Ljubljana related

06 Sep 2019, 13:24 PM

2019 has been quite a year for Adria Airways. In January in seemed that the carrier had overcome it’s financial problems, at least to the extent it was allowed to keep operating. In February it announced cuts to its summer schedule, and got a new owner. In April a deal with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company, which would have seen the Russian company become a strategic partner of Adria, fell through, while in July there was talk of the carrier actually collapsing – after days of cancelled, delayed, and merged flights – with the government announcing contingency plans if this came to pass. The same week saw suspicions raised over Adria Airway’s upcoming financial report, followed a few days later by a claim from managers that the problems at the airline were now being addressed. More recently, pilots at Adria Airways have announced a set of three 3-day strikes, with the first due to start 8 September (2019).

The latest piece of bad news is that Adria had to cancel flights to and from Vienna last night because it was due to be met by a lawyer for the FairPlane compensation claims company, and there was a risk that the aircraft would be seized over an unpaid debt. The €250 debt is in relation to a compensation claim that a court ruled Adria must pay an Austrian passenger on a cancelled charter flight in September 2017, which was due to fly from Cephalonia (Greece) to Graz.

In a press release, FairPlane, acting on behalf of the passenger, stated:

The deadline for the payment expired on Thursday September 5, 2019 so at 19.00 CEST, an executor, police and a lawyer were present at the gate at Vienna Airport. Usually, in such cases, sales from on board duty free, as well as other property belonging to the airline found immediately on site is seized. If nothing can be held or there is resistance from the crew, the executor can impound the aircraft.

According to reports in the Slovenian media, after cancelling last night’s flight Adria transported the passengers between the Slovenian and Austrian capitals by bus. While it remains unclear as to whether Adria has paid the €250 it owes the passenger, this morning the carrier did operate a flight to Vienna.

26 Aug 2019, 11:55 AM

STA, 12 August 2019 - Slovenia will be the country in focus at viennacontemporary 2019, the largest international art fair in Austria, which will take place in Vienna from 26 to 29 September.

The fair will feature more than 100 galleries and 500 artists from 25 countries, providing a glimpse into the contemporary art scene in Central and Eastern Europe.

In focus will actually be a state without territory, the NSK State in Time, an ongoing project launched by the controversial Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) art collective.

The virtual state debuted in 1992 as a reaction to NSK's own activities and to political developments following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It emerged a year after Slovenia gained independence, showing the artists' disapproval of national borders and promoting transnationality.

The State in Time boasts more than 15,000 citizens with their own NSK passports from around the globe, who held their first congress in Berlin in 2010.

Find out how to get your passport here

"The situation in Europe and the world shows just how relevant the NSK State in Time still is," viennacontemporary curator Johanne Chromik said during a recent presentation of the art show in Ljubljana.

Chromik also said the Slovenian section of the show had been curated by Tevž Logar, an up-an-coming Slovenian curator and art lecturer, who had chosen 13 artists.

Four Slovenian galleries will also be presented in Vienna, namely the Photon Gallery, Fotografija Gallery, P74 Centre and Gallery, and the Ravnikar Gallery Space.

Viennacontemporary is foremost a platform for art galleries to get new contacts, at the same time fostering dialogue and research.

All our stories on NSK are here

26 Jul 2019, 14:41 PM

STA, 25 July 2019 - Slovenian members of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee have welcomed the EU Commission decision to continue infringement proceedings over Austrian child benefits as a sign that discrimination will not be allowed.

"This is welcome news for our commuters. I expect Austria to heed to the concerns by the EU Commission and act accordingly. We cannot let children who are citizens of the EU be treated as first- and second-rate citizens," Romana Tomc (SDS/EPP) said.

Milan Brglez (SD/S&D) likewise said the EU may not allow discrimination. "This would be contrary to its essence and its achievements, and it applies in particular to the most vulnerable groups such as children," he wrote in a press release on Thursday.

Their comments came after the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Austria, the next step in infringement proceedings, due to the incompatibility of its law on the indexation of family benefits and family tax credits with EU rules.

Austria wanted to index child benefits for children who reside in other EU countries while their parents work in Austria to the cost of living in their countries of residence, which would severely affect mostly children from Central and Eastern European countries, Slovenia included.

26 Jul 2019, 10:25 AM

STA, 25 July 2019 - DARS, the national motorway company, has received five fresh bids in what is the latest chapter in the construction of Slovenia's half of the second tube of the Karavanke tunnel to Austria. Turkish builder Cengiz, already picked in a procedure last year that was subsequently quashed, is the cheapest bidder again.

Cengiz Insaat, which had promised to execute the project for EUR 89.3 million in 2018, now issued a bid worth EUR 99.6 million, DARS announced after opening the bids on Thursday.

Cengiz is followed by Greek J&P Avax with EUR 115 million, and Slovenia's Kolektor CGP, which has partnered with Slovenian engineering company Riko and Turkish company Yapi Merkezi to offer to build the tube for EUR 121 million.

The fourth lowest bid, worth EUR 121.5 million, was submitted by Implenia Österreich in partnership with Implenia Switzerland and Slovenia's CGP Novo Mesto, and the fifth, worth EUR 122.2 million by Slovenia's Gorenjska Gradbena Družba in cooperation with Czech builder Metrostav, which had been the second lowest among nine bidders in 2018.

Bosnia's Euroasfalt and its Slovenian partner Cestno Podjetje Ptujm, which had been among the six bidders invited by DARS into the new round of talks and bids, has not submitted a bid this time.

The bids are now to be examined and the procedure is continuing after the National Review Commission - which annulled the original awarding of the deal to Cengiz with the argument the Turkish company had made subsequent changes to their offer - rejected the call by Kolektor CPG, Yapi Merkezi and Riko to halt the new stage of the procedure.

While Austria is already in the midst of building its portion of the 8-kilometre tunnel, the project has been stuck in the tender stage in Slovenia since it began in 2017, having seen a number of appeals processed by DARS as well as the National Review Commission.

25 Jul 2019, 11:33 AM

STA, 24 July 2019 - Slovenia and Austria are the first EU countries to have started exchanging social security data as part of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) IT system, which provides European social security institutions with comprehensive electronic exchanges and thus speeds up procedures.

 

Slovenia's ZZZS health insurance institute and the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions have been cooperating in setting up the electronic exchange since the beginning of 2018.

The cross-border EESSI project aims to speed up and simplify administrative procedures as well as facilitate faster calculation and payment of social benefits. The IT system will also enhance data protection, said the ZZZS.

The institute expects to exchange more than 80,000 electronic documents with other countries per year, including some 30,000 with Austria.

In January the ZZZS started exchanging with Austria information pertaining to the sector of drawing up legislation, while at the beginning of July it launched a data exchange including in sectors dealing with work accidents and occupational diseases as well as compensation recovery.

The EESSI system assists EU social security institutions as well as those in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

All our stories about Austria are here

25 Jul 2019, 09:23 AM

STA, 24 July 2019 - Hans Peter Doskozil, the governor of the Austrian state of Burgenland, met Minister of Development and European Cohesion Policy Iztok Purič as he continued his visit to Slovenia on Wednesday for talks about the future of cross-border cooperation projects.

 According to a press release from the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, Doskozil and Purič noted the importance of cross-border cooperation and preservation of good relations.

These are manifested in cross-border projects, partnerships between institutions in Slovenia and Burgenland, and results that help boost competitiveness, research, innovation, effective use of energy sources and preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Burgenland is being involved in 12 projects in the Slovenia-Austria Interreg cross-border cooperation programme in the period between 2014 and 2020.

One of them, COOP4HEALTHCARE, is a project partnership between the University of Ljubljana, the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences, Premiqamed clinic, the company Evolaris, Ljubljana Technology Park and the Murska Sobota Innovation Technology Cluster, which seeks to improve the selection of services in healthcare, in particular at retirement homes.

The Slovenian minister and the Burgenland governor also discussed future cooperation. First activities for the cross-border programme beyond 2020 are already under way.

Doskozil arrived in Slovenia on Tuesday, accompanied by a delegation. He met President Borut Pahor and National Assembly Speaker Dejan Židan yesterday.

Today, he also paid a visit to the Health Ministry for an exchange of views on topical issues and challenges in healthcare with State Secretary Simona Repar Bornšek.

Doskozil also met Justice Minister Andreja Katič with the ministry reporting that the pair noted good and efficient cooperation in justice affairs between Slovenia and Austria.

Katič spoke about Slovenia's experience in the system of probation and resocialisation of convicts, while the meeting also touched on the use of Slovenian language at courts in bilingual areas in Austria.

Doskozil also met Culture Ministry State Secretary Petra Culleta.

All our stories about Austria are here

14 Jun 2019, 08:51 AM

STA, 13 June 2019 - Slovenian President Borut Pahor and his Austrian host Alexander Van der Bellen called for an upgrade of bilateral relations as they met in Vienna on Thursday. While acknowledging some differences in views, Pahor said those could be resolved in dialogue.

The presidents broached a variety of issues, including the status of the Slovenian minority in Austria and the position of the German-speaking community in Slovenia, which wants to be recognised as a minority.

Van der Bellen said the two countries were partners and friends whose relations were underpinned by "human, economic and political ties".

He said the situation of the Slovenian minority there had changed for the better, while there were also positive signals regarding Slovenia's support for the preservation of the German-speaking community in Slovenia.

Pahor stressed that the communities had different constitutional statuses, but he is in favour of Slovenia doing everything it can so that the community can preserve its identity. "This makes us richer," he stressed.

Both presidents expressed support for the idea of a Slovenian-Austrian event marking the 100th anniversary of the referendum under which voters in a large part of Carinthia opted for Austria instead of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians.

Pahor said the anniversary was an opportunity for a manifestation that would unite both nations and countries. "It is a great opportunity to set things that appeared a historical problem into the context of the future, where they can become solutions."

The pair also discussed Austrian police checks on the border with Slovenia, which Pahor said were unjustified, and construction of a new unit at the Krško nuclear power station, which Pahor indicated would likely be subject to a referendum in Slovenia.

Ven der Bellen said nuclear energy, which Austria has given up long ago, was one of the open issues, a reference to Austria's long-standing opposition to nuclear energy, both existing and new projects, in its neighbourhood.

Pahor said that his official visit was a part of Slovenia's efforts to have excellent relations with all neighbouring countries, noting that Slovenia was trying to resolve problems in dialogue. He expressed pleasure at Slovenia and Austria declaring 2020 as the year of neighbourly dialogue.

Broaching EU topics, in particular EU enlargement to the Balkans, Van der Bellen said that progress with regard to the accession of North Macedonia and Albania was needed in order for the EU to remain credible.

Pahor said the EU's absorption capacity was not questionable since these countries have small populations. He believes the EU Commission must treat Western Balkans as a whole.

The Slovenian president also held talks with Brigitte Bierlein, the new Austrian chancellor, with the pair describing bilateral relations as excellent and expressing the wish for deeper ties in science and culture, according to Pahor's office.

Pahor and Bierlein also expressed the hope that cooperation in 2020, which they declared as the year of neighbourly dialogue, would "nurture and affirm the already good neighbourly relations", with Pahor expressing the conviction that all issues, no matter how complex, can be resolved in dialogue.

The meeting with Speaker Wolfgang Sobotka revolved around international issues, the future of the EU and multilateralism.

All our stories about Austria are here

13 Jun 2019, 10:00 AM

STA, 12 June 2019 - President Borut Pahor will start an official visit to Austria on Thursday for talks with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen and other top officials. The visit is designed to maintain successful political dialogue at the presidential level and review bilateral cooperation between the countries so far.

Pahor will also meet Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein and parliamentary Speaker Wolfgang Sobotka.

According to the Austrian Press Agency (APA), the talks between Pahor and Van der Bellen will focus on the future of the EU following the May EU elections, the EU enlargement process and climate change.

Pahor will be the first foreign head of state to visit Austria after the Ibiza scandal that swept away the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Bierlein was appointed chancellor to lead an interim government until the snap election scheduled for September.

On Wednesday evening, Pahor will attend a ceremony hosted by the Slovenian Embassy in Austria to mark the upcoming Statehood Day.

Relations between Slovenia and Austria are considered excellent, with the two countries maintaining a regular and versatile political dialogue and successful economic cooperation.

The talks are also expected to touch on the protection of the Slovenian minority in Carinthia on the basis of the 1955 Austrian State Treaty.

The notification of the treaty has been an issue, as Austria has been against any of the new countries, including Slovenia, notifying its succession to the treaty, one of whose original signatories was Yugoslavia.

Although it has not formally notified its succession, despite occasional initiatives to do so, Slovenia considers itself a successor.

Meanwhile, Austria has repeatedly raised the issue of the German-speaking community in Slovenia, urging the Slovenian authorities to grant it the minority status.

Slovenia is also not pleased with Austria extending border checks on its border with Slovenia, which were reintroduced at the peak of the migration crisis in 2015. Slovenia deems the measure unnecessary.

Van der Bellen paid his first official visit to Slovenia as president in May 2017, while Pahor met him for the first time at the beginning of the same year during his working visit to Vienna when Van der Bellen was yet to take over as president.

In early May, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar paid an informal visit to the Tyrol state to meet his Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl. The ministers signed a joint statement on a multinational bid to have the Lipizzan horse breeding listed as UNESCO intangible heritage.

In terms of economic partnership, Austria is Slovenia's third biggest partner and its leading investor. Austrian tourists rank second in terms of the number of arrivals and nights spent in Slovenia.

Austria is also the most important market for Slovenia's sole port Koper, which in turn is the most significant port for Austria.

Merchandise trade between the countries amounted to EUR 5.5 billion last year, according to official statistics, with EUR 2.3 billion in exports and EUR 3.2 billion in imports. In the first three months of 2019, trade reached almost EUR 1.4 billion - more than EUR 549 million of which was exports and over EUR 849 million imports.

29 Apr 2019, 16:30 PM

STA, 29 April 2019 - One of the two main road links with the Austrian state of Carinthia, the Tržič-Ljubelj road, will be closed for around a month and a half due to rockslide prevention measures, the Infrastructure Agency has announced. An increased volume of traffic is thus expected at the Karavanke motorway tunnel, which will serve as a detour.

The road was closed after a part of it was hit by a minor rockslide on Sunday, exposing the danger of potential future rockslides, including a number of crisis points and gaps.

The precaution works will be carried out in the area of 450 metres along the slope overlooking the road, costing some EUR 1m.

The detour is arranged through the Karavanke tunnel and the Jezersko pass.

09 Apr 2019, 10:00 AM

STA, 8 April 2019 - Slovenian Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar said on Monday there were no reasons for Austria to extend control on the borders with Slovenia and Hungary, as announced by his Austrian counterpart Herbert Kickl in a letter to the European Commission.

"This measure is unwarranted and disproportionate and there is no reason for it," Poklukar said, adding that Slovenia was protecting the Shengen border well and effectively.

Kickl justifies the extension with the assessment that the number of illegal migrants was still too high, and warns about a "latent threat of terrorism" due to the possibility of foreign fighters returning from Syria and Iraq.

Slovenia has been opposing Austria's continued checks on the border between the countries, arguing that the number of illegal migrants returned from Austria to Slovenia is very small.

The Slovenian Interior Ministry said today that the Slovenian authorities had accepted only 15 persons from the Austrian authorities in the first three months of the year.

"Protecting the Schengen border is our absolute priority," said Poklukar, noting that he had not been notified by the Austrian counterpart about the intention to extend checks on the border with Slovenia.

The minister nevertheless noted that "migrations are on the increase, which is why we are ready to cooperate with all countries in the Western Balkans as well as other countries, including Austria."

Since 2015, checks on internal Schengen borders are also being carried out by Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

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