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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia's GDP up 5% in third quarter
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP grew at an annual rate of 5% in the third quarter of 2021. Just like in the previous quarter, it was largely fuelled by household consumption, up by 9.3%, and gross capital formation, up 9.6%, the Statistics Office said. On the other hand, external trade balance had a negative impact on growth, as imports rose more than exports, by 19.9% and 10.6%, respectively.
Annual inflation accelerates to 4.6% in November
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate accelerated to 4.6% in November from 3% in the month before, the highest it has been since late 2008, on the back of higher prices of oil derivatives, which contributed 1.8 percentage points to the overall consumer price growth. At the monthly level prices were up by 0.7%, show the latest Statistics Office data. The only groups where prices dropped were telecommunications and health services.
Janša and Schallenberg discuss booster shots as Omicron spreads
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša spoke with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg via videoconference about the Covid-19 pandemic, including the new Omicron strain of coronavirus, to note the importance of booster vaccine shots. They assessed the epidemiological situation and exchanged information about measures aimed at managing Covid-19 and their effects. The Austrian chancellor wrote on Twitter that he and Janša had agreed on the importance of vaccination with a booster dose in view of the Omicron strain of coronavirus. They also discussed developments on the Belarusian-Polish border and the Western Balkans.
Young woman's death confirmed to be related to Janssen vaccine
LJUBLJANA - A commission appointed to examine the death of a 20-year-old woman after she was given the Janssen vaccine in September announced its unanimous assessment that the death was "definitely linked" to the vaccination. The investigation confirmed the vaccination led to the thrombotic thrombocytopenia in the woman. Upon suspending the use of the vaccine, the government made it available only on a person's specific demand accompanied by a written consent, which Health Minister Janez Poklukar said would be made into a new, permanent rule.
Almost 2,500 new cases confirmed as infections keep receding
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 2,482 new coronavirus cases for Monday as infections kept receding, with the daily count of newly confirmed infections dropping by over 900 from the same day a week ago, while the PCR test positivity rate remained a high 46.2%. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 decreased by 28 to 1,128, data released by the government show. The number of those treated in intensive care was 280 this morning, one fewer than yesterday. Covid-19 has claimed 16 more lives.
Economy minister calls for work from home
LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek called on businesses to organise work from home wherever possible and to stick strictly to the Covid pass rule and other precautionary measures in what he says is the only way to avoid potential new restrictions. In his call, Počivalšek said Slovenia could not afford a shutdown or new harsh limits on economic activities. "We must do all in our power to avoid new restrictions on activities or lockdown," he said.
Testing guidelines issued for arrivals from southern Africa
LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry issued guidelines on testing for persons who receive mandatory quarantine orders following their return to Slovenia from areas and countries with the new coronavirus variant Omicron. The ministry urged all testing providers to test those persons with PCR tests and to label their samples as arrivals coming from the areas. The latest guidelines also urge all persons in quarantine due to the risk of importing the new strain to take a PCR test as soon as quarantine is imposed, and then again on the fifth and tenth day.
Only one MP in favour of SAF development referendum on committee
LJUBLJANA - An initiative by the opposition Left to call a consultative referendum on a long-term programme for the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) was voted down by eight votes to one on the Defence Committee. While the Left opposes this key defence resolution, covering a period until 2035, arguing its lacking a social consensus and being misguided, Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret said the intention of the referendum run against national defence interests and Slovenia's international commitments and contrary to its strategic defence and security documents. The vote is not binding on the plenary.
President warns against politicisation of police
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony remembering the 1989 Operation North, a police campaign which prevented a Serbian nationalist rally in Ljubljana and is thus seen as one of the first steps in Slovenia towards the country eventually declaring independence. In his speech, Pahor warned against politicisation of police, noting that depoliticisation of police started at the time of Operation North and it was one of the milestone processes on the path to Slovenia's independence.
EU culture minsters call for support from media sector
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU culture ministers meeting under the chairmanship of Slovenia's Vasko Simoniti, noted the role of cultural heritage for sustainable development and the fight against climate change, in particular its contribution to social cohesion and jobs. They also called for measures to support the audiovisual and media sector, as Simoniti expressed concern over the continued impact of the pandemic on the European audiovisual and media industry.
Kustec calls adoption of European model of sport "historic"
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU ministers in charge of sport endorsed the European model of sport that calls for solidarity, open competition and accessibility of sport for all. Slovenian Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec said the adoption of the resolution was a "historic day for sport and the European Union". The ministers pledged to defend the European model of sport, especially its values such as "openness, solidarity, equality, transparency and human rights", she added.
Large fire breaks out in warehouse in Šentvid
LJUBLJANA - A fire broke out in a large warehouse in Vižmarje in the north-western Ljubljana borough of Šentvid during the night. The fire spread from pallets piled up next to the building inside the warehouse of several companies, including a tyre company, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief said. The fire has been mostly put out now but some parts of it are difficult to access, so the large-scale efforts will continue for a while, the Ljubljana Fire Brigade said. According to police reports, nobody was in the building at the time of the fire.
Deep 2020 loss for Slovenian energy sector
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian energy sector posted a net loss of EUR 277.5 million at the end of last year, compared to a EUR 303.6 million profit in the year before. This is the worst result since 2015, showed a report by the Energy Chamber. The performance of the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant (TEŠ) and its parent company, the power utility HSE, was the main cause of the loss. The year was also profoundly marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected mostly the sales of petroleum products.
Govt to help pig farmers with almost EUR 1.9m
LJUBLJANA - The government will help Slovenian pig farmers with EUR 1.87 million in financial aid, to be paid out on 23 December, to cope with falling prices of pork and pigs and rising prices of fodder, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said. The aim is to help over 580 farms whose main or only source of income is pig farming preserve their economic ability to continue with pig farming, UKOM said in a release. The government decided to provide the aid as part of the 2021-2024 national development projects to help out after purchase prices of pork and pigs started plummeting in the EU and Slovenia in June.
Number of households and families in Slovenia up
LJUBLJANA - The population in Slovenia increased by 59,000 in the decade between 2011 to 2021, with the number of households up by 46,000 and families by 20,000. Households have an average of 2.41 members, while families with children have an average of 1.56 children, according to the Statistics Office. Slovenia's population numbered 2,108,977 on 1 January 2021. The largest number of households were single-family, a total of 462,744 (54%), while one-person households accounted for 292,301 (34%).
