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This summary is provided by the STA:
Energy permit issued for second unit of Krško nuclear power station
LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Ministry issued an energy permit for the construction of the second unit of the Krško nuclear power station. "The energy permit kick-starts the broadest possible public debate, not just at the expert level but also among the people," Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec told the press, adding that this did not mark the final decision on the investment, it is merely the first step. The project will be managed by the state-owned Gen Energija. Details such as the estimated price, time frame and choice of technology are not known yet.
Intel oversight chair hints at potential spyware abuse in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - Matjaž Nemec, the chair of the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission, confirmed in a tweet the commission had received first hints of potential abuse of spyware in Slovenia as early as last year, but said it was not clear what type of software was involved. The commission became even more attentive when PM Janez Janša visited Israel last December, he told the STA after a consortium of media reported that hacking spyware sold by the Israeli NSO Group has been allegedly used by governments to target journalists, activists and political opponents. The Slovenian online portal Oštro reported last spring that Janša had met representatives of NSO while in Israel.
Rapid tests no longer available free of charge for all from 23 Aug
LJUBLJANA - While rapid antigen tests are now available to all residents in Slovenia free of charge, they will be available for free only to some groups from 23 August, the government decided at a correspondence session. Persons who are not allowed to get vaccinated for health conditions will still be eligible for free rapid antigen testing, and so will be individuals who have not yet been ill with Covid-19 or have not yet been fully vaccinated but could "spread Covid-19 while working or while being in other environments where there is direct risk of spreading the virus". This group features users of health services, care homes residents, prisoners, and individuals at centres for foreigners, safe houses, asylum centres or children's crisis centres.
Ministers say EU needs common research area
BRDO PRI KRANJU - EU ministers in charge of research agreed that Europe needs a common research area as they met for an informal meeting at Brdo pri Kranju as part of Slovenia's EU presidency to discuss revitalising the European Research Area (ERA), and the role of international cooperation to promote research and innovation. Slovenian Minister of Education and Science Simona Kustec said decision-makers will not create such a research area on their own but in collaboration with all stakeholders, particularly researchers and businesses. A number of measures to further encourage research and innovation were presented, including financial, infrastructure and soft measures. The ministerial was also attended by Commissioner for Innovation and Research Mariya Gabriel.
EU agriculture ministers endorse organic action plan
BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU agriculture ministers meeting under Slovenia's presidency for the first time unanimously endorsed an action plan aiming for at least 25% of agricultural land to be under organic farming by 2030 in what is also of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency. Minister Jože Podgoršek, who chaired the meeting, hailed the endorsement of the plan, which he said was one of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. The action plan is part of the From Farm to Fork strategy, set out by the European Commission in May 2020 as one of the key measures in the European Green Deal.
Govt urged to stop delaying prosecutor appointments
LJUBLJANA - The State Prosecution Council urged the government to take a decision on the appointment of 12 candidates for state prosecutors put forward by the previous justice minister between last September and June as soon as possible. In a call adopted by the council, its head Tamara Gregorčič noted staff shortages at some prosecution offices, which she said were partly due to the government's "unprompt an selective decision-making on the proposals for prosecutor appointments".
Court rejects motion challenging inadmissibility of army investment vote
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court rejected an opposition-sponsored motion challenging the inadmissibility of a referendum on a EUR 780 million investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in 2021-2026 as declared by parliament. The motion was thrown out due to non-compliance with formal conditions. The court's decision was unanimous and comes after the parliament decided to ban the referendum in November 2020. The court is now in the process of deciding on the constitutionality of the act itself based on a different motion.
Slovenia and Israel mark first friendship day
CERKLJE OB KRKI - A ceremony at the Prilozje air strip near the town of Metlika in south-east marked the first Slovenia-Israel Friendship Day in memory of the joint struggle against Nazism and Fascism in WWII with President Borut Pahor and Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela wishing for the event to become an annual tradition. The event marked the centenary of the birth of Israeli hero and poet Hannah Szenes, who parachuted into the Bela Krajina region on a mission during WWII in a heroic story that Pahor said linked the two nations.
Push for Slovenian athletes to carry EU flag at Olympics
LJUBLJANA - European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša have proposed that the Slovenian team carry the EU flag alongside their national flag at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Tokyo. In a joint letter addressed to International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, they said this would "render Slovenian athletes ambassadors of European unity and the values underpinning our Union which match those of the Olympic movement".
Govt with lowest rating so far, SDS retains lead in Vox Populi poll
LJUBLJANA - The latest Vox Populi poll, commissioned by the dailies Dnevnik and Večer, shows that the rating of the Janez Janša government has hit its lowest point so far, with nearly 72% disapproving of its work. The ruling Democrats (SDS) nevertheless remain in the lead, with 18.2%, down 0.9 points over the month before. The opposition Social Democrats (SD) are in second place with 12.7%, up from 12.1% in June, trailed by the Left in third at 10.1%, a three-point gain month-on-month.
Nine new coronavirus cases confirmed as downward trend persists
LJUBLJANA - Nine new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Sunday, the fifth day in a row that cases dropped on a week-on-week basis, show the latest data released by the National Institute of Public Health. The positive cases came from 590 tests, for a positivity rate of 1.5%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population currently stands at 36, down marginally from the day before. Hospital numbers remained unchanged.
Police and interior ministry to get new premises in four years
LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and Marjan Podgoršek, director general of the state-owned real estate investment firm DSU, signed a contract for the provision of new premises for the ministry and police. The two bodies will get new premises in the Šiška borough in Ljubljana in four years' time. Standing in an exceptional location, the premises will house a number of departments of the ministry and police, said Hojs. Both the force and the ministry will hence empty out their premises in a number of locations, including in the city centre near the Ljubljana Skyscraper and Prešernova Street.
Wholesale and retail sees 5.7% drop in sales in 2020
LJUBLJANA - Turnover from the sale of goods in Slovenia declined in both wholesale and retail trade in 2020. It totalled EUR 26.2 billion, down 5.7% on 2019. Due to the lower mobility of the population, fuel sales revenue fell markedly, the Statistics Office said.
