STA, 1 March 2021 - Two months after the expiration of public and commercial news service contracts between the STA and the government, which had previously been renewed annually, the STA restricted access to its news items for the government administration on Monday. Parliament Speaker Igor Zorčič believes the time has come for the matter to be resolved in court.

The state is obligated to provide sufficient funding for the STA, therefore the government and the Government Communications Office (UKOM) on its behalf must do everything in their power for this to become reality, Zorčič, a member of the coalition partner Modern Centre Party (SMC) said today.

He noted that MPs from the ranks of the SMC had spearheaded amendments to the seventh economic stimulus package that addressed funding for the press agency for the final quarter of 2020 and for 2021.

"I believe that all conditions have been met, even though this is a sad moment, for the STA to try to find justice in court. The legislative basis exists, but if the government and the STA are unable to resolve this on their own and in a peaceful way, the STA probably has no other option," Zorčič said.

When asked whether the SMC could still influence the course of events in some way, Zorčič said that the more politics interfered with the STA, the worse. Likely, the time has come for courts to resolve the situation if the politics is incapable of doing so.

The opposition, on the other hand, once again called for sustainable funding for the press agency. Under the STA act, the state is obligated to fund the public service the STA provides. Payments are then implemented via annual contracts based on annual business plans approved by the agency's supervisory board, which is appointed by the National Assembly.

Every year since Slovenia gained independence and the STA was established by the government, the government and the agency have also signed contracts allowing the government administration access to the agency's news items in full, not just the segments open to the public.

In autumn, UKOM suspended funding demanding information which the STA management says UKOM has no right to access. It added, however, that it would be fully willing to provide the information to the government, if the government requested, but this has not happened.

In December, the SMC pushed through an amendment to an economic stimulus package under which the government had to pay all outstanding obligations to the STA and provide funding for the public service in 2021 based on the STA's business plan even if the sides fail to sign a funding agreement.

After that, UKOM paid all the bills issued for the commercial contract until the end of the year, but no contracts have been signed for 2021, neither for the public service as required under the law, nor for the commercial access to the STA newswire for government bodies.

Opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) deputy group leader Brane Golubović said today this indicates that the government is able to knowingly break the law without consequence because there is nobody to oppose it. The government is not doing this only with the STA, which he finds concerning.

"We're actually a bit shocked that somebody can so blatantly violate the law. We can demand an extraordinary plenary, an emergency committee session, we can propose a law. But if a part of the coalition sees no problem in the government violating the law, then we can only be worried about the country we're living in," Golubović said.

Matej T. Vatovec, an MP for the opposition Left, believes that Prime Minister Janez Janša is continuing his assault on independent media. The fact that UKOM did not renew the contract with the STA only goes to show that the government wishes to subdue every independent institution and clearly wants to literally destroy the STA, he said.

This should set off alarms, as the STA is an institution of national importance, therefore pressure from the government is unacceptable, said Vatovec, adding that the Left and the opposition were looking for legislative solutions.

Jurij Lep of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) expressed dissatisfaction, adding that the STA was one of the few more or less unbiased media outlets in the country. The legislative branch obviously does not have enough power to pressure the government and UKOM, he said.

A number of media associations and organisations have urged funding for the STA in the past months. Most recently, Reporters without Borders said that suspension of funding was an attempt to undermine the agency.

STA, 1 March 2021 - Underage secondary school students from the Maribor area who participated in a protest urging return to in-classroom learning in early February have been issued court summons for the purpose of answering charges of violation of the communicable diseases act, the We Demand School (zahtevamo šolo) initiative confirmed for the STA on Monday.

Lars Podkrajšek of the initiative announced resistance against such "intimidation".

According to the information known so far, a total of six underage persons have been summoned.

"They allegedly violated Point 14 of the first paragraph of Article 57 of the communicable diseases act, so the police initiated charges against them before the Maribor District Court. By gathering they are said to have posed considerable threat to public health in Slovenia even though they wore protective face masks and heeded physical distance," Podkrajšek pointed out.

The allegations will be challenged in court, he said, adding that if necessary, the initiative would seek legal recourse before the Constitutional Court.

"We will not let it happen, this intimidation against youth because they wish normal schooling in a way that would be best for them," he said.

The initiative believes that such summons, which were first reported by private broadcaster POP TV over the past weekend, will be issued to more persons since the six students received them on Friday and it is possible others are still on their way.

Similar rallies for return to brick-and-mortar schools were held in a number of other cities in Slovenia, but so far, only Maribor students have been summoned. If there are any others, the initiative urges them to contact the organisation to face the matter together.

Podkrajšek finds such measures unacceptable. He believes there is a trend in Slovenia of sanctioning those who oppose the current government. The summons target those who do not agree with the actions by the Education Ministry, he said, describing Education Minister Simona Kustec as "completely passive".

The initiative will continue to strive for a return of all secondary school students to in-classroom learning as soon as possible. Currently, only final years of secondary school and those attending lower occupational training programmes are allowed to be educated in person apart from primary school pupils.

"Smaller protest actions are in the making which will start to take place in the event the government does not make a decision on Wednesday for all secondary school students to return to school in a week or two," Podkrajšek said.

Violation of Article 57 of the communicable diseases act carries a fine of between EUR 400 and EUR 4,000. If the offence is deemed particularly grave, it could lead to heftier fines up to EUR 12,000.

The Maribor Police Department said that five persons were issued a fine of EUR 400 via mail in connection with the 9 February rally in Maribor. The police also brought charges against four underage individuals before the competent district court.

The police said that some 50 people attended the rally of which nine, holding posters or other objects demonstrating the purpose of the gathering, were ID'd as they violated Article 57/1-14 of the communicable diseases act, which refers to a temporary ban on gatherings.

They were all notified of the offences and those of age were informed the fines will be mailed, whereas the underage participants were told complaints will be initiated against them in line with the law, the police said.

STA, 1 March 2021 - New variants of coronavirus pose a dilemma whether to proceed with the planned colour-coded exit strategy or impose stricter lockdown for a short period of time, PM Janez Janša said in parliament on Monday, as he answered a coalition MP question whether the government was planning any new measures in connection with Covid-19.

He said experts were now checking whether it would be possible to at least partly reopen schools for secondary school students even if Slovenia is still in the orange phase of the epidemic.

Scenarios seeing first, second and third year students going back to school alternately on a daily or weekly basis are being studied, explained Janša, saying that unlike primary school and final-year secondary school kids, these students "have not been at school in person for months".

He said that the government would discuss the possible scenarios on Wednesday or Thursday.

However, a potential fast spread of the new coronavirus variants in the coming weeks could also bring a dilemma of weather to tighten the measures for a short period of time to the level of lockdown, as was the case in Great Britain and the Czech Republic, Janša told the National Assembly.

This is after the first, and so far the only case of the South African coronavirus variant was confirmed in Slovenia on Friday.

Janša said this was not just a scientific but also a political decision "because it entails much severer restrictions, albeit for a shorter period", while the healthcare capacity situation is currently much better than in the past.

"While we are probably closer to the red than orange stage in terms of new infections, we are closer to the yellow than orange stage in terms of healthcare capacities, and it's possible that we'l be able to help some other EU member with these capacities because they are asking for help in the coming two weeks."

Janša at the same time warned the situation could change. In this case "a decision will have to be made whether to opt for much severer restrictions for a short period of time or strike a balance on the brink of capacity of our health system".

Answering a question from the opposition, Janša said the restrictions were less effective in the second wave because people did not take them as seriously as in the first one and because "their violation has been intentionally encouraged".

He also criticised the opposition for opposing certain restrictions, adding that the virus had no political affiliation and spread by its own rules.

The prime minister said the more actively people respected the restrictions, the lower the price, or the milder the restrictions can be.

"But this is not happening," he said, pointing to crowds on ski slopes at the weekend.

Janša also denied Slovenia was the world leader in terms of Covid-19 death toll, saying statistics would have to be looked at and compared once the pandemic was over.

STA, 1 March 2021 - The Velenje Local Court has given Luka Štitić a two-month suspended sentence with a one year probation period for threatening Prime Minister Janez Janša on social media during last year's anti-government protests, several media have reported.

The ruling, published online, is final, media have reported.

Štitić was found guilty on 18 January of intimidation through making serious threats about a person's life or threatening to their loved ones.

According to the weekly Reporter, he made the threat on the Facebook page of the All-Slovenian People's Uprising on 3 November.

He wrote that Janša should be scared as the protesters would stand before his house throwing Molotovs at his window, and that soon he would realise that the safety of his wife and children is at risk but that then it would be too late. The post concluded with a call for Janša's hanging in Prešeren Square, according to Reporter.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 26 February 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Good Reasons for an Independence Museum

STA, 26 February 2021 - The left-leaning Mladina magazine says in its latest editorial that the idea of the Janez Janša government to establish a museum of Slovenian independence should be supported simply because it should be clearly explained that persons who later became alleged great democrats had used to try their luck first in the Communist Party.

"But this is only the first reason why the establishment of the new museum needs to be supported. The main reasons are hiding in the present time," the left-leaning weekly adds under the headline For Museum of Independence.

It argues that if Janša and his political supporters so persistently build on their actual and also alleged credits for independence and democratisation of Slovenia, it is time indeed to get the space where everything would be explained in detail.

Construction should start during their time in power, and the "next, normal authorities need to make the commitment that they will conclude this project, only that it will hand it over to actual and true historians."

Mladina argues that the timeline in the museum should end in the present time, with the departure of the last communist from power, noting that there were currently two such persons - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The weekly says that both have remained Communist Party members in their soul and that it is thus right for them to get their place in the museum.

"They have a common episode that should get a special, dark corridor in the museum," it says in reference to the erased, the thousands of nationals of the former Yugoslavia who were unlawfully deleted from the country's permanent resident registry.

Mladina adds that children should also learn about all the other stories, "from the one about Janša sending [dissident] Jože Pučnik to history to arms trade ... yes, this is the history of Slovenia's independence efforts".

This circle that Slovenia has completed in the 30 years deserves a museum. "And Janša is right: he deserves a special place in it. As a warning to the future generations," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: The Left that Instigates Hatred

STA, 25 February 2021 - A journalist from Politico reproached Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša for waging a war on and expressing hatred towards the media, but the truth is diametrically opposite - it is the media inclined to the left that instigate hatred and war against the centre-right government, the right-leaning Demokracija says in its latest commentary.

The right-leaning weekly says that when Janša fired back at the journalist, a well-organised globalist journalist group that "lives in a world of hatred towards everything that does not correspond to their beliefs" immediately responded.

The wrath expressed against Janša, who "dared respond to the lies and manipulations written by Lili Bayer" is the latest textbook example, Demokracija adds under the headline Coachmen of Fake Justice.

"Those who follow what is going on beyond borders at least a little bit have noticed that the agenda of the leftist avant-garde is the same everywhere. What is not on their side of the value system is fascism, racism, xenophobia and hatred."

It was naive to expect that generation X, which had been brainwashed by the baby boom generation and which today holds major positions in the media, education, public administration and governments, will be tolerant to those who think differently.

"Instead, a generation has grown of terrifying people who lean towards totalitarianism, and who have established the foundation of the system with the wish to replace the ancient, traditional ideas and and laws."

Demokracija cannot believe that the competitive battle of viewpoints is dying out and how easily some people accept the religion of single-mindedness as the latest trend, as the only legitimate direction.

"How quickly completely ordinary people joined the madness and become snitches who help repress different opinions, only to suck up to the fake icons of justice. The latter, believe me, are taking the coach and the horse into the abyss."

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, 19 February
        VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg assessed the countries' relations in the past year as positive as Logar paid a working visit to Vienna.
        LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic has had an impact on the work of the Slovenian law enforcement authorities with a report from the Specialised State Prosecution Service showing there were virtually no new incoming cases during the first wave of the epidemic last spring.
        LJUBLJANA - Franc Dover, the director of the Maribor waste utility Snaga and chief supervisor of state-owned power utility HSE, became a new non-executive director of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC).
        KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper reported sales dropping by 8% year-on-year to EUR 210 million as shipping volumes contracted across the board. Net profit declined by 21% to EUR 32 million but it was still a percent higher than planned.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars as the opposition alleged irregularities. Motorway company DARS and the Infrastructure Ministry rejected any impropriety.
        LJUBLJANA - The home policy and justice committees debated on Friday hate speech at the request of the coalition, condemning insulting and hateful discourse. Calls for decent and respectful dialogue could be heard both from coalition and opposition MPs.
        KOPER - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution as he appeared at the Koper District Court for a pre-trial hearing.
        LJUBLJANA - Writer and former politician Tone Peršak resigned on Thursday as the president of Slovenian PEN, citing personal reasons, after having served less than four months.

SATURDAY, 20 February
        LJUBLJANA - As he hosted an event marking one of the key anniversaries in Slovenia's independence efforts, President Borut Pahor said that the current political sentiment, in which there was more conflict than cooperation, was not sustainable.
        LJUBLJANA - A total of 114 organ transplants were performed in the UKC Ljubljana hospital last year, with donations and transplant activity running smoothly despite the epidemic. One of the main achievements was lung transplant in a 34-year-old whose lungs failed due to post-Covid-19 complications.
        MARIBOR - A statement about success in life being linked to taking risks by the long-serving head teacher of the Druga Gimnazija Maribor secondary school Ivan Lorenčič won him the Spade of the Year award from the newspaper publisher Večer.

SUNDAY, 21 February
        BRNIK/LJUBLJANA - Some 180 passengers flew to Tenerife from Slovenia's main international airport as the first charter flight and so far the only tourist charter flight from Brnik airport.

MONDAY, 22 February
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - As EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement to introduce sanctions against the persons responsible for the arrest and prison sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Slovenia's Anže Logar pointed to the need for the EU to be united in its attitude towards Russia.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - During its EU presidency Slovenia would like to organise an EU-Western Balkans summit and an informal summit on resilience, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the press.
        GENEVA, Switzerland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said recovery after pandemic should include actions aimed at achieving greater equality, solidarity and social protection as he addressed in a video call the UN Human Rights Council.
        LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) invited PM Janez Janša, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, Government Communication Office director Uroš Urbanija and public broadcaster RTV Slovenija director general Igor Kadunc to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia on 5 March.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia started lowering Covid ward capacities, as weekly average infection and hospitalisation figures had been dropping. The 7-day average number of new cases was at 744 on Sunday.
        NAIROBI, Kenya - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak highlighted the role and potential of green investment for a low-carbon and circular economy as he addressed in a video call a two-day virtual session of the UN Environment Assembly.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Police Department said a 39-year-old man from Ljubljana had been charged with incitement to violent protests in connection to an anti-government rally that turned violent on 5 November. News portal Siol.net identified the suspect as Anis Ličina.
        TRIESTE, Italy - The Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reported that a predominantly Slovenian group of landowners in San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina municipality in Italy had reclaimed ownership of large tracts of lands under a landmark judgement recently handed down by an Italian court, a development seen as creating significant economic opportunities.
        KIDRIČEVO - Boxmark, a maker of car upholstery, is branching out into aircraft upholstery having recently sealed a deal to make leather upholstery for Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

TUESDAY, 23 February
        LJUBLJANA - Janez Poklukar, a 42-year-old doctor-turned health manager who has been leading Slovenia's largest medical centre through the biggest ever health crisis, was appointed new health minister by the National Assembly in a 50:31 vote.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that Slovenia would look for "additional options for vaccine supplies" amidst sluggish supplies from the joint EU purchase.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed until its final ruling the provisions of the seventh economic stimulus law under which employers may unilaterally terminate the employment contract when a worker meets retirement criteria.
        WARSAW, Poland - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec wrapped up a two-day visit to Poland, having held talks with Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk and Environment Minister Michal Kurtyka. He said Slovenia sought to strengthen cooperation with Poland in maritime transport, in particular through the Koper port.
        LJUBLJANA - Coronavirus restrictions were in the focus as Foreign Minister Anže Logar spoke to ambassadors of EU countries accredited to Slovenia at a virtual meeting. He stressed the need for close coordination of measures at EU level with the aim of ensuring the smoothest possible flow of people, goods, capital and services despite some necessary restrictions.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is working with member states whose nationals must pay higher fees for UK work visas to end this discrimination. Member states which are discriminated against raised this issue at Tuesday's meeting of Europe ministers.
        LJUBLJANA - A new airline named SouthEast Airlines is emerging in Slovenia, web aviation portal Sierra5 reported, adding that the airline would initially provide mainly charter flights using a fleet of Airbus A320s.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court annulled a mandatory health insurance rule that restricts the right to artificial insemination procedures to women up to the age of 43.

WEDNESDAY, 24 February
        LJUBLJANA/BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša invited all parliamentary parties to sign an agreement on cooperation shortly before a cooperation-themed meeting of party heads hosted by President Borut Pahor. Most opposition parties declined.
        LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders urged the Slovenian government to swiftly appoint the country's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, so that the new institution could start operating in Slovenia on 1 March as planned. The government has meanwhile adopted a bill related to the appointments.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted changes to the penal code redefining rape, thus overtaking NGO the March 8 Institute which has been pushing for a similar redefinition, campaigning under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes.
        LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party's (DeSUS) executive council decided that the party would act as moderate opposition in the future. The party will not sign the prime minister's cooperation agreement and it will also not remain a member of the opposition's Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL).
        LJUBLJANA - The more virulent variants of coronavirus appear not to be very widespread in Slovenia yet. Two labs which conduct genetic sequencing have so far identified 35 cases of the UK variant and not a single case of the South African or Brazilian variant.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his counterpart Jean Asselborn to discuss creating a resilient Europe, a topic that will be one of the priorities of Slovenia's approaching EU Council presidency. He also met with European Investment Bank (EIB) president Werner Hoyer.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar extended the terms of six heads of mission - in Berlin, Brussels, Bratislava, The Hague, Tehran and Trieste. The terms of all six diplomats would have expired in the summer.
        LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Simon Starček the new acting director general of the Financial Administration (FURS) to replace Irena Nunčič, who has been the acting director general since September 2020.
        LJUBLJANA - The bank NLB may pay out EUR 92 million in dividends this year and a total of some EUR 300 million in three years, the bank's board said in an online financials presentation. Moreover, Chairman Blaž Brodnjak said that the group had acquired nearly a million new clients in last year's acquisition of Serbian Komercijalna Banka. NLB's market share in Serbia has gone from below 2% to over 12%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) has suspended the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) again. STA director Bojan Veselinovič said UKOM's excuse that there is no legal basis for the payment as "an outright eerie pretending of ignorance".
        LJUBLJANA - The government has drafted legislative changes under which drivers of motor vehicles powered by natural gas will be exempt from paying excise duties until the end of 2025, in a bid to pursue Slovenia's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transport.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič was awarded the small crystal globe as the overall World Cup winner in the women's sprint discipline as the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to cut the season short.

THURSDAY, 25 February
        LJUBLJANA - Attending a virtual informal session of EU ministers in charge of the internal market and industry on Thursday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek discussed with his colleagues the role of national recovery and resilience plans as instruments of implementing the industrial strategy.
        LJUBLJANA - A group of 39 MPs from the opposition parties the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) requested a parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work during a period from 13 March 2020, when the Janez Janša government was sworn in, to the launching of the inquiry.
        LJUBLJANA - The government restricted movement in the south-western region of Obalno-Kraška as of Saturday as the epidemiological situation deteriorated there. Travel to and from the region will be allowed only exceptionally, for work- or health-related reasons, gatherings in public places are banned again.
        LJUBLJANA - The council of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ) unanimously confirmed the appointment of Marijan Papež as director-general for another four-year term. If the government clears the appointment, this will be Papež's fifth term at the helm of the ZPIZ.
        LJUBLJANA - Former Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti was appointed Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director general. He will start his four-year term on 1 April.
        OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ema Klinec won a ski jumping event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany becoming the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion.

STA, 26 February 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an invitation for the Commission to appoint a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality.

"I do not want the saga of unsubstantiated accusations about the current Slovenian government to continue spreading across Europe - sadly with the help of the EU institutions - as it mostly serves to cover up the real problems faced by our democracy," says the letter published by the prime minister on Twitter on Friday.

The letter notes that Slovenia is taking over the six-month presidency of the EU Council on 1 July, and that "we faced a similar situation leading up to 2008, when our country chaired the Council of the EU for the first time".

TWEET

Janša has proposed that Von der Leyen appoint as soon as possible a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia. He has assured the European Commission president that the government would enable the mission to get all required information.

"If you consider it appropriate, this group may also include representatives of the European Council and the European Parliament," adds the letter that has also been sent to all members of the European Council.

Janša noted that European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova had recently repeated accusations related to freedom of the press in Slovenia, which followed similar statements by the Commission's spokespersons.

"They, on various occasions, without any evidence, based only on individual media reporting, questioned the freedom of the press, the rule of law, judicial independence and the state of democracy in Slovenia in general."

Head of EP Democracy Group Expresses Concerns Over Media Freedom in Slovenia

The prime minister added that the situation was similar just before 2008, when Slovenia was to assume its first EU presidency, pointing to the letter signed by 571 journalists and editors from Slovenia, which he attached to his invitation.

The first Slovenian presidency of the EU did not turn out to be a "a big threat to the Union", as the journalist said at the time, and instead, "our dedicated work for the common benefit of all EU Member States was key to its success," he said.

"The second presidency of Slovenia is preceded by similar attempts organised by the same protagonists from the list of 571 journalists as in 2007; we regret to note that, this time, with the participation of some officials of the EU institutions."

Janša stressed that, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Slovenia was responsibly preparing to take over the presidency of the EU Council.

"Thus, we do not wish for our work be overshadowed by absurd charges that can be dismissed by anyone who, accompanied by a capable translator, would spend a day or two following Slovenian media and political dynamics", he added.

The prime minister noted that Slovenia had a problem with the state of democracy in general. "However, I must point out that the roots and causes of this problem are much deeper and older - linked to Slovenia's communist legacy."

According to Janša, a visit by the European Commission fact-finding mission would help create a more independent and comprehensive assessment of the situation and answer a series of questions about the independence of the media and judiciary.

He concluded by saying that it was important that the same standards were applied to all, both in Slovenia and in the entire EU, when the rule of law and the state of democracy was evaluated, and that the rule of law is promoted instead of the rule with the (abuse of) law.

Responding, the Commission confirmed for the STA today that it had received Janša's letter on Thursday.

It said that the annual report on the rule of law is the proper framework to assess the situation of the freedom of the media, which is "a pillar of our democracies".

Exchanges with member states are part of that process, and work on the next annual report on the rule of law has already started, the Commission explained in a release.

Opposition critical of Janša's fact-finding letter to EU

STA, 26 February 2021 - The left-leaning opposition responded with criticism to Prime Minister Janez Janša's letter to the European Commission that invites a fact-finding mission to Slovenia. The responses range from assessments that he is diverting attention and calls that the situation should be calmed down, to such that he is not fit for the post.

Janša said in the letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that a fact-finding mission should be sent to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality in Slovenia.

He said he did not want the "saga of unsubstantiated accusations about the current Slovenian government to continue spreading across Europe ... as it mostly serves to cover up the real problems faced by our democracy".

Social Democrats (SD) leader and MEP Tanja Fajon said she was concerned about these types of letters, and wondered whose position Janša was advocating. She called on him to calm things down for the sake of Slovenia's international reputation.

Fajon urged Janša to focus his energy on managing the Covid-19 epidemic and seek consensus in order to normalise society, instead of writing letters that made Brussels "watch us with a great deal of concern, as the entire European public is dealing with Slovenia".

Jerca Korče, an MP of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), said that the letter was intended more for the "internal public, so that Janša shows once again all the frustrations and traumas that he is expressing on the daily basis everywhere he can".

Korče said that the attention was being diverted from the government not being able to govern the country, adding that the EU had mechanisms of its own to assess when the respect of EU principles needed to be examined and protected.

As for the content of the letter, she said that Janša talked about attacks within the media landscape while blocking the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and about the judiciary while blocking the appointment of prosecutors.

Left leader Luka Mesec said that "all parties in Slovenia that consider themselves democratic should condemn the letter and distance themselves from it" and take the position that Janša is not fit to chair the EU Council.

Mesec said that Janša had clearly shown once again that he would like to be the editor of all media outlets in Slovenia and to "determine what is a lie and what is truth", labelling him an "authoritarian who is trying to seize power in the country".

As Janša was recently urged by coalition New Slovenia (NSi) leader and Defence Minister Matej Tonin to invite an EU fact-finding mission, Mesec said that they had done this together and that it had turned out once again that the NSi "is not an autonomous party, but only a tag to the SDS".

The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) assessed that Janša is "apparently not fit to be prime minister, as he is not able to solve problems at home and even creates new ones".

Like in 2013, when he did not know how to save the country from going bankrupt and called the 'troika' for help, he is now calling the European Commission to fix freedom of the press and democracy, the party said on Twitter.

STA, 25 February - The government adopted last night changes to the penal code redefining rape. Under the changes, rape will no longer have to involve force, as the changes incriminate interference in sexual integrity without consent.

Victims will no longer have to prove that they had put up a fight. Under the changes, those involved must express consent to the sexual act either implicitly or verbally, the government said after the session in a press release.

Consent is defined as the consequence of free will, which means it cannot be subjected to any sort of duress. The changes also include the condition that a person must be capable of making such a decision. This excludes victims under the age of 15, who are presumed not to be in condition to consent to sex.

The Ministry of Justice started thinking about changes following several rulings that followed the rule that a sexual act can only be considered rape if the perpetrator used force.

Meanwhile, the March 8 Institute is collecting voter signatures to push a similar redefinition, campaigning under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes.

The feminist NGO was critical of the government's latest step today because, it believes, the authorities bulldozed the efforts of numerous volunteers and voters by pushing the amendments even though they knew that the NGO had collected the required 5,000 signatures in less than a week.

The March 8 Institute was planning to table its proposal today, but the government has beaten it to it.

Even though the government's move makes it seem as if all efforts had been in vain, that is not true since a sea change has been witnessed in societal attitudes towards rape and sexual abuse, the organisation said, highlighting that it planned to back any proposal that would enforce the affirmative model of consent.

The opposition Marjan Šarec Party (LMŠ), SocDems (SD), Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and the Left also criticised the government today for what they see as an unfair step in relation to civil society and self-promotion, noting that the adoption of changes had not been on the agenda of yesterday's government session. The parties submitted the NGO's proposal today since they had not been aware of the government's move yet.

The Justice Ministry told the STA that the yes-means-yes model had been adopted in the government-sponsored changes despite different stances on the issue in the past. Hence, during the parliamentary procedure both proposals could be merged, the opposition confirmed.

STA, 24 February 2020 - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) has suspended the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) again, declining to pay it for the services provided as a public service in January on the ground that the parties have not yet signed a contract for the year.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, UKOM said it had met all its obligations to the STA under the agreement to perform the public service for 2020 on 27 January.

UKOM said that STA director Bojan Veselinovič had failed to submit the required documents, which it said he should have done under the agreement signed with UKOM under the previous director.

UKOM argues that with the last payment, any contractual relationship between UKOM and the STA has ended, so it "appears almost unbelievable that Veselinovič should issue an invoice for EUR 169,000 for the activities in January to UKOM".

"UKOM has obviously no legal basis based on which it could pay invoices sent by companies it has no valid contractual relationship with", which was why the payment had to be denied.

In response Veselinovič noted that a provision in the 7th coronavirus relief package, passed at the end of 2020, set forth that budget funds be provided to the STA for performing a public service for 2021 in line with the STA business plan, regardless of whether a contract with the founder has been signed or not.

Veselinovič called the development the launch of a new offensive against the STA, describing the excuse that there is no legal basis for the payment as "an outright eerie pretending of ignorance".

UKOM said it was willing to prepare a new contract should Veselinovič recognise UKOM as a "representative of the founder", adding that Veselinovič had expressed no interest for the contract to be signed.

UKOM refused to pay the monthly instalment for the public service provided by the STA for October and November, along with the payment of separate invoices for market-based services that the STA performs for state institutions.

Financing was suspended after the STA management declined to deliver all the documents and information UKOM requested, having assessed that delivery of some of the requested documents might compromise the agency's editorial independence, while others could only be accessed by the government acting as the sole shareholder of the STA.

Among other things, UKOM demanded pay data for all agency employees, all contracts for the STA's market services for several years, as well as explanations about the choice of interviewees and length of interviews.

After the National Assembly adopted a special amendment to the economic relief law stipulating that any overdue payments must be made within seven days after the entry into force of the act, UKOM turned to the European Commission with a query whether such financing of the STA was in compliance with state aid rules.

After the European commissioners for competition and values and transparency said the European Commission's approval in this case was not required, the government on 14 January temporarily approved payments to the STA.

STA, 24 February 2021 - The government has established a task force for hemp management that will assist it in looking for solutions for regulating the growing and processing of hemp for medical purposes. It will also look to enable demographically endangered areas in Slovenia develop this activity into revenue-making business.

The task force has been formed by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, which told the STA on Wednesday that it would consult with external stakeholders about the efforts to regulate growing and processing of hemp for medical purposes.

It will be also coming with concrete proposals, including for developing this activity into revenue-making business in "demographically endangered areas, with which new jobs will be created."

"This will help stop people moving from these areas and lead to them actually gradually moving there," the ministry added.

Regulation of growing and processing of hemp for medical and industrial purposes is part of the coalition agreement.

Prime Minister Janez Janša said last November that the Slovenian legislation in that part was "perhaps too rigid." He agreed that Slovenian growers are being put in a position that makes them non-competitive, and that the field needed to be regulated.

Janša said that changes to two relevant regulations were in the making that would introduce the possibility to grow hemp with seedlings and to grow hemp in greenhouses, and determine conditions for growing of seedlings intended for sale or further processing. They are expected to be adopted this spring.

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