STA, 23 March 2021 - The National Assembly has unanimously passed changes to the pension legislation allowing for faster increase in pensions. In line with the changes, the transitional period for equalising the pension rate for men and women will end two years sooner than originally planned, on 1 January 2023.

The pension rate for persons with 40 years of pensionable service will be increased to 63.5% of the long-term average wage for both men and women.

The current rate for men is 57.25%. The 63.5% rate already applies to women, but if it were not for the amendments it would drop.

The changes had been proposed by the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and backed by the coalition.

In line with an amendment proposed by the coalition and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the lowest pension this year will be set at 29.5% of the minimum pension base and then adjusted the same way as pensions. The lowest pension will thus amount to EUR 280.

The guaranteed pension for 40 years of service will rise from EUR 581 to EUR 620, while the minimum disability pension will be set at 41% of the minimum pension base, or just over EUR 388.

An amendment filed by the opposition Left, which would raise the minimum pension to EUR 442, to match the minimal monthly costs, was rejected as a populist move that is unjust to those who have worked longer.

STA, 22 March 2021 - The ZRC SAZU, the Scientific and Research Centre at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is worried at escalating attacks on the STA, urging by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to stop threatening and financially draining the news agency. UKOM denied the allegations.

The STA is a public service which promptly, consistently and dedicatedly follows and reports on developments in Slovenia, including science and research, reads the statement in support of the STA.

It stresses that STA reports are released by many media outlets in Slovenia, especially those which cannot afford to hire enough journalists to provide for reporting on "such marginal topics like science".

The ZRC SAZU says that commercial media treat science as marginal because they do not bring many readers, viewers. listeners or clicks.

This is the reason for which science is particularly dependent on media such as the STA and the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

In in the view of ZRC researchers, due to their relatively stable funding, such media ensure reporting on activities which are not very profitable yet key for society.

"If we allow for public media such as the STA and RTV Slovenija to be abolished, we will cause irreparable damage to the Slovenian media landscape, which is already deprived of quality media," the release reads.

"Science will thus disappear from the media's agenda moving to specialised portals and niche media. It will itself turn to be treated as a marginal pursuit, or even a hobby, of a handful of weirdos who are passing their time by wasting taxpayer money."

UKOM director Uroš Urbanija said in a press statement that he was surprised by the allegation it is stepping up its attacks on the STA or financially starving the agency. "Neither is true, UKOM has settled all of its liabilities to the STA in line with last year's contract," he said.

While not specifying why the agency has not been paid for the performance of public service this year, he says "funding for the STA has been secured," which is why messages to employees that the agency will not live to see its 30th anniversary are "unacceptable".

Overall, he reiterates UKOM's long standing positions regarding the STA director, including that he persistently refuses to hand over to the government the requested documentation.

He also denied any interference in editorial independence arguing that the government had never encroached upon it and noting that the administrative part of the agency is clearly separated from the editorial part, with any effort to link the two "an attempt at politicising the editorial staff and journalism".

The statement came after the government last week called on the STA supervisory board to dismiss the agency's director Bojan Veselinovič for his alleged violation of the agency's obligations, and as the agency has been waiting for more than 20 days for UKOM to pay the bill for the public service the STA carries out under the law.

The STA reports on science and other research and development topics as part of its regular service and has a special science portal in Slovenian and English. In 2018, the agency's science journalist Lea Udovč won an award conferred by the Slovenian Journalist Association.

STA, 22 March 2021 - Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar has condemned sanctions imposed by China in retaliation for the EU's sanctions against it due to its treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

China introduced sanctions against EU individuals including a member of Slovenia's permanent representation to the EU, according to Logar.

"We find this action completely unacceptable and not favourable for future relations between the EU and China," Minister Logar said in a video address posted on Twitter.

#FAC | ?? Minister @AnzeLog @MZZRS actively promoted implementation of EU diplomatic tools on:
➡️#HumanRights sanctions
➡️dialogue with High Commissioner @mbachelet
➡️#SouthernNeighborhood & Turkey

In light of recent events, he also condemned the sanctions imposed by #China? pic.twitter.com/ZsZecMS46j

— Slovenia in the EU (@SLOtoEU) March 22, 2021

One of the entities sanctioned by China is the EU Council's Political and Security Committee, which features representatives of all member states.

The Foreign Ministry said the Slovenian member of that committee was Veronika Boškovič Pohar.

The statement came after virtual session of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council which decided to take sanctions over violations of human rights against eleven individuals and four legal entities in six countries.

In a press release after the session, Logar was quoted as expressing concern over deteriorating human rights in several countries.

He said the impact of the Covid-10 pandemic on human rights around the world was also worrying.

All our stories about Slovenia and China

STA, 22 March 2021 - Bars and restaurants in the Primorsko-Notranjska region could start serving customers outdoors from Monday, having been promoted to tier yellow to join Posavje and South-East Slovenia, but only a few opened due to fear of new closures.. Stores in Obalno-Kraška are meanwhile allowed to reopen provided staff get tested weekly as the coastal region has moved to tier orange.

The government adopted the decisions on regions last week when the epidemiological situations in the Primorsko-Notranjska and Obalno-Kraška regions showed signs of improvement.

Outdoor serving in the three yellow-coded regions is permitted between 6am and 7pm. Prevention measures must be observed, including mask-wearing and weekly testing among staff and maintaining distance between tables. The exemptions from the mandatory testing are those who have recovered from Covid-19 or those who have been vaccinated.

A maximum number of patrons sitting at the same table is four. A customer may enter the establishment only to go to the restroom.

But despite the easing of restrictions, not many bars and restaurants in Primorsko-Notranjska actually opened today, fearing they would be forced to close again soon, a possibility mentioned by the head of the government Covid-19 advisory group, Mateja Logar.

Some also said it was rather cold to sit outside, so they offer takeaway instead.

The hospitality and tourism sectors are, however, very upset by Logar's labelling of the sectors as "less important". "We have been closed for more than six months, the economic damage is enormous. Data show that the hospitality and tourism sectors, and the related sectors generate 20% of the gross domestic product, which means they are extremely important economic sectors," said Blaž Cvar, the head of the Hospitality and Tourism Section at the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS).

He added that Logar's statement was also a severe insult to about 40,000 people working in the hospitality sector.

According to Cvar, the OZS's Hospitality and Tourism Section has so far not received a reply to its question whether serving food and drinks outdoor indeed posed a threat to public health.

He said they expected the group led by Logar to present its methodology for determining which economic branches are more and which are less important.

gov.si

The entire country is meanwhile firmly planted in the orange tier. The coastal region has been upgraded to this level of measures, meaning inter-regional travel restrictions have been lifted.

From today, stores and repair shops under 400 square metres, real estate agencies, hair salons, beauticians, pet salons and expert training activities of up to ten persons in the region are allowed to conduct business as long as staff produce a negative test.

Pharmacies, gas stations, post offices, delivery services, automobile and bike repair shops and construction services may remain open regardless of staff testing.

Moreover, rallies of up to ten people are allowed across the country. The same goes for religious services.

The decree is effective until 26 March. The government will discuss the potential extension on Wednesday when it is expected to conduct its weekly review of the epidemiological situation and restrictions.

STA, 21 March 2021 - Slovenia reported 516 new coronavirus cases in 2,849 PCR tests on Saturday for a positivity rate of some 18%. The seven-day average of new daily cases kept up its upward trend, standing at 808. Five Covid-19 deaths were recorded, show fresh official data.

A total of 6,843 rapid antigen tests were also conducted with all the positives there re-examined with PCR tests.

The number of persons in hospital totalled 473 this morning, up by 15 on the day before, including 93 patients in intensive care, up by five. 19 were discharged home.

The increase in hospitalisations is likely a result of both the rising trend in infections as well as the fact that the total of patients usually increases over the weekend as fewer of them are discharged then as a rule.

The seven-day average increased by six to 808. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents meanwhile stands at 500, up by seven.

In the past seven days, 5,690 infections have been recorded, some 16% increase on the previous 7-day period.

According to the tracker site Covid-19 Sledilnik, the latest deaths have brought the death toll to 3,972.

Since the start of the pandemic, Slovenia has reported 206,027 cases, of which 10,536 are deemed active, show data by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

STA, 20 March 2021 - The head of Slovenia's group of experts who advise the government on coronavirus measures has warned that the country is no longer just facing a new wave of the epidemic but is already at the start of the third wave.

"We're definitely no longer on the verge or facing the third wave, we're at the beginning of the third wave and we've started it with second-wave figures that are still high," infectious diseases specialist Mateja Logar wrote on Twitter.

She said experts have already said everything that they know. "Now it's up to each and everyone of us to do the maximum they can to make sure the crest is as low as possible."

Her statement comes after a week in which daily new cases rose on average by a fifth over the week before, indication that the country has entered exponential growth.

The rolling seven-day average of new daily infections exceeded 800 after well over a month, as the prevalence of more virulent variants of coronavirus continues to rise.

However, the situation in hospitals remains stable and hospitalisations are at less than half their peak. Deaths, while slightly higher than at the lowest point, are significantly lower as well as a majority of the oldest population, which is at highest risk of severe Covid or death, has been vaccinated.

The latest official data show over 182,000 have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, roughly 8.7% of the population, and almost 104,000 have received both shots.

Moreover, more than one in ten Slovenians has had a confirmed infection. While this does not preclude a reinfection, it gives most of those infected at least a degree of immunity.

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, 12 March
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša pledged the government would respond to the third Covid-19 wave, which he said could realistically be expected, and implement key commitments in the coalition agreement, as he addressed reporters on the eve of his government's first year in office. "If there are no major surprises, we can make up for last year's contraction in GDP this year," he said.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports were down 2.8% year-on-year to EUR 2.9 billion in January and imports plunged 8.5% to EUR 2.5 billion for a surplus in external trade in goods of EUR 0.3 billion and exports-to-imports coverage of 113.7%, the Statistics Office said. Slovenia generated almost two-thirds of January's trade with EU countries.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a revised national vaccination strategy at a correspondence session to provide vaccines to all residents with permanent or temporary residence, not just to Slovenian citizens. Soldiers were added to the nine groups to be prioritised for vaccines together with police officers. The strategy was originally adopted on 3 December and first revised on 1 March.
        LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry, which is responsible for Slovenia's media policy, responded to the 5 March public debate in the European Parliament on media freedom in Slovenia saying the Slovenian participants made "several incorrect claims". The response was sent to all EU institutions, the chair of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) and its members.

SATURDAY, 13 March
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - A letter by five EU prime ministers, including Slovenia's Janez Janša, addressed to the EU Commission and EU Council was released. The leaders of Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria called for a summit on Covid-19 vaccines, pointing to what they see as unbalanced distribution. The letter was later also signed by Croatia's prime minister. The Commission issued a statement saying that member states were the ones negotiating the distribution with the starting point being the pro rata system.

SUNDAY, 14 March
        LJUBLJANA - Senior state and religious officials attended a memorial service at Žale cemetery for people who died from Covid-19, on the anniversary of the first such death recorded in Slovenia. President Borut Pahor expressed condolences to the victims' families and said the virus had not been defeated yet. A willow tree was also planted in memory of the victims.
        LJUBLJANA - Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša addressed a letter to his party saying it would work towards implementing the commitments from the coalition agreement and expected the same from the coalition partners. He said the SDS would not allow any eroding of the government's work any more. He added the majority of the opposition was destructive like nowhere else in Europe.

MONDAY, 15 March
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia temporarily halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine pending a decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Health Minister Janez Poklukar said the Slovenian expert group for vaccines had not found reasonable grounds to stop using the jab, but proposed suspension as a matter of precaution. On Thursday, following the EMA's statement that the vaccine is safe and effective, vaccination with AstraZeneca was allowed to resume.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs warned against discrimination in relation to Covid-19 vaccination certificates. It is too early to talk about crossing borders with apps or certificates until most citizens have had access to a coronavirus vaccine, he said ahead of the EU Commission's unveiling of a proposal for a digital green certificate.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia advocated a stricter approach to dealing with third countries when it came to returning migrants from the EU as the bloc's foreign and interior ministers debated the EU's migration policy. The virtual session came after Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the ministers should agree on third countries that need to be focused on in efforts to strengthen the return of migrants.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press he was not optimistic about support among EU countries for Croatia joining the Schengen zone. He does not expect the Portuguese presidency to put the matter on the agenda again, but added he had no problems with putting in on the agenda during Slovenia's EU presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - Stricter rules to enter Slovenia kicked in for several groups, including people commuting daily to work outside Slovenia, in an EU or Schengen country. From Monday, they do not have to quarantine only if they produce a negative coronavirus test result no older than seven days. The measure applies to arrivals from red-listed countries.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor sent to parliament a proposal to appoint Tina Žumer a vice-governor of central bank Banka Slovenije. Žumer is a former employee of Banka Slovenije who now works at the European Central Bank.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor talked to Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu via video link, inviting her to visit Slovenia. The pair discussed a number of topics, including the pandemic.
        
TUESDAY, 16 March
        VIENNA, Austria - PM Janez Janša called for a "corrective mechanism" for the distribution of vaccines in the EU after talks with his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic and Latvia. Such a corrective mechanism would mark a return in the distribution of vaccines to the point when it was agreed that the vaccines would be divided on a pro rata basis, measured by population size, he added.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - It was revealed Slovenia had not reached 100% of the vaccines it is entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis because it had not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in December during a second round of joint EU purchasing. PM Janez Janša said that after he stepped in as health minister in December he ordered Slovenia additional quantities of vaccines where ever possible and regardless of the cost. The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMP) announced a motion to impeach Janša.
        KIEV, Ukraine - FM Anže Logar met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to discuss Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. Turning to relations with Russia, Logar assured Kuleba Slovenia would be a fair intermediary. Kuleba expressed the hope that Ukraine's voice would be heard during Slovenia's presidency. Logar also met Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal and parliamentary Speaker Dmytro Razumkov.
        LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition fell eight votes short of an outright majority needed for their motion to oust Education Minister Simona Kustec to succeed. Kustec, backed by 41 votes to 38, hailed the outcome as a realistic result of the political balance of power. The opposition claimed the minister should have acted more resolutely to return kids to school as soon as possible, Kustec and the coalition dismissed the criticism over remote schooling as politicking.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia continued to rank among NATO member states allocating the lowest proportion of its GDP for defence spending (1.1%), trailing the list by investment in defence equipment, a report for 2020 presented by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg showed.

WEDNESDAY, 17 March
        LJUBLJANA - The government amended several Covid-19 decrees as part of its weekly review of measures, including allowing rallies of up to ten people across the country. The Obalno-Kraška region was upgraded to tier orange with inter-regional travel restrictions lifted. Primorsko-Notranjska was promoted to tier yellow to join Posavska and SE Slovenia as the regions where hospitality establishments can open to serve customers outdoors.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Six European prime ministers, including Slovenia's Janez Janša, who previously called for fair access to vaccines, met European Council President Charles Michel via videoconference. Janša's office said they discussed additional vaccine deliveries and mechanisms to reach the target to have 70% of adults across the EU inoculated by summer. EU sources said the leaders expressed their concern over potential gaps in vaccine distribution among EU member states.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Health experts urged politicians to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic as a united front as President Borut Pahor hosted a meeting featuring senior officials. The meeting, which both Pahor and PM Janez Janša termed as useful, agreed to meet on a regular basis once a month.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor talked with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier by phone. They discussed the Covid-19 response, noting the exceptional importance in the efforts of the EU and its institutions and close cooperation between member states. They called for more efficient and coordinated response to the delays in vaccine supplies.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša talked with the head of the Italian Northern League party Matteo Salvini, with the topics including strengthening cooperation between Slovenia and Italy, migration, and fight against Covid-19. As Janša tweeted, the pair also discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe and the current political situation in Europe.
        BERN, Switzerland - Measures to contain the pandemic, post-pandemic recovery, and Slovenia's plans for its EU presidency topped the agenda as Speaker Igor Zorčič visited Switzerland for talks with his counterpart Andreas Aebi, the chair of the parliament's EFTA/EU delegation Eric Nussbaumer and Swiss President Guy Parmelin. The Swiss officials were mostly interested in Slovenia's response to the pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's plans for parliamentary friendship group with Taiwan were put on hold. This was after the committee's former chair, SocDem MP Matjaž Nemec, said a friendship group would mean Slovenia "treats Taiwan as a state, which it isn't". Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia's relations with China were good and its stance on Taiwan remained unchanged.
        LJUBLJANA - The State Prosecution Council denied the allegation that the candidates it put forward for Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors were not meeting requirements on foreign language skills. The council said the two candidates met all the requirements. The government has failed to clear the appointments with suggestions the candidates do not meet foreign language requirements.
        LJUBLJANA - The consortium led by Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG was selected for the second section of the new railway between Koper and Divača after it had already won the contract for the first section as the only bidder left. The combined cost of the project is estimated at EUR 628.3 million.
        SLOVENJ GRADEC - The US multinational Adient announced it would close its Slovenj Gradec affiliate by the end of the year as a result of which 430 people will lose jobs. The company said that internal assessments and discussions with key clients had shown Slovenia was no longer considered a best cost country. Trade unions urged the government to take action.

THURSDAY, 18 March
        LJUBLJANA - While acknowledging that the circumstances were extraordinary, the Court of Audit found the government, the ministries of health, economy and defence, and the Commodity Reserves Agency inefficient in the PPE procurement. All five institutions were urged to take remedial measures. PM Janez Janša and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek assessed the report as exonerating.
        LJUBLJANA - The defence ministers of Slovenia and North Macedonia, Matej Tonin and Radmila Šekerinska, called for a strengthening of defence ties as the pair met. They agreed to boost cooperation in NATO missions and set up a joint centre for the maintenance of OshKosh armoured vehicles.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor spoke via video link with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputova to exchange views on the battle against the pandemic and its ramifications. The pair stressed the importance of closer cooperation at the EU level. They also discussed the Western Balkans situation, EU enlargement and efforts to tackle climate change.
        LJUBLJANA - The government proposed for the STA supervisory board to dismiss Bojan Veselinovič as STA director, alleging workplace bullying and violations in the fulfilment of the agency's legal obligations. Veselinovič denied the allegations. The STA works council and trade union said there had been no reports of alleged bullying.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an omnibus bill that would amend over a dozen laws and repeal dozens more in an effort to simplify bureaucratic procedures. The bill brings official registries of laws and personal data, electronic serving of official documents and new powers for state secretaries, while also introducing a cap on social security contributions at EUR 6,000 gross per month.
        LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that Slovenia would not accept a settlement with the British company Ascent Resources over the dispute about permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in the north-east of Slovenia.
        PARIS, France - The OECD said in a report that insufficient prosecution of foreign bribery in Slovenia is still a reason for concern and so are claims about political interference in law enforcement. The OECD is meanwhile happy with the protection of whistleblowers.
        LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Andrej Čuš, the leader of the non-parliamentary Greens, a new state secretary at the Economy Ministry. On 20 March, Čuš will succeed Ajda Cuderman, whose new job will be in the prime minister's office.
        LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Mateja Vraničar Erman as Slovenia's high representatives for succession and appointed international law expert Miha Pogačnik to succeed her. Pogačnik has since last April led the government's legal service, while he served as high representatives already in 2005-2009.
        LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Joško Knez the acting director general of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) to take over from Iztok Slatinšek on 1 April.

STA, 18 March 2021 - The Slovenian PEN centre has urged the government to fundamentally change its attitude to the STA as well as media and journalists in general, arguing that its actions constituted an attempt at dismantling the agency and silencing a source of trustworthy information.

Expressing "deep concern" about the government's action, the Slovenian PEN said the government was ignoring the institutional independence of the STA and disrespecting its editorial independence, both of which are guaranteed by the law.

Its actions display "a conscious effort to transform Slovenia into an uninformed province in which it will be simply impossible to access objective reports about events in Slovenia and the world, except with the help of foreign media".

It said the agency's contribution was "extraordinarily important" amidst the "cacophony of fake news, politically and otherwise doctored information, hate speech and damaging disinformation that various online platforms are flooding the market with".

The statement comes after government proposed that the STA supervisory board dismiss Bojan Veselinovič as director, alleging violations in the fulfilment of the agency's legal obligations.

Veselinovič has denied all the allegations and highlighted the government decision as a "new chapter in a series of attacks on the independent STA and an attempt to replace its leadership".

STA, 18 March 2021- Slovenia has decided to resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) assessed AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine "safe and effective" after a review of possible blood clot risks.

"The EMA has fund that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and efficient. Today we'll notify vaccination centres to resume vaccination," Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press on Thursday.

Slovenia opted for a suspension on Monday after reports of blood clots led many European countries to halt the vaccination pending an additional review by the EMA.

Senior officials will be among the first to get the jab, the government announced on Twitter.

President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša, National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič and National Council President Alojz Kovšča will get the jab tomorrow afternoon.

After the suspension, Slovenia has over 14,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine on store.

So far about one percent of those who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca in Slovenia have reported adverse effects, roughly the same share as those who receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

All the latest data on Slovenia and COVID-19

STA, 18 March 2021 - The police processed 630 cases of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021, down from 1,171 in the same period in 2020, in what is a continuation of the seasonal downward trend. Most frequently illegal migrants come from Afghanistan, whereas the number of caught Moroccans has significantly declined.

The police expect the trend to turn upwards again come milder weather.

The number of Afghan migrants who were caught crossing the Slovenian border illegally in January and February this year stands at 113, followed by citizens of Turkey (79), Croatia (72) and Bangladesh (64).

The number of refusals of entry to Slovenia to third country nationals increased by more than 10% in the wake of stepped up Covid-related border restrictions.

Moreover, due to beefed up monitoring amid the epidemic, the total of unauthorised residence cases also increased. Such violations mostly arise from overstaying of citizens of Western Balkans countries.

On the other hand, the number of illegal migrants who request international protection decreased as they usually resume their journey after reaching Slovenia, heading towards their destination countries.

A total of 257 asylum status requests were made in the first two months this year, which compares to 386 in the same two months in 2020. International protection was granted to three persons (18 in January-February 2020), whereas in 21 cases (44) the request was denied.

The number of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021 and 2020 according to citizenship

Citizenship            No. of crossings
                       2021        2020
----------------------------------------
Afghanistan             113         143
Turkey                   79          34
Croatia                  72          59
Bangladesh               64          29
Kosovo                   54          34
Iraq                     34          86
Pakistan                 29         257
Egypt                    28          65
Syria                    23          41
Bosnia-Herzegovina       23           3
Iran                     17          14
Slovenia                  9          36
Others                  111         420
----------------------------------------
Total                   630        1171

Source: Police, Interior Ministry, Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants

STA, 17 March 2021 - Marjan Šarec, the head of the opposition LMŠ party carrying his name, announced an impeachment of Prime Minister Janez Janša on Wednesday because Slovenia did not order the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine in the second round of the orders last December. Šarec argues Janša thus caused direct damage to citizens and acted against the Constitution.

A report from the EU's vaccination steering board released yesterday showed Slovenia had ordered 90% of the vaccines it was entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis, and that it did not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during a second round of joint EU purchasing in December 2020, when an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were available under the first contract with the company.

Šarec said the LMŠ was puzzled why Slovenia did not order the vaccine, whether it was "speculating with prices", as the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine was costlier than AstraZeneca, or the goal was to "prolong the epidemic endlessly".

"This has caused direct damage to the citizens and is also a violation of Article 51 of the Constitution, which speaks about the right to healthcare, so the LMŠ will use all means available to protect the rights of the citizens," Šarec pointed out.

The LMŠ head labelled the vaccination strategy inefficient and said Janša was trying to put the blame on everyone else but his team.

An impeachment against the prime minister can be filed in parliament by at least 10 MPs. Šarec is confident the entire opposition will be united on this and that it will "become clear in the National Assembly who cares about citizens and who does not".

Coordinator of the opposition Left Luka Mesec said the opposition would definitely respond to the news that Slovenia did not order as much vaccine as it could, but that it was yet to reach an agreement on which instrument would be the best.

He said he had already called a meeting of heads of opposition parties for Thursday.

Mesec said it was outrageous that the government had been looking to save EUR 5 million when the epidemic cost the country EUR 5.9 million a day and thousands of people have died.

If, however, the cost was not an issue, then the quarantine, epidemic and state of emergency suit someone in the government, as its goal has not been to fight the epidemic but to thoroughly rearrange social relations and take complete control over this country, Mesec said.

The opposition Social Democrats said they were yet to study the impeachment proposal. The party head, Tanja Fajon, said the SD would demand a session of the parliamentary Health Committee to discuss the ordering of Covid-19 vaccines. She noted that the EU had also not done everything right.

The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and the National Party (SNS) did not comment today.

Former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar told the STA today that he had not been informed last autumn of the fact that Slovenia could have ordered additional quantities of the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine.

A commission at the Health Ministry, which has also drawn up the vaccination strategy, was in charge of that, he said.

According to him, the commission obviously decided at the time not to order additional shots of the vaccine because it was expected that the AstraZeneca vaccine would be registered first.

Marta Grgič Vitek, the national vaccination programme coordinator, told reporters today that she was a member of the commission and that all members of the body argued as much vaccines should be ordered as Slovenia was eligible for relative to the population.

Janša told reporters in Brdo pri Kranju that Gantar or the vaccination commission could hardly be blamed for not ordering the vaccine, because at the time the move had been logical in a way. "We should have probably responded quicker, when it became clear that there are complications with this vaccine, but it was not yet clear which one will be authorised first."

He added this coincided with the "artificially created political crisis", efforts to bring down the coalition, departure of one party from the coalition and the resignation of Gantar.

The head of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), Zdravko Počivalšek, said he had learnt about the impeachment motion from the media and that the government had ordered enough vaccines from all producers available.

A similar statement came from Matej Tonin, the head of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi). He said the problem was not that Slovenia had ordered insufficient amount of the vaccine but that the vaccine had not been supplied. He believes the purpose of the impeachment was to divide.