I’m a UK national in Slovenia, so trust me when I say I’m doing my best to follow the implications of Brexit for folk like me, and also that this article might no longer be your best source of information. Today is February 20, 2019, and with March 29 – “Brexit Day” – just 37 days away, things are likely to get very dynamic in the next few weeks.

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So whenever you’re reading this your most reliable source of information is the UK government’s official webpage for Living in Slovenia. This is clean, well organised and contains links to further information and how to apply for any documents you might need. I recommend you visit this site, bookmark it, and use it as your primary source of information for the UK side of things. You should also follow the Embassy on Facebook and / or Twitter. If you know any British people in Slovenia who aren't on Facebook, or who don't read Total Slovenia News, then telling them about these resources would be a kind thing to do.

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With regard to the Slovenian side, where the laws covering your life here are made, the government is still preparing a website to answer your questions. This is expected to be online by the end of February, when – as everyone hopes – there’ll be a more clarity with regard to deal or no deal, and thus what the situation will be. One benefit regardless of what happens, and regardless of whether you’re a UK national or not, is that this site will aim to remove the confusion and discrepancies that now exist at the various Upravna enota around the country, such as whether or not you need to change your UK driving licence to a Slovenian one (you do, and you can find out how to do that here).

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Please use these official sources of information, and do not rely on heresay, what was true two years ago, or even what your local Upravna enota says if it contradicts the messages from on high. What follows is a copy of the text being handed out at the various outreach meetings the UK Embassy is having around Slovenia at the moment, dated 18 February 2019

SUGGESTIONS FOR UK NATIONALS IN SLOVENIA (18 February 2019)

Under the terms of the draft Withdrawal Agreement, there will be broad continuity for your rights in Slovenia. The below is relevant only in a scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without a deal. [JL Flanner: But note that deal / no deal might not be clear until 23:59 March 29, so plan for no deal now]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia (www.mzz.si) will shortly be launching a page on their website dedicated to UK nationals resident in Slovenia. providing instructions and advice on what to do before 291h March 2019. Please also follow the Embassy's digital channels and our Living in Slovenia guide for updates: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-slovenia.In advance of this more definitive guidance, on the basis of our current understanding of the Slovene Government's position, the British Embassy suggests UK nationals in Slovenia consider the steps below to safeguard their rights should the UK leave the EU without a deal.

• Sign up to Living in Slovenia on gov.uk and follow the Embassy's social media channels (Facebook, Twitter)
• If you're staying in Slovenia for more than 3 months, you need to apply for a residence registration certificate at your local town hall (Upravna enota). Please see entering Slovenia.
• Exchange your UK driver's licence for a local one. The process takes up to 2 weeks at your local Upravna enota and costs €22. This will enable you to drive in all EU countries and will also be recognised by the UK.
• If you meet the requirements of the Health Care and Health Insurance Act (ZZVZZ) to be included in compulsory health insurance in Slovenia you will receive a Slovenian health insurance card for the provision of services in Slovenia. You can therefore apply for this health card yourselves or for your family members by the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS). We suggest all UK nationals resident in Slovenia obtain this health insurance.
• If you are a pensioner and currently access healthcare in Slovenia via an S1 form, you will need to obtain compulsory health insurance as other residents are required to (monthly cost of approx. 30 — 50 euros)
• If you own a 2nd property in Slovenia but are currently resident in the UK you will need to decide whether to consider Slovenia as your official place of residence to enjoy the rights of UK nationals resident here. If you continue to hold your residency in the UK, you may be limited as to the amount of time you are able to spend visa-free in Slovenia (90 days in a 180 day period).
• If you are visiting Slovenia for 3 months or less or have family or friends travelling to Slovenia for short-term visits, we recommend obtaining private travel insurance to cover healthcare costs for the period you are visiting.
• Dual nationality will not be permitted after 29 March 2019 for most people (exceptions include being of Slovene descent). The Slovene government have confirmed that all applications for dual nationality before 29 March 2019 will be treated on the same basis as now (i.e. you will be able to hold dual nationality).
• If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, passport validity requirements will change. You should ensure that you have at least 6 months validity on your British passport before the date of entry to the Schengen area, including entering Slovenia.

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STA, 19 February 2019 - A civil initiative has been formed to fight sexual abuse by members of the Slovenian Catholic Church, and to provide comprehensive assistance to victims of such abuse, including psychosocial and legal assistance in criminal and church proceedings.

The initiative Dovolj.je (It's Enough), which was presented to the press on Tuesday, calls for full protection of victims of sexual abuse and urges the Slovenian Catholic Church to show zero tolerance to such acts.

It connects active Catholics of various professions who have indirectly or directly faced sexual abuse in the Slovenian Catholic Church.

Its member Igor Vovk said at today's press conference in Ljubljana that the initiative had been launched because its members believed that the Catholic Church did too little to protect victims of sexual abuse.

Vovk, who heads the Catholic portal Iskreni.net, added that the Catholic Church should also take more concrete, quicker and more determinate measures against perpetrators.

"It's hard to hear testimonies by victims of sexual abuse, and it's even harder to hear they haven't been taken seriously by those in charge," he said.

"Many perpetrators have faced no consequences, and when measures were taken, they were too mild. We won't tolerate this any longer, regardless of how high the position the Church dignitary involved in such acts," added Vovk.

Members of the initiative and experts in various fields may as of today be contacted at the website dovolj.je, which is a "safe space" for the victims to report and testify about sexual abuse by Church representatives.

All Slovenian bishops are expected to take every reported case of abuse by any priest or religion teacher seriously and remove the perpetrator from the position where they can repeat the act.

Tomaž Pisk, who represented several sexual abuse victims in church proceedings, noted that the guidelines for what measures to take in case of sexual abuse, whose latest version was adopted in 2014, were not being fully implemented.

Pisk added that the initiative encouraged everybody to report sexual abuse by clerics at the website, even if the abuse had been experienced a long time ago and even if the perpetrator had already died.

The initiative was presented last week to Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore, the head of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference, which said in a press release today that the Slovenian Catholic Church had zero tolerance for any case of sexual abuse.

The conference said a series of measures had been taken in that department, including the establishment in 2009 of a task force for resolving sexual abuse cases. According to its statistics, the group dealt with two reports of sexual abuse in 2017.

So far, the task force looked into 12 cases of alleged sexual abuse. Only four of the cases were also investigated by the police, according to a report by public broadcaster TV Slovenija.

The perpetrators in all 12 cases were men, clerics, while the victims were all minors, five girls and seven boys.

The task force also told TV Slovenija that a total of 18 priests exited the clergy since 1993 in Slovenia. Some did so of their own volition, some were stripped of their function as a punishment.

All our stories about the Catholic Church in Slovenia can be found here

February 18, 2019

It is clear that Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl will represent Slovenia at the 2019 Eurovision Song contest in Tel Aviv. So decided the national broadcaster’s audience in a show called EMA, but only after the jury of three judges made sure that Slovenia doesn’t lose face internationally with some weird metal or turbo oom-pah stuff. Luckily, when we were already pretty much asleep, last year’s winner and one of this year’s judges Lea Sirk,  dropped a double f-bomb at the end of the show in support to the runner-up Raiven. Thanks to her, the nation woke up and is now fighting over which song is better or rather, which one is worse.

Lea Sirk: (f*** come on, I can’t f***ing believe this)

Lea Sirk explaining in backstage: Zdaj je cela senzacija okrog tega, zakaj sem jaz rekla, ozvočena, faking ne morem verjet. In ja, to sem faking mislila: ne morem verjet, ker sem bila prepričana, da bo zmagala Raiven. Ko jih jebe! (Now there’s a total sensation about why have I said, on a mic, I can’t f***ing believe this. And yes, this is what I f***ing meant: I can’t believe (this) cause I was certain Raiven would have won. F*** them!)

Raiven, 22, appeared on the EMA scene three years ago with purple hair and a harp in her hands. She came second but many believed she was the one to revive Slovenian pop with a pinch of that fresh neo-goth feel of hers. A hint that expectations might be running a bit too high was already sensed in her second EMA performance, which cut significantly on the goth and harp input and played extensively on Raiven’s second job as a model. Her third performance on EMA was not as a contestant but rather as the host of the show, and she was the one to announce Lea Sirk as the 2018 winner. That was when her hair was half blue half purple, and Lea’s hair was pastel lavender.

The rules of EMA change every year, and this year it was particularly clear that surprise was given as little chance as possible. It was quite apparent that Raiven was the pop establishment’s favourite, and the new rules allowed the jury of three to eliminate from competition everyone but two contestants. Raiven’s performance was announced with the following words: “Every year after the winner of Eurovision is known, dozens of copy-cats emerge, trying to catch that secret recipe for success. But something completely different wins in a year that follows. So, has there ever been a winner with green hair? No. Has there ever been a winner who played harp? No. Has there ever been a winner that is named after a crow? No. On EMA she has performed in the accompanying programme, as its host, was once third and once second. There is nothing left for her but to win. First at home, then at Eurovision.” Then Raiven appeared, without a harp, and put on stage something that looked and sounded very much like Lea Sirk’s performance last year.

The jury then offered Raiven and Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl to the public to vote for the winner. The sleepy esoteric duo won the  popular vote in a landslide. They did not have much to say on the impolite behaviour of Lea Sirk, nor the subsequent comment wars on social media. “We do not follow the comments nor do we have time for that ” they stated for the MMC. “EMA is full of a variety of emotions, which is ok, but it is also true that we could be using our opinions to make the world better, not worse.”

STA, 15 February 2019 - A photovoltaic array in Jesenice has become the first solar power plant in Slovenia installed on an apartment block. The EUR 36,400 installation operated by energy group GEN-I should pay for itself in seven years and GEN-I expects more such projects to follow given recent legislative changes.

 After as many as 2,000 rooftop solar arrays were installed in Slovenia in the last couple of years, legislation was passed last year allowing apartment buildings, not just single-family homes, to have photovoltaic panels installed.

But the process is not easy. "When we first contacted the residents, we though our chances were slim because the law is not very conducive of such projects. But the residents were incredibly persistent. We gladly followed them and after six months we have the first such solar plant in Slovenia running," GEN-I CEO Robert Golob told the press on Friday.

According to the building's representative Brane Zajović, all residents had to give their consent. In the building with 23 apartments, this meant 55 people.

"Our main goal was to cut our monthly utility costs, which are rising by the year," Zajović said, noting that they had installed a heat pump at the building six years ago, which reduced annual heating costs from EUR 11,000 to EUR 3,000.

In the next seven years, the residents will be paying off the EUR 36,400 investment in the solar power plant in monthly instalments matching their electricity bills so far. After that, they will have no electricity bills, Golob said, noting that the power plant's life span was 30 years.

The photovoltaic solar panels on the building will produce 37,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

Although Jesenice does not get a lot of sunshine in the winter, the plant will be only 5% less efficient than it would be in Kranj and 15% less efficient than it would be in the coastal town of Koper, Golob said.

He expects other buildings to follow the Jesenice example, especially since legislative changes are under way to speed up the permit approval process from six months to one month.

Hinko Šolinc of the Infrastructure Ministry said the changes of the relevant decrees were expected to enter into force in March. They will not only facilitate the installation of rooftop solar but also allow buildings in the vicinity of a solar power plant to use surplus power.

STA, 16 February 2019 - The duo of singer Zala Kralj and instrumentalist Gašper Šantl will represent Slovenia at the Eurovision after winning the Slovenian Ema contest on Saturday with an electro ballad entitled Sebi (To Myself).

The duo, for whom this is a break-out performance, were declared winners by televote in a super-final that pitted them against the popular Raiven, who has unsuccessfully tried twice before to secure the Slovenian Eurovision nomination.

The contest featured ten performances selected by a jury from among 100-plus applicants.

The competition jury, which included 1995 and 1999 Ema winner Darja Švajger and last year's winner Lea Sirk, then selected the two super-finalists.

In 2018 SILA – or SILA-IWCL, International Women’s Club Ljubljana, to give the full name – celebrated 25 years as a focal point for foreign women in Slovenia, as well as Slovenians who want to connect with the international community. But in doing so the group looked to the future more than the past, with the social changes that have taken place over the last quarter century increasingly reflected under the leadership of Marta Helena Berglez, along with greater engagement with a wider and more diverse community.

The annual bazaar

While SILA started as an association for the wives of diplomats and businessmen, who needed something to keep them busy while stationed abroad, it’s now shaken off the old image and is open to any and all women, no matter what their marital or professional status, Slovenes included.

As noted in an earlier article, SILA organises a broad range of events and activities for its members – cultural, sporting, educational and more – with the aim of bringing people together and making new connections, with each other and with Slovenia.

An important aspect of the latter is SILA’s charity work. This finds its greatest public expression in the annual bazaar, held each December in the ballroom of the Grand Hotel Union, but this year there’s a new event in the schedule, the Spring Soirée. This will be held on Saturday, March 30, and will present an evening of food, drink, music and dancing in diverse company, drawn together out of curiosity and all for the benefit of Europa Donna. This is an independent, Europe-wide organisation that represents the interests of women regarding breast cancer to local and national authorities, as well as to institutions of the European Union. The current vice-president of the group is Tanja Spanic, a Slovenian cancer survivor who will be one of the speakers at the evening, which aims to raise money from ticket sales (€55 each) and donations.

If you’d like to learn more and perhaps buy a ticket to Spring Soirée, or if you work for a company that might be interested in sponsoring a table and making a presentation to the guests, then you can learn more here.

If you can’t make it on March 30 then don’t worry. A good way to keep up with SILA and its activities is to follow the group on Facebook or visit its new webpage, while the best way is to join and start meeting new people and doing new things, opening up a world of opportunities in Slovenia, both personal and professional.

Slovenia has no shortage of niche events and festivals for those who still enjoy the pleasures of the big screen in public, from Kinodvor’s Film Under the Stars at Ljubljana Castle to the Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival, which brings horror and honest trash to Ljutomer. However, it’s something that’s occurring next week is that’s perhaps the most Slovenian of all – the Mountain Film Festival (Festival gorniškega filma).

1. Slovenian climbers rock

We’re huge admirers of the past and present of Slovenian climbing here at TSN, be it folks with names like Čop, Kunaver, Zaplotnik, Štremfelj, Prezelj, Karo, or Humar in the Julian Alps, Himalayas, Yosemite and Patagonia, or on the wall in sports climbing with figures such as “the best climber in the world”, the still teenaged Janja Garnbret from Kranj. In short, Slovenia has played and continues to play an outsized role in the world of climbing, with many first ascents and new routes. Learning about it will help draw you closer to the land, and you may even end up on Triglav.

If you want to read more about the history of the scene here, take a look at the book Alpine Warriors.

2. Big screen adventure

So the festival’s got that Slovenian cultural heritage going for it – it’s organised by the Mountain Culture Association (Društvo za gorsko kulturo) and the legendary Silvo Karo –  but for me the chief appeal is this: these films will be presented on screens far larger than the ones you have at home. They’re thus are better able to convey the full majesty and terror of the scenes on display (as Aleš Kunaver said, “in the mountains magnificence is diametrically opposed to comfort”).

That movie about the guy who climbed that thing without a rope? Imagine seeing this on something much, much bigger:

3. The programme is world class

The programme looks great, with most of the big mountain features and shorts from the last year or so, and there are also movies on topic adjacent to climbing, like the night sky or environment, so we’ll just present the following convenient selection of trailers, with a lot more to be found at the website.

Cerro Kishtwar - Thomas Huber, Stephan Siegrist and Julian Zankar from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.

Everest Green | Trailer VF from Block 8 Production on Vimeo.

IN THE STARLIGHT - Official Movie Trailer from Mathieu Le Lay on Vimeo.

The Undamaged - Official Trailer from Leeway Collective on Vimeo.

4. A chance to meet the stars

What else can you expect at a mountain film festival in Slovenia? Climbers, and great ones – on the screen, on the stage and in the audience, many of whom live a short drive from the event. Sp Andrej Štremfelj will give a lecture about his ascent of Everest in 1979, when he climbed with the legendary Nejc Zaplotnik, while Aleš Česen and Luka Stražar will be there talking about their ground-breaking ascent, done with Tom Livingstone, of Latok 1 in 2018, “the Holy Grail of high altitude climbing”.

Other names set to talk about their lives and climbs include Rado Kočevar, Hansjörg Aeur, Klemen Bečan and Marija Jeglič. Beyond the Slovenian scene, Colin Haley will be talking about sport alpinism, and one event that’s sure to inspire heated opinions is a roundtable discussion: “Drilling – pitons or bolts?”

5. It’s not just in Ljubljana

While the main events are held in Cankarjev dom, the festival is not confined to the capital. It also has screenings and lectures in Domžale, Celje and Radovljica, while the winning movies will play everywhere (except Celje) at the end of the festival.

You can get a PDF of the programme here

Bonus - the website is ice cool and clean

With a website that's easy to navigate and comes in Slovene and English varieties, letting you search by day, event and venue, the Slovenian Mountain Film Festival offers a perhaps unique chance to see these films on the big screen, with an audience that knows what it’s watching, in a country in love with its mountains.

Related: see all out posts tagged "mountaineering" here

The Balassi Institute is the Hungarian cultural centre in Ljubljana, where you’ll find art, music, performances, readings, literature, workshops, screenings, lectures, parties, cooking and more, all of which serve to bring a flavour of Slovenia’s eastern neighbour to the capital.

I recently visited to learn more about the place, and sat down to drink coffee and record a conversation with Institute’s director, Bíborka Molnár-Gabor.

The Institute's director, Bíborka Molnár-Gabor, speaking at an event

How did you come to be in Ljubljana?

I arrived in Slovenia in 2010, and I came here for work. At that time only a few of us were speaking Slovenian in the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and so that was a big advantage for the job of cultural attaché in Ljubljana.

Did your family speak Slovene in Hungary?

No. I learned Slovene at the university in Budapest, but as a hobby, not main subject. Of course, there are minorities on both sides of the border, so there are some people who speak Slovene in Hungary for family reasons, but out of interest, not so much.

There are regular musical performances, all free...

...including events for even the youngest audiences.

How did you make the move from the Embassy to the Institute?

By training I’m an economist, , and so after the posting at the embassy, I was also working at Ernst & Young, in tax advisory. Then when the Balassi Institute opened in 2016 I applied for this position, because I wanted to stay in Slovenia and help build connections between the two countries, and I like it here. I think after three years we’ve had some good effects, in terms of creating a more favourable image for Hungary, of helping people to understand the country and its culture, and of course to get more familiar with the language.

Related: Meet the People - Éva Schwetter, a Hungarian teacher in Ljubljana

And does the Institute only focus on culture?

That’s a lot of our work, but not all of it. For example, we also cover travel and tourism, and so people can come here and ask any questions they have about that. And there’s education, too, so if people would like to study in Hungary they can also come here for advice. But for business issues, and political ones, that’s the Embassy’s work.

There's also dancing...

...and drinks.

You organise a lot of events – musical, culinary, literary, and so on. Are these open to everyone?

Yes, and most of them are also free to enter as part of the promotion of Hungary. However, sometimes when we work with Slovenian partners outside of the premises of the institute there’s a small entrance fee, which goes directly to our local partners. The events are also unticketed, with no reservations needed, so if people see something the like they can just come along. (The schedule is here)

How much freedom do you have with the programme?

We have quite a free hand here, because the theory is that the head of each Institute knows the country they’re based in well, and understands the points of contact and connection with Hungary. Of course, we have to hand in yearly plans that need to be confirmed by the Ministry, but these are usually approved, with very small changes. The Culture Board at the Ministry also prepares a package of proposals each year, and the Institutes can choose from those.

Visual art...

...and debate.

What are some events you’d like to highlight?

We have a lot of variety – art, music, literature, film, and a lot of activities for children. For example, we have regular music workshops for children, suitable for babies too, and every second Tuesday, 18:00, we have folk dancing with a teacher. Personally, I most enjoy the literary series. In 2019 we’re working with more Slovenian publishing houses to promote some translations of Hungarian literature, with some of the authors coming here for talks, and that should be very interesting.

Will they be in Slovene?

Hungarian and Slovene, I think, because we’re in Ljubljana. We do have some materials in English, and some events. For example, we often show films, and if a film has already been shown in Slovenia, on TV or in cinemas, then it has Slovenian subtitles. Sometimes there are also English ones, so we try and engage as many people as possible here. People can also use English or Slovene with any of the staff here. Two of us are Hungarian.. Then we have two local staff, one of whom is from Prekmurje, so she grew up speaking Hungarian.

Performances...

...and competitions.

Finally, what's something from Slovenian culture that you’d like to introduce to Hungary?

I think contemporary art in Slovenia, especially film and video installations, is very good, and at least as strong as in Hungary, so I’d like to show that in Budapest.

Workshops...

...and other things of interest

You can visit the Balassi Institute at Vila Urbana, Barvarska steza 8, which is just a short walk from Dragon Bridge going out of town on the Castle side of the river, next to a Spar. It’s open 11:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday, unless an even runs longer, and you can see the current schedule here.