Central bank sees sharp increase in risk to financial stability
LJUBLJANA - Risks to financial stability have increased sharply as a result of the coronacrisis, mostly as a result of the deep economic slump. Income and credit risk have increased as well, shows the latest Financial Stability Report by Banka Slovenije. The central bank said Slovenian banks are resilient to risk and were well capitalised, not least due to measures taken at the national and international level to counter the impact of the health crisis. But due to the contraction of the economy, the risk stemming from the macroeconomic environment is "the highest since we've had an independent country," the report says. Macroeconomic risk is designated as high, the highest on a four-level scale.
Huawei says alleged plan to label it high-risk supplier unjustified
LJUBLJANA - The Chinese technological giant Huawei responded to the Slovenian government's reported plans to label it a high-risk supplier by expressing surprise and disappointment over what it thinks is an unjustified decision. It noted that the government has not consulted Huawei despite its multiple attempts to meet. Huawei Technologies vice-president for the Central and East Europe and Nordic Region Radoslaw Kedzi said that the company had learned about the government's plan from the media and that it was seriously worried over such an intention, and that Slovenia was the first country in Europe to opt for such a strict and discriminatory measure.
NBI acting head resigns
LJUBLJANA - Uroš Lepoša, the acting director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), tendered his resignation to acting Police Commissioner Andrej Jurič after only some two months on the job. Lepoša cited personal circumstances as reason to step down. Jurič has not yet decided on the matter, the police told the STA. According to news portal 24ur.com, Lepoša decided to call it a day due to bad working conditions, with unofficial sources saying he could not work properly in an environment where everything is supposed to be subjugated to politics. The news portal points out that Lepoša was appointed with the blessing of the current government, but he had thrown in the towel amid the Interior Ministry's interventions in the work of the NBI. However, the police denies any political pressure exerted on him or any other attempts of influencing his work.
Pavle Hevka appointed new 2TDK boss as Dušan Zorko resigns
LJUBLJANA - The two-member board of 2TDK featuring Dušan Zorko as director general and Marko Brezigar resigned in agreement with the company's supervisory board, which appointed Pavle Hevka and Iztok Černoša in their place. The pair will take over for a four-year term on Wednesday. According to Necenzurirano webportal, Zorko and Brezigar had to resign for delays in the EUR 1.2 billion railway construction project, for which the management is said to be responsible.
Nominees for top court, central bank announced
LJUBLJANA - Anže Erbežnik has been formally nominated for the vacant post on the Constitutional Court and Arjana Brezigar Masten for the vice-governor post at the central bank, the office of President Borut Pahor announced. The nomination comes after Pahor consulted deputy groups last week. While few deputy groups publicly stated their preference, it was immediately announced that Erbežnik and Brezigar Masten stood the best chance of being appointed by the National Assembly. Public presentations of both candidates will be held next week.
Podgoršek formally nominated for agriculture minister
LJUBLJANA - Jože Podgoršek, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, has been formally nominated to take over the ministry after the resignation of Aleksandra Pivec. Prime Minister Janez Janša submitted his candidacy to parliament on Monday evening, after Pivec announced she was stepping down just before the National Assembly was due to vote on he dismissal. It is expected that the parliamentary Agriculture Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing with Podgoršek for Monday, which will be swiftly followed by a plenary vote.
DeSUS's former head Erjavec emerges as first party presidency nominee
LJUBLJANA - A day after former Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) head Aleksandra Pivec resigned as agriculture minister and left the party, it seemed DeSUS might to be returning to its former head Karl Erjavec. Ahead of the party's congress in November, at which a new president will be appointed, Erjavec, who headed the party for 15 years before being replaced by Pivec in January, became the first party president nominee. Pivec's supporters were also leaving the party after months of infighting, during which the party's MPs pushed out its president of less then nine months.
Moody's upgrades credit rating for NLB and NKBM
LJUBLJANA - After upgrading the long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings for Slovenia last week, rating agency Moody's has also upgraded the credit ratings for the NLB and NKBM banks, for both from Baa2 and Baa1. The outlook remained stable, the agency said. Moody's previously upgraded the ratings of the two biggest two banks in the country after their completed privatisation. For NLB this happened at the end of 2018 and for NKBM in mid-2019 when it took over Abanka, another bank that was privatised.
Slovenia supports launching of EU recovery facility
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia promotes the launching of the EU recovery and resilience facility as soon as possible and expects no red tape, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said after an informal virtual meeting of EU finance ministers, at which the ministers adopted a decree on the setting up of the mechanism. Launching the recovery and resilience facility as soon as possible is extremely important because the facility will play a key role in the economic recovery, Šircelj said.
Logar stresses importance of dialogue ahead of Carinthian plebiscite centenary
LJUBLJANA/MEŽICA - Addressing a symposium entitled Carinthia as Diplomatic Issue 1918-1920, held online ahead of the centenary of the Carinthian plebiscite, Foreign Minister Anže Logar stressed the historic ties between Slovenia and Austria and the importance of dialogue between the countries. Logar told the symposium, hosted by the Milko Kos History Institute, the anniversary, which presidents Borut Pahor and Alexander van der Bellen will mark together on Saturday, could be an important milestone in overcoming the burdens of the past and strengthening of harmony between the Slovenian- and German-speaking people of Carinthia, and well as between both nations.
One in five Slovenians victim of child sexual abuse, survey shows
LJUBLJANA - Every fifth Slovenian was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, shows a recent survey commissioned by the Justice Ministry. Minister Lilijana Kozlovič announced that a bill enabling the country's first Barnahus for child victims of sexual abuse would be likely passed in 2021.
First green light for e-tolling for cars
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee unanimously backed a set of government-sponsored changes to the road tolling act which bring a legal basis to introduce electronic tolling for cars on Slovenian motorways as of 1 December 2021. Still, the MPs had some second thoughts, including about privacy. Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Aleš Mihelič said said the system would erase the data of the driver or vehicle as soon as it had checked them, except if a violator was involved. He also said that despite the digitalisation of the toll stickers, the price of the toll stickers will not drop, as some other costs would rise.
Committee rejects referendum on major defence investment plan
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee rejected the proposal from the opposition Left that a consultative referendum be held on the government's plan to invest EUR 780 million in the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in the 2021-2026 period. The bulk of the funds would go for armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and forming a medium infantry battalion group. The government also plans to purchase an air plane and two helicopters. The proposal for a consultative referendum was rejected by the committee members from the coalition and the opposition National Party (SNS).
23rd FSF kicks off with film about rebel against the state
LJUBLJANA - The 23rd Festival of Slovenian Film (FSF) kicked off with the screening of Antigone - How Dare We!, a documentary directed by Jani Sever and based on a play by the renowned philosopher Slavoj Žižek. Taking place online and in person, the festival will show 51 competing films and another 50 films outside competition. The film wonders whether Antigone, praised as a heroic rebel against the state, is truly an emancipatory hero or she is part of the problem.
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