STA, 1 March 2021 - EU ministers in charge of tourism have agreed it is important to ensure simple and predictable border crossing regimes, as they held a virtual meeting on Monday. This effort will expectedly be made easier with a digital vaccination passport the EU intends to propose later this month.

Economy Ministry state secretary Simon Zajc, who took part in the meeting alongside Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, told the press that the debate discussed joint solutions to re-establish cross-border travel flows and relaunch tourism.

"Most European destinations depend on incoming tourism, the loss of which domestic tourism cannot offset sufficiently; this is also the case in Slovenia," Zajc said.

A number of matters remain to be harmonised, as individual countries have different conditions in terms of borders, testing and quarantine. The state secretary said this is not only in the domain of ministers in charge of tourism but above all of interior ministers.

The main goal is to adopt harmonised measures to boost the single market, Zajc said, also quoting Počivalšek as saying it was key first and foremost to restore consumers' trust in the safety and predictability of cross-border travel and services.

Počivalšek also told his counterparts that vaccination certificates and rapid antigen testing procedures should be coordinated, as well as minimal standards or guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Countries should ensure predictable border crossing regimes and use all tools available, such as recovery, vaccination or testing certificates, to mitigate infection risk, and also to introduce training tools for those working in tourism, Počivalšek said at the meeting.

In the short term, liquidity funds will play a vital role for the sector, the minister said, while broader synergies will be needed for long-term recovery, as well as funds from the EU recovery plan. In the long term, the sector will have to face the challenges of digitalisation and sustainable development, said Počivalšek.

Also today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Commission would propose this month legislation for a "digital green passport", an EU-wide digital vaccination passport, which would show that a person has been vaccination, has recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative, if they were yet unable to get vaccinated.

STA, 2 March 2021 - The government adopted a revised vaccination strategy at a correspondence session on Monday, envisaging 61 vaccination centres, including 13 in hospitals, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press on Tuesday. No changes have been made to the priority groups, but the minister presented the order of vaccination in more detail today.

The 61 vaccination centres will include 13 centres in hospitals, which will be intended for medical staff but also chronic patients, a military vaccination centre, and a centre at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), which also distributes the vaccines.

The priority groups remain the same, with health workers on top of the list, followed by people over 80 years, then 75 and 70 years, and then patients with chronic diseases who are particularly vulnerable regardless of their age.

Next in line for the vaccine are diplomats and Foreign Ministry officials as well as officials from other ministries travelling to other EU countries due to the upcoming Slovenia's presidency.

Then come diplomatic representatives of other countries in Slovenia and soldiers leaving for missions abroad.

The list continues with those over 65. After that come employees in education, where kindergarten teachers and teachers teaching the first three or five grades of primary school and those over 50 years old will get the vaccine first, Poklukar said.

This group also includes members of parliament, government, the Constitutional Court and other top institutions, who will be vaccinated according to their age.

This group is followed by patients with chronic conditions aged between 18 and 64, and then people aged between 60 and 64. Employees working in critical infrastructure follow, not including taxi drivers, and then the rest of the population.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is registered only for the 18-64 age group, so it is being administered to people from this group regardless of the distribution of other vaccines to other groups.

Choosing which vaccine a person will be vaccinated with is not possible at this point given the limited quantities of the vaccine and the complex logistics involved, Poklukar said.

He noted though that the ministry was signing a contract on 349,000 shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine just today, and that the delivery was expected in the second quarter.

The goal is to have at least 60% of the population or 1.2 million inoculated as soon as possible, the minister said.

The new strategy also allows for storage of vaccines whose registration by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still pending, the government said after last night's session.

Responding to a journalist question about the prospects of Slovenia potentially buying vaccines alone, Poklukar noted today that the country's buying EMA-approved vaccines alone would be a breach of EU agreements.

According to the government, the main goal of the strategy is to reduce mortality due to Covid-19, prevent cases with complications, disburden the health system and allowing a restarting of economy, education, transport, culture, social life and other activities.

STA, 1 March 2021 - Musicians and event organisers are pushing for the gradual relaunch of public events and the revival of the events sector after several countries already took steps in this direction. They believe now is the time to save the summer season and the sector, and that their proposals should be included in the next stimulus package.

The Coalition of the Music Sector, Trade Union of Slovenian Musicians, the Association of Concert Organisers, the Slovenian Music and Information Centre, and the charity MiDelamoDogodke, said Monday companies and other subjects from the events industry are completely exhausted by the restrictions.

"If we lose another summer, which brings in the most revenue to the events sector with festivals and other mass events, the damage suffered by most stakeholders will be too big for the sector to ever recover again," said the five associations.

They propose that a realistic plan for a gradual relaunch of public events be made in cooperation with the National Institute for Public Health. They would like criteria for relaunching set along with potential dates that event organisers could rely on.

Given the current situation, they believe events could begin on 1 April and be held without restrictions as of 1 July in line with the vaccination plan.

They also propose a guarantee scheme following the example for Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, which plans to lift all restrictions for the events sector on 1 July. Recently, the UK also adopted a plan of gradual reopening of the sector and lifting of restrictions as of 21 June.

The news of the latter prompted many announcements of festivals hosting more than 100,000 people a day, the five organisations said.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Govt in dilemma about new coronavirus variants, new lockdown

LJUBLJANA - New variants of coronavirus pose a dilemma about whether to proceed with the planned colour-coded exit strategy or impose stricter lockdown for a short period of time, PM Janez Janša said in parliament, as he answered a coalition MP question whether the government was planning any new measures in connection with Covid-19. A potential fast spread of the new coronavirus variants in the coming weeks brings a dilemma of whether to tighten the measures for a short period of time to the level of lockdown, as was the case in Great Britain and the Czech Republic, Janša told the National Assembly.

Minister says beefed-up border controls likely soon

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told MPs that Slovenia's border restrictions could be tightened as early as this week as part of efforts to contain the epidemic. All European countries, including Slovenia, will most likely have to make their border protocols stricter in the coming days. In Slovenia, an expert group of epidemiologists and doctors is in favour of a strict closure of border crossings on the country's internal borders, said Hojs, who personally does not believe that any easing of border restrictions could take place in the near future.

Govt not planning austerity after better than expected 2020

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. Janša noted Slovenia's economy had contracted by 5.5% last year, significantly outperforming some forecasts. Exports declined minimally and unemployment rose by just 1%.

243 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Sunday, 11 deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 243 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, slightly fewer than in the week before, as 11 patients with Covid-19 died. More than 9,000 rapid tests and 1,451 PCR tests were performed. The positivity rate for PCR tests was at 16.7%, a slight improvement over the day before. There were 543 Covid-19 patients in hospital compared to 529 the day before, whereas the number of intensive care cases dropped by two to 91. The rolling seven-day average of daily new cases dropped slightly to 768 and the number of active cases is estimated by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) to be 10,636.

All contacts of infected with South African variant negative so far

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 Maribor unit of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) said, adding that the infected had a mild case of Covid-19. The infected doctor had high-risk exposure contacts with four persons who have been ordered to self-isolate. Around 10 or 12 people were deemed low-risk exposure contacts and have been told to observe their condition and heed all the prevention measures to the letter.

C5 ministers discuss Slovenia's EU presidency, pandemic

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 within the central European club of countries," Logar told the press. The Central 5 (C5) foreign ministers spent a fair share of time discussing the coronavirus pandemic. They believe the situation remains serious and encourage facilitation of vaccination efforts. They also expressed support for an EU-wide vaccination certificate.

Tourism ministers urge predictability of border crossing regimes

LJUBLJANA - EU ministers in charge of tourism agreed it is important to ensure simple and predictable border crossing regimes, as they held a virtual meeting. Economy Ministry state secretary Simon Zajc, who took part in the meeting alongside Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, said the debate discussed joint solutions to re-establish cross-border travel flows and relaunch tourism. "Most European destinations depend on incoming tourism, the loss of which domestic tourism cannot offset sufficiently; this is also the case in Slovenia," Zajc said.

STA cuts off govt administration in funding row

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 believes the time has come for the matter to be resolved in court. "I believe that all conditions have been met, even though this is a sad moment, for the STA to try to find justice in court. The legislative basis exists, but if the government and the STA are unable to resolve this on their own and in a peaceful way, the STA probably has no other option," Zorčič said.

Landslide for Slovenian minority in Globasnitz municipality elections

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. The EL will now have a total of 59 councillors in the 21 municipalities in southern Carinthia in which it stood with 517 candidates, or one seat more than in 2015. Slovenian minority organisations from Austria and the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad welcomed the result, the second best after WWII. The other Slovenian minority mayor in Carinthia, Franc Jožef Smrtnik, advanced to the run-off.

Slovenia increases Yemen pledge

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 via the International Red Cross, the Foreign Ministry said.

SDS with best Mediana poll result in last six months

LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) have gained 1.3 percentage points to 18.2% in the latest Mediana poll for the commercial broadcaster POP TV for its best result in the last six months. The SDS is followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD), which have gained two points to 11%. Like the SDS, the opposition Left also gained 1.3 points to 8.2% to take third place, while the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) lost almost a percentage point compared to the January Mediana poll to 7.9%. The government of Janez Janša is supported by 36% of the people polled, which is around two percentage points more than in January. Almost 56% of the respondents do not support it and 7.6% were undecided.

Reports: Man gets two months suspended sentence for threatening Janša

VELENJE - The Velenje Local Court has given 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, several media have reported. The ruling, published online, is final. Štitić was found guilty on 18 January of intimidation through making serious threats that, according to the weekly Reporter, he made on the Facebook page of the All-Slovenian People's Uprising on 3 November. Among other things, he said called for Janša's hanging in Prešeren Square in Ljubljana.

Event organisers want gradual return of public events

LJUBLJANA - Musicians and event organisers are pushing for the gradual relaunch of public events and the revival of the events sector after several countries already took steps in this direction. The Coalition of the Music Sector, Trade Union of Slovenian Musicians, the Association of Concert Organisers, the Slovenian Music and Information Centre, and the charity MiDelamoDogodke, said the events industry was completely exhausted by the restrictions. "If we lose another summer ... the damage suffered by most stakeholders will be too big for the sector to ever recover again," they said.

Layoffs announced at Alpina

ŽIRI - Alpina, a footwear maker best known for ski and hiking boots, plans to 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 around Europe. Maja Remic, Alpina's director of marketing and retail sales, told the STA 18 workers would be made redundant and 20 would either retire or await retirement on the dole.

Covid nurses honoured by Ona magazine

LJUBLJANA - Ona 365, an annual award given out by the editorial board of the women's magazines Ona and Ona Plus, this year went to nurses caring for Covid-19 patients in hospitals and nursing homes. The judging panel said Covid nurses worked with great dedication in unimaginable circumstances, saving lives and providing help to anybody who needed it.

Loginov and Jörg defend snowboard world titles

ZREČE - Russia's Dmitry Loginov and Germany's Selina Jörg defended their world titles in the parallel giant slalom at the Snowboarding World Championships in Rogla. Slovenian snowboarders underperformed. Silver medals went to Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller and Russian Sofia Nadyrshina and bronze to Andrey Sobolev of Russia and Julia Dujmovits of Austria.

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

STA, 1 March 2021 - Two months after the expiration of public and commercial news service contracts between the STA and the government, which had previously been renewed annually, the STA restricted access to its news items for the government administration on Monday. Parliament Speaker Igor Zorčič believes the time has come for the matter to be resolved in court.

The state is obligated to provide sufficient funding for the STA, therefore the government and the Government Communications Office (UKOM) on its behalf must do everything in their power for this to become reality, Zorčič, a member of the coalition partner Modern Centre Party (SMC) said today.

He noted that MPs from the ranks of the SMC had spearheaded amendments to the seventh economic stimulus package that addressed funding for the press agency for the final quarter of 2020 and for 2021.

"I believe that all conditions have been met, even though this is a sad moment, for the STA to try to find justice in court. The legislative basis exists, but if the government and the STA are unable to resolve this on their own and in a peaceful way, the STA probably has no other option," Zorčič said.

When asked whether the SMC could still influence the course of events in some way, Zorčič said that the more politics interfered with the STA, the worse. Likely, the time has come for courts to resolve the situation if the politics is incapable of doing so.

The opposition, on the other hand, once again called for sustainable funding for the press agency. Under the STA act, the state is obligated to fund the public service the STA provides. Payments are then implemented via annual contracts based on annual business plans approved by the agency's supervisory board, which is appointed by the National Assembly.

Every year since Slovenia gained independence and the STA was established by the government, the government and the agency have also signed contracts allowing the government administration access to the agency's news items in full, not just the segments open to the public.

In autumn, UKOM suspended funding demanding information which the STA management says UKOM has no right to access. It added, however, that it would be fully willing to provide the information to the government, if the government requested, but this has not happened.

In December, the SMC pushed through an amendment to an economic stimulus package under which the government had to pay all outstanding obligations to the STA and provide funding for the public service in 2021 based on the STA's business plan even if the sides fail to sign a funding agreement.

After that, UKOM paid all the bills issued for the commercial contract until the end of the year, but no contracts have been signed for 2021, neither for the public service as required under the law, nor for the commercial access to the STA newswire for government bodies.

Opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) deputy group leader Brane Golubović said today this indicates that the government is able to knowingly break the law without consequence because there is nobody to oppose it. The government is not doing this only with the STA, which he finds concerning.

"We're actually a bit shocked that somebody can so blatantly violate the law. We can demand an extraordinary plenary, an emergency committee session, we can propose a law. But if a part of the coalition sees no problem in the government violating the law, then we can only be worried about the country we're living in," Golubović said.

Matej T. Vatovec, an MP for the opposition Left, believes that Prime Minister Janez Janša is continuing his assault on independent media. The fact that UKOM did not renew the contract with the STA only goes to show that the government wishes to subdue every independent institution and clearly wants to literally destroy the STA, he said.

This should set off alarms, as the STA is an institution of national importance, therefore pressure from the government is unacceptable, said Vatovec, adding that the Left and the opposition were looking for legislative solutions.

Jurij Lep of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) expressed dissatisfaction, adding that the STA was one of the few more or less unbiased media outlets in the country. The legislative branch obviously does not have enough power to pressure the government and UKOM, he said.

A number of media associations and organisations have urged funding for the STA in the past months. Most recently, Reporters without Borders said that suspension of funding was an attempt to undermine the agency.

STA, 1 March 2021 - Underage secondary school students from the Maribor area who participated in a protest urging return to in-classroom learning in early February have been issued court summons for the purpose of answering charges of violation of the communicable diseases act, the We Demand School (zahtevamo šolo) initiative confirmed for the STA on Monday.

Lars Podkrajšek of the initiative announced resistance against such "intimidation".

According to the information known so far, a total of six underage persons have been summoned.

"They allegedly violated Point 14 of the first paragraph of Article 57 of the communicable diseases act, so the police initiated charges against them before the Maribor District Court. By gathering they are said to have posed considerable threat to public health in Slovenia even though they wore protective face masks and heeded physical distance," Podkrajšek pointed out.

The allegations will be challenged in court, he said, adding that if necessary, the initiative would seek legal recourse before the Constitutional Court.

"We will not let it happen, this intimidation against youth because they wish normal schooling in a way that would be best for them," he said.

The initiative believes that such summons, which were first reported by private broadcaster POP TV over the past weekend, will be issued to more persons since the six students received them on Friday and it is possible others are still on their way.

Similar rallies for return to brick-and-mortar schools were held in a number of other cities in Slovenia, but so far, only Maribor students have been summoned. If there are any others, the initiative urges them to contact the organisation to face the matter together.

Podkrajšek finds such measures unacceptable. He believes there is a trend in Slovenia of sanctioning those who oppose the current government. The summons target those who do not agree with the actions by the Education Ministry, he said, describing Education Minister Simona Kustec as "completely passive".

The initiative will continue to strive for a return of all secondary school students to in-classroom learning as soon as possible. Currently, only final years of secondary school and those attending lower occupational training programmes are allowed to be educated in person apart from primary school pupils.

"Smaller protest actions are in the making which will start to take place in the event the government does not make a decision on Wednesday for all secondary school students to return to school in a week or two," Podkrajšek said.

Violation of Article 57 of the communicable diseases act carries a fine of between EUR 400 and EUR 4,000. If the offence is deemed particularly grave, it could lead to heftier fines up to EUR 12,000.

The Maribor Police Department said that five persons were issued a fine of EUR 400 via mail in connection with the 9 February rally in Maribor. The police also brought charges against four underage individuals before the competent district court.

The police said that some 50 people attended the rally of which nine, holding posters or other objects demonstrating the purpose of the gathering, were ID'd as they violated Article 57/1-14 of the communicable diseases act, which refers to a temporary ban on gatherings.

They were all notified of the offences and those of age were informed the fines will be mailed, whereas the underage participants were told complaints will be initiated against them in line with the law, the police said.

STA, 1 March 2021 - New variants of coronavirus pose a dilemma whether to proceed with the planned colour-coded exit strategy or impose stricter lockdown for a short period of time, PM Janez Janša said in parliament on Monday, as he answered a coalition MP question whether the government was planning any new measures in connection with Covid-19.

He said experts were now checking whether it would be possible to at least partly reopen schools for secondary school students even if Slovenia is still in the orange phase of the epidemic.

Scenarios seeing first, second and third year students going back to school alternately on a daily or weekly basis are being studied, explained Janša, saying that unlike primary school and final-year secondary school kids, these students "have not been at school in person for months".

He said that the government would discuss the possible scenarios on Wednesday or Thursday.

However, a potential fast spread of the new coronavirus variants in the coming weeks could also bring a dilemma of weather to tighten the measures for a short period of time to the level of lockdown, as was the case in Great Britain and the Czech Republic, Janša told the National Assembly.

This is after the first, and so far the only case of the South African coronavirus variant was confirmed in Slovenia on Friday.

Janša said this was not just a scientific but also a political decision "because it entails much severer restrictions, albeit for a shorter period", while the healthcare capacity situation is currently much better than in the past.

"While we are probably closer to the red than orange stage in terms of new infections, we are closer to the yellow than orange stage in terms of healthcare capacities, and it's possible that we'l be able to help some other EU member with these capacities because they are asking for help in the coming two weeks."

Janša at the same time warned the situation could change. In this case "a decision will have to be made whether to opt for much severer restrictions for a short period of time or strike a balance on the brink of capacity of our health system".

Answering a question from the opposition, Janša said the restrictions were less effective in the second wave because people did not take them as seriously as in the first one and because "their violation has been intentionally encouraged".

He also criticised the opposition for opposing certain restrictions, adding that the virus had no political affiliation and spread by its own rules.

The prime minister said the more actively people respected the restrictions, the lower the price, or the milder the restrictions can be.

"But this is not happening," he said, pointing to crowds on ski slopes at the weekend.

Janša also denied Slovenia was the world leader in terms of Covid-19 death toll, saying statistics would have to be looked at and compared once the pandemic was over.

STA, 1 March 2021 - The Velenje Local Court has given 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, several media have reported.

The ruling, published online, is final, media have reported.

Štitić was found guilty on 18 January of intimidation through making serious threats about a person's life or threatening to their loved ones.

According to the weekly Reporter, he made the threat on the Facebook page of the All-Slovenian People's Uprising on 3 November.

He wrote that Janša should be scared as the protesters would stand before his house throwing Molotovs at his window, and that soon he would realise that the safety of his wife and children is at risk but that then it would be too late. The post concluded with a call for Janša's hanging in Prešeren Square, according to Reporter.

STA, 26 February 2021 - Slovenia's draft regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality has sparked strong protests in Italy. The proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar. The Slovenian government has said that Italy has not provided any formal comments so far.

The Austrian Press Agency (APA) has recently reported on what it describes as a battle for balsamic vinegar between Slovenia and Italy. What triggered it is the Slovenian draft, which defines balsamic vinegar as any vinegar containing concentrated or diluted fruit juice or must as an additive.

Slovenia notified the European Commission of the draft on 2 December 2020 with the standstill period ending on 3 March, the Agriculture Ministry told the STA today.

Both the economy and agriculture ministries highlighted that so far Slovenia had not received any formal comments or reservations by the Commission or member states.
"The regulation is still in the notification phase and reviews by the European Commission and all the member states are ongoing," the Agriculture Ministry added.

The same requirements for the use of the balsamic vinegar label as in the new draft are already set down under the current Slovenian regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality, which was most recently amended in 2004, the ministry noted.

In the event of formal comments on the draft made by the Commission or individual EU countries, the document will be amended accordingly, according to the ministry.

Italy protected Aceto Balsamico di Modena or Balsamic Vinegar of Modena using a protected geographical indication (PGI) in 2009. The Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena label is also protected as designation of origin (PDO), the ministry said, adding that in Slovenia balsamic vinegar was meanwhile a generic term.

The Italian Press Agency (ansa) quoted Italian Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli on Thursday as saying that the Italian government will take action to protect the Modena balsamic vinegar. Using the draft, Slovenia would like to elude a system that protects the authenticity of the Italian vinegar, he added, highlighting that such protection was one of the Italian government's priorities.

The Modena consortium of balsamic vinegar producers has been critical of Slovenia's step as well, saying that the Slovenian government seeks to change the balsamic vinegar labelling into product standard.

Moreover, Slovenia's move has been criticised by the Coldiretti society of Italian farmers, which has described the attempt by the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry as a "dangerous precedent".

"The proposal regarding the Slovenian regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality does not oppose or restrict in any way the already established protected geographical indications Aceto Balsamico di Modena and the designation of origin Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena," the Slovenian ministry said.

STA, 28 February 2021 - The fitness industry has been severely affected by coronavirus restrictions with last year's loss of income estimated at 75%, said the fitness, recreation and regeneration branch of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) on Sunday, warning about a decline in physical fitness.

Fitness centres were allowed to reopen almost two weeks ago. It is extremely important that access to guided recreational fitness activities is provided for as many people as possible as soon as possible, reads a press release.

"The state has done very little to help the sector," the GZS department said, adding that the role of the industry had been overlooked. Despite assurances from the authorities that aid intended specifically for the sector would be part of legislative stimulus packages, nothing has been done so far, the press release adds.

In 2019, the sector provided recreational activities for some 100,000 users.

"It is key such organised sports activities are no longer restricted in the future. Of course, provided all the prevention protocols are heeded," fitness centres said, warning that a decline in physical fitness recorded in 2020 will have a long-term detrimental effect on psychophysical condition of children and adults.

The results of a study on children's physical fitness published by the Ljubljana Faculty of Sport last year point to the largest drop in physical efficiency among youth since the start of such survey and the sharpest rise in the number of overweight children since 1987.

The GZS branch expects an alarming decline in physical fitness among adults as well, warning that such a crisis means a long-term burden on healthcare and reduced productivity, which further weakens the budget.