27 Jan 2022, 16:38 PM

Witnesses Refuse to Cooperate with Inquiry into SDS Financing

STA, 27 January 2022 - Rok Snežič, a tax adviser with alleged links to Prime Minister Janez Janša, would not answer questions as he appeared before the parliamentary inquiry into alleged unlawful financing of Janša's Democratic Party (SDS) on Thursday. Nor did his wife Klavdija Snežič, formerly the largest shareholder of Nova24TV.

Rok Snežič told the inquiry from the outset that he would either decline to answer questions or respond by saying he did not remember, and then went on to explain he was not a public office holder and was not obliged to answer to the inquiry as it was not a court.

He would neither confirm nor deny his socialising with Janša on the ground that he did not remember. He said he was not under obligation to explain his relationship with his acquaintances or friends when asked about his links to Dijana Đuđić and other persons allegedly involved in contentious financial transactions.

Snežič served a sentence for tax evasion in the past, at the same prison that Janša was incarcerated in prior to the 2014 election before his sentence in the Patria defence bribery cases was quashed by the Constitutional Court.

Asked about Klemen Nicoletti, an owner of Majbert Pharm, the company picked by the state in late 2020 to supply roughly EUR 1 million worth of rapid tests for mass coronavirus screening, Snežič said he had nothing to do with "Instagram boys" and could not be their friend as he did not have an Instagram account.

He also claimed not remembering when asked about his advertising agency's dealings with the state-owned companies HSE, TEŠ and Pošta Slovenije.

He said he had been nicknamed tax evasion doctor because such was the subject of his doctoral thesis. He repeatedly urged the inquiry to present material evidence on his alleged business dealings.

Klavdija Snežič, who was accompanied by her legal counsel, invoked a provision allowing witnesses in parliamentary inquiry to decline answering questions if that could harm them or their relatives.

MPs inquired about her role as a former largest shareholder of Nova24TV, a media outlet with ties to the SDS. Jani Möderndorfer, an MP for the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), said she borrowed the money to buy the shares in cash from entrepreneurs Dražen Kuča.

The latter has failed for the third time to respond to an invitation for an interview, thus Möderndorfer proposed he be subpoenaed, which was endorsed.

Damjan Damjanovič, a former director of Nova24tv, also failed to appear for the interview, citing poor health.

The inquiry is looking into alleged money laundering at the NKBM bank by foreign citizens and their affiliates and alleged illegal financing of the SDS and suspected dealings of media publishers owned by the party prior to the 2018 election.

26 Jan 2022, 18:07 PM

Health Minister: Restrictions Still Needed as Omicron Infections Still Rising

STA, 26 January 2022 - Health Minister Janez Poklukar has warned that Slovenia is yet to see the Omicron-driven wave of coronavirus outbreak hit its plateau, arguing the risk is still too great for any easing of restrictions.

Speaking to reporters as the country logged a record of almost 17,500 new coronavirus cases for the previous day, the minister said the risk would remain high until the curves of infections and hospital admissions started turning down.

The epidemic is still in expansion and this week alone 33% more patients have been hospitalised and there were 85% more fatalities than the week before, said the minister as he called on the Brežice general hospital during the government visit to the eastern region.

"We would like to reach the peak as soon a possible and as soon as we do it'll be easier to breathe and talk of how to proceed," he said.

Although the Omicron variant does not appear to cause so many hospitalisations, the caseload of infections is four-fold what it was with the Delta variant.

"Even if instead of 4% hospitalisation rate that we saw with Delta the hospitalisation rate is now 1%, with 30,000 positive tests a day it means 300 admissions," he said, adding it was too early to say what the impact of Omicron to intensive units will be.

A total of 670 patients with Covid-19 were hospitalised this morning, including 127 in intensive care. Including Tuesday's 14 fatalities, Covid-19 has claimed 6,268 lives in Slovenia, according to data released by the Health Ministry.

Poklukar noted that Slovenia had adapted testing and quarantine rules, hospital and lab organisation to Omicron, indicating talks are under way to follow suit of some other countries which have opted to issue QR codes for rapid tests as well to alleviate the burden on PCR testing facilities.

Get the latest data on covid and Slovenia

25 Jan 2022, 12:39 PM

Slovenia Falls Below EU, OECD Average in Corruption Perception Index

STA, 25 January 2022 - Slovenia placed 41st among 180 countries in the 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in its poorest showing since 2013 to lag even further behind the average for EU and OECD countries.

Compared to last year, Slovenia slid six spots and lost three points to score 57, which compares to the EU average of 64 and the OECD average of 67 points, follows from the CPI report, released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.

TI Slovenia believes such a result is the product of "the efforts to prevent corruption being pushed to the political margins", years of failure to implement sweeping reform and some bad practices in recent years.

"After years of stagnation, recurring scandals, pressure on the media, civil society and independent institutions it has expectedly come to this decline, which is cause for concern. In the super-election year, we need clear commitments from political players to stop the decline and reverse the trend," commented Samo Bardutzky, the interim head of TI Slovenia.

He believes one of the first tests will be putting in place legal protection of whistleblowers. TI Slovenia believes the bill presented in December is faulty, urging more inclusive dialogue to improve it and calling on political players to commit to adopting a comprehensive protection for whistleblowers.

Bardutzky warned that decisions taken during the Covid-19 epidemic "broadly encroached on fundamental human rights that are important for control of government", something that has been detected by the international Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in its latest (IDEA) report.

In releasing the latest index Transparency International noted a lack of progress in most countries and historically low scores posted by 27 countries, observing the curtailing of fundamental rights and a decline in democratic standards across the globe.

Two out of three countries in the index scored less than 50 points with the average score at 43. Apart from Slovenia, 26 other countries recorded their lowest score in a decade.

The index is topped by New Zealand, Finland and Denmark, which all scored 88, ahead of Singapore, Sweden and Norway, which scored 85 points.

The lowest scoring Slovenian neighbour is Hungary, which ranks 73rd with 43 points. Croatia ranks 63rd with 47 points and Italy 42nd with 56 points. Austria is 13th with 74 points.

The index measures the perception of corruption in the public sector, with 0 points indicating a high level of corruption perception and 100 points a very low level of perceived corruption.

It collates data and analyses from international institutions that measure perception of corruption through the eyes of business representatives, analysts and experts. This year's index relies on independent sources, TI Slovenia said, adding that data had been collected in the past 24 months.

See the full report here

24 Jan 2022, 20:47 PM

Slovenes Warned to Limit Travel in Ukraine, FM Hopes for Diplomatic Solution to Stand-Off

STA, 24 January 2022 - Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar said that "we must do everything in our power, use all diplomatic means for a diplomatic solution to the dispute" between Russia and Ukraine, as he spoke to the press after a session of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Before the session, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU would not follow in the footsteps of the US, which is withdrawing family members of staff at its embassy in Ukraine from the country over a continuing threat of military action from Russia.

Borrell said he could not see any reason for such a move until talks were continuing with Russia, as he spoke to the press before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed the EU's foreign ministers via video call about the reasons for the US decision.

Logar said after the session Borrell had clearly said that the EU's diplomatic delegation remains in Ukraine with all staff, and added that the delegation itself also saw no reason for any change at the moment.

Asked whether the US decision meant a war was close, Logar said that "it's not an announcement of an expected course of events".

As for Slovenia providing direct help to Ukraine, Logar said that a decision had not yet been taken. If it decides to do so, the public will be promptly informed, he added.

The minister noted, however, that the question of helping Ukraine is up to each individual EU country, it is not subject to harmonisation at EU level.

#StandWithUkraine @ZelenskyyUa @Denys_Shmyhal ?? ?? https://t.co/k3WQ4k5Kup
— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) January 22, 2022

The Foreign Ministry told the STA Slovenia was not planning to reduce its diplomatic staff in Kyiv for the time being and was coordinating all activities with other EU countries.

As to the Ukraine travel advice, the ministry said the general recommendation published on its website remained valid.

Slovenian citizens are advised against all travel to the temporarily occupied areas of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and certain parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk.

This is because the Slovenian Embassy in Kyiv cannot provide consular assistance to the Slovenian citizens that would encounter difficulties in those regions.

The ministry also expressed Slovenia's concern about the buildup of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border. "We are calling for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution while welcoming efforts by the European External Action Service and allies in that direction," it said.

The ministry noted that Slovenia is providing support to Ukraine within its NATO membership. In case of potential escalation, it called for a unified and fast response in coordination with the alliance and other international partners.

The EU's Foreign Affairs Council discussed the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border, as well as the situation in Libya and Syria.

24 Jan 2022, 15:34 PM

Robert Golob Confirms Aim to Enter Politics as President of Z.Dej Party

STA, 24 January 2022 - Robert Golob, who has been ousted as chairman of energy trader Gen-I, has ended weeks of speculation about his future by announcing he will vie to become a president of a small non-parliamentary party this week to contest the general election in April.

Z.Dej, a green party formed by former environment minister Jure Leben in May 2021, will hold a congress this Wednesday. "I hear the [presidential] post is vacant, this is the magic of adventure," Golob said on Monday as he presented the company's results.

The decision comes after Golob spent several weeks in talks with various party leaders, having already decided before that he would enter politics in one way or another.

A critic of particracy, he was initially sceptical of joining an existing party, but he recently acknowledged the realities of the Slovenian political system necessitated this type of political organisation.

Golob would not go into detail about his political plans and said the members of Z.Dej would hear about that first. "Out of respect, they should not learn that from the media. This is the only way I can expect respect from them as well."

The statement came at a press conference at which he talked at length about the success of Gen-I, a company he established and led since its inception, offering it as a model for how the country could be governed.

While he refused to answer many of the direct questions about his politics, he made repeated references to the election during the presentation, for example by noting that mistakes in the country would be "addressed in April" and saying that his next job will probably be in parliament - should the voters decide so.

He also referenced a "combination of seemingly impossible goals" of the kind that Gen-I achieved, and said the focus should be on green, digital as well as investment in people and the sharing of gains.

Golob thinks it is time to change political culture in the country. "Anger and fear lead to nothing but perdition," he said, noting that there would be "more light" come April.

"The man whose ultimate value it is to instil fear among the citizens will never be my interlocutor," he said, in an apparent reference to the current prime minister.

Golob was eased out of Gen-I in what the centre-left opposition and many media outlets have described as political staffing.

The company is still without a CEO and a court is currently deciding on several competing proposals for management. Golob was among the names put forward but he said today he had revoked his consent and would not be joining the company again.

24 Jan 2022, 11:55 AM

Seven Slovenian Cities & Towns Now Twinned With 14 Chinese Cities

STA, 19 January 2022 - Many Slovenian cities and towns are twinned with cities all over China, with the oldest link being between Ljubljana and Chengdu, lasting over 40 years, and the most recent one being the twinning of Kranj and Zhangjiakou, one of the host cities of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China.

The mayors of Kranj and the Chinese city of Zhangjiakou, which has 4.7 million inhabitants and lies 200 kilometres north-west of Beijing, signed a document twinning the two cities in December, focusing mainly on cooperation in sport and business.

Zhangjiakou will be one of the venues for the Winter Olympic Games in February 2022, with teams competing there in ski jumping, cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined, snowboarding and freestyle skiing.

Zhangjiakou boasts state-of-the-art winter sports infrastructure, while Kranj is passing on experience gained through a well-established school system for young athletes, quality work in sports clubs and its experienced coaching staff.

The twinning with a Chinese city is a historic step, as it is the first time that Kranj became twinned with a non-European city.

"Sport is the strongest link between our two cities, and we look forward to working with our Chinese friends, exchanging experience and knowledge," Kranj Mayor Matjaž Rakovec said upon the signing of the twinning document in December.

Zhangjiakou, also known as "Beijing's northern gate" due to its strategic location, has seen an accelerated focus on tourism in recent years, including winter sports tourism. This is an aspect that can provide opportunities for Slovenian partners as well.

Many Slovenian cities and municipalities have already established links with China in the past. The oldest is Ljubljana's link with Chengdu, and the list of twinned cities is quite extensive.

Ajdovščina is twinned with Jorung, Črna na Koroškem with Harbin, Koper with Jiujiang, Novo Mesto with Yixing, while Maribor is twinned with a total of eight Chinese cities: Wuxi, Yancheng, Huai'an, Nanchang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Chongqing and Hangzhou

23 Jan 2022, 15:58 PM

Slovenia Reports 13,111 Positive PCR Tests on Saturday

STA, 23 January 2022 - A new daily record number of coronavirus infection cases was recorded in Slovenia on Saturday as 13,911 PCR tests were positive, with the positivity rate standing at 75.5%, the latest data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) show. Total hospitalisations were up slightly, while as many as 18 people with Covid-19 died.

The record comes after similarly high daily numbers were also recorded on Tuesday (more than 12,000) and Wednesday (more than 10,000).

Radio Slovenija reported that the Saturday figures included the results of the samples taken on Thursday and Friday that had come back for Germany, as a certain number of samples are being sent there as Slovenia has reached full capacity.

According to unofficial information, there are certain delays in the reporting of results for samples sent abroad.

The STA is still waiting for comment on that from the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH) the Health Ministry.

Some community health centres record an increased number of calls from residents and there are significant delays in obtaining results of swabs from PCR testing by external laboratories.

NIJZ Milan Krek is not surprised by the record daily count. He told Radio Slovenija that the Omicron variant was extremely contagious and that it had many opportunities "given how people behave".

The 7-day average of confirmed infections was up by 1,125 to 10,557, and the two-week incidence per 100,000 population rose by 502 to 5,329.

According to the government, hospitalisations were up by seven to 608 today, while the number of patients in intensive care was down by one to 135.

The youngest hospitalised patient is 20 years old, and the youngest patient in intensive care is 32 years old.

A total of 18 people with Covid-19 died yesterday, which is the highest daily death toll since 18 December.

The estimated number of active infections was up by 10,557 to 112,517, according to the NIJZ.

Get all the latest data on COVID and Slovenia

22 Jan 2022, 08:04 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 14 - 20 January, 2022

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, 14 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Amendments to the income tax act and energy vouchers, along with measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic, will be the coalition's main priorities until the end of its term, coalition leaders said after a meeting. On income tax, PM Janez Janša said that the coalition might accept the opposition's referendum challenge after it sees whether it is possible to hold the vote on the day of the general election.
        LJUBLJANA - Appearing before the opposition-led parliamentary inquiry examining the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, PM Janez Janša discussed the verification of rapid antigen tests, payout of bonuses and legal basis for coronavirus measures, as well as the low vaccination rate, which he said was similar in all post-Communist countries.
        LJUBLJANA - The priorities of France's EU presidency were presented to the parliamentary committees for EU affairs and foreign policy, with Florence Ferrari, the French ambassador to Slovenia, thanking Slovenia for the work carried out during the last six months and praising the cooperation between the two countries during Slovenia's EU presidency.

SATURDAY, 15 January
        MUMBAI, India - Prime Minister Janez Janša told The Economic Times, an Indian newspaper, that Slovenia saw India as an "important global, indeed, strategic partner of Slovenia and the EU as a whole." He said the informal EU-India summit in May 2021 had "reinforced the EU-India strategic partnership, which is underpinned by the shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights."
        LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the former chairman of electricity trader Gen-I, told Večer it would be clear by the end of January if he would enter the election race and whether he would form a new party or have a go with one of the existing parties. He said he was in talks almost on a daily basis with representatives of various parties and movements.
        LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Marking the 30th anniversary of Germany's recognition of Slovenian independence, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that this jubilee in German-Slovenian relations was an incentive "to continue to advocate European interests and values consistently and to shape our future in the EU together and in a positive way".

SUNDAY, 16 January
LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - Croatian media reported that Slovenia and Croatia reached an agreement under which Slovenian fishers would be allowed to fish in the Gulf of Piran in the Croatian territorial waters as far south as Umag, and Croatian fishers in Slovenian waters as far north as Koper. Slovenia neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
MARIBOR - Authorities successfully neutralised an unexploded WWII aerial bomb that was found in Maribor earlier this week. A part of Slovenia's second largest city had to be evacuated until roughly 1:30pm when sirens marked the end of danger.

MONDAY, 17 January
        LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) and a new party that would be led by Robert Golob, the former CEO of energy company GEN-I, were neck-and-neck at 15.5% and 15.4%, respectively, in a Vox Populi survey Mediana carried out in the format of an exit poll for the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer.
        LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič highlighted the progress in the digitalisation of the justice system as he presented the achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency, while rating the presidency as a whole as "excellent" despite the delays in nominating Slovenia's European delegated prosecutors.
        LJUBLJANA - The challenges faced by Slovenian ethnic communities in neighbouring countries were discussed as the parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad met at the behest of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), which urged the government to draw up a new strategy of relations with Slovenians living outside of Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police recorded 10,067 attempts at illegal crossing of the border last year, down 31% on 2020, while asylum applications rose substantially, official police statistics show.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia spent almost EUR 31.5 million on setting up fences and on other costs related to the increased surveillance of its border with Croatia between November 2015 and the end of 2020, as 85.5 kilometres of razor wire fences were installed along the border, and are now gradually being replaced by hard fencing.
        VELENJE - The Velenje municipality, home to the country's only functioning coal mine, rejected the coal exit year 2033 as "unrealistic" and called for a more ambitious jobs strategy. The trade union of coal miners expressed disappointment, describing the decision as "political, unprofessional and ill-conceived".
        BRNIK - Jože Pučnik Airport Ljubljana saw a total of around 422,000 passengers last year, up 46.4% compared to 2020, according to data released by the airport's German operator Fraport, which operates the Slovenian airport through its subsidiary Fraport Slovenija.
        LJUBLJANA - The Financial Administration last year collected EUR 19.2 billion in taxes and other levies, 18% more than in 2020, and 9.3% more than in 2019.

TUESDAY, 18 January
        LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases reached an absolute record with as many as 12,286 coronavirus infections recorded since the start of the epidemic last year. Over 63% of PCR tests came back positive, as labs in the country became overwhelmed. Hospitalisations remain stable.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša revealed in an interview with the Indian broadcaster Doordarshan that Slovenia and Taiwan are working on "exchanging representatives" at the "same level that many EU countries already have". The Chinese Foreign Ministry described his statements as "dangerous", whereas the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry expressed "gratitude" for his "staunch support". Only a few days later, the Slovenian-Chinese Business Council reported that Slovenian companies in the Chinese market were already affected. The statement also triggered some strong reactions from the opposition while President Borut Pahor said Slovenia had consistently advocated a One-China principle, a principle the EU is also bound to.
        LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec reiterated his promise that the state would help the coal-mining regions through transition as he responded to misgivings aired by those dependent on the industry over the strategy to exit coal in 2033. Vrtovec said 2033 when Slovenia was to exit coal to generate power was an ambitious but also very realistic goal.
        LJUBLJANA - Marjan Divjak, who has served as director general of the Finance Ministry's treasury directorate since 2013, was forward by President Borut Pahor to succeed Primož Dolenc as one of four vice-governors of the Slovenian central bank.
        STRASBOURG, France - Roberta Metsola's election as European Parliament president was hailed by Slovenian MEPs from the ranks of her European family, the EPP, but also others as the Renew and S&D members expressed the expectation for her to represent the Parliament's common position on issues such as the right to abortion.
        LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek announced he would run in the general election on the slate of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), saying that the party provided political stability. NSi president Matej Tonin said the NSi was open to experts and people who want to implement its platform.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left opposes the idea floated by PM Janez Janša to hold a referendum on amendments to the income tax act along with the general election in April and is considering withdrawing its petition for such a referendum.
        LJUBLJANA - The Labour Committee rejected a proposal by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Left for an increase in the minimum wage beyond the 4.9% rise set by the labour minister for 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced orthopaedic surgeon Gregor Kavčič of the Novo Mesto hospital to three years in prison for accepting bribes from medical supplier Emporio Medical in exchange for having the company supply knee replacement products by Biomet to the Novo Mesto hospital. Kavčič plans to appeal.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport introduced a separate quota for the enrolment of Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship in universities in Slovenia. The separate quota had been advocated by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch, who welcomed the change.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will be fielding a total of 41 athletes at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. Based on the season so far, the women's and men's ski jumping teams are seen as having the best chance of winning an Olympic medal.

WEDNESDAY, 19 January
        LJUBLJANA - The EU integration of Western Balkan countries is important for the bloc's strategic position in the world. It is also an opportunity for Slovenian businesses, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told an event on the Balkans, noting Slovenian companies had a chance to take part in projects for which the European Commission set aside EUR 9 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - Due to a rising number of coronavirus infections in the country, Slovenia switched to a new quarantine regime, where employees in health, social affairs and education who were in contact with an infected person do not need to quarantine provided they test for coronavirus daily for a week and use a FFP2 face mask in the workplace. Similar rules apply for kindergarten children and students.
        LJUBLJANA - Overwhelmed with PCR test samples, the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food started sending part of them to Germany for analysis. From 3,000 to 4,000 samples are currently sent to the lab Eurofins, which processes them in 48 hours.
        STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament endorsed Jorg Kristijan Petrovič, Slovenia's candidate for the European Court of Auditors in an non-binding vote.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committed endorsed in a 7:6 vote a bill sponsored by the National Party (SNS) that seeks to shorten or limit "unreasonably long pre-trial and criminal proceedings in white-collar crime cases" and could result in ongoing cases becoming statute-barred. The amendments were confirmed by coalition MPs despite criticism from the parliament's legal service, upper chamber of parliament and even the Justice Ministry.
        LJUBLJANA - MP Violeta Tomić resigned from the opposition Left. The party's executive committee said it decided not to field Tomić in the Ljubljana-Center district, the Left's heartland, whereupon she declined an offer to run in another district. It also quoted a "partial loss of trust".
        LJUBLJANA - The Voice of the People, an initiative of over 1,800 individuals and 100 civil society organisations, presented a list of 138 demands that they wish political parties take a position on in the run-up to the election day. They see this as a contribution to political discourse and voter turnout.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Council vetoed amendments to the act on special rights for minorities in education which would set a higher Italian language standard for staff working in Slovenian-Italian bilingual kindergartens and schools. The near-unanimous vote came after councillors said it was wrong for administrative staff to be subjected to the same strict requirements regarding Italian language skills as teachers.
        LJUBLJANA - The non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) appointed Finance Ministry State Secretary Kristina Šteblaj an executive director of the bad bank. She will join Matej Pirc and Andrej Lazar on 1 February, and will serve as a BAMC executive director until the end of the year.

THURSDAY, 20 January
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor formally informed the National Electoral Commission (DVK) that he will sign a presidential decree for a general election on 9 February, setting Sunday, 24 April, as the election date.
        LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of the NLB bank appointed Hedvika Usenik, Antonio Argir and Andrej Lasič to the management board to expand it from three to six members. Their five-year terms will start after clearance from the banking regulator.
        LJUBLJANA - Ivan Simič, director general of Slovenia's Financial Administration, was appointed the chief of the supervisory board at Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), taking over on Friday.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to extend the administered pricing of heating oil through the regulation on the pricing of petroleum products that was introduced last year, under which the distributors' margin has been limited to a maximum of six cents per litre of heating oil.
        LJUBLJANA - The government's macroeconomic think thank IMAD presented its report on productivity in Slovenia which shows that there is progress, but it is not significant enough. Slovenia is lagging behind the top EU countries and is being caught up with by its rivals from Central and Eastern Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted its negotiating position for pay talks with medical doctors, estimated at EUR 111.57 million annually. The negotiating position says that the top pay bracket for doctors could rise by six brackets to the 63rd under the public sector pay system.
        NOVA GORICA - Former CEO of brewer Pivovarna Laško, Boško Šrot, and his family business Atka-Prima were ordered to pay EUR 13 million in damages to fruit drinks producer Fructal over several deals dating back to 2008 and 2009/

21 Jan 2022, 11:20 AM

Artists Call on Govt to Provide More Help for Younger Cultural Workers

STA, 20 January 2022 - Well-known Slovenian artists have urged President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti to provide assistance for young cultural workers so that they can survive in the current precarious situation.

The artists expressed their solidarity with their younger colleagues who are self-employed in the culture sector in a letter addressed to the three senior officials.

The letter was signed by musician Romana Kranjčan as well as more than ten other artists, including actor Boris Cavazza, clarinetist Boštjan Gombač, writer Boris A. Novak, composer and pianist Drago Ivanuša, singer Darja Švajger and singer Vlado Kreslin.

Young cultural workers whose work has been restricted due to Covid-19 should be provided with a basic income for the months of Covid restrictions in culture, they wrote.

"The situation we are witnessing is killing the creative spirit and means the death of the nation's cultural substance. [...] Dancers, musicians, actors are struggling to make ends meet," the letter reads.

The signatories also note that the young workers have not been eligible for any aid since mid-last year, even though they are practically unable to do their jobs.

"Public cultural life has died. The pandemic-related measures are discouraging organisers from organising events, as most of them are impossible to carry out and, if they are, the venues can be at most half-full.

"For other areas such as retail, transport, sport, the measures are much less restrictive," the letter adds, highlighting that the crisis could be overcome with more culture, not less.

Pahor confirmed on Twitter that he had received the letter. He assessed that the artists "justifiably address some structural issues that need to be tackled". He said he would discuss the matter with the prime minister shortly.

You can read the full letter, in Slovenian, here

20 Jan 2022, 15:19 PM

Pahor Sets Date of Slovenia’s Next General Election: 24 April 2022

STA, 20 January 2022 - President Borut Pahor has formally informed the National Electoral Commission (DVK) that he will sign a presidential decree for a general election on 9 February, setting Sunday, 24 April, as the election date. This is in line with his earlier announcement that he would call this year's election at the earliest possible date.

Pahor believes that despite the Covid epidemic, the DVK has enough time to prepare and organise the election so that no shadow of doubt would be cast on the election outcome.

He recalled in Thursday's press statement that all but one deputy group agreed 24 April was the best possible date when consulting them in November, and he shared their view.

Before Pahor's November announcement of the election date, there were mounting calls for an early election due to the government's handling of the epidemic and its perceived undermining of the rule of law.

However, opposition SNS leader Zmago Jelinčič would still like the election to be held on the last possible date, 5 June, arguing the epidemic would subside by then.

Pahor said that while "this is a legitimate stance, it's within my powers and it's my responsibility to decide, sign the decree and call the election".

He said that over 40 local, regional or general elections had been held in Europe over the past two years, with the countries finding various ways to held them smoothly.

He is grateful to DVK members for today's constructive discussion, saying he did not doubt they would do their best for the election to be held so that "we'll all trust the outcome, and that despite the Covid situation, everyone will have a chance to exercise their right to vote".

DVK president Peter Golob said the commission members had assured Pahor they would do everything in their power for the election to be held legally and flawlessly.

They also told Pahor "the electoral legislation does not envisage all electoral procedures to be carried out in these (Covid] circumstances".

They thus suggested that the legislation be changed or that the government intervene with certain decisions, Golob was quoted as saying by the president's office.

In this view, Pahor was asked that as a political and moral authority, he urges all stakeholders to start tackling the challenges as soon as possible.

Earlier this week, the DVK discussed ways of making sure people can cast their ballots even if they have to isolate or quarantine, deciding to seek additional inputs from health authorities before proceeding with the debate.

Slovenia does have a system of mail-in voting and absentee voting, but the way these rules are designed, voters have to register well in advance, which may not be suitable in a time when thousands are sent into quarantine or isolation on a daily basis.

Under Slovenian law, a scheduled general election is called 135-75 days before four years have passed since the first sitting of the current parliament. The vote must be held between 60 and 90 days after the election is called. The last general election, a snap vote, was held on 3 June 2018.

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