Last Week in Slovenia: 16 - 22 April, 2021

By , 24 Apr 2021, 10:30 AM Politics
Last Week in Slovenia: 16 - 22 April, 2021 wordcloud.com

Share this:

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, 16 April
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor rejected "naive and dangerous" ideas of redrawing Western Balkan borders as he addressed reporters in response to a non-paper floating the idea, arguing the EU's accelerated enlargement to the region would best silence such ideas. Pahor reiterated his resolute support for the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša rang up Šefik Džaferović, the Bosniak member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency, to explain there is no non-paper containing border changes or efforts to undermine Bosnia's territorial integrity that could be linked with the Slovenian government.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia will send its recovery plan to the European Commission by the end of the month or before the deadline, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said. The minister believes that Slovenia has prepared a plan that complies with all the requirements.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša does not take Slovenia's international reputation seriously enough, European Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova told news portal Euractiv. Sustainable media financing in Slovenia is endangered, particularly when it comes to the STA, she said, pointing out that she had raised concerns over the developments in recent discussions with Slovenian ministers.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs discussed the priorities of Slovenia's coming EU presidency with Italian counterpart Luciana Lamorgese. They agreed a joint and comprehensive solution should be reached on EU level to tackle illegal migration. Slovenia's EU presidency will focus on providing a high level of security in the EU and strengthening security in the Western Balkans.
        LJUBLJANA - The Agency for Communication Networks and Services (AKOS) concluded a wireless spectrum auction as part of which it also offered frequency bands for 5G mobile networks. It fetched EUR 164.2 million as all four bidders - A1 Slovenija, Telekom Slovenije, Telemach and T-2 - were awarded frequency bands.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor endorsed Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda's desire to speak on behalf of all Central European presidents at next week's online climate summit hosted by US President Joe Biden, as the pair had a telephone conversation.
        LJUBLJANA - The national vaccination advisory committee recommended Slovenia purchase all Covid-19 vaccines that are still waiting for approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), including Russia's Sputnik V. Its head Bojana Beović said the vaccines would be kept in quarantine warehouses and ready for use immediately after approval.

SATURDAY, 17 April
        LJUBLJANA - The police said they were leading an investigation to determine whether there are elements of suspected criminal acts prosecutable ex officio based on allegations of irregularities regarding the STA. Investigators visited STA chief supervisor Mladen Terčelj based on a number of reports of these allegations.
        LJUBLJANA - The American-Slovenian Educational Foundation (ASEF) honoured Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Slovenian descent, with the lifetime achievement award at its annual gala. The 55-year-old, who has visited Slovenia several times, was the first person to run a marathon in space.
        LISBON, Portugal - Slovenian judoka Tina Trstenjak won gold at the European Judo Championships 2021 in the women's 63 kg event. Fellow Slovenian Andreja Leški got a bronze in the same category, whereas Kaja Kajzer won silver in the 57 kg category the day before.

MONDAY, 19 April
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša condemned extremism after members of a radical Islamist group in Bosnia-Herzegovina protested in front of the Slovenian embassy in Sarajevo over an alleged non-paper linked to Slovenia that speaks about the breakup of Bosnia along ethnic lines. FM Anže Logar added that reviving a debate on the alleged non-paper benefited neither Bosnia-Herzegovina nor Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - A government degree allowing gatherings of up to 100 people indoor or outdoor entered into force. The decree was adopted last week in response to a Constitutional Court decision staying the blanket ban on public assembly. Gatherings must be pre-registered and prevention measures observed.
        LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar addressed the start of a virtual conference dedicated to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the Bled Strategic Forum. He said Slovenia would strive to strengthen partnership with the region during its upcoming EU presidency.

TUESDAY, 20 April
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the annual report on the preparedness of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in which the SAF general staff assessed the force's preparedness in 2020 was good for peace time, but insufficient for war operations. The assessment remains the same as for the year before.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia again raised the issue of UK work visa discrimination at a meeting of ministers for EU affairs, expressing the expectation that EU countries would be united on the implementation of agreements with the UK.
        MARIBOR - A Maribor Local Court judge announced she would halt misdemeanour proceedings against a student for taking part in a peaceful protest in Maribor in February against school closures. The student's defence counsel Dino Bauk said he expected the same decision to be taken in the case of two other students facing the same charges.
        PARIS, France - Slovenia lost four spots to rank 36th among 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The report warned of the "dangerous path for press freedom" in Slovenia, finding problems for press freedom continued despite pressure from international NGOs for improvements.
        LJUBLJANA - Mario Fafangel, the head of the NIJZ centre for communicable diseases, resigned from the government Covid-19 team after he already quit the previous line-up. He said decisions taken were often contrary to epidemiologists' opinions and protocols. Health Minister Janez Poklukar regretted his decision and appointed epidemiologist Irena Grmek Košnik in his place.
        MARIBOR - The supercomputer Vega was formally launched, putting Slovenia on the global map of computer super powers. It is the first in a series of eight planned high-performance computing (HPC) centres in the EU. The project cost EUR 17.2 million. Vega was set up as part of the HPC RIVR national project and EuroHPC.
        LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin Defence Minister Olivera Injac began an official two-day visit to discuss with Slovenian counterpart Matej Tonin defence cooperation, international missions and operations, and Slovenia's EU presidency. The ministers assessed bilateral cooperation as excellent, while agreeing it could be intensified in cyberdefence and crisis management.
        LJUBLJANA - Speaker Igor Zorčič addressed a virtual session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, noting that the Eastern Partnership was an important framework for cooperation and that the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency provided prospects to countries with a European aspiration.

WEDNESDAY, 21 April
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian FM Anže Logar and Italian and Croatian counterparts, Luigi di Maio and Gordan Grlić Radman, signed a joint statement on trilateral cooperation in the northern Adriatic, in what Logar said was the foundation for strengthening cooperation in areas that are key for all three countries. The trio called for boosted cooperation between the northern Adriatic ports and joint promotion of the Adriatic navigable waterway.
        LJUBLJANA - European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told the STA she intended to raise the issue of media freedom and pluralism during her two-day visit to Slovenia, noting the country should not underestimate the risk to its international reputation when it comes to this issue. The visit is primarily aimed at discussing the country's EU presidency preparations.
        LJUBLJANA - The government amended the medium-term defence programme until 2023 to adjust it to the latest priorities in development of military capabilities. Procedures to buy a tactical transport aircraft and two medium-sized transport helicopters are expected to be completed by then.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a resolution on Slovenia's long-term climate strategy until 2050 with ba view to reach zero emissions by 2050 or climate neutrality. The country is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80-90% by 2050 compared to 2005.
        LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek participated in a meeting of agriculture ministers of the Visegrad Group, plus Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. Slovenia thinks that efforts to pursue the Farm to Fork strategy are the right choice, said Podgoršek, highlighting that a transition to sustainable farming should be fair.
        LJUBLJANA - Those in Slovenia who have had a confirmed coronavirus infection will receive only one shot of a coronavirus vaccine six months after they had the disease, according to new guidelines issued by the national advisory committee on immunisation. The guidance was issued to vaccination centres recently after seven other European countries decided to do that.
        LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok provided assurances to MPs that the national recovery and resilience plan will hit the green targets mandating that 37% of funds allocated under the plan be spent on projects that contribute towards the realisation of climate objectives.
        LJUBLJANA - Gregor Majdič, a researcher behavioural neuroendocrinology and professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Maribor Faculty of Medicine, was elected new chancellor of the University of Ljubljana, defeating the incumbent Igor Papič, in a run-off.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced Peter Gaspeti to 30 years in prison for killing three relatives with a knife in the area of Domžale, 15 km north of Ljubljana, last June. The 25-year-old defendant will go to jail for killing his grandfather, grandmother and uncle.

THURSDAY, 22 April
        WARSAW, Poland - Prime Minister Janez Janša met his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki during a visit to Warsaw for talks on bilateral relations, the priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU and the future of Europe. Janša highlighted boosting the bloc's resilience for health crises and cyber security as two key priorities of the presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - EU issues and the post-pandemic recovery dominated talks as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou was received by President Borut Pahor for the first official visit by a head of state since the start of the epidemic.
        LJUBLJANA - European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs discussed the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency, highlighting the new Schengen strategy, migration pact and the Western Balkans as some of the key areas of interest.
        LJUBLJANA - EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs broached the issue of media freedom in Slovenia and the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). Hojs announced that after the STA management handed over to the government business documents handed over by the STA would be a basis to sign a new contract and restore financing. Johansson said she hoped "these issues can be resolved ahead of the Slovenian presidency".
        LJUBLJANA - The national advisory committee on immunisation recommended the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine against Covid-19 for everyone over the age of 18, in line with the guidance issued by the European Medicines Agency. Slovenia expects to inoculate at least 50% of its population or 63% of its adult population by the end of June, said Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health.
        LJUBLJANA - The annual general meeting of energy company Petrol decided to pay out a dividend of EUR 22 gross per share, as proposed by the management board, which is on a par with last year. EUR 45.22 million will thus be paid out in dividends out of a total of EUR 45.36 million in last year's distributable profit.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Potica, a rich traditional cake made of special dough and usually walnut filling, has been protected with the traditional specialities guaranteed label, meaning the cakes sold under the name will need to be certified for their shape and recipe, while not geographically limited to Slovenia.

Photo galleries and videos

This websie uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.