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This summary is provided by the STA:
PM says Slovenia would modernise health care with EU recovery funds
BRUSSELS, Belgium - It is important for Slovenia to secure enough funds from the EU coronavirus recovery fund for the modernisation of its health care system, Prime Minister Janez Janša said as he arrived in Brussels for the first in-person EU summit in months. "For Slovenia, as well as all other member states, this is an especially sensitive time because we are not completely sure that the coronavirus epidemic danger has passed."
Montenegro deemed highly risky, Croatia remains on Covid-19 yellow list
LJUBLJANA - As of Friday Montenegro and Luxembourg were placed on Slovenia's red list of Covid-19 highly risky countries given their epidemiologic status. Croatia meanwhile remained on the yellow list, which indicates a higher level of caution is advised, said the government on Thursday after a correspondence session. Poland and the UK have been placed on Slovenia's green list of Covid-19 safe countries after the government was acquainted Thursday evening with a National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) report on the epidemiologic situations in member states, most notably Italian regions, Schengen area countries and Western Balkans countries.
19 new coronavirus cases confirmed in 1,012 tests on Thursday
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia saw 19 new coronavirus infections confirmed on Thursday after performing 1,012 tests, showed the latest official data. A total of 19 coronavirus patients were in hospital, one more that the day before, whereas the number of those in intensive care stayed level at one. One person was discharged from hospital and there were no Covid-19 related fatalities, which means the national death toll remains unchanged since the end of May at 111.
Info commissioner finds no systemic abuse in personal data access
LJUBLJANA - The Information Commissioner is still inspecting potentially problematic access to 45 politicians's personal data, but early findings have not revealed systemic abuse. Only one police officer has so far been identified as having accessed such data without authorisation, the Information Commission said. Personal data of the 45 politicians have been accessed by 700 police staff, but the majority of the police officers accessed the data of no more than one politician.
Anti-government protests continue
LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protests were held in several Slovenian cities for the 13th week running. The messages remained broadly the same. In Ljubljana people flocked to Prešeren Square to protest "reign of terror and dictatorship", as an invitation posted in one of the largest protest groups on Facebook said. The protest culminated in a "people's assembly" in a bid to formulate clearer demands.
NGOs urge fairer treatment of Eritrean asylum seekers
LJUBLJANA - A group of human rights NGOs urged the government to treat Eritrean asylum seekers more fairly. The civil initiative InfoKolpa, joined by eight other organisations including Amnesty International Slovenije, said on Friday only three of 15 applications lodged by Eritreans who recently arrived in Slovenia via the Balkan migration route had been granted. The Interior Ministry rejected the notion that its policy is unprofessional or politically motivated in any way.
Slovenia has room to borrow if needed
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian treasury has taken on fresh debt of EUR 2.17 billion so far this year and it can still borrow EUR 1.4 billion before it reaches the debt ceiling. Whether new bond issues are carried out will depend on how the coronacrisis unfolds, the Finance Ministry said. The yield on Slovenia's benchmark 10-year bond is currently at roughly 0.1%, which the ministry says reflects investor confidence in measures to preserve jobs and promote investments.
Minister urges retail unions, employers to engage in talks
LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek called on retail trade unions and employers to sit down and start talking after a bill on Sunday shop closure was sent into third parliamentary reading yesterday. He believes the opposition-sponsored bill is not an answer to the difficult economic situation post-coronavirus. "We do not deny anyone the right to rest, but understanding the business environment and the current economic climate and knowing the forthcoming economic trends, I cannot agree with a populist presentation of only one side of the coin," Počivalšek wrote on Facebook.
Minister urges EU framework for safety and health at work
LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj called for an EU strategic framework for safety and health at work along with his EU colleagues as he participated in an informal videoconference of EU ministers for employment and social affairs. He said that the need for such a framework was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic since it enabled a better response to the crisis.
President Pahor to visit Slovakia on 22 July
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will pay an official visit to Slovakia on 22 July. Talks with his counterpart Zuzana Čaputova will focus on how the EU is coping with the coronavirus pandemic, the president's office said. Meetings with Prime Minister Ugor Matovič and Speaker of the National Council Boris Kollar are also scheduled.
Mediana poll shows growing pessimism over coronavirus
LJUBLJANA - As signs of a second wave of coronavirus contagion have begun to show in Slovenia, the country's residents have become increasingly pessimistic about outlooks for the future and are once again increasingly worried about their health, the most recent Mediana poll showed. The share of people who believe everyday life will change due to the Covid-19 pandemic has been growing steadily since the disease reached Slovenia in March, growing to 55% in July, 6 percentage points higher than in April.
MP turns to corruption watchdog over NovaTV24 ownership
LJUBLJANA - MP Marko Koprivc of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) addressed a letter to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) asking it to look into potential conflicts of interest and risk of corruption involving several government ministers and MPs due to their alleged holding shares of the NovaTV24 media company.
Net migration in 2019 highest since 2008
LJUBLJANA - Almost 3,800 Slovenian citizens and 27,600 foreign citizens moved to Slovenia in 2019, whereas almost 6,600 Slovenians and 8,500 foreigners moved out. Net migration - the number of those who immigrated compared to those who emigrated - hit 16,213, the highest since 2008, Statistics Office figures show. The number of immigrants was by 10% higher than in 2018 and the number of emigrants by 12%.
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