21 Feb 2021, 12:58 PM

Slovenia’s First Charter Flight of 2021 Heads to Tenerife

STA, 21 February 2021 - Some 180 passengers are due to fly to Tenerife from Slovenia's main international airport today, as the first charter flight this year is to be operated from Ljubljana airport by Croatian air carrier Trade Air. Slovenian tour operators say that despite the coronavirus pandemic, interest in tourist travel is increasing.

There are more charter flights to come during the winter season at Ljubljana airport but the Tenerife one is so far the only tourist charter flight, Fraport Slovenija, the operator of the airport, told the STA.

The epidemiological situation permitting, Fraport hopes there will also be many more charter flights in the summer season than there were last year's.

Passengers on today's flight, organised by tourist agency Palma, travel to the Canary Islands with several tour operators, which say demand is huge.

The new normal of travel is related to all the precautionary coronavirus protocols, which our clients who want to travel have no problem with, Kompas told the STA.

Palma said people were eager to travel, so those inquiring about their package holidays were not dissuaded by the restrictions in their destinations.

Relax said that while they were still closed, demand for their package holidays abroad was increasing on their website by the day.

Slovenians are currently most interested in Slovenia, Croatia and the Mediterranean, but also in more exotic destinations such as the United Arab Emirates or Maldivas.

According to Kompas, people now tend to decide on travelling at the very last moment when they can already anticipate what protocols will be in place.

Despite the many uncertainties, the tour operators are preparing for more busier spring and summer months as usual.

"We plan long in advance but we decide momentarily. The safety and health of our passengers always come first," Kompas said.

The Foreign Ministry meanwhile urges caution, advising citizens not to travel abroad if possible or postpone it until the epidemiological situation has improved.

It said it would not be able to provide assistance to those who might get stuck as a result of coronavirus-related decisions by countries where they travel.

21 Feb 2021, 04:30 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 21 February 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:

956 new infections confirmed as 7-day average continues to drop

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 956 new coronavirus cases on Friday, 5% fewer than the same day a week ago, with the rolling 7-day average of new cases decreasing further to 740, the latest data released by the government show. The new cases were confirmed in a total of 4,397 PCR tests, with the positivity rate standing at 21.7%, a slight increase compared to Thursday. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 dropped by 44 to 579, of whom 109 required intensive care, down by five over the day before. The cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents fell further to 528.9. Another seven Covid-19 patients died yesterday to bring the total death toll in Slovenia to 3,769, according to the tracker covid-19.sledilnik.org.

Pahor says current conflict-laden sentiment not sustainable

LJUBLJANA - As he hosted an event marking one of the key anniversaries in Slovenia's independence efforts, President Borut Pahor said that the current political sentiment, in which there was more conflict than cooperation, was not sustainable. Addressing the ceremony marking 30 years since the adoption of amendments to the Slovenian Constitution that repealed all provisions delegating power to Yugoslavia. The president noted that 30 years ago there had been major differences between political parties of the time, but they had managed to overcome those differences and reach an agreement in December 1990 because independence was a fateful question of Slovenia's future. He said he borne that in mind as he was to hold next Wednesday a meeting with the heads of the parliamentary parties, where he expects dialogue to prevail over divisions.

Hate speech condemned as MPs discuss the pressing issue

LJUBLJANA - The home policy and justice committees debated on Friday hate speech at the request of the coalition, condemning insulting and hateful discourse. Calls for decent and respectful dialogue could be heard both from coalition and opposition MPs, who noted that politicians should be among those who provide example of such dialogue. The parliamentary bodies adopting resolutions that condemn the expression, instigation and performance of acts by extremist groups that are discriminatory, hateful, intolerant or violent. The relevant state authorities were recommended to pay particular attention to investigating and preventing extremism and and introducing programmes for rehabilitation and reintegration of violent extremist.

114 organ transplants performed in Slovenia last year

LJUBLJANA - A total of 114 organ transplants were performed in the UKC Ljubljana hospital last year, with donations and transplant activity running smoothly despite the epidemic. One of the main achievements was lung transplant in a 34-year-old whose lungs failed due to post-Covid-19 complications. The Slovenia-Transplant institute said the number of transplants performed in UKC Ljubljana last year was up by 19 compared to 2019. Last year, a total of 136 organs were transplanted from 47 deceased donors and one living donor. The national register of persons who have decided to donate their organs and tissues after death numbers 10,618 persons. Last year, the number of newly-registered persons dropped by half compared to 2019.

Statement about taking risks wins Večer's Spade of the Year

MARIBOR - A statement about success in life being linked to taking risks by the long-serving head teacher of the Druga Gimnazija Maribor secondary school Ivan Lorenčič won him the Spade of the Year award from the newspaper publisher Večer.
"You can succeed in life only when you dare, and sometimes you also need to take some risk. If you risk nothing, you risk the most, because you stay where you are" won Večer's award for the statement that best captured the zeitgeist last year.

Norwegians dominate relay events at Biathlon World Championships

POKLJUKA - The Norwegian team won the women's 4x6 kilometre relay at the Biathlon World Championships, as Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Tiril Eckhoff, Ida Lien and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland finished the race 8.8 seconds ahead of the Germans, and 9.2 seconds ahead of Ukraine. Following their footsteps were the Norwegian men's team, who the 4x7.5 kilometre relay in dominant fashion, leaving second-placed Sweden and third-placed Russia far behind. The competitions in Pokljuka will wrap up on Sunday with the women's 12.5 km mass start and the men's 15 km mass start.

Slovenian mixed ski jumping team 2nd in World Cup in Rasnov

RASNOV, Romania - The Slovenian mixed ski jumping team of Nika Križnar, Cene Prevc, Ema Klinec and Žiga Jelar finished second in the World Cup event to show a good form ahead of the Nordic World Ski Championships in Germany's Oberstdorf. Slovenia (945.3 points) were tied with Norway ahead of the last jump, only to eventually fall 23.4 points behind the Norwegian team. The second place for Slovenia is nevertheless a good sign head of the world championships in Germany, which will be held between 22 February and 7 March, with Nika Križnar leading the ladies' standings in the World Cup.

Slovenia at EU average in terms of waste per capita

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - An average Slovenian resident generated 504 kilograms of municipal solid waste in 2019, which puts Slovenia almost at the EU average, which is 502 kilograms per capita, Eurostat has reported. Around 225 million tonnes of municipal solid waste was generated in the EU in 2019, which is 502 kilograms per capita, and an increase from the average 2018 figure of 495 kilograms. Denmark leads the rankings for 2019 with 844 kilograms, followed by Luxembourg (791 kilograms), while the EU member state whose citizens generated the least municipal solid waste was Romania (280 kilograms).

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

20 Feb 2021, 11:34 AM

What Mladina & Demokracija Are Saying This Week: SMC, DeSUS Like Nazi Collaborators vs Darkness of the Left

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 18 February 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: SMC and DeSUS MPs like Nazi collaborators

STA, 19 February 2021 - The left-wing magazine Mladina compares the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and DeSUS MPs following their decision not to vote out the Janez Janša government to Nazi collaborators in the editorial headlined We're All Lili Bayer.

Noting the vote and Janša's attack on the author of a Politico article about Janša's campaign against Slovenian media, the weekly writes that by supporting the government in Monday's vote the SMC assumed full responsibility for his and the government's actions.

It accuses the party of being "involved in the demolition of the rule of law, of putting up with political blockade of prosecutor appointments and actively supporting the government's interference in the media" through its representative who was appointed to head RTV Slovenija.

"Janša's attack on the journalist Lili Bayer has not gone unnoticed. Janša has now got their support and he feels strong [...] The SMC has thus assumed full responsibility for demolition of the Slovenian cultural space, Janša's attacks on media and the rule of law, for violence against citizens on the streets [...]. After Janša's attack on Lili Bayer no one in Europe no longer needs to be explained this government's attitude to the media."

The weekly asserts that like collaborators throughout Europe hoped ardently until the very last that the Nazi Germany would not lose the war, so are the SMC and DeSUS hoping that the economy would do well and people would forget and the government would not lose the election.

However, Mladina does not expect this will happen asserting that "the candies" they are distributing are ineffective.

It repeats that Slovenia's coronavirus record is one of the poorest in Europe, which it says is also because unlike elsewhere in Europe, Slovenia does not have border checks to prevent the import of coronavirus, while people are being fined for expressing their political views in front of the parliament building.

"It would be hard to find a more obvious proof that a large part of the ostensibly anti-epidemic measures is but an abuse of the epidemic for political purposes," something the paper says is also subject of questions from representatives of EU countries and institutions, who it says are worried that a man who attacked Bayer in such a crude way should represent the EU in the second half of the year.

Demokracija: Left's actions taking Slovenia to dark place

STA, 18 February 2021 - Monday's vote of no-confidence was yet another hallucination of the leftist parties, proving that they only know how to create the unnecessary, the right-wing Demokacija magazine says on Thursday. The proposal to oust the Janez Janša government was "completely superfluous" and a result of the left's obsession with and hate of Janša.

The left has not been successful at anything even if leftist activists and the entire mainstream media have provided it with more fuel than a Boeing 747 could take.

"That's why it ended as it did: with their 'ace' Karl Erjavec and a destructive parliamentary farce, Marjan Šarec, Luka Mesec, Tanja Fajon and Alenka Bratušek have turned into an exhibition item of a failed show," the right-wing weekly says under the headline Exhibition Item of Failed Show.

Although nobody denies the leftist opposition the right to file one no-confidence motion after another, it is hard to persuade it it is wrong.

Infatuated with its own truth, it does not acknowledge reality, including that the KUL coalition was never even close to the magic 46 votes needed to topple the centre-right government.

Demokracija believes Monday's vote was just one in a series of destructive acts that are to follow, including street violence by self-styled civil society activists.

"Dear leaders of the left opposition, you are full of talk about democracy and freedom, constantly stressing dialogue, often saying you want to talk. But do you?"

The leader of the centre-right government coalition has invited you to cooperation on a number of occasions, but you have turned him down with a policy of exclusion."

The weekly wonders with whom the left would be willing to talk. It says having two ideologically different sides is good, or else we would have closed-mindedness.

It accuses the left of demonising conservativism because it is bothered by views different than its own.

"Your demonisation of everything that might smell of conservativism shamefully assumes that some are less human, that they do not have the right to be different, that they must never come to power even if they have won the election."

It thus blames the left for death calls appearing in the streets and on social media, and on the facades of churches and of the homes of "wrong" MPs, as well as for "peaceful" protesters going wild and for the spread of the coronavirus.

The magazine says it is high time for the left opposition to stop being mean. "Continuing what you do can take Slovenia to a very dark place."

All our posts in this series are here

20 Feb 2021, 08:23 AM

Sergej Racman Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking

STA, 19 February 2021 - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, has pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution.

The not-guilty plea was made at the Koper District Court on Friday, as Racman was put in the dock more than a year after his fellow suspects appeared before the court, having been on the run in Canada before he was extradited three months ago.

The prosecution claims Racman and his fellow defendants organised a massive prostitution ring at the Marina club in rural western Slovenia, using the proceeds to finance a number of businesses.

Over five years more than 400 women are believed to have been exploited for prostitution, with police estimating almost 150,000 men had visited the club during this period.

Proceeds of crime from the operation are estimated at EUR 21 million.

"Sergej Racman is charged with having committed a criminal act of abuse of prostitution as part of a criminal gang, for which a prison sentence of between one and twelve years is envisaged," prosecutor Maja Veber Šajn said.

She proposed to the court to take a repeated decision on the evidence that had been excluded from the file during the court appearances of the fellow suspects on the proposal of defence.

Racman's attorney Martina Žaucar Hrovatin opposed this and proposed that additional evidence be excluded, including evidence collected with covert police operations.

Mitja Jelenič, Racman's another legal representative, proposed that all alleged prostitutes in the case be heard and added that "we assess that this case just bursts with unlawfulness in the phase of evidence collection".

The trial date has not been set yet.

20 Feb 2021, 10:00 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 12 - 18 February, 2021

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

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

FRIDAY, 12 February
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša nominated Janez Poklukar, the director of Slovenia's largest hospital UKC Ljubljana, for health minister. He described Poklukar as a good candidate with a "guaranteed comfortable majority to be elected." Poklukar received the go-ahead from the parliamentary Health Committee on 17 February.
        LJUBLJANA - European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič urged Slovenia to make the best use of the funds available as part of the EU mechanism for recovery and resilience. He said it should use the assistance of European Commission's experts services.
        LJUBLJANA - The central bank extended until the end of September a requirement that banks may not pay out dividends. However, if a bank posts profit in the first quarter of 2021, it will be able to pay out up to 15% of profit generated in 2019 and 2020, or 0.2% of common equity tier 1 capital, whichever is lower.
        LJUBLJANA - Two failed bidders challenges the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars. The complaints were received by DARS. If they are rejected, the National Review Commission, where public tender disputes are ultimately resolved, will weigh in.
        LJUBLJANA - Data for 2020 show a drop in revenue and expenditure for business entities in Slovenia, according to a report by the AJPES agency for legal records. For legal entities, revenue dropped by 10.6% over the year before to EUR 299.8 billion and data for sole proprietors show a drop of nearly 20% to EUR 8.3 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - The STA staff made a public appeal to lawmakers and party leaders, expressing concern after an amendment was passed by a parliamentary committee under which the agency would be folded into the emerging National Demographic Fund.
        LJUBLJANA - Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar and the team that won silver at the 2004 European Men's Handball Championships were honoured for their international achievements as the Bloudek Prizes, Slovenia's top sports awards, were handed out in a virtual ceremony.

SATURDAY, 13 February
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia scrapped checkpoints on its borders with Austria, Croatia and Hungary starting allowing those who have recovered from Covid-19 or have been vaccinated to enter the country without having to quarantine or provide a negative coronavirus test.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia started to re-test all positive rapid antigen tests with the more reliable PCR tests for coronavirus. The decision comes after clusters of positive rapid antigen test results emerged amid weekly swabbing of school and kindergarten staff at several locations across the country only to be later overturned by PCR tests.
        PREDDVOR - Two avalanches were triggered in the area of Mt Storžič (2,132 metres) in the western part of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps mountain range on Saturday, burying four climbers. Three died at the scene and one sustained severe injuries, in the worst mountain accident in years.

SUNDAY, 14 February
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated Mario Draghi on becoming the new prime minister of Italy. "I am looking forward to further strengthening our good neighbourly relations and cooperation in many areas, both regionally, in Europe and globally".
        LJUBLJANA - Nevenka Koprivšek, a major player on the Slovenian scene of performing arts, died suddenly at the age of 61. In 1989 she became the first woman artistic director of Glej, an alternative Ljubljana theatre group, and she is credited with opening it up to international audiences. In 1997, she founded Bunker and she was also the director of the Young Lions festival.

MONDAY, 15 February
        LJUBLJANA - The Janez Janša government survived a motion of no confidence as only 40 MP voted in favour in a secret ballot, six too few. The motion was filed by five centre-left opposition parties, which nominated Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec for prime minister.
        LJUBLJANA - The government unveiled a preliminary proposal for the overhaul of the public sector pay system. The sector is to be split into two groups. The first would include departments and organisations solely dependent on the budget, which would be subjected to centrally-led system. The second group would include those also funded by other sources, which would get more leeway in setting pay.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian army announced it would spend nearly EUR 8.5 million on new equipment, including underwear, boots, uniforms, backpacks and sleeping bags, in the next two years. The objective is to get new, more functional and lighter equipment.

TUESDAY, 16 February
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislation that redraws the boundaries of multiple electoral districts in compliance with a 2018 Constitutional Court decision. Another amendment simplifies the election of the MPs for the Hungarian and Italian minorities with the introduction of a first-past-the-post system.
        BRUSSELS - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said Slovenia was in constant touch with the European Commission in drafting its recovery plan and would meet the deadline. He said he would like to see as little red tape as possible while declining to announce when the plan will be in Brussels, saying that "this is not a competition."
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian banks saw their cumulative after-tax profit decline by 15.1% to EUR 450.3 million in 2020. Pre-tax profit fell by a fifth to EUR 472 million, but would have more than halved were it not for the one-off impact of the merger of Abanka and NKBM, a report by the central bank showed.
        LJUBLJANA - Urška Klakočar Zupančič, a Ljubljana Local Court judge who has lost her post after criticising Prime Minister Janez Janša in a closed Facebook group is suing Vinko Gorenak, the state secretary in the prime minister's office, who had found about the post and published it.
        LJUBLJANA - The Administrative Court has thrown out a lawsuit by the State Attorney's Office against the state over a decision by the Interior Ministry to overrule the Maribor Administrative Unit and allow a concert by Marko Perković - Thompson, a Croatian singer accused of glorifying the fascist Ustasha movement.
        LJUBLJANA - Actress Mia Skrbinac, who has publicly accused her drama teacher of sexually harassing her while she was a student, has officially filed a sexual harassment complaint to the University of Ljubljana. The alleged harasser is Matjaž Tribušon, a 58-year-old award-winning film and theatre actor.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court annulled provisions in decrees that allowed three municipalities to issue local newsletters in which political parties and lists represented on municipal councils were able to be advertised cost free. The motion for constitutional review was initiated by the Court of Audit.

WEDNESDAY, 17 February
        BRUSSELS, Belgium- Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (D66/Renew) said there was sufficient grounds for the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, which she heads, to start monitoring the situation in Slovenia. The decision on such fact finding would have to be taken in the European Parliament.
        LJUBLJANA - Four orthopaedic surgeons and a sales representative were sentenced to jail terms ranging from ten months to three years in what was the largest healthcare corruption trial in Slovenia. The Ljubljana District Court also imposed fines, while three of the doctors will also have their unlawfully gained assets seized.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government conducted its weekly review of coronavirus restrictions and except for some minor changes, the existing rules associated with the orange tier were extended at last until 26 February.
        LJUBLJANA - Collection of 5,000 voter signatures in support of an only-yes-means-yes rape law got under way. The law to redefine rape and sexual violence to use affirmative consent standard is being proposed by the NGO Inštitut 8. Marec, which has 60 days to collect the needed signatures.
        LJUBLJANA - DaiBau, which runs portals in multiple countries where investors can link up with building contractors, has received fresh funding from the German chemical company Henkel. Henkel made the seven-figure investment, whose exact value has not been disclosed, via its subsidiary Adhesive Technologies.
        NEW YORK, US - Slovenian NBA player Luka Dončić and sport climber Janja Garnbret have made US magazine TIME's list of 100 rising stars for 2021, Time 100 Next. The 21-year-olds are featured in the Phenoms category of rising stars in sports.

THURSDAY, 18 February
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Matej Tonin endorsed the proposal for a reform of NATO presented by the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It means member states have not only rights but also obligations, he said, adding that it was a new way of fair burden sharing and marked the beginning of the end of free riding.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Slovenian authorities have not withdrawn notification of state aid to the STA even though the European Commission has said its clearance is not necessary. If Slovenia insists it wants a decision, the case will be processed as a matter of priority, a Commission spokeswoman said.
        LJUBLJANA - The latest sequencing of coronavirus samples conducted by the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine suggests the highly virulent UK variant is slowly spreading in Slovenia. However, the mutations still appear in a small percentage of samples.
        LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Boris Novak as one of the four non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company. Novak said the government had the right to appoint or dismiss directors and he respected its decision.
        LJUBLJANA - House searches were conducted around Slovenia as part of an investigation of an EU-funded tourism project that was brought to the attention of police by the Economy Ministry after media reports that contributions by several authors may have been fraudulent. Fourteen persons and one legal entity are suspected of fraud involving EU funds and of abuse of office.
        LJUBLJANA - NLB, Slovenia's largest bank, posted a group net profit of EUR 269 million for 2020, more than a third higher than the year before, largely due to the effects of the acquisition of Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka. Without the one-off effect, net profit would have stood at EUR 141.3 million, exceeding forecasts.
        LJUBLJANA - Two business chambers called on the government to extent the scheme under which they may request a deferral of loan payments. The central bank said this measure had "served its purpose" and was not sustainable in the long term.
        RASNOV, Romania - Nika Križnar, Slovenian's best female ski jumper this winter, won a World Cup event in Rasnov, Romania in what is the second World Cup victory in her career. She is now also in the lead in overall rankings.

20 Feb 2021, 03:43 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 20 February 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:

Ministry procuring million rapid tests, Majbert Pharm to supply them to UKC Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry published on Thursday a call to tender to supply a million rapid antigen tests for coronavirus screening with bids expected by noon on 10 March. Under the terms of the call, it expects the supply of about 50,000 tests a day with up to a 30% margin for departure on the volumes. Meanwhile, UKC Ljubljana hospital has signed a deal with Majbert Pharm to supply rapid antigen tests at virtually the same cost apiece as the company supplied to the Health Ministry for mass coronavirus testing under a contract signed in December.

910 coronavirus cases on Thursday as 7-day average inches lower

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 910 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, 14% fewer that the same day a week ago, to push the rolling 7-day average of new cases down further to 748, data released by the government show. Seven patients with Covid-19 died. The latest cases were confirmed from a total of 4,556 PCR tests, for a positivity rate of 20%. In addition 19,723 rapid antigen tests were also performed where all those who test positive take PCR tests.

Logar and Austrian colleague praise bilateral relations

VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg assessed the countries' relations in the past year as positive as Logar paid a working visit to Vienna. The pair also noted the importance of the 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite in presence of both presidents. "A year of intensive dialogue is behind us," Logar said on Twitter after the meeting. He also met Slovenian minority representatives.

MPs to vote on health minister candidate next Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will hold an emergency session on Tuesday to vote on the appointment of Janez Poklukar, the director of UKC Ljubljana, to the post of health minister, the college of deputy group leaders decided. MPs will be able to take part in the session remotely.

Restaurants allowed to serve B2B meals under certain conditions

LJUBLJANA - Despite the ongoing ban on indoor food service, restaurants in Slovenia are allowed to serve business customers under certain conditions, a senior Economy Ministry official said as he clarified government restrictions following uncertainty over what the indoor eating ban actually means. The decree banning the provision of goods and services, including indoor dining, "restricts only commerce with consumers. Commerce with business entities is permitted," Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc said at the government's daily Covid-19 briefing.

Specialised Prosecution sees fall in cases due to Covid-19

LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic has had an impact on the work of the Slovenian law enforcement authorities with a report from the Specialised State Prosecution Service showing there were virtually no new incoming cases during the first wave of the epidemic last spring. The second largest prosecution office in the country, the Specialised State Prosecution Service is tasked with prosecuting the toughest forms of crime, including white collar crime and organised crime.

New non-executive director appointed at bad bank

LJUBLJANA - Franc Dover, the director of the Maribor waste utility Snaga and chief supervisor of state-owned power utility HSE, is a new non-executive director of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC). The appointment, made by the government in its capacity as the sole shareholder of BAMC, took effect yesterday, a day after Boris Novak was dismissed.

Luka Koper sales slide 8% in 2020, net profit down 21%

KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper reported sales dropping by 8% year-on-year to EUR 210 million as shipping volumes contracted across the board. Net profit declined by 21% to EUR 32 million but it was still a percent higher than planned. Profit before income tax (EBIT) plunged by 26% to EUR 33.5 million and profit before income tax, depreciation and amortisation was at EUR 61.8 million, down 15% on the year before and 2% lower than planned, shows the earnings release published today.

SMC files bill to deregulate pharmacy business, chamber critical

LJUBLJANA - The coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) tabled on Wednesday amendments to the pharmacy practice act that would partly deregulate the retail pharmacy market, including by rolling back a ban on vertical integration of pharmacies and drug wholesalers. The linchpin of its proposal is a loosening of criteria for the density of pharmacy chains, which is currently tightly regulated. The Chamber of Pharmacies criticised the proposal, arguing the existing rules are good.

E-tolling contract in parliamentary spotlight

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars as the opposition alleged irregularities. Motorway company DARS and the Infrastructure Ministry meanwhile rejected any impropriety. The MPs ended up adopting a resolution calling on the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to investigate potential risks in the public tender. They also asked the Infrastructure Ministry to prepare a report on the tender in a month.

Suspected sex trafficking ringleader pleads not guilty

KOPER - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution as he appeared at the Koper District Court for a pre-trial hearing. He was put in the dock more than a year after his fellow suspects appeared before the court, having been on the run in Canada before he was extradited three months ago. The trial date has not been set yet.

Komenda mayor resigns over EUR 1.2m damages suit

KOMENDA - The mayor of Komenda is reported to have stepped down after the municipality, located some 20 kilometres north of Ljubljana, lost a EUR 1.2 million damages suit for seizing a piece of land from a company. The commercial broadcaster POP TV reported on Thursday that Stanislav Poglajen resigned after being urged to do so by local councillors in a unanimous call yesterday.

Tone Peršak resigns as Slovenian PEN head

LJUBLJANA - Writer and former politician Tone Peršak resigned on Thursday as the president of Slovenian PEN, citing personal reasons, after having served less than four months. He will however stay on as a member of the centre's board, Slovenia's PEN centre said. He will hand his office over to vice-president Helena Kraljič next week, as the centre prepares to elect a new president.

Ski jumper Križnar remains overall leader

RASNOV, Romania - Slovenian ski jumper Nika Križnar remains the overall World Cup leader in the women's competition, having won her ninth career podium today with a third-place finish in Romania. Coming a day after she won an event on the same hill, the latest achievement positions her as a top favourite for the World Championship, which starts in Oberstdorf next week.

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

19 Feb 2021, 13:54 PM

Indoor Restaurant Dining Rules Clarified After Anger, Confusion From Owners

STA, 19 February 2021 - Despite the ongoing ban on indoor food service, restaurants in Slovenia are allowed to serve business customers under certain conditions, a senior Economy Ministry official said Friday as he clarified government restrictions following uncertainty over what the indoor eating ban actually means.

The decree banning the provision of goods and services, including indoor dining, "restricts only commerce with consumers. Commerce with business entities is permitted," Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc told the government's daily Covid-19 briefing.

If a restaurant signs a contract with a business to provide meals for its employees, it effectively creates a bubble; as a result, the restaurant is not treated as a public space and restrictions on gatherings do not apply.

In that case the restaurant is considered an off-site cafeteria of sorts, according to Zajc.

If a restaurant signs a contract with multiple companies, it is considered a public space and the restriction on gathering applies, meaning that up to ten employees may eat indoors at the same time.

Zajc indicated the latter option had been possible since the complete ban on gatherings was lifted earlier this month.

The clarification came after media accused Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek of flouting the rules when he held an official function at a restaurant in eastern Slovenia earlier this month.

The event triggered a wave of criticism by restaurant owners who said it was not clear from the government decrees that this was possible; if it was, many would have done that months ago.

Some have even threatened to sue the state for loss of income.

Počivalšek has denied any wrongdoing but said the meeting had been "lawful, justified and very useful, but it was also an inconsiderate move in these difficult times."

Zajc acknowledged today that communication regarding the indoor dining restrictions was "not good enough", but added that his ministry had been trying hard to help the restaurant sector as much as possible.

"We really tried hard to mitigate this crisis for them," he said, adding that he did not want lawsuits from restaurant owners, but if any felt they had been wronged, they had the chance to prove that.

The section of restaurant owners at the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS), which held a press conference at the same time as Zajc, said they were expecting official clarification from the ministry.

"If it turns out that this information is true, someone must be held accountable," said Blaž Cvar, the head of the section.

Cvar also called for a reopening of restaurants in general. "We've never received information about infections in restaurants, we are justified in making this demand."

Absent that, restaurateurs want higher furlough payments and a waiver on the mandatory holiday bonuses, which he said many companies would not be able to afford this year.

19 Feb 2021, 12:00 PM

Opposition Tables Bill Legalising Growing Medical Marijuana

STA, 18 February 2021 - The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) has tabled a bill that would legalise the growing of medical marijuana, a step it says would improve access for patients.

"We're not talking about marijuana legalisation, we want to create the legislative conditions to grow this plant for medical purposes," MP Andrej Rajh told the press on Thursday.

Under existing rules, it is permitted to use marijuana for medical purposes, but since growing is not allowed Slovenia relies on imports of mostly synthetic products.

Slovenia has a thriving underground market in medical marijuana, a substance particularly popular among chronic patients and people with cancer.

According to Rajh, the new legislation, which is modelled on Germany's 2017 law, would regulate the market and provide medical marijuana grown in a controlled way.

Borut Štrukelj of the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy said there were currently two institutions in that grow medical marijuana for scientific purposes, specifically to determine which cultivars are best for different growing conditions.

"There is a lot of knowledge," he said, noting that pharmacies could make products from Slovenian-grown cannabis.

He said this would also reduce the size of the black market, create export opportunities and generate significant budget revenue.

All our stories about cannabis and Slovenia

19 Feb 2021, 11:42 AM

Record Profits for GEN-I in 2020

STA, 18 February 2021 - The Slovenian energy group GEN-I sold a record 127.4 terawatt hours of electricity last year to generate the highest net profit to date. At EUR 15.4 million the profit was one percent above that posted in 2019 despite revenue falling by 4% to EUR 2.1 billion.

The group, active in trade, retail and purchasing of energy products, was successful across all its divisions and has been improving its financial position further with capital growth, the group said in a regulatory filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 40% to EUR 32.07 million. Pre-tax profit increased by 6.4% to EUR 20.2 million.

The release also said that the group was keeping its net financial indebtedness low.

Addressing reporters, the company's chairman Robert Golob said GEN-I had managed to adapt well to the situation changed by coronavirus, having invested heavily into digitalisation in recent years.

During what was a highly volatile year in financial and energy markets, the group stepped up electricity trading to sell 70% more electricity for what is almost ten-fold Slovenia's entire consumption, said Golob.

They purchased and sold the bulk of electricity in international markets of Central Europe.

Despite the drop in revenue, the group remains the second largest company in Slovenia in terms of revenue.

Golob said one of the key goals last year had been boosting customer relations, hence the decision to reduce power bills of more than 180,000 existing customers by 15% at the cost of EUR 2 million in the first wave of the epidemic.

GEN-I also put 845 self-supply solar plants into use last year, for a total of more than 21,000 so far. Golob expects growth in the field to continue in the future. Out of 24 planned mid-sized and large solar plants, 10 have been put up already.

The company fully removed fossil fuels from the electricity it supplies in Slovenia starting from 1 January and the customers were offered to decide themselves which non-carbon source they want to get their electricity from.

Unless a major difference in price, initial experience shows about 60% of consumers prefer solar over nuclear. "If there's benefit with nuclear, only 10% will opt for solar," said Golob, adding that the cost dictated the choice of source more than persuasion.

19 Feb 2021, 03:59 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 19 February 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:

Head of EP democracy group finds basis to monitor situation in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (D66/Renew) said she believed there was sufficient ground for the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, which she heads, to start monitoring the situation in Slovenia. Speaking in an online debate on media freedom hosted by her party D66, the MEP said the decision on such fact finding would have to be taken in the European Parliament. The monitoring group is part of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. As an example she noted that PM Janez Janša would initially not acknowledge Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election, and described as unusual Janša's response to Politico article on the media situation in Slovenia as he attacked the author Lili Bayer, accusing her of being "instructed not to tell the truth".

Slow but steady decline in coronavirus continues

LJUBLJANA - A total of 872 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday as the rolling 7-day average of new cases dropped to 768. A further ten patients with Covid-19 died. The latest case count marks a decline of 36% from Wednesday a week ago. The cases were confirmed in 4,271 PCR tests for a positivity rate of 20.4%. The count includes retested positives suggested by 24,005 rapid antigen tests. Hospitalisations kept declining further, dropping by 29 to 619 as 61 patients were discharged and 42 were newly admitted. The number of patients in intensive care units fell by ten to 116.

New analysis suggests UK variant spreading in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The latest sequencing of coronavirus samples conducted by the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine suggests the highly virulent UK variant is spreading in Slovenia. The institute sequenced 576 samples from those who tested positive for coronavirus between 1 and 7 February, finding all mutations typical of the UK strain in 13 groups of samples. However, the institute says that most of the mutations still appear in small percentages, that is only individual samples in each of the groups are positive for the new strain.

DeSUS to notify speaker it is an opposition party, will not sign pact with govt

LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) will notify Speaker Igor Zorčič that it is an opposition party and does not plan to sign an agreement with the government, leader Karl Erjavec said after a session of the party's leadership. The announcement comes after Erjavec unsuccessfully bid to become prime minister, the motion of no confidence in the government having come six votes short of the required majority on Monday. The vote was secret but speculation is rampant that Erjavec did not get the votes of all of his MPs, some of whom have openly contradicted him in recent weeks.

Slovenia supports NATO reform

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin endorsed the proposal for a reform of NATO presented by the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after attending a virtual meeting of NATO defence minister Wednesday and Thursday. Slovenia supports Stoltenberg's guidance, because it means member states have not only rights but also obligations, he said, adding that it was a new way of fair burden sharing. "I see it as the beginning of the end of free riding... This concept involves either providing for our own security, or paying for others to provide it for us," Tonin noted.

Govt dismisses chairman of BAMC management board

LJUBLJANA - The government has dismissed Boris Novak as one of the four non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company. Novak, who has served as chairman of the BAMC management board since mid-June 2020 confirmed his dismissal for the media. "The government has a right to appoint or dismiss me from the post. I respect its decision," Novak, director general of the state-owned postal operator Pošta Slovenije, told the newspaper Delo. He was appointed a BAMC non-executive director by the incumbent government in early June 2020. Delo reports the reason for his dismissal was his inactivity in major areas.

NLB bank's net profit jumps on Komercijalna Banka acquisition

LJUBLJANA - NLB, Slovenia's largest bank, posted a group net profit of EUR 269 million for 2020, more than a third higher then the year before, largely due to the effects of the acquisition of Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka, the bank said in a preliminary earnings report. Without the one-off effect, net profit would have stood at EUR 141.3 million, a drop of nearly 37% on the year before. But this still "exceeds previous forecasts, mostly because of better than expected cost-of-risk performance". Total group net operating income was down 2% to EUR 504.5 million, and profit before impairments and provisions amounted to EUR 210.5 million, a 1% decrease.

Investigation into SRIPT tourism project under way

LJUBLJANA - House searches were carried out around Slovenia as police are investigating an EU-funded tourism project, including at the home of former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec. Fourteen persons and one legal entity are suspected of fraud involving EU funds and of abuse of office, while no-one has been detained, the NBI said. Pivec said in a written statement the police had arrived at her home this morning investigating the Strategic Development Innovation Partnership Tourism (SRIPT) case. She was invited to take part in it in 2017 while serving as a state secretary at the Office for Slovenians Abroad and received EUR 35,000 gross for her contribution.

Brussels sues Slovenia over waste water directive, issues warning about e-tolling

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission has taken Slovenia to court for failure to comply with the directive concerning urban waste water treatment. Under the urban waste water directive, EU members must provide an adequate system for collecting and treating waste water in urban areas with 10,000 or more residents. The country has also received a formal notice for not complying with the EU's electronic tolling rules. The Commission called on Slovenia to accept European Electronic Tolling Service (EETS) providers on Slovenian roads subject to tolling.

Report: Fmr state secretary to become GZS boss

LJUBLJANA - Aleš Cantarutti, former Economy Ministry state secretary, will become the new director general of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) in April to succeed Sonja Šmuc, the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija reported on Wednesday. The GZS management board will pick him among ten candidates next week. Cantarutti had worked for the company Javorje and been the head of the GZS's centre for international business operations before becoming state secretary at the Economy Ministry in December 2014.

Bill tabled to legalise growing of medical marijuana

LJUBLJANA - The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) has tabled a bill that would legalise the growing of medical marijuana, a step it says would improve access for patients. "We're not talking about marijuana legalisation, we want to create the legislative conditions to grow this plant for medical purposes," MP Andrej Rajh told the press. According to him, the new legislation, which is modelled on Germany's 2017 law, would regulate the market and provide medical marijuana grown in a controlled way. Borut Štrukelj of the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy said there were currently two institutions in that grow medical marijuana for scientific purposes, specifically to determine which cultivars are best for different growing conditions.

Energy group GEN-I reports record profit for 2020

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian energy group GEN-I sold a record 127.4 terawatt hours of electricity last year to generate the highest net profit to date. At EUR 15.4 million the profit was one percent above that posted in 2019 despite revenue falling by 4% to EUR 2.1 billion. The group, active in trade, retail and purchasing of energy products, was successful across all its divisions and has been improving its financial position further with capital growth, the group said in a regulatory filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Hisense Gorenje closes down Bistrica ob Sotli location

BISTRICA OB SOTLI - Hisense Gorenje, the Chinese-owned consumer electronics and household appliances maker, has shut down its production unit at Bistrica ob Sotli in the east of Slovenia after its sole client decided not to extend partnership. Explaining its decision for the STA, the company said the Hisense Europe group was focusing on production of household appliances and televisions as its core business.

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