The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 9 July 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Government communication on coronavirus “dumb”

STA, 10 July 2020 - The left-wing weekly Mladina is critical in Friday's editorial of the government's communication related to the coronavirus situation. Rather than presenting recommendations to the people as for example the German or Austrian government, the Slovenian government is being "rude, disrespectful and simply dumb", says editor-in-chief Grega Repovž.

Not only is the government blaming the people for the situation, making threats and patronising them, its communication is even becoming "extremely harmful".

According to Repovž, the main problem is government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

His statements about Slovenians not understanding that 50 people means 50, not 50 plus another 50, is sending the message to the people that they are idiots and irresponsible.

"Anyone familiar with the basics of communication knows that such threats may be efficient for a (very) short time, but in the long run they lead only to the loss of credibility and authority of the person making them."

Repovž is particularly bothered by Kacin's statements about young people, describing them as "irresponsible and also a little bit dumb beings".

But the most disturbing according to Repovž was Kacin's statement about picnics he made on Tuesday, when he urged people not to invite "people from other cultural and national environments" to their picnics.

He says "such open xenophobia" should not be allowed.

"Wise governments are building bridges of trust with citizens nowadays, asking them, addressing them as partners, co-citizens, presenting them recommendations. Others have Jelko Kacin as the official spokesperson," Repovž says under the headline Main Pest.

Demokracija: Janša's letter to Šketa not controversial

STA, 9 July 2020 - The right-wing weekly Demokracija argues in its latest editorial that the letter that Prime Minister Janez Janša sent to State Prosecutor General Drago Šketa over the anti-government protests is in no way controversial. What is controversial is the investigation of Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, it says.

Elaborating on the claim about Šketa, editor-in-chief Jože Biščak says that one must distinguish between the justice system and judiciary.

"The justice system is a much broader notion, encompassing state prosecutions, lawyers and notaries; so next to judges also those performing duties related to court activities who definitely are not part of the judicial branch.

"The prosecution thus definitely falls under the executive branch of power, which means that it is autonomous but not independent (as for example justice) or untouchable."

It is clear who is in charge of the executive branch of power, so Janša's letter to Šketa in which he expressed criticism over the passivity of the prosecution in the face of inciting to violence during protests is no interference in the other branch of power but a warning of a superior to an inferior.

"With this letter Janša did not interfere with the prosecutors' independence or conduct political pressure," Biščak argues.

What is controversial, however, is the house searches that were conducted at Minister Počivalšek's home last week and him being placed in custody.

This clearly shows how alive the deep state is and that it is choosing no means in its efforts to bring down the government.

Počivalšek was suspected on misusing public funds in the procurement of protective equipment during the epidemic. But the public funds could not have been misused yet.

He was placed in custody due to the risk of flight but where could he possibly go, Biščak wonders. Another argument was that he might repeat the crime, but where is the guarantee that he will not repeat it after release.

And the third argument was that public broadcaster RTV Slovenija had reported about it. "RTV Slovenija as a key reference for an investigation, are you out of your mind?"

All this can mean only one thing: that the National Bureau of Investigation and the prosecution in cooperation with investigating judge Mojca Kocjančič (former wife of Aleš Zalar and the judge who saved Zoran Janković by excluding key evidence) have come up with a scheme that serves the interests of known political groups.

"Why Počivalšek was picked to be the scapegoat was even publicly stated in the 'official gazette' of the deep state (Mladina): because he is the weakest link on the way to the SDS and Janez Janša. It is hard to imagine a clearer laying out of the principle 'first discrediting then liquidating'", Biščak says under Dear Prosecutors, Are You Serious.

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 10 July 2020 - Anti-government protests resumed for the 12th Friday running in Ljubljana and some other Slovenian towns, with calls in support of independent media added to the list of demands. Also targeted were those who protesters said supported the "unbearable situation" in the country through inaction.

The protests in the capital were centred on the huge square in front of the parliament building which had not been fenced off, but there was considerable police presence, as an anti-protest by government supporters wearing yellow vests was also held simultaneously.

Medtem ko po ljubljanskih ulicah poteka protivladni shod, nekaj deset "rumenih jopičev", ki so jih obkrožili policisti, pred DZ-jem vladi izraža podporo. #petkovprotest pic.twitter.com/OCyAIvmrFN

— Miha Zavrtanik (@MihaZavrtanik) July 10, 2020

Protesters, many of whom arrived on bicycles, presented a variety of demands, including freedom of movement, decision-making, assembly and speech. They slammed corruption, stealing of public money, the government's attitude to NGOs as well as to the media. They also spoke out against the contact tracing app.

Protesters from the western Primorska region and the neighbouring Italy expressed their opposition to what they called historical revisionism and to the planned laying of wreaths by President Borut Pahor at the Foiba of Basovizza memorial, which they see as treason.

#petkoviprotesti pic.twitter.com/jkGnCBZqtf

— Miha Zavrtanik (@MihaZavrtanik) July 10, 2020

For the third time the anti-government protesters were joined by government supporters, some of whom said they wanted to symbolise the voice of conventional workers who they said the "Marxist international" had forgotten about.

Carrying Slovenian flags, the yellow vests voiced their opposition to the Antifa movement, calling out slogans such as being a patriot did not mean being a fascist.

#petkovprotest pic.twitter.com/UQMiIT57Ze

— Miha Zavrtanik (@MihaZavrtanik) July 10, 2020

The anti-government protesters argued that politics was artificially dividing the nation, they said they too fought for Slovenia and that antifascists were not terrorists.

Many of the anti-government protesters were wearing face masks and some wore carnival costumes to mirror the "political political masquerade" in the country.

Touring the streets of Ljubljana, mostly on bicycles, they stopped at the headquarters of junior coalition partners, accusing them of condoning bad practices.

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:

Slovenian, Croatian PMs to step up Covid-19 cooperation

OTOČEC - In a meeting focusing exclusively on the countries' efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia, Janez Janša and Andrej Plenković, agreed the countries' epidemiologists would be in contact about the situation on a daily basis. "All of us are aware that only coordinated action can be effective in this situation," Janša told the press. Plenković assured Slovenian tourists they were safe in Croatia, while Janša commended the country on its action to contain the virus and its plan to introduce a contact tracing app. Several ministers and other officials accompanied the two PMs to their first in-person meeting at Otočec Castle.

Janša asks interior minister to reconsider resignation

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša has asked Aleš Hojs to reconsider his decision to step down as interior minister. "We are in a situation when we need an interior minister who's operational 24 hours a day," Janša said in an interview with the public broadcaster TV Slovenija. Janša said he had not yet opened Hojs's resignation letter. He would open it unless Hojs changed his mind, but only after he had a replacement for him. Hojs resigned on 30 June after police conducted a series of searches sa part of the investigation into the purchasing of medical equipment. He called the probe politically motivated.

Logar agrees to boost dialogue with French counterpart

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian agreed in a phone call to boost political dialogue in anticipation of the countries' successive spells at the presidency of the Council of the EU. Logar also expressed Slovenia's interest in enhancing the strategic partnership with France. According to the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, the ministers also talked about the Covid-19 pandemic and international issues, in particular the situation in the Western Balkans.

Slovenia records 17 new coronavirus infections

LJUBLJANA - Seventeen out of 1,390 coronavirus tests came back positive on Thursday, a slight increase from 13 the day before. Sixteen people needed hospital treatment. Today, the number of active cases reached 11.34 per 100,000 people. Ten infections per 100,000 inhabitants has been the benchmark used by Slovenia to de-list countries as coronavirus safe. Nevertheless, the National Institute for Public Health said the situation was under control. Meanwhile, a preliminary follow-up report on the April nationwide antibody study, which originally estimated 2-4% or one in thirty Slovenians had probably been exposed to the novel coronavirus, downgraded the estimate to 0-2.8%.

MPs upset by potentially unauthorised access to their files

LJUBLJANA - Coalition New Slovenia (NSi) MP Jožef Horvat revealed that his personal data kept by the police had been accessed on several occasions between November 2019 and May 2020. While he alleges he was under a kind of police surveillance under the Marjan Šarec government, police officials explained that police officers could access such files only for the purpose of doing their job. Several other MPs came forward with the same accusation, while Šarec denied having ordered anyone to look into the records. He said the information commissioner was already investigating the matter.

Culture Ministry unveils media reform, RTV Slovenija facing major cuts

LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry published on Thursday proposals for extensive changes to the media act, the act on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija (RTVS) and the act on the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The changes, which reportedly include a EUR 13 million cut for RTVS, will be subject to public debate until 15 July. Amendments to the STA act include provisions governing the appointment of supervisors, who are to be appointed by the government, and the dismissal of the STA director. The opposition spoke strongly against the legislation, including the short public consultation period, while junior coalition partners said the bills had not been agreed within the coalition.

EU report finds trust in judiciary increasing in Slovenia

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission presented an overview of the situation in the judiciary which shows efficiency and accessibility of EU justice systems had improved in the majority of member states. And while trust in the judiciary continues to fall in some member states, it has been gradually improving in Slovenia for several years. January's Eurobarometer survey shows that trust is gradually improving in Slovenia, up three percentage points in January 2020 from January 2018, after the country was among the worst rated member states for years.

State Attorney challenges decision allowing Thompson concert

LJUBLJANA - The State Attorney's Office triggered an administrative dispute targeting a recent decision of the Interior Ministry to lift a ban on concerts by Croatian nationalist performer Marko Perković Thompson. The office argues that irrespective of whether a concert is to be organised, the permit alone is a violation of human dignity, Delo reported. According to the State Attorney's Office, the lifting of the ban, originally issued for a 2017 concert, can be understood by the public in terms of the authorities expressing tolerance towards the glorying of the Ustasha regime.

Friday protesters continue

LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protests resumed for the 12th Friday running in Ljubljana and some other Slovenian towns, with calls in support of independent media added to the list of demands. Also targeted were those who protesters said supported the "unbearable situation" in the country through inaction. The protests in the capital were centred on the huge square in front of the parliament building which had not been fenced off, but there was considerable police presence, as an anti-protest by government supporters wearing yellow vests was also held simultaneously.

MPs reject report on paediatric cardiology

LJUBLJANA - Parliament voted against an extensive report on the responsibility of politicians for dysfunctional child heart surgery at Slovenia's main hospital, UKC Ljubljana, in 2007-2018, but nevertheless decided to send it to the police and prosecution to investigate the suspicion of criminal acts it points to. In a 35:29 vote, the MPs decided to send the 150-page interim report to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Specialised State Prosecution. However, only 35 MPs voted in favour of the main findings of the report, against 38.

Historian Mitja Ferenc receives Austrian decoration

LJUBLJANA - Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen bestowed the grand state decoration on historian and researcher Mitja Ferenc for academic achievements. The award was conferred on Ferenc, who is a professor of contemporary history at the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts, by Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia Sigrid Berka on Thursday.

Exports down 6% in first five months, imports drop 11.5%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports decreased by 6% to EUR 13.2 billion in first five months of the year, while imports fell by 11.5% to EUR 12.5 billion, Statistics Office data show. In May, exports were down by 19.8% year-on-year to EUR 2.38 billion and imports fell 22.4% to EUR 2.21 billion for an export to import ratio of 107.8%. Slovenia recorded an external trade surplus in all of the first five months of 2020, the surplus in all five months combined amounting to EUR 726.9 million, the export-import ratio was 105.8.

Govt proposes Simič and Emeršič for SSH supervisors

LJUBLJANA - The government asked the National Assembly to appoint tax expert Ivan Simič and former long-serving chairman of insurer Grawe Božo Emeršič new supervisors of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), the custodian of state assets. The Finance Ministry put forward the pair from six candidates proposed by a vetting commission based on two calls for applications. If appointed by parliament, Simič and Emeršič will replace Duško Kos and Damjan Belič, whose terms run out in mid-July.

NSi vice-president appointed DARS CEO

LJUBLJANA - After the management of the state-run motorway company DARS resigned, the supervisory board appointed a new management board, with vice-president of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi) Valentin Hajdinjak becoming the new CEO. DARS said the management stepped down by mutual agreement. Apart from Hajdinjak, the new board includes Boštjan Rigler, who already served on the board in 2007, former Infrastructure Minister Peter Gašperšič and Romana Fišer.

Industrial output up in monthly, down in annual comparison

LJUBLJANA - After two consecutive all-time high monthly contractions, Slovenia's industrial output expanded by 9% in April. But in annual comparison, a 16.9% drop was still recorded, data from the Statistics Office show. The monthly growth was driven by the output in manufacturing, where production grew by 10.2%. In electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and in mining and quarrying it declined by 0.1% and 1.1%, respectively.

Fantastic film festival kicks off in north-east

ORMOŽ - The 16th Grossmann Fantastic Film and Wine Festival gets under way today. Following a weekend in Ormož, the festival will move to Ljutomer on Tuesday, altogether featuring almost 30 full-length films, seven musical documentaries and 30 short films from 27 countries. All festival awards will be presented on 18 July when the festival wraps up in Ljutomer.

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

STA, 10 July - A preliminary follow-up report on the April nationwide antibody study, which originally estimated 2-4% or one in thirty Slovenians had probably been exposed to the novel coronavirus, has downgraded the estimate to 0-2.8%.

The report was presented on Friday by Mario Poljak, a researcher at the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, which led the study.

Poljak explained that the first estimate, presented on 6 May, had presumed a too high reliability of antibody tests and that the revised figures, based on new discoveries, are likely to be further fine-tuned in future follow-up reports, the final one being expected in November.

The researcher stressed that the antibody part of the study, executed with serological tests, had been far less relevant than the segment establishing only two positive Sars-CoV-2 cases in a representative sample of 1,368.

While explaining that the reliability estimate for the swab tests remained unchanged, Poljak argued this had been the figure that allowed the authorities to start easing restrictions.

Also important will be the follow-up findings based on reports being collected from all the participants of the study every three weeks to monitor their health condition and that of their remaining household members.

Slovenia records 17 new coronavirus infections on Thursday

STA, 10 July 2020 - Seventeen out of 1,390 coronavirus tests came back positive on Thursday, a slight increase from 13 the day before, which was the lowest daily tally since 30 June. Sixteen people needed hospital treatment, one more than on Wednesday. None of the patients was in intensive care and nobody was released from hospital, government data show.

Nuška Čakš Jager of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) told the press that the number of active cases in the country yesterday had been estimated at 236.

A slightly bigger increase in the number of cases was recorded in care homes but they all stem from known cases. The number of infections among medical staff has also risen.

The curve in Slovenia has been rising but daily fluctuations are being recorded, said Čakš Jager, noting that the daily count was around 20. The situation in Croatia is similar, but the rise is steeper there, she said.

In Slovenia, the number of active cases reached 11.34 per 100,000 people today, she said. Ten infections per 100,000 inhabitants has been the benchmark used by Slovenia to de-list countries as coronavirus safe. Nevertheless, Čakš Jager said the situation was under control.

Quarantine has been proposed by the NIJZ for 762 people who have been in close contact with infected persons. Twenty-five of these persons later tested positive.

Nine infections have been recorded among those who were ordered quarantine after entering Slovenia from a risky country.

The Health Inspectorate has carried out 1,876 inspections of the quarantine requirements since Saturday.

According to government spokesperson Jelko Kacin, 585 people were found to be respecting restrictions imposed on them, while 25 persons did not and will be punished. In nine cases, access to private property was not possible and in 30 cases wrong information was given to the authorities.

In 15 cases, nobody answered the door, and in 50 cases the inspectors were unable to find the right apartment in multi-apartment buildings.

Kacin said an increased oversight would also be conducted over bars and restaurants this weekend.

Among the 132 confirmed coronavirus cases in a week, 73 were linked to a local source. The number of infections from an unknown source also rose.

Among the imported cases, most came from Croatia, followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

So far, a total of 1,793 infections have been confirmed in Slovenia and 111 people have died of the Covid-19 disease.

STA, 10 July 2020 - Slovenia's exports decreased by 6% to EUR 13.2 billion in first five months of the year, while imports fell by 11.5% to EUR 12.5 billion, show Statistics Office data released on Friday. In May, exports were down by 19.8% year-on-year to EUR 2.38 billion and imports by 22.4% to EUR 2.21 billion for an export to import ratio of 107.8%.

Slovenia recorded an external trade surplus in all of the first five months of 2020, the surplus in all five months combined amounting to EUR 726.9 million. In this period, the export to import ratio was 105.8%.

As for May, the office noted that the year-on-year decrease was smaller than in April, when exports were down 28.8% year-on-year and imports by 41.2%.

It said the negative effect of the epidemic on external trade in goods had been reduced somewhat, while adding the significant annual decline in April was also due to exceptionally high value of imports in April last year.

In May the export to import ratio was 107.8%; a surplus of EUR 172.1 million was generated in external trade in goods. The May external trade surplus is the second highest this year and the highest of the four May surpluses recorded after 2010.

Exports to EU member states in May amounted to EUR 1.53 billion (down 29.0% year-on-year) and imports to EUR 1.51 billion (30.7% less).

"Trade with this group of countries grew continuously from October 2016 until the second half of last year, when the effects of economic cooling began to show. The epidemic negatively affected trade with the EU already in March 2020 and even more in April and May," the Statistics Office wrote.

As for trade with countries outside the EU, Slovenia exported goods worth EUR 848 million in May (up 4.5% y/y) and imported goods worth EUR 693.9 million (up 5.0%).

"Since the end of 2018, we have been recording high growth rates of trade with this group of countries, the trend continued in May, however the growth was significantly reduced by the epidemic."

More on this data can be found here

STA, 10 July 2020 - The Culture Ministry published on Thursday proposals for extensive changes to the media act, the act on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija (RTVS) and the act on the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The changes, which reportedly include a EUR 13 million cut for RTVS, will be subject to public debate until 15 July.

In line with the proposal affecting RTVS, 3% of the funds it collects in a year through the compulsory licence fee, presently at EUR 12.75 per household, would go to the STA and 5% to other media or what is described as the fulfilling of public interest in the media.

It is also envisaged that the public broadcaster lose revenue from its transmitting business, which would be transferred onto a new fully state-owned company. RTVS has assessed the total cuts at EUR 13 million a year.

The lost income is meant to be compensated with laxer restrictions on advertising, while changes to the media act, "aiming to enable more competitive conditions on the market" also speak of the relaxation of certain programme responsibilities.

The media act moreover received and expanded definition of public interest to include the notion of plurality, which is further elaborated as ownership plurality, world view plurality, and "media offer" plurality that involves things like genre and geographical diversity.

The proposal additionally explicitly mentions the role of courts when it comes to provisions prohibiting the incitement of national, racial, sexual, ideological or other forms of hatred and intolerance. Also, the right to demand a correction of a report is redefined as the right to secure a correction.

The changes moreover affect Slovenian music quotas, envisaging that Slovenian music must account for at least 20% of all music aired on radio or TV during daytime hours.

Meanwhile, key novelties in the act on the STA include provisions governing the appointment of supervisors and the dismissal of the STA director.

Under the proposal, new supervisors - presently appointed by parliament - could be appointed by the government within 15 days after the implementation of the act. The reasoning provided is that the STA, although state-owned and partially state-funded, is a limited liability company and that companies act rules should apply.

"This also secures more consistent responsibility for the management and operations," the proposal says, while newly listing among the reasons for the dismissal of the director a no-confidence vote by the majority of supervisors and "the inability to lead the STA".

Moreover, the article of the STA act talking about the principles of independence and impartiality would no longer contain the part stating that the STA must not become dependent - de facto, or legally - on any ideological, political or economic grouping.

While Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti started presenting the changes to deputy groups last week, the first public reactions have highlighted the short time being provided for public debate given the extent of the changes.

The head of the junior coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), Aleksandra Pivec, said on Thursday that the party had not yet studied the proposal and that the party's leadership and MPs would discuss it next week.

The head of the opposition Left, Luka Mesec, wrote that the government was out to "replace the leadership of the STA, starve out RTV Slovenija and establish some kind of media fund that would feed TV stations like Nova24", which is associated with the senior coalition Democrats (SDS).

Mesec added the changes said a lot about the priorities of the government, which is not focusing on healthcare but on "staffing at state-owned companies, machinations at the police force and the usurpation of public media". "Thus, defending the media is crucial if we want to defend democracy in Slovenia," the Left wrote.

The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) responded by inviting fellow opposition parties to sign a demand for an emergency session of the parliamentary Culture Committee and the session has already been called for 15 July.

Coalition partners that have commented so far, mostly commented on Wednesday on the proposed changes to the act on RTVS. The SDS said it supported the idea to distribute part of the RTVS licence fee to other media, while the Modern Centre Party (SMC) warned the Culture Ministry that attention should be paid to securing greater independence of the public broadcaster. New Slovenia (NSi) has not commented yet.

Meanwhile, Faculty of Social Sciences professor Marko Milosavljević was critical of the public debate only being given six days, telling the paper Večer that the Culture Ministry should also be interested in having well written laws.

Milosavljević welcomed the fact that some of the solutions put forward by previous teams at the Culture Ministry had been taken into account, for instance that decision making on concentration of media ownership, aimed at prohibiting concentrations that would run contrary to public interest, is being transferred to the Competition Protection Agency.

STA, 9 July 2020 - Krka Group sales revenue grew by 6% year on year to EUR 803.8 million in the first half of the year, according to preliminary estimates. Net profit of the pharmaceutical group grew by 15% to EUR 160.3 million, Krka said on Thursday.

Sales of products and services were the highest in east Europe, standing at EUR 271.7 million, up 8% from the first six months in 2019.

Russia, which is Krka's largest individual market, added EUR 180.2 million to the total sales, which is also 8% more than a year ago.

Most other markets in east Europe and central Asia also recorded growth.

In Central Europe, where the group generates 22.8% of sales, sales were up by 8% to EUR 182.7 million. Western Europe follows with EUR 181.6 million, up 7% from the same period last year.

In SE Europe, where 12.9% of total sales are generated, it topped EUR 103.5 million.

Meanwhile, a 15% drop was recorded on the Slovenian market, where sales reached EUR 38.3 million.

The group attributes the drop to a 46% drop in the sales of health and tourism services because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Slovenian market accounts for 4.8% of total sales.

Krka sold EUR 24 million worth of products overseas, which is 2% less than in the same period last year.

In the January-June period, Krka sold EUR 753.2 million worth of products, of which EUR 691.7 million came from prescription drugs and EUR 61.5 million from over-the-counter drugs. The sale of the former increased by 8% and of the later decreased by 2%.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached EUR 216.7 million, a 40% year-on-year increase, while earnings before income tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were up by 30% to EUR 273 million.

Krka registered four new products in the first six months of the year, three prescription drugs and one over-the-counter drug.

The group, which employed 11,658 people at the end of June or 12,751 if agency workers are included, estimates investments in the first six months at EUR 30 million.

The preliminary data was presented by CEO Jože Colarič at today's annual shareholders meeting. Krka also said in a press release published on the web site of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange that this year sales were expected to reach EUR 1.52 billion, while net profit should top EUR 210 million.

The group plans to allocate EUR 134 million for investment, and spend 10% of sales revenue for R&D.

Krka also announced a dividend of EUR 4.25 gross per share this year, EUR 1.05 more than in 2019.

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 sees lowest coronavirus daily count this month

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 13 new coronavirus cases yesterday from 1,271 tests performed, the lowest daily tally since 30 June, follows from data released by the government. However, the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients has risen by one to 15 even though one patient was discharged yesterday. There are currently 230 confirmed active cases in the country. Health Minister Tomaž Gantar told TV Slovenija last night the epidemic was expected to peak by the end of the month after which the curve should turn downwards.

MPs pass new coronacrisis package, envisage contact tracing app

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed a legislative package meant to prepare Slovenia for the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic, including with a legal basis for a contact tracing app. The app, which the government wants to make compulsory for Sars-CoV-2-positive and quarantined persons, took flack from the left-leaning opposition, part of which spoke of a too grave interference in human rights and of a constitutional challenge, but the bill was passed in a 50:23 vote. The bill brings several other measures, notably an extension of the furlough scheme by a month.

PM keen for EU recovery plan not to depart much from Commission proposal

BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša summed up Slovenia's goals in the negotiations on the EU's 2021-27 budget and recovery plan in Brussels by saying the final agreement should be as close as possible to the European Commission's proposal and that it should be clinched as soon as possible. Janša met President of the European Council Charles Michel and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as well as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He told Stoltenberg that Slovenia planned to invest EUR 780 million in equipment and in better working conditions for Slovenian soldiers in 2021-2026. Stoltenberg said he was counting on Slovenia to continue to strengthen defence spending. Janša and von der Leyen said they discussed European issues.

FM deems first mission to Brussels successful

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Anže Logar labelled his first trip to Brussels since assuming office in mid-March as successful. Logar said he anticipated close cooperation with all the top EU officials he met during the visit, which focussed on discussing Slovenia's approaching EU Council presidency. The talks mostly revolved around the country's preparations for the presidency in the second half of 2021. The foreign minister met the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhely, European Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn, Miroslav Lajčak, the EU's special representative for the Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue, and Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP) in EU parliament.

PM Janša to meet Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković

LJUBLJANA - A meeting between Prime Minister Janez Janša and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković is scheduled in Slovenia's Otočec this Friday. The news was announced by the spokesperson of the Croatian government and later confirmed by Janša's office. Bilateral relations and a joint fight against Sars-CoV-2 were among the topics on the agenda. This will be the first meeting of the two prime ministers in person after they talked several times on the phone amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Last Saturday Slovenia removed Croatia from the green list of epidemiology safe countries from which entrance into Slovenia is possible without restrictions.

Police say illegal migration into Slovenia on the rise again

LJUBLJANA - After restrictions imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic suppressed illegal migration into Slovenia, a renewed rise in the numbers trying to cross the border illegally is now being recorded. Police handled 4,993 instances of illegal border crossing between 1 January and 30 June, a decrease of 12.4% compared to the same period last year, but according to Interior Ministry State secretary Franc Kangler the six-month statistics in fact reflected the situation in three months only, as there was little illegal migration when the border was closed.

Logar to study proposal for withdrawal from global migration compact

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced the Foreign Ministry would examine a proposal from the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee for Slovenia to withdraw from the global compact for migration, just like it examines all committee proposals it receives. Committee chair Branko Grims (SDS) argued at Wednesday's session the agreement was but a dead letter and that by withdrawing from it, Slovenia would give a clear signal to illegal migrants that it did not want to be a destination country. While the motion was passed in a 8:0 vote, committee members from the opposition LMŠ and SD said they abstained, finding the motion unworthy of a vote, while coalition SMC hailed the compact as a political act that promotes, at the highest level, the respect for human rights.

Pivec enjoys support of DeSUS leadership

LJUBLJANA - The leadership of the junior coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) expressed support to Aleksandra Pivec to carry on as party leader after she was publicly criticised by a regional faction of the party earlier this week. Pivec said it was ideological topics that are an issue for some party members. "I've never said there are no second thoughts among the membership about joining the coalition," she said, noting similar reservations had surfed whenever DeSUS had joined a right-leaning government. The party is now in for a lot of work to implement its commitments from the coalition agreement, foremost a long-term care bill as well as the establishment of a demographic fund and a government office for demographic affairs plus raising pensions, Pivec added.

Krka Group sales up 6% in H1, profit up 15% to EUR 160.3m, AGM decides on high dividend

NOVO MESTO - Krka Group sales revenue grew by 6% year on year to EUR 803.8 million in the first half of the year, according to estimates. Net profit of the pharmaceutical group grew by 15% to EUR 160.3 million. The preliminary data was presented at the annual shareholders meeting, where it was decided that shareholders will get a dividend of EUR 4.25 gross per share this year, which is EUR 1.05 more than in 2019. Economist Matej Lahovnik, the chief adviser to the government on the anti-coronavirus stimulus legislation, became one of the four supervisors.

Vizjak says hydro power, nuclear plants crucial for Slovenia's future

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said at the Green Energy Summit in Brdo pri Kranju that he could not imagine Slovenia's energy future without the planned hydropower plants and the second reactor at the Krško Nuclear Power Plant. The minister announced a long-term strategy for decarbonisation that will address some major energy issues would be sent into public debate in the coming months.

State loan guarantee scheme to be fully operational in autumn

LJUBLJANA - SID Bank, the state-run export and development bank, will provide for efficient implementation of the government loan guarantee scheme to allow commercial banks to provide much needed liquidity to businesses. It expects the scheme to be up and running efficiently in the autumn.

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

In an online event called Europe Uncensored: European Leaders on the Future of Europe, organised by the Foundation for a Civic Hungary, Slovenian PM Janez Janša joined with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in addressing what they believe are Europe's greatest challenges of the day.  

In short, according to Janša and Orban these seem to be mainly the “progressive liberal leftists”, as Orban has called the ideological problem one needs to fight on the inside, or “Cultural Marxism” as Janša has called the same thing, while on the outside the EU is facing immigration and other external threats. Vučić joined in by calling for the mutual respect of differences among the European countries and offered the Serbian army to join the prospective European armed forces.

The event’s moderator, the French philosopher, MEP and Deputy Mayor of Versailles. François-Xavier Bellamy, opened with a conceptual progression from the End of History towards the Clash of Civilizations, before the “special club of freedom fighters”, as Orban referred to the group, followed with a speech by Vučić, then Janša and finally Orban, the organiser of the event.

Orban however did not really organise the event himself, as he corrected his fellow participants after they thanked him for his efforts, and explained that the event was organised by the Foundation for a Civic Hungary , and he only contributed the names of the speakers he considered worth listening to.

The online meeting was also advertised on the official government website of the Republic of Slovenia, where the Slovenian translation of Janez Janša's speech with a commentary was also subsequently published. The speech of the Slovenian PM should therefore be understood as the official position of the Slovenian government.

Predsednik vlade @JJansaSDS: "Vse izzive lahko zmoremo, če se bomo vrnili k našim vrednotam. Boriti se moramo za našo identiteto, za ljudi, za našo dediščino, za našo svobodo, za naš način življenja, kajti to bo naša prihodnost."#EuropeUncensored pic.twitter.com/WFPpvgmmXL

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) July 8, 2020

Janša: Golden Age of Dreams of a Whole and Free Europe

Janša began with a statement of Brexit being a “strategic catastrophe” that threw Europe out of its balance of power. The future of Europe therefore, according to him, depends on the solution to the question of the balance of power.

He then described what he calls “the golden era”, the enlargement period when everybody was optimistically speaking of Europe being whole and free, the era of “leaving the old world behind during the democratic changes”.

Then, however, the reality struck and among the “challenges” we are facing today Janša lists problems with the adoption of the EU constitution, the financial crisis, 2015 migrant crisis and the latest Covid19 epidemic. These issues pointed to some “unfinished projects” within the EU and the inability of various institutions to tackle them.

Mishandling of the migration crisis in 2015 contributed a certain percentage of votes in support of Brexit, concludes Janša, offering a possible cause for the “strategic catastrophe” he opened his speech with.

Janša : Institutional Changes Should Not be Europe’s Greatest Priority

Institutions, international in this case, also failed us in the current pandemic. For example, continued the Slovenian Prime Minister in his speech, global institutions such as the WHO, which have been created to prevent such things, were caught completely unprepared and for several weeks the European Union looked as if “in the Middle Ages”, with fences, walls and curfews, confiscations of medical equipment, without any real cooperation in place. The crisis is not over yet and the only way to avoid another lockdown is to focus on measures that work. We can only maintain our relatively normal lives by an introduction of app to monitor the spread of the virus, one app for the whole continent first, then perhaps one for the entire world if there is still no vaccine available.

This is no time on having big dreams about European institutions, Janša claimed, as this would create new instabilities. We need to stabilize the EU, we need realistic pragmatic steps forward.

Janša then proceeded with a proposal that gave Vučić’ membership in the “freedom fighters’ club” some substance. The Schengen border should extend to match the borders of the  EU and the EU should expand and incorporate the Balkan countries who would like to join it. “This is the strategic answer made by Brexit and the fulfilment of the promise to make Europe whole and free.”

Janša: The Main Threat to Europe is “Cultural Marxism”

Following his dismissal of the institutional changes being the main field in which we could tackle the problems of today, Janša then moved to the core point of his speech.

“Ideologically, the main threat to Europe is Cultural Marxism. I have been following what has been going on and I can clearly see the same formula, which was written in Communist Manifesto, written 200 and some years ago. To create a new world you need to dismantle family, private property, private schools, religion. And this is going on now. And it is obvious, there is massive offensive going on through mass media, universities, cultural industry, multinational institutions, some political parties. Everyone who stands against it is called a fascist, populist and heavily attacked from all sides. And we need a more united front against this, because this is the key issue, this is a battle for our way of life, this is the battle for Western civilization and in this battle much more is at stake than institutions only or EU only.”

According to Janša, the main problem within this “battle for Western civilization” is the demographic issue, as “if there are no Europeans, if there is no population which is sharing our values then everything is lost”.

With regard to immigration policy, Janša stated that he is against the migration policy as a “final solution” to the demographic problems of Europe. Immigration can only be treated as a demographic complement, since “cultural, economic and security considerations of migration need to be taken into account” or else the consequences can cause problems for all the partners inside of the European Union.

Janša: European Values are values of the European Christian Democrats

If some ideas can be too old, others are never old enough in Janša’s search for an appropriate origin. Borrowing the term from the 18^th century, when the world was ruled exclusively by men, and inserting it into the 20^th century Europe, Janša stated that “the founding fathers, which were all Christian democrats” created the European Union in order to prevent the sad history from repeating itself. The European Union was created as a union of values, he said, and continues that it was the success of the early years of the European project which provided the “free world” with the power needed to dismantle the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall, thereby allowing for the unification of Europe.

This process has not yet been completed, warns Janša, and finds the answer to European problems in returning to the original European values, and then to “fight for our people, for our nations, for our freedom for our way of life and for our future” which is a “noble challenge” of today’s “European central right, the Christian Democrats”.

Although all three speakers emphasized the importance of respect for political and ideological differences, little space for understanding respect as a two directional position was left after Orban’s speech in which he praised Janša as “the bravest anti-Communist in Europe”.

Orban’s main concern was in Europe’s “retreat”, a statement he supported with data showing a decline in Europe’s global relative economic output, population and military spending. Furthermore, Orban repeated the “balance of power” issue, which has been dramatically changed by Brexit with Germany sitting on the European throne again after it was “bombed into the Middle ages 75 years ago.” And thirdly, European politicians have a tendency to tell others in the world how to run their countries while they cannot even solve their own problems at home.

As for the solutions at hand, Orban cited two contesting socio-political models, “conceptions of Europe” which are the “progressive liberal leftist” in which “they promote multiculturalism, they are pushing over pro-migration policy, they follow an anti-family policy, they want to get rid of the concept of nation and nation state and they consider irrelevant the Christian social teaching”. The other conception of Europe is the opposite image of the first and is, albeit not without traitors, according to Orban, the ideological foundation of the European People’s Party (EPP). That is “a concept of the future of Europe, which is based on Christian culture that we have inherited, which cherishes the Christian social teaching, deeply anti-communist, pro-family, and it treats national identity as a value, which needs to be preserved.”

So with these two contesting “conceptualisations” within Europe, what can we do, asked Orban, having such differences, how can we stay together?

In an answer to this question, Orban then made a great leap forward and suddenly ascribed the previously discussed internal ideological division to an external attack on sovereign states: “the West should not impose its views on the Eastern countries. We need to learn to tolerate our differences again. We the Central Europeans should not go and tell the Westerners how they should go and run their countries. So if we are ready to accept that kind of differences even in terms of the vision of the future we can manage to live together and keep together the Union as a whole.”

In case someone is still missing the function of the reiterated issue of the change in balance of power within the EU, Orban concluded his speech emphasizing the importance of the European grand strategy over the minor matter of human rights. To the problem of who then is to be the one to design the European grand strategy? “On the birthday of the EPP i wish it was the EPP to be the one.”

The full event is available here.

STA, 8 July 2020 - Parliament did not receive a formal notification of Interior Minister Aleš Hojs's 30 July resignation by the Tuesday midnight deadline. This raises the question of whether PM Janez Janša did not accept it and whether Hojs is staying on. The Prime Minister has seven days to inform the speaker about a minister's resignation.

Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič confirmed for the STA on Wednesday that the National Assembly had not received the formal written notification.

The notification is a basis on which MPs get acquainted with the resignation, thus making it effective.

The Prime Minister's office has not yet provided an explanation, while Hojs said when asked whether he was staying on, that this was in the Prime Minister's hands.

He told the press as he arrived for a government session this morning that he and Janša had not discussed whether he would perhaps like to stay on.

Hojs thus does not know whether Janša has accepted his resignation, but said that when he had tended the resignation, he had understood Janša accepted it.

Hojs understands he is apparently still minister if the Prime Minister has not sent the resignation to Parliament.

The minister stepped down on 30 June when the police carried out several house searches, including at the home of Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, as part of a probe into alleged wrongdoing in the procurement of personal protection equipment during the epidemic.

Hojs, who told the press then that "the Prime Minster has accepted my irrevocable resignation", had assessed the probe was politically motivated and "assumed political responsibility" for it by irrevocably resigning together with the police commissioner.

Had the resignation notification arrived in parliament by the deadline, the National Assembly would have put it on the agenda of the plenary which starts tomorrow.

It now also remains to be seen what happens with a dismissal motion four left-leaning opposition parties filed against Hojs after the Interior Ministry lifted a ban on a concert by controversial Croatian singer Marko Perković Thompson.

Hojs sent his reply to the interpellation motion to parliament on 24 June. If the National Assembly does not get the notification of his resignation, the motion could be put on the parliament's September plenary.

The four opposition parties are critical of the Hojs development, with the largest one, the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) saying the minister and the government were making fun not only of the opposition, but also of citizens and all institutes Slovenia has.

The parties will insist on the dismissal motion. "I believe we'll successfully defend the dismissal motion in September if Hojs does not step down," said Matjaž Han, Social Democrat (SD) deputy group head.

Just like the LMŠ, the SD believes Janša's not sending the resignation notification to parliament is a smokescreen diverting the people's attention from more important issues, such as the fourth stimulus package, which that be debated in parliament tomorrow.

In "a normal government" sending a resignation notification to parliament should be business as usual, said Jernej Pavlič of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

Similarly, the Left believes this shows the government and the prime minister are incompetent, being unable to send a piece of paper to parliament in seven days.

Deputy group head Matej T. Vatovec said missing the deadline while Hojs publicly resigned was "problematic, encroached on democratic standards, creating confusion between the government and parliament".