STA, 8 June 2021 - The National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič and National Council Speaker Alojz Kovšca have condemned a t-shirt displaying an image of the late collaborationist general Leon Rupnik in the parliament building. The person holding the t-shirt took a picture in the National Council chamber, news portal 24ur.com reported.

The picture shows Aleš Ernecl, editor-in-chief of the National Press Agency (NTA). The NTA had plans earlier in the year to become one of the major media outlets in Slovenia, but things went wrong when Ernecl described the agency as a 'fascist media' outlet. He later said the statement was just him being sarcastic.

Ernecl posted the photo on Twitter with a caption reading "Leon's home again" in another move that has raised dust in the public. The picture was taken during Ernecl's visit to Zmago Jelinčič, the leader of the National Party (SNS), according to 24ur.com.

Leon spet doma. pic.twitter.com/BzGPmRdvfB

— ALEŠ ERNECL (@alesernecl) June 7, 2021

Leon Rupnik being a Nazi in Ljubljana. Photo: Wikipedia, public domain

Representatives of the National Council, the upper chamber of Slovenia's parliament, told the portal that Ernecl had not been invited to the parliament building by the National Council.

Kovšca said it was unacceptable "to provoke the public with an abuse of the National Council institution", noting that the upper chamber of the parliament was the home of civil society, democracy and pluralism.

He also advised Ernecl and everybody else to wear or display Slovenian national symbols, and distanced himself from any display of collaborationist or totalitarian symbols.

Also commenting on the provocation, Zorčič said that in line with the parliament rules and customs, everyone who enters the building should be dressed appropriately.

"If you ask me, such a t-shirt was inappropriate," he said, adding that he did not know who let Ernecl in the parliament dressed like that.

Jelinčič, who hosted Ernecl on Monday, described the move as a "stupid provocation and attention seeking". "Some with Che Guevara and the red star, others with Rupnik. Both is stupid," he said.

An army general during the First World War, Rupnik (1880-1946) headed the Provisional Government of the Nazi-occupied Province of Ljubljana and served as chief inspector of the Domobranci (Slovene Home Guard), a collaborationist militia, during WWII.

He led the Home Guard in an oath of allegiance on Adolf Hitler's birthday on April 20 in 1944.

In May 1945, he fled to Austria where he was arrested by the British and returned to Yugoslavia in early 1946. He was court-martialed along with several other people and sentenced to death for treason and collaboration, and executed by a firing squad in September 1946.

In 2019, the Supreme Court quashed Rupnik's guilty sentence on an appeal on a point of law lodged by his relative, and sent the case to the Ljubljana District Court for retrial.

The proceedings were then stopped as the Ljubljana District Court argued that a dead person could not be put on trial.

STA, 7 June 2021 - President Borut Pahor has announced he will award presidential decorations to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), the Koper bureau of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the Slovenian bureau of Italian public broadcaster RAI.

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"I believe these are three anniversaries, three important media institutions, which have made major contributions to us having freedom of speech, expression and media," he told a news show on TV Slovenija on Sunday evening.

The STA is celebrating the 30th anniversary this year, and the Koper bureau of RTV Slovenia marked its 50th anniversary this year.

Pahor will decorate the STA in the second half of the month, he explained on Monday, speaking to the press on the margin of a reception for Slovenian Catholic bishops.

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He said the agency had played its irreplaceable role for 30 years already, doing its job professionally and with passion, contributing to freedom of the press and speech.

The STA is an agency without which many media outlets would not be able to report objectively on events in Slovenia and abroad, he said.

The STA has very successfully adhered to the standards of agency journalisms such as professionalism and unbiased reporting over the past 30 years, "which is the reason why it deserves a decoration for the mission it carries out", he added.

Pahor will decorate the STA upon the proposals of two former STA directors, Dejan Verčič and Tadej Labernik, and the Association of Slovenian Journalists. They urged him last month to decorate the STA on its 30th anniversary for its role and importance in Slovenia, both for the country's statehood and its democratic media.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 4 June 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Govt abused epidemic for political, economic goals

STA, 4 June 2021 – Mladina, the left-wing weekly, says in its latest editorial that the excessive number of Covid-19 deaths in Slovenia is the responsibility of the government as it has acted as if it knows everything, while taking advantage of the epidemic as a state of emergency in order to achieve its political and economic goals.

"It was quickly clear to residents of this country that, despite the high-flying words and a lot of talk, it was not about as few people as possible getting infected and dying," the weekly says under the headline 4,265 Slovenian Flags.

The title refers to the small flags set up by the youth wing of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) in Tivoli Park in Ljubljana to commemorate as many victims of Covid-19 in Slovenia.

All this is the reason why the current government is so unpopular, and its latest great defeat is vaccination, and young people are now getting vaccinated because the "government's conduct and authoritarian governance has deterred many people from getting vaccinated."

Vaccination is a matter of trust and by expanding the age groups for vaccination, the government is trying to conceal the poor results when it comes to vaccination rates by all age groups, Mladina says.

"The government has not implemented any serious vaccination campaign, and the current campaign is carried out by friends of the leaderships of the coalition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi)."

They do not understand that this is not a campaign for Twitter, but hard work in which people who are away from the information flow need to be addressed, the weekly adds.

There is also some more bad news, as Slovenia should be gearing up for the autumn, when a new outbreak of the epidemic is expected. Hospital capacities should start to be expanded right away and new stimulus packages should be in the making.

"Last summer the virus disappeared, so to say. The government did practically nothing over the summer, it behaved arrogantly and rejected good-willed warnings - even at the end of August, when it was completely clear what was coming."

This "nothing" could be seen this week in the form of Slovenian flags in Tivoli Park, concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Centre-left turning into narcissistic exhibitionists

STA, 3 June 2021 - It is bizarre that trade unions have joined leftist activists and organisations in the streets while the centre-right government is adopting a tax reform that will bring higher pay for all workers, the right-wing weekly Demokracija says in Thursday's editorial in reference to Friday's anti-government rally in Ljubljana.

"It has once again become obvious that Slovenian trade union associations are a political appendix of leftist political parties and that socialist ideas thrive only where workers are kept at the brink of survival."

But if various leftist activists and their rioting in the streets can somehow be understood, the leftist parties' exaggerated insistence on toppling the government defies common sense, says the weekly.

While noting that every political group aims to come to power to implement its political agenda, "the problem" is that the four centre-left political parties think that only they can be in power and that only their view of the world is legitimate and "normal".

Demokracija advises them that in order to push for their political agenda, they should first win an election, adding they had a chance to be in power but Prime Minister Marjan Šarec "chickened out" and the centre-left coalition collapsed more than a year ago.

The weekly says they should take a deep breath and wait for the election to get a new opportunity, adding that all their attempts to undermine the government and the prime minister with interpellation and impeachment motions have failed.

"If you can count, the Janez Janša government has quite enough votes in parliament. And your 'sniper' search for opponents is childish, your invention of bad things and manipulation is a sign of hopelessness and sick malice," Demokracija adds, saying they are turning into "narcissistic exhibitionists".

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 4 June - The National Assembly passed in a unanimous vote on Friday amendments to the penal code that redefine sexual consent in line with the concept that only yes means yes. MPs said during the debate that the credit should go to NGOs, which mobilised the public to create a genuine social movement.

The legislative proposal drawn up by NGOs and adopted by the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), had received unanimous support already at the parliamentary Justice Committee at the beginning of May, and it had no opponents today either.

Justice Ministry State Secretary Matic Zupan said that "as a society we have matured so much that we are ready to protect sexual integrity in a broader sense". The legal system will no longer wonder whether enough force was used in a case, but the use of force will be an aggravating circumstance, he said.

Žiga Turk’s Tweet on Rape Wins “Most Sexist Quote of the Year”

SD MP Bojana Muršič said the initiative for the legislative changes did not belong to any party. This is a law of many citizens, volunteers, who have been working for women's rights for years, and of NGOs.

"We want a more equal society in which we are developing a culture of consent, are learning to ask, hear and respect what is said. The legislative change will not miraculously cure our society, but it is a reflection of strong political will to change the mindset, empower victims and enable more efficient prosecution of perpetrators," she said.

Branislav Rajić from the group of unaffiliated MPs said that the changes to the penal code were sending a message to the victims that they had the support of politicians. "We encourage them to report such actions, as there is no more risk that perpetrators would go unpunished."

Dejan Kaloh from the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) said that the redefinition of violence in line with the only yes means yes model was more than required and a civilizational norm that should have been adopted long ago.

Tina Heferle (LMŠ) added that this was not a political but a social consent, while Predrag Baković (SD) warned that mere legislative changes would not suffice. "Even more resources need to be invested in support to victims, psychological support, support provided by institutions."

Matej T. Vatovec (Left) agreed that a lot of work remained ahead "if we want to remain an open and inclusive society".

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The driving force behind the redefinition of sexual violence has in the past year been NGO Institute 8 March. Its head Nika Kovač said ahead of today's vote that the process of adopting the legislative changes had proven that there was a general human value in Slovenia, which was sexual integrity.

She stressed that parties across the political aisle had supported the motion, which clearly showed that "every victim of rape has a voice in the National Assembly". "We are convinced this would never have happened without the mass support of volunteers. Together, we have changed the society for the better."

Over 20 NGOs welcomed the passage as a "big step towards protection of sexual integrity and support to victims of sexual violence" in a joint press release.

"Today is a big day, not just for the victims of violence but for all of us who will be living in a slightly different society from now on," said Katja Zabukovec Kerin, the head of the Association for Non-violent Communication. She added that cooperation with both justice ministers, Andreja Katič and Lidija Kozlovič, and virtually all parties had been exemplary.

Nataša Posel from Amnesty International Slovenije spoke of a "historical moment", adding that relevant institutions and the society as a whole were now in for the important work of implementing the concept of consent.

Darja Zaviršek from the Faculty of Social Work said the legislative change was a "gigantic step towards formal equality between men and women" that will lead to a new understanding of human relations, encourage discussion on new topics among boys and girls, and promote new forms of intimacy between men and women.

STA, 5 June 2021 - Retired Ljubljana Archbishop Anton Stres addressed the annual memorial and mass for victims of post-WWII reprisal killings in the Kočevski Rog woods on Saturday, noting that that reconciliation was yet to be reached in Slovenia.

The conditions for that include revealing truth about the post-war executions and condemning those who have committed the acts and forgiveness by those from the other side, he added at the ceremony at the Pod Krenom grave site.

Stres said that reconciliation could not be reached with a single act, such as the reconciliation ceremony 31 years ago, when the first public ceremony for the victims of the post-war reprisal killings was held after several decades.

It is a process that has several steps, and the first step is, according to him, unconditional commitment to truth.

"Calls could be heard that history needs to remain as written and told in the time of the rule of those who perpetrated the killings. But truth cannot be locked down, and it is impossible to prescribe it, because it tells a story on its own."

Another step, according to Stres, is the right that the people who are lying in the chasms of Kočevski Rog and their relatives are still waiting for.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the first ceremony of reconciliation in Kočevski Rog, Slovenian Prime Minister @JJansaSDS and President @BorutPahor attended a memorial ceremony in Macesnova gorica.
?: https://t.co/OOn0GVoy9z pic.twitter.com/cnOb3GpzCC

— Slovenian Government (@govSlovenia) June 8, 2020

"As long as no one is sentenced for these crimes and the vow of silence is so effective, with those who know many things not being allowed or not daring to talk, our country will not be what it should be," Stres said.

The third step towards reconciliation is forgiveness, which is the only way out "so that we start living a new life and look forward".

"To forgive means not to sweep things under the rug and say that a crime is not a crime. To forgive means letting go of any revengefulness and look forward, and not backwards," Stres said.

He assessed that there was not enough compassion in Slovenia for all post-war mass graves to be properly marked, and that after 76 years all victims could get a grave appropriate to their "inalienable human dignity".

According to him, the blame is also on various political groups that fail to make the necessary steps, "because they do not want to lose a certain number of voters or are cemented in past ideologies of hatred and false propaganda."

The ceremony organised by the New Slovenian Covenant association was also attended by Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša and several ministers, including Defence Minister Matej Tonin.

Tonin, the president of the coalition New Slovenia party, said in a statement that histories of nations were very different and sometimes very painful.

"But it nevertheless needs to be accepted as it is - realistic and without sugar-coating. Wounds of the past need to be healed, and the dead need to be shown the basic civilisational respect by giving them proper burial," he added.

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, 28 May
        LJUBLJANA - Igor Zorčič remained parliamentary speaker as only 45 MPs voted to dismiss him in a secret ballot, one short of the needed majority, just like in the first attempt on 30 March after he quit the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC).
        MOSCOW, Russia - As EU presiding country, Slovenia will make efforts to reduce tensions in relations with Russia, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov said he would like EU-Russia relations to be normalised.
        LJUBLJANA - More than one million Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Slovenia as 653,310 people received a first shot and 381,619 were fully inoculated, data from the National Institute of Public Health showed. The figures mean that just over 31% of Slovenia's entire population has received at least one dose, and just over 18% has been fully vaccinated.
        LJUBLJANA - Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital protesting against the government's actions and calling for an early election. The rally included various groups and movements and was supported by trade unions and the centre-left opposition.
        LJUBLJANA - The government and ten out of over 40 public sector trade unions signed a deal which abolishes some of the remaining austerity measures introduced during the financial crisis, delays the payday and raises the holiday allowance. It is estimated at EUR 65 million. The majority of the unions signed the deal, but some have refused.
        LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was on an working visit to Slovenia meeting Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral relations and Montenegro's EU prospects. Krivokapić also met Speaker Igor Zorčič and President Borut Pahor.
        AJDOVŠČINA - Biotech company BIA Separations - Sartorius launched a new production facility, which increases the company's production capacities fivefold. The new production facility of 3,200 square metres will be used to produce chromatographic columns for cleaning new generations of medicines.

SATURDAY, 29 May
        SEŽANA - Luka Mesec pledged for the Left to do all in its power to make the future free, democratic and green, as the party met for a congress to set out its green manifesto and launch elections to the party council. The results of the vote were not immediately announced.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife Urška Bačovnik Janša were in Zagreb to attend a ceremony marking Croatia's Statehood Day. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković invited Janša and his spouse to attend a concert in front of the Croatian National Theatre.

SUNDAY, 30 May
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian President Borut Pahor and his German and Portuguese counterparts, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, highlighted the importance of Europe's unity and the European idea as they held a meeting in Brdo pri Kranju.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor said Slovenia was not in a political crisis, it was just in the midst of "heightened political uncertainty". There is enough maturity and experience in Slovenian politics that the country may preside the Council of the EU at a level that fulfils the high expectations of all 27 member states, he said.
        GORNJI GRAD - Maksimilijan Matjaž was installed as the new Bishop of Celje, almost three months after his appointment was announced by the Vatican. The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of St. Hermagoras and Fortunatus in Gornji Grad, the biggest church in the Celje diocese.

MONDAY, 31 May
        LJUBLJANA - After contracting by an estimated 5.5% in real terms last year, Slovenia's economy returned to growth in the first quarter of the year as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.6% in real terms or by as much as 2.3% when adjusted for season. It rose by 1.4% from the final quarter of 2020, the Statistics Office said.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, visiting as Slovenia is soon to take over the rotating EU presidency from Portugal agreed that presidents played an important role in the process despite the EU presidency being managed by governments.
        LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian OTP Bank Group announced it had signed a contract to acquire the outright stake in NKBM, Slovenia's second largest bank, making OTP the biggest player on the Slovenian banking market. The deal is to be finalised in the second quarter of next year.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Addressing the annual consultation of Slovenian diplomats dedicated to Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia was well prepared for the presidency, listing the Conference on the Future of the EU and the progress of Western Balkan countries on their path towards the EU as the key topics.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor vowed to make an effort for Slovenia to accomplish its job as the president of the Council of the EU with "maturity, cooperation and responsibility", as he urged a strengthening of pro-European policies in his address to diplomats.
        LJUBLJANA - The head of the national advisory group for Covid-19 vaccination, Bojana Beović, said the group would recommend vaccinating children, especially children suffering from chronic diseases, after the European Medicines Agency's approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 or more.
        
TUESDAY, 1 June
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša said in his address to Slovenian diplomats that the key challenges for the EU in the coming period were getting back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic and setting itself strategic goals, including expansion to the Western Balkans.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told reporters at the launch of the European Public Prosecutor's Office that the European Commission was in contact with the Slovenian authorities for Slovenia to fulfil its obligations regarding the appointment of its European delegated prosecutors as soon as possible but had so far not received a positive answer.
        LJUBLJANA - The Prosecution Council announced it would propose that the State Attorneys Office file a lawsuit against the government for breach of law to the detriment of public interest after the government annulled the procedure to appoint Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected a proposal from the centre-left opposition for a consultative referendum on the government-sponsored bill on the national Demographic Fund.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the act on road transport that create the legal basis for transportation platforms such as Uber or Lyft, changes that the government argues will facilitate the digitalisation of the transport sector.
        LJUBLJANA - A month-long fundraising campaign by the Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS), which has raised EUR 264,500 for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), ended. Donations via SMS are no longer possible, but those via bank transfer are possible until the end of June.

WEDNESDAY, 2 June
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court declared provisions of the communicable diseases act allowing the government to restrict movement and public assembly unconstitutional, and annulled the government decrees that were based on this law, including those relating to the night curfew, ban on assembly, and confining citizens to their regions or municipalities.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted the programme of Slovenia's presidency of the EU covering four priority areas - resilience and recovery, the rule of law, a credible and safe EU, and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed the decree on the conditions for entering Slovenia to recognise a negative rapid antigen test in addition to a negative PCR test as of 5 June until 13 June. Some restrictions in the services sector were also relaxed, including those concerning swimming pools, consuming food and drink at the takeaway points and the number of customers at shopping centres.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia received 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 on loan from Hungary in what Prime Minister Janez Janša said would allow Slovenia to stop the epidemic and enjoy a relaxed summer. Health Minister Janez Poklukar said Slovenia would return vaccines to Hungary expectedly in the autumn or by the end of the year.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission urged Slovenia to pay special attention to the structure of public finances and quality of budget measures as it released the European semester spring package. It recommends that the country strive for medium-term fiscal sustainability when the economic situation allows it.
        PRAGUE, Czechia/ BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told his Czech counterpart Jan Hamáček and his Slovak counterpart Roman Mikulec in Bratislava Slovenia would focus during its EU presidency on negotiations on legislative acts as part of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum and on strengthening the Schengen zone.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar talked on the phone with Liechtenstein's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Sport Dominique Hasler. Bilateral cooperation, the upcoming Slovenian presidency of the EU and the Covid-19 pandemic topped the agenda.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj concluded a two-day working visit to Brussels dominated by talks with senior officials in preparation for the EU presidency. Meeting European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, he emphasised the importance of fast and successful post-pandemic recovery.
        
THURSDAY, 3 June
        LJUBLJANA - The government established the Recovery and Resilience Office. The new department will operate under the Finance Ministry to coordinate and manage the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan. The office will be inaugurated on 1 August at the latest.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - President Borut Pahor started his two-day visit to Brussels by appearing in a debate with Brussels think-tanks, saying he would like Slovenia to use its presidency of the Council of the EU to enhance the union and its role in it.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec told EU transport ministers that the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency in transport would be sustainability and resilience.
        LJUBLJANA - National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič took part in the first Three Seas Parliamentary Forum, which was held in a virtual format to discuss the role of parliaments in the initiative and how they could contribute to making it more recognisable.
        LJUBLJANA - The government expanded the number of points where residents will be able to get their digital identity to expand the use of digital Covid certificates once they enter into force. In addition to administrative units, those points will include vaccination centres, social work centres, the Financial Administration and other points.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed the decrees limiting attendance at public sport and cultural events to increase the permitted number of viewers from 50% to 75% of the number of fixed seats at a venue. The eased attendance cap applies both to indoor and outdoor venues.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances urged the government to resume STA funding as set down in a coronavirus relief law in three days. Culture Ministry State Secretary Ignacija Fridl Jarc announced that the ministry would like the funding dispute to get resolved and was thus drafting a decree.
        LJUBLJANA - A total of 75,148 were registered as unemployed in Slovenia at the end of May, down 5.2% over April and 16.9% over May last year, in what is the fourth month in a row that unemployment decreased, the Employment Service said.

STA, 4 June 2021 - Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović urged the Slovenian authorities in a memorandum published on Friday to put a stop to the deterioration of the situation regarding media freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

In the context of media freedom, she pointed to harassment, intimidation and criminal lawsuits against journalists. She also highlighted "sexist harassment and misogynistic speech against female journalists" and the government's attitude to public media.

The commissioner stressed that public service media served a specific role in a democratic society, by providing reliable information to all segments of the population.

She said she regretted the moves of the Slovenian government that "risk undermining the independence, credibility and financial stability of the public broadcaster RTV and the national press agency STA".

"It is of paramount importance for media freedom in Slovenia to preserve the national independent press agency, and I reiterate my call to the Slovenian government to urgently re-instate adequate public funding for STA," said the commissioner.

According to her, the recent deterioration of media freedom in Slovenia is happening in the context of systemic weaknesses in the regulation of the media market in the country, which should be addressed in order to bolster independent, high quality and diverse journalism.

She recommends increasing the transparency of media ownership, addressing conflicts of interest between political parties and media outlets, and setting up a mechanism to ensure more effective regulation of the media market.

Mijatović also urged the Slovenian authorities to stop the deterioration of the situation concerning freedom of expression. She warned that "some steps taken by the Slovenian government in recent months risk undermining the ability of independent voices to speak freely".

She stressed that hostile public discourse, as well as smear campaigns and intimidation targeting civil society activists and those who express critical opinions, harm free expression.

The commissioner urged the Slovenian authorities to take action to appease tensions in society and to encourage mutual respect in the exchange of opinions. Noting the specific responsibility of political leaders in this regard, she said members of the government in particular must make a responsible and dignified use of social media platforms.

"Members of the government must refrain from making stigmatising and misleading comments about the work of civil society, and should publicly condemn such discourse by others", she said.

The commissioner also expressed regret that the Slovenian government "appears to have used the Covid-19 pandemic to discourage the free expression of dissent or political opposition". Several measures restricting the right to protest, including prolonged blanket bans on public assemblies and heavy fines imposed on protestors, seem disproportionate and risk undermining freedom of expression, she said.

She urged the authorities to find the proper balance in order to uphold the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

As part of preparation for the report, Mijatović held talks with President Borut Pahor and several ministers in April but not with Prime Minister Janez Janša. She also talked to journalists of different media, politicians, experts and representatives of the civil society.

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said the report did not reflect the views he had presented to Mijatović, especially not regarding the freedom of speech. "I think no Slovenian journalist is restricted in their freedom of speech. Moreover, I think the kind of freedom of speech that Slovenian journalists and media representatives have exists nowhere else in the world," Hojs said as he met Italian counterpart Luciana Lamorgese in Brdo pri Kranju.

He noted the Interior Ministry had made its comments on the report. These comments are now being collected at the Foreign Ministry, as the report gives recommendations to other ministries as well. "Of course we will categorically deny all incorrect or faulty claims."

Hojs believes the majority of the report "like most of the things that Slovenian journalist export to Europe" was partly created in Slovenia.

He said he had explicitly highlighted three attacks on journalists in talks with Mijatović which were not mentioned in the report, but a completely different case was. "So this is extremely unusually and extremely untrustworthy," he said.

The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said the debate on the media should be put in a wider context. "The rule of law, personal rights and freedoms, independent branches of power and media freedom - these are all pillars of democracy, which should never be claimed by individual parties, traded with, let alone used as a tool against those with different views."

Tanja Fajon, the head of the opposition Social Democrats (SD), said on Twitter that the commissioner would hear criticism that she was biased although she was a voice of an international organisation that should be taken utterly seriously. The government definitely sees the media as a priority. However, it does not strive for their freedom but subjugation, she said.

STA, 4 June 2021 - The slogan of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year will be Together. Resilient. Europe. According to the Government Communication Office, the slogan was picked as a response to the challenges of the EU and questions about future development. The logo of the presidency was also presented today.

"The slogan was picked as a response to the challenges the EU is faced with and as a response to the questions about the future development, which will be in the centre of debate on the future of Europe.

"During the presidency we will strive to actively contribute to the strengthening of the EU's resilience to crises in the areas of health, business, energy and climate, and the cyberspace," the office said.

Crucial for boosting resilience is mutual connectivity, cooperation and solidarity of all for the good of each and every European citizen, and this is what the slogan is all about, it added.

The government's EU presidency spokesman, Domen Petelin, said in a presentation video published on the website of the presidency www.si2021.eu launched today that the phrase Stronger Together was the common thread of the presidency trio of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia. The word Europe represents "our future" to which debates on the future of Europe lead, he said.

"So the slogan consists of three separate yet interconnected messages. Together to a resilient Europe that will be efficient in addressing challenges," he said.

This was echoed by Prime Minister Janez Janša. "The Covid-19 pandemic is still present, but we must look beyond. The European Union faces many challenges that it can overcome only if it is united, free and at peace with itself," he said in an address on the website.

He said the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency were based on this. The first is to build a resilient and strategically autonomous Europe, which Janša says can only be achieved through unity and solidarity, and a digital and green economic recovery.

The second priority is the conference on the future of Europe, where Slovenia will promote debate on the implementation of EU principles and values. "Every voice must be heard and taken into account," he said.

The third priority is the union of the European way of life, the rule of law and equal standards for everyone, and the fourth a credible and safe EU that is capable of providing for stability and safety, especially in its neighbourhood. This is what the EU-Western Balkan summit will discuss, expectedly in early October, Janša said.

He added that the EU must strengthen its cooperation with NATO in order to preserve its safety, and increase its own capacities.

The Government Communication Office also presented the logo of the presidency today, which symbolises connectivity of Slovenia and the EU.

In the logo, a ribbon in the colours of the Slovenian flag draws a silhouette of Mt Triglav, Slovenia's national symbol representing the independent country that is at the same time a solid member of the European Union, the office said.

It also symbolises the ups and downs that are a part of the EU's development. However, precisely because of respect of the fundamental European values and persistent efforts of everyone for the common good the EU is even more resilient and more connected after every fall.

Above Mt Triglav, seven golden stars from the European flag represent the seventh stanza of France Prešeren's poem Toast, which is the Slovenian national anthem. Its lyrics call for dialogue and open society and promote the idea of cooperation and all nations living together in peace.

The logo was designed by Danijel Kovačič Grmek in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and the Government Communication Office.

Both the logo and the slogan are presented at www.si2021.eu, the new website about the presidency available in Slovenian, English, German, French, Italian and Hungarian. It features news about the presidency, a schedule of events, programme and information for the media.

The website is a new project, as in the past every presiding country set up its own website. A few years ago, several countries, including Slovenia, proposed that the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU in cooperation with the presiding country set up a single website for all presiding countries. Slovenia is the first country to use this joint solution.

The organisational part of the presidency is also presented on the website with Gregor Štajer, the head of the government secretariat in charge of presidency organisation, saying that the most important EU presidency events would take place at the Brdo pri Kranju estate.

Marjan Hribar, the director of the Brdo estate, said intensive preparations were under way for the presidency. Accommodation facilities are ready, the renovation of the hotel is coming to en end, and the congress centre is also ready, he asserted.

STA, 2 June 2021 - The Constitutional Court has declared parts of the communicable diseases act allowing the government to restrict movement and public assembly unconstitutional, and annulled the government decrees that were based on this law. The National Assembly has two months to do away with the unconstitutional rules

STA, 1 June 2021 - A retrial started at the Celje District Court on Tuesday in which Prime Minister Janez Janša is accused of defaming two journalists, whom he called "washed up prostitutes". This comes after the court's suspended prison sentence for Janša was annulled on appeal.

Janša said today that he stood by the original defence statement that he had given in the first trial in 2018 over the controversial tweet posted in March 2016.

Janša's Twitter post read: "The FB page of the public house is offering cheap services by washed up prostitutes Evgenija C. and Mojca P.Š. One for 30 euros, the other for 35. #PimpMilan".

Na neki FB strani javne hiše ponujajo poceni usluge odsluženih prostitutk Evgenije C im Mojce PŠ. Eno za 30€, drugo za 35€. #ZvodnikMilan.

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) March 21, 2016

In a recording of the statement given at the time and played at the court today, Janša said that the accusations against him were absurd, and that the tweet from March 2016 was seen only by about 100 people.

He said that TV Slovenija reporter Eugenija Carl, in her report on members of the Facebook group Legion of Death, run in March 2016, had told a series of lies about members of his party, the Democrats (SDS).

He argued that this happened under the mentorship of Mojca Šetinc Pašek, who was the editor of the news desk at the public broadcaster at the time.

Carl and Šetinc Pašek are the persons to whom the initials from the tweet refer to.

Janša said in his original statement that that Carl's report was "the final straw", adding that she and Šetinc Pašek had been spreading hatred towards those who thought differently.

He does not believe that the two journalists recognised an allegation of sexual prostitution in his tweet, while reproaching them for years of alleged negative reporting about the SDS.

In the original statement, Janša also assessed that it was him and not the journalists who had suffered a pogrom over the tweet.

Carl and Šetinc Pašek also stuck to their original statements, in which the former said that Janša tweet was a grave insult and not criticism of journalist work.

According to Carl, it was about public humiliation and insulting, and Janša did this on purpose. She rejected his remark that the tweet was seen by only 100 as evasive.

Back in 2018, Šetinc Pašek rejected Janša's assessment that her reports were insulting and demeaning, adding that Janša had hurt her as a woman, and that she understood his tweet as a threat against her journalist work.

She also rejected Janša's remark that she had been politically appointed at the editor post, adding that Janša had been exerting severe pressure on journalists and that she could not believe he was capable of such a repulsive post.

Janša's lawyer Franci Matoz presented today 25 pieces of evidence, and some additional evidence was also presented by the journalist's lawyer, on which the court will now deliberate

The trial is expected to continue on 29 June without Janša's presence.

Carl told the STA that today's hearing had clearly shown that the defendant would try to discredit and disqualify her work and present himself as the victim.

Šetinc Pašek added that such was the case also during the first trial, when Matoz produced evidence that had nothing to do with the insulting tweet.

Originally, the Celje District Court sentenced Janša to three-month suspended prison sentence on one-year probation. He was also ordered to pay for the costs of the entire procedure related to the defamatory tweet.

In June 2019, the Celje Higher Court quashed the ruling as it found that an unauthorised person had appointed a substitute lay magistrate following a recusal request, and ordered a retrial by a completely different panel.