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This summary is provided by the STA:
EP to discuss media freedom in Slovenia next week, Janša not to attend
LJUBLJANA - Media freedom in Slovenia will be one of the items on the European Parliament's agenda as it meets for a plenary next week as the planned debate on government attempts to silence media in Poland and Hungary has been expanded to include Slovenia. The expansion was proposed by the S&D. The debate will be held next Wednesday. Tomorrow afternoon the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group will discuss the situation in Slovenian media landscape in a virtual format. Although invited, PM Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti will not take part. Instead, Janša proposes meeting for discussion in person on 26 March, after the EU summit.
Prosecutors complain to CoE about PM's "inadmissible pressure"
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Association of State Prosecutors has turned to the Council of Europe (CoE) to complain about "inadmissible pressure" that they say Prime Minister Janez Janša and media that he controls are exerting on prosecutors. In a public letter to the CoE's division for the independence and efficiency of justice circulated on Thursday, the association claims pressure directly by Janša as well as by Nova24TV.si and Demokracija.
Border checks to be stepped up Monday
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will step up health checks on its borders starting on Monday. It plans to reintroduce checkpoints on internal borders, which were scrapped in mid-February, and tighten quarantine rules for arrivals, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press. "The government is particularly concerned about [coronavirus] variants from South Africa and from countries in which some variants have not been explored and we have no way of knowing how they will react to vaccines," he said.
Outdoor hospitality temporarily allowed in two regions as of Monday
LJUBLJANA - Bars and restaurants in two eastern regions, Posavje and South-east Slovenia, will be able to start serving customers outdoor as of Monday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek announced. Initially, this will be a one-week test to see how things turn out. While Slovenia is in the orange tier of restrictions, both regions currently have figures that place them firmly in the milder, yellow tier, where serving customers outdoor is allowed.
Secondary school students in years 1-3 to switch between distance, in-person learning
LJUBLJANA - Secondary school students in years 1-3 are joining their final-year peers Monday as secondary schools fully reopen amid the coronavirus epidemic. However, this does not mean the end of remote learning just yet - under model C, half of them will come to school for a week while the other half will be distance learning at home. There are no changes to final-year secondary school students, who come to school every day, Education Minister Simona Kustec told the press.
Nearly 1,020 test positive for coronavirus, 4 die on Wednesday
LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,019 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday in 5,822 PCR tests and four people died, the government said. So far, 83 cases of the UK variant have been detected, 7 cases of the Nigerian variant and 2 cases of the South African variant. Today, 511 people are in hospital, 86 requiring intensive care, four more than on Wednesday. The total number of those in hospital dropped by five compared to yesterday. The ratio of positive tests performed on Wednesday dropped to 17.5% from 19.5% the day before.
Parliamentary debate shows major differences over national recovery plan
LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition criticised the emerging National Recovery and Resilience Plan for placing too much focus on investments in road infrastructure as the National Assembly debated the document that will allow Slovenia to tap on funding available as part of the EU's post-pandemic recovery. The only point on which deputies from both sides of the aisle agreed is that the available funding - Slovenia will be eligible for EUR 5.2 billion from the EUR 672.5 billion from the Recovery and Resilience Facility - will be a major opportunity for the country.
New banking bill adopted
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a reform banking bill, which transposes the provisions of a major EU directive and creates the legal basis for the participation of workers in bank supervisory boards. The EU directive governs exempted entities, financial holding companies, mixed financial holding companies, remuneration, supervisory measures and powers, and capital conservation measures.
Bids value first part of Divača-Koper rail at EUR 404-463 million
LJUBLJANA - Two contractors have submitted financial offers for the first part of main works on the Divača-Koper rail section. A consortium led by Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG values the works at EUR 403.6 million, while the offer by Austrian builder Strabag and its consortium is EUR 463.5 million. Both bids are below the ceiling price of EUR 472 million and therefore valid. The price excludes value added tax, 2TDK, the company managing the rail project, said in a press release on Thursday. 2TDK expects it will now take ten days to review the bids.
Janša's tweet upsets Nova Revija editors
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša compared in a tweet the role of TV broadcaster affiliated with his SDS party, Nova24TV, with the emergence of Nova Revija journal at the start of Slovenia's democratisation, in the 1980s. Three of Nova Revija's editors rejected such a comparison as "false and manipulative". To congratulate Nova24TV on the fifth anniversary on Tuesday, Janša tweeted: "The establishment and role of Nova24TV in the Slovenian TV landscape can be compared to the establishment of Nova Revija at the start of Slovenian Spring. A grain that has sprouted and bore fruit."
Literary historian Janko Kos leaving Writers' Association
LJUBLJANA - Literary historian Janko Kos has left the Slovenian Writers' Association (DSP) over its decision to opt out of the celebration of Slovenia's 30th independence anniversary because of certain actions by Prime Minister Janez Janša. DSP head Dušan Merc said the only comment to the move could be that "we must accept the fact that academic professor Janko Kos, a teacher and role model of many generations of Slovenian comparativists, an extraordinary intellectual and witness to our recent history and presence has left the Writers' Association," web portal MMC reported.
Pahor tests support for candidates for C-bank, top court
LJUBLJANA - After consulting heads of parliamentary factions, President Borut Pahor has narrowed down the list of candidates for consideration to put forward to the National Assembly in a renewed attempt to fill a vacancy on the governing board of the central bank and one on the Constitutional Court. He has decided to nominate Tina Žumer for a Banka Slovenije vice-governor should consultations at the end of next week show she enjoys sufficient majority.
New state secretary appointed at Health Ministry
LJUBLJANA - Franc Vindišar, the medical director of the Celje General Hospital, has been appointed a state secretary at the Health Ministry. He will join the ministry on Monday, the government decided today. Vindišar succeeds Marija Magajne, who was recently appointed the head of the ministry's directorate for healthcare.
State secretary replaced at Agriculture Ministry
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed at today's correspondence session Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Miran Mihelič and appointed Aleš Irgolič in his place, the Government Communication Office said. Irgolič has been working at the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development since 2005.
Minister thinks fined students should take responsibility
LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec said that secondary school students who received fines for protesting for the reopening of schools in February understand their actions and should take responsibility. "This is the first step into the adult world," Kustec told the press. There have also been voices in support of the students and calls for a blanket amnesty, and some have offered to pay their fines for them. President Borut Pahor suggested the authorities stop the proceedings and show understanding for the problems youths face.
Tourism season similar to 2020 expected as companies call for extension of aid
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) projects that Slovenia's summer tourism season will be similar to last year's in terms of visitor numbers. Companies in the sector are already urging the government to extend certain aid measures, saying many are on the brink of ruin. Last year visitor numbers were slashed by half compared to 2019. There was a surge in domestic tourists, partially due to special tourism vouchers, but the 21% increase in domestic arrivals failed to offset a 74% plunge in foreign guests.
MPs pass Demographic Fund bill at second reading
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed the National Demographic Fund bill at second reading Wednesday evening, tweaking the bill slightly via amendments by the coalition, but voting down a number of amendments tabled by the opposition, including the one exempting the STA from the fund. The MPs passed several amendments by the coalition, including one on procedure to check the qualifications of supervisory board members. The opposition believes the goal of the bill is to gain control over management of state assets, while falling short of bringing a solution for the pension purse.
Annual retail sales in EU, Slovenia down in January
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Slovenia saw a 13% drop in retail sales in January over January 2020, one of the biggest in the EU, coming only after Austria and Slovakia, which both saw a drop of 16.8%, Eurostat's fresh data shows. Compared to January 2020, retail trade dropped by 6.4% in eurozone countries and by 5.4% in the entire EU. In monthly comparison, Slovenia's retail sales were up 1.3% over December, while both the eurozone and the EU's retail sales were down, by 5.9% and 5.1%, respectively.
Court of Audit says govt ineffective in providing for cybersecurity
LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit said the government, the Public Administration Ministry and the Office for the Protection of Classified Information were ineffective in providing for cybersecurity in 2016-2019. It points to the government's failure to adopt an information security strategy, as well as to understaffing and underfunding. The audit of the three institutions covered the period between 1 January 2016 and the end of September 2019. The court says the government adopted a cybersecurity strategy in February 2016 and a law on information security was passed in April 2018 transposing the EU directive concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the union.
Earthquake safety discussed on World Engineering Day
LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning will send a resolution on making at-risk buildings earthquake-proof to the government and parliament by the end of the year, Minister Andrej Vizjak said as he took part in an online discussion organised by the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers to mark World Engineering Day. The document will significantly contribute to reducing the risks of loss of lives, while helping reduce economic and other damage alongside strengthening the country's economy.
Minority Porabje weekly celebrating 30 years
SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary - The Slovenian minority in Hungary started publishing the Porabje weekly 30 years ago. Marking its anniversary, the only Slovenian newspaper in Hungary has a new revamped look and plans to go digital. The paper comes out every Thursday and is 12-pages long. Its special feature is the use of standard Slovene as well as the minority's dialect spoken in Porabje or Raba Valley.
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