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This summary is provided by the STA:
S&P affirms Slovenia's AA- rating
NEW YORK, US - Rating agency Standard & Poor's has affirmed Slovenia's AA- rating, arguing that the Slovenian economy, coupled with the government's policy response, puts Slovenia in a good position to weather the crisis. In its rating update on Friday the agency said "the past decade of private sector deleveraging and a decline of government debt to GDP since 2015 give Slovenia substantial buffers to weather the temporary shock without a lasting adverse impact on its credit metrics".
PM says necessary powers to act against militias already in place
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša indicated the government was willing to amend legislation to impose sanctions against militia groups such as the Štajerska Guard, but he told parliament in questions time the existing legislation already allowed that, it was just not applied consistently. He also drew parallels between the militia and anti-government protesters. "Law enforcement ... must respect the constitution and the law regardless of whether against a guard on foot or a guard on bicycles, regardless of whether they are wearing fatigues or black clothing and masks," he said.
State Prosecution denies involvement in border incident with Italy
LJUBLJANA - The Supreme State Prosecution has strongly denied any involvement in a border incident with Italy in which two alleged Slovenian soldiers stopped a civilian at gunpoint in May. The statement came in response to PM Janez Janša's allegation the incident was orchestrated by representatives of the deep state, including in the prosecution. The police has not yet responded to the STA's query about the incident, nor has the prime minister's office responded to Friday's query about how Janša would act if he indeed believed the incident had been orchestrated.
Italian army vehicle crosses into Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - An Italian military vehicle drove into Slovenian territory in the morning, but soon turned around and returned to Italy, the Slovenian police said. The incident happened at around 8:20 a.m. in the border town of Šempeter pri Gorici. The police is investigating the event, which happened in Goriška Street, as a border incident as defined in the state border control act, so it will notify the Foreign Ministry of its findings.
Ceremony held as Italy-Slovenia border reopens
NOVA GORICA - A ceremony was held at the former border crossing between Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Italy's Gorizia to mark the reopening of the borders after the coronavirus epidemic. As the mayors of both towns cut the ribbon that symbolically divided the towns, Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič said fences were no longer a tool for problem solving. The fence in Europa Square between the two cities had been removed by protesters on bicycles on Friday evening.
Slovenia calls on Israel to refrain from annexation
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said during questions and answers time in parliament that Slovenia is calling on Israel to "refrain from any unilateral decisions that would lead to the annexing of any of the occupied Palestinian territories and would as such run contrary to international law". As Matej Tašner Vatovec of the opposition Left expressed concern over Israel's annexation plans and the US peace proposal that would back unilateral annexing, Logar said "Slovenia continues to support all efforts for a peaceful solution of the dispute and for a revival of a peace process" that should be based on a two-state solution.
One new coronavirus case reported, one patient moved to ICU
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded one new coronavirus case from 212 tests carried out on Sunday as one patient was moved to an intensive care unit, the first in almost two weeks, fresh data from the government show. The latest case brings the total number of Sars-CoV-2 cases so far confirmed at 1,496, out of which 23 remain active. Seven Covid-19 patients are now in hospital. The latest case was confirmed in Jesenice, which now has 10 active cases.
Anti-trust watchdog extends seizure of Mercator shares from Agrokor
LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB - The Competition Protection Agency (AVK) confirmed it had decided to extend the temporary seizure of Mercator shares from the retailer's owner, Croatian group Agrokor. The latter has still not paid a EUR 53.9 million fine issued for its failure to notify the anti-trust watchdog of the 2016 takeover of Slovenian-based bottled water company Costella. The AVK said the measure was being extended to protect the fine decision in line with an option which allows the seizure to be prolonged. Agrokor's health core spin-off Fortenova said it was not surprised and that it expected the shares transferred to by the end of the year.
Former Health Minister Šabeder appointed chief supervisor at Telekom
LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije appointed former Health Minister Aleš Šabeder its chair. Supervisors Barbara Gorjup and Grado Kijevčanin will serve as his deputies, the company said in a press release. Šabeder was appointed supervisor at the AGM in early June, replacing Dimitrij Marjanović, the representative of the state assets custodian Slovenian Sovereign Holding.
US embassy donates PPE and disinfection device
LJUBLJANA - The US Embassy in Ljubljana donated a second package of personal protective equipment to Slovenia, along with a Slovenian-made device that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect hospital premises. The donation will be used by health institutions in Slovenia as well as the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. In May the US Embassy donated 1,660 protective face shields intended for use in care homes. The joint value of the two donations is US$60,000.
Hojs, Kangler talk illegal migrations
LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and his State Secretary Franc Kangler discussed illegal migrations on Monday as they met representatives of locals along the border with Croatia and the Croatian home affairs state secretary, respectively. Kangler and Croatian Interior Ministry State Secretary Terezija Gras discussed the illegal migration situation and a police cooperation agreement, while Hojs hosted representatives of three civil initiatives to discuss the situation in their municipalities as migration pressure is rising again, presenting a set of measures designed to reduce illegal migrations.
PM says media freedom assessments should wait until end of term
LJUBLJANA - Faced with a question in parliament about international public being critical of freedom of the media in Slovenia, PM Janez Janša said that the judgement about that should be made at the end of the government's term. Regarding his tweeting, Janša said he understand this as his freedom of expression. Answering a question from Nataša Sukič of the opposition Left, the prime minister noted that in a key international rankings of freedom of the media, Slovenia fared the best during his first government (2004-2008), standing in 9th place.
SDS ahead, SocDems replace LMŠ in second Vox Populi poll
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša's Democrats (SDS) continue to lead the field in the latest Vox Populi poll, while the Social Democrats (SD) came ahead of the fellow opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) in second. The poll, commissioned by the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer, has the SDS polling at 22.7%, up 0.6 percentage points from the month before. The SD nearly doubled its rating to 15.2% and its new leader Tanja Fajon climbed to second spot in the popularity ranking of politicians.
Free public transport for pensioners from July
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that inter-city public transportation would be free of charge for pensioners and persons with disabilities, among others, from 1 July 2020, as envisaged by the legislative changes that were passed under the previous government. In questions time in parliament, Janša said all legal acts enabling the implementation of the act were in the making and the relevant ministry had asserted the act would be implemented as expected.
Govt expects boost in foreign tourism in second half of summer
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša believes that tourism vouchers will significantly help the sector as it is transitioning from the lockdown, while the government expects an increase in visits by foreign tourists in the second part of the summer season. One of the reasons is the positive effect of the end of epidemic being declared early. In questions time in parliament, Janša said around 24,000 positive mentions of Slovenia followed the move in global media in one weekend alone.
NLB supervisory board expanded to include employee reps
LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of the NLB bank expanded the supervisory board from nine to twelve members to include representatives of employees by amending the articles of association in line with a Constitutional Court ruling. Likewise, the management board will be expanded by one member to seven. The meeting also endorsed Verica Trstenjak, a former advocate general at the European Court of Justice, as a new supervisor, and current chief supervisor Primož Karpe and member David Eric Simon were endorsed for another full term. The distributable profit of EUR 228 million was retained.
Legal opinion warns against moving 2TDK to rail operator
LJUBLJANA - While the Infrastructure Ministry is yet to take a final decision on whether to transfer 2TDK, the company in charge the new Koper-Divača railway track project, to Slovenske Železnice, a legal opinion commissioned by the national railways operator and obtained by the newspaper Dnevnik warned that such a move could be fatal for the project, seen as crucial for the Koper port. The opinion by the legal consultancy Jadek&Pensa argues the transfer would entail "excessive risks".
Hisense Gorenje to produce TVs in existing plant
VELENJE - Home appliances maker Hisense Gorenje has decided to produce TV sets in existing production facilities, having previously planned to build a new plant at its Velenje location. TV production is scheduled to start in early 2021, according to plans presented to the works council. An assembly line for TV sets is scheduled for completion at the end of this year, with production slated to be launched in January 2021. An average of 350 employees will work on the production line.
Poll: Vast majority for shop closure on Sundays
LJUBLJANA - A Vox Populi poll commissioned by the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer shows that as many as 87% respondents support a ban on Sunday shopping, including those who frequent shops at the end of the week. The main reason for their support is that they believe other days in the week provide enough opportunities for shopping. Some 8% are not in favour of closure of stores on Sundays, whereas almost 5% did not weigh in on the issue. Almost 20% shop on Sundays.
Zero tolerance of violence urged on Elder Abuse Awareness Day
LJUBLJANA - On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, representatives of the elderly underscored the unacceptability of any kind of violence against the elderly. According to Ana Gorenc Vujnović from the Anton Trstenjak Institute, almost 60,000 elderly people in Slovenia experience violence. The most frequent form is negligence, Gorenc Vujnović told the newspaper Delo. "This is followed by physiological, physical, and economic violence," she said.
Crisis bonuses push up April net pay
LJUBLJANA - Average net pay in Slovenia in April stood at EUR 1,266, which was 10.5% more than in March nominally and 11.5% more in real terms. The Statistics Office reported that the increase was mostly related to the payment of crisis bonuses during the Covid-19 epidemic. Average gross pay was up by 10.2% nominally and by 11.2% in real terms compared to March to EUR 1,937. In the public sector it rose by 10.9% and in the private sector it increased by 8.6%.
Lighting Guerilla Festival begins
LJUBLJANA - The 14th international Lighting Guerilla Festival, dedicated to contemporary visual and new-media art, is getting under way in Ljubljana tonight under the theme Five Elements. The concept leans on the ancient tradition of the four classical elements - earth, water, air and fire, which is joined by a fifth element, which could be interpreted as a mysterious matter of the Universe, according to the organisers. Centred in and around Vžigalica Gallery, the festival runs until 11 July.
Air France resuming Ljubljana-Paris flights next week
BRNIK/PARIS - French flag carrier Air France will resume flights between Ljubljana and Paris next Wednesday. Daily services between the two capitals are expected to be relaunched on 14 July. The airline plans to go back to 80% of its pre-corona flight destinations this summer. Next week will see two flight connections between Ljubljana and Paris, on Wednesday and Saturday service. Later on, the number of flights will steadily grow until mid-July when flying to Paris will be possible every day per week.
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