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This summary is provided by the STA:
BSF as introduction to debates on EU's future
BLED/LJUBLJANA - The 15th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) boasted the most high-profile turnout in its 15-year history despite the coronavirus pandemic. Two presidents, seven prime ministers, six foreign ministers and many others attended in person, plus a number of high-profile panellists remotely. The debates focused on the future of the EU and the region's role. Foreign Minister Anže Logar said the debates were a prelude to talks on the future of the EU at the EU level, but the event also marked a "return to the diplomatic map" for Slovenia. He believes this is "an encouragement for Slovenian diplomacy to continue to actively and energetically approach international relations." The line-up was meanwhile criticised by the opposition; the Social Democrats (SD) labelled the BSF a get-together for destroyers of basic EU values, whereas the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) is concern with Slovenia's shift in foreign policy towards eastern EU members.
Slovenia's economy contracts by 13% in Q2, by 7.9% in H1
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown with fresh data from the Statistics Office showing the country's output contracted by 13% in real terms in the second quarter compared with the same quarter a year ago. The second straight quarter of negative growth places the country in a technical recession with the annual rate of contraction in the first half of the year at 7.9%. On the up side, available data suggest a rebound in the second half of the year. IMAD, the government's macroeconomic think-tank whose forecasts serve as a basis for state budgeting, said the contraction was within its expectations, with an improvement expected in the third quarter.
BSF: CEE a force to be reckoned with
BLED - Seven Central and East European leaders gathered for the main panel of the 15th annual BSF highlighted the region's growing influence in the EU. The prime ministers, including Slovenia's Janez Janša, Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungary's Viktor Orban, stressed their region was a force to be reckoned with and highlighted the importance of true solidarity between all member states, noting that double standards were used for the region. Meanwhile, calls for close cooperation, communication and the easing of restrictive EU state aid rules in the face of the pandemic dominated a panel debate featuring top foreign policy officials. A small protest was held on the sidelines of the event to protest against the policies pursued by Janša, Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Panel hears EU will need to adjust security and defence policy
BLED - A panel debate at the BSF saw the participants agree that a lot of adjustments to the European defence and security policy will be needed, including because of cyber threats and the Covid-19 pandemic. China was also discussed as an element which seeks to direct countries in the region more towards the east. Matthew Rhodes of the Marshall Center said at the European Security and Asymmetric Threats panel the Balkans had been identified as the area in Europe which was the biggest reason for concern, a lot of which was related to Russia and China's activities in the area. "Both countries took advantage of a slower response by NATO to present themselves as saviours," he said. Pawel Herczynski of the European External Action Service added that "a greater role of the EU in security and defence will strengthen NATO".
Western Balkans are part of EU's story, says Lajčak
BLED - The Western Balkans are part of the European story and the region's problems are also the bloc's problems, Miroslav Lajčak, the EU's special representative for Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue and the Western Balkans, told the BSF. He stressed that normalisation in Serbia-Kosovo relations was a process. Lajčak also stressed the importance of a credible European perspective for the Western Balkans: "If the EU wants to be a global actor ..., we have to start demonstrating that we can help organise things in a European way on European soil." He also saod that the EU should stop ignoring the political aspect of enlargement. Lajčak as well as the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell were also received by President Borut Pahor as well as by Prime Minister Janez Janša.
Fiscal Council says stimulus measures could reduce GDP slump by 1.5 pp
LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council, a government advisory body, updated its estimate of the actual public budget expenditure directed thus far toward mitigating the impact of the coronacrisis, putting it at EUR 1.5 billion. While this compares to a government-planned EUR 2.8 billion, the measures could reduce the GDP contraction by about 1.5 percentage points. "The simulation of all measures showed that the level of economic activity could end up being 1.5 percentage points higher this year than would be the case in a scenario without measures," the body overseeing Slovenia's adherence to the fiscal compact said.
Revised budget for 2020 raises expenditure by almost 30%
LJUBLJANA - The supplementary budget for 2020, which the government filed to parliament today, raises expenditure by EUR 3 billion or 29% to EUR 13.39 billion. A major portion of the extra funding is to go to the Finance Ministry; its budget is to increase by EUR 2.1 billion to EUR 4.6 billion. Covid-19-related costs account for 19% of all expenditure, with EUR 2.6 billion earmarked for measure meant to mitigate the impact of the coronacriss. Opposition parties are meanwhile largely critical of the revised budget, saying it lacks ambition and is not development-oriented, cutting funds for science and research. They also fear the enormous expenditure would have to be paid for by generations in the coming decades.
18 new coronavirus cases reported for Sunday
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 18 new coronavirus infections from 588 tests performed on Sunday, according to the government data release Monday. The latest figures bring the total national case count to 2,883, of which 454 remain active. A total of 25 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, three of them requiring intensive treatment, that is one more than the day before. No new fatalities were reported, with the death toll from Covid-19 remaining at 133.
FURS boss Peter Jenko dismissed
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Peter Jenko from the post of director general of the Financial Administration (FURS) after he led the national revenue service for nine months. Irena Nunčič, until now one of the state secretaries at the Finance Ministry, became acting director general for up to six months, effective on 1 September, the Government Communication Office said in a release after today's government correspondence session.
Slovenian-developed vaccine produces high immune response in mice
LJUBLJANA - A team of researchers at the National Chemistry Institute in Ljubljana has developed a coronavirus vaccine that has produced a high immune response in mice. Trials have shown the antibodies neutralise the virus just like with other vaccines and just like the antibodies in patients who have recovered from infection. The team, led by Roman Jerala, developed the vaccine based on the plasmid DNA that contains the code for the virus proteins and triggers the production of virus proteins in human cells.
Police can use electroshock weapons from 1 Sept
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police officers who will find themselves in danger will be able to use electroshock weapons against their attackers starting from 1 September. The police say the use of the new weapon will be very restricted and all procedures involving them will be recorded. Slovenia currently has 20 sets of the Taser X2 paralyser, and 237 experienced police officers have been trained to use them, the General Police Department said. The legislation introducing the new, controversial weapon was passed three years ago.
Price growth negative in August
LJUBLJANA - Consumer prices in Slovenia fell by 0.1% in August year-on-year as well as on July with the Statistics Office attributing annual deflation mainly to cheaper petroleum products and the monthly fall in prices to clearance sales. Goods prices went down by 1.2% in a year, while prices of services rose by 1.6%. Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, an EU-wide gauge, Slovenia recorded an annual deflation rate of 0.7% in August with no change at the monthly level.
Comtrade CDS acquired by British IT firm Endava
LJUBLJANA - Comtrade CDS, the largest Slovenian IT company in terms of workforce size, has been acquired by the British IT company Endava in a deal worth EUR 60 million, the business newspaper Finance reported. Comtrade CDS was recently spun off from the Slovenian arm of the Serbian Comtrade group, and consists of the divisions for digital services and system integration, which together accounted for almost two thirds of Comtrade's EUR 70.5 million in revenue last year. The roots of the Slovenian Comtrade arm go back to the former Ljubljana IT company Hermes SoftLab, which was bought by Serbian entrepreneur Veselin Jevrosimović in 2008 for roughly half of what was paid now by Endava.
Covid-19 slashing DARS revenue and profit
LJUBLJANA - National motorway company DARS posted EUR 187.9 million in operating revenue in the first half of 2020, a 25% drop compared to the same period in 2019 due to the corona crisis. Net profit plunged by almost two thirds year-on-year, totalling EUR 28.4 million, shows the company's unaudited report. Net sales revenue was at EUR 179.7 million, with DARS recording the biggest fallout in revenue from tolling (-20%), which accounts for 97% of total net sales revenue.
President decorates Prof Edward Gobetz
CLEVELAND, US - Edward Gobetz, professor emeritus at Kent State University, was honoured with the Order of Merit for his contribution to the recognition of Slovenia and enrichment of knowledge about the achievements of Slovenians in the US and the world. The decoration was presented to the professor on behalf of Slovenian President Borut Pahor by Consul General Alenka Jerak in Cleveland on Sunday.
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