STA, 22 December 2021 - The mandatory quarantine regime in Slovenia has been tightened up, as the government decided at a correspondence session on Wednesday to make people who have received a booster jab the only exception to mandatory self-isolation after a high-risk contact. The new scheme, recommended by epidemiologists, will apply from Thursday.

The proposal for the revised regime was presented on Tuesday by Slovenia's chief epidemiologist Mario Fafangel, who said that the current "two-tier quarantine system" was unsustainable and should be simplified to allow no exceptions except for those already jabbed with a booster.

The government has therefore heeded the warnings of experts with the National Institute of Public Health.

Epidemiologists would also like to see the updated Covid pass mandate to enter into force as soon as possible, that is for Slovenia to introduce a time limit on the Covid certificate for those vaccinated under the basic vaccination regime. The government decided last week to limit the validity of the Covid pass to 270 days from 1 February.

According to government data, a total of 411,198 people have received a booster dose so far.

STA, 21 December 2021 - The State Attorney's Office has filed a lawsuit to collect the costs the police incurred as a result of policing unregistered anti-government protests from a protest organiser. However, it has not revealed against whom the suit has been filed or how much money is being claimed, according to N1 news portal and Dnevnik newspaper.

The media outlets said on Tuesday that the most likely target was Jaša Jenull, one of the most exposed organisers of Friday's anti-government protests, which have been held since the Janez Janša government assumed office in March 2020.

Jenull told N1 and Dnevnik that he had not yet received any notification about the lawsuit.

However, he opined that the authorities were trying to prevent the protests by using financial threats against individual protesters.

Dnevnik said that from EUR 1,000 to EUR 2,000 could be claimed as part of what is said to be the first of several dozen potential lawsuits.

The police told Dnevnik that the cost of policing these protests between May 2020 and November 2021 amounted to more than EUR 1.2 million.

According to N1, the Interior Ministry is thus claiming almost EUR 200,000 as part of over 30 lawsuits.

Meanwhile, the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, an NGO, said that there was no legal basis for such procedures.

They said that the public assembly act contained a very precise definition of who is considered to be an organiser of a rally, and that no person had publicly declared themselves as such in this case.

"The law also explicitly states that costs should only be reimbursed when the police intervene at public events, not at rallies or assemblies," they told the newspaper Večer.

STA, 21 December - Omicron variant cases have been confirmed across Slovenia, except for the western Goriška region, but it is only a matter of time before it is detected nationwide, the country's chief epidemiologist Mario Fafangel said on Tuesday, noting local transmission of Omicron. Epidemiologists propose a revised mandatory quarantine regime.

A total of 51 Omicron infections have been confirmed until this morning in all the regions but Goriška, said Fafangel, the chief epidemiologist with the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

The figure is bound to keep increasing, and what is actually important is reports of community transmission of the Omicron strain, meaning individuals who have not been travelling abroad recently or been in contact with someone who did have been infected with the variant, he noted.

Even though the Goriška region has not yet confirmed an Omicron case, it is only a matter of time before this happens, as the strain is highly virulent and the area has been reporting an increase in new coronavirus cases. It is very likely that the variant is therefore present across the country, he said.

Fafangel mentioned that the data collected so far suggested that Omicron caused a milder case of Covid-19, warning this should not lull people into a false sense of security. "The most important thing is to act in time. This is more important than waiting for 100% data before doing so," he said.

He stressed that measures must be taken to the number of infections, as epidemiologists can no longer distinguish between suspected and non-suspected omicron infections. In fact, genome sequencing results, and therefore information on the variant, almost always reach epidemiologists too late, he added.

"From the epidemiological point of view, a variant that is significantly more virulent is usually worse even if it transpires that it is a bit milder," he said, noting the burden highly virulent strains put on healthcare.

In light of these developments, epidemiologists have proposed to the government to make people who have received a booster jab the only exception to a mandatory quarantine scheme that imposes self-isolation after a high-risk contact.

The current "two-tier quarantine system" is unsustainable and should be transformed into a single system, Fafangel said, referring to an umbrella quarantine regime and a special scheme dedicated to a risk of Omicron infection which is without exceptions.

Epidemiologists would also like to see the updated Covid pass mandate to enter into force as soon as possible, that is for Slovenia to introduce a time limit on the Covid certificate for those vaccinated under the basic vaccination regime. The government decided last week to limit the validity of the Covid pass to 270 days from 1 February.

Fafangel called on everyone to get vaccinated, including with booster doses. "Protection against the symptomatic course of the [Covid-19] disease has declined when it comes to primary vaccination schemes.

"Protection is lower with both vector and mRNA vaccines. We know that a booster dose is still a good solution, it restores or even boosts protection against both the symptomatic course of the disease and hospitalisation."

Fafangel also urged people to heed protective measures, including during the coming holidays. He proposed spending holidays in bubbles and self-testing. "This can significantly reduce the risk. We won't stop the spread, but we can at least control it," he added.

The first Omicron infections were confirmed in Slovenia last week in a group of people from central Slovenia.

All the latest data on covid and Slovenia

STA, 21 December 2021 - UPDATED at 14:30
Almost 35 investigators searched private homes and offices looking for information and evidence of suspected criminal acts involving over EUR 1 million in unlawful gains. The investigation is part of a pre-trial procedure launched two years ago by the Specialised State Prosecution, the General Police Department said.

Five persons are suspected of money laundering, of whom two are also suspected of abuse or office or trust in business activity. No-one was detained for the duration of the house searches, the police said in a written statement.

Janković confirmed to the press the police investigators had searched his home and his wife's shop, the home of his son Damijan Janković and his partner Ursula Gavish, while also investigating the Electa company. According to Siol news portal, the investigation also targets the businessmen Gregor Marolt and Jan Bec.

Police was interested in his wife Mija Janković's paid bills, seized 32 bills and a phone, which Janković said could have been obtained from the bank or at the company. "To my surprise, this time they did not need me, they checked individual bills with my wife," he said at a news conference.

While saying the house searches had been carried out "correctly", Janković criticised the accusations, saying "what is written in the indictment is empty and will bring no results". He quoted his lawyer's words that "the election campaign has already started", adding he was sorry for his wife and kids, blaming it all on Prime Minister Janez Janša.

Janković did not reveal any other details, and admitted he had not had the time to read the 120 pages of accusations.

He noted the trial against him, both of his sons and Electa is continuing today over alleged dodgy deals involving retail Mercator shares and tax evasion.

He said the Financial Administration had completed a procedure which is a basis for the trial without finding any wrongdoing, so he believes that since nothing could be found against him, the authorities have now decided to target his family.

The General Police Department said the suspicion of abuse of office was related to damaging a company controlled by two persons through ownership and managerial posts, as EUR 1.24 million was transferred from it to two companies, both of which are controlled by one of these two persons.

Then, EUR 1.04 million was transferred from these two companies to several other legal and physical persons that withdrew the money in cash to conceal its origin, hence the suspicion of money laundering.

Abuse of office in business carries a prison sentence of one to eight years, whereas money laundering carries up to eight years in prison and a fine, the police said.

STA, 20 December 2021 - The Information Commissioner has launched an investigation against the prime minister's office in regard to the vaccination promotion letters citizens received from Prime Minister Janez Janša. The office will have to explain the way personal data was obtained in order to address the letters and the legal basis used for this.

The inquiry is based on the cornerstones of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation under which any processing of personal data must be lawful, fair and transparent, said Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik on Monday.

The procedure, launched on Friday, comes after the data protection watchdog received numerous reports by citizens inquiring about the legal framework used by the prime minister's office to access their personal data to send the letters, which were addressed to specific individuals.

The large number of reports reflects a high level of awareness of the importance of personal data protection among individuals, said Prelesnik.

Citizens have recently received letters in which Janša thanked those who have been vaccinated for getting jabbed as well as urged the unvaccinated ones to reconsider this.

"Let this be your free but responsible choice," he wrote ahead of the nationwide campaign Vaccination Days that is currently underway and aims to boost vaccination rates amid Omicron concerns.

Responding to the inquiry, the prime minister's office told the STA the letters had been sent to all adults in Slovenia without any kind of selection or access to any records. To well-meaning people, Janša's reasons for such a gesture are clear in the letter itself, it added.

The office said that "there is no doubt about what the coming weeks will hold for us if we continue to be the sixth least vaccinated country in the European Union".

It attached forecasts for the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Europe which show that the strain could become dominant in January, with rising numbers of the infected followed by higher hospital admission rates.

STA, 19 December 2021 - A campaign aimed at boosting the Covid-19 vaccination rate in Slovenia will take place from Sunday to Thursday, with 62 vaccination centres across the country working overtime and Civil Protection and Red Cross staff providing free transportation.

As part of the Vaccination Days, vaccination centres will be open from 8am to 8pm, with vaccine being available at one location in each statistical region also at night, from 8pm to 8am.

Night vaccination centres will be open in the Nova Gorica, Izola, Brežice and Celje general hospitals, in the Sežana, Postojna, Novo Mesto, Slovenj Gradec, Murska Sobota and Maribor community health centres, in the Ljubljana and Maribor university medical centres and in the Golnik Hospital.

With the exception of children aged 5-11, who need a paediatrician to be present during vaccination, there will be no need to register in advance. People will be able to choose what type of Covid-19 vaccine they get, said Health Minister Janez Poklukar.

Mobile units will also be present in the field, the minister said, adding that in Tolmin, a special telephone number will be available for residents to arrange free transportation to the vaccination site.

Poklukar will officially open the nation-wide campaign today by taking a booster shot at the Bled Community Health Centre.

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

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FRIDAY, 10 December
        LJUBLJANA - After European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson announced that 15 EU member states pledged to provide for the resettlement and protection of nearly 40,000 Afghans, the Interior Ministry told the STA Slovenia did not made a commitment in the scheme.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU justice ministers discussed the work of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, with Slovenia's Marjan Dikaučič, who chaired the session as representative of the EU presiding country, noting the body "has already opened hundreds of lawsuits for damages estimated at billions of euros".
        LYON, France - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs visited the Interpol headquarters to stress the international police organisation's importance in the fight against international crime and to call with Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock for coordinated action between Interpol, EU member states and various EU agencies.
        LJUBLJANA - On Human Rights Day, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina pointed to the inequalities and distrust reinforced by the Covid pandemic, appealing to everyone to do their bit for society to find a way out of what is a health as well as social crisis. He urged top politicians to lead by example.
        KRANJ - The government visited the northern Gorenjska region with talks focusing on plans for a new regional hospital, flood defences, environment issues and protection of architectural heritage.
        LJUBLJANA - Urša Zgojznik and Uroš Macerl, two prominent environmental activists, announced plans for a yet another green party to be launched in Slovenia in January to contest the April general election under the name Vesna.
        LJUBLJANA - Statistician Anuška Ferligoj of the Faculty of Social Sciences and nanotechnology researcher Julijana Kristi of the Faculty of Pharmacy were honoured with the Zois Prizes for lifetime achievement in science and research.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding confirmed having received a complaint against Miha Rebolj, the secretary of the coalition Modern Centre Party, now named Concretely, for pressuring a member of the supervisory board of postal operator Pošta Slovenije to agree for Tomaž Kokot to be appointed for full term as CEO even though he lacks the required experience for the job.
        LJUBLJANA - Statistics Office data put Slovenia's foreign trade in goods in October at a ten-year high for that month. Exports were up by 14.2% year-on-year to EUR 3.6 billion and imports soared by almost 35.7% to EUR 4 billion. The country thus recorded a trade gap for the 7th month running. Both exports and imports were also up on October 2019, by 16.9% and 26%, respectively.
        SLOVENJ GRADEC - A Slovenian folk music ensemble called Štirje Kovači (Four Blacksmiths) from the northern Koroška region made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the longest active polka music band in the world. The band was formed in 1954.
        KLIGENTHAL, Germany - Ski jumper Urša Bogataj finished third at a World Cup event in Klingenthal for her third podium finish this season.

SATURDAY, 11 December
        KOPER - A 10-year-old Kurdish girl from Turkey who went missing after she fell into the river Dragonja two days earlier as her mother carried her on her shoulders across the swollen border river from Croatia to Slovenia was found dead on the Croatian side in what was a second fatality among migrants in the border area in less than a week.
        ROME, Italy - The council of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) decided that by merging with the Economically Active Party into Concretely, the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) ceased to be ALDE member. Under internal rules, the new party can apply for membership.
        LJUBLJANA - A poll by Ninamedia showed the ruling Democrats (SDS) leading the field at 15.2% ahead of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) at 13.3%, while a potential party of former GEN-I CEO Robert Golob polled at 9%. If the PM was elected directly,20.6% of those questioned would back Golob and 19.5% incumbent Janez Janša.
        LJUBLJANA - The credit rating agencies S&P Global and DBRS Morningstar confirmed Slovenia's credit rating at AA- and A, respectively, both with a stable outlook.
        DAVOS, Switzerland - Cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič finished third in the women's World Cup freestyle sprint event to earn her first podium finish in the current season.

MONDAY, 13 December
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Attending a meeting with his EU counterparts, Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed concern about the Republic of Srpska's parliament triggering a process to withdraw the entity from Bosnia-Herzegovina's institutions. He called for concerted action by the entire EU in cooperation with the US to prevent an escalation in the country. He declined to comment on the possibility sanctions against Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the country's presidency.
        GENEVA, Switzerland - Slovenia, in its capacity as the presiding EU country, requested a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Ethiopia, with more than 50 countries supporting the call.
        DUBAI, UAE - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik started a visit to Dubai along with a business delegation focussing on digital transformation and AI as part of a business forum and a conference on blockchain technology and AI at the Slovenian Expo pavilion. The events underscored the contribution of advanced technologies to progress and sustainability.
        LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo run a poll showing the ruling Democrats (SDS) gaining three points to 18.9% from November to widen their lead on the opposition Social Democrats (SD), which lost a point to 11.8%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office released a report showing that immigration to Slovenia is accelerating with the number of residents born abroad rising to 13.9% at the start of 2021 from 8.5% ten years ago. In 2020 a record 23,383 immigrants were recorded. Former Yugoslav republics are by far the biggest source of immigration.
        LJUBLJANA - After examining drug procurement practices in three public pharmacy chains, the Court of Audit found the medicine procurement in the country was still in disarray as public pharmacies kept flouting public procurement rules.

TUESDAY, 14 December
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and the health authorities announced that the highly infectious Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2 had been confirmed in Slovenia in a total of four people in two clusters who were tested in Ljubljana between 29 November and 6 December. One of them had already had Covid last year. The confirmed cases jumped to 10 by 13 December and involved both infections imported from Sweden and the UAE and secondary infections within those two clusters. On the whole, coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths kept falling.
        LJUBLJANA - Vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 got formally under way as the vaccine for them became available and after the national advisory committee on immunization gave the go-ahead based on a recommendation by paediatricians.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša told MPs the government would decide on whether to introduce energy vouchers for the poorest households in January, when it had more data about energy price increases. Before that, the main measure to combat rising prices would be the special allowance for pensioners included in the latest Covid relief package.
        LJUBLJANA - Centre-left opposition MPs clashed with PM Janez Janša during the questions time in parliament over what they claim is mafia-style governance of the country by Janša, his SDS party and the government. Janša dismissed the allegations, while saying mafia-style governance indeed existed, had very deep roots, yet came from the transition left.
        LJUBLJANA - MP Mateja Udovč left the deputy group of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) to join the Our Land party of former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, which reduces the SMC group to four from the original ten. Udovč plans to act as independent MP, while the SMC said the departure would change nothing for the party or the ruling coalition.
        VIENNA, Austria - The interior ministers of the Salzburg Forum, a Central European security partnership, discussed illegal migration at an online conference, with Slovenia's Interior Ministry State Secretary Božo Predalič stressing the importance of cooperation on the Balkan migration route.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Meeting under the chairmanship of Slovenia's Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, EU ministers in charge of fisheries reached agreement on fishing opportunities in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for 2022 based on a proposal drawn up by the European Commission.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of three new ambassadors to Slovenia, Kosovo's Valdet Sadiku, the Dominican Republic's Laura V. Faxas and New Zealand's Brian Joseph Hewson. Only the Kosovo ambassador is based in Ljubljana.
        LJUBLJANA - Crime investigators conducted a series of house searches at 12 locations around the country on suspicion of abuse of office or rights, including at the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, unofficially over the December 2020 procurement of EUR 1.2 million worth of rapid antigen tests from Majbert Pharm. The tests were verified by the national lab.
        LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry reported that 9,158 illegal migrants were intercepted in the first eleven months of the year, a 35% decrease on the same period in 2020. During the period a record 4,568 asylum requests were filed but only 15 were granted asylum status as 98% left Slovenia before the procedure was completed.
        LJUBLJANA - The French Institute in Slovenia presented its Charles Nodier Award to Ana Barič Moder for her translation of the novel Handbook For Exiles (Priročnik za izgnance, 2020), written in French by Velibor Čolić, a writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
        LJUBLJANA - Janja Garnbret, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist in sport climbing, Tadej Pogačar, the double Tour de France winner and Olympic bronze medallist, and the national men's basketball team, which ranked 4th at the Olympics, took the main accolades at the 2021 Athlete of the Year ceremony.

WEDNESDAY, 15 December
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Attending the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Janez Janša said as the EU presiding country Slovenia had been striving for EU accession of Eastern partners and for the enlargement timeline to be set down. "In the next ten years both sides should take concrete steps towards enlargement," he told foreign media. Janša met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor described Slovenia's EU presidency as a success in an interview with Radio Slovenija, including with respect to the Western Balkans where he regretted Bulgaria's blocking North Macedonia's accession talks. Pahor also proposed a group of friends of Bosnia-Herzegovina should help the three nations create a more functional country.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly failed to take a vote on a government-sponsored bill designed to reduce taxation of salaries across the board and cut capital gains tax as a majority endorsed a proposal by an MP for the ruling Democrats (SDS) to move the vote to a next session, unofficially because the coalition could not secure a majority. Meanwhile, the opposition Left submitted a bid for a consultative referendum on the bill.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the act on deployment in civilian missions and international organisations, legislation designed to make it easier to nominate and deploy Slovenian experts.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the audiovisual services act which were drafted by unaffiliated MPs to transpose a relevant EU directive after the government bill failed to be passed in a re-vote in September to override the upper chamber's veto. The act no longer contains a controversial 6% levy providers would pay from their gross annual revenue to finance a special fund for European audiovisual production.
        LJUBLJANA - The government's macroeconomic forecaster IMAD projected that Slovenia's end-year GDP growth will have exceeded its latest projection, driven by buoyant private spending and a robust labour market. It estimates the growth rate will be between half a percentage point and a full percentage point above its September forecast of 6.1%.
        LJUBLJANA - A high-profile conference on the future industry and the Slovenian economy's internationalisation, which was also addressed by PM Janez Janša and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, heard the pandemic should be an opportunity to change patterns of thinking and focus on strengths and abilities while the country's future was in the green transition and digitalisation.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor presented the Order of Merit on the Slovenian Emigrant Association for its invaluable contribution to efforts to preserve the Slovenian identity and culture among Slovenian expatriates. He awarded the Medal of Merit on the SDGZ business association of the Slovenian minority in Italy, and on Saša Verbič, the head of the Slovenian community's umbrella organisation in Serbia.
        NOVI SAD, Serbia - Slovenian writer Drago Jančar won the Milovan Vidaković International Literary Prize, awarded at the 15th iteration of the Prosefest international prose festival in Serbia's Novi Sad.

THURSDAY, 16 December
        STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament adopted a resolution on fundamental rights and rule of law in Slovenia which expresses concern over deep polarisation in the country and calls on prominent public figures to engage in a respectful and civilised public debate. The resolution was carried by 356 votes in favour ans 284 against with 40 abstentions. 33 of the latter were MEPs of the European People's Party, the political family of PM Janez Janša. Earlier in the week Foreign Minister Anže Logar said the resolution did not merit special attention, while President Borut Pahor regretted Slovenia squandered its reputation by not tackling delegated prosecutor appointments and STA financing earlier.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša hinted at possible new talks with Russia within the Normandy Format, which also brings together Ukraine, Germany and France, as he arrived at the EU summit but would not speak about specific sanctions that might be discussed against Russia.
        PARIS, France - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss key EU dossiers as Frances takes over as EU Council president from Slovenia on 1 January. The pair also discussed bilateral relations.
        WASHINGTON, US - The combat against terrorism, migrant smuggling, instrumentalisation of migrations and cyber crime ranked prominently on the agenda of the EU-US ministerial meeting on justice and home affairs which was also attended by Interior Aleš Hojs and Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič on behalf of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly adopted amendments to the investment promotion act where the focus for incentives shifts from creation of jobs to capital- and productivity-intensive and green investments. The law will allow to tap on EUR 88.5 million in grants from the EU recovery and resilience fund.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed the first line-up of the Fiscal Council for another five-year term. Davorin Kračun serves as president and Alenka Jerkič and Tomaž Perše as members. The trio's current terms expire on 21 March 2021.
        LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption launched an investigation against Prime Minister Janez Janša on suspicion of a conflict of interest in management reshuffle at the Bank Assets Management Company, unofficially due to appointment of Franci Matoz, who has served as Janša's lawyer, to the board by the government. Janša in turn accused the watchdog of double standards.
        LJUBLJANA - The NeP deputy group comprising four unaffiliated MPs and the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) announced MP Branislav Rajić was moving from the NeP to the SAB. The SAB faction is thus expanding to six MPs.
        LJUBLJANA - The council of the ZPIZ public pension and disability fund endorsed the fund's financial plan for 2022, which puts revenue and expenditure at EUR 6.4 billion each. EUR 5.1 billion will be collected from social security contributions, with the rest covered from the national budget and the KAD fund. The document still needs government approval.
        LJUBLJANA - NLB shareholders approved the management's proposal that the bank pay a further dividend of almost EUR 67.4 million. This will give shareholders an additional EUR 3.37 gross per share on 24 December, while NLB has thus earmarked EUR 92.2 million for dividends this year.
        LJUBLJANA - A feature-length documentary Beli Bojevnik v Črni Obleki (White Warrior in Black Suit), in which auteur Maja Weiss tells the story of Ivan Kramberger (1936-1992), an eccentric populist who ran for president in 1990 in the first multi-party election in Slovenia before he was killed in 1992, premiered in Ljubljana.

STA, 17 December 2021 - Those who have been fully vaccinated will see the validity of their Covid pass reduced from a year to nine months from February under a regulation adopted by the Slovenian government on Friday. A booster shot extends the validity of the pass indefinitely.

The decision is based on a recommendation by the advisory group on immunisation and is in line with guidance issued by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), which said booster shots are needed to improve protection, the Government Communications Office said.

The decision, which applies only to those over 18, means that the fully vaccinated - those who have received two shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines or one shot of the Janssen vaccine - will enjoy the benefits of the Covid pass for 270 days.

But if they get a booster shot, whereby the booster must be an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, their Covid pass will be valid indefinitely.

The same applies to those who have recovered from coronavirus and been vaccinated twice after that.

Those who have recovered from the virus or have recovered and received one shot of a vaccine will have Covid passes valid for 180 days

STA, 17 December - Ahead of the Vaccination Days campaign, health authorities have released an overview of adult vaccination rates or shares of over 18s who have recovered from Covid-19 by municipality. The ski resort of Kranjska Gora has the highest rate of fully-jabbed or reconvalescent adults, while the lowest share was recorded in the tiny municipality of Zavrč.

!! During Vaccination Days your local health centre will be offering vaccinations for longer periods of the day, from 19 – 23 December, and some places will also be doing it overnight !!

From the start of the vaccination rollout in Slovenia through 8 December this year, the Kranjska Gora municipality in the north-west managed to push its vaccination or reconvalescence rate among adults to nearly 80%.

In second place is the Vipava municipality in the west (some 79%), followed by Idrija (77%), an area some 40 kilometres west of Ljubljana.

The lowest rate was recorded in Zavrč (53%), a tiny municipality in the north-east, situated not far away from Slovenia's oldest town Ptuj. The nearby municipality Sveti Andraž v Slovenskih Goricah has only a slightly higher rate - 55%.

All five areas with the lowest shares are relatively small municipalities located in eastern Slovenia, whereas most of the five municipalities with the highest rates are situated in the west.

Data on the rates in question has been released by the National Institute of Public Health ahead of Vaccination Days, a nationwide campaign to be held between 19 and 23 December and aimed at boosting vaccination rates. The figures according to municipalities are available at sta.si/qLvsVQ.

STA, 17 December 2021 - The Constitutional Court has annulled the provisions of two legal acts that allow employers to dismiss an employee in an unilateral decision without having to justify the reasons for termination of the contract if the employee meets the conditions for old-age retirement.

The country's top court has reviewed the changes to the employment relationships act and the public employees act on proposal of seven representative trade unions and the Advocate of the Principle of Equality.

The unions argued that the provisions were in contravention with international conventions and treaties, noting that the constitution says that all acts and regulations must comply with the principles of international law and international treaties binding on Slovenia.

The Advocate of the Principle of Equality meanwhile challenged the constitutionality of the regulation by arguing that it constituted age-based discriminatory treatment.

The changes looked to allow termination of employment contract without a justified reason for workers who meet the condition for old-age retirement (usually at the age of 60 and with 40 years of pensionable service).

The government argued that the purpose was to make it easier for employers to terminate an employment contract if they decide that they no longer need an employee who is already eligible for a pension.

The Constitutional Court had stayed the implementation of the provisions, which were made part of the government's seventh economic stimulus law, in mid-February.

It said at the time that in the case of older workers, who have more difficulties finding new jobs than their younger peers, the consequence of terminating the employment contract would not only mean losing a job but could also end their careers.

The effects of an ongoing implementation of the potentially unconstitutional provisions would outweigh the effects produced by the staying of the provisions until the court rules on the matter, the court added then.

In the unanimous annulment decision published on Friday, the Constitutional Court said that the relevant convention required that for every dismissal by the employer there must be a serious, substantiated reason justifying the dismissal.

"There must be valid grounds for dismissal related to the ability or conduct of the worker or to the operational needs of the particular employer," the court added.

It noted that the employer not being obliged to explain the cause of dismissal deprived employees of appropriate legal protection in case of termination of employment, as the regulation does not enable the dismissal reason to be tried.

The termination of employment contracts that have been served to employees on this basis, and whose effect was suspended by the court staying the provisions on 18 February, have ceased to be legally valid and effective.