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This summary is provided by the STA:
Ban on movement between municipalities in force
LJUBLJANA - A ban on movement between municipalities entered into force as the government stepped up restrictions in response to a surge in coronavirus cases. Rules on face masks outdoors were somewhat relaxed, as people walking or exercising in open green spaces are not required to wear them if they can keep a distance of at least three metres from others. The 9pm-6am curfew and the rule of six remain in force, with certain exceptions, such as those related to work and emergency situations.
1,499 coronavirus infections confirmed for Monday, 13 deaths
LJUBLJANA - Monday's tally of new coronavirus infections in Slovenia reached 1,499 as 5,756 tests were carried out, meaning 26% of all tests came back positive, coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin told the press. Thirteen people with Covid-19 died. The number of active infections increased to 16,347. There are 560 coronavirus patients currently in hospital, up from 523 the day before. As many as 86 are in intensive care, up four, of whom 57 on a ventilator, as many as the day before.
Coronavirus testing to be limited
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will limit SARS-CoV-2 testing to persons who are expected to fall seriously ill with Covid-19, to care home and hospital staff, to those who have many contacts at work and those who live with individuals from vulnerable groups. The change in guidelines, that have already been sent to GPs, were announced by the government's chief Covid-19 adviser Bojana Beović on TV Slovenija on Monday. The daily number of tests should thus be reduced from between 6,000 and 7,000 to between 4,000 and 5,000 as the current number of tests exceeds the capacity of Slovenian laboratories.
More than 660 elderly in care homes infected
ZIDANI MOST - Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj revealed that 665 elderly residents of care homes across the country are currently infected with coronavirus. However, many have also recovered, he said as he visited a care home near Zidani Most in the east, where 113 residents and 39 staff are infected. Coronavirus has shown how badly understaffed and underfunded social and aged care homes in the country, but the government is to invest EUR 26 million over the next two years to deal with the problem.
MPs reject petition or referendum on defence investment
LJUBLJANA - Parliament rejected by 47 votes to 35 the petition by the opposition Left for a consultative referendum on EUR 780 million defence investment planned for 2021-2026. While most opposition parties spoke of bad timing and of the need for voters to have a say, the coalition stressed the need to invest in the army, security and honour international commitments. The vote means the parliamentary majority can go ahead by passing the bill on the investment, which the Left indicated could try to challenge in a binding referendum.
Another parliamentary inquiry into handling of Covid-19 launched
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly launched an inquiry to determine possible political responsibility in actions of the government related with the coronavirus epidemic. Proposed by the four left-leaning opposition parties, the inquiry will focus on the incumbent government, while an existing inquiry, initiated by the coalition, is already looking into the actions of the previous government. The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left, the Social Democrats (SD) and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) accuse the government of irrational spending during the epidemic and of violating human rights and freedoms.
Analyst estimates 5,000 jobs at risk
LJUBLJANA - Bojan Ivanc, an analyst with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, assesses that around 5,000 jobs are at risk of being lost by the end of the year because of the coronavirus crisis despite the government's stimulus measures that have protected the vast majority of jobs. Despite those measures, he fears that now that a lockdown has been declared a second time, some companies in the services sector will still need to resort to redundancies, also because of the fixed costs.
Parliament endorses Human Rights Ombudsman's recommendations
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed a resolution calling on relevant authorities to implement all of the nearly 160 recommendations made by the Human Rights Ombudsman in its report for 2019. During the debate last week, MPs expressed concern that some recommendations remain unimplemented for years. The report points to 305 violations in relation to 48 state bodies, mostly the Labour Ministry, municipalities and courts, followed by the Environment Ministry, social centres and police stations.
Slovenian nominee for EU General Court said to be rejected by vetting committee
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Klemen Podobnik, Slovenia's nominee for one of the country's two spots at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg, has been rejected by the Brussels committee vetting the candidates, the STA found out from well-placed sources. Slovenia thus remains without a judge at the court and the call for applications will have to be repeated again. The Justice Ministry said Podobnik was interviewed by Committee 255 last Friday with the official opinion of the committee expected on Wednesday.
Slovenian EPP MEPs urge Jourova to condemn protest against culture minister
LJUBLJANA - Three Slovenian MEPs from the ranks of the European People's Party (EPP) have written to European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova after a protest in front of the Culture Ministry that has been interpreted as death threats against Culture Minister Vasko Siomoniti and his team. In the letter, MEPs Romana Tomc, Milan Zver and Franc Bogovič urge clear condemnation of death threats. The protest involved tables splashed with red paint and carrying the names of ministry officials.
Opposition proposal for demographic fund voted down
LJUBLJANA - An alternative opposition proposal to the government-planned Demographic Fund, meant to pool state assets to shore up the pension system, was rejected in parliament. This means the government's proposal can be put on the agenda of one of the upcoming parliament session. While the government plans to transfer most state equity stakes onto the new fund, the opposition SocDems and Alenka Bratušek Party proposed that the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) remain the manager of state assets, while the pension fund management KAD be transformed into a new demographic reserves company.
Proposal to tax tech giants defeated by MPs
LJUBLJANA - A bill sponsored by the opposition Left to levy a 7% digital services tax on multinational tech companies was defeated in the National Assembly by 43 votes to 38. Setting out the proposal in the legislature last week, the leader of the Left Luka Mesec argued the bill could raise some EUR 10 million in budget receipts next year. The government and coalition opposed the bill on the grounds that a comprehensive globally coordinated solution was required.
Erjavec and Krope to vie for DeSUS presidency
LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) endorsed Karl Erjavec and Srečko Felix Krope as candidates for the party's top job at the 28 November congress. DeSUS hopes the epidemic will slow down so the congress could be held in person, or else the vote is to be carried out by mail. Erjavec served as DeSUS leader for almost 15 years until he was defeated by Aleksandra Pivec in January. Pivec was forced out as party leader in September and then as agriculture minister after becoming embroiled in a scandal involving her semi private official trips.
Slovenia semi-successful in reducing nitrates in water
LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit found that Slovenia was semi-effective in removing nitrates from water between 2014 and 2018, as the Environment Ministry did a better job at protecting water quality, whereas the Agriculture Ministry could have done more to change farming practices. Monitoring of nitrates trends in water showed that the situation had been alarming for decades in the Mura, Drava and Savinja basins in the east and north-east. The Ljubljana area including the Ljubljana Marshes and Krško area in the east are also a cause for concern when it comes to nitrates in bodies of water.
Velenje council would not give up coal before 2042
VELENJE - The Velenje municipal council discussed possible scenarios for the restructuring of the Savinja-Šalek coal region, home to the Velenje mine and Šoštanj coal-fired power station TEŠ. The scenarios, drawn up by auditing company Deloitte Slovenija based on the national strategy, envisage abandoning coal in 2033, 2038 or 2042. The councillors believe the region will not be able to abandon coal before 2042, and want that year to be set as the deadline for abandoning coal with the possibility of a five-year transition period. About 20% of jobs in the region are said to directly depend on coal mining.
Use of grave candles on the decline
LJUBLJANA - Slovenians light around 16 million candles on graves a year, two-thirds of which on 1 November, All Saints' Day. While a statistic showing 15% less candles were sent to market last year compared to 2018 is encouraging, the Environment Ministry warned that grave candles end up as waste. While not considered hazardous waste, their processing can be harmful for the environment as they are accumulating in cemeteries or waste collection companies and present a fire hazard.
Roman Žveglič elected agricultural chamber head
LJUBLJANA - Roman Žveglič, a vice-head of the Trade Union of Farmers, was elected the head of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS) to succeed Cveto Zupančič, who is bidding farewell after two four-year terms. Žveglič, a former MP for the now non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS), beat SLS leader Marjan Podobnik in a 29:25 vote after both secured 27 votes on Monday. He promised help to small farmers, improvements to food traceability and transfer of know-how from expert services to farmers.
Brane Mozetič wins second Jenko Prize for collections of poems
LJUBLJANA - Poet Brane Mozetič won the Jenko Prize, the top national award for best poetry collection from the past two years, for his 2018 collection Dreams in Another Language. With his latest collection, Mozetič exceeded "what he has created so far to create one of the most exciting collections of poems in recent times", said the judging panel of the Slovenian Writers' Association. Mozetič, an author and gay activist, won his first Jenko Prize in 2003 for Banalije (Banal Things).
Sociologist, translator and publisher Pagon dies
LJUBLJANA - Sociologist, translator and publisher Neda Pagon died on Sunday, aged 79, following a battle with illness. Pagon served as editor at the publisher Studia Humanitatis and is considered one of the top social scientists of the post-war era. Her Wikipedia page says the sociologist, historian, translator and editor was born on 13 March 1941. She is considered one of the most incisive and respected social scientists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Timbuktu, Timbuktu wins best illustrated book award
LJUBLJANA - Timbuktu, Timbuktu, a children's book written by award-winning Peter Svetina and illustrated by Igor Šinkovec, won this year's Kristina Brenkova Award for best Slovenian illustrated book. It features more than 40 extremely short stories, termed by some prose poems, which abound in nonsense, humour and imagination. The stories, published by Miš in 2020, are about a path for school children which zips up because it is cold or a bar of chocolate which eats everything on the shelf.
Pogačar overtakes Roglič as world's top-ranked cyclist
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's star road cyclists Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar continue to top the rankings of the Union Cycliste Internationale, but they have switched places this week, with Pogačar, becoming no. 1 for the first time after winning the Tour de France. Pogačar, 22, has 3,970 points, while Roglič, the 30-year old Tour runner-up who is currently riding in fourth-place overall as the defending winner of the Vuelta de Espana, has 3,945 points.
Mijatović gets another term as football association boss
LJUBLJANA - President of the Slovenian Football Association (NZS) Radenko Mijatović was appointed for another four-year term as the only candidate at an on-line assembly on the NZS on Monday. The fourth president of the umbrella football organisation in Slovenia assumed his first term on 15 December 2016, taking over from Aleksander Čeferin, who had been elected the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
One in four Slovenians distrustful of anyone over coronavirus
LJUBLJANA - A third of Slovenians think that government measures equally take into account health and the economy, whereas almost a third believe that health is overly in focus at the cost of the economy, shows a survey by Mediana. A quarter meanwhile said they trusted no one regarding information about coronavirus, whereas a quarter trust Bojana Beović, the head of the expert group advising the government on Covid-19.
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