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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia not scaling down Kyiv embassy staff, urges diplomatic solution
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Anže Logar came out of the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels saying "we must do everything in our power, use all diplomatic means for a diplomatic solution to the dispute" between Russia and Ukraine. As for Slovenia providing direct help to Ukraine, Logar said that a decision had not yet been taken. Should such a decision be taken, the public will be promptly informed, he added. According to the Foreign Ministry Slovenia is not planning to reduce its diplomatic staff numbers in Kyiv for the time being and was coordinating all activities with other EU countries.
Committee against referendum on Boxer APCs
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee voted down the opposition Left's motion to call a referendum on the government's purchase of Boxer armoured personnel vehicles (APCs) from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCA). The National Assembly was scheduled to ratify last month the agreement between Slovenia and OCCAR on the purchase of 45 eight-wheeled Boxer APCs, but the vote was delayed by the Left's proposal to call a referendum on the bill.
Golob ends speculation about political career
LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, who has been ousted as chairman of energy trader Gen-I, ended speculation about his future by announcing he will vie to become a president of a small non-parliamentary party this week to contest the general election. Z.Dej, a green party formed by former environment minister Jure Leben in May 2021, will hold a congress this Wednesday. "I hear the [presidential] post is vacant," Golob said but would not go into detail about his political plans before Z.Dej members hear about them.
SDS remains ahead of SD in latest POP TV poll
LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain ahead in the latest POP TV poll. They lost about a percentage point in a month to 16.3%, with the opposition SocDems in second adding a bit more than a point to 11.3%, shows a poll released by POP TV. The Left lost almost two points to poll at 7.6%, followed by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), which was flat at 6.3%. The government's approval rating rose by three points to 33%, with the share of those saying it is doing a poor job declining by six points to 56%.
Judge Masleša urged to clarify his graduation, bar exam
LJUBLJANA - The Judicial Council urged Supreme Court judge Branko Masleša to provide explanation about his law graduation diploma and bar exam, but said it was beyond its power to examine the authenticity of Masleša's documents as it could not examine the meeting of formal criteria in cases where appointment procedures had been completed. Some pro-government media had questioned Masleša's graduation, wondering how he could have passed the bar exam a year earlier after graduation than possible under the law.
GEN-I posts record-breaking results
LJUBLJANA - Energy trader GEN-I generated a net profit of EUR 71 million last year on EUR 3.4 billion in revenue, according to figures presented by Robert Golob, the former CEO. He called the results fantastic, record-breaking. The profit was up more than fourfold and revenue rose by 50% after the company reported sales of EUR 2.1 billion and a net profit of EUR 15.4 million for 2020. Golob said he withdrew his consent to be reappointed CEO as he announced his bid for the April general election.
Dutch fund takes majority stake in prefab house maker Marles
MARIBOR - Invera Equity Partners, a Dutch private equity fund manager, has acquired a 58.2% stake in Slovenian prefabricated house maker Marles Hiše Maribor. Invera said it intends to strengthen the company's position in existing markets, increase production capacity, and secure new opportunities to consolidate its position as the leading manufacturer of prefabricated wooden buildings in Slovenia and become a major player in Central Europe.
Telemach chosen as public administration's mobile telephony provider
LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Public Administration has chosen telco Telemach as the provider of mobile telephony services, cell phones, and data transfer for the Slovenian public administration in 2022-2025 in a deal worth around EUR 6.6 million. Telekom Slovenije and A1 Slovenija also submitted their offers, but the ministry excluded them over what the newspaper Finance said was excessive prices and their exceeding the funds allocated for the services.
Luka Koper takes out EUR 60m loan to finance investment drive
KOPER - Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's sole commercial port, announced signing a EUR 60 million syndicated loan agreement with NLB and Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, to finance its investment activities. The loan has a fixed interest rate with quarterly repayment instalments. These will be paid from mid-2023 to the end of 2031. Luka Koper is amid an extensive investment drive. Last year it inaugurated a 100-metre extension to Quay I of the container terminal with several investments ongoing.
November wages up by a tenth due to Christmas bonuses
LJUBLJANA - The average Slovenian gross wage stood at EUR 2,085 in November, up by a tenth both in real and nominal terms over the month before and almost 3% on 2020. The Statistics Office attributes the jump to Christmas bonuses. A quarter of all employees received end-year bonuses with their wages for November - which are paid out in December - with the average bonus at almost EUR 797, an increase of 5.3% over the year before.
Alenka Sottler illustrates new English translation of Bambi
LJUBLJANA - Acclaimed Slovenian illustrator Alenka Sottler has contributed drawings for a new English translation of Bambi, a classic written in 1923 by Austrian Jewish writer Felix Salten. The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest brings a new perspective on what is believed to be a much darker story than many saw in Walt Disney's film. The first English translation, by Whittaker Chambers from 1928, left out the Jewish aspect of the story, and Disney made a popular animated film based on it.
Mountain rescuers worried about large number of casualties
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian mountain rescue units have already responded to 41 incidents in the mountains this month in which nine people lost their lives, which they say is cause for concern as these numbers are much higher than they should be in such a short period of time. If the trend continues, this year's increase in accidents will be much higher than the average of 10% recorded in recent years. Last year Slovenian mountains claimed 22 lives. A total of 630 rescue operations were carried out.
