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25 Aug 2022, 15:47 PM

STA, 24 August 2022 - Slovenia and Poland will co-host the Volleyball Men's World Championship, which will start on Friday and run until 11 September in what will be the second appearance for Slovenia on the world stage. Slovenia hope for a good result after finishing 10th in the Nations League and replacing the head coach right ahead of the tournament.

The championship was originally planned to be held in Russia, but due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country was stripped of organisation rights with a decision of the International Volleyball Federation on 1 March.

It was decided on 15 April that three towns in Slovenia and Poland will host a total of 52 matches as part of the championship - the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and Poland's Katowice and Gliwice.

Katowice will host the preliminary stage groups (A and C) in Spodek Arena with more than 11,000 seats, as well as the final four stage on 10 and 11 September.

The central arena in Gliwice (13,752 seats) will host four matches of the round of 16 and two quarter-finals matches, and Stožice Arena in Ljubljana (12,000 seats) will also host the same number of elimination matches.

In addition, Ljubljana will also host four preliminary stage groups (B, D, E and F), which means that the Slovenian capital will host 30 out of the 52 matches of the 20th world championship in volleyball for men.

It will be the second appearance for Slovenia at the world stage after the 2018 world championship in Italy and Bulgaria, when Slovenia finished 12th, while the co-hosts Poland will defend their world title from four years ago.

This year's world championship will be played in a new, simpler format, with the top two teams from the six groups and the top four of the third placed teams qualifying for the elimination round of 16.

Slovenia, who recently hired new head coach, Romanian Gheorghe Cretu, will play in Group D with Cameroon, France and Germany. They open their campaign against Cameroon on Friday, followed by France (28 August) and Germany (30 August).

After winning silvers at the European championships in 2019 and 2021, Slovenia have not had many successes recently and the new head coach will hopefully reverse the trend after the national team finished 10th in the Nations League.

Cretu, who surprisingly replaced Australia's Mark Lebedew three weeks ahead of the tournament, has said that Slovenia have enough weapons to reverse the trend and has expressed the ambition to take the team to the world championship title.

"You start every competition with a certain dream. Everyone ... dreams of the ultimate goal. This is motivation that may seem strange at first, but you have to believe all the time," he said as he held his first practice with the team on 9 August.

Cretu noted that the team had to work on reducing errors and not giving up any easy points to the opponents. "Everybody knows how well Slovenians serve. Of course, we have to show some new things as well, which I'm not going to reveal now," he added.

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25 Aug 2022, 13:04 PM

STA, 24 August 2022 - A survey conducted by the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) among its members has shown the high energy costs are threatening the existence of one out of three businesses surveyed. As the situation is to worsen further, the chamber urged the government to set out measures to help the economy in 2023 as soon as possible.

Following a similar appeal issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), its counterpart representing large companies, the OZS noted "enormous, even five-fold" increase in electricity and gas bills this year, expressing concerns for 2023.

The survey conducted among 820 entrepreneurs members of the OZS in recent weeks showed that three out of four expect the high energy costs will slash their profits and 32% said the existence of their company was under threat.

Almost one in three (29%) said they would have to scale down their operations and 15% were considering layoffs.

More than half of the surveyed businesses (53%) saw their electricity bills rise by up to 50% on last year, 29% say they went up by 50-100% and the remaining 18% are now paying 100-500% higher electricity bills.

As many as 69% of those surveyed have not yet signed contracts for power supply in 2023.

When it comes to gas bills, 59% reported an increase of up to 50%, 22% saw their bills go up by 50-100% and the remaining 19% reported a 100-500% surge.

Based on the survey, the OZS estimates the capping of prices for small businesses will cover most small entrepreneurs, but with larger consumers the government package to help businesses cope with high electricity and gas prices would not suffice.

The OZS urged the government to follow up with a more extensive scheme, as well as job-retention schemes to be able to furlough their workers or put them on shortened work time, which they say proved effective during the Covid-19 crisis.

Prime Minister Robert Golob has announced a meeting with business will be held within a fortnight to discuss the situation and solutions for next year. "If this year 40 million euro in aid was needed, it could come up to a billion next year," Golob said earlier this week.

25 Aug 2022, 11:57 AM

STA, 24 August 2022 - More than 50 scientists have made an appeal to the government to annul the decision by its predecessor that the public interest of producing renewable energy overrides the public interest of nature conservation in the Mokrice hydropower station project.

"We ask for a professionally and legally consistent reconsideration of the (un)reasonableness of encroaching on nature at the confluence of the Sava, Krka and Sotla rivers," reads the appeal, signed by representatives of natural sciences, including biochemist Tamara Lah Turnšek and researchers Darja Stanič and Al Vrezec.

They believe the government, in prioritising the interest of energy, "failed to take into consideration the legal provision stipulating that natural resources, especially water resources, may not be degraded or destroyed if there are other less harmful options".

Such an approach "is not in the interests of Slovenian citizens and is distinctly contrary to the interests of the future generations". They say that short-term political or capital interests should not prevail in decisions that have a damaging or destructive impact on nature.

The signatories believe the deliberation of which public interest prevails in this case or the assessment of better solutions at the national level have not been conducted, as the procedures concerned have not been carried out in the actual process of adopting the Renewable Energy Action Plan or in the context of the comprehensive National Energy and Climate Plan. The latter does not foresee the construction of large hydropower plants until 2030.

They refer to a decision by the EU Court, which they say has set forth that the absence of better solutions for nature had to be proven, which they said the government failed to do satisfactorily at the national level in the case of the Mokrice plant.

Instead, the signatories support accelerating the construction of unit 2 of the Krško nuclear power plant. "Once the unit is operational, expectedly around 2035, there will be enough electricity in Slovenia and strategic projections show the country will have become a net electricity exporter," the appeal reads, adding that nuclear power plants have a very small carbon or biodiversity prints and that with the second reactor in place hydropower stations will no longer be needed.

As the second key energy potential they see solar power plants of all sizes.

The Administrative Court has recently decreed that the planned Mokrice hydropower station on the river Sava cannot get a building permit until it has ruled on legal action brought against the project by the Slovenian Native Fish Society.

25 Aug 2022, 11:49 AM

STA, 24 August 2022 - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon is not in favour of the initiative that the EU should stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, telling the Alpbach Forum in Austria on Wednesday that the measure would also hurt those who oppose President Vladimir Putin's policies and would like to leave the country.

"I'm not in favour of limiting tourist visas. Any visa restrictions would also prevent people who oppose Putin's policies and want to leave Russia from leaving the country. I believe that abolishing visas would be a risky move which could boomerang back on us," Fajon was quoted as saying in a press release from her ministry.

The minister took part in a panel debate on the EU's political awakening, which discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the threat of energy and food crisis in Europe.

Fajon again condemned Russia's aggression and appealed for the war to end as soon as possible.

"We need wisdom and long-term political strategy. The current crisis has shown us and the world that the European Union is strong when united. This should be the guiding principle for the continuation of our geopolitical awakening," she was quoted as saying.

The speakers agreed that the EU demonstrated its unity in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the political momentum should be used for long-term geopolitical action.

Slovenia is yet to adopt its position on the proposal to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens. Earlier this month the Foreign Ministry said the country would continue to "look for solutions together with EU member states".

Earlier this week PM Robert Golob said consultations on the matter were under way. "We're still far from a decision, we'll have discussion in the government and on the Foreign Policy Committee, only then will we take a decision," he told a televised interview.

EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss a potential ban on tourist visas for Russians at the informal meeting at end of the month.

25 Aug 2022, 06:08 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

 

Fajon not in favour of ban on Russian tourists

ALPBACH, Austria - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon is not in favour of the initiative that the EU should stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, telling the Alpbach Forum that the measure would also hurt those who oppose President Vladimir Putin's policies and would like to leave the country. The minister took part in a panel debate on the EU's political awakening, which discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the threat of energy and food crisis in Europe. Fajon again condemned Russia's aggression and appealed for the war to end as soon as possible.

Slovenia congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob congratulated Ukraine, as the country observed Independence Day. In a tweet, the government cited Golob as saying that Slovenia remained a dedicated partner on Ukraine's path to recovery, wishing the country to become stronger, better and more resilient. The Foreign Ministry also extended congratulations to Ukraine. To mark the occasion, Ukrainian Ambassador to Slovenia Andrij Taran brought together fellow ambassadors in Ljubljana to unfurl a giant Ukrainian flag in the courtyard of Ljubljana castle. The Ukrainian community celebrated with events in Ljubljana and Ankaran.

Govt to intervene as it identifies disruptions in healthcare

LJUBLJANA - After examining relevant reports and data, the government announced that it would itself determine the content of the programmes of services covered by compulsory health insurance as it has established "serious disruptions that undermine the stability of the healthcare system". The decision comes after the government discussed a report on the financial operations of healthcare institutions in the first half of the year, waiting times, accessibility of primary care and the overall state of health of the population.

Small businesses say high energy bills threatening their existence

LJUBLJANA - A survey conducted by the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) among its members has shown high energy costs are threatening the existence of one out of three businesses surveyed. As the situation is to worsen further, the chamber urged the government to set out measures to help the economy in 2023 as soon as possible. The survey conducted among 820 entrepreneurs members of the OZS in recent weeks showed that three out of four expect the high energy costs will slash their profits and 32% said the existence of their business was under threat.

Scientists speak out against Mokrice hydropower project

LJUBLJANA - More than 50 scientists have made an appeal to the government to annul the decision by its predecessor that the public interest of producing renewable energy overrides the public interest of nature conservation in the Mokrice hydropower station project. "We ask for a professionally and legally consistent reconsideration of the (un)reasonableness of encroaching on nature at the confluence of the Sava, Krka and Sotla rivers," reads the appeal, signed by representatives of natural sciences, including biochemist Tamara Lah Turnšek and researchers Darja Stanič and Al Vrezec.

RTV Slovenija employees call for dismissal of Urbanija

LJUBLJANA - The trade unions of RTV Slovenija and TV Slovenija have called on general director of the public broadcaster Andrej Grah Whatmough to dismiss the recently appointed director of TV Slovenija Uroš Urbanija over pressure and threats targetting evening news anchor Saša Krajnc and editor Vesna Pfeiffer. The two unions said that Urbanija had unlawfully bullied and threatened Kranjc and Pfeiffer with disciplinary action.

Christians offended by Mladina cover

LJUBLJANA - Brezje, Slovenia's main pilgrimage site, has responded to the latest cover of the weekly Mladina depicting an altered image of the 1817 painting of Mary and Jesus that is cherished in Brezje (NW). The head of the pilgrimage site, Robert Bahčič, said this was an "inadmissible insult of religious feelings of Christian believers". The 200-year-old painting Mary Help of Christians by Leopold Layer has been a symbol of profound religion of Slovenians for years, offering consolation and hope to Brezje pilgrims, Bahčič said in a press release, noting it was inadmissible to alter the famous art work.

Nearly 1,600 Covid cases confirmed on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 1,592 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday as hospitalisations remained stable, shows fresh data from the Health Ministry. Another four Covid-19 patients died. The 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 of the population went down by four in a day to 874 and the 7-day case average dropped by 139 to 1,369, data from the National Institute of Public Health shows.

Bulk buy of medicines falls through a third time

LJUBLJANA - The National Review Commission has fully annulled a call to procure prescription drugs that was published in March by the Slovenian Pharmacy Chamber on behalf of 14 pharmacies. It is the third such bulk buy of medicines that has been annulled. A review was requested by the Competition Protection Agency (AVK) as an advocate of public interest, one of the charges against the Pharmacy Chamber being infringements of the principles of competition between bidders and the principles of economics, efficiency and effectiveness.

Minister meets Slovenian agricultural officials from four countries

GORNJA RADGONA - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon met representatives of Slovenian agricultural organisations from Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia at the Agra agricultural fair in Gornja Radgona. He stressed the importance of such cooperation, which he said could be extended to other fields, especially business. The meeting with representatives of Agraslomak, which has been successfully connecting Slovenian farmers in four counties for a decade, was also attended by Agriculture Minister Irena Šinko, the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad said.

Conventa focusing on transformation of conference tourism

LJUBLJANA - This year's Conventa, a two-day business-to-business event for conference tourism starting today and featuring 93 exhibitors from 17 countries and 114 foreign and 32 guests from Slovenia, is focusing on the sustainable transformation of the industry. Gorazd Čad, Conventa co-founder, noted at today's press conference the event would be combined with the Conventa Crossover conference for a second year in a row. He said that the gist of the conference would be business-to-business meetings, with more than 2,200 such events expected to take place in the two days.

SPIRIT subsidising 15 business clubs abroad

LJUBLJANA - SPIRIT Slovenija, the public entrepreneurship, internationalisation and foreign investment promotion agency, is subsidising the work of 15 Slovenian business clubs abroad this year. The clubs help Slovenian companies to expand abroad and attract foreign investors to Slovenia. The clubs are located in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Italy, Canada, Kosovo, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Tunisia, Zambia and the US, SPIRIT announced.

Roglič loses red jersey at La Vuelta

BILBAO, Spain - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič of team Jumbo Visma lost the red jersey at the La Vuelta to Rudy Molard of Groupama FDJ. Roglič crossed the finish line of the fifth stage of the Spanish Grand Tour in 23rd place, sliding to place five in overall standings. He was five minutes and nine seconds slower than the stage winner Marco Soler of UAE.

Slovenia co-hosting Volleyball Men's World Championship

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Poland will co-host the Volleyball Men's World Championship, which will start on Friday and run until 11 September in what will be the second appearance for Slovenia on the world stage. Slovenia hope for a good result after finishing 10th in the Nations League and replacing the head coach right ahead of the tournament. The championship was originally planned to be held in Russia, but that changed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

24 Aug 2022, 14:30 PM

STA, 23 August 2022 - The Housing Fund, which has received EUR 108.25 million in grants from the Environment Ministry and a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), plans to build 1,244 public rental apartments across the country by 2026, the fund's head, Črtomir Remec, told the press on Tuesday.

Given the current stokck of 7,000 apartments and about 2,500 apartments under construction and planned, the fund expects to have 10,000 apartments available for rent in 2025, Remec said about the closing of the 2015-2024 national housing programme.

Another boost will be the EUR 38.25 million in grants that the fund won in a public tender published by the Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning as part of the recovery and resilience plan.

The money will be spent on the construction of 714 public rental units at 11 locations in five statistical regions by the end of 2024, including 136 apartments (or 20%) intended for elderly people who need assistance.

All the projects include 10% of units for people with disabilities.

"This means that in total we have 30% of apartments for the disabled and the elderly, which is what has been our goal all along - to provide for all those with special needs, both young and old, regardless of the current demographic trends," Remec said.

He added, thought, that not all contracts for the projects had been signed yet.

Remec noted that a week ago a contract had been signed with the CEB on a EUR 70 million loan, which "we had to work hard for".

These funds will be used to build 912 public apartments by 2026 that will be available for rent in seven statistical regions, including 58 apartments for elderly people who need assistance and 10% of apartments for people with disabilities.

In certain projects, both the money from the recovery and resilience plan and the CEB funds will be used.

"If we combine the money from the recovery fund and the development bank, we have EUR 108.25 million in total and 1,244 public apartments for rent at 18 locations in nine statistical regions, of which 164 will be apartments for elderly who need assistance," he said.

Remec expects most of the apartments to be built by 2025.

Meanwhile, the Housing Fund will also finance municipal projects with a total of 421 new housing units at six locations (Celje, Ljubljana, Koper, Zreče, Slovenske Konjice, Novo Mesto).

Touching on the new national housing programme for 2025-2035, Remec said in the future municipalities and city funds should take on more tasks, "as the national fund cannot solve all the housing problems in the country".

24 Aug 2022, 11:27 AM

STA, 23 August 2022 - Slovenian cycling star Primož Roglič has taken the lead in La Vuelta after winning the 152-kilometre stage four on Tuesday on the last climb.

Having led the peloton in the last twenty kilometres, the Jumbo Visma rider secured the win with a dash up the Laguardia that left his closest competitors in the dust.

The 32-year-old also won the earlier climb up the Puerto de Herrero to win a three-second bonus.

Roglič now has a 13-second lead on the American Sepp Kuss in the overall rankings, with the Brit Ethan Hayter in third 26 seconds adrift.

24 Aug 2022, 11:23 AM

STA, 23 August 2022 - The National Assembly unanimously passed on Tuesday changes to the VAT act reducing VAT on electricity, gas, biomass and remote heating from 22% to 9.5% between 1 September 2022 and 31 May 2023.

The changes come as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of living crisis with Finance Ministry State Secretary Tilen Božič telling MPs that the VAT cut will only fulfil its purpose if prices are regulated as well.

Initially, this was not incorporated in the changes, and the senior coalition Freedom Movement filed an amendment to that effect with the support of the coalition Left.

Under the amendment, prices will be regulated for the duration of the VAT reduction for products which will be regulated on 1 September 2022.

At the moment, this entails electricity and gas for households, small companies and users classified as protected, including schools and care homes.

Božič said the Infrastructure Ministry was conducting a study to see what additional measures, including price regulation, would further contribute to reducing heating bills. The study is to be completed by the end of the month.

The changes have been fast-tracked through parliament and enjoy the support of all parliamentary parties, even though some expressed regret that VAT could not be lowered below 9.5% and that it does not apply to food.

The opposition Democrats (SDS) filed an amendment under which VAT would be reduced to 5%, including for heating oil, although EU law renders this impossible.

Nevertheless, the SDS believes that Slovenia should declare a state of emergency in energy and reduce heating oil VAT.

"You're worried that this would not be in line with the EU directive. But of course it is in line if we act for the good of the citizens," said SDS MP Janez Magyar.

Božič said the government did not want to propose a solution that would not be in line with EU law. "At first, it would feel nice in our pockets, until we would have to pay it all back with interest. No such lunch is free."

The revenue shortfall from the reduction to 9.5% is estimated at EUR 130 million, while a reduction to 5% would mean an additional EUR 50 million less in budget revenue, Božič said.

On Monday, Prime Minister Robert Golob said that the government does not believe the reduction to 5% to be necessary because the cut to 9.5% will be accompanied by the freezing of prices for electricity and gas. He said the government would rather use budget funds to cut VAT on food, if necessary.

The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) also said it would support the changes. However, the party wants a more comprehensive approach by the government, for example reduced VAT for basic necessities, above all food, MP Jernej Vrtovec said.

The NSi wanted to file an amendment under which the VAT reduction would also apply to food and beverages. But because the changes address VAT reduction for energy products, the amendment was not discussed.

All three coalition parties expressed support for the changes, but junior coalition parties expressed some misgivings.

The Social Democrats (SD) said a reduction to 5% would be a maximum expense for the public finance and would prevent any later additional actions.

SD MP Soniboj Knežak regretted that a solution had not been found for heating oil. "I don't know if that was a bureaucratic lapse," he said about the EU directive and expressed the expectation that a solution will be found at the EU level by the start of the heating season.

Meanwhile, Miha Kordiš of the Left underlined the need to regulate prices if the VAT cut is to have the desired effect. He also said the Left wanted to see regulation of food and heating oil prices, as well as a fair tax reform by the end of the year.

24 Aug 2022, 04:21 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

National Assembly passes law reducing VAT on energy

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly unanimously passed changes to the VAT act reducing VAT on electricity, gas, biomass and remote heating from 22% to 9.5% between 1 September 2022 and 31 May 2023. The changes come as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of living crisis and will be coupled with the regulation of the prices of all the products subject to the reduced VAT rate. The opposition sought to reduce the rate to 5%, but the coalition thought this would shut the door for any further measures, which may still be necessary.

PM expects up to EUR 1bn to be needed to help business next year

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob told TV Slovenija in an interview the EUR 40 million package to help businesses cope with high energy prices was focused on this year when there were still few problems, while next year up to one billion euro in aid will be needed. Appearing on the late night news show Odmevi on Monday, Golob announced a meeting within two weeks for the government and business representatives to discuss potential solutions.

Govt to discuss solidarity gas agreement with Croatia

LJUBLJANA - After Slovenia ratified an agreement with Italy on solidarity measures to safeguard the security of gas supply, now the same agreement is to be reached with Croatia, so Slovenia could ask Croatia to supply gas to protected customers in the event of supply disruptions, and vice versa. The draft agreement is based on a 2017 EU regulation concerning measures to safeguard security of gas supply and sets down the technical, legal and financial elements for such solidarity assistance.

Former MEP Ivo Vajgl presents his presidential bid

LJUBLJANA - Former diplomat, foreign minister and MEP Ivo Vajgl announced his intention to run for president. He will collect signatures in support of his candidacy and is counting on getting the backing of a "very prominent party", but will not reveal which one for now. Vajgl sees his bid as an alternative to other candidates, saying he offers a different content due to his many years of experience in politics, diplomacy and journalism.

Pahor reaffirms strong support for Ukraine sovereignty

LJUBLJANA/KYIV, Ukraine - President Borut Pahor reaffirmed Slovenia's "strongest support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" as he delivered a video address at the launch of the Crimea Platform in which he condemned Russia's invasion as an "unprovoked, unjustifiable attack". "Let me reassure you that Slovenia will continue providing political and economic support, as well as humanitarian aid and other assistance to Ukraine. We are with you," he said.

Slovenia marks Black Ribbon Day

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia marked the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes with several events. President Borut Pahor laid a wreath at the monument in Congress Square in Ljubljana as part of a ceremony attended by high-level representatives of the country's five largest religious communities. Recalling summary killings after WWII in Slovenia, he said the quest for the truth may never end and that all victims must be remembered.

Minister urges boss of country's largest hospital to resign

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Danijel Bešič Loredan called on the director of Slovenia's largest medical centre to step down. He told reporters that Jože Golobič, director general of UKC Ljubljana, no longer enjoyed the Health Ministry's support, pointing to poor business results and numerous missed deadlines. "The figures are extremely problematic. The management of the largest health care institution [in the country] is beyond criticism," Bešič Loredan said, adding the PM shared the view.

TV Slovenija anchor and editor face transfer over Mladina report

LJUBLJANA - TV Slovenija director Uroš Urbanija has called for a TV news show anchor and editor to get transferred over how they decided to present a report on the broadcaster ending its business with the magazine Mladina. The reason is that on the main news show last week, TV Dnevnik anchor Saša Krajnc announced a report on the reasons why Urbanija was ending business cooperation with Mladina by saying it was being aired at the explicit request of editor-in-chief Jadranka Rebernik. The move has sparked outcry from journalists, who demand that Urbanija resign.

Žiga Debeljak appointed new chairman of state assets custodian

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) appointed Žiga Debeljak, a former CEO of retailer Mercator, as the new chairman of the management board. He will succeed Janez Žlak as of 1 September. The supervisors arrived at this decision unanimously, appointing the sixth full-term chairman of SSH since its inception. No one has yet completed a full term.

Housing Fund to build over 1,200 rental apartments by 2026

LJUBLJANA - The Housing Fund, which has received EUR 108.25 million in grants from the Environment Ministry and a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), plans to build 1,244 public rental apartments across the country by 2026, the fund's head, Črtomir Remec, told the press. Given the current stock of 7,000 apartments and about 2,500 apartments under construction and planned, the fund expects to have 10,000 apartments available for rent in 2025.

Office for Digital Transformation moves to suspend IT courses for elderly

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Digital Transformation urged the Slovenian Regional Development Fund to immediately suspend all activities related to IT courses for citizens aged 55 or more who are included in the digital vouchers scheme, as several irregularities had been detected. The vouchers, put in place by the previous government, have been widely criticised because only 5,000 over-55s qualify and most youngsters used their 150-euro vouchers to buy earphones.

Consumer confidence remains at post-Covid low

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's consumer confidence has not changed this month, remaining at the lowest point since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, down 19 percentage points on August 2021 and 17 points below the long-term average, the Statistics Office reported. Compared with July, consumers were this month more upbeat about the prospects for household finances and for the state of the country's economy, but the improvement was offset by pessimism about major purchases and current state of household finances.

Free self-testing kits for students available from Monday

LJUBLJANA - Free kits for Covid-19 self-testing for primary and secondary school students in the new school year will be available in Slovenian pharmacies from Monday. Testing will be voluntary and will take place at home, with funds for the campaign being secured from the national budget. Health Ministry State Secretary Tadej Ostrc said the voluntary self-testing is aimed at finding individuals with signs of coronavirus infection, and not at detecting asymptomatic cases.

2,280 new cases of coronavirus on Monday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,280 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Monday and three patients with Covid-19 died. The case count is not comparable to the previous Monday, which was a public holiday, however data from the National Institute of Public Health shows the 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 of the population falling to 878 and the 7-day case average rising to 1,508. Health Ministry data shows 92 patients require hospital treatment for Covid-19, including 12 in intensive care.

Water Man musical raises questions about social media

LJUBLJANA - A pop-rock musical will be staged at the Križanke open-air theatre tonight as a highlight of the Ljubljana Festival. Water Man, inspired by a poem by one of Slovenia's greatest poets France Prešeren, is a project uniting several well-known Slovenian musicians. The musical is to address modern man rather than criticize the haughty Urška, the girl from Prešeren's poem, the author of the lyrics Ambrož Kvartič says. The main theme is kidnapping and what can kidnap a modern individual.

Primož Roglič takes the lead in La Vuelta

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain - Slovenian cycling star Primož Roglič has taken the lead in La Vuelta after winning the 152-kilometre stage four on the last climb. Roglič now has a 13-second lead on the American Sepp Kuss in the overall rankings, with the Brit Ethan Hayter in third 26 seconds adrift.

23 Aug 2022, 15:21 PM

STA, 23 August 2022 - Free kits for Covid-19 self-testing for primary and secondary school students in the new school year will be available in Slovenian pharmacies from Monday. Testing will be voluntary and will take place at home, with funds for the campaign being secured from the national budget.

As Health Ministry State Secretary Tadej Ostrc announced at a press conference on Tuesday, the voluntary self-testing is aimed at finding individuals with signs of coronavirus infection, and not at finding asymptomatic cases.

He added that the anti-epidemic measures in the autumn would be aimed mainly at protecting vulnerable groups - older people and people whose immune system has been compromised.

Ten free-of-charge kits for self-testing will be available for every primary and secondary school student on a monthly basis.

The ministry's decision follows the recommendation from the relevant task force at the National Institute of Public Health that home self-testing be conducted for students with coronavirus symptoms and those who have been in close contact with infected persons.

For the second phase, which would be triggered under a worsened epidemiological situation, mandatory weekly self-testing has been proposed for primary and secondary school, and for university students and participants in adult education programmes.

Ostrc said the ministry would send today relevant instructions to head teachers of schools and to social care institutions, and that it was also in close contact with the Chamber of Pharmacy.

23 Aug 2022, 12:02 PM

STA, 23 August 2022 - Slovenia marks European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes on Tuesday. Several commemorative ceremonies will be held in Ljubljana, with President Borut Pahor laying a wreath at the monument in Congress Square.

A number of ceremonies will be held in Slovenia this afternoon in memory of the victims of totalitarian regimes, organised by the Study Centre for National Reconciliation (SCNR), the Military Vicariate of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the parish of St Nicholas in Ljubljana.

One of the ceremonies will take place at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars in Congress Square in the capital, where Pahor will lay a wreath and deliver an address, the president's office said.

At the invitation of Pahor, the ceremony will be attended by high-level representatives of the five largest religious communities in Slovenia: the Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, Jewish and Orthodox communities. Prior to the ceremony, the president is expected to receive the representatives at the Presidential Palace.

The victims of totalitarian regimes will also be commemorated with Mass at the Ljubljana Cathedral that will be celebrated by Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore.

The government commission for concealed mass graves meanwhile called on the government on the eve of the remembrance day to take initiative as soon as possible to determine the location of a tomb at Ljubljana's main cemetery where the remains of victims from a mass grave in the chasm in Macesnova Gorica in Kočevski Rog, a vast forest area in the south-east of Slovenia, would be buried.

Archaeologists have so far uncovered the remains of more than 2,000 victims of post-WWII executions and items found in the Macesnova Gorica chasm, where excavation started in 2017, which suggest that Slovenian war prisoners were killed there, the commission said.

In line with agreements reached, the commission expects research in the chasm to conclude this year so a funeral could be held in 2023.

The commission also expects Slovenia to continue to strive for the implementation of the right to funeral of all victims of war and post-war violence.

Before the remembrance day, the EU expressed solidarity with all victims of persecution around the world. EU High Representative Josep Borrell said that everyone should have the right to have or not to have, to choose or to change their religion or belief, and not to be subjected to discrimination or coercion as a result.

23 August was declared European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes by the European Parliament in 2009, and has been officially commemorated in Slovenia since 2012.

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