Politics
STA, 4 March 2022 - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned "Russia's attack on the nuclear power station in Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, which poses a threat to health and security in entire Europe". In the statement published on Twitter, the ministry has also urged an end to attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian agency for nuclear safety said on Friday that the Russian forces had seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. A fire broke out before the capture and following the Russian attack, but it has been already extinguished.
The ministry also said that together with several other countries, Slovenia had launched an initiative for an international investigation of atrocities perpetrated in Ukraine led by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and that the country supported proposals to hold an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.
STA, 3 March 2022 - The EU interior ministers, including Slovenia's Aleš Hojs, agreed in Brussels on Thursday to trigger for the first time ever the legislation providing Ukrainian refugees with immediate temporary protection. Hojs noted that a compromise solution had been adopted that allowed each member state to take care of the refugees their own way.
The mechanism of immediate temporary protection includes residence permits and access to work, housing, education, social security and healthcare. It is expected to take effect in the coming days.
Related: 68 Ukrainian Refugees, Mostly Children, Arrive in Logatec
Hojs said that the EU interior ministers had made an unanimous decision to activate the relevant directive, and noted that a compromise proposal had been adopted.
"Visegrad countries do not oppose the compromise proposal," said Hojs.
He said the compromise proposal stated clearly who would be eligible for temporary protection, including all the rights; these would be Ukrainian citizens, those who have already had refugee status in Ukraine and those who have resided in Ukraine on the basis of a work permit.
He said the European Commission's proposal was not as clear. The compromise now clearly states that temporary protection applies to Ukrainians as well as to those non-Ukrainian citizens who had been granted protection or a residence permit in Ukraine before 24 February this year.
Each EU member state can take care of Ukrainian refugees in its own way, but it is not permitted to reduce the level of protection as provided by the EU legislation, he said.
Apart from the Visegrad countries, Hojs said Slovenia, Austria and some other countries too were bothered by the lack of clarity over who was to be eligible for temporary protection, but now the proposal was acceptable for all.
The member states are expected to adopt the measure within days.
Hojs said some 90 Ukrainians had expressed intention to ask for international protection in Slovenia in the first two days of March. There have been 2,500 applications for residence since the beginning of the year, of which some 600 in the first two days of March.
Most of the Ukrainians who enter Slovenia want to head on to their relatives or acquaintances, mainly to Italy and some also to Spain and France, he said.
The ministers did not discuss relocation of refugees between EU member states yet, but Hojs said that on agreeing on temporary protection, they adopted a political statement to allow a derogation from the Dublin system, under which the member state where the applicant first entered the EU is responsible for examining the asylum application.
The legislation was not being changed but it was agreed that if someone came to Poland and applied for asylum there but is then relocated to Germany there would not be a demand for their return.
The directive on temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons was adopted in 2001 in response to the large number of refugees as a result of the war in the former Yugoslavia, but has never been used.
It stipulates action of EU member states in such an event and guarantees refugees from a crisis area the right to immediate universal temporary protection in a member state without the need for an asylum application to be approved.
STA, 2 March 2022 - The refugee centre opened by Slovenia in Logatec, south-west of Ljubljana, to accommodate Ukrainian refugees, welcomed the first arrivals from Ukraine in the night to Wednesday. The group of 68 includes 38 children.
The refugees are members of a football club, including children, their coaches, chaperones and some women with children, Katarina Štrukelj, director of the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants, told reporters in Ljubljana.
They arrived in Slovenia last night and were accommodated in the renovated wing of the Logatec centre and will be provided with full material supply, food and health service, she said.
Štrukelj has spoken with them. She said the football club members mainly wanted to play football, so they got in touch with the Slovenian Football Association, who said they would organise training and friendly matches for the kids.
The group has not asked for international protection.
The part of the centre that they are accommodated is intended for unaccompanied youth as the most vulnerable group.
The office today held a meeting with NGOs, which Štrukelj said got organised well and established a network of volunteers to help with psychological and social support and distributing material aid.
The number of refugees is expected to increase in the coming weeks with the office having been informed about them being on their way.
The Logatec centre can accommodate 300, and individuals are also offering private accommodation. The office is also in talks with the local communities that have experience accommodating refugees.
Those planning organising transport for refugees were urged by Štrukelj to turn to them first to be given all the necessary information.
Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj said that his ministry had made ready 80 accommodations at crisis centres for children and youth where they would get looked after in a comprehensive way.
For adults they are looking for ways to enable them to enter the job market as soon as possible should they wish so. However they can only get a job when they get refugee status.
STA, 2 March 2022 - The second rally in support of Ukraine in two days was held in Ljubljana on Wednesday with senior government officials condemning Russia's aggression and highlighting that Ukraine was fighting not just for itself but for freedom and democracy throughout Europe.
The rally was organised by the Ljubljana-Kyiv Cultural Association, the Ukrainian diaspora and Ukraine's embassy and featured speeches by Prime Minister Janez Janša, deputy prime ministers Matej Tonin and Zdravko Počivalšek, National Council President Alojz Kovšca, and Ukrainian Ambassador Mykhailo Brodovych.
Ambassador Brodovych said Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to punish Ukraine and its people for their Euro-Atlantic aspirations and desire to be part of the European family as he vowed that Ukrainians will "fight and defend our homeland".
He also thanked the people of Slovenia and the government for "determination, patriotism and support."
Prime Minister Janez Janša said that soldiers as well as civilians were dying in Ukraine fighting "not only for freedom, democracy and a European future, but for survival."
He praised the bravery of Ukrainians standing up to Russian tanks with their bare hands and drew parallels with Slovenia's independence war.
"When Slovenians saw and felt that we are united and brave, we knew we would succeed. But we still remember the tensions, threats and victims. This is why we know how the Ukrainians feel, hence the solidarity with them."
The prime minister singled out Ukrainian ore deposits, nuclear energy and fertile land as the reasons why Russia has attacked. He is convinced that those who think Putin should be appeased "have learnt nothing from history."
If Putin captures Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Baltic countries will be next, and perhaps other parts of Europe as well, he said.
Defence Minister Tonin similarly said that Ukraine's survival would mark the survival of freedom and democracy. "Every day that the Ukrainian people persevere, we are closer to victory and peace."
According to Economy Minister Počivalšek, Slovenians know, perhaps better than some other nations, that there is only one way - for the whole world to unite and stop the rampage. "I'm very glad that we are united in the EU," he said.
Slovenia's unity was also highlighted by Kovšca, who said Europe was "determined to defend the freedom of the world." It will pay the price in the form of higher energy prices, but "we will not let the dominoes of freedom and democracy fall."
Yevgeny Goreshnyk of the Ljubljana-Kyiv Cultural Association stressed that Ukraine wanted to become a member of the EU and thanked Slovenia, in particular Janša for his advocacy of Ukraine's EU membership.
A statement by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was read and in it he mentioned yesterday's destruction of the Slovenian consulate in Kharkiv. "Dear Janez, we will rebuild it together as a EU family. We are ready," he said.
The rally followed a similar gathering in Ljubljana yesterday that was organised by over thirty civil society organisations.
STA, 2 March 2022 - Universities decided on Wednesday to join the general strike in the education system scheduled for 9 March after a list of their demands had been ignored by the Education Ministry for over a month.
Much like school and kindergarten teacher, professors at universities are unhappy with the public sector pay system after the government decided to offer doctors a higher top pay bracket.
They also want better working conditions and an overhaul of rules on working from home, being on stand by, and extra days off for working in dangerous conditions like in healthcare.
The Higher Education Trade Union sent a list of its demands to the ministry over a month ago but received no reply. Since the 30-day deadline for responding to such initiatives expired, the only response is strike, the trade union believes.
It pointed a finger at Education Minister Simona Kustec and State Secretary Mitja Slavinec, saying they were again ignoring the needs of higher education.
"The only appropriate response to your ignoring of legitimate proposals by our trade union, to your harming of public higher education and to corruptive provincialism is a strike in higher education," the trade unions said in an open letter released yesterday.
The strike will be conducted in line with the law. The pedagogical and research processes will be suspended and libraries closed.
Only exams scheduled beforehand and presentations of theses, and clinical practice crucial for patients' health will still be conducted along with meetings and sessions dedicated to strike demands and the situation in higher education, the trade union said.
Primary and secondary school teachers and kindergarten staff announced a general strike for 9 March on 18 February. They demand higher pay for teaching and non-teaching staff alike plus bonuses for extra work connected with the Covid-19 pandemic.
STA, 2 March 2022 - The government established on Wednesday a call centre through which experts in various fields will provide information on the assistance provided by Slovenia to citizens of Ukraine. The call centre will be open every day of the week from 8am to 6pm.
As the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants announced, the free number 080 41 42 is available for calls from Slovenia, while the telephone number +386 1478 7530 is available for calls from abroad.
The helpline experts will be providing information about the entry and residence in Slovenia, procedure to recognise international protection and information on how individuals or organisations can provide financial or material aid.
The office has also set up a special e-mail address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., while updated information and contact numbers are also available on the gov.si website in Slovenian, English and Ukrainian.
The first refugees from Ukraine have already arrived in Slovenia, and a campaign to collect humanitarian aid has also been launched.
According to the office, many individuals and organisations have expressed the wish to help residents of Ukraine, including by organising various types of transportation to Slovenia.
Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec meanwhile tweeted that "all Ukrainian citizens entering or transiting Slovenia for humanitarian or war-related reasons are exempt from paying toll on Slovenian motorways."
He added that additional information for motorway users was available on the telephone number +386 1518 8350.
STA, 1 March 2022 - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said that the building housing the Slovenian consulate in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv had been destroyed in Tuesday's attack by the Russian army, condemning the act as well as Russia's aggression on Ukraine as such. Consulate employees were not injured.
"We have been informed that the consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Ukraine has been destroyed in one of the military attacks on the city of Kharkiv. We condemn this outrageous act of the Russian Federation and the aggression against Ukraine," the ministry said.
Prime Minister Janez Janša also responded to the news, saying on Twitter that "we experienced the same approach from Yugoslav communist army 30 years ago. It didn't work, Mr. Putin. Neither will today in Ukraine. You can't defeat united and brave nation."
Žal smo bili obveščeni, da je bil v enem izmed vojaških napadov na mesto Harkov uničen tudi konzulat Republike Slovenije ?? v Ukrajini ??. Obsojamo to nezaslišno dejanje Ruske federacije in agresijo nad Ukrajino.
— MFA Slovenia (@MZZRS) March 1, 2022
#WeStandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/ncSlXIPOFE
Janša also said that "we are examining the agreements signed with the Russian Federation and we will terminate all those related to the defence, security and political spheres of cooperation."
"Much of the world is doing the same. We call on the Russian people to choose a leader who will not endanger their neighbours and the world," the prime minister added.
Defence Minister said that the attack was an "inadmissible act of aggression that only shows how uncompromising the Russian attack on Ukraine is."
Opposition Social Democrats (SD) president and MEP Tanja Fajon also responded on Twitter, strongly condemning the "continuation of Putin's barbaric aggression against Ukraine! Unheard of."
Staff at the consulate, which is headed by Consul General Anatoliy Bondarenko, were not injured in the attack.
This comes after the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas noted the attack on Twitter, saying that "the Slovenian Consulate in Kharkiv was destroyed as a 'collateral diplomatic damage' as well."
The consulate is located in Freedom Square, which was the target of a Russian missile attack today that killed at least ten people and injured 35, according to the BBC.
STA, 28 February 2022 - First refugees from Ukraine are coming to Slovenia as Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced that some ten of them had already arrived in the country, and the company Esotech said that two families of its workers who were building a wastewater treatment plant in the city of Zhytomyr had been accommodated in a hotel in Velenje.
Esotech chairman Marko Škoberne told the STA that the families included two children, aged one year and a half, and two years.
Radio Slovenija meanwhile reported that the local energy agency plans to take over some Ukrainian workers in Romania on Tuesday.
After they cross the border, they will be brought to Velenje, where they will be accommodated with Slovenian families. The Velenje Youth Hotel will also be made available.
The Velenje municipality said it was concerned about the situation in Ukraine and that it wanted to help, as did many Velenje residents, and that it was in constant contact with the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants.
"We are also waiting for guidelines from the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration, which is expected to coordinate campaigns to collect aid for Ukraine and deliver it there," the local authorities added.
Defence Minister Tonin meanwhile said today that it was Slovenia's obligation to ensure humanitarian aid for Ukraine, adding that Slovenia was gearing up to accept Ukrainian refugees.
Tonin noted that the Ministry of Labour had secured accommodation capacities for some 80 potential Ukrainian children and mothers.
"Ukraine needs our help, and it is our moral duty to respond to such a call for help to the best of our ability and to help with material and financial resources and military assistance," the minister said.
According to him, the ministry will establish a special centre where people could bring the aid they want to donate to Ukraine.
At the same time, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration will provide logistic support to transport the aid to Ukraine and the countries that are receiving Ukrainian refugees.
Tonin said that a special group had already been set up in Slovenia to arrange everything necessary for the reception of refugees. "The first refugees, some ten of them, have already arrived in Slovenia," he added.
Accommodation for around 250 women with children from Ukraine has also been secured in a special centre in Logatec.
Civil Protection boss Srečko Šestan added that the institution would support the efforts to help accommodate refugees from Ukraine, including by providing logistical aid.
Slovenia sending rifles, helmets and ammunition to Ukraine
STA, 28 February 2022 - Slovenia has sent rifles, ammunition and helmets to Ukraine, Defence Minister Matej Tonin revealed on Monday. He would not talk about quantities beyond saying that the aid has already been dispatched with "several aircraft".
"It would not be wise to disclose all of these figures," he told reporters after a meeting with his EU counterparts.
The ministers held a virtual meeting to discuss aid to Ukraine after the European Commission announced the bloc would set aside EUR 450 million to purchase and deliver weapons to Ukraine.
Another EUR 50 million will be spent to help the Ukrainian army with non-lethal equipment such as fuel and medical supplies.
Ministry urges Slovenians to leave Russia, Belarus
STA, 28 February 2022 - The Foreign Ministry has urged Slovenian citizens who are currently in Russia and Belarus to leave the countries due to "limited flight connections and increased safety risks". The ministry said in a tweet they should choose safe travel options.
The ministry says on its website that the assistance that the Slovenian Embassy in Moscow can provide to Slovenian citizens in these areas is limited.
The ministry does not have exact data on how many Slovenians are currently in Russia or Belarus, as people are not obligated to inform them where they travel, but it is estimated that around a hundred are in Russia and around 50 in Belarus.
Flights between the EU and Russia have been suspended, after the EU shut its airspace to Russian planes on Sunday and Russia did the same for EU planes today.
Several other countries have also urged their citizens to leave Russia and Belarus.
Due to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, Slovenian citizens had been advised against all trips to the territories of Russia and Belarus.
Russia launched the attack on Ukraine on Thursday, and some of the operations are also carried out from the territory of Belarus. The West has imposed sanctions on Russia.
Foreign Minister Anže Logar meanwhile signed decrees revoking the credentials of all Russian honorary consuls in Slovenia. "Russia no longer has honorary consuls in Slovenia," the minister announced on Twitter on Sunday.
STA, 28 February 2022 - Robert Golob's Freedom Movement is ahead of Prime Minister Janez Janša's Democrats (SDS) in the latest poll released by POP TV that this time also includes parties which have not contested the previous general election.
The Freedom Movement, which was not featured in the previous month's poll, ranked at 17.4%, a percentage point ahead of the SDS, which remained flat over the month before, shows the poll carried on Sunday.
Robert Golob Confirms Aim to Enter Politics as President of Z.Dej Party
The new party appears to have chipped away at the approval ratings of the centre-left opposition parties.
The Social Democrats (SD) and Left both lost ground, the former down by 2.7 points to 8.6% and the latter losing 1.5 points to 6.1%.
Similarly, the Marjan Šarec Party (LMŠ) lost two points to 4.3% and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) polled 1.1 points lower at 3.2%
They were both overtaken by another newcomer to the rankings, the alliance Connecting Slovenia, which polled at 4.8%, slightly above the coalition New Slovenia, which stayed flat at 4.5%.
Two more new parties are above 2%. Our Land, the party formed by former agriculture minister Aleksandra Pivec, received 2.5% and Resni.ca, which spearheaded anti-vaccination protests in autumn, was at 2.1%, the same as the Pirate Party.
Two existing parliamentary players, the National Party (SNS) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), are around the one-percent mark.
The arrival of new parties reduced the number of the undecideds by a whole nine points to 13.6%, whereas the share of those who would not vote for any of the parties dropped only marginally, to 7.6%.
President Borut Pahor returned to the top spot in politicians' popularity rankings to overtake Health Minister Janez Poklukar. Golob gained one place to rank third.
The government's approval rating deteriorated a bit as 32.3% endorsed it, down 1.5 points over the month before, whereas the share of those who disapprove of its work rose by half a point to 56.8%.
The poll was conducted by Mediana between 21 and 24 February and involved 715 respondents.
STA, 27 February 2022 - Slovenia has the capacity to accommodate between 180,000 and 200,000 refugees from Ukraine, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said on Sunday. "At least this is what we have discussed in the past few days," he told the press after an informal session of the EU's interior ministers on Sunday.
Hojs noted that the figure is based on experience from the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s, when Slovenia hosted more than 300,000 refugees from the Yugoslav republics.
The minister later clarified on Twitter that such a high figure would only be possible in the event of a "complete exodus from Ukraine, which is not likely."
Realistically, the actual number will therefore be "lower by a factor of ten or more" and would be determined in agreement with other EU members.
Slovenia has expressed willingness to take in Ukrainian refugees since the start of the Russian invasion but had not put forward any specific figures.
Hojs said Slovenia would "take care of them to the best of our abilities" given that they come from the immediate neighbourhood.
The government today activated emergency phone numbers where those interested in offering assistance can turn. It expects several dozen calls in the first hours, whereupon the number could rise significantly.
European Commission figures show more than 300,000 Ukrainian refugees have already entered the EU, the majority entering through Poland.
At the meeting Slovenia also endorsed the first ever activation of the 2001 directive on temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons.
While the directive is slightly outdated, its activation is exceptionally important and Slovenia has already initiated all activities associated with this directive such as preparing accommodation for refugees, Hojs said.
One thing the directive makes possible is to relocate refugees between member states. The ministers did not discuss specific figures today but Hojs said this would "not be problematic for Slovenia" since it is willing to accept significantly more refugees than an EU deal would require.
The minister also called for stricter visa sanctions against Russia. "Until each individual Russian citizen feels what a mad president they have, a mass movement against the authoritarian system will not have arisen.
Another issue on the agenda today was the risk of hybrid attacks. Slovenia has so far not detected major hybrid threats but Hojs said all the competent services were fully prepared to prevent attacks on Slovenian infrastructure to the maximum possible extent.
Asked whether Slovenia was also willing to supply arms to Ukraine, the minister said the government had already adopted a decree to that effect but this was confidential information that the public was not privy to.
STA, 26 February 2022 - Slovenia confirmed 1,784 new coronavirus infections on Friday in what is the second day in a row that the figure dropped below 2,000 for the first time since early January. The total of active cases has fallen below 50,000.
Hospitalisations kept decreasing with government data showing 418 patients were treated for Covid as their main condition in hospitals this morning, down by nearly 30 on the day before. A total of 93 needed intensive care, down by seven.
The total of patients in hospitals who are infected with Covid, including those who have contracted the virus but are treated for other conditions, dropped by 73 to 622. Another 13 people with Covid died.
The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people and the seven-day average of new cases continued to steadily decrease - the former dropped by 265 to 2,230 and the latter by 277 to 2,144, shows data by the National Institute of Public Health.
The number of currently active cases decreased by some 5,500 to 47,062.
All the latest data on covid and Slovenia
