STA, 3 December 2020 - The Constitutional Court has established that the temporary measures banning the gathering of people at educational establishments were extended with invalid government decisions. This means there is currently no legal basis for distance learning.

The court held that the decisions taken by the government and the education minister to extend the school closure are not valid.

It says it is aware the epidemiological situation in the country might not yet allow for people gathering at schools in such great numbers and that their reopening could require certain guidelines and organisations adjustments.

It therefore decided that its decision would enter into force three days after being published today in the Official Gazette, giving the government more time to act.

The court says the three-day window should give decision-makers enough time to reconsider whether such measures are indeed based on expertise and act adequately to potentially arrange what is needed to go back to in-person learning at schools.

The court is aware that the government could again decide to keep schools closed.

But it adds that given the current situation, conditions are met for temporary injunction on a government decision to close special needs schools.

The court had in effect ruled several months ago that government decisions regarding restrictive measures cannot be open-ended, which is why it ordered it to review them periodically, which is what the government has been doing.

Now, it held that by simply extending the measures without publishing formal decisions to that effect, its decisions are invalid.

Given that this is how most existing measures are extended, this may affect all restrictions.

The court was petitioned to deliberate on school closure by legal representatives of two special needs primary school pupils.

The judges took the decision in a 7:1 vote. Voting against was Klemen Jaklič, who announced a dissenting opinion.

STA, 2 December 2020 - The STA supervisory board does not support the Government Communication Office's (UKOM) decision to suspend the funding of the STA's public service and rejects the claims about information concealment, chief supervisor Mladen Terčelj said in a statement on Wednesday. He also rejected claims about the STA's business being non-transparent.

Terčelj said that neither the supervisors nor the director had ever declined allowing lawful access to the agency's books and documents, yet no such request had come from the government as the shareholder of the agency.

Trčelj noted the STA supervisory board having carefully monitored the events leading to UKOM's decision to stop financing the STA.

Since UKOM set access to STA business information and documents as a condition to pay its bills, the supervisors took a decision on 4 November that the owner of the agency - the government - should turn to the STA director for the documents it wanted to obtain.

The decision is based on an STA law provision saying that shareholder rights are exercised by the government, Trčelj explained.

"So it is not true that the STA supervisory board decided that UKOM should turn to the director with a request to obtain the information," he stressed.

While UKOM says the STA has denied it access to the required information, Trčelj said "the government has so far not sent such a request to the seat of the company."

The supervisors are also acquainted with a memo STA director general Bojan Veselinovič sent on Monday to the government inquiring on the basis of which regulation UKOM was awarded the status of a beneficiary that could ask for access to the documents, information and databases it would like to obtain.

Terčelj said that since the law on the STA entered into force, in 2011, neither the STA management nor the supervisors had been informed about UKOM being granted such a status.

The chief supervisor also rejected the allegations about the agency's non-transparent operations.

He said the supervisors had insight into the agency's entire business at monthly, quarterly and annual levels.

What is more, the STA's annual report is annually audited by internal and external auditors and discussed by the lower and upper chambers of parliament.

The lower chamber also appoints the agency's supervisors, and has not had any remarks about the annual reports.

In order to resolve the deadlock, Terčelj thus urged the government to ensure UKOM pays the bills for the services the STA has provided in line with the 2020 contracts.

He said that to ensure its stability and to provide for the social security of its staff, the STA had been forced to launch procedures to protect its liquidity.

"UKOM can end the threat to the national news agency's public service only by settling its obligations stemming from its contracts with the STA."

Terčelj also said that the agency must be provided with adequate funds for public service for next year.

A separate view was presented by Radovan Cerjak, a member of the supervisory board appointed in September. He said that the supervisory board had not discussed the suspension of current STA financing and labelled Terčelj's statement "a solo action".

He blamed the deadlock on Veselinovič and his "completely unreasonable action" of not providing the required documents, so he believes it is up to him to resolve it.

The supervisor said the deadlock would be resolved only if Veselinovič "immediately provides the owner with all the required documents, instead of seeking support for his actions among part of politics".

UKOM director Uroš Urbanija also responded to Terčelj's statement, saying on Twitter: "Great, if they are not concealing the documents, than let them provide them."

He said proof of Terčelj laying is Veselinovič's publicly stating "that he won't give the documents", adding that as the chief supervisor he can be prosecuted for lies.

On Monday the government discussed UKOM's memo about its suspension of STA funding, which was prompted by what UKOM said was the agency's refusal to provide access to documents from which it could assess the STA's financial operations with a view to decide on funding for 2021.

STA director general Veselinovič denied such claims by explaining that UKOM's demands exceeded its legal and contractual powers. He said that under the STA law, only the government has this right.

He also explained that UKOM's demands were related to the area protected by editorial autonomy provisions and to the commercial segment of the STA's operations, for which UKOM as the guardian of the contract on the public service is not authorised.

STA, 1 December 2020 - The Government Communication Office (Urad vlade za komuniciranje – UKOM) has informed the government that it is not able to implement the contract with the Slovenian Press Agency (Slovenska tiskovna agencija – STA) for 2020 and to conclude a contact for 2021. The STA has not received its monthly compensation for October from UKOM, which its leadership says threatens the agency's future work.

UKOM informed the government at Monday's correspondence session that it would not be able to fully implement the 2020 contract on the performance of public service, concluded with the STA, and conclude the same annual contract for 2021.

According to this information, STA director Bojan Veselinovič has been called to produce documents from which UKOM would interpret the financial operations of the agency so that the 2021 contract could be concluded.

"Since the STA director has failed to send us the requested documentation despite several calls, UKOM is not able to continue to honour the requests for payment of monthly compensation for the performance of public service on the basis of the concluded contract until it obtains [the documentation]," it said.

UKOM added that, without a comprehensive insight in the operations of the STA, it was not able to establish what "adequate financing" for comprehensive and undisrupted performance of public service, as defined in the STA act, actually meant.

Consequently, UKOM is not able to conclude the contract on the financing of public service to be performed by the STA in 2021, the government office added.

The STA management responded to this in a statement on Tuesday, saying that in its opinion there was no legal basis for UKOM to suspend financing of the public information service performed by the STA under the annual contracts.

The STA said that, despite all obligations from the 2020 contract having been fulfilled, it had not received the monthly amount of funding for the public service for October.

The agency added that in a series of memorandums, UKOM had demanded answers to content-related questions about the journalist work of the STA, and about specific news content and responses to that content that ran against the editorial autonomy provided by law.

The STA has also been called to provide a series of documents, information and databases related to the agency's commercial activity, under the argument that this was required for the 2021 contract to be concluded.

"The STA was regularly responding to the UKOM memorandums in a manner and within the scope envisaged by the legislation and the annual contract," the statements says, adding that only the government as the sole founder of the STA might request information in such a scope.

The press agency said it regularly informed its supervisory board about its operations in a transparent manner, and its annual reports were also discussed in parliament. Its operation is also subjected to regular external and internal audits.

"All these safeguards show that the STA fulfils all the obligations it is required to by law without any major disruptions," the statement reads, also noting that the National Assembly had called on the government several times to secure sufficient funding for the STA.

"Due to the suspension of financing by UKOM, the STA has found itself in a situation that threatens the agency's operational stability and the ability to perform the public information service it is required to by law."

The STA added that despite these developments, it would continue with "comprehensive, updated and unbiased reporting", but in the long-run the stability of operation and the social situation of the staff would be threatened if UKOM did not change its attitude.

STA, 30 November 2020 - The government has declared the Lebanon-based political party Hezbollah as a criminal and terrorist organisation that represents a threat to peace and security. The work of Hezbollah is intertwined with organised crime and terrorist or paramilitary activity at the global level, the government said on Monday.

The decision was taken after the government was acquainted with a report on the activities and modus operandi of Hezbollah by the government's permanent coordination group for restrictive measures.

The EU placed Hezbollah's paramilitary wing, the Jihad Council, among terrorist organisations in 2013, while several member states, including the Netherlands and Germany, have labelled the entire organisation group as terrorist.

Outside the EU, the Shia Islamist movement has been labelled a terrorist organisation in its entirety by the US and Israel, among others.

Hezbollah was established in 1982 in Lebanon to fight the Israeli invasion of the country. Clashes with the Israeli forces continued after the occupation ended, primarily with acts of terrorism.

Iran is meanwhile one of the main supporters of Hezbollah and its fight against Israel as one of the main adversaries of Iran.

STA, 25 November 2020 - Parliament adopted in a 51:11 vote on Wednesday the sixth stimulus package designed to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the economy. The legislation extends several existing measures, while a major novelty is help with fixed expenses. The opposition was mainly critical of what it sees as "cuckoos" inserted in the package.

The latest package, valued at around EUR 1 billion, extends once again the furlough scheme, measures to improve liquidity and introduces help with fixed expenses among other things.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj hailed the measures as helping preserve society, the state and the economy in good shape also for the period after the epidemic.

In what is a key novelty that will apply for the last three months of 2020 for the time being, companies with a revenue decline of over 70% will be eligible for compensation equalling 1.2% of their annual income per month; those whose revenue declined by between 30% and 70% will get 0.6% per month.

Šircelj said the criteria were set down in a manner that will allow the reimbursement of fixed expenses in the majority of sectors, while Janša highlighted the increase of the 80% state subsidy for furloughed workers to 100% for smaller companies.

Beyond the immediate aid to businesses, which also includes the extension of the possibility to defer the payment of taxes and loans, the new package brings a waiver of VAT on personal protective and medical equipment, simplified registration of remote work, and bonuses for staff working with Covid-19 patients.

Coalition MP also highlighted other measures, with Suzana Lep Šimenko of the Democrats (SDS) for instance listing the waving of rents for state-owned premises, a warm meal for underprivileged school children, and simplified application for welfare transfers.

Janja Sluga of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) also feels the new package is a fast response to the problems arising in the second wave of the epidemic. "The measures are good, our citizens need them and expect them."

The package was also backed by the opposition National Party (SNS), while the remaining opposition parties reiterated their criticism of legislative changes in the package they feel to be out of place.

"The government has once more drawn up a corona crisis package with cuckoos, which are exclusively about the pursuit of the interests of the largest coalition party," Marko Bandelli of the Alenka Pratušek Party (SAB) said.

While some provisions have been removed from the package - for instance basic income for religious workers and a provision that would have equalised the value of the vocational secondary school-leaving exam with the general secondary-school leaving exam - the opposition highlighted some that is still finds unacceptable.

One of them extends licences for subsidies for private universities even if they do not meet conditions for this at the moment, which the opposition says is geared towards helping one specific university, which is owned by a person with close ties to the SDS.

Another one scraps a three-month transitional period during which a person newly registered as unemployed is not yet obliged to accept a job deemed as appropriate for them by the Employment Service.

Also criticised strongly was the raising of the fine for those violating restrictions to public gatherings. The current fines, which range between 400 and 4,000 euros now, have been raised to EUR 1,200-12,000. The government initially wanted to penalise those inciting to such protest, but the provision was crossed out at committee.

"This is intimidation, terror and presages the end of democracy," Left MP Nataša Sukič said. SD deputy Dejan Židan added that the measure "will not help the epidemic, it will only make people angrier".

Some opposition MPs were also critical of the economic measures, with Brane Golubović of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) saying effective answers have not been found for everybody affected by the crisis. Jani Prednik of the SocDems said the package lacked speed and simplicity and that the partial covering of fixed expanses would not suffice.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 27 November 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Govt botched crisis due to incompetence, lack of trust in people

STA, 27 November 2020 - The latest editorial by the left-wing weekly paper Mladina says that the government has botched the fight against the epidemic, identifying problems in the issuing of quarantine orders and the 80% instead of full coverage of pay for quarantined workers as the main mistakes.

Looking at infection trends per 100,000 people around the EU in the second wave, the paper says that Slovenia is the only country that has not only failed to reverse the growth but has even seen a deterioration even though major restrictions in different form have been in place for over five weeks and are among the strictest in the bloc.

Mladina says the system for quarantine orders failed in October, "which is why those who were sick and those who had had contact with those who tested positive were not staying home but continued to go to work. Why? If there is no order there is no pay compensation".

"After the start of the epidemic and until 1 October we had 6,104 confirmed infections in Slovenia and during this period the state issued 80,600 quarantine orders. Since 1 October and until this week no fewer than 60,976 infections were confirmed, but the state issued only 11,847 orders for pay compensation.

"Since we know that each infected individual comes into contact with at least one person, it is clear that a significantly larger number of quarantine orders should have been issued. This data shows that people in Slovenia are going to work even though they had contact with an infected person and spread the disease," Mladina says, adding a survey had indeed shown that the majority, over 25%, got infected at work.

The paper claims this is happening because the government's compensation system. "When an individual in Germany of Austria comes into contact with an infected person and needs to isolate they automatically get 100% pay compensation. In Slovenia, such a person is automatically punished, getting only 80% (and the same share is paid back by the state to the employer)."

Mladina argues such measures are pushing workers to continue working despite the circumstance and employers to force them to ignore dangerous contacts.

According to the paper, the government's approach is the result of the way the current decision makers are perceiving people - with disdain. The feel that providing full compensation would result in workers cheating.

"They were saying that they are simultaneously saving the economy and lives but in fact they deepened the crisis by dragging out a hard lockdown while completely losing control over the virus. There are waiting lines in morgues today," Mladina says in the commentary headlined Incompetent and Greedy.

Demokracija: Left  understood Janša's rule of law letter, EU didn’t

STA, 26 November 2020 – Demokracija, the right-wing weekly, writes about reactions to PM Janez Janša's letter to EU leaders in the latest editorial, asserting that the leftist opposition in the country failed to understand what German Chancellor Angela Merkel did as she described the letter as a call for compromise to resolve blockade by Hungary and Poland.

The right-wing weekly finds the left is prone to forgetfulness and double standards, recalling how "the leftist elite" - gathered at Stožice Arena in 2013 to celebrate the "soft coup and Alenka Bratušek's enthroning as the prime minister" - called the EU a "band of thieves" in what was a time that saw a culmination of "the ridiculing of the 'core' member states and the rule of law".

"You would think all of them went to special needs schools (...) It appeared to them again there was water in the pool. There may have been, it is only that German Chancellor Angela Merkel emptied the pool with her statement that Janša's letter is a call to a search for compromise to unblock funds for the post-pandemic recovery".

The paper says that it is clear politics cannot decide on the rule of law by an outvote, noting that in 2014 Janša's mandate was taken away by politics, an abuse later quashed by the Constitutional Court, without anyone being held accountable for that abuse.

The paper also uses the empty poll metaphor to describe the attempts by the centre-left opposition to form an alternative government under the economist Jože P. Damijan, saying they appear to be seeing the water as a mirage in the desert.

Damijan "can in no way explain his maths in enlisting support among MPs", he "appears to have serious problems himself as well as with others otherwise the far left Mladina magazine, which is unconditionally devoted to him, would not have called for prayer".

In conclusion, the piece says that while the right uses common sense, the capacity of candidates of the left is deteriorating, and appears to have reached a new low with Damijan: "You begin to wonder about the intellectual capacity of the deep state's master-chefs (...) wondering where the hell did they find such a substandard fellow".

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, 20 November
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia' death toll from Covid-19 passed the 1,000 mark, rising to 1,245 by 25 November after another daily record of 59 on 23 November, as the case count passed 71,000 with more than 20,000 active cases. PM Janez Janša announced government departments had been instructed to prepare a mass testing of the population by 5 December and registration of volunteers for vaccination.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a bill on EUR 780 million defence investment until 2026, the bulk of which will be spent to buy armoured personnel vehicles and set up a medium infantry battalion group. An aircraft and two helicopters are also to be bought. Six days later the opposition Left and SocDems submitted over 28,000 signatures in support of a referendum challenging the law before seeking to collect 40,000 verified signatures to call the vote, which the Defence Ministry said would not be legally permissible.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar spoke with his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araujo via video call, reaffirming the good relationship between the two countries and calling for a further strengthening in political dialogue and business links.
        LJUBLJANA - An international study by the Tax Justice Network, Public Services International and Global Alliance for Tax Justice found that Slovenia loses US$213.9 million in tax revenue a year to tax abuse.
        LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that plans for the creation of a national state-owned tourism holding hit a snag since epidemic-related expenditure crowded out budget funds needed for a key portion of the plan - the purchase of a 43% stake in tourism company Sava.
        LJUBLJANA - The energy group Petrol saw its revenue drop by 30% year-on-year in the first nine months of the year to EUR 2.29 billion as net profit fell 49% to EUR 40.5 million, a development blamed on coronavirus restrictions.
        LJUBLJANA - Insurance group Sava Re reported a net profit of EUR 47.6 million for the nine months to the end of September, an increase of 26.4% year-on-year, which is mostly due to the acquisition of life insurer Vita. Gross premiums written rose by 12.4% to EUR 527.1 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a bill regulating the processing and protection of personal data in procedures before law enforcement authorities, transposing the relevant EU directive, which should have been implemented in the national law by May 2018.
        LJUBLJANA - A renewed attempt by the opposition to ban the extraction of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing in Slovenia was voted down by the National Assembly. The proposal is related to the British company Ascent Resources' plans for the Petišovci gas field in the north-east.
        LJUBLJANA - Two days after a series of raids, the police revealed they had arrested seven and filed criminal complaints against 12 suspects following an 18-month investigation into a suspected international migrant smuggling ring which is also believed to have involved Slovenian citizens in charge of security at Ljubljana's asylum centre.

SATURDAY, 21 November
        LJUBLJANA - Matej Tonin, the head of New Slovenia (NSi), pledged to continue to aspire for cooperation in politics as he addressed a virtual congress that endorsed him for another term as the only candidate for the presidency of the party. He warned "any coalition bow can snap if pulled too tight", but said attempts by the Constitutional Arch (KUL) to oust the government were "not cool".
        LJUBLJANA - Apples, a Greek-Polish-Slovenian co-production directed by Christos Nikou, was declared the winner of the online iteration of the Ljubljana International Film Festival, as the Best Short Film Award went to Portuguese-French co-production Invisible Hero by Cristele Alves Meira, and the FIPRESCI Award to Visar Morina's Exile, a co-production of Kosovo, Germany and Belgium. The Art Kino Network Award went to Italian-French co-production Martin Eden by Pietro Marcello.
        MIAMI, US - Goran Dragić, one of three Slovenian NBA players, signed a two-year US$37.5 million contract extension with the Miami Heat. "I'm glad that I can announce that I'm staying with my Miami Heat. Let's finish the job we started!" he said on Twitter.

SUNDAY, 22 November
        LJUBLJANA - More than 60% of those questioned in a poll commissioned by the commercial broadcaster POP TV supported government coronavirus measures, however nearly 55% said they did not support the government's work. The share was up 1.3 points from October as the percentage of supporters also rose by 3.2 points to 36.3%. The ruling Democrats (SDS) remained in the lead at 16.5% while the junior coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) made biggest gains, adding 2.2 points to 3.9%, as it prepares for a change of leadership.

MONDAY, 23 November
        LJUBLJANA - As mandatory testing of health staff came into force, hospitals across the country reported having started or ramped up rapid antigen testing for Covid-19 to screen staff as a way to prepare for regular weekly testing, to be mandatory from 7 December, also at care homes.
        LJUBLJANA - The leader of the Constitutional Arch Coalition, economist Jože P. Damijan told reporters the newly formed coalition of four centre-left opposition parties was still seven votes short to call a vote of no confidence in the government. He indicated this could happen after the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) gets a new president on 5 December.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia observed Rudolf Maister Day, a public holiday in memory of the general who established the first Slovenian army in modern history and secured what would became Slovenia's northern border. In his address President Borut Pahor appealed to the nation to nurture what united them rather than what divided them.
        LJUBLJANA - Rapper Zlatko, a prominent anti-masker, harassed Milan Krek, director of the National Institute of Public Health, in the street in an incident that drew widespread condemnation.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Book Fair opened for the first time as an online-only event, featuring 97 publishers and more than 100 online events with Spain as the guest of honour.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed the first case of avian influenza in a dead swan found in the coastal municipality of Piran. The strain is the highly pathogenic H5N8 which is not dangerous to humans but has been spreading among birds in Europe.
        MOSCOW, Russia - Sports climber Jernej Kruder became the new European bouldering champion, claiming the first ever European title for Slovenian men's climbing and the 24th medal for the country at European championships.
        LJUBLJANA - Police said they had charged a 67-year-old man from Ljubljana with multiple counts of crime for having the corpse of his mother, who would have been 97 now, kept for several years and collecting her pension.

TUESDAY, 24 November
        BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Minister Anže Logar addressed the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum to highlight the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021 and call for solidarity among EU member states, also in order to reach a comprise acceptable to all as he argued that different perceptions of the rule of law should be accepted.
        LJUBLJANA - After four sessions dedicated to the matter, the coalition majority on the Home Affairs Committee concluded the police response to the 5 November protest in Ljubljana which turned into a riot was suitable and efficient, despite the opposition insisting such a conclusion could only be made by experts. Committee chair, Democrat (SDS) Branko Grims filed a criminal complaint against Left MP Miha Kordiš for allegedly divulging classified information about the riot, a charge Kordiš described as "fairy tales" to divert attention from problems faced by the country.
        LJUBLJANA - The four left-leaning opposition parties jointly urged against government plans to involve Hungary in the construction of a new rail track to the port of Koper, arguing this would only delay the project and make it more expensive.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court admitted one of three challenges against the Supreme Court's decision in January to quash the 1946 death sentence against collaborationist general Leon Rupnik. The court suspended the renewed criminal proceedings against Rupnik, arguing their potential termination would absolve Rupnik of his guilt.

WEDNESDAY, 25 November
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed the sixth stimulus package designed to mitigate the fallout from coronavirus. Valued at around EUR 1 billion, the legislation most notably extends the furlough scheme and measures to improve liquidity, and introduces help with fixed expenses for companies. The opposition criticised "cuckoos" inserted in the package which it said served vested interests. The government is meanwhile working on a next package where particular attention is to be paid to the sectors hit by lockdown the most and vulnerable groups of population.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health presented the results of a survey among 10,205 infected between 16 and 22 November which show the most (25%) reporting getting infected at work, followed by almost as many who do not know where they got infected, over 20% who got infected from a household member, and 15% at care homes. Officials also revealed that 580 care home residents died in the second wave and 2,660 were actively infected.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament debated allegations that Hungary had been interfering in media in Slovenia and North Macedonia. Four Slovenian MEPs presented their views on the matter, with S&D and Renew members claiming that Hungarian media with close links to the government influencing Slovenian media was dangerous, and EPP MEPs dismissing the claims.
        LJUBLJANA - Eight airlines - Turkish Airlines, Swiss Air, Air Serbia, Montenegro Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Wizzair and LOT - were picked to receive state subsidies to operate flights to Slovenia. The first instalment of the incentive is worth EUR 985,320.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces and the police signed a document on cooperation between the army and police in securing the border and preventing illegal migration. A similar plan was adopted in 2015.
        LJUBLJANA - Nine NGOs, movements and civil initiatives formed a group called Za Savo (For the Sava) to fight the planned construction of hydro power plants on the central part of the Slovenian section of the river.

THURSDAY, 26 November
        LJUBLJANA - The government extended by a week all of the main lockdown measures, including the ban on gatherings, in-class schooling, movement between municipalities and the 9pm-6am curfew. Public transport will remain suspended for two more weeks. Shops selling non-essential goods, cultural institutions, and bars and restaurants remain closed as well.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee failed to muster the needed two-thirds majority to endorse a government proposal to give soldiers police powers to help secure the border against illegal migration. This is the second attempt of the Janez Janša government to activate Article 37.a of the defence law after the first failed to make it past the committee in April.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to sign a memorandum of understanding with all key stakeholders of the Ljubljana Passenger Terminal, a project valued at EUR 350 million that will include Mendota Invest, a company affiliated with Hungarian bank OTP. Construction is slated to start in 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The retail group Mercator reported a net loss of EUR 69 million for the first nine months as sales revenue rose by 2.1% year-on-year to EUR 1.6 billion, the loss being blamed on property revaluation.

STA, 28 November 2020 - After a break of a few weeks, the Friday anti-government protesters hit the streets of Ljubljana again today, this time in cars and not on bicycles as usual, as public gatherings are banned under a government anti-coronavirus decree.

The protesters were circling the streets around the National Assembly building, and the police have beefed up security in the area, the public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported.

The drivers were honking horns and one of the cars had a bicycle affixed on its roof rack and a slogan saying "Attention. A falling government!". Some of the protesters were IDed by the police.

"Z dveh koles na štiri" - petkov protivladni #protest se je zaradi ukrepov med epidemijo s koles preselil v avtomobile. Protestniki vozijo po ljubljanskih ulicah in svoje nezadovoljstvo tokrat izražajo z glasnim hupanjem. @rtvslo @InfoTVSLO pic.twitter.com/1XZdmlQ0Zw

— Tina Hacler (@TinaHacler) November 27, 2020

In an announcement of the protest, the movement said it would take a drive around Ljubljana to "massively, loudly and visibly express criticism of the current authorities".

The protesters believe that the government has again proven that it "takes advantage of the epidemic for dictatorship, repression and violation of fundamental human rights, such as the right to expression".

Among other things, they are bothered by the latest anti-coronavirus legislation under which fines for organisers of gatherings in public places for the duration of the ban were raised to between EUR 1,200 and EUR 12,000.

The protesters argue that these are disproportionately high penalties which come as a result of distinctly political, and not expertise-based decisions.

They said they would not let the government silence the people and the increasingly loud and bitter criticism against it, and would not let the government put the blame and responsibility for the epidemiological situation on anyone but itself.

"The Friday protests never endangered people's health and there is no evidence whatsoever that infections were spread at the protests," the protesters said, adding that this was virtually impossible among cyclists who wear face masks.

They also announced that protests in cars would be held every Friday from now on until the ban was revoked.

STA, 25 November 2020 - Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed on Wednesday, Slovenia called for ending violence against women. Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina said that raising awareness about such efforts is key, noting that Covid-19 has led to a rise in domestic violence.

Between 16 March and 31 May, there was an 11% increase in domestic violence cases, police data show, with NGOs reporting a rise in the number of helpline calls during the spring lockdown.

The ombudsman believes that support services for victims of violence should be a priority, including access to safe houses and crisis centres.

Svetina's office has found that such facilities have remained open and accessible to victims, however they were under-staffed and had insufficient room capacities to enable self-isolation or quarantine if needed.

The ombudsman has thus urged the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to provide such support facilities with everything they require.

Women and girls should be empowered and men and boys educated in order to stem violence against women and girls, he said.

What is also key is supporting victims in relevant procedures, staff training and giving a clear signal that violence is unacceptable, Svetina said.

He warned that the definition of rape in the penal code should be updated, based on lack of consent, and the redefining should indicate that sexual acts are not allowed if they are not consensual for all the participants.

President Borut Pahor also issued a statement on the occasion, saying violence against women was unfortunately still widely present and affected children as indirect or direct victims as well.

Noting that the lockdown had definitely further deteriorated the situation, Pahor urged people to speak out about the violence. Silence about violence is not golden, the president argued.

He urged zero tolerance against any forms of violence, "including verbal and psychological violence, as such violence is used by perpetrators to subjugate those who are weaker and trap them into a circle that is hard to escape, especially in times of crisis".

The ZSSS trade union meanwhile warned that workplace violence was also a burgeoning issue of concern during the epidemic, particularly among essential workers, such as health workers, care home staff, cleaners and those working in shops - occupations where women account for the majority of staff.

The organisation thus urges the ministry and the government to immediately launch a procedure to ratify the 2019 Violence and Harassment Convention by the International Labour Organisation, a document which aims to eliminate workplace violence.

The union of medical associations of nurses, midwives and medical technicians notes that the epidemic has rolled back the decades-long fight against domestic violence and workplace violence.

The organisation has called on relevant authorities to step up their efforts to protect the rights of children, the elderly, women and other vulnerable groups.

A nationwide study has shown that one in two women has experienced at least one type of violence since turning 15, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has pointed out.

Domestic violence is present in one in five families. One in seven women has been raped and only 5% of women who have experienced violence against them seek any kind of help, the NIJZ quoted findings by NGOs.

Organisations providing support meanwhile highlight that help is available during the epidemic as well, urging Slovenians to report any kind of violence.

STA, 24 November 2020 - The director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) Milan Krek was harassed by the rapper Zlatan Čordić - Zlatko, a prominent anti-masker, and another man on the street on Monday, drawing condemnation both from the NIJZ and the medical profession.

The event "constitutes an attack on an independent, professional public health institution, which is unprecedented," the NIJZ said in a written statement on Tuesday. It said Zlatko and the other man had communicated with Krek in an unacceptable and violent way.

"It is outrageous that something like this happens in a democratic country such as Slovenia," Krek said in a separate statement, adding that many had stopped him on the street before to ask him about the epidemic "but we always had a cultured dialogue, without traces of violence and notwithstanding our opinions, views and positions."

The statement came after Zlatko published a video on Facebook heckling and taunting Krek for several minutes while walking in a street alongside him in Ljubljana. He has since apologised and said it was not his intention to insult Krek in any way.

The incident also drew criticism from the Medical Chamber, which said it rejected "any intolerant communication and actions against health workers".

The head of the government's coronavirus task force, infectologist Bojana Beović, said Krek had dedicated his life to containing the epidemic and under his watch the NIJZ had made strides that had previously been unimaginable. "And then this is the thanks ... I'm at a loss for words."

The Slovenian Journalists' Association said, in reference to Zlatko saying that he was not a very good journalist, that anyone who is not a journalist posing as one was "inappropriate, unethical and damages the reporting profession".

Ljubljana police said they had been informed about the event and were gathering information concerning illegal video recording. They have also initiated proceedings to fine the offenders for breach of coronavirus restrictions.

Zlatko has been a prominent opponent of the mask mandate and recently triggered uproar when he snatched a camera from a Nova24TV crew member at a protest in front of Parliament House.