STA, 10 May 2021 - Some EUR 189,000 has been raised a week into what is planned to be a month-long fundraising campaign to secure funding for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), which the Association of Slovenian Journalists labelled as an exceptional start. This roughly equals the monthly compensation for the public service performed by the STA.

Launched on 3 May and called "Za obSTAnek", the campaign aims to raise two million euro via small SMS donations and from potential larger donors, as the agency has not received budget funds for its public service for four months.

The Association of Slovenian Journalists said on Monday that donors had responded to the association's call for help, launched on World Press Freedom Day, to make sure that almost 100 STA employees get paid for the work they are doing.

It said that the campaign had brought together individuals, various organisations and companies that are aware of the importance of the public service provided by the STA and that "do not accept journalism dictated by the authorities."

Despite the warnings from the domestic public and international organisations, the decision-makers are yet to fulfil their obligations required by law when it comes to financing the STA, which is why the campaign continues, the association added.

The goal is to secure an amount that equals a one-year compensation for public service to ensure stable operation, regardless of what the government does, as the agency is awaiting a court decision in an enforcement procedure and is looking for some other solutions.

"The position in which the advocates of public interest and public services have found themselves is unsustainable, as individuals and companies again finance the performance of public service instead of the state," the association added.

The details of the fundraising campaign are available at https://zaobstanek.si/.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 7 May 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Government to blame for vaccination failures

STA, 7 May 2021 - Mladina says in its latest commentary that the government's attitude and communication issues are to blame for significant mistrust and unwillingness to get vaccinated among the general public.

"This week, it became definitively clear that the Janez Janša government has botched the vaccination strategy," the left-wing weekly says in the commentary Time for a New Prime Minister.

It points out the disparities between the vaccination strategy and reality, which the government mainly attributes to the absence of a national information system.

Mladina, on the other hand, says that the explanation is that "people do not want to get vaccinated, and in the past year this government has failed to convince the public that vaccination is both beneficial and safe."

The reason is the government's fixation on "cultural issues, replacing senior management staff and confronting the media, instead of working towards social peace and building trust."

The weekly says that because many people refuse to be vaccinated, Slovenia now faces a serious situation, for which it blames the government and its representatives in charge of the vaccination strategy, who are "professionally and politically incompetent and indecent". "Prime Minister Janez Janša is to blame for all of this."

The commentator urges the opposition to take action, to "restart the talks with parties and MPs who are aware of the gravity of the situation, and to try again with a vote of no confidence in the prime minister." "Of course this sounds radical, but the situation is serious."

Demokracija: The dangers of cancel culture

STA, 6 May 2021 - Demokracija says in its latest commentary that the constant attacks on the centre-right government of Janez Janša and undermining of every anti-epidemic measure are part of the strategy under which tradition, the "old order", should be rooted out, and every revolt against the "new order" mercilessly nipped in the bud.

"There is no space for conservatism in the new world," the right-leaning weekly says under the headline Cancel Culture, adding that people apparently want to be led by elites that will decide what is right and what is wrong.

"Elections and political parties and, consequently, different views of the world will be completely unnecessary. They are remnants of backwardness, bourgeoisie, reactionary ideologies, aren't they?"

The utopia that is being painted these days by the left is taking over the masses and its plan could not be clearer, and in order for this to happen, any government that is not oriented towards the left should be opposed.

"All authorities that have a different world view, although being completely legitimately elected, are a threat to the 'new'. This is why it should be shown to people, by instigating unrest and rebellion, that the future is near."

Demokracija says that it is worrying how many people fall for this and are willing to "realise the delusions of their prophets" not with elections and acceptable mechanisms of democratic state, but with threats and violence.

It adds that the mainstream media and revolutionary indoctrination in the education system have done its part, and today a majority of young people are not familiar with traditional social and cultural norms that help people rein in their anger.

"Cancel culture and hypersensitivity to everything that is right from the centre ... are blurring the line between the acceptable and unacceptable. We are in the middle of a war. This is how far the leftists have gone. Unfortunately."

All our posts in this series are here

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, 30 April
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar received his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, with the pair calling for enhancing cooperation between the countries in business and politics. They also exchanged views on the Western Balkans and the Indo-Pacific region. Motegi met President Borut Pahor and PM Janez Janša as well.
        MARIBOR - President Borut Pahor said in an interview with the newspaper Večer that government officials had indeed created the impression that press freedom or the independence of journalists was at risk. Still, he finds assessments that democracy is being undermined under this government too radical.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders urged Slovenia's Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič to speed up the appointment of European delegated prosecutors. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is set to be launched on 1 June and the only other participating country running behind is Finland.
        NOVA GORICA - Trade unions from the Slovenian-Italian border area staged an annual get-together on the eve of Labour Day, this year drawing attention to the problems faced by the people commuting for work across the border and calling for easing of border-crossing restrictions.
        LJUBLJANA - Several hundred protesters hit the streets on their bicycles, stopping by at the headquarters of the STA on their way to express support before lighting a bonfire in the square in front of the parliament building.
        LJUBLJANA - State budget revenue in the first quarter of the year amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, up 1% year-on-year, while expenditure rose by 37% to almost EUR 3.68 billion for a deficit of nearly EUR 1.27 billion, up from EUR 304.9 million in the same period last year.
        
SATURDAY, 1 May
        BRUSSELS - The European Commission confirmed receipt of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan. European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said the plan was "oriented towards the future: green and digital transition; smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; health and welfare of all".
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Hungary agreed to mutually recognise their respective Covid-19 vaccination certificates. A vaccination certificate issued in one country will have the same legal effect as the one issued in the other.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana will be connected to Brussels with regular flights during Slovenia's presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year. The routes will be operated by carriers Brussels Airlines and Wizzair, Slovenia's permanent representation in Brussels said.

SUNDAY, 2 May
        LJUBLJANA - The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 reached two important milestones as more than 20% of the population had received one shot and more than 10% had been fully vaccinated.

MONDAY, 3 May
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed Slovenia's full support for the fight for democracy in Belarus as he hosted Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He said Slovenia as the presiding EU country in the second half of the year would put democratisation and discussion about Belarus high on the agenda. Tsikhanouskaya also met Prime Minister Janez Janša, President Borut Pahor and Speaker Igor Zorčič.
        LJUBLJANA - A month-long fundraising campaign kicked off on World Press Freedom Day in a bid to secure funding for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), which has not received budget funds for the performance of public service for four months. Called "Za obSTAnek", the campaign aims to raise two million euros for the agency via small SMS donations and from potential larger donors.
        LJUBLJANA - The prosecution rejected criminal complaints filed last year against Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Žan Mahnič, the state secretary for national security in the prime minister's office, Nova24TV reported. The complaints had been filed against Tonin in relation to the disclosure of information about the Slovenia-Croatia border arbitration agreement, and against both Tonin and Mahnič over alleged irregularities in the Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services.
        LJUBLJANA - The Competition Protection Agency stopped a major anti-trust procedure against Telekom Slovenije. The proceedings, related to alleged unfair pricing of a special monthly plan for youths between 2008 and 2010, had been stopped after the watchdog "did not manage to obtain evidence on the existence of a predatory exclusionary strategy".
        
TUESDAY, 4 May
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's positions on issues relevant to EU-Turkey relations and its EU presidency priorities topped the agenda aside from bilateral relations as FM Anže Logar hosted his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. They dedicated a great part of their meeting to plans to boost bilateral cooperation, in particular direct investment, and to balance bilateral goods trade.
        LJUBLJANA - A proposal to reshuffle parliamentary working bodies to accommodate four unaffiliated MPs was rejected for the third time. The vote prompted the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) to announce they would boycott the parliament's work with the exception of major votes such as the forthcoming impeachment motion.
        LJUBLJANA - The SVIZ trade union of teachers launched a campaign to collect signatures among teachers to call on Education Minister Simona Kustec to resign, arguing poor management of the ministry. Kustec said the government had taken a number of measures to accommodate schools' needs.
        LJUBLJANA - Several NGOs that bring together conservative and liberal intellectuals sent a letter to European media to alert of what they call a misrepresentation on the state of press freedom in Slovenia, urging them to stop "one-sided propaganda" and to get informed on the situation from all world-view groups ahead of Slovenia's EU presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Committee endorsed 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.

WEDNESDAY, 5 May
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted amendments to three tax laws in a bid to reduce labour taxation and help businesses and individuals in the post-Covid recovery, including by increasing the general personal income allowance, reducing tax on capital and reducing red tape. While income tax changes alone are expected to reduce annual tax receipts by EUR 276 million, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said higher economic growth would offset the shortfall.
        PODGORICA, Montenegro -President Borut Pahor said after meeting his Montenegrin counterpart Milo Đukanović that a new momentum needed to be provided for the process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, as there was a certain standstill.
        LJUBLJANA - Four MEPs from Slovenia, Milan Brglez, Franc Bogovič, Tanja Fajon and Ljudmila Novak, expressed their concern over the psychosocial situation and the general social atmosphere in Slovenia in a letter addressed to President Borut Pahor. They urged him to use his authority to calm down "the passions and create a social atmosphere of dialogue, respectful expressing of disagreement and criticism". Pahor responded by calling for moderation in politics.
        LJUBLJANA - The Justice Committee unanimously adopted amendments to the penal code redefining sexual violence. Judges, prosecutors and lawyers opposed the changes, saying there was nothing wrong with the existing legislation. But MPs sided with the organisations which work with victims of sex crimes.
        LJUBLJANA - New rules on border crossing involving the recognition of PCR tests done in Serbia and Turkey entered into effect. There were also some changes on the red list of countries from which arrivals must quarantine, with Malta and Portugal removed from the list, and Djibouti added.
        DEKANI - Construction of currently the largest infrastructure project in the country was symbolically launched as ground was broken on the 27-km Divača-Koper rail track and the final contract to build one of its two sections, from Divača to Črni Kal, was signed. The project is valued at just below EUR 1 billion and will be built by a consortium led by the Slovenian company Kolektor CPG.
        LJUBLJANA - A group of experts commissioned by the central bank to draw up solutions for junior bondholders and shareholders wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout proposed a reimbursement scheme as the most suitable solution, where the state would take on the financial burden. The MDS association of small shareholders welcomed the solution, which would involve an out-of court settlement.
        LJUBLJANA - Tibor Šimonka, a senior vice-president of the steel group SIJ, was elected new chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) for the next two years. Šimonka identified green transition, support for digitalisation, innovation, research and development as his main priorities.

THURSDAY, 6 May
        LJUBLJANA - MPs from the coalition parties tabled a motion in a renewed attempt to dismiss Speaker Igor Zorčič after he quit the coalition to join a group of unaffiliated MPs in late March. The motion was signed by 38 coalition MPs, 46 are needed to oust him.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that all adults under 50 will start to get vaccinated on 10 May. "We will have enough vaccine for everyone by summer," he said.
        TIRANA - President Borut Pahor met his Albanian counterpart Ilir Meta as part of a whistle-stop tour of the region in preparation for the 17 May regional summit in Slovenia. In a renewed call for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans he said EU membership would make country borders less important and eliminate the need to change them.
        WARSAW, Poland - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs discussed migration issues as he met his Polish counterpart Mariusz Kaminski as part of Slovenia's preparations for the upcoming EU presidency. His ministry said that Slovenia and Poland advocate "elimination of the root causes of migration, and a greater role of the external dimension of migrations, foremost sending migrants back more effectively".
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission noted the Slovenian government's duty under law to secure suitable funding for the STA in response to the agency's questions about the fundraising campaign for the STA, calling for swift solutions to unblock the funding and preserve the agency's independence.
        LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković signed an agreement that will see the government allocate EUR 13.7 million for 29 projects in the Ljubljana area that are of importance to the state until 2023.

STA, 7 May 2021 - The weekly Mladina has been asked by police to provide information on how it got hold of classified documents revealing the content of the draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan which the magazine published in February in what Mladina sees as an act of intimidation.

According to Mladina, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has assessed that the magazine divulged classified information.

When Mladina published the draft plan on its website in February, the document had still been labelled internal.

An official letter from the Ljubljana Bežigrad police station published by Mladina shows the query for the magazine to provide information about the author of the article, the editor-in-chief and when, how and from whom they obtained documents labelled as internal was made at the request of the Ljubljana District State Prosecution.

Mladina says the article in which the documents were published was signed by the author with a name and surname and the information on who is the editor-in-chief is publicly available, which is why they see police questions as an attempt to intimidate them more than inquiring about relevant facts in trying to prove criminal offences.

The government decided to declassify the document soon after Mladina published the draft, although the opposition had been demanding before that it should be subject to a broad public debate.

Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion Zvonko Černač said at the time he had declassified it after its contents had been leaked to a weekly. "The harm has been done and it cannot be repaired," he said in parliament at the end of February.

The Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS) responded to today's news by saying it was worried about the investigation, especially since the draft document was declassified two weeks after being published, which it said "proved the public was fully entitled to get insight into it".

It pointed to the changes to the penal code adopted on its initiative in 2015 which decriminalised obtaining and publishing confidential data to reveal them to the public if the release is in public interest and if it does not pose a risk to life.

The association thus expects the prosecution of Mladina to immediately stop.

More stories on the media in Slovenia

STA, 7 May 2021 - Delo says in Friday's front-page editorial that the systematic tweeting by Prime Minister Janez Janša is part of a carefully devised political and communication plan to keep his constituency mobilised at a rate that will secure a relative win for his Democrats (SDS) in general election at any time.

For Janša, Twitter has become a key multi-functional tool with which he communicates with his constituency and with the public at the same time, while also attacking political opponents and discrediting critical journalists.

On this platform, the prime minister is also waging "war with the media, which now targets public media by financially draining the Slovenian Press Agency, before it is RTV Slovenija's turn".

According to Delo, the objective of Janša's war with the media is to destroy the traditional public space, which has already been undermined, and to solidify a parallel para-party media ecosystem supported by Hungarian capital.

The final objective is to establish Twitter as the key public media, where it is much easier to manipulate with public opinion than in the established media world, where information is checked systematically and passes through several filters.

The newspaper notes that the use of techniques of astroturfing in connection with the media linked with the SDS has helped establish the increasingly negativist political agenda in the country.

"For the SDS's interests to be fully solidified, public media need to be crushed, for which he does not need 46 votes in the National Assembly, only early elections must be prevented," concludes the commentary “A Systematic Plan is Behind the Yelping of Marshal Tweeto”.

STA, 6 May 2021 - The government is proposing a series of legislative changes to enhance pet owner responsibility and protect pets, including by making it illegal to tether dogs and put down healthy abandoned pets.

"It's a significant step forward in protecting pets," Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek told reporters on Thursday as he set out the amendments to the animal protection act, adopted by the government on Wednesday.

One of the changes is more detailed procedure to trace the origin of dogs to prevent and curb trading in dogs and illicit trade.

"It will be mandatory to chip puppies up to the age of eight weeks, and it will be obligatory to state the chip number in sale advertisements," said the minister.

Chipping of cats will be voluntary to allow owners to prove their ownership.

In case of a violation, the first measure against the owner will be to subject then to basic training on how to keep a pet. The minister said violations pertaining to daily care, the premises and temperature they are kept at were being established.

It will be prohibited to tie up dogs, except for specific exceptions such as when they are kept on a leash to be taken to a vet or for a walk, or in the case of guard dogs at farms.

It the latter case, it will be allowed to keep them on a lead at least five metres long that will allow the dog to move around at least four metres in each direction.

It will also be prohibited to kill healthy abandoned pets in shelters after 30 days or kill them for their skin, but the minister does not expect any major changes as fur or leather farming has been banned in Slovenia since 2013.

The bill also provides more detailed provisions governing dangerous dogs and use of shepherd dogs to protect pasturing herds.

In case of attacks by wild animals, the dog will not be considered dangerous if it attacks a human in a minor incident.

However, when the dog is found to be dangerous, an appeal will not stay the implementation of the decision.

The amendments would also restrict possession of exotic species to protect the life, health and well-being of animals and people's life and health and to preserve wildlife.

Thus a list of permitted and banned animal species would be introduced with the latter group only allowed to be kept in zoos.

The cost of care for abandoned animals will be covered by the owners. When the owner is unknown, local communities will take care of them for 30 days and then the state will shoulder the cost.

Also being introduced is an option to impose higher than minimum prescribed fines, which the minister said was to "dissuade violators from violations".

STA, 7 May 2021 - Bojan Veselinovič, the director of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), has announced legal action against Prime Minister Janez Janša after he implied on Twitter that Veselinovič had been involved in the "murder" of a former STA editor-in-chief more than a decade ago.

What Janša wrote exceeds all boundaries, Veselinovič told the TV Slovenija current affairs show Tarča Thursday evening.

The decision comes after Janša wrote on Twitter today: "Incredible for 21st century EU that an accomplice in the murder of a journalist still leads the STA and gets EUR 8,500 per month. More than the president of the republic."

Neverjetno za #EU v 21. stoletju, da sodelavec pri umoru novinarja še vedno vodi @STA_novice in zato mesečno pokasira 8.500 €. Več kot predsednik republike. https://t.co/mK85J0lcV2 pic.twitter.com/nm6COZOYCN

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) May 6, 2021

Veselinovič said he would press criminal charges as a private plaintiff and a civil defamation suit.

Responding to Veselinovič's announcement, Janša tweeted today: "Finally. Bullying a journalist who then died must get a closure in court."

Janša added a link to excerpts from a 2009 news conference at which Meško, at the time still STA editor-in-chief, said Veselinovič resorted to all forms of bullying.

Veselinovič meanwhile also sent a cease and desist letter to Uroš Urbanija, Government Communication Office (UKOM) director, who has alleged in several tweets that Veselinovič had taken it out on Meško.

Yesterday, Urbanija tweeted that Veselinovič had sent Meško a termination letter "while he was on his death bed" after "a brutal settling of scores and long-time bullying".

Meško was the editor-in-chief in 2007-2009 and was handed a termination notice on 3 November 2009 due to his failure to draw up strategic plans despite a prior warning. He died in May 2010.

Veselinovič has often come under fire from conservative journalists for firing Meško just before his death, a financial settlement with Meško's family having been used as proof of wrongful termination.

But Veselinovič has insisted he had not known about Meško's illness, a point raised in the cease and desist letter sent to Urbanija yesterday.

The law firm representing Veselinovič said he had not been informed about the illness until May 2010, when he received a letter from Meško's legal representative.

And this letter came with medical documentation that Meško's terminal illness had not been diagnosed until December 2009, a month after he was fired.

This means "it would have been impossible for our client to carry out any of the acts that you allege," said the law firm, which also dismissed all allegations about bullying.

STA, 6 May 2021 - Defence Minister Matej Tonin argued the EU should put political decisions into practice faster, as he attended what was the first in-person EU defence ministerial in about a year. The ministers discussed military mobility in Europe where the Slovenian infrastructure, in particular the Koper port, will play a major part. 

The ministers endorsed the decision to include Canada, Norway and the US in PESCO projects on military mobility to enable troops to move more quickly across Europe. In this way they for the first time allowed third countries to participate in the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

The project aims mainly to upgrade infrastructure such as bridges, railways and roads with the goal being to reduce the time it takes to move troops.

Addressing a virtual press conference in Brussels, Minister Tonin hailed the agreement as a major success. "Military mobility is not just a matter of logistics, it is a strategic one," he said.

Minister @MatejTonin se je v Bruslju udeležil simpozija o vojaški mobilnosti. K njej Slovenija pomembno prispeva tudi z uvajanjem uporabe alternativnih goriv za obrožene sile. @eusatcen #EUdefence #MilitaryMobility pic.twitter.com/HChz879NmP

— Ministrstvo za obrambo RS (@MO_RS) May 6, 2021

Slovenia is actively involved in the project with Tonin noting that attention was being paid with all infrastructural projects to allow civilian-military dual-use.

This was also kept in mind in planning the new Koper-Divača rail track so that all the tunnels and viaducts and the entire link will also be suitable to move military vehicles. The Koper port will play an important role there, also for strategic movement of troops to the East and Central Europe, said Tonin.

To boost military mobility the EU allocated roughly EUR 1.7 billion over the next seven years. Tonin could not say yet how much Slovenia will draw, but he promised they would try to use every opportunity available.

The defence ministers dedicated much of their attention today to the Strategic Compass, a process seeking to link strategic and operative levels to achieve the bloc's ambitions in defence and security. "It's an additional tool to enhance Europe's strategic autonomy," said Tonin.

He emphasized that strengthening European cooperation in defence and security was not meant as competition to other allies in NATO but to upgrade joint capabilities. "A strong Europe is a strong NATO," said Tonin, adding that to do that faster action was needed and putting political decisions into practice faster.

In discussion on the Strategic Compass the ministers focused on crisis management and risk assessment. Slovenia will continue discussion on the topic during its presidency of the Council of the EU, and Tonin today discussed the issue with the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

The ministers also talked about the end of NATO-led mission to Afghanistan on 11 September. Tonin said it did not mean a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan as cooperation would continue at the civilian level, in particular development cooperation.

Slovenia will complete its involvement in the Resolute Support Mission in coordination with the allies. The date of when the six Slovenian troops will withdraw has been determined but Tonin would not disclose it for security reasons. The last Slovenian rotation was deployed in Afghanistan in February for half a year.

STA, 5 May 2021 - The Justice Committee unanimously adopted on Wednesday amendments to the penal code redefining sexual violence. Judges, prosecutors and lawyers had opposed the changes, saying there is nothing wrong with the existing legislation. But MPs sided with the organisations which work with victims of sex crimes.

Under the changes, rape will no longer have to involve force, as the changes incriminate interference in sexual integrity without consent.

Under the changes filed by the opposition based on a proposal from NGOs, those involved must express consent to the sexual act either implicitly or verbally.

MP for the opposition Left Matej T. Vatovec said the proposed changes were the result of a long campaign and battle of organisations dealing with victims of sexual violence.

Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič also endorsed the changes, noting that the ministry had been working on such changes for two years. She said it would take even longer for people's mindset to change.

Supreme Court Judge Marjeta Švab Širok said the debate on the definition of sexual violence had been triggered by one wrong court decision. She said legislative changes were not necessary. Instead, she proposed responding to new forms of crimes.

Supreme state prosecutor Mirjam Kline said that it was wrong to think that victims would no longer need to testify or that they would be more protected. "Mere legislative changes will not do that," she warned. She was also critical of the proposed lowering of the minimal prison sentence from a year to six months.

Mitja Jelenič Novak from the Bar Association said the changes would not improve the penal code but create a more repressive and dangerous criminal law on sexual offences.

But MPs were not convinced. "If experts are aware that we need changes but nothing happens, then politicians make a move," said Predrag Baković from the opposition Democrats (SD).

He said statistics showing that most people accused of sexual violence get probation spoke in favour of the changes.

Katja Zabukovec Kerin from the Association for Non-violent Communication said that statements that there is nothing wrong with the current legislation were dangerous and disrespectful to all the victims who have been warning for years that the system was not good and do not feel safe to speak up.

The head of the SOS hotline, Maja Plaze, said the legislative changes in line with the principle only yes means yes were a historical move.

NGO the March 8 Institute, which has been campaigning for a redefinition of sexual violence, said ahead of the session it expected broad support for the legislative changes. It said the changes would be a step in the direction of victim protection but that sexual harassment and violence would still need to be addressed.

STA, 4 May 2021 - Slovenians are generally satisfied with their lives, but they are unhappy about the way democracy works in their country, shows the latest Eurobarometer survey conducted in February and March.

A full 81% said they were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their lives, above the EU average of 79% but still nine percentage points below the previous measurement, in spring 2020; the EU average declined by five points.

Slovenians were however the least satisfied with how democracy works in their country, with 25% satisfied and 75% dissatisfied, significantly worse than in the previous year and the lowest level of satisfaction in the entire bloc.

At the EU level in general the pollsters detected a three-point drop in satisfaction, though overall those who are satisfied, at 55%, still outnumbered those who were dissatisfied.

Slovenians were also very dissatisfied with government measures to contain the pandemic, with 31% expressing satisfaction versus the EU average of 43%.

The EU's reputation, on the other hand, improved across the bloc; in Slovenia, over half the respondents said the EU had a positive reputation.

Asked about trust in institutions, the results for Slovenia show a declining trust in the army and police, political parties, the justice system and the public administration, though both the army and the police enjoy the trust of the majority of the population.

As for trust in the media, the survey showed only radio enjoys the trust of the majority of the population (58%), followed by television (48%) and newspapers (47%). The internet in general and social networks in particular score even lower, at 34% and 28%, respectively.

The majority, 59%, believe that the Slovenian media provide trustworthy information, and 65% are of the opinion they provide a plurality of opinions and information. Both figures are significantly below the EU average.

The survey was conducted in all member states and involved over 1,000 respondents in each country.

See the full survey here