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, 12 March
BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša pledged the government would respond to the third Covid-19 wave, which he said could realistically be expected, and implement key commitments in the coalition agreement, as he addressed reporters on the eve of his government's first year in office. "If there are no major surprises, we can make up for last year's contraction in GDP this year," he said.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports were down 2.8% year-on-year to EUR 2.9 billion in January and imports plunged 8.5% to EUR 2.5 billion for a surplus in external trade in goods of EUR 0.3 billion and exports-to-imports coverage of 113.7%, the Statistics Office said. Slovenia generated almost two-thirds of January's trade with EU countries.
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a revised national vaccination strategy at a correspondence session to provide vaccines to all residents with permanent or temporary residence, not just to Slovenian citizens. Soldiers were added to the nine groups to be prioritised for vaccines together with police officers. The strategy was originally adopted on 3 December and first revised on 1 March.
LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry, which is responsible for Slovenia's media policy, responded to the 5 March public debate in the European Parliament on media freedom in Slovenia saying the Slovenian participants made "several incorrect claims". The response was sent to all EU institutions, the chair of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) and its members.
SATURDAY, 13 March
BRUSSELS, Belgium - A letter by five EU prime ministers, including Slovenia's Janez Janša, addressed to the EU Commission and EU Council was released. The leaders of Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria called for a summit on Covid-19 vaccines, pointing to what they see as unbalanced distribution. The letter was later also signed by Croatia's prime minister. The Commission issued a statement saying that member states were the ones negotiating the distribution with the starting point being the pro rata system.
SUNDAY, 14 March
LJUBLJANA - Senior state and religious officials attended a memorial service at Žale cemetery for people who died from Covid-19, on the anniversary of the first such death recorded in Slovenia. President Borut Pahor expressed condolences to the victims' families and said the virus had not been defeated yet. A willow tree was also planted in memory of the victims.
LJUBLJANA - Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša addressed a letter to his party saying it would work towards implementing the commitments from the coalition agreement and expected the same from the coalition partners. He said the SDS would not allow any eroding of the government's work any more. He added the majority of the opposition was destructive like nowhere else in Europe.
MONDAY, 15 March
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia temporarily halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine pending a decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Health Minister Janez Poklukar said the Slovenian expert group for vaccines had not found reasonable grounds to stop using the jab, but proposed suspension as a matter of precaution. On Thursday, following the EMA's statement that the vaccine is safe and effective, vaccination with AstraZeneca was allowed to resume.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs warned against discrimination in relation to Covid-19 vaccination certificates. It is too early to talk about crossing borders with apps or certificates until most citizens have had access to a coronavirus vaccine, he said ahead of the EU Commission's unveiling of a proposal for a digital green certificate.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia advocated a stricter approach to dealing with third countries when it came to returning migrants from the EU as the bloc's foreign and interior ministers debated the EU's migration policy. The virtual session came after Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the ministers should agree on third countries that need to be focused on in efforts to strengthen the return of migrants.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press he was not optimistic about support among EU countries for Croatia joining the Schengen zone. He does not expect the Portuguese presidency to put the matter on the agenda again, but added he had no problems with putting in on the agenda during Slovenia's EU presidency.
LJUBLJANA - Stricter rules to enter Slovenia kicked in for several groups, including people commuting daily to work outside Slovenia, in an EU or Schengen country. From Monday, they do not have to quarantine only if they produce a negative coronavirus test result no older than seven days. The measure applies to arrivals from red-listed countries.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor sent to parliament a proposal to appoint Tina Žumer a vice-governor of central bank Banka Slovenije. Žumer is a former employee of Banka Slovenije who now works at the European Central Bank.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor talked to Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu via video link, inviting her to visit Slovenia. The pair discussed a number of topics, including the pandemic.
TUESDAY, 16 March
VIENNA, Austria - PM Janez Janša called for a "corrective mechanism" for the distribution of vaccines in the EU after talks with his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic and Latvia. Such a corrective mechanism would mark a return in the distribution of vaccines to the point when it was agreed that the vaccines would be divided on a pro rata basis, measured by population size, he added.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - It was revealed Slovenia had not reached 100% of the vaccines it is entitled to in the first and second quarter of the year on a pro rata basis because it had not put in an order for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in December during a second round of joint EU purchasing. PM Janez Janša said that after he stepped in as health minister in December he ordered Slovenia additional quantities of vaccines where ever possible and regardless of the cost. The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMP) announced a motion to impeach Janša.
KIEV, Ukraine - FM Anže Logar met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to discuss Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. Turning to relations with Russia, Logar assured Kuleba Slovenia would be a fair intermediary. Kuleba expressed the hope that Ukraine's voice would be heard during Slovenia's presidency. Logar also met Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal and parliamentary Speaker Dmytro Razumkov.
LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition fell eight votes short of an outright majority needed for their motion to oust Education Minister Simona Kustec to succeed. Kustec, backed by 41 votes to 38, hailed the outcome as a realistic result of the political balance of power. The opposition claimed the minister should have acted more resolutely to return kids to school as soon as possible, Kustec and the coalition dismissed the criticism over remote schooling as politicking.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia continued to rank among NATO member states allocating the lowest proportion of its GDP for defence spending (1.1%), trailing the list by investment in defence equipment, a report for 2020 presented by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg showed.
WEDNESDAY, 17 March
LJUBLJANA - The government amended several Covid-19 decrees as part of its weekly review of measures, including allowing rallies of up to ten people across the country. The Obalno-Kraška region was upgraded to tier orange with inter-regional travel restrictions lifted. Primorsko-Notranjska was promoted to tier yellow to join Posavska and SE Slovenia as the regions where hospitality establishments can open to serve customers outdoors.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Six European prime ministers, including Slovenia's Janez Janša, who previously called for fair access to vaccines, met European Council President Charles Michel via videoconference. Janša's office said they discussed additional vaccine deliveries and mechanisms to reach the target to have 70% of adults across the EU inoculated by summer. EU sources said the leaders expressed their concern over potential gaps in vaccine distribution among EU member states.
BRDO PRI KRANJU - Health experts urged politicians to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic as a united front as President Borut Pahor hosted a meeting featuring senior officials. The meeting, which both Pahor and PM Janez Janša termed as useful, agreed to meet on a regular basis once a month.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor talked with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier by phone. They discussed the Covid-19 response, noting the exceptional importance in the efforts of the EU and its institutions and close cooperation between member states. They called for more efficient and coordinated response to the delays in vaccine supplies.
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša talked with the head of the Italian Northern League party Matteo Salvini, with the topics including strengthening cooperation between Slovenia and Italy, migration, and fight against Covid-19. As Janša tweeted, the pair also discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe and the current political situation in Europe.
BERN, Switzerland - Measures to contain the pandemic, post-pandemic recovery, and Slovenia's plans for its EU presidency topped the agenda as Speaker Igor Zorčič visited Switzerland for talks with his counterpart Andreas Aebi, the chair of the parliament's EFTA/EU delegation Eric Nussbaumer and Swiss President Guy Parmelin. The Swiss officials were mostly interested in Slovenia's response to the pandemic.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's plans for parliamentary friendship group with Taiwan were put on hold. This was after the committee's former chair, SocDem MP Matjaž Nemec, said a friendship group would mean Slovenia "treats Taiwan as a state, which it isn't". Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia's relations with China were good and its stance on Taiwan remained unchanged.
LJUBLJANA - The State Prosecution Council denied the allegation that the candidates it put forward for Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors were not meeting requirements on foreign language skills. The council said the two candidates met all the requirements. The government has failed to clear the appointments with suggestions the candidates do not meet foreign language requirements.
LJUBLJANA - The consortium led by Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG was selected for the second section of the new railway between Koper and Divača after it had already won the contract for the first section as the only bidder left. The combined cost of the project is estimated at EUR 628.3 million.
SLOVENJ GRADEC - The US multinational Adient announced it would close its Slovenj Gradec affiliate by the end of the year as a result of which 430 people will lose jobs. The company said that internal assessments and discussions with key clients had shown Slovenia was no longer considered a best cost country. Trade unions urged the government to take action.
THURSDAY, 18 March
LJUBLJANA - While acknowledging that the circumstances were extraordinary, the Court of Audit found the government, the ministries of health, economy and defence, and the Commodity Reserves Agency inefficient in the PPE procurement. All five institutions were urged to take remedial measures. PM Janez Janša and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek assessed the report as exonerating.
LJUBLJANA - The defence ministers of Slovenia and North Macedonia, Matej Tonin and Radmila Šekerinska, called for a strengthening of defence ties as the pair met. They agreed to boost cooperation in NATO missions and set up a joint centre for the maintenance of OshKosh armoured vehicles.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor spoke via video link with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputova to exchange views on the battle against the pandemic and its ramifications. The pair stressed the importance of closer cooperation at the EU level. They also discussed the Western Balkans situation, EU enlargement and efforts to tackle climate change.
LJUBLJANA - The government proposed for the STA supervisory board to dismiss Bojan Veselinovič as STA director, alleging workplace bullying and violations in the fulfilment of the agency's legal obligations. Veselinovič denied the allegations. The STA works council and trade union said there had been no reports of alleged bullying.
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an omnibus bill that would amend over a dozen laws and repeal dozens more in an effort to simplify bureaucratic procedures. The bill brings official registries of laws and personal data, electronic serving of official documents and new powers for state secretaries, while also introducing a cap on social security contributions at EUR 6,000 gross per month.
LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that Slovenia would not accept a settlement with the British company Ascent Resources over the dispute about permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in the north-east of Slovenia.
PARIS, France - The OECD said in a report that insufficient prosecution of foreign bribery in Slovenia is still a reason for concern and so are claims about political interference in law enforcement. The OECD is meanwhile happy with the protection of whistleblowers.
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Andrej Čuš, the leader of the non-parliamentary Greens, a new state secretary at the Economy Ministry. On 20 March, Čuš will succeed Ajda Cuderman, whose new job will be in the prime minister's office.
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Mateja Vraničar Erman as Slovenia's high representatives for succession and appointed international law expert Miha Pogačnik to succeed her. Pogačnik has since last April led the government's legal service, while he served as high representatives already in 2005-2009.
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Joško Knez the acting director general of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) to take over from Iztok Slatinšek on 1 April.
