STA, 2 September 2020 - Acting upon instructions from Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Kangler, the General Police Administration has announced an investigation into alleged illegal conduct in the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) cracking of a suspected prostitution ring in Nova Gorica in January 2019.

While the Specialised State Prosecution filed in mid-2019 an indictment against 18 persons in connection with the ring that was operating in the Marina Sauna club near Nova Gorica, the Koper District Court has excluded several pieces of evidence suspected to have been obtained illegally.

Kangler, a former police officer and ex-Maribor mayor who has had several cases against him dropped over faulty police work, confirmed on Tuesday he had written to acting Police Commissioner Andrej Jurič about the court decision and asked him to take action.

Kangler said the NBI, which worked on the case for several years, had forged documents, conducted house searches without warrants, monitored and photographed the lawyers of the defendants and illegally violated privacy.

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 While POP TV reported that the prosecution has appealed against the exclusion of the evidence, Kangler rejected he was interfering in cases that are open in court. He said he had written to the police, whose investigation of the Marina case was closed, and not to the prosecution or court.

Kangler moreover rejected interpretations he was interfering because one of the suspects was his acquaintance, arguing his motive was merely to come to the bottom of the illegal actions of the criminal police.

"The most high-profile case in recent years is in danger of falling through because of illegal work on the part of the NBI," said Kangler, whose letter to Jurič came in the wake of a request for a police review of several more high-profile NBI cases on the part of Interior Minister Aleš Hojs.

Sergej Racman Wanted for Sex Trafficking Arrested in Canada

The General Police Administration said today that Kangler had forwarded to them a complaint filed by a citizen over alleged NBI irregularities in the investigation of the Marina club.

Announcing an internal security procedure and potential follow-up actions, the police said that Kangler's demand for a report shows that the matter is exclusively about establishing potential systemic irregularities.

The police added Kangler feels there is reason to suspect that certain NBI investigators committed acts that are prosecuted ex officio. "This is why he expects that we notify the Specialised State Prosecution," the General Police Administration wrote.

All our stories on prostitution in Slovenia

STA, 2 September 2020 - Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has invited Slovenia in a letter to join Poland in withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, a European treaty aimed at preventing violence against women, the newspaper Delo reported on Wednesday.

Poland, which finds the treaty "harmful" because it requires schools to teach children about gender, proposed to Slovenia that a new convention be drawn up.

Several versions of the new convention were reportedly mentioned, including one that would promote protection of children in the face of moral corruption and the definition of a child based on the 1989 UN convention but with an addition that the child's life starts at conception.

It would also include a definition of the family as exclusively one consisting of a father, mother and a child or children, and the possibility of marriage only between a man and woman.

Ziobro has labelled the Istanbul Convention a feminist invention that wants to justify homosexual ideology. He announced Poland's intention to withdraw from the convention at the end of July, thus causing a stir both in Poland and abroad.

Thousands of Polish people gathered at protests around the country, and the EU and the Council of Europe expressed regret at the decision.

The Istanbul Convention is the first internationally binding instrument for prevention of violence against women, from rape to domestic violence and genital mutilation. It has been drawn up by the Council of Europe, the oldest human rights organisation in Europe.

Slovenia signed the convention in 2011 and ratified it in 2015, the same year as Poland.

In Slovenia, 80 MPs of the 90-member parliament voted in favour of the ratification. The EU signed the convention in June 2017.

After signing the convention, Slovenia amended the act on preventing domestic violence and explicitly banned corporal punishment of children.

The government has not stated its opinion on the convention yet, but MP of the ruling Democrats (SDS) Branko Grims, who according to Delo voted in favour of the ratification in 2014, commented on Poland's announcement on Twitter in July by saying that Slovenia too should withdraw from the convention.

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry told the STA later in the day that it had received Poland's letter. However, the ministry sees no reason to withdraw from the convention or to amend it, a stance which has been made clear to Poland as well.

The ministry received the letter on 25 August and its reply reads that the convention is an important international legal instrument regarding preventing and tackling domestic violence and violence against women.

"The ministry believes that the convention sets good foundations for facing societal challenges and paves the way for values, such as equality and decency for all our citizens," said the ministry, adding that international law, EU law and Slovenia's law ensure appropriate legal frameworks in this area.

Hence, the ministry does not see any reason to come up with a different treaty. Moreover, changes proposed by Poland would entail amendments to Slovenia's law and constitution.

The letter has been sent to the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal opportunities, said the Justice Ministry, since it concerns relevant issues for the former ministry as well.

The Modern Centre Party (SMC), of which Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič is a member, said earlier that withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention would be unacceptable.

"Slovenia as a state should not be even considering that," said Janja Sluga of the SMC, highlighting that the convention primarily aimed to ensure a Europe without violence against women and children and to protect decency and equality of all citizens.

Poland's initiative jeopardises Slovenia's constitutional and legal system, she said, adding that it would push us back to the dark times when women and children's abuse was a norm.

Asked whether the government could withdraw from the convention on its own even though it was parliament who had ratified it, she said that the question should be addressed to parliament.

STA, 2 September 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has expressed support for the Czech Republic after a visit by a senior Czech official to Taiwan has upset China, saying on Wednesday that "Slovenia stands by the Czech Republic".

"EU-China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable," reads Janša's tweet on Wednesday, the same statement that Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputova used in a tweet yesterday.

#Slovenia stands by the #CzechRepublic. #EU-#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable. @AndrejBabis

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) September 2, 2020

Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil and a roughly 90-member delegation started a six-day official visit to Taiwan on Sunday despite China's protest against official contact with the island, which China considers a breakaway province.

Vystrcil, a member of the right-wing opposition Civil Democrats, is the highest-level Czech politician to visit Taiwan to date although the country does not have formal diplomatic relations with it and supports the One-China policy.

China labelled his visit a violation of China's sovereignty, saying he would "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation".

The threat prompted the Czech Republic to summon the Chinese ambassador to express disapproval of the statement.

Slovenia accepts the One-China policy and does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is however defined as an important market for Slovenia.

STA, 2 September 2020 - The International Press Institute (IPI) has analysed the state of mass media in Slovenia since the new, Janez Janša government took over in mid-March, saying that "few countries in Europe have experienced such a swift downturn in press and media freedom after a new government came to power".

Headlined New Administration, Old Agenda: Press Freedom Strained Again in Slovenia under Veteran PM Janša, the report, posted on IPI's website on 1 September, says that in the last six months, Janša "has immediately renewed long-standing grievances with the press and denigrated critical media outlets".

It adds that experts say he has launched a series of attacks on reporters on Twitter, enabling a wider increase in digital harassment from online trolls and contributing to an increasingly hostile climate for watchdog journalism.

Janša's attacks and willingness to denounce critical reporting as fake news have also drawn parallels with other leaders and brought Slovenia to the attention of press freedom groups, the OSCE and top EU bodies, IPI, headquartered in Austria's Vienna, says in its introduction to the report.

It points out that the ruling right-wing Democratic Party (SDS) is trying to exert greater influence over the country's small media market as part of what it claims is an effort to promote greater media pluralism.

It notes the government plan to introduce legislation to de-fund public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and Janša's attempt to expand his party's pro-government media system, chiefly NovaTV24.si, much of which are funded by Hungarian media linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The report says these developments raise concerns the Orban system of media control could be exported to Slovenia, although it believes it is premature to believe that Slovenia will become another illiberal democracy similar to Hungary.

Nevertheless, the export of Hungarian methods to Slovenia and other Central and SE European countries should worry EU leaders, so the report says the OSCE, the EU and the Council of Europe should carefully follow the developments in Slovenia and react to possible new violations of media freedom.

The media organisation says that while Slovenia was previously considered a relative safe haven for independent journalism, it is now witnessing "a worrying decline in press freedom" in a rather short period of time.

IPI says that journalists are now working in a far more antagonistic climate, one in which staunch criticism of the prime minister risks immediate rebuke, while Janša's attacks on journalists and media outlets are according to observers corroding public discourse and worsening polarisation.

Should only few changes be made to the draft amendments to the RTV Slovenija act and to Slovenian Press Agency act after the public consultation period for them expires on Friday, "the overhaul of the country's media space will have gained considerable momentum" in the coming weeks, says IPI.

Its report in English is available at https://ipi.media/new-administration-old-agenda-press-freedom-strained-again-in-slovenia-under-veteran-pm-jansa/

STA, 2 September 2020 - Slovenia has recorded a spike in coronavirus infections with the daily tally hitting 55 on Tuesday, a five month high, as one more Covid-19 patient died, government data show.

The latest cases come from 1,608 tests, the highest daily number so far.

The number of Covid-19 hospitalisations increased by one to 26 as two patients were discharged home yesterday. Four patients are intensive care, one more than the day before.

The latest infections bring Slovenia's overall tally of cases to 2,979, of which 486 are still active, and the death toll to 134, data from tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org show.

The government's chief Covid-19 advisor, Bojana Beović, is concerned about the spike in infections coinciding with the start of the new school year.

"That's what we had been trying to prevent, and we've obviously not been successful (...) as soon as infections spread in schools, classes, schools will have to be closed," she said, appealing on schools to exert caution and implement precautionary measures.

She believes the latest infections come from sources originating abroad.

She warned that restrictions would have to be stepped up if the infections continue to grow, suggesting those should best be imposed "where problems occur".

Concern about the high number of infections was also expressed by Health Minister Tomaž Gantar.

The latest cases include two residents of the Črneče care home in the northern Koroška region, which has now four infected elderly residents but no infections among staff, according to the facility director Srečko Mlačnik.

The infection was brought into the home, which takes care of about 255 elderly persons, by a newly admitted resident, who only developed symptoms later.

STA, 1 September 2020 - Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman has called for the remaining open issues between Croatia and Slovenia to be resolved bilaterally as he was interviewed by the STA on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) conference.

"Open issues need to be closed," Grlić Radman said when asked whether there had been any progress in their resolution since the new government in Slovenia took over in March.

He noted that Croatia had withdrawn from the international arbitration process to demarcate the disputed parts of the Slovenian-Croatian border and that the EU Court of Justice had decided that the relevant lawsuit by Slovenia was inadmissible.

Grlić Radman added that the court had advised Slovenia and Croatia to seek a bilateral solution. "Both sides need to come to terms that this is reality. There is no arbitration if there is no other side," he stressed.

The Croatian foreign minister has thus called for the remaining issues that are pressing the countries to be resolved bilaterally.

It is in politicians' interest not to leave this burden on the shoulders of next generations. "These are thorns in our sides that must be shaken off," Grlić Radman said.

"Slovenians and Croats understand each other well. If people are on good terms, why politicians would not be as well?".

The minister also called for Slovenia and Croatia to together endorse the countries of Western Balkans on their way to EU and NATO integration.

According to him, the countries have many comparative advantages due to their geographical position and share many views. "There only must be good will. If there is good will, we can do a lot together."

Grlić Radman has assessed that the countries cooperate well in the fight against the novel coronavirus at all levels - from prime ministers and ministers to professionals.

With the meetings with his Slovenian counterpart Anže Logar in May and July, a platform has been created on which the countries are able to tackle concrete issues which are important for both countries, he added.

He noted that Croatia had opened up for Slovenian tourists, many of whom own properties and vessels in Croatia, and that the country was satisfied with the visit by Slovenians in the summer months.

In his talks with Logar on the sidelines of the BSF, he proposed that Slovenia put on the Covid-19 red list only individual counties in Croatia with poor epidemiological picture, and not the entire country.

As an example, he mentioned Germany, which has put only two counties in Dalmatia on the red list, and said he expected understanding from Slovenia. "If Slovenian citizens want to come, we are open."

Grlić Radman assessed the countries' cooperation in fighting illegal migration as very good, while noting that Croatia protected its borders and the EU borders in that respect and thus met the conditions to enter the Schengen Area.

He rejected the criticism levelled at the Croatian authorities in relation to treatment of migrants, and said cooperation was needed with the Western Balkan countries in preventing illegal migration.

All these countries should take responsibility for protecting their borders if they want to join the European Union, he concluded.

STA, 1 September 2020 - After a drop in new daily coronavirus cases attributed to reduced testing at the weekend, Slovenia recorded 41 infections from 1,415 tests performed on Monday, fresh government data show.

With the latest cases, the overall case count has inched nearer to the 3,000 mark, and currently stands 2,924, out of which 468 remain active cases, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

Hospitalisations remain stable at 25 after three Covid-19 patients were discharged yesterday. Two remain in intensive care, that is one fewer than the day before.

Addressing reporters at a coronavirus briefing, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said that five of the latest cases had been imported, one each from Croatia, Russia and Austria, and two from Bosnia.

Almost half of the cases, 16, are local transmissions, while the origin of 13 cases is unknown and seven more cases are still being looked at by epidemiologists.

Kacin said data were showing Slovenia successfully contained infection imports from abroad.

Nearly half of latest cases were in the middle age group with ten infections among among 35-44-year-olds and nine among those aged 45 to 54.

Regional-wise, five of the infections were recorded in Ljubljana, which now has 91 active cases, and four in Rogaška Slatina in the east, with further cases in 25 more municipalities country-wide.

No new fatalities have been reported since 24 August, leaving the national death toll from Covid-19 at 133.

The latest statistics on coronavirus and Slovenia, and the latest police news on red, green and yellow list countries. All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia. Can I transit Slovenia? Find out from the police...

STA, 1 September 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša held talks on Tuesday with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban. They discussed "close all-around cooperation" between the two countries.

 The prime ministers expressed strong support for the respective minorities on both sides of the border and called for stronger cooperation in a variety of bilateral projects.

They also "highlighted the importance of strategic cooperation in the Central European area," Janša's office said.

Janša gave Orban a special commendation and medal for his efforts in fighting Covid-19, and thanked him for Hungary's selfless help and solidarity during the coronacrisis.

Speaking to Hungarian press agency MRI, Orban said that he and Janša agreed the two countries would strive for good neighbourly relations but that it would take a few more months before a concrete plan emerged.

The basis for such a plan will be each country's support for their respective minorities, he said, adding that the bedrock of ties was also the aid Hungary provided to Slovenia during the coronavirus epidemic.

Orban said the tone of Hungarian-Slovenian relations was much more positive than ever before, according to MTI.

The meeting was held a day after Orban attended the Bled Strategic Forum, at which he participated in the leaders' panel along with Janša and several other Central and Eastern European leaders

All our stories about Orban and Slovenia

STA, 31 August 2020 - The 15th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) boasted the most high-profile turnout in its 15-year history despite the coronavirus pandemic. Two presidents, seven prime ministers, six foreign ministers and many others attended in person, plus a number of high-profile panellists remotely. The debates focused on the future of the EU and the region's role.

The main panel featured seven Central and East European leaders, who highlighted the region's growing influence in the EU. They stressed the importance of true solidarity between all member states, noting that double standards were being used for the region.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša said it was "dangerous to use double standards". He said the real challenges that Europe faces are different than challenges that are being discussed, a reference to extensive debates about rule of law proceedings against Hungary and Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki noted that thirty years after the democratic transformation began in the region, there was still "a very peculiar approach" to the region. He said the region needed to maintain solidarity and unity, and at the same time be part of the European Union.

As for the state of the rule of law and democracy, Morawiecki rejected the notion of polarisation arguing that this was normal democracy. "We're not nationalists, populists ... it's simply a different approach in the post-communist world."

Similarly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, asked about the state of democracy in his country, said Hungary's democracy was just as good as Germany's or Italy's by objective measures, the country just has a conservative, Christian democratic approach as it strives for "intellectual sovereignty".

The need for close cooperation, communication and the relaxing of restrictive EU state aid rules in the face of the global pandemic were in the centre of a panel debate featuring top foreign policy representatives. The broadly shared view was that the EU provided valuable support, still, the key, initial, response to the pandemic was mounted by member states.

Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok said that the EU "absolutely" provided help in addition to what was already being done by his country at home. He illustrated that while the EU was not able to provide masks when the pandemic hit, it is now leading member states out of the crisis with the recovery fund.

Czech Foreign Minister Tomaš Petriček highlighted another aspect of the crisis, saying it showed how fast the EU could revert to nation states. He illustrated that people did not complain much when the Czech Republic closed its borders at the start of the crisis.

However, when asked whether nation states or the EU would emerge stronger from this crisis, panellists expressed reservations about putting these in antagonistic terms.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbignew Rau labelled this an artificial conflict, adding that only strong member states made for a strong EU, while Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said member states and the EU need each other.

The Western Balkans was another major topic of discussion despite the absence of the traditional regional panel with foreign ministers.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, participating in the leaders' panel, thus dismissed the notion that Serbia was not keen on joining the EU. He said Serbia remained committed to the European path but expected respect from the EU.

Miroslav Lajčak, the EU's special representative for Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue, said in a special panel that the Western Balkans are part of the European story and the region's problems are also the bloc's problems. "If the EU wants to be a global actor ..., then we have to start demonstrating that we can help organise things in a European way on European soil."

There were also debates on European security and asymmetric threats, digitalisation and the future of cyberspace featuring mostly experts.

The security panel for example heard that a lot of adjustments to the European defence and security policy will be needed, including because of cyber threats and the Covid-19 pandemic. China was also discussed as an element which seeks to direct countries in the region more towards the east.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar said the forum provided an introduction to the coming debates on the future of the EU, which will be conducted under the German, Portuguese, Slovenian and French presidencies of the EU as part of the conference on the future of the EU.

According to Logar, these debates showed that "the leaders of individual countries see the EU and the consequences in which we are differently", which he said was "an excellent starting point for an open and lively debate".

Moreover, Logar said Slovenia was "returning to the diplomatic map" after a period of pursuing a distinct foreign policy. He rejected the notion that Slovenia was leaning more to the East now, arguing that "one country is not more important than another ... a community of equal countries provides a good platform for all countries to assert their interests."

STA, 31 August 2020 - Slovenia recorded 18 new coronavirus infections from 588 tests performed on Sunday, fresh data from the government show.

The latest figures bring the total national case count to 2,883, of which 454 remain active, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

A total of 25 Covid-19 patients are currently in hospital, three of them requiring intensive treatment, that is one more than the day before.

No new fatalities have been reported, leaving the national death toll from Covid-19 at 133.

Eight of the latest cases were recorded in Ljubljana, which has now 89 active cases out of a total of 518 recorded since March.

Another four were in Sevnica in the east and two more in Domžale near Ljubljana. Four other municipalities saw one new case each.

Three of the cases confirmed in the past week were among staff at the Ljubljana Oncology Institute, the country's main cancer treatment hospital.

The institute said none of the infected staff had been working with the patients so services involving patients were running undisrupted. The staff in contact with the infected colleagues tested so far have returned negative results.

So has the Kranj maternity hospital confirmed that one of its employees tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 on Saturday, with the tests taken on her contacts coming back negative.

The employee caught the virus in a domestic setting. She has not shown any symptoms of the novel disease and had been wearing personal protective equipment while working with the patients.

The employee is in self isolation and her contacts have been quarantined.