What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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Here's some music made under lockdown conditions to soundtrack this post:
FRIDAY, 24 April
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian President Borut Pahor and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted the importance of solidarity and cooperation between EU countries during the coronavirus pandemic as they talked on the telephone, calling for faster and more efficient action on the part of EU institutions. Pahor's office said the presidents spoke mostly about the situation and relationships within the EU.
LJUBLJANA - The head of the deputy group of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Brane Golubović, said a vote of no-confidence in the entire government was in the cards after a whistleblower from the Commodities Reserves Agency came out with accusations of widespread political pressure in the purchasing of protective and other medical equipment to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Commission vice-president and Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova announced she had contacted Slovenian authorities over the media freedom situation in the country. "No hate, no threats, no personal attacks," reads part of Jourova's message to the government.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy and culture committees called on the Foreign Ministry to withdraw the government's controversial letter to the Council of Europe about the state of the media in Slovenia which says that the majority of the media in Slovenia stem from the Communist regime. The committee also proposed public office holders refrain from restricting journalist work and editorial independence.
LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 crisis severely affected March figures for tourism and retail business. Accommodation facilities recorded a 75% drop in arrivals and 67% fewer night stays over March 2019, while retail revenue fell by 15.1% year on year, the latest Statistics Office figures showed.
SATURDAY, 25 April
LJUBLJANA - Embracing a dissenting opinion in a recent Constitutional Court ruling, which tasked the government with examining each week whether its lockdown restrictions remain justified, Prime Minister Janez Janša tweeted that "Slovenia unfortunately has the most politically biased Constitutional Court so far". "Double standards mean the death of any institution, especially judicial," he said.
LJUBLJANA - The overhauled council of the Public Health Institute (NIJZ) selected Milan Krek, the head of the NIJZ's Koper unit, as the institute's new director before he was also cleared by the government a few days later. Krek appeared at government coronavirus briefings following the new government's clash with the institute's previous leadership.
LJUBLJANA - Retailer Mercator reported its sales revenue increasing by 1.8% to EUR 2.14 billion in 2019 as net profit nearly tripled to EUR 4.7 million from EUR 1.6 million in 2018. Revenue from retail sales, Mercator's core business, increased by 2.2% to EUR 1.7 billion.
AJDOVŠČINA - A paraglider was killed in a crash with an ultralight airplane that occurred near Ajdovščina. The paraglider and the airplane both crashed to the ground after the impact, but the pilot and passenger of the airplane survived, albeit with serious injuries.
SUNDAY, 26 April
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor told a national television talk show that he regretted the allegations of extensive political interference in the procurement of personal protective equipment reported in the media, as this had cast a shadow on what he assessed as otherwise excellent work of the government and parliament in the coronavirus crisis.
LJUBLJANA - Three Slovenian solders who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 returned to Slovenia from the NATO-led mission in Kosovo. The Slovenian Armed Forces said a military medical team had taken the infected soldiers to the Clinic for Infectious Disease in Ljubljana.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia had a population of 2,095,861 on 1 January 2020, up 0.7% from a year earlier. The number of Slovenian citizens dropped in 2019 as the multi-year downward trend continued, with the number of immigrants increasing again, Statistics Office figures showed.
MONDAY, 27 April
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek expressed moderate optimism about the prospects of securing good and coordinated anti-coronavirus measures in tourism. Speaking after at a videoconference of the EU ministers in charge of tourism, the minister rejected concerns about possible discrimination based on passport.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor addressed citizens on Resistance Day calling for cooperation and mutual aid in crisis. Pahor said that "we are remembering the most difficult times and the bravest of people." The head of the WWII Veterans' Association, Marijan Križman, added that the Liberation Front was the foundation of Slovenia's independence.
LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - Despite a ban on public gatherings, small anti-government protests were held in Ljubljana, Maribor and several other cities. The protests were initiated by a Facebook group called Resistance against the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and saw police officers handing out fines for violation of quarantine rules.
TUESDAY, 28 April
LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed the second coronavirus stimulus package, which mainly consists of a EUR 2 billion guarantee scheme for loans to provide liquidity for companies. It also raises state funding for municipalities by around 6%. The original EUR 3 billion legislative package was amended to expand eligibility for benefits recipients by 190,000 to 1.2 million people.
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed over the phone bilateral relations and the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The pair called for strengthening the friendly relations and the alliance between the two countries, and highlighted the importance of a close transatlantic partnership in facing the pandemic.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Following a videoconference with EU counterparts, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs announced that Slovenia would accept four unaccompanied minors from migration centres on Greek islands, under the condition they are younger than ten years.
LJUBLJANA - A day after anti-government rallies were held across the country, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expressed the expectation the police would follow his "guidelines" about tracking down the protesters through social media. The police meanwhile highlighted their autonomy, noting that they do not rely on public opinion or possible opinions of persons from the public and political arenas.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Transition to a low-carbon society could be a key part of growth strategy in the face of the coronavirus crisis, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec told his counterparts from the other EU members in an online informal ministerial meeting. He said green investments had the potential to substantially boost economic activity.
NOVO MESTO - Revoz, the Renault-owned car assembly plant and by far Slovenia's largest exporter, relaunched production after shutting down due to the coronavirus epidemic on 17 March. The resumption of operations will be gradual.
WEDNESDAY, 29 April
LJUBLJANA - The government lifted a ban on non-essential travel outside the municipality of residence starting on 30 April as Prime Minister Janez Janša announced Slovenia had achieved a turnaround in the fight against coronavirus that allowed it to gradually ease restrictions. It was also announced that schools would start reopening on 18 May.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces' readiness for peacetime action improved from last year, while there has been no progress in its capacity for wartime action, which thus remains unsatisfactory for the sixth straight year, shows a report on the army's readiness presented to President Borut Pahor. The key reasons for the negative assessment are staff and funding shortages as well as outdated equipment.
LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his German counterpart Heiko Maas called for a common European solution to travel during the coronavirus pandemic after holding talks via video link. The opening of borders depends on how the pandemic develops in individual countries, and there is also a risk of a second wave. This is why Logar stressed that "one should be aware that opening up borders also has an impact on other countries".
ZAGREB, Croatia - The Slovenian and Croatian ministers in charge of tourism, Zdravko Počivalšek and Gari Cappelli, met to discuss the possibilities for relaunching the sector. They agreed that a solution should at least be found for Slovenian owners of real estate in Croatia.
LJUBLJANA - Libraries, galleries and museums were allowed to reopen under a government decree, but the vast majority remained closed. The institutions said they needed more time to prepare. They expect to be able to welcome the first visitors in early May.
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislative changes that facilitate the completion of the planned power stations on the lower Sava river, including the last link in the chain, the Mokrice plant. The amendments relax conditions under which investors may apply for a construction permit and an environmental assessment.
THURSDAY, 30 April
LJUBLJANA - Nursing homes, hotspots of the coronavirus epidemic, received permission from the government to open to visitors again subject to strict protective measures. Janez Cigler Kralj, the minister in charge of social affairs, said the government was guided by good epidemic figures and the stress the elderly are subjected to without visitors. Nursing homes said they would start admitting visitors next week.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor discussed Slovenia's cooperation with the group, the Covid-19 pandemic and the EU's future as he received the ambassadors of the Visegrad Group accredited to Slovenia. Pahor described Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland as Slovenia's "natural allies" but stressed Slovenia was part of the core EU countries.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič rejected criticism from Slovenia that he failed to provide protective equipment to his home country. "The European Commission doesn't have masks or any other protective equipment. We don't have a secret storage in the basement of Berlaymont to keep a stockpile of protective masks, gloves or suits," Lenarčič said in an interview with Brussels correspondents.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and UK Ambassador to Slovenia Sophie Honey pointed to the role of cooperation in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as they marked Slovenia-UK Friendship Day. Pahor stressed that Slovenian-UK friendship is based on courage and humanity, which enables the two countries to build confident and multi-faceted relations.
LJUBLJANA - Ivan Kopina was appointed the acting director of the Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering. He will take over on 1 May from Branka Glojnarič, whom the government relieved of her duties.
LJUBLJANA - The government issued several decrees to help agriculture cope with the loss of income resulting from the coronavirus epidemic. Over EUR 5 million was allocated for wine producers, EUR 3.3 million for cattle farmers, EUR 2.2 for homestays and EUR 1.4 million for the forestry sector.
LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service reported having received almost 36,550 applications for more than 321,000 workers under the legislation providing state aid for wages and social security contributions for idled or quarantined workers amid the coronavirus epidemic. The first payments will be made on 11 May.
LJUBLJANA - Consumer prices in Slovenia dropped by 1.2% in April compared to April 2019 and by 0.9% over March. Both the annual and monthly deflation rates mostly resulted from plummeting prices of petroleum products.
All our posts in this series are here
