STA, 3 December 2020 - As part of the latest effort to crack down on money mule schemes in Europe, a total of 81 cases have been investigated in Slovenia, in which 102 money mules have been identified. A total loss by legal entities and individuals of EUR 2.1 million has been prevented, the Bank Association of Slovenia announced on Thursday.

Money mules take part - often unknowingly - in money laundering activities by receiving and transferring illegally obtained money between bank accounts and/or countries.

The sixth European Money Mule Action (EMMA6), coordinated by Europol and involving law enforcement authorities from 26 countries, was conducted between 15 September and 30 November.

It resulted in the identification of 4,031 money mules as part of 1,159 criminal investigations. A total of 422 persons have been arrested in the sting that also involved the Slovenian police.

The operation featured more than 500 banks and financial institutions which helped to report 4,942 fraudulent money mule transactions, preventing a total loss of EUR 33.5 million, the Bank Association of Slovenia said.

According to the Slovenian police, a total of 81 cases have been investigated in Slovenia, in which 102 money mules have been identified.

In cooperation with the Office for Money Laundering Prevention, Slovenian banks and foreign security authorities, a total loss of EUR 2.1 million by legal entities and individuals has been prevented.

Money mules take part - often unknowingly - in money laundering activities by receiving and transferring illegally obtained money between bank accounts and/or countries.

They are recruited by criminals and paid a fee to launder money gained illegally through information or cyber fraud, including breaches into information systems, interception of business correspondence or re-routing of payments.

According to the Bank Association of Slovenia, the message of this year's campaign is that people should be careful not to become a link in a money laundering chain.

"If you think that someone you know is a money mule, inform them immediately about the consequences of their acts," it said, adding that suspicions should be reported to the police and the relevant bank.

The EMMA operation is part of a project implemented within Europol's Cybercrime Payment Fraud Operational Action Plan, which targets cybercrime and money laundering and aims to raise public awareness in these fields.

STA, 2 December 2020 - The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia (KGZS) has warned that the situation on agricultural markets is deteriorating practically on the weekly basis due to declining purchase prices, with cattle and pig farmers hit the hardest.

Presenting the situation at a press conference on Wednesday, KGZS president Roman Žveglič called on the state and the food industry to take immediate measures, while all stakeholders have been urged to enter talks.

According to Žveglič, the situation is the worst in cattle and pig farming, and since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic also in wine growing and the vegetable industry.

Prospects are not good for the fruit sector either, and the situation may quickly deteriorate in the milk production sector, he added.

The crisis has been the longest when it comes to beef. Purchase prices dropped in April, and there have been no major corrections since, while retail prices have increased.

Currently, the average purchase price for a kilo is around three euros. "In the EU, it is around 3.5 euros, so it is clear what is the amount of loss suffered by Slovenian breeders," he said.

Prices of pork have also dropped, and an additional problem is buyers delaying their purchases. Breeders are also facing the problem of increasing prices of fodder.

The KGZS expects that the food industry will immediately enter talks with their buyers in order to ensure a proper price ratio. "We expect that it will immediately start paying at purchase prices proportionate to their own prices for individual products."

Retailers are expected to reduce imports and prioritise Slovenian products, and the state should also help. "The state should make a comprehensive analysis of the price structure ... and examine possible abuse of power over weaker stakeholders."

The relevant state authorities are expected to carry out thorough supervision over labelling of meat, and to see whether possible unfair practices are conducted in the meat supply chain.

The KZS supports promotion by the state, but the "money for promotion must, at this moment, be exclusively intended for informing consumers about where the food comes from, what its quality is, and whether stakeholders in the food industry are treated fairly."

Žveglič said that farmers were getting desperate and that an increasing number of small farms were thinking about calling it quits. Some of them are taking out loans to cover running costs. "We are at a point when cheap imports may destroy Slovenian farming."

Asked whether farmer protests were an option, he said that talks with stakeholders were planned first. "But if the situation does not improve, this scenario is inevitable," Žveglič concluded.

STA, 2 December 2020 - The STA supervisory board does not support the Government Communication Office's (UKOM) decision to suspend the funding of the STA's public service and rejects the claims about information concealment, chief supervisor Mladen Terčelj said in a statement on Wednesday. He also rejected claims about the STA's business being non-transparent.

Terčelj said that neither the supervisors nor the director had ever declined allowing lawful access to the agency's books and documents, yet no such request had come from the government as the shareholder of the agency.

Trčelj noted the STA supervisory board having carefully monitored the events leading to UKOM's decision to stop financing the STA.

Since UKOM set access to STA business information and documents as a condition to pay its bills, the supervisors took a decision on 4 November that the owner of the agency - the government - should turn to the STA director for the documents it wanted to obtain.

The decision is based on an STA law provision saying that shareholder rights are exercised by the government, Trčelj explained.

"So it is not true that the STA supervisory board decided that UKOM should turn to the director with a request to obtain the information," he stressed.

While UKOM says the STA has denied it access to the required information, Trčelj said "the government has so far not sent such a request to the seat of the company."

The supervisors are also acquainted with a memo STA director general Bojan Veselinovič sent on Monday to the government inquiring on the basis of which regulation UKOM was awarded the status of a beneficiary that could ask for access to the documents, information and databases it would like to obtain.

Terčelj said that since the law on the STA entered into force, in 2011, neither the STA management nor the supervisors had been informed about UKOM being granted such a status.

The chief supervisor also rejected the allegations about the agency's non-transparent operations.

He said the supervisors had insight into the agency's entire business at monthly, quarterly and annual levels.

What is more, the STA's annual report is annually audited by internal and external auditors and discussed by the lower and upper chambers of parliament.

The lower chamber also appoints the agency's supervisors, and has not had any remarks about the annual reports.

In order to resolve the deadlock, Terčelj thus urged the government to ensure UKOM pays the bills for the services the STA has provided in line with the 2020 contracts.

He said that to ensure its stability and to provide for the social security of its staff, the STA had been forced to launch procedures to protect its liquidity.

"UKOM can end the threat to the national news agency's public service only by settling its obligations stemming from its contracts with the STA."

Terčelj also said that the agency must be provided with adequate funds for public service for next year.

A separate view was presented by Radovan Cerjak, a member of the supervisory board appointed in September. He said that the supervisory board had not discussed the suspension of current STA financing and labelled Terčelj's statement "a solo action".

He blamed the deadlock on Veselinovič and his "completely unreasonable action" of not providing the required documents, so he believes it is up to him to resolve it.

The supervisor said the deadlock would be resolved only if Veselinovič "immediately provides the owner with all the required documents, instead of seeking support for his actions among part of politics".

UKOM director Uroš Urbanija also responded to Terčelj's statement, saying on Twitter: "Great, if they are not concealing the documents, than let them provide them."

He said proof of Terčelj laying is Veselinovič's publicly stating "that he won't give the documents", adding that as the chief supervisor he can be prosecuted for lies.

On Monday the government discussed UKOM's memo about its suspension of STA funding, which was prompted by what UKOM said was the agency's refusal to provide access to documents from which it could assess the STA's financial operations with a view to decide on funding for 2021.

STA director general Veselinovič denied such claims by explaining that UKOM's demands exceeded its legal and contractual powers. He said that under the STA law, only the government has this right.

He also explained that UKOM's demands were related to the area protected by editorial autonomy provisions and to the commercial segment of the STA's operations, for which UKOM as the guardian of the contract on the public service is not authorised.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

New surge in coronavirus cases, 57 more deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 2,429 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, the third highest daily increase since the start of the epidemic, as the test positivity rate hit 33.8%. Government data also show that 57 more patients with Covid-19 died, which brings the overall death toll since the start of the epidemic to 1,547. Nuška Čakš Jager from the National Institute of Public Health said the increase in cases could be be attributed to the introduction of rapid tests at health institutions and care homes. Positive test are double-checked with PCR tests. Infectologist Bojana Beović, the head of the government's coronavirus task force, responded to calls for an easing of coronavirus restrictions by saying extra caution was needed in planning any potential relaxation.

Logar expects conduct in European spirit regarding exclusive zones in Adriatic

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia always acted in a European spirit and expected the same from European partners as he commented on intentions by Italy and Croatia to declare exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic Sea. He said this was a strategic issue that would be addressed in tolerant dialogue, not in the public square. When Logar pays a visit to Italy on 10 December, the issue will be discussed. The statement came after three opposition parties expressed concern over the news, highlighting the potential impact of such declarations on the Slovenia-Croatia border arbitration agreement.

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PETA approved cork bags, wallets and purses at CORK.SI

EU presidency trio discuss social affairs and employment

LJUBLJANA - The ministers in charge of employment and social affairs of Slovenia, Germany and Portugal, the current rotating European Council presidency trio, discussed on Tuesday relevant initiatives with Nicolas Schmit, the EU's Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, and social partners. Labour Ministry State Secretary Mateja Ribič, standing in for the labour minister, presented the priorities of Slovenia's presidency in the second half of 2021, one of which will be tackling population ageing in the light of demographic changes.

Gantar calls for more EU coordination on Covid-19 vaccine

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Tomaž Gantar attended a video conference with EU counterparts discussing the current state of the coronavirus pandemic and the proposed EU strategy for a coronavirus vaccine. He stressed more cooperation and coordination was need at the EU level. The minister said the right lessons should be drawn from the experience with the pandemic so far and that the weaknesses that had become apparent during the crisis should be addressed as soon as possible.

President Pahor says action by each individual required to curb epidemic

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor told Radio Ognjišče that the coronacrisis was a rare crisis in which every individual can contribute towards a solution. He said everyone should perform noble acts to send out the message that "we are not alone". Pahor said people had become more irritable and looked for culprits, and in doing so they may do each other injustice. The "division of political spirits, this rift, which people notice" is creating additional unrest.

President urges govt and STA management to resolve open issues

LJUBLJANA - The STA is doing important work in the interest of the public, which is why its existence should not be jeopardised, President Borut Pahor said. He called on the government and the STA management to resolve, in line with regulations, issues that had resulted in suspended financing of the agency. Pahor made the statement after talking with STA director Bojan Veselinovič and Government Communication Office (UKOM) director Uroš Urbanija.

STA chief supervisor rejects information concealment claims

LJUBLJANA - The STA supervisory board does not support the Government Communication Office's (UKOM) decision to suspend the funding of the STA's public service and rejects the claims about information concealment, chief supervisor Mladen Terčelj said. He also rejected claims about the STA's business being non-transparent. Radovan Cerjak, a member of the supervisory board appointed in September, meanwhile said the supervisory board had not discussed the suspension of financing and labelled Terčelj's statement "a solo action".

EANA urges govt to stop pressure on STA, ZNP calls for resolution of "dispute"

LJUBLJANA - The European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) expressed its support for the independence of the STA, urging the Slovenian government to eliminate any moves against the STA that would alter the agency's workflow, reputation and business. It said mass media is the cornerstone of democracy, and news agencies the backbone of free media worldwide. ZNP, a Slovenian journalist association, urged a prompt resolution of the ongoing dispute.

Top science accolades presented

LJUBLJANA - The winners of this year's Zois Prizes for lifetime achievement in science and research are researcher Tamara Lah Turnšek of the National Institute of Biology, who has discovered a protease enzyme, and University of Ljubljana professor emeritus Radovan Stanislav Pejovnik, credited with spearheading pioneering study into lithium batteries 30 years ago. The pair, along with Puh Prize winner Janez Trontelj and Ambassador of Science Boštjan Kobe, were presented in a documentary on TV Slovenija on Tuesday evening.

Three bids submitted for car e-tolling contract

LJUBLJANA - The state-run motorway company DARS announced it had received three bids in response to a tender to set up a system for electronic tolling of cars, which is to become operational in December 2021. The lowest bid, valuing the project at EUR 14 million, was submitted by the Slovenian company Iskratel in partnership with Hungarian ARH Informatics. The other bids are by Slovakia's Skytoll and a group of Slovenian companies partnering with Austria's Kapsch.

Romana Tomc gets The Parliament Magazine's MEP Award

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian MEP Romana Tomc (EPP/SDS) is this year's recipient of The Employment, Social Affairs & Regions Award by The Parliament Magazine. The Brussels-based fortnightly presented the 2020 MEP awards for efforts and achievements in various fields online on Tuesday. Tomc said that the accolade was proof that Europe had not forgotten about its citizens in these difficult times and that efforts regarding social affairs, employment and demographic issues were vital.

Farmers' reps say situation on agricultural markets catastrophic

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia (KGZS) warned that the situation on agricultural markets is deteriorating practically on the weekly basis due to declining purchase prices. KGZS president Roman Žveglič called on the state and the food industry to take immediate measures. "We are at a point when cheap imports may destroy Slovenian farming," he said.

Ajša Vodnik gets another term as vice chair of AmChams in Europe

LJUBLJANA - Ajša Vodnik, director general of AmCham Slovenija, won another term as vice-president of AmChams in Europe, a network of American Chambers of Commerce from 43 countries in Europe and Eurasia. This means Slovenia will remain the seat of the organisation for another two years. Vodnik, who will start her next two-year term in January, sees her role in the post as "excellent potential" in the light of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021, AmCham Slovenia said.

Kiblix festival exploring virtual worlds

MARIBOR - The international festival of art, technology and science Kiblix this year explores virtual worlds and because of the epidemic it is being held in a new hybrid form. Organised by the Kibla centre, the 2020 festival focuses on the human experience of virtual worlds, which have become so important this year because of coronavirus. The festival informally started at the end of November, but the main events are being held between December and February.

Korean Film Week puts women in spotlight

LJUBLJANA - The Korean Film Week 2020, organised by the Vienna-based Embassy of the Republic of Korea, is to kick off on Thursday, focusing on the past century of Korean women. Running until Sunday, the free online event will feature five films capturing the overlooked stories of Korean women to raise awareness about certain aspects of Korean culture that have been hidden from history. The films will be screened via the Shift72 online video platform on www.koreanfilmweek.net.

Looking for a gift this Christmas that says “Slovenia” and will keep you and your loved ones happy and well fed for years to come? Then check out the beautifully produced book Cook Eat Slovenia, with 100 easy to follow recipes for all seasons. The book has won three awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, for best translated, best self-published, and best food tourism cookbook for Slovenia, and for the second best in the world for food tourism, and third best  for self-published. Our review is here, and you can order a copy from anywhere in the world here.

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STA, 2 December 2020 - This year's Zois Prizes for lifetime achievement in science and research have been bestowed on researcher Tamara Lah Turnšek of the National Institute of Biology and University of Ljubljana professor emeritus Radovan Stanislav Pejovnik. The recipients were presented in a documentary showed on TV Slovenija last evening.

Lah Turnšek has been striving for a comprehensive approach to scientific work. Her breakthrough discovery of a protease enzyme named cathepsin S early on in her career has been followed by biomedical studies focusing on inflammatory processes and cancer, the justification reads.

Currently, she is researching malignant brain tumours. Lah Turnšek has been working with Slovenian as well as foreign research or medical institutions and striving to promote science in the public.

She has also paved the way for women in her field and has been fighting for equality of opportunities.

Pejovnik is a researcher and professor who has left an indelible mark in sintering theory or liquid phase sintering, core technology for coming up with ceramic products, such as bricks or highly complex electrical engineering components.

Almost 30 years ago he gathered a group of young people around him to launch a pioneer study into lithium batteries. Slovenia is one of the leading countries in this field also due to his efforts, the justification reads.

This year's Puh Prize for lifetime achievement went to researcher Janez Trontelj, the doyen of Slovenian microelectronics studies and the head of a microelectronics lab at the Ljubljana Faculty of Electrical Engineering.

He has been running the designing of microelectronics circuits for more than 50 years and has contributed to a number of Slovenian companies making a name for themselves abroad.

An honour called Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia was also conferred. This year's recipient is Boštjan Kobe, professor of structural biology at the University of Queensland in Australia and a member of the Australian Academy of Science.

He has been researching the role of the proteins' spatial structures in the immune system response of animals and plants and is widely acclaimed in the international scientific community. Kobe has also been cooperating with researchers in Slovenia.

The documentary, which showcased this year's recipients, also featured President Borut Pahor, who stressed that these accolades were Slovenia's top honours in science, thanking the recipients for their efforts and accomplishments.

Pahor noted that Slovenian scientists were gaining prominence abroad and warned that it was key to attract them back home or at least maintain ties with them.

He pointed out that there was not enough research funding in Slovenia and urged a re-think on that since science, he believes, is key for our future.

STA, 2 December 2020 - Slovenia recorded 2,429 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, the third highest daily increase in infections since the start of the epidemic, as the test positivity rate hit 33.8%, and 57 more patients with Covid-19 died, according to government data. The overall death toll has passed 1,500.

Tuesday is typically the day of the week that sees the highest number of cases, peaking at 2,611 on 27 October, with 2,492 confirmed the following day.

The latest cases come from 7,178 tests, fewer than the record 8,063 conducted a week ago when 2,226 cases were confirmed for a test positivity rate 27.6%. The rate stood at 22% this Monday, as 1,292 infections were confirmed.

According to Nuška Čakš Jager from the National Institute of Public Health, today's increase in the number of new infections may be attributed to the introduction of rapid tests. Positive test are double-checked with PCR tests.

Addressing the daily government press briefing, she said as care homes were introducing rapid tests this would reflect on the number of cases detested there.

The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 dropped by 14 from the day before to 1,285 after 88 patients were discharged home yesterday, 114 were newly admitted while the rest died. The number of patients in intensive case dropped by 11 to 199.

With 57 more fatalities, Slovenia's death toll among patients with Covid has reached 1,547.

In the last two weeks, Slovenia recorded 981 infections per 100,000 people. Since the start of the outbreak, a total of 79,563 infections have been confirmed.

There are currently 20,569 active infections in the country. The regional situation is similar as last week, with some improvement in the northern Gorenjska region.

Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin, speaking at the press briefing today, said that the new hotspots are Krško with 97 infections, Slovenska Bistrica with 73, Novo Mesto with 77, and Koper with 66. In Ljubljana 219 new infections were recorded, and 165 in Maribor.

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STA, 1 December 2020 - The Novo Mesto police have concluded a multi-year investigation into a major business fraud scheme in the Posavje and Dolenjska regions. A number of suspects, including companies, face charges for causing damage to creditors, violating basic workers' rights, forgery, and tax evasion, among other crimes.

The head of crime investigators at the Novo Mesto police department, France Božičnik, said at today's online press conference that a total of 1,864 instances of economic crime had been detected during the investigation.

The suspects and some companies conducting 766 crimes systematically, damaging creditors and violating basic workers' rights, including by not paying contributions. Thus, they caused more than EUR 8.2 million in damage.

Police have found that four employers from Posavje and one from Novo Mesto were transferring their operations from their over-indebted companies to new companies with the debts mostly stemming from non-payment of contributions, wages and taxes.

The investigation involved state prosecutors, the Financial Administration, the Novo Mesto Financial Office and the Novo Mesto branch of the Labour Inspectorate.

Police have also found irregularities in family reunification procedures, launched by 62 employees, mostly coming from third countries or Kosovo, with the help of employers. The employees, working mainly in construction and bakeries, were filing requests for family reunification, stating false data on their income.

A total of 1,098 crimes were detected, including notarization of false document, and forging or destroying business documents.

The wages of the employees contained fictitious costs, including unrealistic rises in gross pay, fictitious commuting and travel costs, lunch allowances, performance bonuses and compensation for separation, Božičnik said.

As part of the investigation, police conducted more than 30 house searches and seized a number of documents, electronic devices and other pieces of evidence. The procedures were conducted in cooperation with the Krško and Novo Mesto district state prosecutor's offices.

Božičnik noted that notarization of false document carried a sentence of up to three years in prison, forgery or destroying of business documents was punished by up to two years or up to eight years in case of huge material damage to creditors. Violation of basic workers' rights carries a sentence of up to five areas and tax evasion can be punished with up to eight years in prison.

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Slovenia confirms 55 Covid-19 deaths, 1,292 new coronavirus cases

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,292 coronavirus cases were confirmed in 5,868 tests on Monday and 55 Covid-19 patients died, bringing the death toll to 1,490. The number of new cases is slightly lower than a week ago and the positivity rate, at 22%, follows a gradual downward trajectory recorded in recent days. A total of 1,299 patients were in hospital, one more than the day before, of which 210 in intensive care, up by five. The number of all registered coronavirus cases has reached 77,106.

OECD upgrades Slovenia forecast for 2020, outlook for 2021 worse

PARIS, France - The OECD slightly upgraded its forecast for Slovenia's GDP in 2020, projecting that it will fall by 7.5% this year, while also downgrading the expected rebound in 2020, to 3.4%. In June, the OECD said that Slovenia's economy was expected to shrink by 7.8% this year, and then grow by 4.5%. In the latest report, it says that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic would continue to disturb economic activity until at least mid-2021.

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PETA approved cork bags, wallets and purses at CORK.SI

Calls for retraction as govt suspends financing of STA

LJUBLJANA - The government on Monday accepted information from the Government Communication Office (UKOM) that it had not been able to implement the contract with the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) for 2020 and to conclude a contract for 2021. As a result the STA has not received from UKOM the monthly payment for the performance of public service for October. The management said the agency's future work was threatened, but pledged it would continue its mission. The junior coalition partners DeSUS and SMC demanded for the decision to be retracted and the NSi asked for explanations, while the centre-left opposition labelled it an attack on media freedom and democracy. UKOM's move was also condemned by the Slovenian Journalists' Association and the Trade Union of Slovenian Journalists.

FM comments on new Wise Men report to improve NATO

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Anže Logar commented on the latest NATO report by a group of experts or the so-called new wise men as he attended a meeting of allied foreign ministers where the document was presented. Logar said that proactive communication was the best guarantee for mutual solidarity and unity in the Alliance. He called for a new strategic concept of the Alliance that would consolidate views on emerging threats and enable informed and swift decisions.

Logar to discuss Italy's Adriatic Sea plans in Rome next week

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar will discuss Italy's plans for an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic Sea during his visit to Rome on 10 December after Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced the plan in Zagreb on Monday. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said it "shares the concern of all other countries along the Adriatic Sea for a comprehensive protection of the Adriatic Sea", supporting "all efforts regrading the different ways in which this protection could be implemented".

Worries about EU recovery package uncalled for, says Šircelj

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj sought to alleviate concerns about the stall in the passage of the EU recovery package due to Poland and Hungary blocking the deal because of rule of law provisions. He believes a solution will be reached, while pointing to contingency plans. Talking with Slovenian correspondents in Brussels by videolink after a virtual meeting of EU finance ministers, Šircelj said: "We have contingency plans for whatever may happen so there's no need to worry."

Debate hears optimism for renewed transatlantic relations

LJUBLJANA - There are high hopes for relaunching transatlantic relations after Joe Biden's win in the US presidential election, a debate held by the European Parliament Information Office in Slovenia heard. Participants, including US Democratic senator Bob Menendez, several MEPs and former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, said that respect for human rights, the rule of law and liberal democracy was again becoming key on both sides of the Atlantic.

Justice minister talks Slovenia EU presidency plans with commissioner

LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič held a video conference with European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders focusing on plans for Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021, challenges related to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, digitalisation of the justice system and justice cooperation. A release issued by the Justice Ministry said Slovenia would resume the work done by the German and Portuguese presidencies during its spell at the presidency in the field of justice.

Proposal on changes to electoral law presented

LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik presented a redistricting proposal to amend the electoral law to implement a 2018 Constitutional Court ruling. The proposal will be sent to coalition deputy groups, which have not agreed on the matter yet. Koritnik said the proposal was based on the current law and introduced changes only in those parts that had been deemed problematic by the Constitutional Court, including roughly the same number of residents and keeping geographic units as well as shared cultural and other characteristics in a single district.

Rail operator's tie-up with Czech holding gets final nod

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) approved the plan by the state-owned rail operator Slovenske Železnice to sign a strategic partnership between its cargo division and the Prague-based EP Holding. SSH said the goal was long-term growth and development of the transport and logistics activity. Under the terms of the deal, SŽ - Tovorni Promet and EP Logistics International intend to establish a joint venture, onto which Slovenske Železnice would transfer the assets of its cargo subsidiary. The Czech partner will hold 49% in the joint venture via a capital injection reported to be in the EUR 60-100 million range.

SSH looking at EUR 86 million in dividend yield for 2019

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) plans to collect EUR 85.9 million in dividends from state-owned companies for last year, which is significantly less than the originally planned EUR 142 million, as certain payouts have been suspended by regulators in relation to the coronavirus crisis. "This does not mean that this difference has been lost for good. This goes into distributable profits of companies, decisions on which may be made in the coming years," SSH management board advisor Vanessa Grmek told the Finance Committee.

Iskraemeco working on advanced project with Iceland's Veitur

KRANJ - Electricity meter maker Iskraemeco has signed a contract with Iceland's largest power distributor Veitur on an advanced smart metering project that will allow Veitur to transform electricity, heat and water networks into a sustainable smart network. Using Iskraemeco's solution Energy IoT, Veitur will improve its efficiency through digitalisation and service development. Iskraemeco will provide solutions for remotely-operated metering points and service management for the entire Veitur.

Slovenia slips to 16th place in Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index

SEOUL, South Korea - Slovenia slipped three spots to rank 16th among 180 countries in the latest Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index compiled by Solability, a sustainability think-tank. However, the country improved its score, going from 53.8 to 55.9 points. Slovenia fared the best in governance efficiency, where it retained third place, and it improved its ranking in social capital and natural capital, but it slipped in intellectual capital and resource management.

Covid-19 epidemic affects HIV prevention efforts

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian health authorities warned on World AIDS Day that HIV infections remain a major public health issue despite recent successes. The epidemic has also somewhat slowed the pace of testing, resulting in fewer detected cases. According to the infectious diseases department of the UKC Ljubljana hospital, ten HIV patients have contracted the new coronavirus. Two of them were hospitalised, including one in intensive care. A total of 28 new HIV infections were recorded by 20 November this year, six fewer than in the entire 2019 and fewer than in any year in the last decade.

Police crack down on major business fraud scheme

NOVO MESTO - The Novo Mesto police presented the conclusions of a multi-year investigation into a major business fraud scheme in the Posavje and Dolenjska regions. They filed criminal complaints against a number of suspects, including companies, for causing damage to creditors, violating basic workers' rights, forgery, and tax evasion, among other crimes. The suspects, including citizens of Kosovo, and companies caused more than EUR 8.2 million in damage.

Looking for a gift this Christmas that says “Slovenia” and will keep you and your loved ones happy and well fed for years to come? Then check out the beautifully produced book Cook Eat Slovenia, with 100 easy to follow recipes for all seasons. The book has won three awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, for best translated, best self-published, and best food tourism cookbook for Slovenia, and for the second best in the world for food tourism, and third best  for self-published. Our review is here, and you can order a copy from anywhere in the world here.

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

STA, 1 December 2020 - The Government Communication Office (Urad vlade za komuniciranje – UKOM) has informed the government that it is not able to implement the contract with the Slovenian Press Agency (Slovenska tiskovna agencija – STA) for 2020 and to conclude a contact for 2021. The STA has not received its monthly compensation for October from UKOM, which its leadership says threatens the agency's future work.

UKOM informed the government at Monday's correspondence session that it would not be able to fully implement the 2020 contract on the performance of public service, concluded with the STA, and conclude the same annual contract for 2021.

According to this information, STA director Bojan Veselinovič has been called to produce documents from which UKOM would interpret the financial operations of the agency so that the 2021 contract could be concluded.

"Since the STA director has failed to send us the requested documentation despite several calls, UKOM is not able to continue to honour the requests for payment of monthly compensation for the performance of public service on the basis of the concluded contract until it obtains [the documentation]," it said.

UKOM added that, without a comprehensive insight in the operations of the STA, it was not able to establish what "adequate financing" for comprehensive and undisrupted performance of public service, as defined in the STA act, actually meant.

Consequently, UKOM is not able to conclude the contract on the financing of public service to be performed by the STA in 2021, the government office added.

The STA management responded to this in a statement on Tuesday, saying that in its opinion there was no legal basis for UKOM to suspend financing of the public information service performed by the STA under the annual contracts.

The STA said that, despite all obligations from the 2020 contract having been fulfilled, it had not received the monthly amount of funding for the public service for October.

The agency added that in a series of memorandums, UKOM had demanded answers to content-related questions about the journalist work of the STA, and about specific news content and responses to that content that ran against the editorial autonomy provided by law.

The STA has also been called to provide a series of documents, information and databases related to the agency's commercial activity, under the argument that this was required for the 2021 contract to be concluded.

"The STA was regularly responding to the UKOM memorandums in a manner and within the scope envisaged by the legislation and the annual contract," the statements says, adding that only the government as the sole founder of the STA might request information in such a scope.

The press agency said it regularly informed its supervisory board about its operations in a transparent manner, and its annual reports were also discussed in parliament. Its operation is also subjected to regular external and internal audits.

"All these safeguards show that the STA fulfils all the obligations it is required to by law without any major disruptions," the statement reads, also noting that the National Assembly had called on the government several times to secure sufficient funding for the STA.

"Due to the suspension of financing by UKOM, the STA has found itself in a situation that threatens the agency's operational stability and the ability to perform the public information service it is required to by law."

The STA added that despite these developments, it would continue with "comprehensive, updated and unbiased reporting", but in the long-run the stability of operation and the social situation of the staff would be threatened if UKOM did not change its attitude.

STA, 1 December 2020 - A total of 1,292 coronavirus cases were confirmed in 5,868 tests on Monday and 55 persons with Covid-19 died, the second highest daily death toll since the start of the epidemic, show the latest government data.

The number of new cases is slightly lower than a week ago and the positivity rate, at 22%, follows a gradual downward trajectory recorded in recent days.

Hospital numbers remain high, with 1,299 patients in hospital, one more than the day before, of which 210 in intensive care, up by five in a day.

Jelko Kacin, the government's Covid-19 spokesman, told the daily press briefing that the epidemic was not yet easing off.

"If we all stick to the measures, the epidemiological situation will improve ... and the pressure on hospitals will relax so that we can start gradually easing restrictions in a controlled manner," he said.

In recent weeks roughly a fifth of new cases have been in nursing homes, and the trend continues. Kacin said 201 residents and 42 staff were among the new cases yesterday.

Since July 2,587 residents and 1,226 employees at nursing homes have recovered from infection.

The latest figure bring the death toll from the epidemic to 1,490. The number of all registered coronavirus cases has reached 77,106.

There are just over 20,000 active cases in the country, a figure that has remained broadly unchanged since mid-November. The 14-day rolling average of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants is at 961, down slightly from the day before.

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