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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia opening border with Italy on 15 June
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will open its border with Italy on 15 June, the government decided as it put Italy on a list of countries whose citizens are free to cross into Slovenia without having to quarantine. Montenegro has also made it to the list. On the other hand, the government confirmed a list of 32 countries whose epidemiological situation is so bad travellers coming from there must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine regardless of nationality or residence status effective on 13 June. Notable countries on this list include Sweden, the UK and North Macedonia, as well as the United States and Russia.
PM alleges border incident orchestrated by prosecution, police and media
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša tweeted that the incident on the border with Italy, when two alleged soldiers stopped a civilian at gunpoint, had been orchestrated by representatives of "the deep state" in the prosecution, police force and mainstream media, to discredit the Armed Forces. Janša retweeted an article by news portal nova24tv.si allegedly revealing the identity of the civilian, a Slovenian-Italian citizen, involved in the incident that took place in early May near the village of Mihele. The article labels the civilian a "radical titoist and Antifa proponent". Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said that the incident was "artificially created".
Motion to oust economy minister defeated
LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek was endorsed for the way he handled procurement of vital equipment during the Covid-19 epidemic as a motion of no confidence in him, sponsored by four centre-left opposition parties, was defeated by 51 votes to 37 in parliament just before midnight last night. Počivalšek commented that MPs were obviously persuaded by his arguments, while he would now be able to focus on the many challenges faced by the economy. The lead sponsor of the motion, LMŠ MP Robert Pavšič said the opposition had proved the government had been misleading the public.
Slovenia said to be looking at 5G agreement with US
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is unofficially looking at a draft joint statement with the US on the security of next-generation networks which highlights the importance of high security standards for 5G providers. The statement could limit Huawei's participation in 5G deployment in Slovenia, although the government is said to have no official position on the company. The draft statement was circulated to Slovenian media and lists a number of security conditions that Slovenia and the US see as vital for setting up a safe 5G network.
Anton Travner gets full five-year term as police commissioner
LJUBLJANA - Anton Travner, who has served as acting police commissioner since the new government took over in mid-March, has been appointed for a full five-year term, the Government Communication Office announced. Travner, a security expert with a master's degree in civil and business law, has been in the police ranks since 1985.
Slovenia mulling sharing Italian contact tracing app
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia currently does not need a coronavirus contact tracing app. However, it is examining the possibility to share an app developed by Italy in the event a second wave of the epidemic hits, Health Ministry State Secretary Tina Bregant announced after a videoconference of the EU health ministers. She said it makes sense to wait until privacy concerns raised by these apps are addressed, and that it would be cheaper to use an application that has already been partially developed.
Anti-govt protesters leave bicycles and continue on foot
LJUBLJANA - Protesters who have been voicing their displeasure with the government conduct Fridays for the past two months left their bicycles today and protested on foot, first filling up Prešeren Square and then continuing in front of parliament. They shouted and displayed slogans against fascism, militarisation and repression. While protests were also held in other Slovenian cities, including Maribor, the biggest number gathered in the capital.
Ethics code for MPs adopted
LJUBLJANA - The college of deputy group leaders passed a code of ethics for MPs, which lists five ethical principles deputies need to adhere to or risk being admonished on the National Assembly's website or at its session. Only the opposition National Party (SNS) voted against the code, and the Left abstained. Speaker Igor Zorčič noted that parliament had been trying to pass such a code since 1993. The aim is to strengthen the legislature's reputation, integrity and public trust. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption hailed the code as a step the right direction.
Two new coronavirus cases, both in Sežana
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded two new coronavirus cases, both in Sežana, out of 702 tests carried out on Thursday. The latest figures bring Slovenia's tally of coronavirus cases confirmed since early March to 1,490, but only 17 remain active. According to government data, six patients remain in hospital with Covid-19. A total of 109 patients with Covid-19 have died in Slovenia, the last one on 1 June.
Mayors from south-east complain to PM about Roma crime
LJUBLJANA - Mayors of eleven local communities in the south-eastern regions of Dolenjska and Bela Krajina have written to Prime Minister Janez Janša to complain about the problems with Roma violence and crime. They see the situation as a result of years of inaction and tolerating of behaviour of problematic groups of the Roma and the authorities' inability to exclude those with a criminal record from the community. Janša's office will organise a meeting with the mayors to discuss possible solutions.
State attorney's office says settlement still possible in ECB case
LJUBLJANA - The State Attorney's Office, which represents Slovenia in a lawsuit the European Commission has brought against Slovenia over a 2016 seizure of ECB documents, said a settlement in the case was possible until a ruling is delivered. The statement comes after it transpired that PM Janez Janša inquired about a potential settlement. The office said that the attempt at reaching a settlement was nothing unusual, as some media have suggested.
More homes built last year
LJUBLJANA - More than 9,200 buildings were built in Slovenia last year, which is 16% more than the year before. The number of newly built residential units was up by 12% to 3,415, the Statistics Office reported. A total of 13,200 buildings remained unfinished. The number of finished residential buildings was 1% lower than in 2018, while the number of non-residential buildings was 24% higher. The floor area of completed residential buildings increased by 10% last year.
Air link with Podgorica restored
LJUBLJANA - Montenegro Airlines restored its flights between Podgorica and Ljubljana on Friday, becoming the second airline after Air Serbia to revive its operations at Ljubljana airport. A Montenegro Airlines plane brought 27 passengers from Podgorica today and took 41 from Ljubljana to the Montenegrin capital. The low-cost carrier Easyjet meanwhile decided to delay the launch of Ljubljana - London (Luton) route planned for March 2020 for more than a year, with the first flight planned on 6 May 2021.
Hunters permitted to cull 115 brown bears this year
LJUBLJANA - The Agency for the Environment issued a permit for the culling of 115 brown bears until September this year. Culling has long been the main way in which the Slovenian brown bear population has been kept in check and the Environment Agency said on Friday there was "no other satisfactory possibility" and that the cull "does not harm the preservation of the favourable state of the population".
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