Politics
STA, 25 January - Rajko Kozmelj, director of Slovenia's intelligence and security agency SOVA (Slovenska obveščevalno-varnostna agencija), will insist the agency be given new powers to fight against violent extremism. He also said in an interview run by the newspaper Delo on Saturday he believed the political oversight of SOVA was being abused.
The draft resolution on the national security strategy envisaged new powers to facilitate early detection of violent extremism, such as the Štajerska Varda.
This would allow SOVA to secretly enter the homes of Slovenian citizens without ties to foreigners to gather data, which many found problematic.
The parliamentary Defence Committee consequently voted against these provisions before the resolution was passed in parliament without them last September.
Kozmelj believes the public and some politicians will probably find it hard to understand SOVA's arguments for more powers "until we are faced with a concrete threat".
He said SOVA would like "a specific new power to uncover and prevent on time all security risks for which no law enforcement body in Slovenia has powers now".
Kozmelj gave the Štajerska Guard para-military group as an example, saying the country's security system had no means to detect this security threat.
It was too early for the police to start an investigation, whereas SOVA could not act "because there was no foreign element involved", he explained.
Another of SOVA's challenges is staff. Kozmelj said SOVA would continue to hire through public calls and in other ways, but "the problem is how to attract adequate staff who would be willing to work for such a low pay".
Kozmelj also believes political oversight, carried out by a parliamentary commission, is being abused, but he is in favour of "expert and independent oversight".
He argued that measures based on ICT could only be overseen by "those who know what they have in front of them". "Of course, this does not mean I exclude political oversight."
As for the scandal surrounding the hiring of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec's acquaintance, he said this chapter was over for SOVA, yet it continued to be politicised.
Kozmelj is also bothered that SOVA staff are allowed to be members of political parties, so in the planned changes to the SOVA law, this is to be severely limited.
Asked which minister is most active user of SOVA's intelligence, Kozmelj said apart from the prime minister, it was Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek and Education Minister Jernej Pikalo.
"When I came to SOVA, I noticed the cooperation with the ministries was not the way I'd want it to be. Now we have joint meetings to properly discuss things."
STA, 24 January - The opposition Democrats (SDS) tabled on Friday a proposal to raise the age of eligibility for child maintenance allowance from 18 to 26 or until parents are obliged to provide financial support for their children.
The party believes that the changes to the public guarantee and maintenance fund would reduce the number of cases where child support is not provided for those above the age of 18.
The amendment would ensure equal treatment of all those eligible for child support, said the SDS, adding that those who are furthering their education and are not employed after turning 18 are currently not entitled to financial protection and child support recovery and are thus worse off.
Children's right to maintenance is one of the basic children's rights, ensuring a favourable environment for their development, highlighted the party.
In 2017, some 4,300 minors received child support allowance, quite an increase compared to 1,900 in 2000. Given this surge, the party has concluded that unpaid child support cases are on the rise. Last year, some 17,100 persons of age and studying were eligible for child support, according to the SDS.
What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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FRIDAY, 17 January
LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said it was urgent for all EU members to work together in tackling migrations. She said a new EU pact on migration and asylum should bring a fresh start in this field. Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar said Slovenia was ready to debate new concepts and had been constructive all along.
LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Ministry said that the EU Commission would provide technical assistance in bringing about a green transition in Slovenia's mining regions. The country is also expected to reap the benefits of the emerging EUR 7.5 billion Just Transition Fund, where it should be entitled to roughly EUR 92 million.
LJUBLJANA - More than two dozen companies from Slovenia, China, Turkey and several other countries submitted bids for the principal construction works on the new rail section from Divača to Koper, kicking off what promises to be a fierce contest for an estimated EUR 700 million. The bidders include some of the biggest construction companies in the world.
LJUBLJANA - Croatian Ambassador to Slovenia Boris Grigić highlighted the importance of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans as he addressed Slovenian MPs to present Croatia's EU presidency's priorities in the first half of 2020. He said that the region would be brought closer to the EU when the desire and will for the enlargement was again stressed.
LJUBLJANA - Representatives of small business complained at a meeting with Prime Minister Marjan Šarec that their demands remained unmet, with PM assuring them the government was working on solving their problems. Branko Meh, the head of the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS), noted that small business represented 99.3% of the Slovenian economy.
LJUBLJANA - The Environment Ministry announced it was looking for a sustainable solution after Hungary had decided to stop importing sewage sludge, including from Slovenia. Minister Simon Zajc announced more concrete plans would be presented soon, adding that Slovenia was striving to become self-sufficient in this field.
SATURDAY, 18 January
LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec surprisingly defeated Defence Minister Karl Erjavec for the presidency of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), prompting Erjavec to announce his resignation as minister and withdrawal from public life. The option of a government reshuffle arising after these developments was ruled out as Pivec and PM Marjan Šarec met after her landslide win.
BERLIN, Germany - Slovenia's agriculture delegation talked about providing support to the Western Balkans countries in their EU enlargement efforts with the region's representatives as it attended the International Green Week agricultural trade show. They discussed assistance in implementation of EU regulations in particular.
SUNDAY, 19 January
LJUBLJANA - Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina told a memorial ceremony that the unimaginable horrors and hardship of that time must not be forgotten, urging standing up to hatred and xenophobia. President Borut Pahor said young generations should be reminded where hatred leads.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar attended a ministerial meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In his address, Cerar pledged Slovenia's continued commitment to preserving the awareness and historical records of the Holocaust, genocide against the Roma and persecution of other victims.
MONDAY, 20 January
LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry released a white paper on defence under which Slovenia's defence budget is to reach 2% of GDP, a NATO target, by 2035. The document also implies that unless the national army manages to attract more members, Slovenia would have to consider reintroducing conscription. At a subsequent debate at the National Council a number of concerns were raised, above all about plans to increase the number of soldiers and lack of focus on technological development.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said that Slovenia was willing to cooperate in a changed Operation Sophia to the best of its abilities and stressed that the country was seen as a reliable partner. His statements came after EU foreign ministers decided on upgrading the bloc's military operation in the Mediterranean by shifting its focus from migrants to the arms embargo on Libya.
LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Slovenians Abroad announced that twenty-one Venezuelans of Slovenian descent who asked for repatriation had already arrived in Slovenia. Of some 50 persons who asked for repatriation, 29 have been granted the status, while some of the applications are still being processed and are expected to be granted.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor was presented with the credentials of five new ambassadors, among them the new Ambassador of Russia, Timur Rafailovic Eyvazov, Italian Carlo Campanile and Australian Richard Travers Sadleir.
LJUBLJANA - A poll run by Dnevnik and Večer showed that a majority of Slovenians (over 54%) are in favour of the pull-out of troops from Iraq in the wake of Iran's attack on two airbases there. It also demonstrated strong backing for Slovenia's NATO membership. The strongest support for the pull-out was registered among leftist voters and youths.
LJUBLJANA - The party of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec (LMŠ) continued to lead the field in the latest Vox Populi poll, albeit with a slightly narrower margin ahead of the opposition Democrats (SDS). The LMŠ slipped back 0.8 percentage points from the month before to 19.4% as the SDS gained 0.3 points to 16.9%, shows the poll, conducted by Ninamedia for Dnevnik and Večer.
LJUBLJANA - Data from the Slovenian Bank Association showed that the number of loans approved by banks in Slovenia in November and December plummeted. The number of consumer loans dropped by around 60% over October and the number of housing loans by around 40%. The association said the surge was most probably a result of the central bank's announcement of the new lending curbs, which kicked in on 1 November.
TUESDAY, 21 January
DAVOS, Switzerland - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans was key to the region's stabilisation and transformation, as he spoke at a panel on resuming strategic dialogue in the region at the World Economic Forum. He reiterated Slovenia's disappointment with the EU's failure to launch accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.
LJUBLJANA - NLB bank asked the Constitutional Court to review tighter restrictions on lending imposed by the central bank in November. The bank expressed the belief that its request would be a matter of priority for the court because of the "radical effect" the measures had on the quality of Slovenians' lives.
CELJE - The Trade Union of Police Officers (SPS) announced they planned to stage a four-hour token strike on 3 February over the government's failure to fully implement commitments, agreed pay rises and promotions that had been made in the December 2018 agreement that had ended a protracted strike.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - After her first meeting with European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, Slovenia's new Development and EU Cohesion Policy Minister Angelika Mlinar said that Slovenia had gone from below-average to above-average in drawing of EU funds at the end of last year. The EU Commission withdrew its warning that payments to Slovenia may be suspended due to problems with the IT system used in the process.
LJUBLJANA - The Finance Ministry confirmed that State Secretary Metod Dragonja would retire in March. The business newspaper Finance alleged that Dragonja was leaving mainly due to disagreements over the plans to extend the life of the Bank Assets Management Company and general disagreements with Alenka Bratušek, the leader of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), the political faction he belongs to.
WEDNESDAY, 22 January
JERUSALEM, Israel - President Borut Pahor arrived in Jerusalem to take part in the World Holocaust Forum, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. He met his counterpart Reuven Rivlin, with whom he agreed that awareness was key if the world wanted to avoid the same atrocities again. The pair said that relations between the countries were built on firm foundations and a true friendship. The next day Pahor attended the ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre, where he laid a wreath.
DAVOS, Switzerland - Attending the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec participated in a debate on bringing artificial intelligence (AI) closer to the public sector. Artificial intelligence has the potential to serve humanity and benefit individuals and society, he highlighted, adding that cooperation and respecting human rights were key in tapping AI potential.
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar discussed with MPs on the Foreign Policy Committee the situation in Libya and Iran and the recent annulment of the 1946 verdict against a collaborationist Slovenian general. Cerar commended the EU's determination to boost its diplomatic efforts for Libya. As for Iran, he said the EU was still making efforts to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.
LJUBLJANA - Nada Drobne Popović was appointed for full term as CEO of the energy group Petrol after she shifted from chief supervisor to acting CEO following the resignation of the Tomaž Berločnik-led management at the end of October. She was given 21 days to form her management team.
VELENJE - The household appliances maker Gorenje, owned by the Chinese conglomerate Hisense, announced that it would streamline its production by reducing the number employees in support services in production by 176 in different ways by mid-April due to "poor business results". The in-house trade union expressed concern, expecting the total number of dismissals to be rather high.
LJUBLJANA - The EU officials said at a meeting with the national task force for the management of brown bear, wolf and lynx that the key goal of European policies was cohabitation with large carnivores, thus nipping in the bud Slovenia's efforts to convince the EU Commission to loosen rules on the protection of large carnivores when animal populations are booming.
MALMÖ, Sweden - The Slovenian men's handball team made it among the top four teams at the European championships after finishing second in the main round Group II play. Slovenia attained their first goal at the tournament - a berth in one of the three qualifying tournaments for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
THURSDAY, 23 January
LJUBLJANA - Adria Airways operating licences were auctioned off to Air Adriatic, a newly established company owned by Slovenian developer and fruit importer Izet Rastoder, at the asking price of EUR 45,000. Receiver Janez Pustatičnik said that there were three bidders, "the asking price was accepted and there was no bidding".
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar urged the Defence Ministry to send Slovenia's six soldiers back to Iraq as soon as possible, or else the country's reputation will suffer. The Defence Ministry responded that the soldiers were ready to go back "as planned". Earlier, it was said they would return no later than 1 February.
JERUSALEM, Israel - President Borut Pahor held talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Matterella focusing on the future of the EU and current issues that the bloc faces, including Brexit, the Western Balkans and migrations. The pair agreed that broader dialogue was needed for taking on these challenges.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranked 35th among 180 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index rankings for 2019, up one spot from the year before, making no major progress since 2012. TI Slovenia said the country's score was below the EU and OECD averages, highlighting there was an absence of any systemic measures to make the fight against corruption in Slovenia more efficient.
LJUBLJANA - Robert Strayer, the US deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy, was in Slovenia to raise concerns about the security aspect in deciding about 5G technology providers, suggesting providers from China could not be trusted.
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to formally seek a UNESCO listing of famed architect Jože Plečnik's (1872-1952) works in the capital Ljubljana after an earlier joint bid with the Czech Republic was abandoned. All of Plečnik's major works in Ljubljana will be nominated for the world heritage list, except for the dilapidated Bežigrad Stadium.
All our posts in this series are here
STA, 24 January 2020 - The EU's Court of Justice will announce on 31 January whether it will admit Slovenia's suit against Croatia over the latter's failure to implement the 2017 border arbitration award, according to a posting on the court's website.
In early December 2019, the court's Advocate General Priit Pikamäe proposed to the court to rule the case inadmissible, which came as a surprise to many in Slovenia.
However, while many agreed the opinion did not bode well for the fate of the procedure, the opinion does not prejudge the court's final decision on admissibility.
Slovenia, arguing Croatia infringes several articles of EU law, brought its case to the EU court in July 2018, after the European Commission refused to do do.
In his no-binding opinion, Pikamäe argued that "the infringements of EU law of which Slovenia accuses Croatia are ancillary to the issue of determining the boundary between those two states, which is a matter of public international law".
His understanding is that since the award has not been implemented, the border between Slovenia and Croatia has not been set, which is why Croatia could not be accused of violating relevant provisions of EU law.
The advocate general interpreted Slovenia's suit as an attempt to force Croatia to implement the border decision, which he argued does not fall under the EU's jurisdiction.
If the court agrees with Pikamäe's opinion, the procedure will stop there. If it admits the case fully or partly, the case will be further processed, followed by another opinion by the advocate general and the final ruling.
Slovenia and Croatia signed the arbitration agreement in November 2009, agreeing to task an international tribunal with settling the border after years of futile attempts to determine the course of the border in the aftermath of the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991.
STA, 23 January 2020 - Slovenian President Borut Pahor laid a wreath at Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre in Jerusalem on Thursday as he attended the World Holocaust Forum marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
On the sidelines of his two-day visit to Jerusalem, Pahor repeated his position on the quashing of the 1946 conviction of Leon Rupnik for collaboration with the Nazis during Second World War.
According to his office, Pahor explained his position on Rupnik, the head of the provisional government of the Nazi-occupied Ljubljana, to Israelis, including Miriam Steiner-Aviezer of Yad Vashem.
He told them that he never commented on concrete decisions of the independent institutions of the rule of law. But he did add that in his view future generations too would deem the general's swearing to Hitler, his collaboration with the occupying forces and his being an anti-Semite as abject acts.
The ceremony today was addressed by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron with their main message being that the Holocaust should not be forgotten and even that all must be done to prevent it from ever repeating again.
The memorial concluded with Holocaust survivors Rose Moskowitz from the US and Colette Avital, the head of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors, lighting a menorah.
This was followed by the invited world leaders laying wreaths at Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem, among them Pahor.
Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor se je danes udeležil osrednje slovesnosti Foruma voditeljev ob mednarodnem dnevu spomina na holokavst v Jeruzalemu. #UnitedinMemory75 pic.twitter.com/xdvTXLhich
— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) January 23, 2020
Predsednik Pahor se je pred začetkom slovesnosti srečal z mnogimi svetovnimi voditelji. pic.twitter.com/33F4ibs6ya
— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) January 23, 2020
Spominska slovesnost se je zaključila s polaganjem vencev k Spomeniku upora Varšavskega geta, ki so jih položili povabljeni državniki, med njimi predsednik Pahor. #UnitedinMemory75 pic.twitter.com/bdnhS19h8r
— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) January 23, 2020
Pahor held several bilateral meetings ahead of the ceremony, including with his Austrian counterpart Alexander van der Bellen, Hungary's Janos Ader, Italy's Sergio Mattarella, Portugal's Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Slovakia's Zuzana Čaputova.
In brief meetings he also congratulated European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli on their appointments.
Exhibition pays tribute to Slovenians in Auschwitz
STA, 23 January 2020 - An exhibition launched in Maribor on Thursday tells about the hardship of some 2,300 people from Slovenia who were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, some 1,300 never to return.
The documentary exhibition Here Is Where Death Worked Itself to Death ... was launched at the Maribor Synagogue as part of the events commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
Among the 2,300 deported to the camp from Slovenia, 350 were Jews, at least 78 were Roma, and at least one was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses from Slovenia.
"For around 1,300 of them, Auschwitz is the place of death, which means it's one of the largest cemeteries of the Slovenian victims of World War II," said Boris Hajdinjak, the author of the exhibition.
He noted that one third of the victims were women, while the most tragic fate befell the Roma. "None of them would survive the war. Most of those identified were deported from Dolenjska", south-eastern Slovenia, Hajdinjak told the STA.
People were deported from all parts of the country. "No region was excluded. Interned in Auschwitz were the Logar sisters, after whom the Logar Valley (N) is named," he said, offering one example.
On display until 17 March, the exhibition tells personal stories of various groups and types of people who ended up in the camp, Hajdinjak's way to show that nobody was spared.
The exhibition is part of the project Shoah - Let Us Remember, a series of events held annually across the country to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The project's honorary sponsor is Culture Minister Zoran Poznič, who was unable to attend the ceremony in Maribor.
Speaking on his behalf, State Secretary Tanja Kerševan Smokvina said that remembering the Holocaust was particularly important today in the face of new kinds of hatred.
"New concentration camps are at Europe's doors, children are drowning in our seas and rivers, while the Holocaust denial, attempts at historical revisionism, xenophobia and hatred are on the increase."
The official urged everyone to ask themselves what each can do to alleviate and turn around those trends.
She noted that Minister Poznič is in talks with his counterparts from the countries of the former Yugoslavia to renovate what used to be the Yugoslav exhibition pavilion at the Auschwitz-Birkenau remembrance centre to mount a joint exhibition there as "a lasting memory and above all a reminder".
The main ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be held in Lendava on 30 January with President Borut Pahor as the keynote speaker.
STA, 21 January 2020 - An event on integration of persons who have been granted international protection, hosted by the Peace Institute (Mirovni inštitut) in Ljubljana on Tuesday, heard that debate on integration in Slovenia is of secondary importance, as things get stuck already at the question of whether an asylum seeker should be accepted in the country at all.
This assessment was made by Iztok Šori, the institute's director, who said that the Slovenian police were rejecting migrants on the border with Croatia, making it impossible for them to apply for international protection.
Šori noted that the Interior Ministry had recently rejected applications from several citizens of Eritrea, the country with probably the worst dictatorship in Africa. "Getting international protection in Slovenia is actually a lottery with very unclear rules, which may change overnight."
Eritrea has been declared a safe country all of a sudden, and similarly Afghanistan, where international protection applicants are being deported, is also deemed a safe country," he said, noting that Slovenia had granted only 85 applications last year.
Related: Eritreans Stage Protest Against Asylum Rejections in Ljubljana
Maja Ladić of the institute added that there was a discrepancy between theory and practice when it came to integration, while "the migration policy is getting stricter, with ever more restrictive measures being taken".
According to her, the number of asylum seekers in Slovenia is growing, while the number of granted applications is decreasing.
Ladić said that the long-awaited migration strategy, which had been adopted last year without much input from the civil society, was not expected to bring major changes when it came to integration.
"As we've heard today, Slovenia is being mentioned as a case of good practice in the region, but I think that it would be better to look up to countries which are better in a certain field than us."
While Olivera Vukotic of the UNHCR's Central European office sees Slovenia as a case of good practice in integration of refugees in Central Europe, Ladić said that North and West European countries were better examples.
STA, 20 January 2020 - Twenty-one Slovenians who asked for repatriation from Venezuela have already arrived in Slovenia, State Secretary at the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad Olga Belec told the press in Ljubljana on Monday. Six repatriates arrived in December and fifteen in January.
Of some 50 persons who asked for repatriation, 29 have been granted the status, while some of the applications are still being processed because the applicants had to supplement them. The office thus expects 15 more persons to move to their new homeland.
It was mostly young families that asked for repatriation, but the process remains open until the government decides otherwise, so new applications can still be submitted.
Repatriation procedures took rather long because safety was put first, Dejan Valentinčič, deputy head of the task force in charge of repatriation at the office, explained at today's press conference.
Two-thirds of the repatriates, who are dispersed around the country, live with their relatives, whereas the state has helped find the accommodation for the rest.
The repatriates have mostly settled in towns where they are expected to find a job easily. Some have already had their first job interviews, said Belec.
Many of the repatriates have completed higher education, and are also of very different ages, with the youngest being five years old.
Although many do not speak Slovenian, they have already started learning it, but they all mostly feel fine and are happy they can live in peace and freedom.
"We're happy that we're here and that we're safe," said Adreas Hočevar, who has moved here with his sister, wife and child.
While he has a hi-tech company in Venezuela, his sister would like to have a dance school here. "Dance is running through my veins," she said.
According to the office's estimates, there are up to 1,000 persons of Slovenian descent in Venezuela, but not all of them qualify for repatriation.
To qualify, the applicants have to meet several criteria, including proving their Slovenian origin, having no criminal record, and having "active ties with Slovenia, that is being active in Slovenian societies".
However, they do not have to speak Slovenian. Valentičič explained that language was one of the first features of national identity to disappear.
"You can be a good Slovenian without speaking the Slovenian language," he said, adding many preserve their identity with customs, such as baking the potica cake for holidays.
"For Slovenia, this was a pioneering project," Belec said about the Venezuela repatriation.
She noted this was the first time Slovenia had produced such an extensive repatriation action plan, which came with many challenges, from the very arrival of the repatriates to their accommodation and employment.
STA, 20 January 2020 - Slovenia's defence budget will finally reach 2% of GDP by 2035, according to a white paper released online by the Defence Ministry on Monday. The document also shows plans for the Armed Forces to gradually grow by more than 1,500 soldiers, reaching 8,000 by 2035.
The long-awaited document shows that the military reserve force is to more than double, going from 700 today to 1,500 in 2035.
The white paper says that unless the measures foreseen attract additional force members, Slovenia will have to "reconsider the concept of the state's defence system, the scope and structure of the Armed Forces, and consider the introduction of other elements of military duty". Thus the country may think about reintroducing obligatory military duty in the future.
In terms of finance, the 2% spending foreseen in the white paper means that Slovenia would finally meet the defence funding target set by NATO in 2035. Moreover, 20% of the funds is to be spent on investments.
This year, defence spending will reach EUR 545.85 million, some EUR 40 million more than in 2019. Another increase is planned for 2021, when the defence budget is to reach EUR 561 million.
When the 2020 and 2021 budgets were discussed in parliament, Major General Alenka Ermenc, the chief of the general staff, said that additional funds planned for this year and the next will not allow a development breakthrough for the Armed Forces.
In the white paper, the ministry also wants to introduce territorial organisation of the Armed Forces and ensure that they are involved in local environments.
Moreover, a reorganisation of the military reserve force is planned. Under the plan, a part of the reserve could also be deployed on missions abroad, while the rest would be active exclusively in Slovenia and could be activated as part of the national system of protection and rescue.
The white paper also sees Slovenia becoming more resistant to cyber threats and its civil defence system strengthened.
This regards uninterrupted operation of authorities and branches of power at all levels, uninterrupted operation of public infrastructure and services, and uninterrupted energy supply, as well as ICT support and other sources vital for the functioning of the state and the security of its people.
Moreover, Slovenia is to upgrade its crisis response system, boost the use of ICT technologies in defence and create a comprehensive system for the management of cyber security in defence.
In terms of equipment, the white paper underlines the importance of cost optimisation and purchase transparency, and the possibility of joint purchasing with other countries. The paper also does not exclude the possibility of purchasing used equipment and weapons.
The document, which will not be binding, was drafted under the leadership of former Defence Ministry State Secretary Klemen Grošelj.
He left the ministry in July 2019 after being elected MEP. It took another six months before the document was made available online. Tomorrow, the white paper will be presented at the National Council.
STA, 19 January 2020 - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is attending a ministerial meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Brussels on Sunday ahead of 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and International Holocaust Remembrance Day observed on 27 January.
In a press release, the Foreign Ministry said that as an IHRA member Slovenia is aspiring for the preservation of historical memory of the Holocaust and for respect for the victims of Nazism and Fascism.
In his brief address to the ministerial, Cerar said that Slovenians experienced the rise of Fascism as early as 100 years ago when their National Home (Narodni Dom) in the city of Trieste was burnt down.
He pledged Slovenia's continued commitment to preserving the awareness and historical records of the Holocaust, genocide against the Roma and persecution of other victims.
The ministerial is expected to adopt a declaration expressing political support for IHRA's efforts in Holocaust education, remembrance, and research, and support for the efforts to preserve historical records about the persecution of victims at the hands of Nazi Germany, its fascist and extreme-nationalist allies and other collaborators, and for condemnation of present-day anti-Semitism.
Established in 1998, IHRA brings together 34 participating countries, one liaison country, seven observer countries and eight standing international partners, including the EU. Slovenia has been a member since 2011.
STA, 19 January 2020 - The Marjan Šarec government is entering a new challenging period as Karl Erjavec, the mainstay of Slovenian government politics for 15 years, announced he was withdrawing from public life after losing the contest for the leadership of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) to Aleksandra Pivec.
Campaigning on an alternative vision of the party's future in a desire to make it more inclusive and collaborative, Pivec, the 47-year-old serving as agriculture minister, won 143 votes at Saturday's congress to Erjavec's 80 in a development that few had expected.
As soon as the results were declared, Erjavec announced his intention to resign as defence minister. Taking a step further, he issued what he described as his "last political statement" on the morning after, announcing that he was withdrawing from public life altogether.
"Since 2004 I have been part of all the governments, served as minister in various departments (...) after the congress's decision that I will no longer lead DeSUS, I see no reason to continue as a minister or government member any longer," the 59-year-old said in a written statement.
While Erjavec is willing to discuss the timing of his resignation with Prime Minister Marjan Šarec so as not to cause any inconvenience to the government, his decision is expected to put the ruling coalition in a tight spot as it struggles to secure a majority to appoint his replacement.
Sources close to the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) say that quick moves are not to be expected, because any potential candidate to succeed Erjavec at the ministerial post would first need to get the endorsement of the party bodies, which are yet to formed anew in the coming weeks following the congress.
While Šarec was quick to welcome Pivec's victory on Saturday night, he has not yet commented on Erjavec's decision to resign as minister, and coalition parties have been mostly muted in their reactions, but appear to be concerned about how to muster a majority needed to appoint a new minister.
Matjaž Han, the leader of the deputy faction of the Social Democrats (SD) is aware that "it will be absolutely hard to get a new minister through parliament".
The narrow vote on Angelika Mlinar, the cohesion policy minister, in December showed how precarious the ruling coalition's position became after the Left withdrew its support, with the opposition National Party (SNS) staying away in order to tip the scales as even one DeSUS member voted against Mlinar.
Rok Čakš, the editor of the news portal Domovina, said that Šarec was probably not happy with Erjavec's standing down as minister, even though he preferred Pivec as a non-confrontational person at the helm of the coalition partner, and pulled some strings to make that happen.
"Not because the prime minister would be happy with his [Erjavec's] work, but because it means he will have to put forward a new ministerial candidate to the National Assembly. As seen in the case of Angelika Mlinar, securing the required parliamentary majority is all but a routine for the Šarec minority government," Čakaš commented.
By contrast, even as admitting that developments remain unpredictable, analyst Andraž Zorko from the pollster Valicon maintained that DeSUS's decision to vote out Erjavec made the Šarec government stronger. What is more, he sees it as a very positive step for further developments in Slovenia.
Another question raised in the wake of the congress was a potential rift in the DeSUS deputy faction, as three out of the party's five MPs backed Erjavec in the leadership contest.
However, all of the DeSUS MPs, bar the rebel MP Robert Polnar, who has withdrawn his support for the minority government on several occasions and who failed to attend the congress, were quick to pledge their support for the new leader, and rushed to assure the public of the deputy faction's unity.
Erjavec's resignation also raised speculation about a government reshuffle, as Pivec indicated she planned to talk it through with Šarec whether DeSUS might assume responsibility for some other ministry than defence.
In her address to the congress, Pivec suggested DeSUS focus on areas concerning its platform in the future, including taking over at the Ministry of Labour, the Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
However, coalition parties expressed their reservations about any broader reshuffle at the moment, and
DeSUS told the STA that the party would discuss changing government departments only if Šarec was considering a reshuffle, but they would not want to interfere in the coalition partners' briefs.
Social Democrat Han said that having a broader reshuffle endorsed by parliament given the current balance of power, would be a "mission impossible", adding that DeSUS would simply need to find a new defence minister.
STA, 18 January 2020 - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec surprisingly defeated Defence Minister Karl Erjavec for the presidency of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). Erjavec announced he would resign as minister.
Pivec, 47, won 145 votes at Saturday's congress to Erjavec's 80 to end his 15-year tenure at the helm of the party, having ran an insurgency campaign that offered an alternative vision of the party's future in a desire to make it more inclusive and collaborative.
Erjavec, one of the most seasoned politicians in Slovenia, had meanwhile pledged to stay the current course of focusing on pensions, brushing off allegations that his leadership style and substance were eroding the party's approval rating.
After the results were revealed, Erjavec immediately announced he would resign from government. "I expected confidence but did not get it ... I followed my conscience and worked to the best of my abilities. The time has come for a new generation and I wish it all the best," he said.
Erjavec, 59, led the party for 15 years, the second longest tenure of any current party president in Slovenia, and has been a minister in successive left and right governments, holding the environment, foreign affairs and defence portfolios.
Pivec said she had expected to win but by a narrower margin and was "humbled" to take over the leadership of DeSUS.
She urged the party to close ranks after the bitter contest, even going as far as implying that Erjavec may have announced his resignation prematurely since she saw no problem in continuing to work with him in government.
"Let's forget bad feelings and some overly emotional statements," she said, as the party has a lot of work ahead and would need the experiences of its senior members.
Addressing the party's core constituency, Pivec said that demographic change required Slovenia to take measures to prevent the older population from falling into poverty and social exclusion.
But she said it was also necessary "to remember the younger generation".
Outlining her leadership plans, Pivec said DeSUS would no longer be so willing to compromise. "We will not accept alliances without assurances of clear measures," she said.
Erjavec had been criticised for a while for the party's low public approval ratings, and Pivec said she would make sure the party is not merely around the threshold to enter parliament.
Under Erjavec's leadership, DeSUS has been in successive left and right governments for two decades, a natural position for a party that had a single issue at its core - pensions. But it performed dismally in the last two national elections and its ratings have stagnated.
In the general election in 2018 it saw its share of the vote more than halved to under 5%, barely past the 4% threshold to enter parliament.
In the 2019 elections to the European Parliament, it won under 6% of the vote and no longer has an MEP.
The congress capped weeks of very public campaigning in the media focusing on Pivec's alleged misdeeds in a period shortly before she became minister, when she was making a significant amount of money consulting for a state-funded tourism project that are now the subject of a police investigation.
She also forgot to report the funds to the anti-graft commission as required by law, a transgression that raises ethical issues but is unlikely to be serious enough to warrant action by law enforcement.
Erjavec, meanwhile, has been under pressure in recent days due to his handling of the withdrawal of Slovenian troops from Iraq after Iran attacked two bases there, with media accusing him of turning a serious matter into a PR stunt to shore up support within party ranks.
The leadership race has also had reverberations in government, with Prime Minister Marjan Šarec seen as implicitly favouring Pivec over Erjavec, leading Erjavec to accuse him of trying to take control of the party by proxy.
Šarec has denied the accusation and said he was ready to work with Erjavec or Pivec as party presidents, but many pundits believed he would have had to take some kind of action against Erjavec over the troop withdrawal in any case.
The election result makes Pivec one of the fastest rising stars in Slovenian politics.
Before she was named agriculture minister in the Šarec government in 2018, she served as state secretary at the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, a fairly low-key government position that does not provide much public exposure.
But as minister, she has proved to me media-savvy and has made it a point to appear at agricultural events large and small across the country, even as her ministry has so far not produced major new legislation.
Pivec holds a PhD in chemical engineering and had previously worked 17 years at the Scientific Research Centre Bistra in Ptuj, of which six years as director. She comes from a well-known wine making family.
