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, 19 June
        BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša underlined that the EU must come to an agreement on the coronavirus recovery plan before the summer break, as he addressed his counterparts in a video-conferenced summit. Delays would have detrimental effects on financial markets, he said, adding a week "may mean billions".
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission approved Slovenia's plan to redistribute EUR 275 million in cohesion funds to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in the country. The funds will be spent in healthcare, programmes for SMEs, job preservation, protection of vulnerable groups and digitalisation of education.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar agreed with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba over the phone that bilateral cooperation should be strengthened. Apart from discussing preparations for a potential second wave of the pandemic, the pair also touched on the security and humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
        CERKLJE OB KRKI - A ceremony was held at the army airport Cerklje ob Krki to mark the conclusion of Leap 2020, the biggest military exercise this year. According to Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the exercise showed the Slovenian army is alive and well, and at the country's disposal.
        LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protesters again took to the streets across Slovenia. In Ljubljana, some of the protesters entered the square outside the Parliament House, which had been fenced off completely, to read the Constitution. They were physically removed by riot police. Police, who estimated the number of protesters in Ljubljana at around 7,000, fined 27 attendants and 30 more were ID-ed.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian employers submitted requests for short-time work subsidies for 20,556 employees just a week after the scheme designed to help businesses weather the crisis came into effect, showed data by the Employment Service.
        LJUBLJANA - After a sharp drop in April amid the coronavirus lockdown, Slovenia's consumer confidence improved in June for the second month, rising by 9 percentage points compared to May, but still remaining 16 points below the long-term average. The indicator is now 29 points lower than in June 2019 and 26 points lower than last year's average.
        LJUBLJANA - The general meeting of Russian-owned steel maker SIJ unanimously decided to leave the entire least year's distributable profit of EUR 108.6 million undistributed.

SATURDAY, 20 June
        LJUBLJANA - Arguing "security situations are multiplying", Police Commissioner Anton Travner told the newspaper Dnevnik he saw no reason why the military would not operate in the country's interior, not just along the border. A day later, Chief of the General Staff, Brigadier-General Robert Glavaš argued for TV Slovenija not only against the use of the army inland but also against extending the army's powers on the border. He said the army had sufficient powers to help police on the border under existing legislation.
        LJUBLJANA - In his first longer comment on the new Janez Janša government, former President Milan Kučan told the newspaper Delo that some Slovenian politicians thought Slovenia should be turned into a "second republic" and that some elements of it could already be seen. Reversing Janša's use of the boiling frog fable, he said Slovenians could suddenly "wake up in boiling water, in a different country and a different system".
        LJUBLJANA - After the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency extended a Mercator shares confiscation to enforce a EUR 53.9 million anti-trust fine on Agrokor, the Ljubljana Local Court reduced the fine to EUR 1 million, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. The seizure of 70% of the Slovenian retailer's shares from the Croatian group has been among the obstacles preventing Mercator's transfer to Agrokor's successor Fortenova.

SUNDAY, 21 June
        LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry said Slovenia had had four diplomats vying for EU delegation heads around the world within the bloc's diplomatic service, but none managed to get nominated. The diplomats had applied for the posts of EU delegation head in Egypt, Iceland, Malaysia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo, the Foreign Ministry said, but did not name them. The ministry blames the failure to secure a high-level post on the failure of the ministry's previous leadership to lobby for the candidates.

MONDAY, 22 June
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia saw a surge in coronavirus cases as 13 out of 984 tests came back positive, the highest number of daily infections since 24 April. Six out of the 13 infections were imported and a further five were related to the imported cases. Mario Fafangel, the chief epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health, said Slovenia's epidemiological situation remained good. While the numbers were lower in the following days, the government reintroduced compulsory mask wearing in public indoor places and on public transport from 25 June.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - The grand chamber of the European Court of Justice held a hearing in a suit the European Commission had brought against Slovenia for accessing ECB documents as part of a police investigation at Slovenia's central bank regarding Slovenia's 2013 bank bailout. Slovenia's agent labelled the hearing "very positive" for the country.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg said after meeting in Ljubljana that they would do everything in their power so that the shared border was not closed again due to Covid-19.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša received Apostolic Nuncio Jean-Marie Speich. The pair confirmed the importance of ties between Slovenia and the Holy See. The confirmation of good relations came in the light of two approaching anniversaries: 30 years since the Holy See became the first country to recognise Slovenia's independence and 30 years since Slovenia and the Vatican signed a bilateral agreement on legal issues.
        LJUBLJANA - Companies in Slovenia generated EUR 4.625 billion in net profit last year, a 10% increase on 2018. Revenue was up 4% to EUR 103.892 billion, the Agency for Legal Records reported, assessing the economy was better prepared better for the crisis than for the crisis slightly over 10 years ago.

TUESDAY, 23 June
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese PM Antonio Costa agreed in a videoconference the EU and its member states must find solutions to the social crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. They also confirmed the priorities for the trio's upcoming EU presidency, their main goal being Europe's quick economic and social recovery.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor's office announced that Pahor and Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella would attend the 13 July return of National Hall in Trieste back to the Slovenian minority 100 years after being burnt down by Fascists. The pair will also lay wreaths at two memorials, one commemorating the Slovenian anti-fascists executed by Fascists in 1930 and the other the Italian victims of post-WWII killings by Partisans.
        ROME, Italy - In what was their second meeting in less than three weeks, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio called for continued close bilateral cooperation in the tackling of the pandemic. After restrictions on the Slovenian-Italian border were lifted on 15 June for the citizens of both countries, the pair agreed that epidemiological trends at home as well as in other countries needed to be monitored closely.
        LJUBLJANA - The Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced Tiffany Sadler had been appointed the new UK ambassador to Slovenia to succeed Sophie Honey in September. Sadler has worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1994 and was director for Tech Overhaul Programme three until 2019.
        LJUBLJANA - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak praised the planned European Climate Law as a key step in creating a stable investment environment in the EU, as he took part in a video-conferenced ministerial.
        LJUBLJANA - Veronika Simoniti, 52, won the 30th Kresnik Prize for best novel of the year for Ivana Before the Sea (Ivana pred Morjem). She became only the fourth woman to win the prestigious award, given out by publisher Delo. The novel tells multiple parallel stories happening in different periods to different generations in one family.

WEDNESDAY, 24 June
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor addressed the state ceremony on the eve of Statehood Day in Ljubljana's Congress Square, urging acknowledging the role of democracy and dialogue in Slovenia's further development. The evening saw political divisions rise again with some boycotting the official ceremony and several thousand turning up for an alternative event in the nearby Prešeren Square shortly before the official festivity.
        LJUBLJANA - The government removed Montenegro and Luxembourg from the green list of Covid-19-safe countries from which arrivals face no restrictions, while adding Albania and Portugal to the list of red countries from where entry into Slovenia entails a mandatory two-week quarantine. New restrictions for all four countries apply from 25 June.
        LJUBLJANA - The government proposed extending the furlough scheme by at least a month until the end of July in amendments to the third stimulus package. Moreover, the changes provide the legal basis for a contact tracing app and for the government to assume the cost of quarantine again instead of companies. The government also further detailed the loan guarantee scheme to make it workable and tackle company liquidity problems.
        LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed and submitted to parliament a bill that would provide EUR 780 million for investment in the Slovenian Armed Forces between 2021 in 2026, the bulk for the acquisition of armoured personnel vehicles to set up a battalion battlegroup, plus an aircraft and two helicopters.
        LJUBLJANA - Members of the Slovenian Armed Forces serving in international operations and missions reported via video link to PM Janez Janša, who commended the commanders of contingents ahead of Statehood Day on keeping Slovenian soldiers safe and healthy at the time of increased risk due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development slightly upgraded its forecasts for Slovenia's economy for this year, now projecting a contraction of 7.6%, down from 8.1% forecast in May, to be followed by a 4.5% growth in 2021.
        LJUBLJANA - Addressing a Slovenian Bank Association conference on the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said banks should presently focus not so much on their profitability but on helping preserve jobs and companies in general. "A long-term perspective is needed," he said.
        LJUBLJANA - About a month after Slovenia emerged from coronavirus lockdown, data released by the Statistics Office showed tourism suffered a severe blow during the epidemic. The number of overnight stays in the first five months was 58.8% lower than in the same period last year, while in May, there was a 96.5% drop in guests over May 2019.
        LJUBLJANA - Restrictions in place to fight the coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia in April caused the biggest drop in revenue generated in the services sector since January 2000, when the Statistics Office first started recording service revenue data. Compared to March, revenue dropped by 19.5%, while year-on-year, it was down as much as 30.3%.
        LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia has grown for the second consecutive time in June, data released by the Statistics Office showed. The index increased by 8.7 percentage points (pp) to -24.0pp between May and June. Nevertheless, it was still 29.3pp lower than in June 2019 and 24.1pp lower than a years long average.
        LJUBLJANA - The prices of homes in Slovenia rose by 1.1% in the first quarter of the year over the previous one and by 5.5% year on year, but the number of transactions was lower and the number of used apartments sold was the lowest in the last five years, the Statistics Office said.

THURSDAY, 25 June
        LJUBLJANA, KAMNIK - Several events featuring state officials were held to mark Statehood Day, a public holiday. President Borut Pahor laid a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars in Congress Square and Defence Minister Matej Tonin attended a ceremony in Kamink.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The number of asylum requests filed in Slovenia increased by 33% to 3,820 last year, while the total increase in the EU was 11% to 738,425, showed an annual report published by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). There were 530 unresolved applications in Slovenia at the end of last year, a 30% increase on 2018.

All our posts in this series are here

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 26 June 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: DeSUS aiding far-right

STA, 26 June 2020 - The latest editorial of  the left-wing weeklyMladina takes issue with the leader of junior coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) Aleksandra Pivec, arguing she lacks insight into the workings of politics and above all into Slovenian political history and the methods of Prime Minister and Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša.

The weekly paper's editor-in-chief Grega Repovž points to Pivec lashing out this week against a satirical paper that wrote she would be conferred the diamond order of the SDS, the party's alleged highest order of merit, at Wednesday's Statehood Day ceremony.

While Pivec accused the paper of propagating fake news and "humour that only they understand", Repovž says the reaction underlined that some of the highest positions in Slovenian politics are occupied by political amateurs without any knowledge of satire or of political history, meaning they also do not understand the weight and responsibility their office carries.

This fact is exposed time and again in Pivec, who Repovž says is not a person with bad intentions but is somebody who for instance does not understand that people do not oppose Janša today because of him allegedly being a right-leaning or conservative politician.

"She does not understand that the key problem is that Janša is neither a right-leaning or conservative politician but a man whose clique has in fact hijacked the Slovenian right or conservative politics", or that a major part of right-leaning intellectuals, still thriving in the 1990s, withdrew of their own accord, seeing that any steering away from Janša meant instant onslaught.

"The situation is even worse in the political arena itself. The only conservative party that managed to preserve itself - the reason being the wisdom of its former head Ljudmila Novak - is New Slovenia (NSi), a remnant of the Christian democrats."

Repovž says he is focusing on this aspect of Slovenia's political reality because it seems that Pivec is perceiving the current developments as opposition to a conservative government. Believing Pivec to be under the spell of Janša's charisma and fake mask, Repovž suggests she is failing to see "this not a conservative government, but the far-right posing as one".

While arguing Janša's misleading of exhausted and frightened people within a neoliberal system is only a response to the demands of the market that can also be seen in the US, Russia or Turkey, Repovž says this does not absolve Pivec of her responsibility.

It is also "in her name that people are being ID-ed on streets today, that fences are being erected, that people are being illegally filmed and subjected to face recognition software, that university professors are being removed from the central square while they are reading the Constitution".

This is the point the satirical paper was trying to make, Repovž concludes the commentary entitled Ignorance as a Political Concept.

Demokracija: Janša rejects claims he has authoritarian tendencies, says govt working hard

STA, 24 June 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has rejected in an interview for the right-wing weekly paper Demokracija accusations about authoritarian tendencies, saying the reproaches "are coming from those who left the country naked and barefoot before one of the hardest tests in this nation's history".

Arguing that unlike its predecessors the government is not only engaging in empty talk but is cooperating, Janša said all coronavirus crisis stimulus packages had been coordinated with stakeholders across the board and that the opposition had been invited to cooperate as well.

This is why "claims about plans for an authoritarian regime do not pass the test of rational thought", the prime minister and head of the Democrats (SDS) said.

Commenting on claims by former PM and LMŠ head Marjan Šarec that the government was left without legitimacy, Janša said it was sad that "even in such fateful times some cannot overcome their grudges, prejudice and anger".

"Instead of contributing according to their best abilities, they use the shield of cynicism and sow discontent, restlessness and divisions among people in a time, when they would mostly need hope and encouragement."

Also commenting on the SocDems' list of 10 + 100 mistakes committed by the Janša government, a major one among them being the methods of government and communication used by the PM and other cabinet members, Janša said it would be hard to find 100 mistakes with governments that involved the SD.

"They did not even adopt that many measures in three terms. 100 and more lost of wasted opportunities sounds more like it," Janša said.

As for the priorities of the current government, Janša said that although the term would regrettably be significantly shorter "because of Marjan Šarec's failed experiment, the government will try to overhaul social support systems, prepare the basis for long-term care, form the demographic fund, speed up zoning, simplify tax procedures and secure an effective protection of the state border.

Janša sees the ageing population as a key challenge, which is why he feels that it necessary to set up the demographic fund - which is expected to bring all state assets under one roof - as soon as possible. He said a draft bill was already on the table.

Turning to the Slovenian EU presidency priorities, he listed the need to improve the concrete capabilities of the EU and member sates to deal with global crises, such as a pandemic or an extensive cyber attack. Special attention will moreover be given to the situation in the Western Balkans, the European Neighbourhood Policy and enlargement.

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 26 June 2020 - Anti-government protesters took to the streets of Ljubljana on Friday evening in what have become traditional Friday rallies. They packed Prešeren Square where they protested over police erecting fences and put chains around the monument of Slovenian leading poet France Prešeren in a symbolic move to warn about the cultural crisis.

Several thousand then toured the capital, but kept away from Republic Square even though the venue, otherwise a popular place for assemblies and rallies, was not fenced off this evening as it was previous Friday, a government decision that has raised a lot of dust.

Protestniški sprevod ob vzklikanju lopovi nadaljuje po Cankarjevi cesti. #ljubljana #protest @rtvslo pic.twitter.com/IqCWMCZFnQ

— jasa.rajsek (@JRajsek) June 26, 2020

They protested over the police putting up fences in the capital, a city that has a collective memory of the Fascists fencing it off entirely with a barbed wire to suppress any resistance movement during the Second World War.

On Wednesday, on the eve of Statehood Day, fences were erected across the centre of Ljubljana to fence off the official state ceremony.

Moreover, apart from last Friday when Republic Square was completely fenced off, during a few previous Friday anti-government rallies, the square was partly closed off.

The protesters see all that as the police encroaching upon their right to assembly. Their posters and banners as well as speeches said that no fence would stop them.

On their route, they passed the Presidential Palace, most on foot, some also on bicycles, with many voicing their disapproval of President Borut Pahor.

They walked around an occupied Ljubljana, as they said, and wrapped up the rally in Congress Square where the state ceremony was held and in nearby Zvezda Park, holding up posters proclaiming it Republic Square.

"Every Friday when thousands of people take to the streets, peacefully, in a dignified manner, we win. They tried to fence us off and restrict assembling. They failed and they will fail," said theatre director Jaša Jenull, one of the informal organisers of the Friday rallies.

Putting Prešeren symbolically in chains was a warning about the cultural crisis in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, but also a protest gesture over restricting assembling.

YELLOW VESTS

Furthermore, the spot around the monument was the place where pro-government protesters in yellow vests gathered to oppose the Statehood Day alternative ceremony on Wednesday evening. There was some tension and banners saying Anarchists are Left-Wing Fascists were displayed by a few dozens in yellow vests.

Some 7,000 people gathered in the heart of Ljubljana to protest against the government on that day, according to police estimates.

Today, prior to the rally, a group of protesters also stopped by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) headquarters where they expressed their opposition to the entire political aisle, saying they had enough of "the left, the right and the quasi-centre politicians who are not working for the good of the nation", read social media posts.

Meanwhile, the number of police officers monitoring the protest seemed to be lower this Friday. The Ljubljana Police Administration told the STA that it could not disclose the exact figure, citing tactical reasons.

The police warned the protesters about anti-Covid-19 restrictions and notified the relevant authorities of any violations today as it had been doing during the previous Friday rallies, it added.

Apart from Ljubljana, anti-government protests were also held in a number of other Slovenian cities, including Maribor and Celje.

In Maribor, Ivan Gale, the whistleblower from the Agency for Commodity Reserves who alleged wrongdoing in the purchases of masks and further sparked the rallies, addressed the protesters.

Žalosten trg. #ljubljana pic.twitter.com/q2rpNMA2fE

— Pia Lešnik (@Plesni1) June 26, 2020

STA, 24 June 2020 - Several thousand people packed Prešeren Square in the heart of Ljubljana to state their opposition to the policies of the Janez Janša government on the eve of Statehood Day just a couple of hours before the official state ceremony on the occasion was due to begin in Congress Square, a stone's throw away.

The event was being monitored closely by police and there was some tension as a few dozen counter-protesters in yellow vests arrived in the square, carrying banners saying Anarchists are Left Fascists.

#snowflakes pic.twitter.com/lBVxO9BdMj

— ? stariha (@starihalj) June 24, 2020

The smaller group lined up in front of the monument to poet France Prešeren in the centre of the square, inviting boos and shouts "troublemakers" from the crowd turning up for the alternative ceremony, with the programme continuing from the stairs leading up to the church on the opposite side of the square.

The programme featured a women's choir signing The Internationale, the left-wing anthem, and speeches calling for a better world and against fascism, exclusions and restrictions on NGOs.

Those taking to the stage included culture workers, who called for a boycott of the state ceremony, arguing that the Slovenian population's referendum decision to break away from Yugoslavia had been abused to restore outdated capitalism, plunder social property, erase a part of the population and establish a political class of untouchables and their sidekicks.

Danes je praznik države. pic.twitter.com/0Z2z4yGT5L

— Jure Trampuš (@juretrampus) June 24, 2020

The group organising today's alternative ceremony had been holding weekly protests in front of the Ministry of Culture over what it said was the ministry's lack of response to the crisis in the culture sector.

The group, much like protesters that have been turning up for demonstrations on bicycles or on foot for several Fridays, also criticised "desire for absolute power", insults and exclusion which they attributed to the current government and in particular PM Janša.

The event was also addressed by young climate activists and other environmental activists. It was attended by artists, writers, performers and some opposition politicians, including former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, who told reporters he came to support people who turned up because they loved their country but disagreed with the government's actions.

Among those present was also Ivan Gale, the whistleblower from the Agency for Commodity Reserves who alleged wrongdoing in the purchases of masks, and a flag carrying member of the association fostering the heritage of the Partisan WWII resistance.

Flag-bearers had been barred from the state ceremony, ostensibly because of the coronavirus, which is why those turned up for a ceremony in Trzin, which was addressed by Ladislav Lipič, the head of the association of the 1991 war of Slovenian veterans.

The participants in the alternative Ljubljana ceremony later walked to the Presidential Palace and government headquarters, where they laid flowers and lit candles in tribute of the erased, before ending the protest in the French Revolution Square.

Jemljem nazaj izjavo, da mora vsak politik na proslavo. Ne! Vsak pošten politik jo mora bojkotirat. Kongresni trg je z vseh strani zablokiran. Dostop samo z vabilom. Ves levi breg je zablokiran. Vsi mostovi. Naj kar imajo to svojo proslavo. Ne me jebat, no. Čez Šuštarski most … pic.twitter.com/Sy5yxUE2Bb

— Marko Crnkovič (@crnkovic) June 24, 2020

This Shouldn't Happen#police #corruptgovernment #unnecessary #repression #exaggeration #nonsense #stupidity #noreason #streetphotography #street #bridge #Ljubljana #Slovenia #EU #europe #life #people #freedom #nofreedom #sadness #ThisIsSlovenia #oldtownhttps://t.co/zWbYE9b5by pic.twitter.com/f8gg8V7pE4

— Matija Nose (@TheMatN) June 24, 2020

Fascist president of #Slovenia @BorutPahor and #corrupt @JJansaSDS just captured centre of Ljubljana to celebrate 29th anniversary of independence. Many streets are locked for citizens. This is how fascism in Europe returns @coe @EU_Commission @EUCouncil @EPP @amnesty @RSF_inter pic.twitter.com/S3Mcw4hqX3

— Blaž Zgaga (@blaz_zgaga) June 24, 2020

The streets around Congress Square where the state ceremony started at shortly after 9pm were cordoned off. Šarec commented that the whole city was being fenced in and that there had been more railings erected every week, criticising police acting against some participants in the weekly Friday protests.

STA, 24 June 2020 - President Borut Pahor addressed a state ceremony on the eve of Statehood Day, urging acknowledging the role of democracy and dialogue in Slovenia's further development. The evening saw political divisions rise again with some boycotting the official ceremony or opting for an alternative one.

Pahor, the keynote speaker at the official ceremony in Congress Square in the capital, highlighted that the power of democracy did not merely lie in enabling diversity, but also in bridging the divides for the greater good through democratic dialogue.

Moč demokracije in nujnost vizije. Govor predsednika republike na osrednji slovesnosti ob dnevu državnosti. https://t.co/tP0LcKwkMS pic.twitter.com/a1vOT47IOJ

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) June 24, 2020

During the time of independence efforts, Slovenians managed to pursue joint aims despite of their political and other divides, said the president on the eve of the holiday commemorating declaring independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991.

"I miss this democratic zeal today. I miss trust and confidence to be able to talk honestly and without insults about everything and come to agreement on many a thing."

"I do not call for political unity. I call for dialogue and cooperation," said the president, adding that Slovenia needed both in the current times.

In the wake of the corona crisis a clear vision is key and there are opportunities for innovative, sustainable solutions, he said, calling for a vision of a green and digital Slovenia to be part of the nearing Germany-Portugal-Slovenia trio EU Council presidency.

He also lauded Slovenia's dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic, saying that the country had not merely kept the death toll relatively low but also acted in line with the rule of law, thus echoing democratic values that were alive during independence efforts.

Pahor's address was followed by a cultural programme revolving around patriotic themes. Due to coronavirus restrictions, a maximum of 500 participants were allowed. Organisers have been thus forced to restrict the number of performers and participants as well as cancel the attendance of flag-bearers.

The event was attended by senior officials, including former President Milan Kučan and former Prime Minister Lojze Peterle as well as some members of the opposition.

The major opposition party LMŠ did not attend the ceremony though, nor did the Left. Both missed it due to their disagreement with the government policies and instead participated in an alternative event that was held before the official ceremony.

Earlier, Pahor held a traditional reception at Vila Podrožnik for the relatives of those who died or were injured during Slovenia's ten-day independence war. He thanked the families for their contribution to the country's independence and called for keeping the memory of the heroic actions alive.

Moreover, Pahor said that the relevant legislation should be reviewed and changes introduced to improve the status of the relatives before next year's 30th anniversary of independence.

Prior to Pahor's evening address, parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič addressed the National Assembly at a ceremonial session, urging citizens to respect Slovenia, its history and symbols and by doing that show respect for all the people who have paved the way for the country to become independent.

He stressed the importance of democratic dialogue and high-level political culture for the efforts that had led to Slovenia's independence and urged similar conduct and cooperation to tackle pressing challenges, including those caused by the corona crisis.

Zorčič moreover added that Slovenians had a country that could be envied by the majority of the world population and highlighted that having such a country was a sort of privilege but also responsibility.

Prime Minister Janez Janša went down memory lane in his Statehood Day message, reminiscing about Slovenia's independence efforts and the nation's unity at the time. He wished that people would see an independent country as a gift and opportunity for everybody.

"The power of a nation that is united is a power that is unstoppable," he wrote, adding that although the country had achieved a lot, opportunities were also missed due to divisions.

Message by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia @JJansaSDS on Statehood Day: Slovenia, my homelandhttps://t.co/eYRvUIEC7k pic.twitter.com/MIr7G8hcNJ

— Slovenian Government (@govSlovenia) June 24, 2020

Slovenia's source of values is the times of independence efforts, he said, urging citizens to stay united and act responsibly to fight off any potential additional waves of coronavirus infections.

Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina meanwhile highlighted that Slovenia was founded on respect for human rights and basic liberties and urged striving to maintain such values.

He pointed out that a democratic society meant ensuring freedom of expression as well as the right to rally.

Celebrations of the coming holiday also included mass for homeland that was said at the Ljubljana cathedral. Koper bishop Jurij Bizjak thanked top state officials for leading the country, particularly during the Covid-19 epidemic.

Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor se je udeležil maše za domovino, ki jo je daroval ljubljanski nadškof metropolit in predsednik Slovenske škofovske konference msgr. Stanislav Zore. pic.twitter.com/OnJojfua0E

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) June 24, 2020

He also expressed admiration and respect for the state authorities staying humble and patient when faced with "constant insults and humiliations, insinuations and suspicions, malicious allegations and speculations, lies and slander" that besmirch their reputation, "their good name to which every man has a right, and even more so excellent elects and representatives of the nation".

Bizjak highlighted the importance of the presumption of innocence and said that nobody should be exposed to media attacks until given an opportunity to defend themselves.

The mass was attended by Pahor, Janša, Zorčič and Svetina as well as Chief of the General Staff, Brigadier General Robert Glavaš, Police Commissioner Anton Travner, Supreme Court president Damijan Florjančič and a number of other top officials and diplomats as well as representatives of other religious communities.

Meanwhile, an alternative ceremony was held in Prešeren Square with several thousand people gathering before touring the streets of the capital, calling for a better world and against fascism, exclusions and restrictions on NGO and being critical of the Janša government as well as Pahor.

Fascist president of #Slovenia @BorutPahor and #corrupt @JJansaSDS just captured centre of Ljubljana to celebrate 29th anniversary of independence. Many streets are locked for citizens. This is how fascism in Europe returns @coe @EU_Commission @EUCouncil @EPP @amnesty @RSF_inter pic.twitter.com/S3Mcw4hqX3

— Blaž Zgaga (@blaz_zgaga) June 24, 2020

According to Delo, the Slovenian police will add 20 X2 model tasers to its list of active-use equipment starting on July 1^st 2020.  Given the latest incidences of the use of force on the side of the police during peaceful anti-government protests, Mladina magazine wonders whether the adoption of tasers at this time is a government move to target protesters.

The first attempt to introduce tasers occurred under the first Janša’s government, when a two-year trial period was introduced in 2006. The police officers, however, found no need for the use of this equipment and the trial period ended without a single incidence of a taser being used.

In 2017, however, Cerar’s government passed legislation which allows and regulates the use of tasers on the part of the police. According to Mladina, legalization of the use of tasers came as a response to the alleged need to facilitate border protection due to the increased number of illegal crossings. 

Last year 25 Slovenian police officers were trained by the American company Axon, the supplier of the devices, and these 25 instructors then further trained 237 police officers in handling the equipment.  

According to the Police Tasks and Powers Act, tasers are equipped with a camera, which is active at all times. The use of a taser is justifiable when active resistance or an attack is endangering the life of a police officer or anyone else. Tasers can also be used in the prevention of suicides.

The Police Tasks and Powers Act also allows the use of tasers on elderly, children, sickly, disabled and pregnant women in situations which allow for the use of firearms.

STA, 24 June 2020 - The government decided on Wednesday to reintroduce the obligatory use of protective masks in closed public spaces and on public transport. The disinfecting of hands is also compulsory again, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said, explaining the measures, in force from Thursday, are a result of an increase in recorded Covid-19 cases in recent days.

The minister told the press that 20 new infections had been confirmed in Slovenia between 20 and 24 June.

He announced that the obligatory wearing of masks, which he said had contributed to better results in the past, would be reviewed every two weeks.

The government will continue monitoring the epidemiological situation in Slovenia as well as abroad and introduce additional measures on borders if this proves necessary, Gantar added.

Due to new restrictions on borders in recent days, quarantine has been imposed in around 2,700 cases, the minister moreover explained.

Slovenia expanding list of Covid-19 risky countries

STA, 24 June 2020 - The government is removing Montenegro, Luxembourg from the list of Covid-19-safe countries from which arrivals face no restrictions, while adding Albania and Portugal to the list of countries from where entry into Slovenia entails a mandatory two-week quarantine.

New restrictions for all four countries apply from Thursday, the government spokesman Jelko Kacin told reporters after today's government session, which comes after Slovenia has seen an increase in new coronavirus cases imported from abroad, mostly from the region of the former Yugoslavia.

Kacin said Montenegro and Luxembourg are being removed from the "green list" of epidemiologically safe countries from which entry into Slovenia is restriction-free.

The number of new daily infections per 100,000 residents in those two countries over the past 14 days has exceeded 10.

Albania and Portugal are being moved to the red list of countries from which entry into Slovenia entails a 14-day quarantine, except for some exceptions.

The red list includes countries which registered more that 40 new daily infections per 100,000 residents for the past fortnight.

"The Foreign Ministry strongly advises against any travel to the red-labelled countries," said Kacin, adding that if travel was absolutely essential for business or other reason utmost caution should be exercised and the stay as short as possible.

The government took the decisions after getting acquainted with the assessment of the epidemiological situation in the EU and its neighbourhood, drawn up by the National Institute of Public Health.

Kacin said that while everyone decided for themselves where to go and at what risk during their free time, the government was keen for as few as possible travellers or tourists to venture where it was not safe.

"I'd strongly advise against any travel to Latin America, and the situation is also deteriorating fast in Africa," said Kacin, who believes people follow exactly where to go and where they must not.

Commenting on the change of regime for certain countries, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said: "If a country is green today, it won't be red tomorrow, but we'll always go via a transition."

"This should give enough time to citizens in that country or abroad, if they follow at least a bit so they know there can be change, but in no case from today to tomorrow so that anyone would be caught off guard. That is not our intention," he said.

According to Kacin, the government also decreed today that the proof of a negative coronavirus test which foreigners need to present to enter Slovenia should not be older than 36 hours.

So far such certificates needed to be not older than three days. The change is to avoid abuse that has happened, said Kacin.

A list of quanrantine countries, not yet updated and in Slovene (but easy to Google Translate) is here

STA, 24 June 2020 - Delo says in Wednesday's front-page commentary that the recent ID-ing of individuals police were guessing could attend the parallel ceremony organised by protesters on the occasion of Statehood Day is without precedent in democratic law-governed Slovenia.

The paper starts by dismissing PM Janez Janša's labelling of today's rival ceremony to be organised in Ljubljana's Prešeren Square as indecent and detestable, noting he had organised rival ceremonies several times while he was the opposition leader.

What is more, there are quite a few differences between Janša's alternative ceremonies and the event being organised in Prešeren square. The latter is a citizens' event, not one that would be organised by parliament's political opposition.

There is nothing indecent about people celebrating Statehood Day, it is just a sign they identify with the state, even if they may not agree with the actions of the ruling coalition.

The alternative ceremony has not been officially registered and will cause a violation of the ban on gatherings in excess of 500 people still in place due to Covid-19.

The police responded to the development ahead of time, starting to ID last Friday those handing out flyers for the event, as well as passers-by, the reason being a suspicion they could break the law in the future.

"It is crucial to put the approach of the police in a historical context. Since the onset of democratic legal order, the police has never dealt with potential illegal actions that could happen in the future. The police is too serious an institution to be delving in fortune telling. The holiday will happen. If you will be celebrating it together with fellow citizens, wear a mask," Delo says in the commentary Celebrating with a Mask (Praznovanje z masko).

STA, 23 June - Prime Minister Janez Janša, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa agreed on Tuesday that the EU and its member states must find solutions to the social crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. They also confirmed the priorities for the trio's upcoming EU presidency.

The leaders stressed at today's videoconference that the right lessons must be learnt from this crisis and that Europe should gear up for the future. They reiterated their commitment to build a stronger, more sustainable, competitive and connected Europe after the pandemic, Janša's office said.

The three countries' priorities for their combined year-and-a-half stint at the helm of the EU, which starts next month as Germany takes over for six months, had been adjusted to the pandemic, so the main goal will be Europe's quick economic and social recovery.

Janša, Merkel and Costa agreed that the EU must come up with solutions for the post-corona period and recovery of the European economy.

They stressed the importance of green and digital transitions, and called for enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy and its capacities to tackle crises such are pandemics and cyber attacks.

The trio confirmed that tackling climate change was among the priorities of the trio whose stint will conclude with Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021.

Germany, Portugal and Slovenia will also be pushing for the strengthening of Europe's global role, and its influence on global policies.

Janša, Merkel and Costa stressed the importance of joint action in relations with China and India, future-oriented relations with Africa, and the continuation of cooperation with cross-Atlantic partners. They also highlighted the need for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.

Originally, today's meeting was to be held in Berlin but was instead held virtually because of the coronavirus situation.

STA, 23 June 220 - The ceremony planned for the eve of Statehood Day (Dan državnosti)on Wednesday has once again proved divisive. After World War II veteran organisations had been excluded from preparations and included again upon an intervention by the president, an alternative event is being planned near the site of the official ceremony by artists critical of the prime minister.

On Monday, a group of artists who have been protesting in front of the Culture Ministry against its failure to help the sector in the face of the coronavirus epidemic, called for a boycott of the official state ceremony planned for Wednesday evening in Congress Square.

The group will organise its own event two hours earlier at the nearby Prešeren Square. It said in a press release last night that "the Republic of Slovenia has abused the plebiscite decision of its people to leave Yugoslavia for restoring outdated capitalism, plundering common property, erasing part of the population and for establishing the untouchable political class and its servants".

Albeit not naming him, they criticised Janša as being "the great leader" and "Independence Man" who is interested in nothing but power, accusing him of revising history, managing the present to his own liking and predicting a catastrophic future, offending and excluding, and persecuting those who think differently.

Responding to the call for boycott, Janša told the broadcaster Nova24TV last night that "calling for an anti-ceremony on Statehood Day was indecent, perverse and beyond anything the words 'normal' and 'civilisation' mean to us. I hope its organisers change their mind by Wednesday."

When Janša was still in the opposition, he often skipped official state ceremonies to attend the ones organised associations affiliated with his Democrats (SDS), including the Association for the Values of Slovenian Independence.

The boycott call was however not the only difficulty this time. Weeks ago, the government dismissed from the organising committee the representatives of the veteran associations, replacing them with representatives of the Association for the Values of Slovenian Independence, which is chaired by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and where Janša is one of the presidency members.

The representatives of the other veteran associations were later included in the committee, following an intervention by President Borut Pahor.

Today, MEP and opposition Social Democrats (SD) leader Tanja Fajon addressed a letter to both Janša and Pahor, calling for an inclusive ceremony.

Fajon, who said she will attend tomorrow's official ceremony, believes that the pair must allow the nation to celebrate together by "including everybody, especially all veteran organisations, and above all with sincere regret of the deep division in society and reasons therefore".

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, head of the biggest opposition party LMŠ, said he would not attend the official ceremony, arguing attendance would give the government "legitimacy".

Commenting on the ceremony planned by the artists, Šarec said it would be a celebration by the people. He said he would attend his local Statehood Day ceremony in the town of Kamnik.