New figures from SURS show that both arrivals and overnight stays rose by around 8% year-on-year in August, with more than one million of the former and 2.9 million of the latter. Foreign tourists accounted for 78% of all overnight stays, with the largest group coming from Germany (16% of all overnight stays, or just under 365,000), followed by visitors from Italy (13%), the Netherlands (9%), France (6%) and the Czech Republic (just under 6%).

The top attractions, in terms of nights stayed, were mountain resorts (37% of the total, or 1,074,552), followed by coastal resorts (21%), health/spa resorts (16%), and the city of Ljubljana (11%).

When choosing where to spend the night 33% of such stays, over 956,000, were in hotels, followed by private rooms, apartments and so on at 25%, and camping sites at 22%.

So far this year, up to the end of August, 11.8 million overnight stays have been recorded in Slovenia, on the back of 4.5 million arrivals, up 4% and 6%, respectively, on the first eight months of 2018.

More detailed data on tourist arrivals and overnight stays can be found on SURS

STA, 26 October 2019 - Although quite windy, Slovenia has only two wind turbines. This may change if investors and environmentalists find common ground on the eight wind farms for which the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning is drafting national zoning plans.

In March 2018 the government decided that national zoning plans, a key document to find a location for a major new investment, is drafted for two wind farms.

Both of these are now among the eight planned by the ministry, of which three are to be built in western Slovenia and five in the east of the country.

The ministry is working on the national zoning plans in collaboration with investors and the public, but it told the STA the procedures were still in their early stages.

All the planned wind farms for which it is in charge of producing a national zoning plan will have a power rating of at least 10 megawatts, the ministry said.

The wind farms planned for the windy west are Senožeška Brda, Zajčica and Dolenja Vas. Mislinja, Paški Kozjak, Ojstrica, Rogatec and Plešivec are planned in the east.

The government would like to increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources in line with Slovenia's energy policy and climate goals.

But it is hard to say how long it will take before the first wind farm is built, especially since the plans for Ojstrica and Zajčiča have been met by strong opposition by locals.

Locals and environmentalists are usually worried about the wind farms' impact on public health and the damage that they could cause to the environment.

STA, 23 October - The Postojna Cave is planning to put on display almost two dozen olm offspring that hatched three years ago, yet under very strict conditions, the cave operator has announced.

Of the 22 Proteus anguinus offspring, as many as 21 animals have survived, which scientists consider an amazing achievement.

The baby dragons, as they are sometimes lovingly referred to, are growing up in an underground laboratory developed especially for this purpose.

Since Proteus anguinus' larvae are extremely vulnerable and susceptible to various infections, special conditions had to be provided to increase the chances of their survival.

The scientists working for Postojnska Jama are thrilled about the 92% survival rate and the offspring's fast development.

As many as 64 eggs were deposited in 2016 by what is due to its fair complexion often termed "human fish", but the chances of any larva hatching and surviving were minimal.

Statistics show that out of over 100 eggs deposited by a female olm in its lifetime in a natural environment, only two offspring would fully grow up.

While measuring 1.7 centimetres when hatched, the baby dragons are now already 12 centimetres long, so they will soon be transferred to larger aquariums.

"We were worried about how they would accept food, how they would 'socialise'"... A single mistake could result in losing all the 22 precious baby dragons," the company said in a press release on Wednesday.

What do olm eat? How long can they live? How many toes do they have? Learn all this and more here

STA, 24 October 2019 - Slovenian households stepped up saving in 2018, recording a gross household saving rate of 12.6%, up 0.2 percentage points on 2017. The country's gross rate, which shows what share of household disposable income is saved, was one of the highest in Europe, shows the Statistics Office data released on Thursday.

"The saving rate was increasing in the recent years, but it's still lower than it was before the financial crisis," said the office's deputy head Karmen Hren ahead of World Savings Day, observed on 30 October.

For the second consecutive year, the rate was higher than the average rates in EU-28 and EA-19 member states - 10% or 12.4%, respectively.

According to the latest Eurostat data on average saving rates, Slovenian households share the sixth place with Norway in Europe.

The highest rate was recorded in Germany (18.5%), while the lowest was found in Greece (-5.9%).

Slovenians mostly save up for their autumn years, children or grandchildren support, holidays and emergency cash reserves or to buy a flat, said Hren.

Despite low interest rates on deposits, Slovenian households still mainly opt for a typical form of saving - bank deposits. Their share has decreased slightly though.

Cash and deposits (47.7%) stood out in the structure of household financial assets, followed by shares and other equity (30.2%) and insurance and pension schemes (13.8%).

Households have EUR 120 billion in property assets and EUR 53 billion in cash.

Related: Household Disposable Income Rose 5.5% in 2018, Highest in Koroška, Lowest in Pomurje

In 2018, the majority of household liabilities (87.1%) represented loans. Some 80% of those were long-term loans.

In 2014, the loans started to grow gradually, and in 2018 they were up 6.5% compared to the previous year. The consumer loans (up 11.3% in 2018) have been growing at a much faster pace than housing loans (up 4.4%) in particular in the past two years due to favourable economic conditions.

Some 20% of Slovenian households estimated in October that their financial state was good or even very good, which is quite an increase compared to 2015 when the share of such households was 7%. Some 20% also believe that the situation will further improve in the next year, said Hren.

More details on this data can be found here, while more statistics can be found here

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Retrial ordered for ex-Luka Koper boss in Beltinci case

KOPER - The Koper Higher Court has annulled the ruling in the Beltinci case, ordering a retrial for Robert Časar, who served as port operator Luka Koper chairman in 2005-2009, and for two out of four co-defendants, according to the paper Primorske Novice. The Koper District Court will now have to establish if Časar and two co-defendants, all of whom were given prison sentences in 2018, indeed made a non-written agreement that company Graj Inženiring would charge Luka Koper unreasonably high prices for its services as part of Luka's plans to build a logistics centre in the town of Beltinci. In this manner they allegedly defrauded Luka of EUR 666,000.

Independence remembered at Sovereignty Day celebrations

CERKNO/VRHNIKA - A memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of a secret weapons depot of the Slovenian Territorial Defence force in 1990 and 1991 today as part of celebrations of Sovereignty Day, a public holiday observed on 25 October to remember the day in 1991 when the last Yugoslav People's Army soldiers left Slovenia. "When the last soldiers left the Koper port, Slovenia became truly sovereign and independent," PM Marjan Šarec said as he addressed the event in Cerkno, west. He also attended Friday's main event marking Sovereignty Day in Vrhnika, when he said "this holiday is extremely important and must be observed because a state which has foreign soldiers on its territory is not sovereign".

Due to Austria meat scandal, two small firms recall their products

LJUBLJANA - Two small Slovenian meat-processing facilities pulled out several of its pork products after the national food safety agency said on Friday that meat from a problematic Austrian abattoir could have been imported to Slovenia. Due to suspicion the meat is not suitable for consumption, Spirala and Kmetija Janežič each withdrew half a dozen products, from sausages to minced lard, Slovenia's Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection said today. Austria's food authorities said an abattoir was suspected of processing meat intended for waste disposal. The Austrian news agency APA said the facility is located around Leibnitz, some 40 km north of Slovenia's Maribor.

Pro-Nazi flag tied to Slovenian tennis player makes headlines

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian media reported on a pro-Nazi flag being put alongside the name of Slovenian tennis player Aljaž Bedene during his Friday evening's ATP tournament match in Austria's Vienna. Running the story about Bedene's match under the headline "Vienna Scandal: Domobranci Flag Attached to Aljaž Bedene's Name", the MMC web portal of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija said the organisers of the tournament had done a disgraceful thing. Appearing along with Bedene's name on the display was the flag used by the pro-Nazi Slovenian Domobranci movement during WWII, which the organisers then replaced with Slovenia's flag. The two have the same colours but a different coat of arms. Similar incidents, although not quite as serious, happened before when Slovenian athletes were played Slovakia's national anthem.

Litostroj Power records EUR 10.78m net loss in 2018

LJUBLJANA - Czech-owned hydro turbine producer Litostroj Power finished 2018 with a net loss of EUR 10.78 million at group level after it ended 2017 EUR 742,000 in the black. The Ljubljana-based company, which the state sold to Czech energy giant Energo-Pro in 2014, saw net sales revenue drop by 27.9% to under EUR 46 million, shows its business report. Litostroj attributed the poor results to ineffective production, the wrapping up of old projects, US sanctions against Iran and delays in the construction of the Mokrice hydro power station, which was to start this year. The company had 397 workers at the end of 2018, down 18 year on year.

National zoning plans for eight wind farms in the making

LJUBLJANA - Although quite windy, Slovenia has only two wind turbines. This may change if investors and environmentalists find common ground on the eight winds farms for which the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning is drafting national zoning plans. In March 2018 the government decided that national zoning plans, a key document to find a location for a major new investment, is drafted for two wind farms. Both are now among the eight planned by the ministry, of which three are to be built in western Slovenia and five in the east. The ministry told the STA the procedures were still in their early stages, but added all the planned wind farms would have a power rating of at least 10 megawatts.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here. What to find out what happened last week in Slovenia? Look no further.

The following schedule was prepared by the STA:

MONDAY, 28 October
        BUDAPEST, Hungary - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will make an official visit to Hungary to meet his counterpart Viktor Orban and parliamentary Speaker Laszlo Köver. Šarec and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will also attend an event promoting Slovenian tourism.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry looking into allegations of politically-motivated prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler will hear several witnesses.
        LJUBLJANA - A scientific conference will mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of poet and playwright Dane Zajc (1929-2005).
        BRNIK - Lufthansa will launch scheduled flights linking Ljubljana with Frankfurt and Munich.
        LJUBLJANA - A week-long autumn term break for primary and secondary school students begins.

TUESDAY, 29 October
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will wrap up the October sitting by debating a bill to grant government loan guarantees for the new Koper-Divača rail track and part of the north-south expressway. MPs will also vote on several pieces of legislation debated in the past days.
        ABU DHABI, UAE - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will pay a working two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates to inaugurate the Slovenian Embassy and meet his counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He will also co-chair the first meeting of a joint commission for economic cooperation.
        LJUBLJANA - The government commission for mass graves will report on the work done on the exhumation of victims from a post-WWII mass grave site of Macesnova Gorica.

WEDNESDAY, 30 October
        LJUBLJANA - The main ceremony to mark Reformation Day, with parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan to deliver the keynote.
        LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release the consumer price index for October.
        KRŠKO - The Krško Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be brought back online after a scheduled shutdown for maintenance and refuelling.
        LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Ksenija Klampfer, Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar and Defence Minister Karl Erjavec will lay wreaths at Žale cemetery ahead of Day of Remembrance of the Dead.

THURSDAY, 31 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia observes Reformation Day, a public holiday.
        LJUBLJANA - Kinodvor cinema will screen five films on Thriller Night.

FRIDAY, 1 November
        LJUBLJANA - Day of Remembrance of the Dead, a public holiday. A commemoration will be held in Congress Square with attendance by President Borut Pahor, PM Marjan Šarec, and the speakers of both houses of parliament, Dejan Židan and Alojz Kovšca. Šarec and Židan will also lay wreaths at Žale cemetery.

SATURDAY, 2 November
        No major events are scheduled.

SUNDAY, 3 November
        BEIJING, China - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek is expected to start a multi-day visit to China; until 6 November.

Note: Thursday and Friday are national holidays - 31 Oct and 1 Nov being Reformation Day and All Saints Day, respectively - so expect many stores to be closed and stock up on groceries the day before, if needed

If you're not in town for the week of this guide (28 October to 3 November, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and if there's event or activity you want to promote in a future edition of What's on in Ljubljana please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com or try and find me on Facebook. If you want something a little different and easy to print, then a comprehensive PDF of events for the next seven days, as prepared by Ljubljana Tourism, is here. If you're in town and want to follow the news then check out our regular morning headlines for Slovenia here.

Jump to listings

The clocks will be going back at 03:00 Sunday, 27 October, so the evenings will suddenly darker in the coming days, with Halloween and November also due this week, and the latter brining the start of Gourmet Ljubljana (details).

Halloween isn’t that big a thing in Slovenia, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pub and club nights along with other events, such as Kinodvor’s all-night horror marathon. Club nights of note on Thursday are Same Old Madness: Darkland, at Klub Gromka, playing goth, death, minimal, industrial and so on. Gala Hala, also in Metelkova, has a very different offer, with Bright & Dark side of the 80's, with the promo promising everything from Killing Joke to Madonna. K4 has a Halloween Rave, with the tracks supplied by Terranigma, Softskinson, and Commercial Break.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 25 October

Mladina: Student work debate shows MPs out of touch with reality

STA, 25 October 2019 - Mladina, the lef-leaning weekly, is critical in its commentary on Friday of MPs and their disparaging comments about students as they were debating a rise in hourly wage for student work. Criticising students, while failing to make it easier for them to afford going to university, shows that MPs have no clue about the social reality of the country.

The weekly praises the coalition for increasing hourly wages for student work to EUR 4.56 nett, albeit by less than initially planned.

However, the discourse during the plenary debate was barely acceptable. If they had been talking about women, it would be chauvinism, if it were foreigners, it would be racism, Mladina editor-on-chief Grega Repovž says under the headline Students? A Pest?

MPs do simply not understand what a child, or two, at university means for an average Slovenian family. It calculates that two children studying in Ljubljana cost about EUR 1,000 a month, which is a lot of money even for a middle-class family.

Students work and they have expenses besides just housing and food. This is 2019 and there is nothing wrong with the notion that student life should not be complete misery.

Many MPs likely had to sacrifice a lot and work hard manual jobs in exchange for poor pay, while they were studying. "But this society has advanced, GDP has grown to EUR 22,000, and the standard of living has increased for students, just like for everybody else."

Most students do not work 170 hours a month, most work between 60 and 70 hours a month and make about EUR 300. Saying they represent unfair competition is obscene.

They are hired because they are more flexible, they can work weekends, when most full-time employees need to get childcare. What is more, students do not get paid extra for working weekends, nights and holidays, like full-time employees.

While a family with average income can barely afford to send two children to university, those leasing apartments to students in Ljubljana will on average make an additional EUR 2,400 in the coming year as a result of growing rents, the weekly says.

Of course, these rents are off the books so that flat owners can avoid paying tax. While MPs were not short on words in their criticism of students, did they take any measures against Airbnb to reign in the growth of rents?

"How many student dorms will be built next year? Hasn't the coalition given up on a property tax? Didn't the coalition just now lower tax on labour, especially for those with highest pay?"

Reporter: SOVA should be rebuilt from scratch

STA, 21 October 2019 – Reporter, the right-leaning weekly, takes the opportunity of the controversial hiring of an acquaintance of PM Marjan Šarec in SOVA (Slovenska obveščevalno-varnostna agencija)  to say in its latest commentary that the national intelligence and security agency should be rebuilt from scratch as it has been completely discredited by politicians.

"SOVA should be demolished to the ground and then built anew," Silvester Šurla, the editor-in-chief of the right-leaning weekly says under the headline From a Target to Death.

Politicians who have been in power in the last three decades have completely "plucked and discredited this mysterious bird", he adds in reference to SOVA meaning an owl in Slovenian.

The secret service which should protect the interests of the state has been the grounds for political battles, with SOVA being hit by scandals under every government. Its agents have even been on strike and the agency has become a "caricature of itself, a disgrace for the country."

Each government has been employing their people in the agency following the party affiliation or family lines, with the first public call for applications being published only this year. "A bunch of rotten eggs have ended up in SOVA's nest."

In this "spy brothel", there are few innocent politicians who would be without a sin, and the battle for SOVA, for who will use it and (probably) abuse it for their political goals, is actually a battle for power.

"Politicians who should act from the position of statesmen towards SOVA, they engage in politicking. And then everybody are surprised by intelligence information produced by SOVA having practically no applicable value."

All our posts in this series are here

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Top court suspends controversial inquiry into Kangler's prosecution

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court decided on Thursday to impose a temporary injunction on the legislation governing parliamentary inquiry pending its final decision. This means the National Assembly's inquiry into prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler, a member of the upper chamber of parliament, will not be able to investigate judges for now. The Judicial Council, which had petitioned the court, believes the legislation does not contain proper safeguards to prevent interference in the judiciary's independence. The inquiry started its hearings on Monday, but is boycotted by coalition parties and the opposition Left. Its chair Žan Mahnič of the Democrats (SDS) announced they would respect the decision, but otherwise continue their work.

Management of energy company Petrol resigns

LJUBLJANA - The Tomaž Berločnik-led management of energy group Petrol resigned "by mutual agreement" yesterday, capping a day of speculation about its fate amidst what media labelled a politically-motivated struggle to control one of Slovenia's largest companies. The official reason for the resignation of all but the employees' representative on the board is differences in views on the implementation of the strategy with the supervisory board. Since becoming director general in early 2011, Berločnik has transformed Petrol from a traditional fuel retailer into a well-performing all-round energy group. The government expects a detailed explanation of the move by 4 November.

Erjavec defends presence in Afghanistan, defence spending

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec stressed the government would continue investing in the Slovenian Armed Forces as he rejected the calls by the opposition Left to withdraw Slovenian soldiers from Afghanistan and cancel the planned purchase of Valuk six-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Erjavec, speaking on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial in Brussels, said "if everybody started to withdraw, we could expect terrorism to flourish there, and repeated mass violations of human rights and disrespect of international law".

Slovenia signs special operations memorandum with Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec signed a memorandum to set up regional command for special operations with his counterparts from Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia as part of a NATO ministerial in Brussels. According to Erjavec, Austria also signed the document. Erjavec told the press the initiative was important, because the Western Balkans could face mass migration or other challenges that could pose a threat to the public order, peace and stability.

PM Šarec to visit Hungary on Monday

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec will pay his first official visit to Hungary on Monday to discuss with counterpart Viktor Orban bilateral relations, economic cooperation and a number of EU-related topics. He will also meet Speaker Laszlo Köver and the Slovenian ethnic minority living in Hungary. The prime minister's office said the visit would confirm the good neighbourly relations and regular political dialogue between the two countries, both members of the EU and NATO.

Commissioner-to-be Lenarčič quits diplomatic service

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's likely new European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, who has worked for the Foreign Ministry since 1992, handed in his resignation last week in what seems a move made out of protest against a legal requirement which he belives deters Slovenian diplomats from taking jobs in international institutions. The law says a diplomat who does not return to the ministry after six years of serving in an international organisation and after that does not remain at the ministry for at least half of the duration of their absence, must pay a contractual penalty amounting to 50% of their last basic pay at the ministry. He said his resignation was an act of protest against the neglectful attitude of the ministry toward "diplomats, diplomacy and by that the state", but the ministry said it had launched the procedure to change the foreign affairs act months ago.

Two Slovenian minority officials honoured with state decoration

LJUBLJANA - Rudi Pavšič and Marjan Sturm, the long-serving retired leaders of umbrella minority organisations representing ethnic Slovenians in Italy and Austria, respectively, were honoured with the Medal of Merit for their decades-long efforts to promote minority rights and inter-cultural dialogue. Pavšič, 67, headed the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union (SKGZ) for 22 years until last March. Sturm, 68, served as head of the Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO) for 25 years. In his acceptance speech, Pavšič said the Slovenian minority in Italy now enjoyed a better status than ever before, while Sturm acknowledged his political credo of consensus and dialogue had not always been met with approval, even among the minority, but said that a large majority would follow it.

Horizon Europe presented in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The EU's new programme promoting research and innovation, Horizon Europe, was presented in Ljubljana at an event hosted by the Brussels-based Slovenian Business and Research Association (SBRA) and the Education, Science and Sport Ministry. According to SBRA head Draško Veselinovič, the idea was to provide information on the drawing of EU funds "first hand". With Horizon Europe for the 2021-2027 period, the EU wants to "correct the mistake of the current programme, Horizon 2020", he said. Under the current proposal, almost EUR 100 billion will be available in the next seven years.

Business sentiment deteriorates in October

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia again deteriorated at monthly level in October, dropping by 0.7 percentage points over September and being by 7.5 points lower year on year, the Statistics Office said. Affecting business sentiment the most at the monthly level was a drop in consumer confidence, while the deterioration at the annual level is mostly attributed to a lower confidence in manufacturing. Slovenia's consumer confidence worsened for the third month running this month to reach a three-year low.

Supervisors get code of conduct to tackle political pressure

LJUBLJANA - A code of conduct advising members of supervisory boards on how to act in case of political pressure has been formed to tackle the issue in wake of a recent staffing pressure scandal. The new protocol provides specific guidelines, aiming to make any kind of pressure on supervisors completely unacceptable. The code of conduct was produced by the Commission for the Corruption of Prevention and the Slovenian Directors' Association after the secretary general of the ruling LMŠ party called the chief supervisor of Official Gazette to allegedly try to secure a top job for a former MEP.

Spreme Court wins Crystal Scales of Justice Prize

OSLO, Norway - The Slovenian Supreme Court received this year's Crystal Scales of Justice Prize, an award given out by the EU Council and the European Commission for innovative and effective judicial practices in the EU. The court received the award at today's ceremony in Norway for its initiative Improving the Quality of Justice, which focusses on further improving judicial skills, know-how exchange, training court personnel and fairness of procedures.

UEFA fines Olimpija for racial abuse

LJUBLJANA - The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has slapped the Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana with a EUR 50,000 fine over its fans racially abusing the goalkeeper of the Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in a qualifier for the UEFA Europa League in August, the newspaper Delo reported. The Ljubljana club was also ordered to play its next home match in the European competitions in a partially empty Stožice Stadium. According to the sports newspaper EkipaSN, Olimpija has already appealed against the fine.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 18 October
        BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, speaking at the conclusion of the EU summit, said Slovenia opposed for the outgoing EU Commission to take a decision on Croatia's meeting the requirements to join the Schengen zone. This was after six of the eight Slovenian MEPs addressed an appeal calling for the new Commission to make that decision to Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, outgoing Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and current and next president of the European Council.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Commenting on the EU summit's failure to greenlight the launch of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said that an opportunity had been missed, that the damage was done now and that the EU's credibility in the region was shaken.
        NICOSIA, Cyprus - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar met his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and Parliament Speaker Demetris Syllouris as part of an official visit for an exchange of views on topical developments in the EU, Mediterranean and the Middle East, and bilateral relations. Cerar was accompanied on the two-day visit by a business delegation.
        LJUBLJANA - A committee in support of Catalan leaders, set up at the initiative of former President Milan Kučan, philosopher and sociologist Spomenka Hribar, Ljubljana Faculty of Arts professor Rudi Rizman and former Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl, held its maiden session to protest against the "draconian" prison sentences handed out to the nine independence leaders, as well as against the EU institutions' silence on the issue. The committee later sent a protest statement to Slovenian and European leaders.
        LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry announced that the chief of staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Alenka Ermenc, withdrew her proposal to prosecute Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc, whom she had sacked as force commander in April, for commenting on her health. However, Ermenc will push ahead with legal action against the online tabloid Požareport, which was the first to report about her health.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Academy of Music launched a facsimile of a copy of Ludwig van Beethoven's manuscript of Symphony No. 6 containing the composer's handwritten corrections, allegedly Beethoven's present to the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana in gratitude for being admitted as its honorary member in 1819. Kept by the National and University Library, the Ljubljana copy of the Pastoral Symphony is one of the two preserved copies of Beethoven's autograph score.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court held pre-trial hearings in an insurance fraud case that shocked Slovenia earlier this year involving a young woman who cut off her hand to claim insurance. The 21-year-old, Julija Adlešič, and her 29-year-old partner Sebastien Abramov, who allegedly persuaded her to saw off her hand, pleaded not guilty. They are both in custody.

SATURDAY, 19 October
        WASHINGTON, US - Central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle and Finance Ministry State Secretary Metod Dragonja, attending the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF, told reporters that Slovenia's economic condition was sound despite risks to the global economy. They did note the issue of high public debt, though.
        TRBOVLJE - Delo reported that Lafarge Cement, the Slovenian subsidiary of the Switzerland-headquartered multinational LafargeHolcim, asked for an environmental permit to resume cement grinding, storage and dispatch in Trbovlje at the beginning of next year. Lafarge Cement suspended operations in February 2015, having lost an environmental permit.

SUNDAY, 20 October
        LJUBLJANA - Voter approval rating for the Marjan Šarec government fell by 11.4 percentage points in the October Vox Populi poll commissioned by TV Slovenija and newspapers Dnevnik and Večer. The proportion of supporters and opponents is all but tied at 49.2% against 48.2%. Šarec's LMŠ party slid 3.2 points to 20.1% ahead of the opposition Democrats (SDS), who lost 0.8 points to 14.7%.

MONDAY, 21 October
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said Slovenia's position on the British parliament's request for another postponement of Brexit was that "another delay would make sense" as long as it would justifiably contribute to an orderly Brexit.
        LJUBLJANA - Addressing parliament in questions time, PM Marjan Šarec said he was convinced a draft proposal amending Slovenia's electoral law by adopting the relative preferential vote would get enough support in parliament, also because voters had shown they were in support of such a vote.
        LJUBLJANA - Ex-Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler appeared as the first witness in the contentious parliamentary inquiry into the allegation that criminal prosecution against him was politically motivated. Kangler described the prosecution against him as a plot unthinkable in a law-ruled country, while the inquiry proposed parliamentary oversight of the Maribor police force. While the inquiry is being examined by the Constitutional Court, concern has also been raised by the OECD.
        BELGRADE, Serbia - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar met his Serbian counterpart Nebojša Stefanović at the outset of a two-day visit to Serbia for talks focused on bilateral relations, a spike in illegal migration and Serbia's EU integration. The next day the pair visited Slovenian-Serbian border police patrols at the Preševo crossing with North Macedonia aimed at stopping illegal migrants.
        KOPER - The police forces of Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europol dismantled a criminal ring smuggling illegal migrants to the EU through the Balkan countries. Ten persons, including four Slovenians, are charged for having smuggled at least 150 migrants across the border.
        
TUESDAY, 22 October
        LJUBLJANA - As the European Commission gave Croatia its go-ahead to enter the Schengen zone, PM Marjan Šarec labelled the decision political and regretted it was made right before the end of the Commission's term. He indicated Slovenia would act politically on the matter too. Slovenian diplomatic sources expressed belief that the country should veto Croatia's joining the passport-free zone. Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Janša argued that Croatia's joining the Schengen zone was in Slovenia's strategic interest.
        TOKYO, Japan - President Borut Pahor started a two-day visit to Japan by attending Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony. The next day he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visited the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation in Tsukuba, decorating director-general Masanori Yamauchi with the Order of Merit for his contribution to international promotion of Slovenian science.
        ZAGREB, Croatia - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec met his Croatian counterpart Damir Krstičević with the pair lauding the countries' defence cooperation. Erjavec did not want to comment on whether Croatia was prepared for joining the Schengen area, saying this was not in his purview.
        LJUBLJANA - The government-sponsored bill designed to provide legal recourse for up to 100,000 potential plaintiffs - holders of subordinated bank liabilities wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout - was passed in a 46:34 vote. The central bank had announced a constitutional review.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council found the draft budgets for 2020 and 2021 in compliance with fiscal rules, but warned of risks because the financial impact of bills that are being adopted, including those pushed by the minority government's opposition partner, the Left, was not factored in. Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj said not all the risks could be fully included in the budget documents.
        LJUBLJANA - Parliament backed legislative changes that raise the minimum net hourly rate for student work from EUR 4.13 to EUR 4.56. The opposition Left, which initiated the raise, had been pushing for more, but failed to get the coalition's support because of concerns about the impact on businesses.
        LJUBLJANA - The foundation stone was laid for the construction of nearly 500 public rental flats in the Ljubljana Brdo borough. The EUR 57 million project is part of the national Housing Fund's project to build 1,500 rental flats to expanding its portfolio by 10,000 new flats by 2025.
        LJUBLJANA - Virs, the Lendava-based supplier of welding and cutting solutions, won the Golden Gazelle Award for the fastest-growing company in Slovenia, conferred by the newspaper publisher Dnevnik. It increased revenue almost fourfold in five years to EUR 8.2 million in 2018.

WEDNESDAY, 23 October
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a package of tax bills that reduce personal income tax while increasing taxes on capital gains and rental income and introducing a minimum corporate income tax rate of 7%. The government's aim was to reduce the tax burden of highly skilled workers, in order to attract such staff to Slovenia, while the Left insisted the reform would primary benefit the rich.
        LJUBLJANA - Chile Eboe-Osuji, the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held meetings with Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and Justice Minister Andreja Katič as part of a visit to Slovenia. They discussed the challenges of international criminal justice. Cerar pledged for Slovenia to remain a firm ally of the ICC and to promote its values in bilateral and international activities.
        LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that the government had put forward to Brussels three candidates for the post of Slovenia's prosecutor at the emerging European Public Prosecutor's Office; Jaka Brezigar, Tanja Frank Eler and Marjana Grašič.
        LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Pensioners and a civil initiative presented a petition, calling for a 7.2% extra indexation of pensions to compensate for the austerity measures that have affected pensioners since 2010. Signed by almost 14,000 people, the petition was handed to PM Marjan Šarec and parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan.
        LJUBLJANA - Data from the central bank showed that Slovenia's inbound FDI stock increased by 8.6% in 2018 to EUR 15.2 billion, as outbound FDI stock rose by 1.6% to EUR 6.1 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Music Academy marked its 80th anniversary and the centenary of higher music education with a ceremony at Cankarjev Dom. Dean Marko Vatovec told the STA in an interview that the academy had made great progress with its graduates a feature of Europe's leading orchestras.
        
THURSDAY, 24 October
        LJUBLJANA - The government as the founder and only shareholder of 2TDK approved a EUR 56 million recapitalisation for the company managing the Koper-Divača rail project in accordance with the relevant law. This will increase the company's share capital to EUR 77 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to recall Iztok Jarc as ambassador to Serbia and appoint him permanent representative to the EU, to succeed Janez Lenarčič, a European commissioner-designate.
        LJUBLJANA - The management of energy company Petrol headed by CEO Tomaž Berločnik agreed with the supervisory board to step down over differences in the company's strategy.
        LJUBLJANA - The state-run Farmland and Forest Fund confirmed that it had been ordered by the Ljubljana Higher Court to pay just over EUR 21 million in damages to the Ljubljana Archdiocese due to delays in denationalisation of forests, EUR 17 million of which it paid already.
        LJUBLJANA - David Tasić, a former journalist of the weekly Mladina who was one of the four political convicts in the 1988 JBTZ trial, a key event leading to Slovenia's independence, died aged 57. The quartet tried by a military court included Janez Janša, the long-serving leader of the Democrats (SDS).
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an annex to the agreement governing the scope of public healthcare services and their financing to allow an extra EUR 10 million worth of services to cut waiting times. The money will be secured by the Health Insurance Institute.
        LJUBLJANA - A report by the Mapping and Surveying Authority showed signs of stagnation in property prices in the first half of 2019, following three years of steep growth. Prices of flats are very close to the record levels in 2008, while prices of houses are lagging behind significantly.
        LJUBLJANA - A report from the Statistics Office showed that Slovenian households stepped up saving in 2018, recording a gross household saving rate of 12.6%, up 0.2 percentage points on 2017 and one of the highest in Europe.
        MARIBOR - Police revealed that they had dismantled a criminal ring that made an estimated EUR 1.3 million in illegal gains by smuggling at least 143 Chinese from China to Italy through Slovenia over the past year and a half. Of the four Slovenians and eight Chinese operating the ring, three are in detention and two in house arrest.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Writers' Association presented the EUR 1,000 Jenko Prize for best poetry collection from the past two years to Kaja Teržan for her second collection, Krog (The Circle).

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