29 Aug 2021, 13:18 PM

Afghan Who Helped Slovenian Troops Stuck in Kabul, Evacuation Still Planned

STA, 28 August 2021 - The Defence Ministry is striving to get out of Afghanistan the remaining Afghan national of the two who had assisted the Slovenian troops and his family. After a number of attempts to get them safely to Kabul airport, this evacuation route is no longer possible in light of the escalating security situation, but other options are being considered.

The ministry said on Saturday that evacuating the Afghan and his family via Kabul airport is unfortunately no longer an option.

"Acknowledging the decision by the local colleague of the Slovenian army and his family on other options of evacuation from Afghanistan, the Defence Ministry will continue to help him in getting all of them safely out of Afghanistan and then to Slovenia, which has already sorted out their legal status to arrive and reside in our country," a press release reads.

The ministry did not disclose any further details to ensure safety for the Afghan and his family.

At the end of last week, the other of the two Afghans who had helped the Slovenian army in Afghanistan was evacuated to Slovenia alongside his family. They arrived in Ljubljana airport on 20 August in the evening and were received by representatives of the ministry and army who had coordinated evacuation efforts.

29 Aug 2021, 07:20 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 29 August 2021

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:

Slovenia reports 538 coronavirus cases for Friday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 538 coronavirus infections on Friday as the test positivity rate remained high, standing at 17.3%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population increased by 13 to 229, show fresh official data. Hospitalisations rose by four to 121 with 22 patients in intensive care, same as the day before. Two persons with Covid-19 died to put Slovenia's death toll at 4,776. The estimate of active cases in the country was up by 275 to 4,893.

Evacuation of Afghan who helped Slovenia no longer possible via Kabul airport

LJUBLJANA/KABUL, Afghanistan - The Defence Ministry is striving to get out of Afghanistan the remaining Afghan national of the two who had assisted the Slovenian troops, and his family. After a number of attempts to get them safely to Kabul airport, this evacuation route is unfortunately no longer possible in light of the escalating security situation, but other options are being considered, the ministry said.

Transit rules remain in place at least until 5 September

LJUBLJANA - Passengers transiting Slovenia do not need to meet the tested-vaccinated-recovered requirement when entering the country at least until 5 September, in line with a government decree that entered into force today. The list of exemptions from the requirement has been expanded as well. Moreover, persons over 15 exercising in indoor sports facilities need to meet the requirement as of today.

Carlos Pascual wins prize for best short story collection of the year

NOVO MESTO - Carlos Pascual, a Mexican author who has been living in Slovenia for years, won the Novo Mesto Prize for the best collection of short stories of the year for his work Nezakonita Melanholija (Unlawful Melancholy) on Friday evening. The collection plays with the concept of the chronicle genre in an ingenious way, according to critics. This marks the first time the winner of the prize, conferred by the Goga publisher, was not born in Slovenia.

EBRD head: Support for financial sector continues, with focus on green and digital transitions

LJUBLJANA - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has no plans for direct equity investment in the Slovenian financial sector, but it does intend to continue to support it through market investment. It is ready to support the economy in its green transition and digitalisation, EBRD head Odile Renaud-Basso told the STA in an interview. The EBRD plans to continue to invest in Slovenia's private sector, both through equity financing and lending.

Slovenia must allow deported Cameroonian to return, Dnevnik reports

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court has ruled that Slovenia must allow a Cameroonian asylum seeker who was deported from Slovenia twice in 2019 to enter the country and request asylum status in what is a landmark decision, the daily Dnevnik reported. The Cameroonian is currently in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The court's ruling, which was handed down in April, is final and no appeals are possible. The InfoKolpa initiative warned the ministry had not wanted to implement the ruling for the past four months. The police said it had "forwarded information about the implementation of the ruling via a law firm which represented the foreigner".

28 Aug 2021, 13:53 PM

Carlos Pascual Wins Novo Mesto Prize for Year’s Best Short Story Collection

STA 28 August 2021 - Carlos Pascual, a Mexican author who has been living in Slovenia for years, has won the Novo Mesto Prize for the best collection of short stories of the year for his work Nezakonita Melanholija (Unlawful Melancholy). The collection plays with the concept of the chronicle genre in an ingenious way, according to critics.

The prize was conferred by the Goga publisher in Novo Mesto yesterday evening. This marks the first time the winner was not born in Slovenia, said Goga, which had aimed to push boundaries by considering and short-listing for the first time authors who live and write in Slovenia but were not born there.

Nagrado novo mesto za najboljšo zbirko kratkih zgodb preteklega leta je prejel Carlos Pascual za zbirko kratke proze Nezakonita melanholija.
Čestitamo! pic.twitter.com/ClaNAzCo2Y
— Založba Goga (@ZalozbaGoga_) August 27, 2021

Unlawful Melancholy, published by LUD Šerpa, includes autobiographical stories that span years and take place both in Mexico and Slovenia as well as passages dedicated to history and geography, excerpts from biographies of other artists, the author's reflections, and features of gonzo journalism and essays, among others.

This fusion distances itself from moralistic analyses or judgements, simply putting into words moments of being and capturing the reader's attention, said the jury, adding that poetic segments in the book were rare but all the more powerful because of that.

The collection was translated into Slovenian by Pascual's wife, Mojca Medvedšek, as he wrote the stories in his native tongue. This is his third book that has been translated into Slovenian.

Pascual, born in 1964, is also a poet, essayist, playwright and screenwriter. He has established Pocket Teater Studio in Ljubljana, an independent studio for the development of intimate theatre.

Last year, the prize went to Sergej Curanović for his literary debut, titled Plavalec (The Swimmer). The prize has been launched by Goga and the Association of Slovenian Literary Critics to draw attention to Slovenia's quality short stories.

28 Aug 2021, 10:17 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 20 - 26 August, 2021

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 20 August
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg said that Afghans fleeing the Taliban should be helped in Afghanistan's neighbourhood, as they warned against a rerun of the 2015 migration crisis.
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar assured his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg Slovenia would be completely transparent about its plans to build a second unit at the Krško nuclear power station. Schallenberg said Austria respected decisions by other countries on what kind of an energy mix they would have.
        LJUBLJANA - Booster shots of coronavirus vaccines became available for persons with transplanted organs, patients awaiting transplantation and those with severely weakened immune systems, under the latest revision of the national vaccination strategy adopted by the government.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed course on testing policy, deciding employees in healthcare, education, retail and the events industry will continue to have access to free tests after 23 August when free mass testing was discontinued. Transit passengers need to produce Covid certificate after 29 August.
        LJUBLJANA - The director general of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija Andrej Grah Whatmough dismissed Natalija Gorščak, the director of TV programmes, after accusing her of violating bylaws and allowing ratings to plummet. Gorščak said to use legal means to proved that she had worked well and in line with the law.
        LJUBLJANA - An Afghan interpreter who worked for the Slovenian Armed Forces was evacuated from Afghanistan and arrived in Slovenia together with his family. The government has already sorted out their legal status.
        KREDARICA - A confrontation took place between anti-government protesters and PM Janez Janša and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs at the Kredarica mountain hut below Mt Triglav with some harsh words exchanged.
        LJUBLJANA - British Airways relaunched flights between Ljubljana and London's largest airport Heathrow, the operation of Ljubljana airport said. Passengers can fly to Heathrow on Fridays and Sunday, with another two weekly flights to be added at the end of August.

SATURDAY, 21 August
GORNJA RADGONA - The Agra agriculture fair opened in an in-person format as the first large in-person fair in Slovenia since the epidemic was declared in March 2020, featuring some 1,100 exhibitors from 29 countries. President Borut Pahor warned in his keynote farmers would have to be helped by the state to cope with the impact of climate change.

SUNDAY, 22 August
        LJUBLJANA/BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša said the EU would "not open any 'humanitarian' or migration corridors to Afghanistan". European Parliament President David Sassoli countered his statement by saying it was "not up to the current presidency of the Council to say what the EU will do". The Union and the countries which have taken part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan have a duty to take care of the Afghans at risk following the Taliban seizure of the country, the European Commission later said.

MONDAY, 23 August
        JERUSALEM, Israel - FM Anže Logar pledged regular bilateral dialogue and cooperation as he met his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid and other senior officials. As part of the visit, a cyber security cooperation memorandum was signed.
        KYIV, Ukraine - President Borut Pahor reaffirmed Slovenia's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity as he attended an international conference on Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimea in 2014.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and Speaker Igor Zorčič marked Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, warning against glorification of Nazi and other totalitarian regimes' symbols. Zorčič called for the prosecution of such acts.
        LJUBLJANA - More than 50% of Slovenians aged over 18 have been fully vaccinated and 55% have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, the latest official figures showed.
        CELJE/GOLNIK - The Golnik University Clinic and the Celje General Hospital joined the country's largest hospitals, UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor, in opening designated Covid-19 wards.
        LJUBLJANA - Just over a quarter of respondents in the latest public opinion poll conducted by Mediana for commercial broadcaster POP TV said they supported the work of the Janez Janša government, which is the lowest support in this term. The ruling Democrats (SDS) continued to top party rankings, followed by the opposition SocDems.

TUESDAY, 24 August
        RAMALLAH, Palestine - FM Anže Logar met his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki as he visited Ramallah. Bilateral and EU-Palestine cooperation, the situation in Palestine, current developments in the region, and Slovenia's EU presidency topped the agenda.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs held talks with Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Migrations and the Western Balkans topped the agenda along with the work of the Slovenian EU presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia started using monoclonal antibody treatment for some patients with Covid-19, having received a shipment of 1,000 doses of a drug as part of an EU contract, the Health Ministry said.
        SLOVENJ GRADEC - Construction work began near Slovenj Gradec on a vital expressway to link the Koroška region in the north with the national motorway network. The section is valued at EUR 37.4 million and should be completed in 30 months.

WEDNESDAY, 25 August
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is likely to get a new Covid traffic light system next week with tiers of restrictions defined based on the number of cases in hospitals rather than the number of new positive cases, senior health officials said.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted a delegation of the US Senate for the Slovenian-American Friendship Day, an annual celebration of bilateral ties. He stressed that the two countries shared the same values.
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar and his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo said that reforms in the EU's migration policy were necessary, highlighting migration issues should be tackled primarily in countries of origin.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met via videolink Roland Sebastian Schilling, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central Europe. The pair discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including potential migration and security threats.
        LJUBLJANA - Schools and kindergartens received instructions on how to act if staff does not adhere to the recovered-vaccinated-tested rule. A refusal to get tested for coronavirus will be sufficient ground for a lay-off, showed an Education Ministry circular obtained by the STA.
        GORNJA RADGONA - Several organisations of farmers staged a protest against solutions contained in the draft national strategic plan for the EU's common agricultural policy, which involves a shift from direct payments to farmers towards the financing of rural development policy.
        LJUBLJANA - Russian airline Aeroflot will apparently not operate flights between Slovenia and the Russian capital in the winter season, the Ex-Yu Aviation web portal reported. Aeroflot currently flies from Ljubljana Airport to Moscow three times a week.

THURSDAY, 26 August
        COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Foreign Minister Anže Logar paid a visit to Denmark to meet his counterpart Jeppe Kofod. The talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations, reviewing the implementation of the priorities of the Slovenian EU presidency, and on topical international issues, including Afghanistan.
        BELGRADE, Serbia - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič started a two-day official visit to Serbia by meeting his counterpart Ivica Dačić. The two said they were happy with the traditionally friendly relations between the countries that are connected both by a shared history and a joint European future.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition-controlled Commission for Oversight of Public Finances asked the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to check the records of Prime Minister Janez Janša's contacts with lobbyists after a media reported that he had played golf on several occasions with a major lobbyist and the owner of an IT firm.
        LJUBLJANA - The tested-vaccinated-recovered requirement, known in Slovenia by the acronym PCT, will be expanded to university students and those participating in indoor sports activities under a decision adopted by the government. Testing for students will be free.
        LJUBLJANA - The latest official figures showed Slovenia reported 509 coronavirus infections for Wednesday as the test positivity rate stood at 17.4%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population rose from 187 to 199, meaning Slovenia is on the brink of entering the red phase. Hospitalisations topped 100 for the first time since mid-June.
        LJUBLJANA - Boris Pahor, the acclaimed Slovenian writer from Trieste, celebrated his 108th birthday. On the occasion, 26 colleagues paid tribute to him with a publication featuring interviews and testimonies.

28 Aug 2021, 04:39 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 28 August 2021

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:

More than 540 new cases as 14-day incidence surpasses 200

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 542 new coronavirus infections for Thursday and a test positivity rate of 18.3%. The 7-day average of confirmed daily cases increased by 30 to 393, while the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population was up to 216, which means Slovenia has entered the red phase according to the European Centre for Disease Control classification. Hospitalisations were up by 12 to 117, with 22 patients requiring intensive care, up by two from yesterday. Two people died of Covid-19.

Luka Koper's H1 revenue, net profit up

KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper generated EUR 114.7 million in net sales revenue in the first six months of the year, which is up 7% compared to the same period last year. Net profit increased by 2% to EUR 15.4 million, and operating profit (EBIT) was up 3% to EUR 17.7 million. Sales revenue was 5% above plan, net profit by 49% and EBIT by 51%, reads the group's unaudited report.

Petrol's net profit more than doubles as sales up 20%

LJUBLJANA - Energy company Petrol saw group net profit jump by 140% to more than EUR 49 million on sales that increased 20% year-on-year to EUR 1.8 billion, according to the company's interim report. Profit before income tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 59% compared to the same period of 2020 to EUR 102.1 million, and adjusted gross profit stood at EUR 258.1 million, an increase of 44%.

Three additional hospitals to admit Covid patients

LJUBLJANA - Due to an increase in Covid hospitalisations, the next phase of Slovenia's hospital activation plan will be launched on Monday, meaning another three hospitals will start admitting Covid-19 patients, including in Nova Gorica in the west, Novo Mesto in the east and Murska Sobota in the north-east, Robert Carotta, the national Covid bed coordinator, told the STA. Under the new phase, all Covid hospitals could provide up to 265 beds, including 88 in intensive care.

Two doses of AstraZeneca needed for Covid certificate compliance

LJUBLJANA - The government has amended a decree on temporary measures to reduce risk of infection and the spread of coronavirus infections by changing a Covid certificate requirement for those who have got an AstraZeneca jab. Two doses of the vaccine will be required to heed the vaccinated-recovered-tested rule instead of just one as was the case so far. The decision will become effective on 14 September.

Macedonian troops to become part of Slovenian contingent in Latvia in 2022

OHRID, North Macedonia - Being on a working visit to North Macedonia, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said he and his Macedonian counterpart Radmila Šekerinska finalised their agreement on Macedonian troops becoming part of the Slovenian contingent in the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Latvia in June 2022. Both Tonin and PM Janez Janša condemned Thursday's Kabul airport suicide attack.

Zorčič strengthening bilateral relations in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič wrapped up a two-day official visit to Serbia during which he met senior Serbian officials. In a statement for the STA, he described relations between Slovenia and Serbia as very good in all fields of cooperation - from business to culture and politics. "We've touched on numerous issues concerning bilateral cooperation but also regional and global issues, such as Afghanistan," he said. Zorčič met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, PM Ana Brnabić and FM Nikola Selaković today.

PM Janša discusses Afghanistan situation with US senators

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša met a delegation of US senators visiting Slovenia on the occasion of Slovenian-American Friendship Day. The officials talked about current international issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and US-Slovenia relations, Janša's office said. Janša and Republican senators Richard Shelby, Mike Crapo, John Cornyn, Deb Fischer, John Kennedy and Roger Marshall also discussed the priorities of the Slovenian EU presidency, the pandemic, economic recovery and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.

Govt and Ljubljana expand cooperation agreement

LJUBLJANA - A cooperation agreement between the government and the Ljubljana municipality which was signed in May has been expanded by additional projects. Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik signed the amendments, which feature 21 projects of the 2020-2023 period from fields covered by the government secretariat and five ministries.

NLB bank has serious plans for Serbian market, says Serbian minister

BELGRADE, Serbia - The NLB group has serious plans for the Serbian market, said Serbia's Finance Minister Siniša Mali after meeting NLB CEO Blaž Brodnjak, the Serbian Press Agency Tanjug reported. "I'm glad that NLB confirmed today that it has serious plans for the Serbian market. I believe this will allow the bank to be even more successful and help its staff and clients, including both citizens and companies," Mali said.

Unior returns to profit in H1, revenue up by almost 32%

ZREČE - Unior, a Zreče-based group specialising in forged metals and tools, generated EUR 122.1 million in net sales revenue in the first half of the year, up 31.8% year-on-year. Net profit stood at EUR 6.4 million, with the group bouncing back from a 2.7 million loss in the same period in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to EUR 15 million, 68% more year-on-year.

Jobless total decreases by a fifth in second quarter

LJUBLJANA - The jobless total in Slovenia stood at 44,000 in the second quarter of the year according to the labour force survey, down 20% compared to the quarter before, the Statistics Office said. The survey unemployment rate was 1.3 percentage points lower at 4.3%. The labour force participation rate was 2.9 points higher compared to the first quarter to stand at 56.1%.

Mura relegated to Conference League

GRAZ, Austria - Slovenian football champions Mura have been relegated to the Conference League after a 2:0 loss against Sturm Graz in the final round of qualifying for the Europa League on Thursday. The result was 5:1 on aggregate.

27 Aug 2021, 13:33 PM

Slovenian Service Sector Seems to Be Recovering Fast. Especially Real Estate

STA, 27 August 2021 - Revenue from the sales of services in Slovenia was up by 21.8% in June compared to the same month last year, and by 2.6% compared to June 2019, the Statistics Office reported on Friday, an indication that services are recovering fast from the pandemic slump.

All observed groups of services contributed to the growth in revenue from the sales of services in June, with the largest growth being recorded in real estate brokerage (49%).

In the hospitality industry, revenue grew by 24.7% in June year-on-year, and in professional, scientific and technical activities it was up by 24.5%.

In transport and warehousing it increased by 23.6%, in other miscellaneous business activities by 18.4% and in information and communication by 12%, the Statistics Office notes.

In the first half of 2021, revenue from the sales of services was up by 13.5% year-on-year, and it was higher in all observed groups except the hospitality industry. It was meanwhile 1.2% below the figure from the first half of 2019.

27 Aug 2021, 09:21 AM

Tested-Vaccinated-Recovered (PCT) Requirement Expanded to University Students, Indoor Sports

STA, 26 August 2021 - The tested-vaccinated-recovered requirement, known in Slovenia by the acronym PCT, will be expanded to university students and those participating in indoor sports activities under a decision adopted by the government on Thursday.

The change means university students who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of having recovered from coronavirus will have to be tested once a week to enter their universities, where the PCT rule already applies to all staff.

The same rule will apply to anyone under 15 doing indoor sports activities, whether professional or recreational. The managers of sports premises must ensure that Covid passes are checked at the entrance.

The changes will enter into effect a day after being published in the Official Gazette, presumably on Friday or Saturday.

The change marks an expansion of the use of the PCT rule. The stated goal is to keep schools and business open even as cases skyrocket, and to convince people to get vaccinated.

Health Inspector Deana Potza said today inspectors would step up checks at institutions that are required to verify compliance with the PCT rule. They will be assisted by police.

27 Aug 2021, 04:35 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 27 August, 2021

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:

Fourth Covid-19 wave escalating

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 509 coronavirus infections for Wednesday as the test positivity rate stood at 17.4%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population rose from 187 to 199, meaning Slovenia is on the brink of entering the red phase. Hospitalisations topped 100 for the first time since mid-June, standing at 105 this morning. ICU cases totalled 18, show fresh official figures. The National Institute of Public Health estimates there are currently 4,275 active cases in the country.

Logar in Denmark to discuss cooperation, Afghanistan situation

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Foreign Minister Anže Logar paid a visit to Denmark to meet his counterpart Jeppe Kofod. The talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations, reviewing the implementation of the priorities of the Slovenian EU presidency, and on topical international issues, including Afghanistan. Logar also met chair of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee Martin Lidegaard, former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General Fogh Rasmussen and executives of logistics company of A.P. Moller-Maersk.

Zorčič talks bilateral cooperation, EU with Serbian colleague

BELGRADE, Serbia - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič started a two-day official visit to Serbia by meeting his counterpart Ivica Dačić. The two said they were happy with the traditionally friendly relations between the countries that are connected both by a shared history and a joint European future. Zorčič also meet with the chairs and members of the committees for European integration and for foreign affairs of the Serbian National Assembly, and had a a meeting with representatives of Slovenian companies.

Government extracts regulation of gas supply from energy law

LJUBLJANA - The government confirmed a bill that extracts the field of gas supply from the umbrella energy law and regulates it independently, with the additional provisions dealing with emergency measures and implementation of the solidarity mechanism of aid to EU member states in the case of gas supply disruptions. The government noted this is because the energy law needed to be constantly amended and supplemented due to constant changes of EU law.

Use of PCT rule expanded to students, indoor sports

LJUBLJANA - The tested-vaccinated-recovered requirement, known in Slovenia by the acronym PCT, will be expanded to university students and those participating in indoor sports activities under a decision adopted by the government. The change means university students who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of having recovered from coronavirus will have to be tested once a week to enter their universities, where the PCT rule already applies to all staff.

Appeal to anti-graft watchdog to check PM's contacts with lobbyists

LJUBLJANA - The opposition-controlled Commission for Oversight of Public Finances asked the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to check the records of Prime Minister Janez Janša's contacts with lobbyists after a media reported that he had played golf on several occasions with the owner of a medical devices supplier. The resolution was adopted at a session called at the request of five centre-left deputy groups, who alleged that Janša had had opaque contacts with suppliers of medical equipment that could potentially constitute corruption.

Social partners ready to restore dialogue

LJUBLJANA - All social partners attending a meeting hosted by President Borut Pahor are ready to restore dialogue on the Economic and Social Council (ESS), Pahor said after the talks. An agreement on restoring the dialogue will be prepared by a spacial negotiating group. According to the president, the task force, consisting of representatives of the government, employers and employees, will draw up the agreement, which will contain demands regarding future work on the ESS.

Acclaimed Slovenian writer Boris Pahor celebrates 108th birthday

LJUBLJANA - Boris Pahor, the internationally famous Slovenian writer from Trieste, celebrates his 108th birthday. Throughout his life, Pahor has warned against totalitarian regimes, also in his novel Necropolis, where he describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. He has also received numerous honours and awards. On the occasion of his birthday, 26 colleagues paid tribute to him with a publication entitled Boris Pahor - Scrittore senza frontiere. Studi, interviste e testimonianze (Boris Pahor - A Writer without Frontiers. Studies, Interviews and Testimonies).

Nights in Old Ljubljana Town music festival kicks off

LJUBLJANA - Nights in Old Ljubljana Town, a traditional end-of-summer festival organised by the Imago Sloveniae Foundation, will begin tonight in Ljubljana's historical centre despite Covid-19. It will open with the Marko Hatlak Band while featuring a total of 19 events at five venues and over 100 artists from six countries until Saturday. The 33rd edition of the festival will combine traditional and modern sounds, intertwining progressive world music and jazz.

26 Aug 2021, 18:05 PM

Writer Boris Pahor Celebrates 108th Birthday

STA, 26 August 2021 - Boris Pahor, the internationally famous Slovenian writer from Trieste, celebrates his 108th birthday on Thursday. Throughout his life, Pahor has warned against totalitarian regimes, also in his novel Necropolis, where he describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. He has also received numerous honours and awards.

Pahor was born in 1913 into a Slovenian family in Trieste, during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a year before the outbreak of the First World War.

During the inter-war period, he cooperated with Slovenian anti-fascist intellectuals in Trieste. He was conscripted into the Italian army in 1940 and sent to Libya in 1941, but after the Italian capitulation, he returned to Trieste in 1943 and joined the Liberation Front.

In January 1944, he was arrested by collaborators and handed over to the Germans, who transferred him between various Nazi concentration camps. He was finally liberated in April 1945.

Pahor summarised his experiences of concentration camps, among other things, in his best-known novel Necropolis (1967), which was first translated into French in 1990 and subsequently into many other languages as well.

He is believed to be the oldest living survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, and was also the subject of a BBC documentary entitled The Man Who Saw Too Much (2019).

Throughout his life, Pahor has warned of the dangers of totalitarian regimes, of which he himself was a victim, and highlighted the necessity of a self-confident, upright posture based on a sound knowledge of history and one's own identity.

The writer from Trieste, also a sworn fighter for the rights of endangered languages and cultures, has always stressed that national consciousness is essential for the survival of Slovenians in Italy and for the survival of humanity.

As a child, Pahor also witnessed the fascist torching of the Slovenian Cultural Centre - National Hall in Trieste, which Italy returned to the Slovenian community on the occasion of last year's centenary of this tragic event. On that occasion, Pahor was honoured by the presidents of Slovenia and Italy.

Pahor has also received several other awards and honours for his work. These include the Prešeren Prize (1992), Slovenia's most prestigious accolade in culture, the Silver Badge of Honour of Slovenia (2000) and the French Legion d'Honneur (2007), as well as the honorary title of Cultural Ambassador of Slovenia on the occasion of his 102nd birthday.

Celebrating the Trieste writer's 108th birthday, Zdravko Duša, a long-time editor at the Cankarjeva Založba publishing house, also contributed his view on Pahor's legacy. He stressed that Pahor was never just a writer, but always an activist, inextricably linked to the culture and city of Trieste.

"Pahor has never been embarrassed to refer to himself as the unjustly neglected Slovenian writer in a city famous for its Italian, Austrian and Jewish writers, yet he also insisted that certain features of the Trieste vernacular should remain in the Slovenian edition of his selected works."

According to Zdravko Duša, foreign publishers still frequently choose to translate Necropolis and are considering the possibility of translating a wider selection from Pahor's oeuvre. A bundle of his writings and diaries from the beginning of the pandemic last year is also currently undergoing editorial treatment.

On the occasion of Pahor's 108th birthday, 26 colleagues also paid tribute to him with a publication entitled Boris Pahor - Scrittore senza frontiere. Studi, interviste e testimonianze (Boris Pahor - A Writer without Frontiers. Studies, Interviews and Testimonies).

"This publication is the result of a collaboration between two cultures that have lived separate lives in the same city for too long," said one of the editors, Walter Chiereghin, who described Pahor as a great writer and Necropolis as the most important work of Trieste in the last century.

The publication was co-published by Mladika and La Libreria Del Ponte Rosso, and a presentation is to be held at the San Marco café in Trieste, according to the newspaper Primorski Dnevnik.

26 Aug 2021, 14:49 PM

FREE Nights in Old Ljubljana Town Music Festival, 26-28 August 2021

STA, 26 August 2021 - Nights in Old Ljubljana Town, a traditional end-of-summer festival organised by the Imago Sloveniae Foundation, will begin tonight in Ljubljana's historical centre despite Covid-19. It will open with the Marko Hatlak Band while featuring a total of 19 events at five venues and over 100 artists from six countries until Saturday.

The 33rd edition of the festival will combine traditional and modern sounds, intertwining progressive world music and jazz.

Despite Covid-19 restrictions, the biggest street festival in the Slovenian capital will go ahead with all the planned events, said Janoš Kern, the director of Imago Sloveniae.

The opening concert will see the Marko Hatlak Band of the versatile virtuoso Marko Hatlak, an accordionist, vocalist, songwriter and lyricist, present a mix of soul, funk, latino music, pop and rock.

As part of the international programme, the festival brings concerts by the renowned Hungarian Roma performer Mónika Lakatos, folk singing master Zvezdana Novaković and the Viennese Duo 4675.

Slovenian academic musicians gathered in the Oberdixie Band will also give a concert.

The festival will offer an accompanying cultural programme, as well as gastronomical treats prepared by the winners of the MasterChef cooking show.

As always, all events are free of charge, and will take place even in case of rain.

Learn more at the website

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