07 Oct 2020, 21:12 PM

Črna na Koroškem Declared Covid Danger Zone

STA, 7 October 2020 - The government has formally declared Črna na Koroškem, site of a major coronavirus outbreak at a residential facility for people with mental disabilities, Slovenia's first Covid-19 danger zone. The declaration, effective on Wednesday, makes the municipality eligible for aid but does not involve restrictions on movement.

The relevant decree was published in the Official Gazette late on Tuesday and took effect today without the knowledge of the local community, with Health Minister Tomaž Gantar saying the move was urgent due to the deterioration of the situation in the municipality.

"It will make things easier... All it means is the possibility of extra staffing assistance and fewer legal obstacles," the minister said in Slovenj Gradec, one of the stops on the government's day-long tour of the Koroška region.

Črna na Koroškem, a municipality in the north-east along the border with Austria, has had the highest infection rate among all Slovenian municipalities.

According to the latest data, almost 1.5% of the population was classified as active Covid-19 cases yesterday after over 100 the residents, staff and volunteers at the facility for people with mental disabilities became infected.

Gantar visited Črna and the facility for people with mental disabilities today along with Minister of Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Janez Cigler Kralj, with the latter saying that the government was there to help.

He added that the decision to declare the town a Covid-19 danger zone was important as the facility would be able to get assistance from other similar institutions and nursing homes in the vicinity.

A list of ten staff has already been prepared, and an external location has also been secured in a nearby education centre so that this vulnerable group gets the necessary protection, the health minister added.

Gantar was also acquainted with the overall epidemiological situation in Koroška and in particular in Črna, saying he was happy that there were not many hospitalisations despite the relatively high number of infections.

Črna Mayor Romana Lesjak said regarding the declaration that it did not relate so much to the population, but more to the welfare facility, which would be able to get professional and staff assistance, and additional protective equipment.

"If this is so, we welcome the decree, because we think that the centre, whose residents come from the entire Slovenia, deserves state aid and the burden relieved from its overworked staff," she added.

According to her, 79 infections have been confirmed in the facility among the residents and 29 among the staff. When it comes to the overall population in the town, the numbers are comparable to other municipalities of similar size.

07 Oct 2020, 18:32 PM

Opposition Parties in Talks to Form New Govt Led by Economist

STA, 7 October 2020 - The leaders of the four centre-left opposition parties have confirmed they have launched talks to form an alternative to the Janez Janša government based on an initiative led by economist Jože P. Damijan, who is willing to become prime minister.

Marjan Šarec, the former prime minister and leader of the LMŠ party, told reporters on Wednesday that the basis for talks was the Constitutional Arch Coalition initiative presented by Damijan.

The LMŠ, Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) deem the manifesto presented by Damijan acceptable because it contains points from their own platforms, which makes it a good basis for talks.

Šarec said they wanted to lead talks away from cameras and microphones. As for support to Damijan, he said nobody was bothered by him "but at this point we can't say we've reached common ground on everything already".

Despite differences of opinion in the past, SD leader Tanja Fajon said the four parties wanted a better country in which there would be more respect for democracy, independence of regulators, media, the constitution and laws. Asked about support to Damijan, she said everyone agreed in this initial phase that this was a good basis for further talks.

"Our country is being captured under the pretext of coronavirus. There's no time to wait for elections, an alternative must be formed here and now," said the leader of the Left Luka Mesec. He said Damijan was an appropriate candidate, and that if an agreement was reached, he would get the Left's support.

Alenka Bratušek said her party had committed to do everything in its power to re-establish a centre-left government, asserting that she believed "we are capable of agreeing on what needs to be done", and on staffing. But she said the programme must be agreed on first, only then came staffing decisions. She said whoever would get the most votes would be the new prime minister.

The four parties have a combined 39 seats in the 90-strong National Assembly, so they will also invite the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) to join the talks, to "give them an opportunity to jump off the train of madness that is hurtling into ruin", as Bratušek put it.

However, the two junior coalition parties do not seem impressed by the initiative, with SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek and interim DeSUS leader Tomaž Gantar rejecting it downright.

According to Počivalšek, leading a government "takes courage, going to the election, getting a mandate and executing what you plan". "But at this moment there is no alternative to this government," he told the STA.

Gantar said the matter did not warrant a commentary, arguing similar proposals have become a regular occurrence in the media. He has so far not heard of a good alternative to the current government, which he feels is doing a good job.

Gantar said the information that Karl Erjavec will attempt a comeback to the helm of the party would not affect DeSUS's position in the government. He said Erjavec had made no mention of not being able to work with Janša.

Matej Tonin meanwhile said New Slovenia (NSi) was interested in the platform of the initiative and the number of votes it would have in parliament. He told the STA the NSi was a party of dialogue and was ready to talk. But the NSi has not been invited to talks, he said on Facebook.

"I assess Slovenia needs a stable and homogeneous government in these crucial moments. The last thing we can afford in this situation is a political crisis and experimenting with some kind of transitional government," Tonin wrote.

Janša responded to the initiative by tweeting that "naming a small group of left and far-left parties and tiny parties a constitutional arch means to ridicule both the Slovenian language and Slovenia's constitutional order". "By definition a constitutional arch requires the representation of at least two-thirds of the electorate," he added.

The manifesto of the Constitutional Arch Coalition sets out as priorities an effective response to the coronavirus crisis in healthcare; infrastructure for a kind future; modern infrastructure, science and culture; a green and digital transformation and stimulating technological development and the marketing of breakthrough ideas.

As an effective response to the health crisis the manifesto calls for an immediate creation of regional centres to treat Covid-19 patients, and a plan to reduce waiting times. Health funding is to be increased by 1% of GDP in 2021 and by 3% of GDP by 2025.

To increase social security, the manifesto proposes introducing a minimum universal income and incorporating top-up health insurance in mandatory contributions by raising contribution rates.

Higher contribution rates would also fund a system of long-term care, while a demographic fund would help fund the burden of demographic transition.

The manifesto also promises affordable housing for young people and new capacities for elderly in care homes and sheltered apartments, which would be funded by transforming part of the Bank Assets Management Company into a housing fund.

The document also lists free pre-school care and education for all children, regulation of flexible forms of employment and distance jobs with full social security for all forms of work.

To fund the construction and renovation of the rail network, new schools and hospitals, the manifesto proposes to create an investment fund by issuing 30-year infrastructure bonds on the domestic market.

The manifesto also proposes for budget funding of research and development to be raised to 1% of GDP by 2025 and increasing culture funds by 20%.

07 Oct 2020, 12:43 PM

Coronavirus & Slovenia, Wed 07/10: 356 New Cases on 3,998 Tests

STA, 7 October 2020 - Slovenia has seen a new record daily increase in coronavirus infections as those nearly doubled to 356 on Tuesday, data from the government show. The total number of cases has now passed 7,000 and hospitalisations hit a record 122.

The latest cases come from a record 3,998 tests for Sars-CoV-2 performed on Tuesday, which means a positive test rate of 8.9%, another record high.

Slovenia Announces New Covid Guidelines, Restrictions Start Wednesday

Government spokesman Jelko Kacin, speaking at today's press briefing, said Slovenia's coronavirus incidence rate, that is the number of cases per 100,000 residents in a fortnight, rose to 116 after 106 the day before.

Hospitalisations rose to a new high of 122 to exceed the number seen in the first wave of coronavirus in spring; 22 patients require intensive care, which is still below the high of 36 seen in early April.

The new daily high comes just days after Slovenia logged a record of 238 on 1 October. It brings the overall case count since the start of the pandemic to 7,120, of which 2,426 remain active cases, data from the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org show.

The national Covid-19-related death toll remains unchanged at 159.

Aleš Rozman, director of the Golnik University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, told the press briefing that he was "very concerned" about the "sharp rise" in the epidemic and number of hospitalisations.

If harsh restrictions are taken now, and if everyone starts abiding by precautionary measures now, it will only show in ten to 14 days, he said.

He said Slovenian hospitals had already exceeded 70% of the capacities which they can allocate for Covid-19 patients without affecting other health services, but projected that 200 Covid-19 beds would be required in ten days and 300 by the end of the month.

They were trying to mobilise extra beds, but that would also entail halting other programmes in hospitals and consequently prolong waiting times.

A point is about to be reached when it will no longer be possible to move infected care home residents showing mild symptoms to nursing hospitals to isolate them, so Rozman urged care homes to set up so-called red-zones before infections occur.

An even bigger problem is a shortage of staff, Rozman said, referring to infected and quarantined staff, both as a result of infections in non-work environment and those brought to hospitals by patients that only developed symptoms days after being admitted.

Tracker data shows 16 of the latest cases are health staff and six among care home staff, but none among care home residents.

By far the largest number of new cases, 60, was recorded in the capital Ljubljana, which tracker data show has 410 active cases out of the total of 1,305 logged since the start of the pandemic.

The government briefing heard that community transmissions account for the bulk of new cases, with one problem being private parties such as weddings and birthday parties, which continue in contravention of restrictions.

Kacin mentioned a wedding party featuring 150 guests in Koroška, which has the highest infection rate per capita among all Slovenian regions.

Similarly, Rozman said the problem was private parties, as well as working environments where precautionary measures were not being heeded, as well as commute to work in private cars.

Both Rozman and Kacin appealed for solidarity and responsible conduct, with Kacin announcing that the government would take measures already announced and potential new ones on Thursday. They will become effective from Friday.

Mobilisation of new beds and staff in preparation of a surge in Covid-19 patients was discussed yesterday in a meeting between Health Minister Tomaž Gantar.

Rozman said the idea was to coordinate and pool bed and staff capacities of hospitals, in order to allow patients to be treated as near as their home as possible, which is why new hospitals are setting up Covid-19 departments.

In a post on its Twitter profile after the meeting, the Health Ministry said that Gantar on the occasion appealed for a joint effort to turn down the curve of infections. "Let's be serious and responsible. We can do it," the post reads.

The latest statistics on coronavirus and Slovenia, and the latest police news on red, green and yellow list countries. All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia. Can I transit Slovenia? Find out from the police...

07 Oct 2020, 12:04 PM

Industrial, Medical Cannabis Growers Call On Slovenia to Update Laws, Chill Out

STA, 6 October 2020 - Hemp growers and supporters have called on the Slovenian government to regulate hemp growing in the country so that farmers producing industrial hemp could be internationally competitive and the industry may grow. They have also called for the commitments for legalisation of medical marijuana to be met.

The call was issued at Tuesday's press conference by the interest association Cannagiz, the Konopko cooperative of hemp growers and the Ljubljana-based International Institute for Cannabinoids (INCANNA).

Presenting the letter sent to the government and parliament, Cannagiz president Rok Terkaj noted that the national authorities have not even gotten the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from 1961 translated into Slovenian.

As a consequence, the legislation on hemp in Slovenia is one of the most obsolete in the EU, and the growing and processing of hemp is consequently uncompetitive.

Industrial hemp grower Bogdan Mak noted that the size of agricultural land covered with industrial hemp was dropping drastically. Five years ago, it was 500 hectares and now it is less than 200 hectares this year.

He called for regulations to be changed so that multiple sowing of hemp is possible in one year and that growing in greenhouses is allowed, which would increase the volume of produce in a small area and make Slovenian growers competitive in Europe.

Terkaj said that due to restrictions, Slovenian industrial hemp growers were forced to move their businesses to Austria and Italy.

The regulations limit the content of the psychoactive substance THC in industrial hemp to 0.2%, while Cannagiz proposes that the limit be increased to 1%, which would provide for the same level of safety while enabling better production.

When it comes to the use of medical marijuana, the Health Ministry has been called to draft legislation enabling treatment with medical marijuana as a medicine and growing and processing of hemp for medicinal purposes.

Tanja Bagar of INCANNA noted that patients in Slovenia could get synthetically produced cannabinoids in pharmacies, but many of them wanted hemp products due to synergies of various cannabinoids. They resort to black market, where they get unregulated products, she added.

Cannagiz has also called for legalisation of the production and sale of cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from hemp, which is not a psychoactive substance, as only the sale of pharmaceutically synthesised or isolated CBD is allowed in Slovenia at the moment.

Gorazd Reberšek of the association noted that producers of natural CBD were treated by Slovenian law as organisers of the production and trade in prohibited substances.

All our stories on marijuana and Slovenia

07 Oct 2020, 11:34 AM

Kickstarter Now Open to All in Slovenia

STA, 7 October 2020 - Slovenian companies and individuals wanting to crowdfund their projects on the platform Kickstarter long had to rely on foreign partners to get their projects going. As of this week, the platform is directly available in Slovenia.

Slovenian projects have so far been quite successful on Kickstarter. They collected almost EUR 7 million and their success rate was 45% compared to the global average of 38%, show data from the company.

However, most of the projects were initiated by start-ups since they required significant effort and foreign partners.

Now, it will be easier for smaller and more diverse projects to seek financing since the barriers to entry are much lower, according to Heather Corcoran, the head of design and technology at Kickstarter.

"Everyone with a Slovenian bank account, an individual or a company, can now launch their project on Kickstarter," Corcoran told the STA.

Kickstarter does not have a target range for the number of projects in Slovenia but will focus on preserving the high success rate and a good user experience.

Along with Slovenia, Kickstarter this week entered Poland and Greece.

07 Oct 2020, 03:41 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 7 October 2020

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:

PM announces new measures as government adopts guidelines

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša presented guidelines adopted by the government for adoption of anti-coronavirus restrictions based on three parameters: the number of newly confirmed infections per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days, the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients and the number of patients who require ventilation. The guidelines specify three phases of the pandemic, green, orange and red, with Janša announcing new measures as of Thursday as Slovenia persists in the orange phase. Janša said that Slovenia had been in the green phase all the way until the beginning of autumn, when the situation had worsened due to imported cases, and that some of the measures envisaged for the orange phase had to be taken in September.

189 Sars-CoV-2 infections confirmed on Monday, three people die

LJUBLJANA - Out of the 2,509 coronavirus tests conducted in Slovenia on Monday 189 came back positive as the daily case counts remain on an upward trajectory. Three people died and hospitalisations continued to rise. There are 111 Covid-19 patients in hospital, including 20 in intensive care units, one fewer than the day before. Infections are also spreading inside health institutions. The Jesenice general hospital has seen 26 of its staff test positive for coronavirus. Slovenia currently has an incidence rate of 101 cases per 100,000 residents reported over the past fortnight.

Central bank sees sharp increase in risk to financial stability

LJUBLJANA - Risks to financial stability have increased sharply as a result of the coronacrisis, mostly as a result of the deep economic slump. Income and credit risk have increased as well, shows the latest Financial Stability Report by Banka Slovenije. The central bank said Slovenian banks are resilient to risk and were well capitalised, not least due to measures taken at the national and international level to counter the impact of the health crisis. But due to the contraction of the economy, the risk stemming from the macroeconomic environment is "the highest since we've had an independent country," the report says. Macroeconomic risk is designated as high, the highest on a four-level scale.

Huawei says alleged plan to label it high-risk supplier unjustified

LJUBLJANA - The Chinese technological giant Huawei responded to the Slovenian government's reported plans to label it a high-risk supplier by expressing surprise and disappointment over what it thinks is an unjustified decision. It noted that the government has not consulted Huawei despite its multiple attempts to meet. Huawei Technologies vice-president for the Central and East Europe and Nordic Region Radoslaw Kedzi said that the company had learned about the government's plan from the media and that it was seriously worried over such an intention, and that Slovenia was the first country in Europe to opt for such a strict and discriminatory measure.

NBI acting head resigns

LJUBLJANA - Uroš Lepoša, the acting director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), tendered his resignation to acting Police Commissioner Andrej Jurič after only some two months on the job. Lepoša cited personal circumstances as reason to step down. Jurič has not yet decided on the matter, the police told the STA. According to news portal 24ur.com, Lepoša decided to call it a day due to bad working conditions, with unofficial sources saying he could not work properly in an environment where everything is supposed to be subjugated to politics. The news portal points out that Lepoša was appointed with the blessing of the current government, but he had thrown in the towel amid the Interior Ministry's interventions in the work of the NBI. However, the police denies any political pressure exerted on him or any other attempts of influencing his work.

Pavle Hevka appointed new 2TDK boss as Dušan Zorko resigns

LJUBLJANA - The two-member board of 2TDK featuring Dušan Zorko as director general and Marko Brezigar resigned in agreement with the company's supervisory board, which appointed Pavle Hevka and Iztok Černoša in their place. The pair will take over for a four-year term on Wednesday. According to Necenzurirano webportal, Zorko and Brezigar had to resign for delays in the EUR 1.2 billion railway construction project, for which the management is said to be responsible.

Nominees for top court, central bank announced

LJUBLJANA - Anže Erbežnik has been formally nominated for the vacant post on the Constitutional Court and Arjana Brezigar Masten for the vice-governor post at the central bank, the office of President Borut Pahor announced. The nomination comes after Pahor consulted deputy groups last week. While few deputy groups publicly stated their preference, it was immediately announced that Erbežnik and Brezigar Masten stood the best chance of being appointed by the National Assembly. Public presentations of both candidates will be held next week.

Podgoršek formally nominated for agriculture minister

LJUBLJANA - Jože Podgoršek, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, has been formally nominated to take over the ministry after the resignation of Aleksandra Pivec. Prime Minister Janez Janša submitted his candidacy to parliament on Monday evening, after Pivec announced she was stepping down just before the National Assembly was due to vote on he dismissal. It is expected that the parliamentary Agriculture Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing with Podgoršek for Monday, which will be swiftly followed by a plenary vote.

DeSUS's former head Erjavec emerges as first party presidency nominee

LJUBLJANA - A day after former Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) head Aleksandra Pivec resigned as agriculture minister and left the party, it seemed DeSUS might to be returning to its former head Karl Erjavec. Ahead of the party's congress in November, at which a new president will be appointed, Erjavec, who headed the party for 15 years before being replaced by Pivec in January, became the first party president nominee. Pivec's supporters were also leaving the party after months of infighting, during which the party's MPs pushed out its president of less then nine months.

Moody's upgrades credit rating for NLB and NKBM

LJUBLJANA - After upgrading the long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings for Slovenia last week, rating agency Moody's has also upgraded the credit ratings for the NLB and NKBM banks, for both from Baa2 and Baa1. The outlook remained stable, the agency said. Moody's previously upgraded the ratings of the two biggest two banks in the country after their completed privatisation. For NLB this happened at the end of 2018 and for NKBM in mid-2019 when it took over Abanka, another bank that was privatised.

Slovenia supports launching of EU recovery facility

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia promotes the launching of the EU recovery and resilience facility as soon as possible and expects no red tape, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said after an informal virtual meeting of EU finance ministers, at which the ministers adopted a decree on the setting up of the mechanism. Launching the recovery and resilience facility as soon as possible is extremely important because the facility will play a key role in the economic recovery, Šircelj said.

Logar stresses importance of dialogue ahead of Carinthian plebiscite centenary

LJUBLJANA/MEŽICA - Addressing a symposium entitled Carinthia as Diplomatic Issue 1918-1920, held online ahead of the centenary of the Carinthian plebiscite, Foreign Minister Anže Logar stressed the historic ties between Slovenia and Austria and the importance of dialogue between the countries. Logar told the symposium, hosted by the Milko Kos History Institute, the anniversary, which presidents Borut Pahor and Alexander van der Bellen will mark together on Saturday, could be an important milestone in overcoming the burdens of the past and strengthening of harmony between the Slovenian- and German-speaking people of Carinthia, and well as between both nations.

One in five Slovenians victim of child sexual abuse, survey shows

LJUBLJANA - Every fifth Slovenian was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, shows a recent survey commissioned by the Justice Ministry. Minister Lilijana Kozlovič announced that a bill enabling the country's first Barnahus for child victims of sexual abuse would be likely passed in 2021.

First green light for e-tolling for cars

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee unanimously backed a set of government-sponsored changes to the road tolling act which bring a legal basis to introduce electronic tolling for cars on Slovenian motorways as of 1 December 2021. Still, the MPs had some second thoughts, including about privacy. Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Aleš Mihelič said said the system would erase the data of the driver or vehicle as soon as it had checked them, except if a violator was involved. He also said that despite the digitalisation of the toll stickers, the price of the toll stickers will not drop, as some other costs would rise.

Committee rejects referendum on major defence investment plan

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee rejected the proposal from the opposition Left that a consultative referendum be held on the government's plan to invest EUR 780 million in the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in the 2021-2026 period. The bulk of the funds would go for armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and forming a medium infantry battalion group. The government also plans to purchase an air plane and two helicopters. The proposal for a consultative referendum was rejected by the committee members from the coalition and the opposition National Party (SNS).

23rd FSF kicks off with film about rebel against the state

LJUBLJANA - The 23rd Festival of Slovenian Film (FSF) kicked off with the screening of Antigone - How Dare We!, a documentary directed by Jani Sever and based on a play by the renowned philosopher Slavoj Žižek. Taking place online and in person, the festival will show 51 competing films and another 50 films outside competition. The film wonders whether Antigone, praised as a heroic rebel against the state, is truly an emancipatory hero or she is part of the problem.

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06 Oct 2020, 16:27 PM

Slovenia Announces New Covid Guidelines, Restrictions Start Wednesday

STA, 6 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has presented guidelines adopted by the government to determine what anti-coronavirus measures to take, based on three parameters, the main one being the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients. He has already announced several new measures as of Thursday as Slovenia persists in the orange phase.

The guidelines, titled the Plan of measures for containing the second coronavirus wave, are featured in a table which sets the parameters for so-called orange and red phases, with respective measures being envisaged for each phase.

The parameters are the number of newly confirmed infections per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days, the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients and the number of patients who require ventilation.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Janša said that the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients was the main parameter, and noting that since the spring, the government had managed to double the capacity for treatment of such patients.

When this number exceeds 60, Slovenia enters in the orange phase, and if it is higher than 140, it enters the red phase. The green phase means that residents are required to follow general rules such as distancing, hand sanitation and masks.

Janša said that Slovenia had been in the green phase all the way until the beginning of autumn, when the situation had worsened due to imported cases, and that some of the measures envisaged for the orange phase had to be taken in September.

These have not produced the desired results and, as of Thursday, additional measures will enter into force, including bars and restaurants needing to set up fewer tables across the same area, and serve only the guests sitting at tables.

Public and private gatherings will be restricted to 10 people, with the exception of religious ceremonies, weddings and supervised public cultural and sporting events, with consideration of all hygienic measures.

Another measure is restricting the number of persons in enclosed public spaces (shops, banks, post offices and other offices) relative to the size of the space, with details not specified.

Events will have to be held without food and drink being served, and visits to certain nursing homes and hospitals will be banned. The new measures are expected to be confirmed by the government on Wednesday.

Janša also noted the latest measure – mandatory installation of hand sanitisers in the shared areas in multi-apartment buildings, which will enter into force on Wednesday.

The government has almost exhausted the set of measures which do not significantly hamper public life, and if the number of infections continues to grow, it will have to declare an epidemic, which means stricter measures, he added.

"If the number of infected exceeds 140 per 100,000 residents in a 14-day period and if there are 250 patients in hospitals, more than 50 of them in intensive care, we will need to declare an epidemic," said Janša, adding that an epidemic would be automatically declared if Slovenia entered the red phase.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia

06 Oct 2020, 15:43 PM

Survey Suggests 20% of Slovenes Victims of Child Sex Abuse

STA, 6 October 2020 - Every fifth Slovenian was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, shows a recent survey commissioned by the Justice Ministry. Minister Lilijana Kozlovič announced on Tuesday that a bill enabling the country's first Barnahus for child victims of sexual abuse would be likely passed in 2021.

Slovenia has been striving to ensure a way for children involved in criminal procedures to avoid any potential victimisation in the future, said Kozlovič at today's press conference.

A step closer to this objective is setting up Children's House, a special institute where children who have been victims of sexual abuse or other criminal offences or have witnessed them would be treated holistically in line with the internationally established Barnahus model.

The project encompasses more than simply opening a few special facilities for child victims of sexual abuse; it also aims to amend relevant procedures and change attitudes of all who come in contact with abused children, the minister said.

As part of the project, which is held under the auspices of the European Commissions and the Council of Europe, the ministry also commissioned the survey, which aimed to assess the understanding of the issue among children themselves as well as adults and their response mechanisms to sexual abuse.

The results will serve as a way to provide services at Children's House which would be tailor-made for children and their parents.

The survey, conducted by the Ipsos social research institute, shows that the majority of Slovenians (almost 70%) think that child sexual abuse is a grave issue, however half of the respondents do not believe they would recognise the signs of such offences.

What is even more concerning is that many apply a very narrow definition to child sexual abuse. A third believe that it always involves a level of physical force and do not deem other types of sexual abuse what they actually are - sexual abuse.

A quarter of Slovenians also believe that exposing children to sex and pornography is not abuse, warned Nataša Mohorč Kejžar, the head of Ipsos.

Moreover, sexual abuse is a topic that Slovenians prefer to avoid - more than third of adults have not discussed it with their children, with most of them expecting schools to address the subject.

Another cause for concern is that 15% of the respondents think that victims are responsible for their actions. They perpetuate the harmful stereotype of a girl who is to be blamed for being abused due to the clothes she wears or her conduct.

One in five Slovenians experienced at least one type of sexual abuse in childhood, whereas one in seven experienced two or more.

In most cases, the respondents said that they had been victims of inappropriate touching or displays. Merely 6% pressed criminal charges, half of those went to court. One in four such cases saw trial without conviction, said Mohorč Kejžar.

The survey also inquired about the expectations for Children's House. Children mostly wish it would be a place where their stories would be heard and believed, whereas parents expect a safe space, professional services and immediate support.

Both children and parents deem it important that psychological support is available as well as support by the police and other health workers.

The minister said today that a facility which is to host Slovenia's first Barnahus had already been selected. She also pointed out that another project setting up a network of support centres for children in general across the country would follow the Barnahus project.

Mirka Honko of the Council of Europe's Children's Rights division meanwhile expressed support for Slovenia's Barnahus project, calling it a flagship project in Europe and hoping it would inspire other member states to follow suit.

The full report on child abuse in Slovenia can be read here

06 Oct 2020, 14:01 PM

Covid & Slovenia, Tue 06/10: 189 New Cases on 2,509 Tests; Hospitals, Črna na Koroškem Hotspots

STA, 6 October 2020 - Out of the 2,509 coronavirus tests conducted in Slovenia on Monday 189 came back positive as the daily case counts remain high and on an upward trajectory. Three people infected with coronavirus died and hospitalisations continued to rise, show fresh government data.

There were 111 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, four more than on Sunday, including 20 in intensive care units, one fewer than the day before. Ten persons were discharged from hospital.

The death toll climbed to 159 as three Covid-19-related fatalities were recorded on Monday.

The latest cases were confirmed in 78 municipalities, with Ljubljana again recording the largest number of infections, 32.

The greatest share of those actively infected remains in Črna na Koroškem in the north (1.55%), where three new cases were confirmed yesterday.

Infections are also spreading inside health institutions. The Jesenice general hospital has seen 26 of its staff test positive for coronavirus. Infections have been confirmed in three patients as well.

The hospital has shut down three of its departments and suspended any non-urgent procedures due to staff shortages. Most of the infected staff are nurses, Anja Jovanovič Kunstelj, the hospital's director, has told RTV Slovenija.

The virus has found its way into two other hospitals as well, the Ljubljana UKC hospital, where there are currently ten infected staff and just as many infected patients, and the Maribor UKC hospital, where infections have been confirmed in eleven staff and one patient.

Slovenia currently has the incidence rate of 101 cases per 100,000 residents reported over the past fortnight, according to fresh data released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

As case numbers are not going down, Prime Minister Janez Janša is expected to present new measures to tackle the second wave of infections and boost Covid-19 units capacities at a press conference in the afternoon, presumably at 3pm.

According to unofficial information, stricter rules for bars and shops are among the measures on the horizon, reported RTV Slovenija.

So far, Slovenia has seen 6,764 coronavirus cases. There are currently 2,206 active cases in the country, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

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06 Oct 2020, 12:08 PM

Main Regulators Oppose Govt Merger Plans, Say Will Reduce Independence, Competition

STA, 5 October 2020 - Major Slovenian regulators have voiced opposition to plans to merge eight independent agencies into two super-agencies as part of government efforts to streamline the public administration. Some say the plan violates international rules and Slovenia's commitments under EU law, was made without any analyses and curbs their independence.

The Competition Protection Agency (AVK), one of the six agencies slated to be merged into an agency for market and consumers, said the plan ran "contrary to all democratic standards and regulations" as well as the 2018 EU directive on the strengthening of competition protection bodies.

It would "substantially reduce the independence of the agency, which is in explicit violation of the directive", the agency said on Monday.

The Agency for Communication Networks and Services (AKOS) said the merger did not ensure regulatory independence. "The proposal is incompatible with multiple EU directives, in particular in the sense of ensuring the independence of the regulatory authority, a demand of directives in all areas covered by the agency," AKOS director Tanja Muha told the press.

The Securities Market Agency (ATVP) said the proposal was unsuitable since the stock market regulator was supposed to be truly independent, not just on paper. But under the proposal, the government would appoint the management and the governing council of the new agencies, which would be "a step back".

Similarly, the Agency for Insurance Supervision (AZN), which would together with the ATVP form a new agency for financial markets, said the new legislation would not bring "more efficient supervision" of the financial market as the agency's independence would diminish.

The only legitimate purpose of merging regulators is more efficient supervision, or equally efficient but financially more viable, AZN boss Gorazd Čibej said.

He said expert views needed to be carefully weighed on before any systemic change to regulators, especially when bodies of strategic importance for financial supervision and stability are concerned.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which would be merged with the road safety and rail transport agencies, told the STA the plan violated the basic tenets of international regulations in which competent independent bodies are the foundation of aviation safety.

It said the stated goal of streamlining was untenable since the agency needed to secure a sufficient number of qualified staff and staff cuts would render it impossible to carry out the prescribed tasks. In 2014, the agency had already been the subject of EU infringement proceedings due to insufficient staffing.

What is more, aviation safety has "nothing to do with consumer protection or market regulation" and the two agencies with which it is supposed to be merged have completely different powers.

The agencies said they had neither been briefed nor consulted about the plan. They received the proposal on Thursday and were given until today to submit comments. The ATVP did not even receive the proposal, but found it on the internet.

The agencies also object to how the new management and supervisory bodies would be appointed since the government would have the final say.

The director of the Energy Agency Duška Godina said such a merger and government appointment powers would be in violation of EU law on the energy market while bringing no benefits for users.

She said that no analysis had been put forward to substantiate the merger of incompatible agencies, which could in fact lead to additional costs.

Godina stressed energy regulators had primarily been established to keep decisions independent of economic and political interests. This independence is clearly in peril, including because the regulator needs to be able "to independently decide on how much human and financial resources it needs for successful and effective work".

The Public Agency for Railway Transport (AŽP) said that it is not a regulator for railway transport and that its activities are not related to keeping track of market conditions as is the case with most other agencies that are to be merged.

AŽP, established on the basis of EU law and under direct oversight of the EU Agency for Railways, is a security, licensing, inspection and penalising body designed to secure safety in railway transport, the agency said.

It examined the proposal nonetheless, but was not able to recognise any positive effects of a merger. "The present AŽP organisational model is completely adequate in our opinion; this was also confirmed in the oversight by the EU Agency for Railways."

The Traffic Safety Energy intends to issue a response on Tuesday.

The Economy Ministry, which drafted the proposal, said the proposal was currently subject to talks among various government departments and expected the coordination would result in a "consensus for positive change".

Prime Minister Janez Janša meanwhile said on Twitter that the proposal was modelled on the Dutch system, which was considered "one of the most efficient and transparent models in the EU".

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