STA, 17 February 2021 - Actress Mia Skrbinac, who has publicly accused her drama teacher of sexually harassing her while she was a student, has officially filed a sexual harassment complaint to the University of Ljubljana. The alleged harasser is Matjaž Tribušon, a 58-year-old award-winning film and theatre actor, RTV Slovenija reported on Tuesday.

Skrbinac told the public broadcaster little more than two weeks ago that her drama teacher had sexually harassed her for two years.

Tribušon, who was not named immediately, has so far not responded to journalist calls, TV Slovenija said in the evening news show.

The Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) told the STA today it had been notified of the complaint, noting that Tribušon would not be engaged in any pedagogical activities until further notice.

The academy said it had reported a suspicion of a criminal act to the state prosecution before being notified of the complaint.

According to TV Slovenija, this is not the only case of sexual harassment at the academy. NGO Inšitut 8. Marec and groups Rezistenca and Študent Prodekan have received anonymous complaints naming at least three other professors.

The AGRFT told the STA that all other complaints the academy had received were anonymous and did not contain elements that would raise suspicion of a criminal act so they had not been forwarded to the law enforcement. The persons mentioned have nevertheless been informed and the matter will be investigated by the University of Ljubljana, it added.

Skrbinac was the first public figure in Slovenia to come forward as a victim of sexual harassment since the start of the Slovenian offshoot of the #MeToo movement.

In a programme aired on the main news and the magazine show Tednik on TV Slovenija at the beginning of the month she revealed how she had been subjected to psychological and physical violence by an unnamed actor professor during acting classes and outside class between 2014 and 2016.

"He would wait for me outside the toilets, at the Drama [theatre house] bar, and elsewhere," she said. A fellow student of hers at the time, Sara Lucu, corroborated the professor's inappropriate behaviour for the programme.

STA, 16 February 2021 - The National Assembly passed in a 45:28 vote on Tuesday legislation that redraws the boundaries of multiple electoral districts in compliance with a 2018 Constitutional Court decision.

The amendments on the act governing electoral district come after the Constitutional Court found that the sizes of electoral districts had become so different over the years the "one voter, one vote" system was effectively undermined.

It gave the National Assembly two years to change legislation, but stopped short of saying exactly how that should be done.

Two possible pathways emerged in talks sponsored by President Borut Pahor, the one passed today and a rival motion that would have abolished electoral districts altogether in favour of ranked-choice voting at the level of electoral units.

The second proposal would require a two-thirds majority and consecutive attempts by mostly smaller parties failed, while the option endorsed today required just a regular majority.

This option had originally been promoted by the SDS, SMC and DeSUS while the latter was still in the coalition. Eventually, the fourth coalition partner, the NSi, also came on board.

MPs also overwhelmingly endorsed amendments to the general election act that simplify the way the two MPs representing the Italian and Hungarian minorities are elected.

The current system of reverse ranked voting will be replaced by a first-past-the-post majoritarian system.

STA, 15 February 2021 - The Slovenian military will spend nearly EUR 8.5 million on new equipment, including underwear, boots, uniforms, backpacks and sleeping bags, in the next two years, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.

The objective was to get new, more functional and lighter equipment. Some equipment has already been tested and is the best the commercial market has to offer, Colonel Anže Rode told the press on Monday.

High-tech materials will be used and camouflage patterns have been changed. Outerwear will be fire-proof, while underwear will offer a high level of protection from cuts, Veronika Vrhunc of the Defence Ministry's logistics directorate said.

Since 2015, the military has been involved in developing a new fabric, which has replaced the previously used 100% cotton. The moisture-wicking fabric is four times as wear-resistant as cotton.

Soldiers will also get new winter fatigues, new rain and winter uniforms, summer boots and moisture-wicking polo shirts. Rode underlined that the new uniforms will be 25% lighter than the old ones.

For the first time, soldiers will also get equipment for outdoor sleeping: bivouacs, summer and winter sleeping bags, sleeping mats, ponchos, tarps and gaiters, said Aleš Lebar of the logistics directorate. Ponchos and gaiters also provide IR detection protection against night-vision devices.

Rode said that Slovenian soldiers will be getting the most advanced equipment, which will provide protection and comfort in any condition for the next 10 to 15 years.

STA, 15 February 2021 - The ruling Democrats (SDS) enjoy more voter support than last month, having gained 3.5 percentage points to 17.2%, shows the poll run by the newspaper Delo on Monday. The SDS is followed by two opposition parties whose ratings have slightly improved - the Left polled at 10% and the Social Democrats (SD) at 9.5%.

The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) was slightly down to 7.1%, whereas the coalition New Slovenia (NSi) polled almost on a par with January, at 4.7%.

All the other parliamentary or non-parliamentary parties would not make it to Parliament, meaning they polled below 4%.

Almost 23% of respondents were undecided, which is practically on a par with January, with the number of those who would not vote for any of the parties dropping by almost 2 points to 11.5%.

On aggregate, the support the opposition parties associated in the informal KUL coalition enjoy is by over nine points higher than the support for the coalition parties.

How the last elections, 2018, left Parliament. Source: Wikipedia

The government approval rating meanwhile improved a bit as the number of those assessing its performance as negative dropped from just over 53% in January to 52.4%.

Over 19% of those polled see the government's performance as average, down from almost 25%, a quarter see it as positive, down from 20.6%, with 1% undecided.

The approval rating for parliament worsened a bit, with 51% assessing it as negative or very negative (up from nearly 47%), 31% as average (down from over 35%) and 15.2% as positive or very positive (up from 14.2%). Almost 3% remain undecided.

President Borut Pahor emerged as the most popular politician yet again, followed by Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec and Speaker Igor Zorčič. Prime Minister Janez Janša placed 14th, up two spots.

The public opinion poll was carried out by the pollster Mediana among 712 respondents between 9 and 11 February.

STA, 15 February 2021 - The Janez Janša government survived a motion of no confidence as only 40 MP voted in favour in a secret ballot on Monday, six too few. There were seven votes against and six invalid ballots, whereas the majority of the coalition MPs abstained.

The motion was filed by five centre-left opposition parties, which nominated Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec for prime minister.

The day-long debate saw the centre-left opposition argue that this was about a democratic Slovenia versus a slide into autocracy under Janša.

Erjavec said his new government's goal would be "to make Slovenia a normal state again", while boosting trust in all three branches of power.

The coalition highlighted the government's achievement in a difficult period and accused the leftist parties of trying to abuse the coronavirus epidemic for political gain.

Janša said the government had done much more than the previous one despite the harsh epidemiological situation. He called the motion a "destructive farce".

Speaking after the vote, Erjavec said it was now just over a year to go until the next general election, and that is when voters will decide whether this government had done a good job. "If not before, the hour of truth will come when the next general election is held."

He said the people were dissatisfied with the coronavirus restrictions and the failure of cabinet members to obey by the rules that they put in place.

While the ballot was secret and it is impossible to know how individual MPs voted, the vote would suggest only one DeSUS MP supported the motion, reflecting a long-running rift between the party leadership and its deputy group.

Erjavec said DeSUS would remain in the opposition and he would now work on consolidating the party. He indicated that if any DeSUS MPs decided to ally with the coalition by signing a special cooperation agreement, they would remain MPs only as long as their current term lasts.

Janša, commenting on Twitter, said the National Assembly had finally done the tallying and determined that not even all members of the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL) were in favour of the motion, adding the hashtag "meagre40".

The partners in his coalition emphasised that it was now time to continue working after needlessly expending energy on this motion.

Modern Centre Party (SMC) leader Zdravko Počivalšek said on Twitter: "Now we could at least try to join forces for the serious challenges before us. Let's overcome the bad feelings and create the foundations for a different politics."

New Slovenia (NSi) leader Matej Tonin said the outcome made it clear that the government was strong. "Our work is directed towards containing the spread of the epidemic, to provide healthcare accessible to all, and to strengthen the economy.

STA, 15 February 2021 - Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec, a candidate for prime minister-designate, believes MPs have an opportunity to vote for normal and democratic Slovenia when they cast their votes in a secret ballot on the opposition-sponsored motion of no-confidence in the Janez Janša government later in the day.

Addressing the National Assembly on Monday, Erjavec said his new government's goal would be "to make Slovenia a normal state again", while boosting trust in all three branches of power, in experts and scientific facts.

He stressed that filing a vote of no-confidence in the entire government had been rather rare in Slovenia's parliamentary history.

But the left-leaning LMŠ, SD, Left, SAB and DeSUS did it because Slovenia has found itself in a decisive moment for its future - it is amidst a pandemic and the government's attempts to impose authoritarian democracy, he said.

"Today you are not deciding on Karl Viktor Erjavec," but between authoritarian Slovenia and normal and democratic Slovenia, he said in his address to MPs.

Erjavec believes the vote will be about whether the MPs allow the current government to continue weakening Slovenia's democratic achievements from the past 30 years.

Eleven months into its term, it is clear that Janša's government is not pursuing the goal of welfare of the country's citizens, he said.

Erjavec believes its authoritarian politics does not aim at strengthening constitutionally-guaranteed values, independent institutions or freedom of the press.

He also criticised the government for its approach to the pandemic, saying the measures "are often not based on expertise but are politically-motivated calculations".

By closing municipal borders, introducing "a police curfew" and closing schools the government has interfered in people's freedoms, he stressed.

While experts stress these measures bring no positive results, they serve the government to pursue the goal of "establishing a second republic".

The candidate for prime minister-designate announced his new government would focus on four pillars: health, solidarity, environment and development.

It would stabilise the healthcare system in terms of finance and organisation and abolish top-up health insurance.

Solidarity-wise, it would adopt a bill on long-term care and a new housing bill, while a bill on climate policy would be adopted to address environmental issues.

Development priorities would be increasing funding of R&D and culture and streamlining administrative procedures for business.

The new government would also overhaul Slovenia's foreign policy's strategic guidelines, announced Erjavec.

He also assured the MPs there was no politicking in his bid, "just a sincere wish to together stop that wrong politics".

Erjavec told the press before the day-long extraordinary session he counted on at least 43 votes while 46 were needed to vote the government out of office.

He is nevertheless happy the motion has been filed and MPs will have an opportunity to vote on Slovenia's future. A failure to oust the government would in his view mean the MPs have decided to continue current politics.

MPs from the five parties associated in the informal Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL) largely echoed Erjavec's views, urging MPs from the ruling coalition to "pluck up courage" and support the no-confidence motion before Slovenia "wakes up in a second republic tailored to the SDS".

LMŠ leader Marjan Šarec rejected the criticism that it was irresponsible to topple the government during the epidemic, arguing the government abused the crisis as an alibi for its own survival so it was urgent to replace it.

He does not agree with those claiming a failure of the no-confidence vote would be a defeat for its proponents. "Defeat is here, we're watching it every day."

Similarly, Social Democrat (SD) deputy group leader Matjaž Han said the motion had emerged out of responsibility for citizens, who had been paying high epidemic bills due to the government managing the epidemic and the state "via Twitter"

Luka Mesec of the Left stressed as problematic three aspects of Janša's government: hate pouring into the society from the top, fuelling divisions and causing chaos; the rule of law being suspended; and nobody in the government taking responsibility for anything.

Maša Kociper, deputy group leader of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), recalled the period before February 2013, when Janša's second government was ousted in a no-confidence vote.

Eight years later, Slovenia can witness the same patters of staffing, settling of accounts and enormous borrowing plus a threat of Orbanisation, she said.

The vote is expected to take place late in the evening and the government is expected to survive, although secret ballots can result in surprises.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 12 February 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: No-confidence vote last chance for opposition

STA, 12 February 2021 - Monday's vote of no confidence in the government of Janez Janša is the last chance to unseat the government, the left-wing weekly Mladina argues in Friday's editorial, noting that the motion is likely to fail but would determine who is on the right side of history.

The paper says this is the only chance for the opposition to risk failure - but it will be the moral winner in the eyes of the public regardless of the outcome.

"Every MP who votes in favour will automatically be on the right side of history. Yes, Monday will bring a tally of those in favour of democracy, and those in favour of Slovenia's Organisation," the leftist weekly says in The Illusion that the Next Attempt Is Possible.

According to Mladina, it will be a bitter moment when deputies of the coalition SMC and opposition DeSUS vote in favour of the government. "It will be bitter for them: the moment the vote is over, they will have taken upon themselves historical responsibility for Janša's past and, even more importantly, future actions."

"The very next day Janša will leverage this 'trust' to strengthen his grip on power and assault society even more brutally. And the votes for all these actions, a blank check, will have come from MPs of two parties which he has manipulated all along."

The opposition, however, cannot lose on Monday because the vote is simple: it is about what kind of country the people want to live in.

"If the motion is unsuccessful, the opposition will have a single goal: getting ready for the election. Just like Janša. DeSUS and SMC, however, will immediately remain without the trump cards that they are currently using in their game with Janša. The very next day, he will not even give the two parties a second thought."

Reporter: Janša wrong to silence experts

STA, 9 February 2021 - The right-wing magazine Reporter writes about the harsh but apparently ineffective coronavirus restrictions in Slovenia in the latest editorial headlined Five Minutes of Truth, saying the truth was delivered last week by the country's chief epidemiologist, Mario Fafangel.

The weekly notes that Croatia has almost defeated the epidemic without the harsh coronavirus restrictions and fines seen in Slovenia, where it took three months before coronavirus began to decline.

Fafangel said epidemiologists had proposed several times the reopening of primary schools up to year 5, they also proposed lifting the ban on movement outside municipality and region of residence. He also opined there was no need for a curfew.

"His comments must have upset Prime Minister Janez Janša, who has emphasised that Dr Fafangel is the acting head of the Centre for Communicable Diseases at the National Institute of Public Health (is this a threat that he won't be much longer?) and added that there are other experts in the advisory group and that opinions differ.

"Which experts have different opinions he did not say, and they have not themselves because the government or its communication office banned them from giving statements to the media," writes the weekly.

"It is unbelievable indeed, the prime minister disregards the experts' opinion and is silencing them, citizens are under a curfew and shut in their municipalities, while the parents who are protesting with their children against school closures, are getting police knocking on their door to be handed EUR 800 fine notices."

The paper remembers protesters who in 2014 rallied in front of the Ljubljana court house in protest against Janša's imprisonment in the Patria case. "The rallies were equally unlawful but none of the protesters received a fine. Today, under his power, people are punished for protesting against (unlawful) school closures."

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, 5 February
        LJUBLJANA - The national advisory committee on immunisation recommended restricting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 to people aged 18 to 64, due to a lack of data on the vaccine's efficacy in older people. It nevertheless recommended giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to immobile persons at home regardless of age.
        LJUBLJANA - The government changed the decree on border crossing to make it simpler for daily cross-border commuters and students. They will not be required to submit a negative coronavirus test unless they come from countries whose new caseload is worse than Slovenia's.
        LJUBLJANA - Four opposition parties tabled an ouster motion against Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti quoting a number of arguments, among them ineffective Covid-19 crisis measures in the culture sector.
        LJUBLJANA - The government cleared the plan of enrolment in university programmes for the next academic year after increasing the number of available posts for students of medicine and computer science, and raising the number of posts set aside for non-EU students.
        VALLETTA, Malta - Foreign Minister Anže Logar was on a working visit to Malta meeting Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo, President George Vella and Speaker Angelo Farrugia to discuss a number of EU topics ahead of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and President Borut Pahor highlighted the priorities for 2021 as they addressed diplomats accredited to Slovenia as part of the annual New Year reception. Janša pointed to trust, cooperation and solidarity as the key values and principles of cooperation.
        HOČE - The Environment Agency issued a preliminary environmental approval for an expansion of the factory of the automotive giant Magna near Maribor. The document was sent to the planning authorities.

SATURDAY, 6 February
        NICOSIA, Cyprus - Bilateral ties, EU issues, the Cyprus issue and Slovenia's desire to join the MED7 topped the agenda as Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar held talks with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides. Logar said Slovenia wanted to join the MED7 club of Mediterranean EU members.
        LJUBLJANA - A large segment of the retail sector reopened a day after the government gave the go-ahead for the nation-wide reopening of all shops and services businesses under 400 m2 regardless of the goods they are selling or service they are performing.
        
SUNDAY, 7 February
        LJUBLJANA - Feri Lainšček, a writer, poet, playwright and screenwriter who has immortalised ordinary people from rural eastern flatlands of Slovenia, and Marko Mušič, one of the most distinguished Slovenian architects, were honoured with the Prešeren Prizes for lifetime achievement.
        LJUBLJANA - On Day of Solidarity with Belarus, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with, and support for, Belarusian citizens who have been holding peaceful anti-government protests since the presidential elections in August 2020, urging respect for democratic standards and fundamental human rights.
        LJUBLJANA - Nearly a week after actress Mia Skrbinac publicly accused an unnamed actor and drama teacher of sexually harassing her while she was a student, several media named the alleged harasser as Matjaž Tribušon, a 57-year-old award-winning film and theatre actor with the SNG Drama Ljubljana.
        CLERMONT-FERRAND, France - Sisters, a short film by Slovenian director Katarina Rešek - Kukle, won the top prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the biggest international film festival dedicated to shorts.
        ULRICEHAMN, Sweden - Slovenian cross-country skiers Eva Urevc and Anamarija Lampič won the women's World Cup team sprint event, in their biggest feat ever.

MONDAY, 8 February
        PRISHTINA, Kosovo - Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced during a visit to Slovenian troops in Kosovo that Slovenia will slightly reduce the number of troops in the mission since a part of them will be moved to Bosnia-Herzegovina, where troop presence will be doubled, and to other EU missions.
        LJUBLJANA - On Culture Day, President Borut Pahor called for a culture of dialogue, in particular from politicians due to their influence in public discourse. Prime Minister Janez Janša said he expected a more constructive attitude from the cultural sphere as the current situation is too grave to respond to it with "street activism and threats".
        LJUBLJANA - Several dozen riot police entered the AKC Metelkova alternative culture centre, ostensibly to check whether clubs were closed, a move that prompted protests by the proprietors of Metelkova clubs and the artists and craftsmen who have studios there.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, accompanied by his mother, was denied entry to Croatia. Neither he nor his mother had a negative coronavirus test and given the choice between mandatory quarantine or turning around, he decided to return. The police later said the minister broke no coronavirus restrictions to movement.

TUESDAY, 9 February
        LJUBLJANA - Pupils in the first three years of primary school throughout the country - that is including in the last three regions - returned to in-class instruction in line with last week's government decree. Both parents and teachers welcomed the move as long overdue. Thousands of secondary school students boycotted online lessons and demanded they return to classrooms as well.
        LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek expressed Slovenia's willingness to work together with China and the other 16 Central and East European countries involved in the 17+1 initiative in tackling the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, as he addressed a virtual summit of the initiative.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia saw its goods exports fall by 2% to EUR 32.9 billion last year as imports declined by 6% to EUR 32 billion. As a result, the country recorded a surplus of EUR 900 million, the second highest in a decade.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Rules of Procedure Commission voted down the opposition-sponsored legislative changes to the parliamentary rules of procedure that would allow MPs to take part in secret ballots when they cannot be present at the National Assembly in person.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian MEP Milan Zver (EPP/SDS) was among more than 70 MEPs who signed a letter urging the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to resign after what the critics see as his "humiliating" visit to Russia.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission approved Slovenia's EUR 20 million scheme to help public transportation companies overcome the coronavirus pandemic, during which public transport has been either suspended completely or significantly limited.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Writers' Association announced it would not take part in the celebration of Slovenia's 30th independence anniversary following revelations that PM Janez Janša has banned some government officials from speaking to the press.

WEDNESDAY, 10 February
        LJUBLJANA - The five left-leaning opposition parties submitted again a motion for a vote of no confidence in the government of Janez Janša, with Karl Erjavec, the head of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), as candidate for prime-minister designate.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court announced that the parliamentary inquiry act and rules of procedure on parliamentary inquiry are in violation of the constitution. The National Assembly was instructed to remedy the situation in a year.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee adopted a series of amendments to the National Demographic Fund bill, mostly based on remarks from the parliamentary legal service. Among other things, the STA would become a part of the fund.
        LJUBLJANA - A month-long strike by one of the two trade unions representing police officers was suspended for the duration of negotiations after the government agreed to continue paying a bonus for the protection of the Schengen border.
        LJUBLJANA - It was revealed that the Slovenian Writers' Association, the Slovenian PEN centre and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts nominated Drago Jančar, arguably Slovenia's leading contemporary writer, for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature.
        LJUBLJANA - Industrial output in Slovenia contracted by 6.2% in 2020 after six successive years of growth. Turnover in industry was down by 7.8%, the Statistics Office reported.
        BRNIK - The brand of the bankrupt Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways was sold to a bidder from abroad for just over EUR 33,000 net in the third attempt to sell the brand. The bidder was not disclosed.

THURSDAY, 11 February
        LJUBLJANA - After the 7-day average of new daily coronavirus infections and hospitalisations fell well below 1,000, Slovenia formally moved to orange tier of the government colour-coded coronavirus exit strategy. The government thus approved a sweeping easing, allowing movement throughout the country, gatherings of up to ten people, reopening of all stores and schools for all primary pupils and final year secondary school students from 15 February.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to scrap ten designated checkpoints on internal Schengen borders from 13 February, which means it will be possible to enter or exit the country via all border crossings with Austria, Hungary and Italy. In addition, those who have recovered from Covid-19 or have been vaccinated against it with two jabs will be able to enter the country without having to quarantine or provide a negative coronavirus test.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - In its winter economic forecast, the European Commission downgraded Slovenia's GDP forecast for this year from 5.1% to 4.7%, while a rebound of 5.2% is expected in 2022, an upgrade from the 3.8% in its previous outlook.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid discussed a number of topics in a video call. They said the EU should close ranks to become more effective in relation to its partners, especially Russia and China, while also strengthening transatlantic relations.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Affairs Committee endorsed a bill redrawing electoral districts in line with a 2018 Constitutional Court decision with the backing of coalition MPs and those from the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS).
        LJUBLJANA - Božo Predalič, until now the government's secretary general, was appointed a new state secretary at the Interior Ministry effective from 12 February. He succeeds Anton Olaj, who was appointed police commissioner at the end of January.

STA, 12 February 2021 - Slovenians' positive attitude towards the EU remains above the EU average in a survey presented by the European Parliament on Friday. The share of respondents in all members with a positive opinion about the bloc has increased by 10 percentage points to 50%, while in Slovenia the figure was at 58% in autumn, when the survey was conducted.

The survey suggests that 76% of Slovenians believe the EU's recovery plan will allow the country to recover more quickly, with the EU average at 72%.

Moreover, 60% of respondents from Slovenia said things in general were going in the right direction following the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, whereas the EU average was at 39%.

But on the other hand, Slovenians are also above-average pessimistic about the pandemic. 65% of Slovenian respondents said they were pessimistic, while the EU average was at 53%.

However, it seems that all Europeans are not too pleased with the situation in their own country, as only 33% on average believe things are going good. In Slovenia, only 21% of respondents believe that things are going in the right direction, while 79% believe the opposite.

More than a half of respondents from all member states believe their living conditions will still be the same in a year's time, a quarter believe things will get worse and 20% believe it will be better.

In Slovenia, 35% expressed belief that their living conditions will grow poorer, 44% believe they will remain the same and 21% believe they will get better.

Moreover, Slovenia, alongside Malta, came second only to Ireland in its optimism about the future of the EU, as 78% of the Slovenian respondents expressed this notion. The EU average was 66%.

The survey also touched on the work of the European Parliament, with 48% of respondents across the EU saying it should focus on fighting poverty and inequality. Terrorism and crime came second, followed by education and environmental protection.

In Slovenia, 63% said the European Parliament should focus on poverty and inequality, followed by terrorism and crime and environment in place three.

Slovenians also seem to be significantly less happy than the rest of the EU when it comes to democracy. Only 32% of Slovenian respondents, the lowest share in the bloc, are happy with democracy in the EU, significantly fewer than the 88% in Denmark, The EU average is 55%, while dissatisfaction was expressed by an average of 40% of respondents.

Asked about basic values the European Parliament should protect, 61% of respondents from Slovenia said solidarity among member states, whereas the survey at EU level placed human rights around the world first, followed by gender equality, while member states solidarity came third.

Slovenia had one of the highest shares of respondents, 78%, saying the European Parliament should play a more important role, the EU average being 63%, which was five percentage points more than a year earlier.

The survey was commissioned by the European Parliament and carried out by Kantar between 20 November and 21 December 2020. It included more than 27,200 respondents over the age of 15 from the 27 member states.

More details can be found here

STA, 10 February 2020 - The opposition National Party (Slovenska Nacionalna Stranka- SNS) is worried about foreigners registering fictitious residence to claim a permanent residence permit, social transfers, tax relief and other benefits. It thus urges a review of the revenue service's decisions granting foreigners the status of tax residents and a better control of residence registration.

SNS is the same party proposing changes to Slovenia’s residence registration law to require individuals to state ethnicity, religion, native language

The SNS would like the Finance Ministry to review all the decisions with which the Slovenian Financial Administration (FURS) treated some 25,000 foreigners who were registered as residents in Slovenia but then referred to work abroad in the last five years.

SNS leader, Zmago Jelinčić, discussing the proposal on Facebook

It says that many did not meet a single condition for the tax residence status, while the unlawful decisions issued by FURS enabled them to claim tax relief for dependent family members, which significantly reduced or even offsets the taxes they had to pay in Slovenia completely.

The Interior Ministry should meanwhile task administrative units around the country to introduce oversight of the number of persons registered at a single address while the police should check the actual situation on the ground, the party said in a press release on Wednesday.

The issue of fictitious registrations of residence came to the spotlight last year when a series of reports showed there were flats and sometimes even commercial premises where dozens and sometimes over a hundred persons, mostly foreigners, were registered.

In the Maribor Administrative Unit alone, an internal oversight in the autumn found potentially fictitious cases of residence registration involving over a thousand residents at 81 addresses, identifying 27 addresses as potentially problematic.

To address the issue, the government adopted changes to the residence registration act in December, which have already been endorsed by the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee and are now waiting to be passed by parliament.