STA, 28 June 2022 - A new documentary film on one of the bloodiest clashes of the 1991 ten-day independence war for Slovenia was screened in Slovenj Gradec on Monday. The film revisits the Holmec border crossing affair, in which Slovenian police and soldiers were accused and later cleared of shooting surrendering Yugoslav army personnel.

Entitled The Battle for Holmec - On the Other Side of Blame (Bitka za Holmec - na drugi strani krivde), the documentary by Slovenian film-maker and Boštjan Slatenšek sheds light on the clash that took place on 27 and 28 June 1991 on the Holmec border crossing with Austria which members of the Yugoslav army attempted to seize.

The film features footage of a meeting of the former adversaries 30 years after the incident that claimed two lives among Slovenian police officers defending the crossing with the assistance of the Slovenian Territorial Defence units, and three lives on the side of the Yugoslav army.

Slatenšek told the press that the Holmec clash, which resurfaced as a political scandal in 1999 amid speculations of a possible war crime that were later refuted, had already touched him during the independence war, during which he first served in the Yugoslav Armed Force to soon join the Territorial Defence.

When the war crime allegations began, he felt it "horrific how the state as such did not come to the defence of those subjected to them in a more determined fashion".

He also feels journalists had failed to present the story the way it deserved to be presented, which is why approaching it with a documentary seemed a logical step.

While the feature-length documentary includes a lot of footage of the developments, Slatenšek highlighted testimonies as the crucial element of the film, including "testimony by the opposite side, which I find the film proved to be credible".

A key moment, captured in footage by an Austrian cameraman, is the surrender of a group of Yugoslav soldiers during which shots can be heard. Commenting on it for the documentary, Husein Šabić, who was in charge on the Yugoslav side, said that none of the soldiers seen surrendering had been killed or hurt.

"Nobody shot at these people who were surrendering. And this is what matters .... nobody was wounded, nobody died. It is therefore not possible that a crime took place," said Slatenšek, whose role in the case is also among the topics of the film.

STA, 7 June 2022 - The newspaper Dnevnik writes on Tuesday that statistics on illegal migration do not justify Austria's continued passport controls on the border with Slovenia, noting that it is in violation of the freedom of movement, one of the EU's core values.

The paper notes how 15 years ago when Slovenia joined the Schengen area Austria's economy minister of the time, Martin Bartenstein, hailed the end of border controls and freedom of movement at Šentilj crossing.

Given that Austria reintroduced border checks in the autumn of 2015, "our joy and freedom lasted but half the time that we have been part of the Schengen club, which promised us free travel across Europe without having to wait or show our ID at border crossings."

The paper says that a 36-year-old EU citizen took the promise seriously and refused to show his ID document at Šentilj in 2019. He was fined but filed legal action with the relevant court in Austria's Styria. On the court's request to give its opinion, the EU court in April this year ruled that Austria has since 2017 failed to prove it faced a new direct threat from open borders as required by the Schengen Code.

"In the end, judges in Styria will decide about the claim of the 36-year-old plaintiff [...] but anyone who will have a look at the statistics from the Federal Criminal Investigation Office or the Austrian Statistical Office over recent few years has a right to wonder why the hell the Austrians control the border with Slovenia, apart from the one with Hungary."

"As far as Hungary is concerned, it is possible to understand, because last year, most illegal migrants were apprehended in Burgenland, which mainly borders Hungary, but the second largest number of illegal migrants was intercepted in Lower Austria, which borders the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where Austria no longer conducts any border checks," writes the paper under the headline Why the Hell Šentilj (Zakaj hudiča Šentilj), adding that the Šentilj crossing has never been listed as problematic for illegal migration.

STA, 6 June 2022 - Visiting Slovenia as the first foreign official after the new government was sworn in, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Monday that Austria did not see any alternative to checks on what is its internal Schengen border with Slovenia. He discussed a number of issues with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

 In light of the war in Ukraine and a significant increase in illegal migration in recent months, there is no alternative to Austria's continued border checks, Schallenberg said, adding that Austria would strive to come up with a solution through dialogue to make the situation on the border the way it was prior to 2015.

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Dobrodošli v Sloveniji, minister Schallenberg!

To je prvi obisk pri ministrici @tfajon po prevzemu @MZZRS. Slovenijo in Avstrijo povezujejo tesne zgodovinske, kulturne, gospodarske in človeške vezi med narodoma.

?NK v živo ob 12.05: https://t.co/GBezNs0MBE pic.twitter.com/ZIAULrUJ0g

— MFA Slovenia (@MZZRS) June 6, 2022

Meanwhile, Fajon said that Slovenia saw no reason to maintain border controls. She informed Schallenberg of the planned removal of the fence on Slovenia's border with Croatia, assuring him that Slovenia would continue to ensure adequate protection of its external Schengen border.

In 2015, at the peak of the refugee crisis, Austria introduced border checks on its internal Schengen borders with Slovenia and Hungary and has been extending this ever since. The latest six-month extension was in mid-May, with Austria citing the war in Ukraine as one of the reasons.

Fajon and Schallenberg reaffirmed the good cooperation between the two countries in various fields and stressed the importance of ethnic minorities.

Fajon said that before the visit she had met representatives of the Slovenian ethnic community in Austria, who, she said, lauded the positive developments on the Austrian side.

"We have agreed to work together, at federal level and along the border, to provide help to our national community," she said as she expressed her support for continuation of the dialogue with the German-speaking community in Slovenia and efforts to strengthen their linguistic and cultural identity.

"Both communities need our help and protection," said Schallenberg.

Asked whether Slovenia would work towards the notification of the Austrian State Treaty under the new government, Fajon replied that in dialogue with Austria the Slovenian side emphasised above all the implementation of Article 7 of the treaty, which guarantees the rights of the Slovenian community in Austria.

"The question of the status of the contracting party is not a subject of the dialogue with Austria, furthermore the situation in the world does not allow it at the moment," she added.

Schallenberg said that Austria considered the treaty to be a limited international treaty, so Slovenia cannot join it. "Nevertheless, Austria is committed to respecting it and takes the commitments seriously," he added.

Another issue on which the two countries do not share the same position is nuclear energy. Schallenberg reiterated Austria's opposition to the nuclear power plant in Krško, but acknowledged that the exchange of information at expert level was going well.

"I know that giving up nuclear power is not on the Slovenian agenda, but I would like to see us take things forward in a way that would benefit both countries," he said.

The ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine and called for cooperation on projects to rebuild the country after the war and help people there.

Moreover, the pair called for the EU to do everything possible to implement the enlargement commitments made to Western Balkan countries.

"We're both wholeheartedly committed to supporting the Western Balkans countries to get their membership as soon as possible, and we will devote close attention to putting them on the EU agenda," Fajon said.

Schallenberg noted the geopolitical responsibility of the EU towards the region and the promises made to the region 19 years ago. "If we talk about Ukraine and Moldova, we must also talk about the Western Balkans", he said, warning against creating first- and second-tier candidates for EU accession.

Schallenberg is the first foreign senior official to have visited Slovenia after the new government took office last week. He expressed his gratitude for having been able to visit Ljubljana so quickly, and Fajon stressed the symbolic importance of his visit.

He also met President Borut Pahor and was received by Robert Golob, the new prime minister. During their meeting, Golob called for Austria to lift their checks on the border with Slovenia as soon as possible.

Golob and Schallenberg talked relations between the two countries and central European issues, with an emphasis on the energy situation as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the prime minister's office said.

STA, 17 May 2022 - Five Slovenian MEPs have sent a public letter to Austria and the European Commission criticising the recent decision of Austria to again extend police controls on the border with Slovenia, labelling the move as unjustified and disproportionate. They argue that this is confirmed by the valid EU law and the recent decision of the EU court.

The letter signed by Irena Joveva, Klemen Grošelj (both Renew/LMŠ), Milan Brglez (S&D/SD), Ljudmila Novak (EPP/NSi) and Franc Bogovič (EPP/SLS) is addressed to Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Ylva Johansson as the competent European commissioner.

It notes that Slovenia was more than appropriately addressing the challenges in irregular migration, possible terrorist threats and trafficking in human beings.

The functioning Schengen Area poses no threat to Austria, while border control severely restricts freedom of movement, the letter says, adding that there were no new threats to justify the decision.

According to the five Slovenian MEPs, the subsequent six-month extensions of internal border control since 2015 have not been in line with the EU rules.

They have urged the Austrian government to reconsider its intention to renew control on the EU's internal border, and asked the Commission to issue an opinion about the necessity or proportionality of the decision of the Austrian authorities.

The MEPs noted that reintroducing internal border control should be a measure of last resort and that alternative measures for internal border control should be sought.

The Commission told the STA that the relevant ruling of the EU Court of Justice clarified the rules applied for temporary reintroduction of internal border control. A preliminary ruling says the matter must now be decided by a national court.

It added that it was working with the EU member states to end the continued reintroduction of internal border control in close technical and political dialogue.

The Commission is also ready to work with the European Parliament and the Council to address the issue in the ongoing negotiations on updating the Schengen Borders Code, it added.

In April, the EU Court of Justice said that a Schengen Area member state could reintroduce border control in the event of a serious threat to its public order or internal security, but should not exceed the maximum total duration of six months.

It may reintroduce the measure immediately after the end of this six-month period, but only if it faces a new serious threat that is different from the one originally identified.

Austria notified the Commission last week that it would extend control on its borders with Hungary and Slovenia for at least six months. The war in Ukraine was cited among the reasons for the decisions this time.

STA, 11 April 2022 - Verschwinden (Vanishing), a documentary by Andrina Mračnikar, the Austrian director and screenwriter of Slovenian descent, about the Slovenian language disappearing from everyday life in Carinthia, has won the audience award at the Diagonale film festival in Graz.

The director of the feature-length documentary also received a EUR 3,000 cheque awarded by the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung.

The film, featured at the festival on Saturday and Sunday, is a "call against resignation and for courageous political action", says the presentation of the film in the festival's catalogue.

It is noted that before 1910, about 90% of the population of what is now the Austrian state of Carinthia spoke Slovenian, and most of them exclusively Slovenian. For instance, only 5% of people in Keutschach/Hodiše speak Slovenian today.

"This decline is a consequence of more than a century of discrimination fuelled by nationalism ... and ignorance of the German-speaking society and politics."

In interviews with Slovenian families in the area, the director presents an image of "persecution, deportations, violence, insidious hostility and bureaucratic obstacles" that have led many Carinthian Slovenians to give up their own language.

Born in 1981 in Hallein, Mračnikar grew up in Carinthia and studied at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana and directing and screenwriting at the Vienna Film Academy. She has lived in Vienna for the past 20 years.

She has made two other documentaries - Andri 1924-1944 (2003) and Der Kärntner spricht Deutsch (2007), and one feature film - Ma Folie (2015) to receive a number of awards and recognitions.

The best film award at the Diagonale festival was conferred to Austrian director Ulrich Seidl for Rimini, while Sabine Derflinger received the award for best documentary for her film on German journalist and feminist Alice Schwarzer.

There’s not yet a website or trailer, but the documentary’s Facebook page is here to learn about screenings

STA, 22 January 2022 - An Austrian skier who went missing on Friday while skiing off piste in the area of Mt Stol in the Karawanken mountain range in northern Slovenia was found dead on Saturday morning, the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief says on its website.

The skier was found some 200 metres below the Stol ridge, in which he apparently fell in his ski boots, and died on the spot, the Kranj Police Department said.

The rescuers from Radovljica mounted a rescue operation on Stol's southern face yesterday and resumed it this morning. The rescue operation was also carried out on the Austrian sides of the border.

STA, 14 November 2021 - Andreja Slokar won the parallel giant slalom event in Lech/Zürs in Austria on Saturday as part of the Alpine Ski World Cup to take the overall lead in the competition. This is the fist career win for Slokar and also the first win ever for Slovenia in parallel giant slalom.

The 24-year-old from Ajdovščina beat Thea Louise Stjernesund on Norway in the finals by 0.05 seconds, while Norway's Kristin Lysdahl beat Marta Bassino of Italy in the third-place race.

Slokar now stands on top of the women's Alpine Ski World Cup standings as the winner of the first event of the season in Sölden, Mikaela Shiffrin of the US, was absent, as was Petra Vlhova, the winner of last year's parallel giant slalom race.

The Slovenian secured her best career result ever in what was her 19th appearance in the World Cup, after she finished fifth in the slalom race at the world championship in February.

The previous best for Slokar, who became the eleventh Slovenian woman skier in history with a World Cup win, was the 6th place in the finale of the last season in Lenzerheide in the team slalom race.

"The race was fun. It is a little bit specific, as there is only one such event in the season and you never know what will happen. But you could tell that I enjoyed it very much. It's great for the first win," she said after the win.

Slovenian team head coach Sergej Poljšak was excited with the win. "It's a great day for Andreja. It was very tight in the quarter-finals, after which she skied better in each run and was deservedly victorious."

STA, 13 August 2021 - Vehicles are waiting more than six hours to enter Slovenia from Croatia at Gruškovje border crossing as traffic is extremely heavy at border crossings on Friday afternoon ahead of another very busy holiday weekend. An 8km tailback has meanwhile formed on the Slovenian side of the Karawanks tunnel towards Austria.

At the Karawanks tunnel on the Gorenjska motorway, the Jesenice east entry to the motorway towards Austria is closed due to the congestion, Slovenia's traffic information centre said.

More than two hours are needed to enter Slovenia from Croatia at Obrežje, and up to one hour at Petišovci and Rogatec, all in the east of Slovenia. To leave Slovenia for the southern neighbour, vehicles are waiting up to one hour.

Traffic is also rather slow on the Primorska section of the A1 motorway towards Ljubljana.

The Ljubelj tunnel with Austria is being closed at intervals on the Austrian side due to passenger controls and congestion.

You can always find the latest traffic news at the official site, promet.si, while the current waiting times at Slovenia’s borders can be found here

STA, 4 August 2021 - A cross-border natural hazards portal has been launched by Slovenia and Austria as a result of a three-year project. Cooperation between the two countries has led to new and improved systems of weather monitoring, forecasts and warnings of floods and avalanches.

Seven organisations from both countries participated in the Crossrisk project, which was launched in June 2018. Wrapping up the project on Wednesday, they presented the results of the initiative at a meeting near the Ljubelj mountain pass practically on the Slovenian-Austrian border.

The portal, available at www.crossrisk.eu, delivers forecasts and warnings in Slovenian, German and English for Slovenia and the southern part of Austria where heavy rain and snow can cause severe damage.

Innovative systems warn about floods, snow melting, snowfall, snow weight and avalanches as well as help users plan outdoor activities, particularly hiking in winter or ski touring, said Miha Pavšek from the ZRC SAZU research centre, one of the participating organisations.

The project was also based on cooperation between Slovenian and Austrian environment agencies with Aleš Poredoš of the former noting that users would benefit from cross-border daily forecasts and warnings regarding winter mountain conditions. Local authorities and ski resorts could consult the portal when deciding on potential evacuation or closure.

Moreover, Crossrisk also provides information on the impact of climate change on precipitation. The EUR 1.3 million project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

STA, 31 July 2021 - Long tailbacks of traffic have built up at crossings on the Slovenian-Croatian border as holidaymakers from northern Europe hit Croatian coastal resorts.

Data by the national traffic information centre for Saturday midday shows waiting times of more than two hours at all major crossings for vehicles entering Croatia.

The situation is currently worst at small border crossings such as Vinica, where those entering Croatia can expect to wait for up to six hours.

At major crossings such as Obrežje/Bregana, Gruškovje/Macelj and Jelšane/Rupa, the waiting times are between two and four hours.

Traffic in the opposite direction has gotten just as bad. Most crossings report waiting times of more than two hours to enter Slovenia, but on coastal crossings waiting times of up to four hours are currently expected.

The situation on the border with Austria has deteriorated as well. At the biggest crossing, Karavanke, there is currently a four-kilometre tailback.

You can always find the latest traffic news at the official site, promet.si, while the current waiting times at Slovenia’s borders can be found here