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

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FRIDAY, 26 February
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an invitation for the Commission to appoint a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP dropped 5.5% in real terms last year over the year before, the Statistics Office said. Domestic spending saw a considerable drop, while external demand also suffered a blow.
        LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 lockdown had a significant impact on sales in the services sector and retail in 2020, as it was down by a combined 9.6% compared to the year before, Statistics Office data showed. The drop in the services was 11.6% and in retail 6.2%.

SATURDAY, 27 February
        KOPER - Tighter coronavirus restrictions kicked in in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region after the epidemiological situation in the south-west worsened. Gatherings were banned and travel between the region and the rest of Slovenia is restricted to work- and health-related reasons.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ski jumper Anže Lanišek won the bronze medal on the normal hill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf. Gold went to Polish Piotr Zyila, while German Karl Geiger was second.

SUNDAY, 28 February
        VELENJE - The Velenje Local Court gave Luka Štitić a two-month suspended sentence with a one year probation period for threatening Prime Minister Janez Janša on social media during last year's anti government protests. The ruling is final.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Cross-country skiers Anamarija Lampič and Eva Urevc won bronze in the women's team event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. The pair fell short of gold by 3.46 seconds.

MONDAY, 1 March
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted his counterparts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia to discuss Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency and the coronavirus pandemic. "The meeting was a great opportunity to present our views and priorities for the presidency so as to harmonise key issues that will be on the EU's agenda," Logar said.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a revised vaccination strategy envisaging 61 vaccination centres, including 13 in hospitals. Health Minister Janez Poklukar said on Tuesday priority groups remain the same, with health workers in top tier, followed by people over 80, 75 and 70, and then vulnerable patients with chronic conditions.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša indicated Slovenia was not planning public spending cuts, having weathered 2020 better than expected due to stimulus measures. "We're not planning any cuts. We're planning a recovery this year," he told the National Assembly.
        KLAGENFURT, Austria - The Slovenian ethnic minority won an absolute majority in the municipality of Globasnitz (Globasnica), where Bernard Sadovnik was also reelected mayor in Sunday's local elections in the state of Carinthia. This is the first time the Slovenian minority United List (EL) party has won an absolute majority in any municipality.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has decided to increase aid to Yemen by 20%, pledging a total of EUR 120,000 for 2021-2023, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Stanislav Raščan told a high-level conference on Yemen. The increased contribution means Slovenia will have donated over half a million euro for the aid effort in Yemen since 2016.
        LJUBLJANA - Two months after the expiration of public and commercial news service contracts between the STA and the government, the STA restricted access to its news items for the government administration. Parliament Speaker Igor Zorčič said the time had come to resolve the matter in court.
        LJUBLJANA - All persons who had been in contact with an individual whose coronavirus infection was confirmed to be the South African variant last week have so far tested negative, the National Institute of Public Health said. The infected doctor had high-risk exposure contacts with four persons who have been ordered to self-isolate.
        ŽIRI - Alpina, a footwear maker, said it would reduce its headcount by more than a tenth at its main production location in Žiri after a dismal year marked by store closures and the long shutdown of ski slopes. 18 workers will be made redundant and 20 will either retire or await retirement on the dole.
        LJUBLJANA/KOPER - The government approved EUR 1.4 million for promotion of the economic activity of the Italian minority in Slovenia in 2021-2024. The goal is to improve the community's economic potential by nurturing the growth of existing and incorporation of new companies.

TUESDAY, 2 March
        LJUBLJANA - Four centre-left opposition parties filed a proposal for the National Assembly to call a consultative referendum on the government-sponsored bill on the National Demographic Fund. The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) argue the bill would give the government centralised control over ownership and management of EUR 8.6 billion in state assets.
        LJUBLJANA - A new Strategic Council for Foreign Policy, led by Foreign Minister Anže Logar, held its maiden session. It decided the current foreign policy strategy, last adopted in 2015, would be "refreshed". Proposals are currently being drawn up at the ministry.
        LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič was urged to step down as the opposition is unhappy with her handling of the appointment of Slovenia's two members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. The development comes after Kozlovič of the junior coalition SMC said her ministry had asked for the proposal of two prosecutors to be put on the government's agenda several times, but received no reply.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian central bank said the anti-crisis measures had contributed to the economic recovery and to keeping the country's potential afloat, albeit at the expense of public finances. A gradual approach and targeted withdrawal of measures would be needed so that the economy is not exposed again to negative shocks.
        LJUBLJANA - Following the identification of the UK and South African variants in Slovenia, the Nigerian strain of coronavirus has also been confirmed in the country, POP TV reported, adding that seven cases had been detected so far.
        LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar appointed a new medical taskforce that advises the ministry on measures to contain Covid-19. It will be headed by Mateja Logar, an infections diseases specialist at the UKC Ljubljana's department of communicable diseases. She succeeds Bojana Beović, who resigned as she took over as new head of the Medical Chamber, but is staying on as a member.
        SOLKAN - Slovenian company Instrumentation Technologies, a provider of advanced instrumentation in the field of basic particles accelerators, was reported acquired by ARX Equity Partners, a private equity group headquartered in Prague. The price was not disclosed.
        LJUBLJANA - Telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije said it was being sued by the telecommunications company T-2 for around EUR 50 million for the damage that the latter allegedly suffered between September 2018 and July 2020. The claim refers to Telekom's wholesale prices.

WEDNESDAY, 3 March
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided all secondary school students who have been learning remotely will return to in-person teaching on 8 March. The change comes after schools reopened in mid-February, but only final-year secondary students returned to classrooms to prepare for school-leaving exams.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is planning to start mass vaccination of teachers against Covid-19 next week, Jelko Kacin, the coordinator for the logistics of mass vaccination, announced as he visited a vaccination point in Ljubljana. If everything goes according to plan, Slovenia could administer about 240,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in March.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Three of Slovenia's four MEPs from the European People's Party (EPP) did not back changes to the rules of procedure allowing the European People's Party (EPP) to suspend or exclude a member party from its ranks. Ljudmila Novak, the fourth Slovenian EPP MEP, voted for the changes, having been one of its proponents.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislation enacting Slovenia's EUR 70 million guarantee for the Pan-European Guarantee Fund, a new mechanism of the European Investment Bank designed to help business cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislation designed to end fictitious registrations of residence. The amendments to the residence registration act will crack down on fictitious registrations at addresses that are not residential, or residential addresses where the size of the living quarters clearly precludes the registration of a large number of people.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted 48:38 in favour of amendments to the act governing the STA that require the STA English Service to report on the work of NGO. The English Service already reports on NGOs, but the law on the STA does not stipulate this as an explicit requirement.
        MARIBOR - A total of 28 house searches were carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in relation to a suspected money laundering scheme worth millions of euros involving shell companies and the withdrawal of large amounts of cash from bank accounts. Several media reported the sting focused on Slovenian tax advisor Rok Snežič.
        ŠOŠTANJ - The Šoštanj thermal power plant decided not to introduce co-incineration of non-hazardous waste after the Šoštanj city council voted against it. It will also discontinue a procedure to have its environmental permit changed to allow co-incineration.
        
THURSDAY, 4 March
        LJUBLJANA - It was revealed that media freedom in Slovenia will be one of the items on the European Parliament's agenda as it meets for a plenary next week. The expansion of the agenda was proposed by the S&D, the second largest group in the EP. Although invited, PM Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti will not take part.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Association of State Prosecutors turned to the Council of Europe (CoE) to complain about "inadmissible pressure" that they say Prime Minister Janez Janša and media that he controls are exerting on prosecutors.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided bars and restaurants in two eastern regions, Posavje and South-east Slovenia, will be able to start serving customers outdoor as of 8 March. Initially, this will be a one-week test to see how things turn out.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a reform banking bill, which transposes the provisions of a major EU directive and creates the legal basis for the participation of workers in bank supervisory boards.
        LJUBLJANA - Two contractors submitted financial offers for the first part of main works on the Divača-Koper rail section. A consortium led by Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG values the works at EUR 403.6 million, while the offer by Austrian builder Strabag and its consortium is EUR 463.5 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit said the government, the Public Administration Ministry and the Office for the Protection of Classified Information were ineffective in providing for cybersecurity in 2016-2019. It points to the government's failure to adopt an information security strategy, as well as to understaffing and underfunding.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Pahor announces donation of Covid-19 vaccine to Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - President Borut Pahor announced a donation of 4,800 Covid-19 vaccine shots to be delivered to the country next week, as he visited Sarajevo. Chairman of the Bosnian presidency Milorad Dodik said the friendly Slovenia had again showed its solidarity with and support to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Talks with Dodik and the two other members of the presidency, Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović, focused the country's efforts to join the EU, preparations for the Brdo-Brijuni Process summit to be held in Slovenia in a few weeks, illegal migration and Slovenia's military presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the president's office said.

881 new coronavirus cases, four deaths in Slovenia on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - The daily count of coronavirus cases stood at 881 on Thursday, when 5,435 PCR tests were performed for a positivity rate of 16.2%, a further drop compared to the day before. The number of people in hospitals today increased by ten to 521 with 85 in intensive care, government data show. Four patients died bringing the death toll to 3,878. The seven-day average of new cases in Slovenia was down from 784 to 780. According to the tracker site Covid-19 Sledilnik, there are currently about 10,866 active cases in the country.

NIJZ data show one in three positive rapid tests false

LJUBLJANA - Data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) obtained by Radio Slovenija and the web portal Necenzurirano show that one out of three positive rapid antigen tests have been proved false through the more reliable PCR tests after 13 February, since when all those who test positive for coronavirus in screening with rapid tests are tested again with PCR tests. The infections are not added to the official case count until confirmed with a PCR lab test.

Italian minority urges govt to reconsider border restrictions

KOPER - The Italian Union, an association of the Italian ethnic minority in Slovenia urged the government to reconsider imposing new border restrictions in a bid to prevent the import of new coronavirus variants, warning of the impact the step would have on cross-border cooperation. In a letter to Prime Minister Janez Janša, the association noted the close cooperation in the closely interlinked border region and proposed the government adopt alternative measures or allow exceptions to restrictions for the population living along the Slovenian-Italian border.

Pope appoints Maksimilijan Matjaž new Celje bishop

LJUBLJANA/CELJE - Pope Francis has appointed priest of the Maribor Archdiocese Maksimilijan Matjaž as the new Celje bishop, according to the websites of the Catholic Church. He will succeed Stanislav Lipovšek, who stepped down in 2018 after turning 75. Matjaž has so far been a professor of Biblical studies at the Ljubljana Faculty of Theology.

Italy formally against Slovenian new regulation on vinegar

ROME, Italy - The Italian Agriculture Ministry has addressed a letter to the European Commission opposing Slovenia's draft regulation on the quality of vinegar and acetic acid dilute, which also defines balsamic vinegar. The countries have until 3 June to provide any additional explanations, foreign press agencies reported. The Slovenian regulation has sparked strong protests in Italy as the proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar.

State's exposure in loan deferral scheme at EUR 2.6 billion

LJUBLJANA - Banks and savings banks in Slovenia received until the end of February a total of 28,485 applications under the government's scheme that enables loan takers to request a deferral of loan payments. More than 85% of the applications have been approved, with the total exposure related to these loans amounting to EUR 2.6 billion. The central bank reported that more than 85% of the applications had been approved, and around 12% rejected, with the remaining applications still being processed. A majority of the loans related to the applications are due in the coming months, and it is when an increase in credit risk is expected to increase the most.

Insurer group Sava ups net profit 12.3% to EUR 56.4m last year

LJUBLJANA - The insurance group Sava generated EUR 674.9 million in operating revenue last year, up 15.5% compared to 2019, while net profit increased by 12.3% to EUR 56.4 million, which was also above plans, show the unaudited results. The group said that the increase was driven by good results in the life and non-life insurance segments, partly offset by the challenging claims experience in international reinsurance business. EUR 679.7 million was collected in gross insurance premiums, an increase of 13.6% over the year before. The group's return on equity was 13.3%, which is 1.3 percentage points above the target return set in the strategy for 2020-2022.

SKB Banka's profit down last year by 35.6% to below EUR 35m

LJUBLJANA - SKB Banka posted a net profit of EUR 34.85 million last year, which is a 35.6% drop compared to 2019, in what is largely a consequence of the Covid-19 epidemic that affected all areas of operation of the banking group. Reporting on the results for the first full year in ownership of the Hungarian banking group OTP, the Ljubljana-based bank said that the group had created additional provisions and impairments due to the increased credit risk. Net banking revenue was down last year by 1.3% to EUR 122.68 million, while the operational profit before provisions and impairments decreased by 2% to EUR 60.46 million.

Report: Marina Portorož sold to Japanese buyer

PORTOROŽ - Spa operator Terme Čatež confirmed that it had sold Marina Portorož but would not disclose the buyer. It also said the contract contained suspensive conditions. Newspapers Delo and Primorske Novice reported of the sale earlier today, saying the buyer came from Japan. Delo reported the buyers were Japanese investments funds and the price was below EUR 15 million, while Primorske reported of a Japanese multinational buying the country's biggest marina for EUR 16 million. Meanwhile, the business newspaper Finance says on its website, quoting unofficial information, that the buyer is Slovenian company JoanthanMars or one of its subsidiaries that manages alternative investment funds.

Mercator expected to become part of Fortenova by month's end

BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia's competition protection authority cleared the transfer of Slovenian retailer Mercator to Croatian group Fortenova, thus clearing yet another hurdle for the step that follows the bankruptcy of Fortenova's predecessor Agrokor. Fortenova expects the transfer to be completed at the end of the month. Fortenova said in a press release that the approval by the Serbian regulator means the group has met all regulatory preconditions for concentration approval in the countries where this was required: Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In September, the European Commission also issued a concentration approval for the EU.

Some insurers allowed to pay out dividends

LJUBLJANA - The Insurance Supervision Agency sent a letter to insurers, reinsurers and pension funds, urging them not to pay out dividends until the end of September due to coronavirus-related uncertainties, insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav said. However, the paying out of dividend is allowed in some cases, as the financial stability of the companies overseen by the agency varies and not all of them were affected by the epidemic to the same extent. The companies which will act contrary to the recommendations will have to prove to the agency that they acted prudently. Their solvency coefficient must be kept above 150% and the paying out of dividends must not reduce the sources of own funds by more than 10% or hurt the company's liquidity.

Monitoring group MEPs voice concerns in debate on media freedom in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group held a virtual public discussion on media freedom in Slovenia featuring representatives from Slovenia and the European Commission. Group members expressed concern about the situation and their expectations for the Commission to take action. Although invited, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti did not take part in the exchange of views. A new meeting might be held on 26 March.

Diverging views as Slovenian MEPs debate state of the media

LJUBLJANA - The situation in the media topped the agenda as Slovenian MEPs talked to reporters ahead of next week's European Parliament plenary, which will debate attempts to silence free media in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. They provided diverging views on the situation and on whether this is indeed an issue that the EU should deal with. Milan Zver (EPP/SDS) said freedom of the media was not questionable in Slovenia and he sees no reason why Slovenia should be "in the dock". For him, the main problem is the "explicit asymmetry in the media space", as a result of which the right to receive objective information is not secured. Irena Joveva (Renew/LMŠ) said the competent authorities appear to have determined that the matter had gotten out of hand and that a debate on the European level was required, not least in light of Slovenia's upcoming presidency of the EU.

New maritime traffic control centre opens in Koper

KOPER - A new centre for maritime traffic control and management in crisis situations was inaugurated in what is a project that is expected to greatly improve navigation safety in the Slovenian territorial waters and decrease risk of accidents by as much as 70%. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said at the ceremony that the EUR 2.3 million centre, stationed in the Maritime Administration building in Koper, was not only important for the Slovenian maritime sector, but for the country as a whole.

Kugler honoured at American Filmatic Arts Awards festival

NEW YORK, US - Film director Ema Kugler was honoured at the American Filmatic Arts Awards (AFAA) festival of independent film in New York. Her Man with Shadow was declared the best feature film of 2020 in what is the 15th award for the film. Man with Shadow is marked by the idea that the biggest human delusion is the illusion of freedom.

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STA, 5 March 2021 - The 22nd international feminist and queer festival Red Dawns (Rdeče zore)will open on Friday with an exhibition of posters from Polish women's strike entitled To jest wojna. All events will be held online.

The exhibition of protest posters presenting the role of Polish female visual artists in the battle against a ban on abortion will be on display at the Alkatraz gallery at the AKC Metelkova between Monday and Friday until 26 March and will also be available online.

On Sunday, the Silver Thistle for the most sexist statement of 2020 will be conferred by the festival's organisers in cooperation with web portal Spol.si.

On Tuesday, 9 March, Danijela Zajc will stage her performance Niti, which was created at the Cirkusarna NaokROG at the demolished alternative art centre Rog.

According to the author, the performance is inspired by her own experience of living in a traditional environment through which she tries to understand life, and the actions of her grandmothers, mother and sisters while searching for her own place within those relationships.

Music band Balans from Ljubljana will bring music to a poetry reading that will be organised in cooperation with the platform IGNOR.

Asja Novak will lecture about Albanian sworn virgins and present the campaign for redefining rape under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes in cooperation with the 8 March Institute.

The festival will wrap up on 11 March with live broadcast of music performance by Ingver in Gverilke, which will be followed by a video and music performance by Federico Luza Da geht di Sonne unter!

Festival website, Facebook

STA, 5 March 2021 - Spa operator Terme Čatež confirmed on Friday that it had sold Marina Portorož but would not disclose the buyer. It also said the contract contained suspensive conditions. Newspapers Delo and Primorske Novice reported of the sale earlier today, saying the buyer came from Japan.

Delo reported the buyers were Japanese investments funds and the price was below EUR 15 million, while Primorske reported of a Japanese multinational buying the country's biggest marina for EUR 16 million.

Meanwhile, the business newspaper Finance says on its website, quoting unofficial information, that the buyer is Slovenian company JoanthanMars or one of its subsidiaries that manages alternative investment funds.

JonathanMars is owned by the company UR Invest, whose owner is Uroš Raspet, a co-owner and a senior official at the Vzajemci group, says the paper.

"The transaction is not yet closed as certain suspensive conditions must be met first. When the suspensive conditions from the contract are met and the transfer of ownership shares completed, the company will make a public announcement," Terme Čatež said on the web site of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange today.

The sale had been announced weeks ago by the head of Terme Čatež and its owner the publisher DZS, Bojan Petan, who said the move was coordinated with the York fund, the DZS's main creditor, according to Primorske.

Terme Čatež reportedly made the deal a few days ago with a Japanese multinational at the price of some EUR 16 million, while other information about the deal is not known, Primorske says, adding that it is possible that the contract again contained suspensive conditions.

A number of unfulfilled suspensive conditions was allegedly what caused the sale of the marina to Adventura Holding to fall through last year, says the paper.

According to Delo, one suspensive condition allegedly refers to a plot for which Marina Portorož has a concession contract. The plots intended for a planned coastal spa complex were reportedly not part of the sales agreement.

Terme Čatež, which is part of the DZS group, has been selling Marina Portorož for a while. A fresh sales procedure started last August and bids were accepted until the second half of September, while Primorske says the selection procedure concluded recently.

A while ago the marina was to be sold to Adventura Holding and the company Glen, but the deal went sour over disagreements on the price.

The company MMNT, which Adventura Holding and Glen founded for the takeover, was to pay EUR 21.6 million for the marina, according to reports from the business newspaper Finance in August last year.

Peter Polič from the P&P group from Lucija near Piran offered EUR 40 million for Marina Portorož and the land intended for the coastal spa complex, tennis courts and bungalows in its final offer almost three years ago. He told Primorske the company had not been bidding this time.

He said that after signing the non-disclosure agreement, the company had been informed that talks were already under way with two other buyers.

The Piran municipality told Primorske that it had been informed that the sale process was in the final phase. The municipality said it hoped the new owner would develop the marina activity well.

The sale of Marina Portorož was a part of the DZS's agreement with creditors on financial restructuring. The main creditor is the York fund, which had purchased the claims for the Gorenjska Banka bank and the bad bank.

STA, 5 March 2021 - A Moroccan man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison with a final decision for raping two Slovenian students in 2019, newspapers report on Friday. He will also be expelled from the country for five years after having served the sentence.

The decision is final as the Ljubljana Higher Court has rejected the appeal from Ali Safini, 37, and upheld the ruling of the Ljubljana District Court that found him guilty on two counts of rape.

According to the newspapers Delo, Slovenske Novice and Dnevnik, the Moroccan committed the two rapes in the span of a few days in October 2019.

As judge Deja Kozjek announced the sentence last September, she said he had coerced both victims into having intercourse by using threats and physical force. His attitude to the victims was disrespectful and humiliating.

For the first rape, he got 11 years in prison and a five-year banishment from Slovenia, and for the second he received a five-year prison sentence and a five-year banishment from Slovenia.

The sentences have been merged into 15 years in prison and a subsequent five-year banishment from the country. The time served in detention, where he has been since the end of October 2019, will count into the sentence.

According to the police, Safini had already served a two-year prison sentence in Slovenia for a robbery with elements of violence. He was released from prison in September 2019.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

EP to discuss media freedom in Slovenia next week, Janša not to attend

LJUBLJANA - Media freedom in Slovenia will be one of the items on the European Parliament's agenda as it meets for a plenary next week as the planned debate on government attempts to silence media in Poland and Hungary has been expanded to include Slovenia. The expansion was proposed by the S&D. The debate will be held next Wednesday. Tomorrow afternoon the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group will discuss the situation in Slovenian media landscape in a virtual format. Although invited, PM Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti will not take part. Instead, Janša proposes meeting for discussion in person on 26 March, after the EU summit.

Prosecutors complain to CoE about PM's "inadmissible pressure"

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Association of State Prosecutors has turned to the Council of Europe (CoE) to complain about "inadmissible pressure" that they say Prime Minister Janez Janša and media that he controls are exerting on prosecutors. In a public letter to the CoE's division for the independence and efficiency of justice circulated on Thursday, the association claims pressure directly by Janša as well as by Nova24TV.si and Demokracija.

Border checks to be stepped up Monday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will step up health checks on its borders starting on Monday. It plans to reintroduce checkpoints on internal borders, which were scrapped in mid-February, and tighten quarantine rules for arrivals, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press. "The government is particularly concerned about [coronavirus] variants from South Africa and from countries in which some variants have not been explored and we have no way of knowing how they will react to vaccines," he said.

Outdoor hospitality temporarily allowed in two regions as of Monday

LJUBLJANA - Bars and restaurants in two eastern regions, Posavje and South-east Slovenia, will be able to start serving customers outdoor as of Monday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek announced. Initially, this will be a one-week test to see how things turn out. While Slovenia is in the orange tier of restrictions, both regions currently have figures that place them firmly in the milder, yellow tier, where serving customers outdoor is allowed.

Secondary school students in years 1-3 to switch between distance, in-person learning

LJUBLJANA - Secondary school students in years 1-3 are joining their final-year peers Monday as secondary schools fully reopen amid the coronavirus epidemic. However, this does not mean the end of remote learning just yet - under model C, half of them will come to school for a week while the other half will be distance learning at home. There are no changes to final-year secondary school students, who come to school every day, Education Minister Simona Kustec told the press.

Nearly 1,020 test positive for coronavirus, 4 die on Wednesday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,019 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday in 5,822 PCR tests and four people died, the government said. So far, 83 cases of the UK variant have been detected, 7 cases of the Nigerian variant and 2 cases of the South African variant. Today, 511 people are in hospital, 86 requiring intensive care, four more than on Wednesday. The total number of those in hospital dropped by five compared to yesterday. The ratio of positive tests performed on Wednesday dropped to 17.5% from 19.5% the day before.

Parliamentary debate shows major differences over national recovery plan

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition criticised the emerging National Recovery and Resilience Plan for placing too much focus on investments in road infrastructure as the National Assembly debated the document that will allow Slovenia to tap on funding available as part of the EU's post-pandemic recovery. The only point on which deputies from both sides of the aisle agreed is that the available funding - Slovenia will be eligible for EUR 5.2 billion from the EUR 672.5 billion from the Recovery and Resilience Facility - will be a major opportunity for the country.

New banking bill adopted

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a reform banking bill, which transposes the provisions of a major EU directive and creates the legal basis for the participation of workers in bank supervisory boards. The EU directive governs exempted entities, financial holding companies, mixed financial holding companies, remuneration, supervisory measures and powers, and capital conservation measures.

Bids value first part of Divača-Koper rail at EUR 404-463 million

LJUBLJANA - Two contractors have submitted financial offers for the first part of main works on the Divača-Koper rail section. A consortium led by Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG values the works at EUR 403.6 million, while the offer by Austrian builder Strabag and its consortium is EUR 463.5 million. Both bids are below the ceiling price of EUR 472 million and therefore valid. The price excludes value added tax, 2TDK, the company managing the rail project, said in a press release on Thursday. 2TDK expects it will now take ten days to review the bids.

Janša's tweet upsets Nova Revija editors

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša compared in a tweet the role of TV broadcaster affiliated with his SDS party, Nova24TV, with the emergence of Nova Revija journal at the start of Slovenia's democratisation, in the 1980s. Three of Nova Revija's editors rejected such a comparison as "false and manipulative". To congratulate Nova24TV on the fifth anniversary on Tuesday, Janša tweeted: "The establishment and role of Nova24TV in the Slovenian TV landscape can be compared to the establishment of Nova Revija at the start of Slovenian Spring. A grain that has sprouted and bore fruit."

Literary historian Janko Kos leaving Writers' Association

LJUBLJANA - Literary historian Janko Kos has left the Slovenian Writers' Association (DSP) over its decision to opt out of the celebration of Slovenia's 30th independence anniversary because of certain actions by Prime Minister Janez Janša. DSP head Dušan Merc said the only comment to the move could be that "we must accept the fact that academic professor Janko Kos, a teacher and role model of many generations of Slovenian comparativists, an extraordinary intellectual and witness to our recent history and presence has left the Writers' Association," web portal MMC reported.

Pahor tests support for candidates for C-bank, top court

LJUBLJANA - After consulting heads of parliamentary factions, President Borut Pahor has narrowed down the list of candidates for consideration to put forward to the National Assembly in a renewed attempt to fill a vacancy on the governing board of the central bank and one on the Constitutional Court. He has decided to nominate Tina Žumer for a Banka Slovenije vice-governor should consultations at the end of next week show she enjoys sufficient majority.

New state secretary appointed at Health Ministry

LJUBLJANA - Franc Vindišar, the medical director of the Celje General Hospital, has been appointed a state secretary at the Health Ministry. He will join the ministry on Monday, the government decided today. Vindišar succeeds Marija Magajne, who was recently appointed the head of the ministry's directorate for healthcare.

State secretary replaced at Agriculture Ministry

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed at today's correspondence session Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Miran Mihelič and appointed Aleš Irgolič in his place, the Government Communication Office said. Irgolič has been working at the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development since 2005.

Minister thinks fined students should take responsibility

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec said that secondary school students who received fines for protesting for the reopening of schools in February understand their actions and should take responsibility. "This is the first step into the adult world," Kustec told the press. There have also been voices in support of the students and calls for a blanket amnesty, and some have offered to pay their fines for them. President Borut Pahor suggested the authorities stop the proceedings and show understanding for the problems youths face.

Tourism season similar to 2020 expected as companies call for extension of aid

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) projects that Slovenia's summer tourism season will be similar to last year's in terms of visitor numbers. Companies in the sector are already urging the government to extend certain aid measures, saying many are on the brink of ruin. Last year visitor numbers were slashed by half compared to 2019. There was a surge in domestic tourists, partially due to special tourism vouchers, but the 21% increase in domestic arrivals failed to offset a 74% plunge in foreign guests.

MPs pass Demographic Fund bill at second reading

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed the National Demographic Fund bill at second reading Wednesday evening, tweaking the bill slightly via amendments by the coalition, but voting down a number of amendments tabled by the opposition, including the one exempting the STA from the fund. The MPs passed several amendments by the coalition, including one on procedure to check the qualifications of supervisory board members. The opposition believes the goal of the bill is to gain control over management of state assets, while falling short of bringing a solution for the pension purse.

Annual retail sales in EU, Slovenia down in January

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Slovenia saw a 13% drop in retail sales in January over January 2020, one of the biggest in the EU, coming only after Austria and Slovakia, which both saw a drop of 16.8%, Eurostat's fresh data shows. Compared to January 2020, retail trade dropped by 6.4% in eurozone countries and by 5.4% in the entire EU. In monthly comparison, Slovenia's retail sales were up 1.3% over December, while both the eurozone and the EU's retail sales were down, by 5.9% and 5.1%, respectively.

Court of Audit says govt ineffective in providing for cybersecurity

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit said the government, the Public Administration Ministry and the Office for the Protection of Classified Information were ineffective in providing for cybersecurity in 2016-2019. It points to the government's failure to adopt an information security strategy, as well as to understaffing and underfunding. The audit of the three institutions covered the period between 1 January 2016 and the end of September 2019. The court says the government adopted a cybersecurity strategy in February 2016 and a law on information security was passed in April 2018 transposing the EU directive concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the union.

Earthquake safety discussed on World Engineering Day

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning will send a resolution on making at-risk buildings earthquake-proof to the government and parliament by the end of the year, Minister Andrej Vizjak said as he took part in an online discussion organised by the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers to mark World Engineering Day. The document will significantly contribute to reducing the risks of loss of lives, while helping reduce economic and other damage alongside strengthening the country's economy.

Minority Porabje weekly celebrating 30 years

SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary - The Slovenian minority in Hungary started publishing the Porabje weekly 30 years ago. Marking its anniversary, the only Slovenian newspaper in Hungary has a new revamped look and plans to go digital. The paper comes out every Thursday and is 12-pages long. Its special feature is the use of standard Slovene as well as the minority's dialect spoken in Porabje or Raba Valley.

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

STA, 4 March 2021 - Media freedom in Slovenia will be one of the items on the European Parliament's agenda as it meets for a plenary next week as the planned debate on government attempts to silence media in Poland and Hungary has been expanded to include Slovenia.

The expansion of the agenda was endorsed by the Conference of Presidents, which comprises the European Parliament's president and the political group chairmen. It was proposed by the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the second largest group in the EP, which also includes two out of Slovenia's eight MEPs. The debate will be held on Wednesday at 3 PM.

The largest political group in the European Parliament, that of the European People's Party (EPP), which also includes the party of the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, said it had opposed expanding the debate to Slovenia.

Before the plenary, the situation in Slovenian media landscape is scheduled to be discussed on Friday afternoon by the EP's group for democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights.

The group, led by Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew), is expected to host an online meeting with various stakeholders.

While the final list of participants could not yet be obtained, the three-hour meeting is expected to start at 1:30pm and should be virtual and open to public.

The draft list features European Commission representatives and a number of invitees from Slovenia, including Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina, NGO association CNVOS director Goran Forbici, public broadcaster RTV Slovenija supervisory board member Borut Rončevič, DNS and ZNP journalist associations presidents Petra Lesjak Tušek and Matevž Tomšič, investigative journalist Lenart J. Kučić and Marko Milosavljević, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Studies.

The group's chair has also invited Prime Minister Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti. The pair have recently said the debate should be public and in an in-person format held in the European Parliament. There should also be enough time to comprehensively present all the discussed topics.

Janša and Simoniti also invited in 't Veld to join a fact-finding mission to Slovenia that Janša proposed in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Friday.

The EPP group today officially welcomed Janša's invitation for a fact-finding mission to Slovenia, arguing that debate on the situation in Slovenia would be suitable if such a mission showed it was justified. Concerns linked to the rule of law are not a political game played every time someone you do not like says something, the EPP group spokesperson said.

The S&D is focusing on Wednesday debate. Asked whether they were considering initiating Article 7 procedure in Slovenia's case, the group's leader Iratxe Garcia did not rule out the option but said the debate on Wednesday would show whether further steps were needed. She noted the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs would be responsible for such a move.

STA, 4 March 2020 - Slovenia will step up health checks on its borders starting on Monday. It plans to reintroduce checkpoints on internal EU borders, which were scrapped in mid-February, and tighten quarantine rules for arrivals, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press on Thursday.

 "The government is particularly concerned about [coronavirus] variants from South Africa and from countries in which some variants have not been explored and we have no way of knowing how they will react to vaccines," he said.

There will be three kinds of border checks on Slovenia's borders with Austria, Hungary and Italy, designated as A, B and C.

Checkpoints A will be open around-the clock. They will be on major crossings Karavanke, Ljubelj, Šentilj, Gornja Radgona and Gederovci on the border with Austria, Dolga Vas and Pince on the border with Hungary, and Vrtojba, Fernetiči and Škofije on the border with Italy.

B-rated checkpoints will be open on designated hours; an updated list thereof will be available on government web pages. C-rated checkpoints are intended for owners of land on both sides of the border. They will be open around the clock and checks will be performed randomly.

The second major change concerns quarantine for arrivals into Slovenia.

All those who do not produce proof of vaccination, proof they have already had Covid-19, or a negative test will be required to quarantine and may end the quarantine after five days with a negative test; presently, they are allowed to test the next day to end their quarantine.

All those who may now cross the border on a daily basis, in particular cross-border commuters and students, will have to get tested every seven days. The requirement will be waived for children under 13. Additional testing sites will be put up, in particular on the border with Italy, Hojs said.

Some changes were also made to the list of red countries that are considered risky. Certain regions of Italy (the Aosta Valley, Sardinia and Sicily), Austria (Vorarlberg), Spain (Extremadura, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands) and France (Guyana and Martinique) are no longer red, while Finland's only red regions are Helsinki-Uusimaa and Aland, and so are Greece's Attica and West Greece, and Norway's Oslo.

Cuba was added to the list of risky third countries.

STA, 4 March 2021 - Secondary school students in years 1-3 are joining their final-year peers Monday as secondary schools fully reopen amid the coronavirus epidemic. However, this does not mean the end of remote learning just yet - under model C, half of them will come to school for a week while the other half will be distance learning at home.

There are no changes to final-year secondary school students, who come to school every day, Education Minister Simona Kustec told the press on Thursday.

There are also no changes to primary schools, with the only difference being the introduction of face masks for children in years 6 to 9 also in their classrooms.

Currently all primary schools children - from year 1-9 - have to wear them only in communal areas such as corridors, halls, or dining areas.

Face masks will also be mandatory from next week for secondary schools, for both students and teachers.

As before, students in the shorter, two-year vocational secondary education continue in-person learning, explained the minister.

Next week will also see the launch of priority vaccination for education workers, first for those older than 50.

All teachers teaching in-person are still required to get tested for coronavirus once a week.

Kustec said the epidemiological situation in kindergartens and schools remains stable.

The latest data shows that 79% of kindergarten children and 83% of staff are in kindergarten, while both figures for primary schools are 90%.

Active infections in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools are currently at 0.16%, with 1% of children quarantining, the minister added.

Health inspectors meanwhile carried out 40 checks related to coronavirus testing at schools and kindergartens last week, establishing no breaches, Deana Potza from the Health Inspectorate told the government's daily Covid-19 briefing.

The findings show that educational establishments provide for testing of their staff and that there were no irregularities in organising nor informing the staff about testing, she explained.

Following around four months of distance learning, primary schools reopened for children in years 1-3 on 9 February, and for the rest of primary schools children on 15 February, when final-year secondary students also returned to school.

Special-needs children returned to in-person school on 5 January, while higher education continues largely remotely.

STA, 4 March 2021 - Bars and restaurants in two eastern regions, Posavje and South-east Slovenia, will be able to start serving customers outdoor as of Monday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek announced on Twitter. Initially, this will be a one-week test to see how things turn out.

Počivalšek said he was glad "we've come to a point where we can restart a portion of the hospitality industry." He suggested the two regions would serve as a bellwether for the rest of Slovenia when it comes to reopening.

"The opening carries huge responsibility... I appeal to proprietors and guests: act responsibly," he added.

The two lucky regions

While Slovenia is in the orange tier of restrictions, both regions currently have figures that place them firmly in the milder, yellow tier, where serving customers outdoor is allowed.

Počivalšek said that if coronavirus cases there rise, outdoor hospitality will be banned for the yellow tier.

The reopening will be strictly regulated.

Service will be possible between 6am and 7pm. Customers will have to wear masks at all times, except when they are seated at their table, and staff will have to wear masks at all times and get tested for coronavirus weekly.

Tables will have to be three metres apart and no more than four guests are allowed at each table.

Slovenian restaurants have been closed for indoor service since mid-October. Both bars and restaurants were able to offer take-away service, and, since last month, restaurants were allowed to serve B2B guests indoors.

Proprietors have welcomed the move as a sign that there is political will to reopen the industry. "It is also a motivation for proprietors in other regions to achieve the criteria [for reopening] as soon as possible," the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) said.

The Tourism and Hospitality Chamber of Slovenia added that the government should say as soon as possible when accommodation may reopen so that marketing activities may start soon enough. "Without guests, opening accommodation does not make sense," it said.