Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 16 October 2021

By , 16 Oct 2021, 04:43 AM News
Catch up with the news from Slovenia, wherever you are Catch up with the news from Slovenia, wherever you are pixnio.com bicanski CC-by-0

Share this:

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA

EP mission concerned about tone of public debate in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of the European Parliament's committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs (LIBE) visiting Slovenia on a fact-finding mission expressed concern mainly at the tone of public debate, while also calling for the issues of STA funding and European delegated prosecutor appointments to be addressed urgently. After three days of meetings in Slovenia, the delegation is returning to Brussels to compile a report, but in their first observations they find that "public institutions in Slovenia work well", something the delegation's head Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) described as reassuring. However, she said the delegation was struck by "members of the government engaging in kind of debate which I think is unfitting for civilised and democratic society".

Responding to PM Janša's tweet, EU reps say no space for anti-Semitism

BRUSSELS, Belgium - There is no room for anti-Semitism in the EU and social networks are no place for personal attacks, the European Commission said in response to a tweet by Prime Minister Janez Janša which sparked an avalanche of criticism. "We do not comment on comments, but let me make a few points clear. Social media should be a space for constructive and respectful debate, it should not be a place for personal attacks against individuals, as was the case with the tweet you mentioned," EU Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said.

Speaker says govt dismantling Slovenia's legal system

PORTOROŽ - Speaker Igor Zorčič has accused the government of destroying the legal system and subjugating it to its political goals. He pointed to rule by decree, disregard of media legislation, and dismissive attitude to members of a fact-finding mission of the European Parliament as examples of this. "When a branch of government does not honour the law, ignores it, and tailors it to its needs, then it is clear that the rule of law is being dismantled," he told the Days of Slovenian Jurists yesterday.

Slovenian MEP presents her take on fact-finding mission

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian MEP Romana Tomc, a member of the ruling Democrats (SDS), presented her view on the European Parliament's fact-finding mission to Slovenia, a member of which she has been over the past three days. The mission's main finding is that institutions function well, she said, but complained about its secrecy and non-transparency. Tomc, who was a member of the fact-finding mission as a representative of the European People's Party (EPP), took to Twitter saying the mission had found no major systemic violations by the government that would call for action on the part of the European Commission or Parliament.

Opposition say PM's tweets shameful, harmful for Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition condemned PM Janez Janša's response to the visit of a fact-finding mission of the European Parliament, in particular his tweets. These were labelled as harmful and detrimental to Slovenia's international image. It also urged the junior coalition partners to distance themselves from this or exit the government to enable an early election. Matej Tonin, the head of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), urged Janša to apologise, whereas the head of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) Zdravko Počivalšek said he did not support such statements by the PM. Responding indirectly to the developments, President Borut Pahor said that impolite or even intolerant statements should be first and foremost resisted by the top state representatives, because their views can also be seen as the views of the state.

Rok Svetlič nominated Constitutional Court judge

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor nominated philosophy of law professor Rok Svetlič for a post on the Constitutional Court, in what is the fourth attempt in over a year to find a candidate who has cross-partisan support at the National Assembly. "After consultations with the leaders of all deputy groups and minority MPs, the president has concluded that Svetlič has sufficient support," Pahor's office said. The move comes after opposition factions voiced scepticism about anyone being electable in a hung parliament.

Commitment voiced to boost ties as Georgian foreign minister visits

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Georgia expressed a commitment to boost ties, in particular in trade, as Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted his counterpart David Zalkaliani. The ministers had a constructive discussion on various topics, advocating for enhancing bilateral cooperation in various areas, in particular in trade. Logar told reporters he was confident Georgia's new consulate in the seaside town of Portorož would contribute to that. Meanwhile, Zalkaliani expressed Georgia's full commitment to the EU.

Defence Minister Tonin visits Montenegro

PODGORICA, Montenegro - Defence Minister Matej Tonin was on a working visit to Montenegro to meet his counterpart Olivera Injac in Podgorica and attend the To Be Secure international security forum in Budva, the Defence Ministry said in a press release. The ministers were happy the activities they had agreed at their recent meetings were being implemented at military level and in other fields within the powers of the defence ministries. Tonin outlined the Slovenian EU presidency's activities to get the countries in the region closer to the EU, foremost the efforts regarding the common security and defence policy. At the To Be Secure forum, he pointed to the need to reflect on a new strategic concept, noting that as the EU presiding country, Slovenia advocated strengthening the NATO-EU strategic partnership.

MPs to conduct oversight at police HQ over crackdown on 5 October protest

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission will visit the police headquarters on Monday over the crackdown on the 5 October protest in Ljubljana in the wake of media reports suggesting the operation had been run by government officials, including Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and State Secretary for National Security at the PM's Office Žan Mahnič. Matjaž Nemec, the commission chair, said the delegation would conduct an interview with Police Commissioner Anton Olaj over developments pertaining to the protests and the police force's response. "We would like to check a great deal of facts within our remit," he said.

Unions urge MPs to vote down laws not subject to social dialogue

LJUBLJANA - The country's major trade unions called on the National Assembly to vote down legislative proposals that have not been talked through on the tripartite forum featuring the government, employers and unions as they accused the government of ignoring social dialogue. "We expect of MPs to reject the bills that are already in the parliamentary procedure but have not been coordinated on the Economic and Social Council," said Branimir Štrukelj, the head of the KSJS association of public sector trade. Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj responded by saying the door had been open to the social partners all along. This can be seen from "a number of ESS sessions and legislative proposals that we have discussed and harmonised with the social partners", he said in a press release.

EU ministers urge considering social aspects in future economic measures

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - EU employment and social affairs ministers met to discuss the future of the European Semester, arguing that future economic measures and reforms should take social dimensions into account in a consistent manner. The ministers held a "broad debate" on the future of the European Semester, with a strong role attributed to the European Pillar of Social Rights, Slovenia's Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj, who chaired the meeting, told a press conference.

Over 2,000 promised bonuses for security during W Balkans summit

LJUBLJANA - The government decided that police officers who provided security during the EU-Western Balkans summit on 5 and 6 October will receive performance bonuses, as will civil servants who participated in the security arrangements for the event. A total of 2,380 staff will thus receive bonus pay. While formal decisions have not been issued yet, it is expected that the eligible civil servants will receive bonuses equalling 10% or 20% of their base pay, at a total cost of EUR 875,000.

Demographic office gets acting director

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Danilo Lončarič acting director of the Government Office for Demographic Affairs as of today. The appointment comes after the government decided a month ago to postpone the launch of the new office until Friday, 15 October. Lončarič was appointed for the period until a full-fledged director is appointed through a call for applications, but for no more than six months, the Government Communication Office said after the correspondence session.

Govt tweaks exemptions from quarantine, donates vaccines to COVAX

LJUBLJANA - The government changed a decree setting out exemptions from mandatory quarantine after a high-risk contact, so that those vaccinated against Covid-19 will be exempted from this indefinitely for now. Those inoculated against Covid-19 have been so far exempted from compulsory self-isolation for up to nine months after becoming fully immunised, but now this condition will be lifted as epidemiologists consider the protection to last indefinitely until new facts are known and it is clear when a booster dose will be needed. The government also decided to donate an estimated 578,336 doses of the Vaxzevria vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca, to the COVAX facility.

Health Committee happy with more funds as it debates 2022, 2023 budgets

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee discussed the draft national budgets for 2022 and 2023 when the Health Ministry's budgets will stand at EUR 683 million and almost EUR 524 million, respectively. The drop in funds in 2023 is largely a result of less funds envisaged for managing the Covid-19 epidemic. State Secretary Robert Cugelj said the ministry's funds in the draft supplementary budget for 2022 are by EUR 389.7 million higher than planned when the 2022 budget was passed last November. A great deal of the rise is due to epidemic financing, investment (EUR 142 million), long-term care and health insurance for the socially deprived. Several opposition MPs welcomed a rise in funds for healthcare, but highlighted the fact that the state has to borrow to finance the budget.

Diesel hits new record

LJUBLJANA - The price of diesel at petrol stations along Slovenian motorways has reached a record high of around EUR 1.49 per litre. The previous record price of diesel was in October 2018, when drivers had to pay EUR 1.464 per litre, show Economy Ministry price data. Elsewhere in the country, diesel costs from EUR 1.402 to EUR 1.472 per litre, depending on location and provider. Regular petrol currently sells at around EUR 1.389 per litre, which is still below EUR 1.576 recorded in September 2012.

Slovenia plans purchase of new building for Brussels diplomatic mission

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The government approved the purchase of a new building in Brussels to house Slovenia's permanent representation to the EU and the embassy in Belgium, which are currently using rented premises from which they have to move by August 2023. The government decided to buy new premises rather than renovate Slovenia's old diplomatic building, which is considered inadequate from a security point of view. The project is worth EUR 21 million. The move to the new premises is planned for mid-2023.

Epidemiological curve continues to rise

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,100 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Thursday for a test positivity rate of 21.4%, up more than 30% from a week ago. Another five Covid-19 patients have died, according to government data. Today, 403 patients are in hospitals, down three from the day before, including 116 in intensive care, one fewer than yesterday. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population increased by six to 552.

Govt urged again to change rules on when Covid pass becomes valid

MURSKA SOBOTA/LJUBLJANA - The advisory committee on immunisation and the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) have once again asked the government to change the system whereby a person's Covid pass becomes valid immediately after they are vaccinated. They propose that happens seven or 14 days after full vaccination. "We still think so, the ministry has been acquainted with this, but it is hard to say what will happen," Bojana Beović, head of the advisory committee, told the STA. The Health Ministry responded by saying that the decree on this matter only specified when a person obtains a valid vaccination certificate, but not that they have achieved protection from the virus through vaccination.

TV Slovenija news programme editor steps down

LJUBLJANA - Manica Janežič Ambrožič, the TV news programme editor at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, stepped down, saying she had decided to do so because she disagreed with changes to the programme and production plan for TV Slovenija's news programme for next year, RTV Slovenija said in a statement. The RTV Slovenija management labelled her move as a "complete surprise", and TV Slovenija acting director Valentin Areh urged her not to step down today. The public broadcaster also said that minor changes to the programme and production plan were necessary. For the time being, Janežič Ambrožič will stay on as acting TV news programme editor. TV Slovenija's news programmes staff and the Slovenian Journalist Trade Union (SNS) regretted Janežič Ambrožič's resignation. Both are worried about the planned cut in news programmes, which the SNS believes will take the public broadcaster away from European standards.

One in ten fails to take PCR test after positive rapid test

LJUBLJANA - Since Slovenia introduced a system to double check all positive coronavirus rapid antigen tests with the more reliable PCR tests, more than 4,000 of those who tested positive in screening tests have failed to take a PCR test and as a result have not been ordered to self-isolate and could have spread the infection. Marko Kern of the national Covid-19 tracker site reckons that out of those more than 4,000 people, infection would have likely been confirmed in around 3,300 individuals in PCR tests.

REM opens new business and production centre in Trebnje

TREBNJE - REM, a Trebnje-based manufacturer of prefabricated construction modules, opened a new business and production centre in the local industrial zone. The project, worth more than EUR 15 million and expected to create over 50 new jobs, was supported by a EUR 2.6 million government grant. In what is the company's largest single investment so far, REM plans to unify and automate production and increase capacity in the three existing locations.

Another automotive supplier forced to lay off workers

SLOVENJ GRADEC - With the global automotive industry running low on semiconductor chips and orders from car makers to car part suppliers cut, the Slovenj Gradec-based company Dani AFC has announced that it is forced to reduce its 304-strong workforce by a third. The company, which produces leather seat covers for high-end marques, is preparing a redundancy plan for some 100 workers, while its director Jožef Horvat hopes that the actual number of lay-offs will be lower.

Slovenian community in Italy marks 70th anniversary of its weekly

SAN PIETRO, Italy - The Slovenian community in the Italian region of Slavia Friulana will mark on Friday the 70th anniversary of its weekly Matajur, which is now called Novi Matajur. The newspaper of Slovenians living in the province of Udine, Italy, was first issued in 1950, but the celebration was moved to this year because of Covid. The anniversary, which was originally planned last year, will be marked tonight with the opening of an exhibition at the gallery of the Slovenian Culture Centre in San Pietro.

Swiss embassy celebrates 20th anniversary with special event

LJUBLJANA - The Embassy of Switzerland in Slovenia celebrated its 20th anniversary with a grand jubilee event at the Švicarija arts centre in Ljubljana's Tivoli Park. The cultural and culinary event entitled Tradition Meets Innovation included the showcasing of a robot preparing one of Switzerland's national dishes, cheese fondue. President Borut Pahor and Swiss Ambassador Denis Knobel addressed the event, and a special message by Swiss President Guy Parmelin was read out on his behalf. All of them highlighted outstanding relations between the two countries.

Photo galleries and videos

This websie uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.