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This summary is provided by the STA:
Pupils returning to schools as planned on Monday
LJUBLJANA - Pupils will return to schools and kindergartens on Monday following an 11-day circuit-breaker lockdown under a decision taken by the government, which is in line with the promise made before the country entered its third coronavirus lockdown. The return to kindergartens and primary and secondary schools will follow the same model as before the 1-11 April lockdown, which means all primary pupils will return to schools, while most secondary pupils will alternate between in-class and remote learning every week, Education Minister Simona Kustec said. Universities remain closed except for practical work and exams by up to ten students.
Constitutional Court stays provision restricting travel to red-listed countries
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed a provision of a government decree which restricts travel to countries on Slovenia's red list of high-risk countries due to Covid-19, pending its final decision. It said the right of individuals to leave the country is enshrined in many international legal instruments and is key to the functioning of a democratic system. It may be restricted only in the pursuit of a legal and constitutionally admissible objective, whereby individual circumstances must be considered and the limitations may not cause discrimination.
Over 1,500 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, five deaths
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 1,527 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a 14% increase from the same day a week ago. As a result, the rolling 7-day average rose to 917, up by 28 from the day before, data released by the government show. The latest cases were confirmed from 5,360 PCR tests, for a positivity rate of 28.5%. In addition 20,790 rapid antigen tests were performed. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose by 18 to 599 after 56 patients were discharged yesterday. The number of patients in intensive care dropped by two to 129. Another five Covid-19 patients lost their lives.
Slovenia not changing AstraZeneca jab strategy for now
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will not change its Covid-19 vaccination strategy for the time being, the head of the national immunisation advisory body has said after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that unusual blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Speaking for the commercial broadcaster POP TV on Wednesday evening, Bojana Beović said Slovenia would not change its approach over the EMA announcement for the time being, which means the AstraZeneca vaccine remains reserved for 60- to 65-year-olds.
CoE report puts Slovenia among countries with most crowded prisons
STRASBOURG, France - Slovenia had 109 prisoners per 100 prison beds in 2020, which makes it one of the Council of Europe (CoE) member states with the most crowded prisons; it placed the 9th most prison-crowded country, while Turkey was the leader with with 127 prisoners per 100 beds. The country did much better in terms of the number of persons imprisoned per 100,000 residents, as well as some other indicators, shows the latest CoE report on penal statistics in its 52 member states. Slovenia had only 69 prisoners per 100,000 residents in January 2020, which placed it among 20% of the countries with the lowest prisoner figures.
Slovenia to donate Covid-19 equipment to several W Balkan countries
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to donate Covid-19 protective equipment to several Western Balkan countries following a request for aid filed through the EU civil protection mechanism. It will donate EUR 107,350 worth of equipment (and transport) to Montenegro, EUR 115,000 to North Macedonia and EUR 120,300 to Serbia. The equipment will be delivered to the countries through the country's Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.
Pahor congratulates new Kosovo president Osmani
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor congratulated Vjosa Osmani on being elected the president of Kosovo and wished her successful work as they had a telephone conversation. They talked about the epidemiological situation, and called for closer cooperation between the countries and more solidarity in the region during Covid-19. Pahor noted the support Slovenia provided to Kosovo in its efforts to achieve the goals of joining the EU and NATO, and called for the commitments to be met.
All packaging producers now liable for waste treatment fees
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a new decree on packaging and waste packaging under which all producers of packaging, not just those that put more than 15 tonnes of packaging on the market in Slovenia annually, must pay waste treatment fees. Companies that put less than a tonne of packaging on the market per year can opt for a lump sum. The new rules are deigned to prevent the events of last year, when the waste packaging treatment had to be covered by the state budget after waste treatment companies refused to take packaging beyond their quotas.
Execs for clear timeline of coal phaseout
LJUBLJANA - Business executives from Savinja-Šalek, a region with a major coal-fired power station and a coal mine, want a clear timeline of Slovenia's planned phasing out of coal by 2033, as well as a stable new source of electricity. At a debate hosted by the management board of the regional chamber of commerce, executives said the strategy should ensure a fair transition with equal treatment of all four pillars - the economic, energy, social and environmental pillar. Premogovnik Velenje coal mine director Janez Rošer said the most ambitious scenario of coal phaseout in Savinja-Šalek region by 2033 is dominated by the environmental aspect.
Budget outlays EUR 800m over current limit planned this year
LJUBLJANA - The government expects that this year's budget expenditure will be EUR 800 million higher than planned in the current budget documents. The ceiling for general government expenditure is set in a budgeting decree passed by the National Assembly in November along with the budgets for 2021 and 2022. Under draft changes to the decree, the government now plans to ask parliament to raise the ceiling in order to mitigate the negative impact of Covid-19. The extra spending would increase the budget deficit from 5.7% to 8.6% of GDP.
Fiscal Council calls for efficient public investment
LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council said that public investment that is to increase in the coming years could help drive economic growth and development, but that the institutional framework should be improved if investment is to be efficient. The government advisory body added in its latest analysis that public investment was said to have a key role in recovery after the current epidemiological crisis while also addressing the key development challenges. It noted that investment should be more targeted to meet the goals of the EU recovery fund.
ETFs traded on Ljubljana stock market again
LJUBLJANA - Five exchange traded funds (ETF) by Bulgarian Expat Capital were listed on the Ljubljana stock market, following years of efforts by the Ljubljana Stock Exchange to attract ETFs there once again. Aleš Ipavec, the CEO of the stock exchange operator Ljubljanska Borza, hopes that the move will significantly contribute to the development of Slovenia's capital market. "I'm honoured that the company chose the Ljubljana stock market as its next destination after Frankfurt and London," he said at an online event marking the launch.
Hospitality and tourism to get EUR 36m to keep afloat
LJUBLJANA - The SPIRIT investment promotion agency issued a second call for micro, small and medium-sized tourism and hospitality companies for the co-funding of operating costs in the first wave of the epidemic in spring 2020. EUR 36.2 million is available and over 6,000 companies are expected to apply, with the aid to be paid out at the end of June. Firms will receive a lump sum ranging from EUR 900 to EUR 9,999 for the period between 12 March and 31 May 2020.
Survey shows nearly 60% of Slovenians deem Covid measures too harsh
LJUBLJANA - The latest lockdown has been met with a negative sentiment among the public, according to a poll conducted by Valicon, in which nearly six out of ten described the restrictions as too harsh. The proportion of those who see the situation as critical, at times chaotic, rose from 8% to 13% over the past two weeks and the share of those who see it as hopeless rose from 3% to 5%, which are proportions similar to those measured during Christmas holidays but much lower than during the first lockdown a year ago.
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