What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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FRIDAY, 19 February
VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg assessed the countries' relations in the past year as positive as Logar paid a working visit to Vienna.
LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic has had an impact on the work of the Slovenian law enforcement authorities with a report from the Specialised State Prosecution Service showing there were virtually no new incoming cases during the first wave of the epidemic last spring.
LJUBLJANA - Franc Dover, the director of the Maribor waste utility Snaga and chief supervisor of state-owned power utility HSE, became a new non-executive director of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC).
KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper reported sales dropping by 8% year-on-year to EUR 210 million as shipping volumes contracted across the board. Net profit declined by 21% to EUR 32 million but it was still a percent higher than planned.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars as the opposition alleged irregularities. Motorway company DARS and the Infrastructure Ministry rejected any impropriety.
LJUBLJANA - The home policy and justice committees debated on Friday hate speech at the request of the coalition, condemning insulting and hateful discourse. Calls for decent and respectful dialogue could be heard both from coalition and opposition MPs.
KOPER - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution as he appeared at the Koper District Court for a pre-trial hearing.
LJUBLJANA - Writer and former politician Tone Peršak resigned on Thursday as the president of Slovenian PEN, citing personal reasons, after having served less than four months.
SATURDAY, 20 February
LJUBLJANA - As he hosted an event marking one of the key anniversaries in Slovenia's independence efforts, President Borut Pahor said that the current political sentiment, in which there was more conflict than cooperation, was not sustainable.
LJUBLJANA - A total of 114 organ transplants were performed in the UKC Ljubljana hospital last year, with donations and transplant activity running smoothly despite the epidemic. One of the main achievements was lung transplant in a 34-year-old whose lungs failed due to post-Covid-19 complications.
MARIBOR - A statement about success in life being linked to taking risks by the long-serving head teacher of the Druga Gimnazija Maribor secondary school Ivan Lorenčič won him the Spade of the Year award from the newspaper publisher Večer.
SUNDAY, 21 February
BRNIK/LJUBLJANA - Some 180 passengers flew to Tenerife from Slovenia's main international airport as the first charter flight and so far the only tourist charter flight from Brnik airport.
MONDAY, 22 February
BRUSSELS, Belgium - As EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement to introduce sanctions against the persons responsible for the arrest and prison sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Slovenia's Anže Logar pointed to the need for the EU to be united in its attitude towards Russia.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - During its EU presidency Slovenia would like to organise an EU-Western Balkans summit and an informal summit on resilience, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the press.
GENEVA, Switzerland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said recovery after pandemic should include actions aimed at achieving greater equality, solidarity and social protection as he addressed in a video call the UN Human Rights Council.
LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) invited PM Janez Janša, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, Government Communication Office director Uroš Urbanija and public broadcaster RTV Slovenija director general Igor Kadunc to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia on 5 March.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia started lowering Covid ward capacities, as weekly average infection and hospitalisation figures had been dropping. The 7-day average number of new cases was at 744 on Sunday.
NAIROBI, Kenya - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak highlighted the role and potential of green investment for a low-carbon and circular economy as he addressed in a video call a two-day virtual session of the UN Environment Assembly.
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Police Department said a 39-year-old man from Ljubljana had been charged with incitement to violent protests in connection to an anti-government rally that turned violent on 5 November. News portal Siol.net identified the suspect as Anis Ličina.
TRIESTE, Italy - The Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reported that a predominantly Slovenian group of landowners in San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina municipality in Italy had reclaimed ownership of large tracts of lands under a landmark judgement recently handed down by an Italian court, a development seen as creating significant economic opportunities.
KIDRIČEVO - Boxmark, a maker of car upholstery, is branching out into aircraft upholstery having recently sealed a deal to make leather upholstery for Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.
TUESDAY, 23 February
LJUBLJANA - Janez Poklukar, a 42-year-old doctor-turned health manager who has been leading Slovenia's largest medical centre through the biggest ever health crisis, was appointed new health minister by the National Assembly in a 50:31 vote.
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that Slovenia would look for "additional options for vaccine supplies" amidst sluggish supplies from the joint EU purchase.
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed until its final ruling the provisions of the seventh economic stimulus law under which employers may unilaterally terminate the employment contract when a worker meets retirement criteria.
WARSAW, Poland - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec wrapped up a two-day visit to Poland, having held talks with Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk and Environment Minister Michal Kurtyka. He said Slovenia sought to strengthen cooperation with Poland in maritime transport, in particular through the Koper port.
LJUBLJANA - Coronavirus restrictions were in the focus as Foreign Minister Anže Logar spoke to ambassadors of EU countries accredited to Slovenia at a virtual meeting. He stressed the need for close coordination of measures at EU level with the aim of ensuring the smoothest possible flow of people, goods, capital and services despite some necessary restrictions.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is working with member states whose nationals must pay higher fees for UK work visas to end this discrimination. Member states which are discriminated against raised this issue at Tuesday's meeting of Europe ministers.
LJUBLJANA - A new airline named SouthEast Airlines is emerging in Slovenia, web aviation portal Sierra5 reported, adding that the airline would initially provide mainly charter flights using a fleet of Airbus A320s.
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court annulled a mandatory health insurance rule that restricts the right to artificial insemination procedures to women up to the age of 43.
WEDNESDAY, 24 February
LJUBLJANA/BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša invited all parliamentary parties to sign an agreement on cooperation shortly before a cooperation-themed meeting of party heads hosted by President Borut Pahor. Most opposition parties declined.
LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders urged the Slovenian government to swiftly appoint the country's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, so that the new institution could start operating in Slovenia on 1 March as planned. The government has meanwhile adopted a bill related to the appointments.
BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted changes to the penal code redefining rape, thus overtaking NGO the March 8 Institute which has been pushing for a similar redefinition, campaigning under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes.
LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party's (DeSUS) executive council decided that the party would act as moderate opposition in the future. The party will not sign the prime minister's cooperation agreement and it will also not remain a member of the opposition's Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL).
LJUBLJANA - The more virulent variants of coronavirus appear not to be very widespread in Slovenia yet. Two labs which conduct genetic sequencing have so far identified 35 cases of the UK variant and not a single case of the South African or Brazilian variant.
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his counterpart Jean Asselborn to discuss creating a resilient Europe, a topic that will be one of the priorities of Slovenia's approaching EU Council presidency. He also met with European Investment Bank (EIB) president Werner Hoyer.
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar extended the terms of six heads of mission - in Berlin, Brussels, Bratislava, The Hague, Tehran and Trieste. The terms of all six diplomats would have expired in the summer.
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Simon Starček the new acting director general of the Financial Administration (FURS) to replace Irena Nunčič, who has been the acting director general since September 2020.
LJUBLJANA - The bank NLB may pay out EUR 92 million in dividends this year and a total of some EUR 300 million in three years, the bank's board said in an online financials presentation. Moreover, Chairman Blaž Brodnjak said that the group had acquired nearly a million new clients in last year's acquisition of Serbian Komercijalna Banka. NLB's market share in Serbia has gone from below 2% to over 12%.
LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) has suspended the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) again. STA director Bojan Veselinovič said UKOM's excuse that there is no legal basis for the payment as "an outright eerie pretending of ignorance".
LJUBLJANA - The government has drafted legislative changes under which drivers of motor vehicles powered by natural gas will be exempt from paying excise duties until the end of 2025, in a bid to pursue Slovenia's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transport.
OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič was awarded the small crystal globe as the overall World Cup winner in the women's sprint discipline as the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to cut the season short.
THURSDAY, 25 February
LJUBLJANA - Attending a virtual informal session of EU ministers in charge of the internal market and industry on Thursday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek discussed with his colleagues the role of national recovery and resilience plans as instruments of implementing the industrial strategy.
LJUBLJANA - A group of 39 MPs from the opposition parties the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) requested a parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work during a period from 13 March 2020, when the Janez Janša government was sworn in, to the launching of the inquiry.
LJUBLJANA - The government restricted movement in the south-western region of Obalno-Kraška as of Saturday as the epidemiological situation deteriorated there. Travel to and from the region will be allowed only exceptionally, for work- or health-related reasons, gatherings in public places are banned again.
LJUBLJANA - The council of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ) unanimously confirmed the appointment of Marijan Papež as director-general for another four-year term. If the government clears the appointment, this will be Papež's fifth term at the helm of the ZPIZ.
LJUBLJANA - Former Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti was appointed Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director general. He will start his four-year term on 1 April.
OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ema Klinec won a ski jumping event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany becoming the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion.
