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This summary is provided by the STA:
Pahor announces donation of Covid-19 vaccine to Bosnia
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - President Borut Pahor announced a donation of 4,800 Covid-19 vaccine shots to be delivered to the country next week, as he visited Sarajevo. Chairman of the Bosnian presidency Milorad Dodik said the friendly Slovenia had again showed its solidarity with and support to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Talks with Dodik and the two other members of the presidency, Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović, focused the country's efforts to join the EU, preparations for the Brdo-Brijuni Process summit to be held in Slovenia in a few weeks, illegal migration and Slovenia's military presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the president's office said.
881 new coronavirus cases, four deaths in Slovenia on Thursday
LJUBLJANA - The daily count of coronavirus cases stood at 881 on Thursday, when 5,435 PCR tests were performed for a positivity rate of 16.2%, a further drop compared to the day before. The number of people in hospitals today increased by ten to 521 with 85 in intensive care, government data show. Four patients died bringing the death toll to 3,878. The seven-day average of new cases in Slovenia was down from 784 to 780. According to the tracker site Covid-19 Sledilnik, there are currently about 10,866 active cases in the country.
NIJZ data show one in three positive rapid tests false
LJUBLJANA - Data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) obtained by Radio Slovenija and the web portal Necenzurirano show that one out of three positive rapid antigen tests have been proved false through the more reliable PCR tests after 13 February, since when all those who test positive for coronavirus in screening with rapid tests are tested again with PCR tests. The infections are not added to the official case count until confirmed with a PCR lab test.
Italian minority urges govt to reconsider border restrictions
KOPER - The Italian Union, an association of the Italian ethnic minority in Slovenia urged the government to reconsider imposing new border restrictions in a bid to prevent the import of new coronavirus variants, warning of the impact the step would have on cross-border cooperation. In a letter to Prime Minister Janez Janša, the association noted the close cooperation in the closely interlinked border region and proposed the government adopt alternative measures or allow exceptions to restrictions for the population living along the Slovenian-Italian border.
Pope appoints Maksimilijan Matjaž new Celje bishop
LJUBLJANA/CELJE - Pope Francis has appointed priest of the Maribor Archdiocese Maksimilijan Matjaž as the new Celje bishop, according to the websites of the Catholic Church. He will succeed Stanislav Lipovšek, who stepped down in 2018 after turning 75. Matjaž has so far been a professor of Biblical studies at the Ljubljana Faculty of Theology.
Italy formally against Slovenian new regulation on vinegar
ROME, Italy - The Italian Agriculture Ministry has addressed a letter to the European Commission opposing Slovenia's draft regulation on the quality of vinegar and acetic acid dilute, which also defines balsamic vinegar. The countries have until 3 June to provide any additional explanations, foreign press agencies reported. The Slovenian regulation has sparked strong protests in Italy as the proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar.
State's exposure in loan deferral scheme at EUR 2.6 billion
LJUBLJANA - Banks and savings banks in Slovenia received until the end of February a total of 28,485 applications under the government's scheme that enables loan takers to request a deferral of loan payments. More than 85% of the applications have been approved, with the total exposure related to these loans amounting to EUR 2.6 billion. The central bank reported that more than 85% of the applications had been approved, and around 12% rejected, with the remaining applications still being processed. A majority of the loans related to the applications are due in the coming months, and it is when an increase in credit risk is expected to increase the most.
Insurer group Sava ups net profit 12.3% to EUR 56.4m last year
LJUBLJANA - The insurance group Sava generated EUR 674.9 million in operating revenue last year, up 15.5% compared to 2019, while net profit increased by 12.3% to EUR 56.4 million, which was also above plans, show the unaudited results. The group said that the increase was driven by good results in the life and non-life insurance segments, partly offset by the challenging claims experience in international reinsurance business. EUR 679.7 million was collected in gross insurance premiums, an increase of 13.6% over the year before. The group's return on equity was 13.3%, which is 1.3 percentage points above the target return set in the strategy for 2020-2022.
SKB Banka's profit down last year by 35.6% to below EUR 35m
LJUBLJANA - SKB Banka posted a net profit of EUR 34.85 million last year, which is a 35.6% drop compared to 2019, in what is largely a consequence of the Covid-19 epidemic that affected all areas of operation of the banking group. Reporting on the results for the first full year in ownership of the Hungarian banking group OTP, the Ljubljana-based bank said that the group had created additional provisions and impairments due to the increased credit risk. Net banking revenue was down last year by 1.3% to EUR 122.68 million, while the operational profit before provisions and impairments decreased by 2% to EUR 60.46 million.
Report: Marina Portorož sold to Japanese buyer
PORTOROŽ - Spa operator Terme Čatež confirmed that it had sold Marina Portorož but would not disclose the buyer. It also said the contract contained suspensive conditions. Newspapers Delo and Primorske Novice reported of the sale earlier today, saying the buyer came from Japan. Delo reported the buyers were Japanese investments funds and the price was below EUR 15 million, while Primorske reported of a Japanese multinational buying the country's biggest marina for EUR 16 million. Meanwhile, the business newspaper Finance says on its website, quoting unofficial information, that the buyer is Slovenian company JoanthanMars or one of its subsidiaries that manages alternative investment funds.
Mercator expected to become part of Fortenova by month's end
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia's competition protection authority cleared the transfer of Slovenian retailer Mercator to Croatian group Fortenova, thus clearing yet another hurdle for the step that follows the bankruptcy of Fortenova's predecessor Agrokor. Fortenova expects the transfer to be completed at the end of the month. Fortenova said in a press release that the approval by the Serbian regulator means the group has met all regulatory preconditions for concentration approval in the countries where this was required: Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In September, the European Commission also issued a concentration approval for the EU.
Some insurers allowed to pay out dividends
LJUBLJANA - The Insurance Supervision Agency sent a letter to insurers, reinsurers and pension funds, urging them not to pay out dividends until the end of September due to coronavirus-related uncertainties, insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav said. However, the paying out of dividend is allowed in some cases, as the financial stability of the companies overseen by the agency varies and not all of them were affected by the epidemic to the same extent. The companies which will act contrary to the recommendations will have to prove to the agency that they acted prudently. Their solvency coefficient must be kept above 150% and the paying out of dividends must not reduce the sources of own funds by more than 10% or hurt the company's liquidity.
Monitoring group MEPs voice concerns in debate on media freedom in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - The European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group held a virtual public discussion on media freedom in Slovenia featuring representatives from Slovenia and the European Commission. Group members expressed concern about the situation and their expectations for the Commission to take action. Although invited, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti did not take part in the exchange of views. A new meeting might be held on 26 March.
Diverging views as Slovenian MEPs debate state of the media
LJUBLJANA - The situation in the media topped the agenda as Slovenian MEPs talked to reporters ahead of next week's European Parliament plenary, which will debate attempts to silence free media in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. They provided diverging views on the situation and on whether this is indeed an issue that the EU should deal with. Milan Zver (EPP/SDS) said freedom of the media was not questionable in Slovenia and he sees no reason why Slovenia should be "in the dock". For him, the main problem is the "explicit asymmetry in the media space", as a result of which the right to receive objective information is not secured. Irena Joveva (Renew/LMŠ) said the competent authorities appear to have determined that the matter had gotten out of hand and that a debate on the European level was required, not least in light of Slovenia's upcoming presidency of the EU.
New maritime traffic control centre opens in Koper
KOPER - A new centre for maritime traffic control and management in crisis situations was inaugurated in what is a project that is expected to greatly improve navigation safety in the Slovenian territorial waters and decrease risk of accidents by as much as 70%. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said at the ceremony that the EUR 2.3 million centre, stationed in the Maritime Administration building in Koper, was not only important for the Slovenian maritime sector, but for the country as a whole.
Kugler honoured at American Filmatic Arts Awards festival
NEW YORK, US - Film director Ema Kugler was honoured at the American Filmatic Arts Awards (AFAA) festival of independent film in New York. Her Man with Shadow was declared the best feature film of 2020 in what is the 15th award for the film. Man with Shadow is marked by the idea that the biggest human delusion is the illusion of freedom.
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