What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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FRIDAY, 10 April
LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj hailed the agreement reached by EU finance ministers on a fiscal package to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic as a step in the right direction. Šircelj said member states had different views but managed to close ranks and forge a compromise.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor commented on a cable sent by Slovenia to the Council of Europe (CoE) in response to a warning about pressure on the media by saying it made sense to wait for an official explanation by the prime minister and foreign minister to see if the letter's content was in fact Slovenia's official position.
LJUBLJANA - Reviewing cooperation between Slovenia and the Holy See, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Apostolic Nuncio Jean-Marie Speich agreed that bilateral relations should be deepened. Logar pointed to the importance of spiritual care in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
LJUBLJANA - The public health insurer ZZZS said it expects the coronavirus crisis to slash its revenue by around EUR 215 million this year, while higher expenditure is expected on top of that, to the tune of EUR 30 million due to higher sick leave costs alone.
BRNIK - More than twenty tonnes of protective equipment, including face masks for medical staff, was delivered from China to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, one of the largest such shipments since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
LJUBLJANA - A new regulation entered into force requiring consumers above the age of 65 to prove their age with an identity card to enter grocery shops during dedicated opening hours.
SATURDAY, 11 April
LJUBLJANA - Alojz Uran, who served as the Archbishop of Ljubljana in 2004-2009, a time of significant financial turmoil for the Church, died at the age of 75. Uran was named the Archbishop of Ljubljana in October 2004, succeeding Archbishop Franc Rode, and resigned in November 2009, officially due to health problems.
BRDO PRI KRANJU/LJUBLJANA - The government met to discuss guidelines for additional measures to mitigate the effect of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy, with PM Janez Janša announcing that put all measures for securing liquidity of companies would be combined into a single package.
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a decree which shortens the quarantine period for persons entering Slovenia to one week from two weeks. They can spend the time at home or at a location agreed with the civil defence. The decree entered into force on 12 April.
LJUBLJANA - About a month after the government of Janez Janša was sworn in, a poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo showed that more than 43% of the respondents assessed the government's work as positive. But the high support did not reflect in support for the coalition parties.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor told Dnevnik in an interview that he intended to end his political career after his term ends in 2022.
SUNDAY, 12 April
LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Police Officers appealed to Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and acting Police Commissioner Anton Travner to immediately recall face masks that had been supplied to the police due to their questionable efficiency in protecting against COVID-19 infection after police has concluded the supplies are not certified protective shields but hygienic masks meant for non-medical purposes.
MONDAY, 13 April
BRNIK - A new shipment of protective equipment from China was delivered to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, including 20 tonnes of protective masks, goggles and suits for medical staff, and protective gloves. The delivery was made by Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by gaming millionaire Joc Pečečnik, under a EUR 30 million-plus contract with the state.
TUESDAY, 14 April
WASHINGTON, US - The IMF forecast Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink by 8% this year compared to 2019 as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic in what is a drastic downgrade compared to the projection from last autumn, when Slovenia was forecast to record 2.9% GDP growth.
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed lawyer and security expert Janez Stušek the new director of the SOVA intelligence and security agency, effective on 15 April. The five-year term comes with the option of re-appointment.
LJUBLJANA - The government's chief medical advisor for the coronavirus epidemic, Bojana Beović, said Slovenia would not be able to start relaxing lockdown measures this week as yet, stressing the easing would depend on when the health authorities determined the epidemic was tailing off.
LJUBLJANA - Figures released by the National Institute of Public Health showed that more than 80% of people who died of coronavirus in Slovenia were older than 75 years and almost 60% were older than 85. All the deceased were older than 45, but the number of deaths rose with age.
LJUBLJANA - A contentious letter sent by the government to the Council of Europe (CoE) to claim the majority of the main media in Slovenia stem from the Communist regime was defended by Foreign Minister Anže Logar in parliament as it was discussed by the foreign policy and culture committees. The letter was a response to an alert issued by the CoE Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists after PM Janez Janša tweeted that the public broadcaster was misleading the public and indicated that some of its staff should lose their jobs.
LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs indicated the coalition could tighten asylum legislation, including by using some of the proposals of the Miro Cerar government and mindful of a European Court of Human Rights's ruling that migrants who do not enter the country lawfully could be turned back.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) said it expected the tourism sector to see a 60-70% contraction this year if the relaxation of lockdown measures starts in June. If the restrictions last longer, the contraction is expected to be even sharper, STO director Maja Pak said.
LJUBLJANA - Several companies, including household appliances maker Gorenje and sports goods maker Elan, which had suspended their production due to the coronavirus epidemic started gradually restarting operations and joining those that have only partly shut down or have not closed shop at all.
WEDNESDAY, 15 April
ČRNOMELJ - President Borut Pahor and the defence and interior ministers, Matej Tonin and Aleš Hojs, visited the southern border area along the Kolpa river to call for the military to be given limited police powers, arguing that stronger joint border patrols were supported by the army and police, and the locals in the area.
LJUBLJANA - Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute for Microbiology and Immunology, announced a random population testing for coronavirus on a sample of 1,000-1,500 residents to get a reliable estimate of the scope of the coronavirus epidemic in the country. The nation-wide testing is expected to begin next week.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The coronavirus crisis has shown Slovenia urgently needs a transport plane, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said after a videoconference of NATO defence ministers. The ministry has already initiated procedures, requested input from the military and formed a working group that will examine all acquisition options.
LJUBLJANA - Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Breznik offered his resignation after he was caught speeding and drunk driving on 2 April. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs accepted the resignation the following day.
LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry proposed that the National Public Health Institute share citizens' personal data with the police to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. If the motion is endorsed, the police will be privy to the information about the quarantine duration and other anti-COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the individual.
LJUBLJANA - A majority of the eight-member contingent of the Slovenian Armed Forces serving in the European Union Training Mission in Mali returned home after training tasks there were suspended and focus put on containing the spread of coronavirus. Five soldiers returned home three days after one infected Slovenian soldier had been airlifted home.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia sent a package of aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic. The package included ten tents, 60 field beds, 50 sleeping bags, ten heaters, 1,500 blankets, 100 pieces of cutlery and 20 waste bag stands.
THURSDAY, 16 April
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Brigadier Robert Glavaš the new chief of the general staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF).
LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press that the government plans to deploy soldiers if needed despite the fact that it was unable to muster the two-thirds majority in parliament to grant soldiers limited police powers to patrol the border. It plans to use a different legislative provision that allows a more limited form of deployment.
LJUBLJANA - The government decided that hardware shops, car repair shops and showrooms will reopen on 20 April and hair and beauty salons on 4 May.
LJUBLJANA - Police recorded 1,835 illegal crossings of the border in the first three months of the year, which is 6.5% more than in the same period last year. Most migrants came from Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan.
MARIBOR - NKBM, Slovenia's second largest bank, reported a EUR 62.5 million net profit at group level and EUR 67.4 million at the level of the core bank for 2019, down EUR 10 million and EUR 8 million respectively on 2018.
LJUBLJANA - The state-owned power group HSE reported EUR 29.7 million in net profit for last year, bouncing back from a EUR 11.8 million loss the year before after its subsidiary, the Šoštanj coal-fired power plant (TEŠ), posted its lowest loss since the contentious unit 6 became operational in 2015.
LJUBLJANA - Economist and cultural studies expert Andrej Srakar said he was not thrilled with the government's measures taken so far to help the culture sector recover from the Covid-19 crisis but was nevertheless optimistic that the sector could recover within a year.
MURSKA SOBOTA/LJUBLJANA - Hungary has donated seven pallets of protective equipment to the Murska Sobota hospital, including surgical masks, hazmat suits and disinfectants. Huawei Technologies provided 30,000 protective face masks and 100 tablet computers for disadvantaged children.
LJUBLJANA - Amnesty International said in its latest report on human rights that Slovenia has failed to respect and protect the rights of migrants, while also pointing to what it believes is an inappropriate definition of rape, inadequate elderly care and treatment of the Roma.
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