News

08 Aug 2020, 09:57 AM

STA, 7 August 2020 - Anti-government protests continued for the 16th straight Friday in Ljubljana, this time targeting the handling of coronavirus outbreaks at care homes. Meanwhile, dozens took to the streets in Izola following the reports that the coastal town had paid two hotel rooms for Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec.

Protesters in Ljubljana converged on Prešeren Square where they were addressed by Biserka Marolt Meden, the head of an NGO promoting the rights of older people, who lambasted the government policy on aged care facilities and the idea that infected residents should be put up in mobile units.

The protesters demonstrated their opposition to the idea with an impromptu theatrical performance that saw activists carrying politicians' masks being taken by protesters to a container terminal set up at the finish of the protest march near Pionirski Dom.

There, a letter was read out written by residents of a care home who expressed their grievances about the lack of social contacts and noted that the right to treatment is a constitutional right. The protest ended with red smoke billowing from the container as a way of demonstrating that such mobile units "may not be the best solution for those ending up in them".

The first of the "politicians" to be taken to the container was the one carrying the mask of Aleksandra Pivec, the agriculture minister and head of the Pensioners Party (DeSUS), who has become embroiled in a series of allegations of corruption, including that the town of Izola paid for a hotel bill for her and her two sons.

Pivec was also the target of protests in Izola, where the participants also demanded the resignation of Mayor Danilo Markočič, a member of Pivec's DeSUS, who has also come under fire for allegations that he has sold an olive orchard for EUR 244,000 to a Russian businessman whose company last year bought a building plot in an elite location from the municipality.

The mayor has rejected calls for resignation, saying he had done nothing wrong.

The protest in Izola was also attended by Ivan Gale, the whistleblower from the Commodity Reserves Agency who has exposed alleged wrongdoing in the procurement of medical supplies.

Protests were also held in other parts of the country.

08 Aug 2020, 04:20 AM

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:

Minister Hojs reportedly demands revision of some closed NBI cases

LJUBLJANA - The 24ur.com news portal reported that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs had unofficially tasked acting Police Commissioner Andrej Jurič with securing a revision of certain already closed cases handled by the National Bureau of Investigation. Hojs, a member of the ruling Democrats (SDS), allegedly wants the cases to be revised by what he labelled "uncontaminated" police officers so there be no doubt about their impartiality in the respective cases. The opposition accused the minister of abuse of power and political meddling in police work, urging him to actually step down this time after he went back on his "irrevocable" resignation earlier.

Ten new coronavirus infections confirmed

LJUBLJANA - Ten out of 753 coronavirus tests came back positive Thursday, with new infections confirmed in seven municipalities. One patient was discharged from hospital, leaving 24 Covid-19 patients hospitalised, four in intensive care, official data show. No coronavirus-related death was reported with the death toll unchanged at 125. There are currently 181 active cases in the country. Milan Krek, director of the National Institute of Public Health, said that over the past two weeks 16 young people tested positive after returning home from Zrče, the town on the Croatian island of Pag that is known for its night life. About 7,080 people in the country are currently under mandatory self-isolation.

Slovenia declares Belgium Covid-19 unsafe

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia added Belgium and several other countries to its red list of countries, which signals high risk in terms of coronavirus contagion. The Czech Republic, Malta, Switzerland and three Spanish administrative units were meanwhile removed from the green list of safe countries and demoted to yellow. Apart from Belgium, Saint Martin, Equatorial Guinea, the Faroe Islands and Namibia are now on the red list of 58 countries, meaning arrival from these countries entails a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Another 209 migrants apprehended in night to Friday

LJUBLJANA - The police apprehended a total of 209 illegal migrants across the country in the night between Thursday and Friday as part of a campaign of beefed-up surveillance of the route leading from Croatia to Italy through Slovenia. In Škofljica near Ljubljana a cargo vehicle was pulled up carrying 52 migrants. The Spanish driver was arrested and faces charges for people-smuggling. On Thursday, the Novo Mesto police apprehended 106 illegal migrants at 15 locations in the south-east.

Protests continue, in Izola ire over Pivec hotel bill

IZOLA/LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protests continued for the 16th straight Friday in Ljubljana, this time targeting the handling of coronavirus outbreaks at care homes. Meanwhile, dozens took to the streets in Izola following the reports that the coastal town had paid two hotel rooms for Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec. The protesters there also demanded the resignation of Mayor Danilo Markočič, a member of Pivec's DeSUS, who has also come under fire over contentious property deals.

Criminal complaint over PPE purchase filed against minister

LJUBLJANA - The commercial broadcaster POP TV reported that Ivan Gale, the whistleblower from the Commodity Reserves Agency who has exposed the alleged wrongdoing in the government's purchasing of PPE equipment for the Covid-19 epidemic, filed a complaint against Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek and the agency's director over a multi-million deal for face masks with the company Hmezad TMT.
Gale alleges the pair had favoured the company as a result of which the state incurred millions of euro in damage.

Six teenage boys injured in run down pump track accident

RIBNICA - Six teenagers were injured in an accident on the run down pump track in Dolenji Lazi in the Ribnica area on Thursday evening. The boys, aged 13 to 16, were injured after falling seven metres deep after an old wooden bike ramp collapsed underneath them. The UKC hospital said three of the boys who sustained only mild injuries were being discharged today. Three will remain hospitalised, as two have spine and hand injuries, and a third one is still being examined but a spine injury has been ruled out.

Slovenia's exports down 5.6% in first six months, imports drop by 10.3%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports were down 4.2% year-on-year in June, amounting to EUR 2.68 billion, while imports decreased by 5.1% to EUR 2.56 billion. The export-import ratio was 104.7. The decreases for the first half of the year were 5.6% and 10.3% respectively, shows data released by the Statistics Office. The effect of the coronavirus pandemic was less pronounced in June than in April and May, when exports were for instance down 28.8% and 19.8% respectively in the year-on-year comparison.

Turnover in real estate down by about 40% in H1

LJUBLJANA - Preliminary data by the Surveying and Mapping Authority indicate about a 40% drop in both the number of property transactions in the first half of 2020. Prices of used flats meanwhile continued to grow, by 3% compared to the second half of 2019, taking the average square metre price in the country above EUR 1,900 for the first time. While final data will be released in October, the authority estimates the actual year-on-year decline in transactions will be between 35% and 40%, on what had been a record year.

Over 7 million litres of wine to be distilled to bridge market crisis

LJUBLJANA - At least 7.2 million litres of wine are to be distilled in Slovenia as part of government measures aimed at helping wine growers bridge the market crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Applications submitted by 5 August deadline moreover envisage 1.1 million litres for subsidised storage. The two measures, along with the green harvest that is already under way, are being organised by the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development, which received 62 applications for distillation and 19 for storage.

Museum project creating mosaic of life during pandemic

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana City Museum launched a project to gather insight into the life in the capital during the pandemic by collecting the minutiae of everyday life; photographs, recordings and impressions. Since life has not yet returned to normal, the project Corona Into Museum ASAP! continues with most recent contributions coming mainly from professional photographs sharing their takes on the situation.

Slovenian Alpine Museum celebrates 10th anniversary

MOJSTRANA - The Slovenian Alpine Museum in Mojstrana launched an exhibition themed Ten Anchors of Slovenian Alpine Climbing to mark its 10th anniversary, which coincides with the 125th anniversary of the erection of the Aljaž Tower, a shelter on top of Mt Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak. The main ceremony will be held on Monday. Since its opening, the museum's collection has expanded from 1,600 to 3,200 exhibits. It has also collected more than 3,300 books, as well as a multitude of photographs, post cards and other material.

Radovljica hosts more than 30 musicians from 12 countries

RADOVLJICA - The 38th Radovljica Festival, known for its focus on music on period instruments, started with a concert by Slovakian ensemble Solamente Naturali connecting Georg Philipp Telemann music with the folk music from the manuscripts of that period. The festival will see eight concerts by 33 artists from 12 countries until 23 August, offering a review of the music from the 11th century to Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. Among the highlights will be Solamente Naturali and vocal quintet Cinquecento.

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

07 Aug 2020, 17:13 PM

STA, 7 August 2020 - Preliminary data by the Surveying and Mapping Authority indicate about a 40% drop in both the number of deals and turnover in real estate in the first half of 2020. Prices of used flats meanwhile continued to grow, by 3% compared to the second half of 2019, taking the average square metre price in the country above EUR 1,900 for the first time.

The latest stats on Slovenia and coronavirus are here

The data, released on Friday, show 10,800 transactions were registered in the first six months in a total value of EUR 770 million. This is a 40% drop for both figures compared on the second half of 2019 and a 40% and 45% decline respectively year-on-year.

The Surveying and Mapping Authority said that in the face of an almost complete market freeze during the lockdown, it decided to publish the preliminary data even though a fair part of deals for the first six months had not yet been registered and processed for proper market analysis. Final data will be released in October.

The body estimates that the actual year-on-year decline in the number of deals and in turnover will be between 35% and 40%. It pointed out that 2019 had seen record figures, mostly due to an unusually high number of deals involving commercial real estate.

As for the continuing rise in the prices of used flats - by 3% on the second half of 2019 and by 7% year-on-year - the Surveying and Mapping Authority noted a similar phenomenon had been seen in 2008.

"In such circumstances it is only the better and fairly expensive flats that continue to get sold and their prices are not decreasing yet due to market inertia," the experts wrote, while pointing out that the market picked up again in May as the epidemic was declared over.

Housing property accounted for almost 70% of total turnover in the first half of the year, up significantly on previous years and even above the 66% recorded in 2015. Between January and 15 July, 5,450 transactions were recorded, a 37% decrease on the second half of 2019 and 36% year-on-year. Turnover for new flats was down by more than 70%.

The number of recorded transactions with land suitable for construction on the other hand fell by only a third compared to the first and second half of 2019, while the number of deals involving farm and forest land decreased by about half.

All our news on real estate in Slovenia

07 Aug 2020, 13:07 PM

STA, 7 August 2020 - Police operating in the south-east of the country tracked down and apprehended at 15 separate locations on Thursday 106 foreign citizens who had illegally crossed the border. Police data show a surge in the number of migrants in July and August after a calmer phase ascribed to the coronacrisis.

According to a press release from the Novo Mesto Police Administration, police also apprehended two Ukrainian citizens who planned to bring six Pakistani citizens inland.

The police thanked the population on the border for notifying it of suspicions individuals and vehicles and thus helping protect the border.

Police data show an upswing in migration numbers in July and the start of August. Police dealt with 7,409 cases of illegal border crossing in the first six months of the year, which compares to 7,504 in the same period in 2019.

While a spike is seen every summer, the spring figures, at around 500 a month, were lower this year. The July figure of 2,319 is meanwhile comparable to last year's.

Standing out among the migrants this year have been Moroccan and Pakistani citizens, accounting for half of all migrants. A notable decline was recorded for Algerian citizens.

07 Aug 2020, 13:03 PM

STA, 6 August 2020 - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Minister Anže Logar and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo will sign next week a Joint Declaration on 5G Security, while also in fact confirming that Pompeo is paying a visit to Slovenia, as recently reported in the media.

Pompeo will be on a tour of four European countries, which the US state secretary labelled as great friends of America, and focus is expected to be on talks on security of telecommunications networks of the next generation (5G).

Although this is not directly specified, the visits to the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria and Poland are will in effect revolve around the US-China tensions, specifically concern about 5G technology developed by Chinese tech giant Huawei.

While the exact date of the visit was not initially announced, the US State Department today said Pompeo would visit Slovenia next Thursday. He will meet President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The visit will be an opportunity to discuss enhancing cooperation between Slovenia and the US "in key areas of mutual concern, including nuclear energy and Western Balkan integration", said the State Department's press release.

Meanwhile, it was at a press conference on Wednesday at which Pompeo announced the trip that he also talked about disputes with China and announced additional measures to provide security in cyberspace.

In this light, the US state secretary intends to sign with Slovenia a Joint Declaration on 5G Security, which the US has already signed with several European countries, including Romania, Estonia and Latvia.

In the draft declaration, which was obtained by the STA in June, there are several security conditions on which countries are expected to agree on being mandatory for establishing a safe 5G network.

The text states providers and their suppliers have to be checked thoroughly, including the transparency of their ownership, honouring of intellectual rights and commitment to laws requiring transparent governance.

With the joint statement, Slovenia and the US would also highlight the importance of safe networks at the level of NATO and the EU.

As the statement could limit Huawei's participation in 5G deployment in Slovenia, the company recently said it was willing to discuss 5G technology security issues with the Slovenian government as well as sign a non-spy agreement with the country.

The government has not responded yet to the call. Quizzed about this by the STA, the Government Communication Office only said that the "government has not discussed this topic yet".

While announcing the signing of the declaration, the Foreign Ministry also said that the purpose of Pompeo's visit was to "confirm and deepen the close friendly, allied and partner ties" between the countries.

The visit is also about "strengthening bilateral political dialogue at a high level and boosting cooperation in business and other fields". Announcing the four-country tour, Pompeo himself said it would be a very important and productive trip.

The visit will be the most high-profile one from the US since 2008, when President George W. Bush attended a EU-US summit during Slovenia's presidency of the EU.

The last time a US secretary of state visited Slovenia was in 1997, when Madeleine Albright was received in Ljubljana.

07 Aug 2020, 10:30 AM

STA, 7 August 2020 - Slovenia has added Belgium and several other countries to its red list of countries, which signals high risk in terms of coronavirus contagion. The Czech Republic, Malta, Switzerland and three Spanish administrative units have been meanwhile removed from the green list of safe countries and demoted to yellow.

The changes were made by the government last night, effective immediately.

Apart from Belgium, Saint Martin, Equatorial Guinea, the Faroe Islands and Namibia are now on the red list as well, meaning arrival from these countries entails a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Currently, the red list features 58 countries.

A number of countries have been upgraded from the red list to the yellow list - Belorussia, Algeria, Ecuador and Spanish administrative unit Valencia.

Meanwhile, the Spanish administrative units that have been demoted to the yellow list are the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, and Castile and Leon.

Persons with permanent or temporary residence in countries on the green list or persons arriving from those countries can enter Slovenia without restrictions or a mandatory quarantine.

From yellow-listed countries entry without the need to self-isolate is granted to Slovenian citizens and foreigners with permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia if they submit a proof (such as an invoice for the accommodation or property ownership certificate) that they have not come from a red-listed country. If they cannot produce such a proof they are ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Arrivals from red-listed countries regardless of citizenship and those who have temporary or permanent residence in those countries are also subject to a mandatory two-week quarantine or isolation, except for several exceptions, including transit and international transport.

Moreover, the government decided at yesterday's correspondence session that restrictions on public gatherings remain in force due to coronavirus concerns.

This story was published on 7 August, 2020 – you can see the latest details on entering Slovenia during the coronavirus crisis here

07 Aug 2020, 10:25 AM

STA, 6 August 2020 - A tweet by an Interior Minister official in which he labels Slovenian social work centres as a "hotbed of feminists" and levels additional insults has caused uproar, with Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina condemning it as unacceptable in public discourse. "Hateful and intolerant discourse should not have a place in society," he said.

The tweet by Borut Jakopin, who is in charge of personal data protection at the ministry, was published recently as he commented on the conduct by social workers in the case of a 10-year-old boy who had drowned in the Soča river.

He said that "Slovenian [social work centres] are a hotbed of feminists, untended frustrated women and effeminate beta boys", with the tweet also being retweeted by Interior Ministry State Secretary Vinko Gorenak, who later removed the retweet.

Svetina, who was urged by the trade union of social work centres to react, said on Thursday that the tweet was unacceptable and he also expressed concern over intolerant rhetoric in social discourse.

"Hateful and intolerant discourse should not have place in society, and the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman condemns it," the press release says.

"It seems that we are descending into increasingly worse insults, destructiveness, intolerance and mutual attacks, while there is a lack of tolerance to people who think differently, of understanding and respect of personal dignity," it adds.

The prime minister's office has told the STA that the government had not discussed the tweet and that it had not taken any particular opinion on it.

The Interior Ministry has labelled the tweet as utterly inappropriate and has distanced itself from it, and noted that Jakopin did not have access to personal information of employees in social work centres.

In a subsequent statement it said expression of personal opinions in one's own free time and on topics that are not in the ministry's purview could not be considered a violation of the code of ethics, which was why the author of the tweet would not be subject to a disciplinary procedure.

The Ministry of Labour, the Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has condemned "psychological, physical and verbal violence", adding that "such communication is inappropriate" and asking for an apology to social work centre employees.

The Chamber of Social Work has condemned the tweet as well, saying that "such insulting posts have a note of discreditation and deeply encroach upon the integrity of employees."

07 Aug 2020, 03:25 AM

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:

Declaration on 5G security with US to be signed next week

LJUBLJANA - The US State Department and the Slovenian Foreign Ministry confirmed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Slovenia on 13 August to sign a Joint Declaration on 5G Security as part of a tour of four European countries. He will meet Foreign Minister Anže Logar, President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša. The visit will be an opportunity to discuss enhancing cooperation between Slovenia and the US "in key areas of mutual concern, including nuclear energy and Western Balkan integration", the State Department said.

Criminal complaint in alleged border incident case thrown out

LJUBLJANA/KOPER - A criminal complaint against a member of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) who allegedly stopped an Italian-Slovenian near the countries' border at gunpoint in May has been thrown out by the Koper district prosecution office for lack of evidence that the soldier had committed the alleged criminal act. The prosecution said there was no evidence that the soldier had committed the reported criminal act.

Wednesday's tests confirm 15 new Covid-19 cases, one person dies

LJUBLJANA - In what is in line with figures that have been fairly stable since the end of June, 15 out of 771 tests for Sars-CoV-2 conducted on Wednesday came back positive. One person died, taking the death toll to 125. There have been 2,223 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Slovenia so far. Presently, 24 patients need hospital care, three of which are in intensive care.

Pahor urges genuine cooperation as world marks 75th anniversary of Hiroshima

LJUBLJANA - Delivering a video message for the international community as part of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, President Borut Pahor urged much more cooperation and shared, genuine efforts to strengthen trust. "Today's anniversary should warn and caution us about where an a world of conflict and hatred can lead," Pahor said.

Financial restructuring of hospitals declared completed

LJUBLJANA - The government declared the project of financial restructuring of hospitals over at a correspondence session on Thursday, determining that the bailout has failed with 13 out of the 15 hospitals that received funds from the state in 2017. The only hospital where the restructuring was concluded before today's government decision was the Jesenice hospital. The government adopted a decree to this effect last July.

Unicredit's first half profit plunges to EUR 1m

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian subsidiary of the Italian banking group Unicredit saw its consolidated profit plunge to EUR 1 million in the first half of 2020 compared to EUR 16 million in the same period last year. Pre-tax profit for Unicredit Banka Slovenija and its leasing arm Unicredit Leasing in the first half was meanwhile down by 94.8%, from EUR 20 million to EUR 1 million.

Chemistry Institute becomes partner to ILL in neutron research

LJUBLJANA - The national Chemistry Institute has signed an agreement with Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), a leading international research centre for neutron scattering, to become its Slovenian partner and a full-fledged scientific member for the next four years. The Chemistry Institute said that it would assume scientific and administrative duties and coordinate the Slovenian neutron research community.

Slovenia successful in securing EUREKA funds

LJUBLJANA - Fourteen Slovenian project secured EUR 4.3 million in EU funding as part of the latest open call of the 2014-2020 Eureka programme, a far greater number than any other participant country, the Economy Ministry said. Both cohesion regions in Slovenia, Western and Eastern Slovenia, will benefit.

Police seize cannabis plants worth EUR 2 million

MURSKA SOBOTA - Police have seized 2,650 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of around EUR 2 million on an island on the river Mura, in what is the biggest cannabis bust in Pomurje region in recent years. Three middle-aged men were arrested and face up to ten years in prison, Murska Sobota police said.

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

06 Aug 2020, 21:11 PM

The British International School of Ljubljana have been busy planning for the upcoming academic year and how best to meet the challenges ahead, as well as the needs of all their students when learning commences at the end of August 2020.

A full review of the premises has already been completed, including a deep clean, room layouts altered, and guidance updated to meet health and safety expectations with a variety of new hygiene provisions for everyone in the building. They continue to plan for smaller classes, outside breaks in spacious areas and a restriction of events where students gather. Following these guidelines, keeping the children safe and healthy is their absolute priority and at the heart of everything that they do.

Along with the preparation of the current building, the school is continuing to expand with developments on the new building now fully visible. This exciting project shows the growth and ambition of the school as it heads towards considerable improvements in the pedagogical facilities, as well as increasing the size of the very popular ‘Woodland Area’. This area was used significantly in the last term with students enjoying a range of outdoor learning experiences, exercising in the open space and learning through play and exploration. With specialist classrooms, open performing spaces and the adjoining woodland area, the students are guaranteed to enjoy and benefit from the improvements to the physical school building.

The most exciting area of improvement is with the quality of education to meet the needs of all of the students in the school. During the planning stage for the coming term, the school has invested heavily in online training for teachers with the Orbital Group eLearning Manager, Zsofia Alibaux Jakab, coordinating all online training to enhance and transform student learning through the Orbital online learning platform. Training sessions will be used to develop lessons, resources and activities to benefit students’ development when they return to school. A wider access to e-learning will benefit all students and give them more choice, variety and enable them to learn in different ways. Staff will have the chance to use a variety of forums, apps and tools to be innovative with the curriculum throughout the school. This will create a personalised experience for all students and build upon the successes identified during the enforced online learning period last term. With a strong English development programme throughout the school, high-quality lessons and now further progress with online learning, this all contributes significantly to the holistic development of each and every child.

BAM_0793.jpg

The Principal, Paul Walton, commented, “We have used this time during the summer effectively to produce impressive online courses, excellent training opportunities for our teachers and time to plan together. The way in which they have embraced the challenge to develop curriculum has been inspiring and they have exceeded expectations with their work ethic and effort to create the best resources for students.”

The school again offered a two-week summer school for their students and, with over 80 participants, it was more popular than ever this year. Students thoroughly enjoyed learning together and were full of energy, happy and safe. During the first term, the school have also created opportunities for ‘enrichment days’ that are free for students outside of the normal timetable. The aim is to provide them with further activities that were restricted due to COVID-19, including team sports, practical activities, science experiments and physical education challenges. This will help students gain valuable life skills and experiences with others together in a safe and secure environment.

The British International School of Ljubljana benefits from being part of the Orbital Education Group, where there is a continued focus on offering a provision of high-quality education across all the schools.

Learn more about the British International School of Ljubljana<. And there's a virtual open day planned for Friday, 14 August, with details here

06 Aug 2020, 17:32 PM

STA, 6 August 2020 - Police have seized 2,650 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of around EUR 2 million in the Lendava area in the north-east in what is the biggest cannabis bust in the Pomurje area in recent years. Three middle-aged men were arrested and face up to ten years in prison.

The plants were grown on an island on the Mura river on a plot measuring 100 X 300 metres. The land has multiple owners, with the biggest being the state, and is just next to the Croatian border.

According to Dejan Ravš, the head of the organised crime unit of the Murska Sobota police department, the bust was made following a tip-off to the Lendava police.

Police occasionally laid in ambush at the site but it was only this Monday morning that three men, aged 40, 45 and 48, appeared at the plantation.

pot marijuana weed slovenia field.PNG

A view from the air of the plantation

All three were arrested and police also confiscated their vehicle.

Since the water level of the Mura is high these days, the cannabis plans were transported from the island by a police helicopter.

The plants were 80-110 centimetres high and could be used to produce at least 600 kilogrammes of high quality marijuana with an estimated street value of around EUR 2 million.

They will be dried and used as evidence before being destroyed. The suspects face from one to ten years in prison.

According to Ravš, this is the biggest cannabis bust in the Pomurje area in recent years. This year, five illegal marijuana growing operations were discovered along with two indoor growing facilities.

06 Aug 2020, 15:33 PM

STA, 6 August 2020 - One in two 29-year-old Slovenians was living with their parents in 2018, whereas in 1991, the year Slovenia gained independence, only 20% of youths had such live-at-home arrangements. In 2018, most young people worked as service or sales workers, with some 80% of those aged 29 having a job.

At the beginning of 2020, there were some 310,000 youths in Slovenia, aged between 15 and 29, which compares to 430,000 in 1991, show the Statistics Office data released prior to International Youth Day, observed on 12 August.

According to recent projections, the number of youths will drop to the lowest level after 2080, when the figure is projected to stand at roughly 280,000. The downward trend will thus soften compared to the decrease seen among young population since independence.

When it comes to young people in Slovenia and their professions, two factors stood out in 2018: they seemed to be less interested in farming - the number of young farmers was down by 31% on the average, and a relatively small share of youths were managers or occupied top positions in the public administration compared to the average across all professions.

Out of the generation which was aged 22 in 2011, more than 90% remained in Slovenia seven years later. More than half of those who had emigrated were students in 2011. Most of the emigrants, aged 22 in 2011, live in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina now.

Taking a look at the financial position of those aged 29 in 2018, the data shows that the median annual gross income for those employed that year was near EUR 16,150, for the unemployed EUR 6,400, for students EUR 5,200 and for other inactive persons EUR 5,800.

The median annual gross income of 29-year-olds, including taxable and non-taxable income, in 2018 was EUR 14,800, which compares to EUR 15,700 for 34-year-olds. The median gross income for the 24-year-olds was meanwhile EUR 9,200. Fewer than half of those aged 24 in 2018 were employed.

29-year-old Slovenians with tertiary education exceeded the average income of those with secondary education by almost 30% in 2018.

International Youth Day was declared by the UN in 1999 to raise awareness about youth issues and stress the role young people have in society. The theme of 2020 International Youth Day focuses on the ways the young engage at local, national and global levels to contribute to institutional politics.

Photo galleries and videos

This websie uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.