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This summary is provided by the STA:
Two Covid-19 deaths, 14 new cases, no delays at Croatia-Slovenia border
LJUBLJANA - Two people died of Covid-19 in Slovenia on Sunday to put the death toll at 133, and 14 tested positive as 543 coronavirus tests were carried out, according to the most recent government data. 410 infections were active, of which 17 infected persons were in hospital. Thousands of Slovenian holidaymakers were meanwhile expected to return from Croatia today, because a of Tuesday arrivals will be ordered to quarantine for 14 days. However, traffic ran smoothly at the border. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs assessed that the returns had gotten dispersed across the past week and that some also opted for quarantine. But the government and health authorities expect more infections in the coming fortnight, since the number of Covid-19 cases has skyrocketed in the neighbouring country.
Govt spokesperson says Croatia becoming threat to EU
LJUBLJANA - Jelko Kacin, the government's spokesperson for Covid-19, described Croatia as a "serious threat to all other EU countries" due to the coronavirus situation there. "Time will tell how serious the situation there is. I have many reasons to worry," he told the latest edition of Reporter magazine. Croatia successfully tackling coronavirus is in Slovenia's strategic interest, he said, highlighting that Slovenia would not allow the situation to deteriorate the way it did in spring.
Pahor to visit Steinmeier in Berlin on Wednesday
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will be on a working visit in Berlin on Wednesday to meet his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to continue the regular dialogue the pait had started over the phone during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pahor and Steinmeier assessed in Tuesday's telephone conversation that in-depth talks were needed about various topical issues. They also stressed the importance of European unity in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and other strategic challenges in the EU.
Govt rating down in POP TV poll, but SDS still in the lead
LJUBLJANA - The rating for the Janez Janša government dropped for the fourth consecutive month in the latest POP TV poll for August, but the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) continue to top party rankings, followed by the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Social Democrats (SD), which share the second place. The share of those who do not support the government rose from 50.4% to 53%, and 9.6% were undecided. President Borut Pahor remains the most popular politician, followed by Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič and SocDem leader Tanja Fajon.
Slovenia and Georgia should strengthen cooperation
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani discussed over the phone bileteral relations, and agreed the economic and political cooperation as well as cooperation as part of multilateral forums should be further enhanced. Logar presented Slovenia's preparations for its upcoming EU presidency in the second half of 2021, which will also highlight Eastern Partnership. Zalkaliani in turn acquainted Logar with political developments in Georgia and the preparations for the October general election. The political situation in Belarus after the presidential election was also discussed.
Left proposing referendum on EUR 780m in defence investment
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left proposed to parliament to call a consultative referendum on a bill envisaging EUR 780 million in defence expenditure in 2021-2026. The party argued money that would suffice to build several infection clinics, 170 care homes or 100,000 flats for the young will instead be spent on an imaginary enemy. Defence Minister Matej Tonin said this debate could actually be good, since "we will finally be able to talk about the Slovenian Armed Forces" and answer the question of "whether we want a Slovenian army or not".
Remains of 250 victims of post-WWII killings found in Kočevski Rog
LJUBLJANA - Archaeologists presented details of the remains of about 250 victims exhumed in July from a mass grave uncovered in May in Kočevski Rog, a vast forest area riddled with chasms in the south-east of Slovenia, which has become synonymous with post WWII-executions. Most of the victims were young men, mainly civilians, killed in the autumn of 1945. The government commission for mass graves said the remains had been retrieved from Chasm 3, as the grave is named. Jože Dežman, the commission chair, believes Chasm 3 could provide some clues as to what happened to the Novo Mesto Homeguard, a group of several thousand who failed to flee after World War Two.
Brussels embassy, permanent representation move to new premises
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Slovenian Embassy and the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels were moved to new premises last week to provide for proper conditions for Slovenia's stint at the helm of the EU next year. The temporary move to the new premises, located at Boulevard du Regent, cost Slovenia EUR 26,480, while rent will cost around EUR 290,500 for every three months. The embassy and the representation are expected to move back to the old location, where renovation works will take place, in September 2022.
Slovenian MEP of Macedonian descent target of insults
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva (LMŠ/Renew) has recently become a target of insults on social media and web portals linked to the ruling Democrats (SDS), including web portal Nova24TV, because of her Macedonian descent, the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said. Joveva noted that she was not bothered by the insults on a personal level, but rather concerned about the course of Slovenian politics. The LMŠ called on PM Janez Janša, the SDS head, who is a co-owner of Nova24TV, to make sure that "his portal stops publishing insulting, nationalist and racist articles". The prime ministers's office wrote said it would not comment.
Jurist Jambrek buys Adria Airways flight school
BRNIK - The flight school of the bankrupt former air carrier Adria Airways has been acquired by an institute led by former Constitutional Court chief justice Peter Jambrek, who entered the project with a Chinese partner. The Institute for Constitutional System and Human Rights bought the school for EUR 7,500, the asking price at the first public auction. The news portal necenzurirano.si said Jambrek, chancellor of the private New University, is entering the Adria Aviation Academy venture with Chinese businessman Kai Dai. The latter holds 55%, Jambrek 30% and Jamrek's son Oskar Peter 1%. Jambrek told the newspaper Finance the plan was to become the biggest flight school in the world.
Voluntary contact tracing app downloaded by 37,400 in first week
LJUBLJANA - The national voluntary contact tracing app, designed to help curb the coronavirus epidemic, has been downloaded by around 37,400 users since it became available last Monday, the Public Administration Ministry told the STA. This is the number of users who have downloaded the app #OstaniZdrav (#StayWell) by Sunday at 1pm, the ministry said, adding that the feedback was positive, with users praising the user-friendliness and low battery consumption. The app is currently available only for devices with the Android operating system and one of the most frequently asked questions at the ministry's app call centre is when it will be available for the devices using the iOS operating system.
Brussels Airlines pushes its Ljubljana flights to October
LJUBLJANA - Brussels Airlines has once again delayed the resumption of its service between Ljubljana and Brussels, this time until the start of the 2020-2021 winter season on 27 October, on-line portal Ex-Yu Aviation reported. Moreover, Israel's Israir and Ukraine's Windrose Airlines have cancelled their plans to launch operations to Ljubljana airport this year.
Docu on Roglič's Tour de France training, book on Vuelta win presented
LJUBLJANA - A documentary about Slovenian cycling star Primož Roglič preparing himself for this year's Tour de France had a pre-premiere in Ljubljana's Kinodvor cinema, with the film still being in production as it is also to feature Roglič's recent appearance in the Critérium du Dauphiné, the race considered as a warm-up for Tour de France. Roglič, who finished the most prestigious stage cycling race in the world 4th in 2018, is ready for the race that starts this weekend and is considered one of the main favourites. His partner Lora Klinc meanwhile launched her literary debut - Kilometre Zero, a which speaks about her thoughts around Roglič's first win in a Grand Tour race - at Vuelta a Espana last year.
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