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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia sees new surge in coronavirus cases
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia passed a new record in daily coronavirus cases as 238 tests came back positive on Thursday, with the total now surpassing 6,100 as the death toll increased by two to 154. Data released by the government show that 3,281 tests were conducted yesterday, which means 7.25% were positive. Calculations from the Jožef Stefan Institute show infections double about every 17 days, while government spokesman Jelko Kacin said the two-week incidence rate was almost 87 per 100,000 residents.
Janša urges serious EU preparations for winter season of Covid-19
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted after the EU summit the urgency of serious preparations for the autumn and winter season with the novel coronavirus, especially in light of reports that vaccination, at least not in sufficient amounts, will likely still not be available early next year. He also stressed it was in everybody's interest to adopt the EU's recovery package without delays. Janša meanwhile welcomed the summit's proclamation of strategic sovereignty with a simultaneous preservation of an open economy as the bloc's key goal and the decisions on relations with Turkey and sanctions against the regime in Belarus.
PM Janša says migration pact in current form not acceptable to anyone
BRUSSELS, Beligum - The new EU migration pact in the current form is not entirely acceptable to anyone but everyone finds it a good starting point for further negotiations, Prime Minister Janez Janša said after the EU summit. "But at the same time this text is better than those so far, and virtually everyone finds it an acceptable starting point for further talks and negotiations," he said when asked whether the new migration pact was acceptable for Slovenia. Janša however expects no major steps in this field in the coming months.
Janša responds to Commission's rule of law report by stressing lack of funds for healthcare
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša commented on the European Commission's concerns about the lack of resources in Slovenia for key independent bodies like the corruption watchdog and the networks regulator by saying he was much more worried about the lack of funds for healthcare than he was about NGOs and other organisations. Janša told the press after the EU summit that he had not yet read and found it hard to comment on the Commission's rule of law report, which also spoke of pressure exerted on journalists through lawsuits and online harassment. He added that nobody had noticed this report in Brussels and that "it therefore probably cannot be anything special".
Unofficial: Govt to label Huawei as high-risk supplier
LJUBLJANA - According to unofficial information, the Slovenian government is to decide in the coming weeks whether to label the Chinese technological giant Huawei as a high-risk supplier. Huawei has expressed negative surprise over the report. A document obtained by the STA shows that the risk assessment has been made on the basis of the European criteria for cyber security of the fifth generation technology (5G). The draft decision prepared by the Public Administration Ministry, which is still being coordinated between departments, labels Huawei and the companies with capital, structural or organisational connections with it as high-risk suppliers.
Janša wishes speedy recovery to Donald and Melania Trump
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša wished US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump a swift recovery following news that the couple had contracted coronavirus. "All friends of the US in Slovenia, especially [wife] Urška Bačovnik and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish them a full and speedy recovery," Janša wrote on Twitter.
Agreement signed for hydro plants on the Sava
TRBOVLJE - The government and the state-owned power holding HSE signed a concession contract for hydro power plants on the central part of the Slovenian section of the Sava river. Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak, who signed the deal on the government's behalf, said the first three of the planned power plants would built in ten years. The plan is to build between nine and 12 hydro power plants on the section between Ježica, north of Ljubljana, and Suhadol, some 50 kilometres to the east.
Govt reportedly merging eight key regulators into two agencies
LJUBLJANA - Media have reported that the government is drafting a bill which would merge eight key regulators into two super-agencies, whose managements would be appointed by the cabinet. The main arguments for the restructuring is debureaucratisation and streamlining. The bill, drafted by the Economy Ministry, is in coordination between departments until next Monday. The public agencies affected by the bill reportedly received the draft only on Thursday, and had a mere 24 hours to send in their comments and remarks. Its wording is not public and there will be no public consultation about it.
Ambassadors from Visegrad Group visit Koper port
KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper hosted the ambassadors of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia. Luka Koper CEO Dimitrij Zadel said on the occasion that the ambition of the port was to become the main maritime window for the economies of Visegrad Group members. The meeting was organised by Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Olendzki, since Poland currently presides over the Visegrad group of countries, with which Luka Koper has close business ties, the port operator said. The Koper port and the Polish port Gdynia are two starting points on the European Amber railway corridor, while this is also the main transport axis in the Three Seas initiative, Olendzki stressed.
Pahor meets minority reps over Carinthian plebiscite ceremony
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted representatives of the Slovenian minority in Austria in the run-up to the centenary of the Carinthian plebiscite. Pahor said the predominant opinion was the past 100 years should be remembered in a way which would make it easier to build a common future. The meeting looked to review and bring closer the views on the event's importance for the situation of the Slovenian minority in Austria, coexistence with the majority nation and relations between the neighbouring countries. This was the last opportunity to do so before the main ceremony on 10 October in Austria's Klagenfurt to mark the centenary of the referendum in 1920 which determined the border between Austria and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Calls again healthcare privatisation in centre of anti-government protests
LJUBLJANA - The situation in healthcare and what is seen as its ongoing privatisation was in the centre of what was the 24th consecutive Friday anti-government protest rally in Ljubljana. The protesters demanded the resignation of Health Minister Tomaž Gantar and of National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) director Milan Krek. The protesters were also addressed by former Health Minister Dušan Keber, who said Keber said privatisation was being pursued even though it had been proven without doubt during the pandemic that public healthcare systems handled the situation much better.
Man abducted by migrants demands damages from state
NOVO MESTO - An elderly Slovenian man abducted in May 2019 by three migrants who stole his car demands damages of EUR 45,000 from the state. He argues the state could have prevented the event had it exercised its powers within the law. In reporting on the claim, the newspaper Delo and tabloid Slovenske Novice said the man, who was 79 at the time of the abduction, had already been approved EUR 4,500 in damages in March by a state commission that decides on damages awarded to victims of crime.
Contemporary puppetry art celebrated in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Lutke 2020, the 15th international biennial festival of contemporary puppetry art, opened in Ljubljana with Gimme Shelter, the latest production by the French puppet theatre company Compagnie Yokai. Running until 8 October at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre and other venues, the festival will feature a total of 12 productions and two installations by ensembles from France, Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Spain and Slovenia.
Cross-border film festival kicks off
NOVA GORICA - A cross-border festival got under way in the Goriška region in Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy. Until 11 October, the socially-engaged festival, dubbed Homage to a Vision, will feature screenings, workshops and debates, bringing them to Ljubljana as well, along with Nova Gorica, Gorizia, Udine, Trieste, Izola and San Pietro al Natisone. The main award will go to Serbian director Srdan Golubović, who is known for exploring the power of corrupt political-economic systems.
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