in medicine and public health efforts, but the attitude to such products needs to evolve.
Slovenia exports most waste to Serbia and Bosnia
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported almost two thirds of waste to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia in 2019, most notably refuse derived fuel, plastic waste and metal waste. The latter two were exported to Asian countries as well, however the export to China was brought to a halt, shows a study by the Environment and Spatial Planning Inspectorate. The number of declared exports of waste in Slovenia last year increased by 4% year-on-year to some 3,000 exports customs declarations.
Kocijančič posthumously awarded Silver Olympic Order
LJUBLJANA - Janez Kocijančič, the former long-serving president of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, was posthumously awarded the Silver Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), only a third Slovenian to win the accolade after artistic gymnastics legends Miroslav Cerar and Leon Štukelj. In honour of the most recent head of the European Olympic Committees, the Olympic flag at the IOC headquarters in Switzerland's Lausanne will he flown at half-mast for three days from Monday.
Premier football league restarts
LJUBLJANA - The national football championship resumed after being on hold for almost three months due to the coronavirus outbreak, albeit without spectators. All first league players had tested negative for Covid-19, but it is expected that they will need a game or two to return to top form.
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