19 Mar 2021, 12:29 PM

Growing Concerns Over Attempt to Starve Slovenian Press Agency of Funding

STA, 18 March 2021 - The Slovenian PEN centre has urged the government to fundamentally change its attitude to the STA as well as media and journalists in general, arguing that its actions constituted an attempt at dismantling the agency and silencing a source of trustworthy information.

Expressing "deep concern" about the government's action, the Slovenian PEN said the government was ignoring the institutional independence of the STA and disrespecting its editorial independence, both of which are guaranteed by the law.

Its actions display "a conscious effort to transform Slovenia into an uninformed province in which it will be simply impossible to access objective reports about events in Slovenia and the world, except with the help of foreign media".

It said the agency's contribution was "extraordinarily important" amidst the "cacophony of fake news, politically and otherwise doctored information, hate speech and damaging disinformation that various online platforms are flooding the market with".

The statement comes after government proposed that the STA supervisory board dismiss Bojan Veselinovič as director, alleging violations in the fulfilment of the agency's legal obligations.

Veselinovič has denied all the allegations and highlighted the government decision as a "new chapter in a series of attacks on the independent STA and an attempt to replace its leadership".

19 Mar 2021, 12:22 PM

Slovenia Starts Using AstraZeneca Vaccine Again – Janša, Pahor to Receive It

STA, 18 March 2021- Slovenia has decided to resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) assessed AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine "safe and effective" after a review of possible blood clot risks.

"The EMA has fund that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and efficient. Today we'll notify vaccination centres to resume vaccination," Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press on Thursday.

Slovenia opted for a suspension on Monday after reports of blood clots led many European countries to halt the vaccination pending an additional review by the EMA.

Senior officials will be among the first to get the jab, the government announced on Twitter.

President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša, National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič and National Council President Alojz Kovšča will get the jab tomorrow afternoon.

After the suspension, Slovenia has over 14,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine on store.

So far about one percent of those who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca in Slovenia have reported adverse effects, roughly the same share as those who receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

All the latest data on Slovenia and COVID-19

19 Mar 2021, 06:59 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 19 March 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:

Court of Audit finds government, Commodity Reserves Agency inefficient in PPE procurement

LJUBLJANA - In its report on the efficiency of procurement of protective and medical equipment for containing the spread of the new coronavirus, the Court of Audit has found although the circumstances were extraordinary, the government, the ministries of health, economy and defence, and the Commodity Reserves Agency were inefficient in the PPE procurement. The court urged them to take remedial measures. Government representatives downplayed the court's findings, arguing they did what had to be done in the given circumstances and highlighting the lack of evidence of corruption. The opposition expects law enforcement to do its job now.

Slovenia resumes use of AstraZeneca vaccine after brief suspension

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia decided to resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) assessed AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine "safe and effective" after a review of possible blood clot risks, Health Minister Janez Poklukar announced. Slovenia opted for a suspension on Monday after reports of blood clots led many European countries to halt the vaccination pending an additional review by the EMA. Senior officials will be among the first to get the jab tomorrow. After the suspension, Slovenia has over 14,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine on store.

Report: Slovenia not to accept settlement with Ascent Resources

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported unofficially that Slovenia was not to accept a settlement with the British company Ascent Resources over the dispute about permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in the north-east of Slovenia. The two sides entered negotiations last October, but the British company said this would not prejudice its rights to pursue its investment treaty claim under the UK-Slovenia bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty.

Janša talks cooperation, migration and Covid-19 with Salvini

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša talked with the head of the Italian Northern League party Matteo Salvini on Wednesday, with the topics including strengthening cooperation between Slovenia and Italy, migration, and fight against Covid-19. As Janša tweeted today, he and Salvini discussed cross-border cooperation, fighting the pandemic, illegal migration, the Conference on the Future of Europe and the current political situation in Europe.

Pahor talks about pandemic efforts with Slovak counterpart

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor spoke via video link with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputova to exchange views on the battle against Covid-19 and the political, economic and social consequences of the pandemic, the president's office said. The pair stressed the importance of closer cooperation at the EU level, which is, despite all difficulties with the supply of vaccines, the most suitable and effective framework for solving the current issues.

Slovenia, North Macedonia deepening defence ties

LJUBLJANA - The defence ministers of Slovenia and North Macedonia, Matej Tonin and Radmila Šekerinska, called for a strengthening of defence ties as the pair met in Ljubljana. They agreed to boost cooperation in NATO missions and set up a joint centre for the maintenance of OshKosh armoured vehicles. "Slovenia is interested in North Macedonia's army participating in Slovenian Armed Forces' platoons or companies at missions abroad," Tonin said.

Care homes in focus as MPs debate Cigler Kralj ouster motion

LJUBLJANA - The outbreak of Covid-19 in care homes was front-and-centre as the National Assembly debated a motion of no-confidence in Janez Cigler Kralj, the minister of labour, the family and social affairs. While some in the opposition accused him of neglect, Cigler Kralj pointed to years of underfunding and understaffing. The vote is scheduled after some 17 hours of debate, that is after midnight, but the minister is expected to survive it as the four-centre left parties which proposed it lack the 46 votes needed to dismiss him.

Govt adopts omnibus bill to tackle red tape

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an omnibus bill that would amend over a dozen laws and repeal dozens more in an effort to simplify bureaucratic procedures. The wide-ranging changes affect areas including official registries of laws and personal data, electronic serving of official documents and the powers of state secretaries. A result of a year's work by the Strategic Council for Debureaucratisation, also brings a cap on social security contributions at EUR 6,000 gross per month. According to business daily Finance, roughly one percent of employees has a gross monthly wage over EUR 6,000.

972 coronavirus cases recorded from 5,442 PCR tests on Wednesday

LJUBLJANA - Out of 5,442 PCR tests performed on Wednesday, 972 returned positive for a positivity rate of 17.9%, down from 18.6% on Tuesday and an increase from 14.9% a week ago. Hospitalisations slightly increased in the wake of the recent upward trend in infections. An additional three Covid-19 patients died, show fresh official data. The number of those in hospital increased by 18 to 462, including 85 who require intensive care, up by two. 20 people were discharged from hospital.

Mandatory mask-wearing in school challenged at top court

LJUBLJANA - A group of legal guardians of underage children has filed a petition to launch a review of constitutionality of a government decree that mandates mask-wearing in public spaces, including in secondary school and primary school for pupils in years 6 to 9, the group's representative Esmeralda Vidmar said on Wednesday. The group considers mandatory mask-wearing an arbitrary measure violating a number of rights that is not based on any expert opinion.

Govt calls on STA supervisory board to dismiss director

LJUBLJANA - The government proposed for the STA supervisory board to dismiss Bojan Veselinovič as STA director, alleging violations in the fulfilment of the agency's legal obligations. Veselinovič said this was "a new chapter in a series of attacks on the independent STA and an attempt to replace its leadership", while the chairman of the supervisory board, Mladen Terčelj, said the board would study the proposal and act in accordance with the law. The Slovenian PEN centre meanwhile urged the government to fundamentally change its attitude to the STA as well as media and journalists in general.

Miha Pogačnik again the country's rep for succession

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Mateja Vraničar Erman as Slovenia's high representatives for succession and appointed international law expert Miha Pogačnik to succeed her. Pogačnik has since last April led the government's legal service, while he served as high representatives already between April 2005 and April 2009 during Janez Janša's first government (2004-2008). The high representative is a guardian of the 2001 agreement governing succession to former Yugoslavia.

Joško Knez new acting ARSO boss

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Joško Knez the acting director general of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) to take over from Iztok Slatinšek on 1 April. Knez, currently director at ARSO's Office of Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography, served as ARSO director general between March 2013 and November 2018 and earlier as acting director. He is a physics graduate and holds a master's degree in environmental studies. The government relieved Slatinšek of his duties after appointing him for a six-year term last November.

Economy Ministry gets new state secretary

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Andrej Čuš, the leader of the non-parliamentary Greens and a former MP for the Democrats (SDS), a new state secretary at the Economy Ministry. On 20 March, he will succeed Ajda Cuderman, a former SPIRIT Slovenija boss, whose new job will be in the prime minister's office.

C-bank nominee wins broad support on commission

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Privileges and Credentials Commission overwhelmingly backed Tina Žumer to become a vice governor of the Slovenian central bank in an indication that she may win an outright majority at the plenary session. The commission also endorsed Anka Čadež's appointment as director of the Securities Market Agency. Žumer, who has been serving as a chief economist with the European Central Bank after a spell at the analytical department of Banka Slovenije, was backed in an 11:1 vote.

Adient on shutdown: Slovenia no longer best country cost-wise

SLOVENJ GRADEC - The US multinational Adient explained its decision to close down its Slovenj Gradec affiliate by saying that "internal assessments and discussions with key clients had shown that Slovenia was no longer considered a best cost country". As a result of the discontinuation of production of components for car seats and interiors in Slovenj Gradec, 412 people will lose their jobs by the end of the year and another 18 in May next year when the company is close. The employees cannot understand why the owner has made such a decision practically overnight given the company's good results. The trade unions urged the government to take action, while the ministries of economy and labour said they would do everything in its power to help the employees.

OECD worried about absence of foreign bribery prosecution in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The OECD says in a report that insufficient prosecution of foreign bribery in Slovenia is still a reason for concern and so are claims about political interference in law enforcement. Its working group on bribery says that ever since 1999, not a single case of foreign bribery has made it to court in Slovenia. The OECD is meanwhile happy with the protection of whistleblowers and changes to the law on integrity and prevention of corruption.

Dog mauls 8-year-old girl to death

MENGEŠ - An eight-year-old girl died of her injuries after being mauled by a dog in Mengeš just north of Ljubljana on Wednesday afternoon, the Ljubljana Police Department said. The police were notified of the incident just before 5pm. The inquiries so far show the girl neared a largish dog which was chained up in a house yard. The dog attacked and badly bit the girl, who later died of her injures on the site. The house yard was fenced off but the gate into the yard was open.

Downward trend in illegal migrations continues in 2021

LJUBLJANA - The police processed 630 cases of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021, down from 1,171 in the same period in 2020, in what is a continuation of the seasonal downward trend. Most frequently illegal migrants came from Afghanistan, whereas the number of caught Moroccans significantly declined.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

18 Mar 2021, 17:12 PM

Winners of the 13th International Plaktivat Competition Announced

The selection of the winning entry concluded the 13^th international Plaktivat competition, which this year was centred on the social concept of solidarity. A total of 336 submissions were entered in the competition, of which 176 arrived from abroad and 160 from Slovenia. The final submissions came from 28 different countries.

The expert panel – consisting of Sašo Petek (Agencija 101), Katja Petrin Dornik (Grey), Vasja Grabner (AV studio), Domen Husu (Yin Young), Martina Kokovnik Hakl, Luka Bajs (Grey), Tomaž Drozg (TAM-TAM) – was most convinced by the creative solution “Snežak” – “Snowman” by Peter Zabret, Rok Flego, and Lenart Slabe of the Pristop agency, as seen at the top of this story.

Sašo Petek, creative director at Agencija 101 and chairman of the panel described the chosen entry as follows: “The winning poster fits all the criteria of a good poster and simultaneously succeeds in presenting the complex theme of solidarity in an original, simple, and warm way. Its playfulness speaks to all generations and inspires solidarity in all of us.”

This time, the TAM-TAM Institute’s Plaktivat aims were to stimulate and strengthen solidarity in society, open a discussion on the fundaments of the values of solidarity, and reflect on the role of solidarity in forming a better society in our future.

In recent years Plaktivat competitions have been receiving an increasing number of student entries, which is why the organisers decided that this year would be the first to include a student category. In total 117 works were entered by students, with the winner being chosen by Nejc Trampuž, Alja Herlah, Blaž Rat, Alja Horvat in Nejc Prah. The lucky entrant in the student category is Tina Nunar (Academy of Figurative Arts, Univesity of Ljubljana), with the poster seen below.

zmagovalec_študentska kategorija_Plaktivat 13.jpg

Design: Tina Nunar

The posters promoting solidarity are already on the streets and can perhaps be seen in a neighbourhood near you as they’re appear on 500 TAM-TAM poster locations across Slovenia. If not, don’t worry – you can seem below.

Design: Chia Hsiang Lee, Taiwan

Design: Zlatan Dryanov, Bulgaria

Design: Nenad S. Lazić, Serbia

Design: He Huang, China

Design: Yuanchao Wang, China

Design: Alja Herlah, of Type Salon, Slovenia

Design: Metka Knap, Slovenia

Design: Lara Oset and Eva Gjörek, of Agencija 101, Slovenia

Design: Katrin Bittnerová, Czech Republic

18 Mar 2021, 15:27 PM

630 Illegal Border Crossings in Jan, Feb 2021, Down Significantly on 2020

STA, 18 March 2021 - The police processed 630 cases of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021, down from 1,171 in the same period in 2020, in what is a continuation of the seasonal downward trend. Most frequently illegal migrants come from Afghanistan, whereas the number of caught Moroccans has significantly declined.

The police expect the trend to turn upwards again come milder weather.

The number of Afghan migrants who were caught crossing the Slovenian border illegally in January and February this year stands at 113, followed by citizens of Turkey (79), Croatia (72) and Bangladesh (64).

The number of refusals of entry to Slovenia to third country nationals increased by more than 10% in the wake of stepped up Covid-related border restrictions.

Moreover, due to beefed up monitoring amid the epidemic, the total of unauthorised residence cases also increased. Such violations mostly arise from overstaying of citizens of Western Balkans countries.

On the other hand, the number of illegal migrants who request international protection decreased as they usually resume their journey after reaching Slovenia, heading towards their destination countries.

A total of 257 asylum status requests were made in the first two months this year, which compares to 386 in the same two months in 2020. International protection was granted to three persons (18 in January-February 2020), whereas in 21 cases (44) the request was denied.

The number of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021 and 2020 according to citizenship

Citizenship            No. of crossings
                       2021        2020
----------------------------------------
Afghanistan             113         143
Turkey                   79          34
Croatia                  72          59
Bangladesh               64          29
Kosovo                   54          34
Iraq                     34          86
Pakistan                 29         257
Egypt                    28          65
Syria                    23          41
Bosnia-Herzegovina       23           3
Iran                     17          14
Slovenia                  9          36
Others                  111         420
----------------------------------------
Total                   630        1171

Source: Police, Interior Ministry, Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants

18 Mar 2021, 13:19 PM

Adient Closes Slovenj Gradec Factory: Costs Too High in Slovenia

STA, 18 March 2021 - The US multinational Adient today explained its decision to close down its Slovenj Gradec affiliate by saying that "internal assessments and discussions with key clients have shown that Slovenia is no longer considered a best cost country".

As a result of the discontinuation of production of components for car seats and interiors in Slovenj Gradec in the northern Koroška region, 412 people will lose their jobs by the end of the year and a further 18 in May next year when the operation will have closed down.

"The local and regional management teams have relentlessly been striving to find new business opportunities for the Slovenj Gradec site, but with no significant results," Claudia Steinhoff, director communications EMEA at Adient, told the STA.

A release from Adient said "negative future prospects and declining cost competitiveness for Adient in Slovenj Gradec have forced the intended closure of the plant".

The company said it had thoroughly considered all alternative scenarios to preserve operations and employment in Slovenj Gradec but "the analysis has not led to any other conclusion than to close the plant."

Adient, a global leader in automotive seating, says it has worked out a plan to ensure an organized, reconcilable phase-out of production activities by end of 2021

Responding to the news, the employees said that they did not understand why the owner had made such a decision practically overnight given the company's good results.

The trade unions urged the government to take action. "I'm disappointed they decided without any social dialogue," Jaka Šilak of the ZSSS trade union told the press, noting that the company's workforce accounted for 10-15% of all active population in the Mislinja valley and announcing efforts to convince the Adient management to remain in the region.

Igor Hovnik of the works council said that the company was doing well, adding that the Slovenj Gradec plant was costlier though than other affiliates, with workforce cost presumed to be the main reason for that.

The Economy Ministry told the STA that it would do everything in its power to help the employees, adding that it would respond to an invitation to a visit to the company as soon as possible.

Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj will visit the company in the near future, the ministry said, pointing to a number of measures designed to help workers who had lost their jobs find another one.

Jani Prednik, an MP of the opposition SocDems who hails from Koroška, highlighted that closure as well as other layoffs or threats of downsizing in Koroška would mean a social catastrophe for the region.

The Koroška arm of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said that Adient was one of the key employers in the region. And while there are signs of hiring by other manufacturers in Koroška, it is unlikely all the Adient employees would find another job.

The company's latest annual report shows the Slovenj Gradec plant posted just over EUR 90 million in revenue in 2019, 10% less than a year before.

Adient's other production site in Slovenia, in Novo Mesto, manufactures car seating for Renault and Daimler. Borut Varga, an official of the Novo Mesto operation, told the STA Adient was not shutting down anything in Novo Mesto.

18 Mar 2021, 11:51 AM

Šarec Launches Attempt to Impeach Janša Over Vaccines

STA, 17 March 2021 - Marjan Šarec, the head of the opposition LMŠ party carrying his name, announced an impeachment of Prime Minister Janez Janša on Wednesday because Slovenia did not order the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine in the second round of the orders last December. Šarec argues Janša thus caused direct damage to citizens and acted against the Constitution.

A report from the EU's vaccination steering board released yesterday showed Slovenia had ordered 90% of the vaccines it was entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis, and that it did not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during a second round of joint EU purchasing in December 2020, when an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were available under the first contract with the company.

Šarec said the LMŠ was puzzled why Slovenia did not order the vaccine, whether it was "speculating with prices", as the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine was costlier than AstraZeneca, or the goal was to "prolong the epidemic endlessly".

"This has caused direct damage to the citizens and is also a violation of Article 51 of the Constitution, which speaks about the right to healthcare, so the LMŠ will use all means available to protect the rights of the citizens," Šarec pointed out.

The LMŠ head labelled the vaccination strategy inefficient and said Janša was trying to put the blame on everyone else but his team.

An impeachment against the prime minister can be filed in parliament by at least 10 MPs. Šarec is confident the entire opposition will be united on this and that it will "become clear in the National Assembly who cares about citizens and who does not".

Coordinator of the opposition Left Luka Mesec said the opposition would definitely respond to the news that Slovenia did not order as much vaccine as it could, but that it was yet to reach an agreement on which instrument would be the best.

He said he had already called a meeting of heads of opposition parties for Thursday.

Mesec said it was outrageous that the government had been looking to save EUR 5 million when the epidemic cost the country EUR 5.9 million a day and thousands of people have died.

If, however, the cost was not an issue, then the quarantine, epidemic and state of emergency suit someone in the government, as its goal has not been to fight the epidemic but to thoroughly rearrange social relations and take complete control over this country, Mesec said.

The opposition Social Democrats said they were yet to study the impeachment proposal. The party head, Tanja Fajon, said the SD would demand a session of the parliamentary Health Committee to discuss the ordering of Covid-19 vaccines. She noted that the EU had also not done everything right.

The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and the National Party (SNS) did not comment today.

Former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar told the STA today that he had not been informed last autumn of the fact that Slovenia could have ordered additional quantities of the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine.

A commission at the Health Ministry, which has also drawn up the vaccination strategy, was in charge of that, he said.

According to him, the commission obviously decided at the time not to order additional shots of the vaccine because it was expected that the AstraZeneca vaccine would be registered first.

Marta Grgič Vitek, the national vaccination programme coordinator, told reporters today that she was a member of the commission and that all members of the body argued as much vaccines should be ordered as Slovenia was eligible for relative to the population.

Janša told reporters in Brdo pri Kranju that Gantar or the vaccination commission could hardly be blamed for not ordering the vaccine, because at the time the move had been logical in a way. "We should have probably responded quicker, when it became clear that there are complications with this vaccine, but it was not yet clear which one will be authorised first."

He added this coincided with the "artificially created political crisis", efforts to bring down the coalition, departure of one party from the coalition and the resignation of Gantar.

The head of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), Zdravko Počivalšek, said he had learnt about the impeachment motion from the media and that the government had ordered enough vaccines from all producers available.

A similar statement came from Matej Tonin, the head of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi). He said the problem was not that Slovenia had ordered insufficient amount of the vaccine but that the vaccine had not been supplied. He believes the purpose of the impeachment was to divide.

18 Mar 2021, 10:43 AM

Unofficial Report Claims Slovenia Will Reject Fracking Settlement with Ascent Resources

STA, 18 March 2021 - The newspaper Delo reported unofficially on Thursday that Slovenia was not to accept a settlement with the British company Ascent Resources over the dispute over permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in the north-east of the country.

The two sides entered negotiations last October, but the British company said this would not prejudice its rights to pursue its investment treaty claim under the UK-Slovenia bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty.

Claiming that Slovenia is breaching its obligations to the detriment of the company's investments in Slovenia, Ascent Resources formally begun procedures to start an investor dispute at international arbitration.

According to Delo, the deadline for Slovenia to announce its decision runs out on Friday, and the State Attorney's Office told the newspaper that Slovenia would inform the other party about its viewpoint within the agreed time.

"Since the negotiations about a possible solution of the dispute with a mutual agreement are still confidential, we are not able to provide more information," it added.

The negotiations are being held as a damages lawsuit by Ascent Resources is looming, with the company, according to Delo, expected to demand EUR 120 million in compensation.

The company alleges that through Slovenia's violation of its obligations under the two treaties, it has sustained considerable harm, as it has invested more than EUR 50 million in the development of the Petišovci oil and gas field.

The Slovenian Environment Agency issued a decision in March that an environmental impact assessment is needed before a permit can be issued for extraction of gas in Petišovci by re-stimulating two currently producing wells as planned by Ascent Resources and its Slovenian partner Geoenergo. The decision was upheld by the Administrative Court in June this year.

All our stories on Ascent Resources and Slovenia

18 Mar 2021, 04:09 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 18 March 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:

Alarming 2020 domestic homicide trend continues in 2021

Ljubljana, 17 March - Murder or attempted murder charges more than doubled in Slovenia in 2020 compared to 2019. Last year marked the first time the country saw three triple murders in a single year, all of them being domestic homicides. The trend appears to be continuing this year.

The police processed 16 cases of murders and 29 cases of attempted murder last year, which makes 2020 one of the worst years in this respect in Slovenia's recent history.

In the first months of 2021 the trend has continued: until 15 March, seven murders or murder attempts were recorded.

Underlining the gravity of the trend, the figures do not include the most recent three cases, for which charges have not yet been brought. Nor do they encompass cases - resulting in at least two deaths - where the perpetrator committed suicide afterwards and there were no charges.

Moreover, the statistics are only a reflection of the number of such offences and not the total number of murder or murder-suicide deaths.

Most of these cases are domestic homicides, including intimate partner murders that are often escalations of a domestic violence situation.

The most recent murder-suicide case, which took place near the town of Šmarje pri Jelšah on Monday, suggests such an escalation, with police saying that the most likely motive for the killing was a years-long conflict between the male perpetrator and the female victim.

The Ljubljana Social Work Centre has recorded 680 reports of domestic violence so far this year. In 125 cases restraining orders have been issued and in 43 cases the victim or victims have been moved to a safe house.

The actual prevalence of domestic violence is much greater though, says the centre, noting that such a type of violence, particularly intimate partner violence, is often a hidden problem, swept under the rug due to the stigma surrounding it.

As a result it is difficult to identify, report or prevent domestic violence. Victims often need a lot of expert-based support to speak out, the centre officials says.

Since the start of the epidemic, the centre has not recorded any rise in such reports, warning this does not automatically translate into a lull in such cases. Due to Covid restrictions as people spend more time at home, the victims might find it harder to seek help now that the perpetrators are more present.

Social work centres around Slovenia advocate a zero tolerance policy on domestic violence, warning that despite promising trends in recent years the level of tolerance is still too high.

In most cases the victims are women, however children's safety and health is also at stake and they come first when processing such cases. The experts highlight that living in a domestic violence environment is enough to deem a child a victim of it.

Any type of violence should be reported, the Ljubljana centre says, adding that there are various support platforms for victims. It says any threats by the perpetrators or victims' fears are being taken seriously.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

17 Mar 2021, 18:05 PM

Plans for Parliamentary Friendship Group with Taiwan Paused Due to Concerns over China

STA, 17 March 2021 - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee was to set up a friendship group with Taiwan today. But its chair Monika Gregorčič of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) decided not to rush things. She said "a comparative study" on the matter would be commissioned before proceeding with the plan.

The committee has discussed the friendship group with Taiwan in previous terms, but the parliament's legal service drew to its attention that Slovenia recognises the Chinese government as the only legitimate government in China, while Taiwan is its unalienable part, said opposition Social Democrat (SD) MP Matjaž Nemec, a former chair of the committee.

He said a decision to set up a friendship group with Taiwan would in his view mean the committee "treats Taiwan as a state, which it isn't".

Nemec stressed the proposal to set up this group raised the important question of Slovenia's attitude towards both Taiwan and China.

He thus asked Foreign Minister Anže Logar whether setting up such a group with Taiwan, with which Slovenia has good relations, would affect its relations with China.

Logar assessed Slovenia's relations with China as good while its stance on relations with Taiwan remains unchanged.

"Slovenia and the rest of the world act in the direction of one China, which in terms of Taiwan means renouncing official ties but not economic and cultural cooperation."

He said several EU countries had business representations in Taiwan to advocate their economic interests, while some parliaments have groups of friendship with it.

As for Slovenia's good relations with China, Logar also said that soon after assuming office, he had talked over the phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek had recently attended a 17+1 summit between Central and East European countries and China.

However, "with China we have a distinctly unbalanced bilateral trade in goods where we mostly import while we export little, which is not optimal from the aspect of exports".

Following the debate, the committee's chair Gregorčič decided to postpone the vote on the establishment of the friendship group.

"We don't want to act hastily and we'll commission a comparative study to make sure ... that all legal norms are respected," she announced.

Jožef Horvat, an MP for the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), inquired whether MEP Tanja Fajon's (S&D/SD) statements about democracy and media freedom in Serbia being at risk affected Slovenia's relations with Serbia.

Horvat believes the statements by Fajon, who chairs the European Parliament delegation for relations with Serbia, upset Serbian politics while he would like Slovenia to have good relations with the country.

Logar said Fajon did not express "heavy positions" only on Serbia in the European Parliament but also on Slovenia, saying this did not contribute to Slovenia's good reputation.

"If Tanja Fajon were foreign minister, this would have a very detrimental impact on relations with Serbia," said Logar, assuring the MPs he himself had very good relations with Serbian government representatives.

Logar said he would like to see those who represent Slovenia in the international arena to act in its best interest. If they are on "some other mission", then they should refrain from harming Slovenia's good reputation, he added.

Gregorčič meanwhile asked Logar about his visit to Ukraine yesterday.

He said Ukraine was a relatively large market which was developing very fast and had until recently been neglected "for one simple reason - because the foreign policy in the past was directed towards a country slightly more to the east and forgot to weave cultural and economic ties with Ukraine".

He believes there is great potential to increase economic cooperation. He said the Ukraine representatives would thus like to see a direct air route between Kiev and Ljubljana to be promptly introduced.

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