STA, 13 May 2021 - Slovenia plans to diversify its energy sources after the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for greater resilience. Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak counts in particular on solar and hydro power, and waste incineration.

Then minister noted at an online green energy summit on Thursday that the transition to alternative sources of energy brought certain challenges which were being addressed in the resolution on Slovenia's climate strategy until 2050, which the government confirmed in April.

The primary objective is to invest in renewables, and to utilise the remaining hydroelectric power potential in the country, Vizjak said, adding that there were also many opportunities in solar energy for covering a part of household consumption.

The minister noted that the problem with the latter was that, like wind, it was not always available in a sufficient quantity. This is the weakness of alternative sources of energy that policy makers need to be aware of, he added.

The document thus assesses that strong and reliable sources of electricity are required, and in the long run the state wants to continue investing in nuclear energy and in synthetic gases, including hydrogen.

Also important in the transition to green energy, according to Vizjak, is efficient energy management both in households and industry. Production units in Slovenia urgently need low-carbon transformation, he said.

According to the minister, the key segments of the green transition strategy are transport and consumption by households. As for the former, the goal is to boost public transportation, e-mobility and transfer of cargo from road to rail.

Vizjak noted that an important part of the recovery and resilience plan was waste management, including incineration of sludge from wastewater treatment plants and mixed municipal waste.

This is meant to compensate for the existing production units that use fossil fuel for supplying heat for Ljubljana and Maribor. A transition is planned to mixed municipal waste, he said.

STA, 6 May 2021 - Defence Minister Matej Tonin argued the EU should put political decisions into practice faster, as he attended what was the first in-person EU defence ministerial in about a year. The ministers discussed military mobility in Europe where the Slovenian infrastructure, in particular the Koper port, will play a major part. 

The ministers endorsed the decision to include Canada, Norway and the US in PESCO projects on military mobility to enable troops to move more quickly across Europe. In this way they for the first time allowed third countries to participate in the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

The project aims mainly to upgrade infrastructure such as bridges, railways and roads with the goal being to reduce the time it takes to move troops.

Addressing a virtual press conference in Brussels, Minister Tonin hailed the agreement as a major success. "Military mobility is not just a matter of logistics, it is a strategic one," he said.

Minister @MatejTonin se je v Bruslju udeležil simpozija o vojaški mobilnosti. K njej Slovenija pomembno prispeva tudi z uvajanjem uporabe alternativnih goriv za obrožene sile. @eusatcen #EUdefence #MilitaryMobility pic.twitter.com/HChz879NmP

— Ministrstvo za obrambo RS (@MO_RS) May 6, 2021

Slovenia is actively involved in the project with Tonin noting that attention was being paid with all infrastructural projects to allow civilian-military dual-use.

This was also kept in mind in planning the new Koper-Divača rail track so that all the tunnels and viaducts and the entire link will also be suitable to move military vehicles. The Koper port will play an important role there, also for strategic movement of troops to the East and Central Europe, said Tonin.

To boost military mobility the EU allocated roughly EUR 1.7 billion over the next seven years. Tonin could not say yet how much Slovenia will draw, but he promised they would try to use every opportunity available.

The defence ministers dedicated much of their attention today to the Strategic Compass, a process seeking to link strategic and operative levels to achieve the bloc's ambitions in defence and security. "It's an additional tool to enhance Europe's strategic autonomy," said Tonin.

He emphasized that strengthening European cooperation in defence and security was not meant as competition to other allies in NATO but to upgrade joint capabilities. "A strong Europe is a strong NATO," said Tonin, adding that to do that faster action was needed and putting political decisions into practice faster.

In discussion on the Strategic Compass the ministers focused on crisis management and risk assessment. Slovenia will continue discussion on the topic during its presidency of the Council of the EU, and Tonin today discussed the issue with the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

The ministers also talked about the end of NATO-led mission to Afghanistan on 11 September. Tonin said it did not mean a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan as cooperation would continue at the civilian level, in particular development cooperation.

Slovenia will complete its involvement in the Resolute Support Mission in coordination with the allies. The date of when the six Slovenian troops will withdraw has been determined but Tonin would not disclose it for security reasons. The last Slovenian rotation was deployed in Afghanistan in February for half a year.

STA, 5 May 2021 - The state-owner power utility Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE) will soon launch construction of what will be the largest solar power plant in the country. The 3.04 MW plant will be built atop a landfill near Hrastnik.

The project was announced on Wednesday as the HSE said it had obtained the building permit. The foundation stone will be laid on 3 July.

"Prapretno is the first megawatt-plus solar power plant in Slovenia. It will cover the annual demand for electricity of around 800 average Slovenian households," the company said in a press release.

The location has a symbolic meaning for the HSE and local community. "In the past, this area was heavily burdened by the electricity production in the Trbovlje thermal power plant and extraction of coal in the nearby mines."

Nenad Trkulja, the head of the project, added that the HSE would revive electricity production in the area, although in a environmentally-friendly way, without greenhouse gas emissions.

The press release adds that the company plans to expand the location for additional power production, as existing infrastructure enabled this.

"In a few months, when Prapretno starts sending electricity to the grid, we will become the largest producer of electricity from that renewable source," the HSE added.

STA, 5 May 2021 - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee has endorsed amendments to the act on road transport that create the legal basis for transportation platforms such as Uber or Lyft, changes that the government argues will facilitate the digitalisation of the transport sector.

The proposal sets down that drivers using digital platforms would need to get a licence, just like regular taxi drivers, whereas taximeters would no longer be mandatory for taxi drivers, who would be allowed to use software solutions.

Municipalities would have a say in setting the rules since they would be able to determine the quality standard, including the type of vehicle.

The amendments also include certain provisions making public transport more attractive to users and simplifying procedures for obtaining transit cards for professional athletes.

The committee debate late on Tuesday saw the opposition criticising the legislation, arguing that it is a result of lobbying that will pave the way for increased precarisation of drivers without addressing persistent violations of labour standards in the sector.

Coalition MPs argued the legislation did not interfere with existing labour relations but would modernise the sector, improve the quality of service for users, and break up the quasi-monopoly position of certain taxi companies on the market.

Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec stressed that all drivers will be licenced. The goal is to improve mobility facilitate the development of modern, digital services.

The legislation has been strongly criticised by taxi drivers, who have staged protests against opening the doors wide to a business model that they say is based on social dumping. They delivered the same message to MPs yesterday.

But some coalition MPs, including New Slovenia (NSi) deputy Tadeja Šuštar, who worked as a taxi driver for a year, noted that it was in fact the current system that facilitated labour abuses and dumping.

Slovenian tech companies have come out in support of the legislation as well.

The Slovenian Automotive Cluster and six digital mobility companies said in a public letter in support of the legislation that the solutions will drive progress.

Mobility is increasingly intertwined with digital technology and the amendments will make it possible to create new, user-centric business models, they said.

Similarly, Slovenia's Digital Champion Marko Grobelnik told MPs a green breakthrough could only be achieved with the changes given the limits of the existing legislation.

STA, 13 April 2021 - Trade unionists have come out against legislative amendments that would provide the legal basis for ride hailing platforms such as Uber arguing they often violate labour rights. Refuting the charge, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said the goal was to make transport services cheaper and more modern.

Amendments to the road transport act, which the minister expects to be passed in May, would add app-based ride services for a pre-agreed price to taximeter-based taxi services.

Saška Kiara Kumer, secretary-general of the Trade Union of Transport and Communications Workers, said that ride hailing platforms had proved exceptionally bad for employees.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, she noted that Uber has many legal disputes open with workers and has lost some of them. "In places where it has been welcomed under its terms, precarisation increased and the safety of rides decreased."

"We're not changing any existing rules with the bill. All drivers, regardless of whether they use a taximeter or an app, will need to have an employment relationship under the valid labour law with all the permits, which vitally excludes undeclared work," Minister Vrtovec said in response to the unionist press conference.

Kumer urged the proposal be withdrawn and submitted for inter-departmental adjustments, arguing the Labour Ministry had not been involved and the bill should have been debated by the Economic and Social Council, an industrial relations forum.

Commenting on that, Vrtovec said the Economic and Social Council had been acquainted with the bill and had backed it by two votes to one. The government and employers voted in favour.

"Some people in this country are for preserving monopolies, they're willing to do everything in their power to keep them, from closing down streets, to making threats, insults, shouting in meetings when we want to talk," said the minister, denouncing the conduct as unacceptable and deplorable.

Taxi drivers are sole proprietors and are using their own cars and leasing costly services from dispatch centres, the minister said, adding: "Under this law the rules will be the same for all."

However, the union disagreed with the claim of a monopoly in the taxi services market. Kumer said even now most drivers barely made ends meet, and if they worked for Uber they would earn even less.

The taxi union's shop steward Petra Krištof said Uber drivers had to pay a much higher cut of the revenue to the platform than Slovenian taxi drivers paid to dispatch centres for linking them with the clients.

Tea Jarc of the youth Trade Union argued the bill would only reduce labour standards and expand the room for precarious work forms. She said Uber was violating worker rights because it does not recognise drivers as employees, and was undermining transport and workplace security standards.

She also noted the issue of vulnerability of Uber's databases on drivers and clients.

Meanwhile, Vrtovec cited an opinion poll by Valicon in which 52% of those questioned said taxi services were often overcharged. "Even more, as many as 57% agree with the claim that foreigners and tourists are often charged higher fares and 40% believe the drivers take the long way."

He said the ministry wanted to lend an ear to the citizens. "We were appointed to improve services. That's also why we took on the changes to the legislation that has a long history."

The minister said the amendments were not drawn up for Uber alone. "Why we're talking only about this provider. We can talk about apps that can also be developed by the Slovenian market. The main thing is that Slovenian labour law is respected and that taxes are paid in Slovenia," he said.

The amendments are to be debated on the relevant parliamentary committee in May, after which they will be put to a vote at the plenary session, expectedly the same month, Vrtovec said, adding that from the end of May on the door would be open to a better system of rides.

STA, 15 March 2021 - Renovation work on the eastern tube of the Golovec tunnel, located on the south-eastern section of the Ljubljana ring road, got under way on Monday after work on the western tube was completed. The upgrade, during which the tube will be closed to traffic, is expected to take two months with replacement train transport available at discount prices.

The renovation comes after the western tube was already modernised last summer. The work on the second tube was supposed to start in summer this year, however national motorway company DARS decided to capitalise on an epidemic-driven decrease in road traffic and went ahead with the project earlier.

During the renovation, all traffic will be redirected to the western tube, however the tunnel will be off limit to vehicles heavier than 3.5 tonnes, which will have to opt for other sections of the ring road.

According to DARS, traffic will be organised in a 2+1 fashion, with the format adjusted to peak hour periods.

The eastern tube will be closed to traffic until 15 May. During the next two months, DARS will offer, in association with rail operator Slovenske Železnice, a discount of 50% on train tickets for Kočevje-Ljubljana and Novo Mesto-Ljubljana lines.

Drivers will be notified of any renovation-related congestion via online platforms, media and special signs situated at the main intersections on the ring road.

Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG is in charge of the entire project, whose price tag is estimated at EUR 8.56 million, VAT excluded.

DARS explained that the renovation was very much needed since it was the first since the tunnel opened in 1999. The eastern tube will get the same facelift as the western did last summer - replacing concrete with asphalt and setting up LED lighting and a thermal traffic detection system for traffic incidents, among other things.

What also lies in store is an upgrade of a link road connecting the BTC shopping district and motorway. DARS entrusted the project to Slovenian Trgograd and its Croatian partner GP Krk for more than EUR 2 million, VAT excluded.

STA, 18 February 2021 - The Slovenian energy group GEN-I sold a record 127.4 terawatt hours of electricity last year to generate the highest net profit to date. At EUR 15.4 million the profit was one percent above that posted in 2019 despite revenue falling by 4% to EUR 2.1 billion.

The group, active in trade, retail and purchasing of energy products, was successful across all its divisions and has been improving its financial position further with capital growth, the group said in a regulatory filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 40% to EUR 32.07 million. Pre-tax profit increased by 6.4% to EUR 20.2 million.

The release also said that the group was keeping its net financial indebtedness low.

Addressing reporters, the company's chairman Robert Golob said GEN-I had managed to adapt well to the situation changed by coronavirus, having invested heavily into digitalisation in recent years.

During what was a highly volatile year in financial and energy markets, the group stepped up electricity trading to sell 70% more electricity for what is almost ten-fold Slovenia's entire consumption, said Golob.

They purchased and sold the bulk of electricity in international markets of Central Europe.

Despite the drop in revenue, the group remains the second largest company in Slovenia in terms of revenue.

Golob said one of the key goals last year had been boosting customer relations, hence the decision to reduce power bills of more than 180,000 existing customers by 15% at the cost of EUR 2 million in the first wave of the epidemic.

GEN-I also put 845 self-supply solar plants into use last year, for a total of more than 21,000 so far. Golob expects growth in the field to continue in the future. Out of 24 planned mid-sized and large solar plants, 10 have been put up already.

The company fully removed fossil fuels from the electricity it supplies in Slovenia starting from 1 January and the customers were offered to decide themselves which non-carbon source they want to get their electricity from.

Unless a major difference in price, initial experience shows about 60% of consumers prefer solar over nuclear. "If there's benefit with nuclear, only 10% will opt for solar," said Golob, adding that the cost dictated the choice of source more than persuasion.

STA, 11 January 2020 - The port operator Luka Koper generated EUR 206 million in net sales revenue in 2020, which is 8% less than in 2019. Cargo transshipment was down by 14% to 19.5 million tonnes, shows the company's preliminary and unaudited report, published on Monday.

"The reason for revenue dropping at a smaller rate than transshipment is better operations in additional services, filling and emptying of containers and in higher revenue from storage charge in certain segments," the company said.

The operator of Slovenia's sole maritime port in Koper added that it had felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but that transshipment of containers as a strategic group of goods had nevertheless remained stable.

Transshipment of general cargo was down by 26% to 954,807 tonnes, of containers by 2% to 9.27 million tonnes, of cars by 10% to 998,201 tonnes, of liquid cargo by 23% to 3.32 million tonnes and of bulk cargo by 25% to 19.52 million tonnes.

A total of 945,007 container units were transshipped in Koper last year, which is 1% less than in 2019, and the number of transshipped cars dropped by 13% to 617,157.

The impact of the pandemic is direct when it comes to liquid cargo, as the sales of petroleum products dropped, in particular in the aviation industry, the company said.

It added that the drop in car production had affected the entire supply chain, and that it showed in transshipment of general cargo, including steel products, and in the terminal for bulk cargo, where raw material for steel industry is transshipped.

A part of the decline in transshipment of bulk cargo is attributed to the general drop in the use of thermal coal as a consequence of the increasing taxes on greenhouse gas emissions.

In car transshipment, a positive trend was recorded in the second half of 2020 on the account of exports of cars to the Far East, which is why the drop was much smaller than in other comparable European ports, Luka Koper said.

STA, 3 January 2020 - At 12.08pm on Sunday the first Kočevje-bound passenger train since 1971 departed from the Ljubljana Rail Terminal as passenger service on the route resumed, bringing much needed mass transit to south Slovenia.

One of the first passengers on the first train was Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec, who said the resumption of service would alleviate road congestion, improve traffic safety and contribute to a cleaner environment.

"I think that after 50 years, this is one of the most important days for Ribnica, Kočevje and these places... The economy and tourism of the Ribnica-Kočevje region will be able to develop faster, people will be more mobile," Vrtovec said.

Ten trains per day will run between Ljubljana and Kočevje on workdays and eleven in the opposite direction. The journey will last between an hour and ten minutes to an hour and 25 minutes.

The Ljubljana-Kočevje rail was conceived in 1887 and construction started in 1892. The railway The railway was officially opened on 27 September 1893.

The development boosted the exports of brown coal and wood from the Kočevje and Ribnica region. In its heyday, up to 170,000 tonnes of coal and more than 130,000 tonnes of wood was transported per year.

Passenger trains were introduced simultaneously with freight transport. As of 1968, passenger trains only ran to Velike Lašče and after 1970 the line was completely abandoned and trains ran only to Grosuplje.

The track was no longer suitable for heavier modern trains and speeds were capped at 50 km/h. There were 81 level crossings. Cargo transport continued but was greatly scaled down.

The first phase of the overhaul started in 2008 and the final phase, the installation of signalling and telecommunications equipment, wrapped up at the end of last year.

Infrastructure Ministry data show the entire project cost in excess of EUR 100 million. Minister Vrtovec is convinced the investment was worth it.

STA, 20 November 2020 - A renewed attempt by the opposition to ban the extraction of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing in Slovenia, was rejected in a 39:40 vote in parliament on Friday. While some coalition members agree with a ban, they want to wait for what was described as comprehensive solution being drawn up by the Infrastructure Ministry.

While the first motion to amend the mining act with a ban on what is also known as fracking, tabled by the opposition Left, was rejected at committee level last month, the renewed attempt, coming from the four left-leaning opposition parties, was rendered unfit for further reading at Friday's plenary.

Thursday's discussion saw the Left's Nataša Sukič highlight the dispute with British company Ascent Resources, which she said has been pushing to introduce fracking at the Petišovci gas field in the north-east of Slovenia for decades.

Ascent Resources has begun procedures for an investor dispute against Slovenia over the decision of Slovenian authorities that an environmental impact assessment is needed before any permits can be issued for hydraulic fracturing.

While Sukič spoke of a "dirty technology that is also proving abroad as destructive for the environment and the health of local populations", the government disagrees with the proposed changes, which also stipulate that already issued permits and mining rights and applications for them would need to be "coordinated" with the ban as well.

Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok argued that the motion was not worded appropriately and did not take into account the consequences of interference with obtained rights to use hydraulic fracturing to extract hydrocarbons, for which an environmental impact assessment needs to be conducted.

Franci Kepa of the senior coalition Democrats (SDS) said strategies needed to be thought through carefully also because of responsibilities toward potential investors in this field.

"The Infrastructure Ministry has been drawing up changes to the mining act for some time...It is not good to change the act just because of a single issue; instead, a comprehensive and complex approach is necessary," Kepa said.

A similar view was taken by other coalition parties, although the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the Modern Centre Party (SMC) expressed support for a ban in principle, while Mihael Prevc of New Slovenia (NSi) argued hydraulic fracturing should be discussed by experts and not politics.

Gregor Perič of the SMC spoke of "a strange case of amnesia" on the part of those forgetting that the mining act and Slovenia's mining strategy consider hydrocarbons as resources of strategic importance. He added the changes proposed by the opposition brought more questions than answers.

All opposition parties begged to differ, rejecting the systemic or comprehensive solution argument and highlighting the right of the inhabitants of Petišovci to live in a healthy environment.

"We find it nonsensical for such a good legislative proposal to be rejected merely on the basis of the excuse we are waiting for a systemic of comprehensive solution," Soniboj Knežak of the SocDems said.

"The company wanting to frack in Petišovci comes from the UK, where fracking is banned. It has also been banned in France, Germany, Ireland as well as Bulgaria, and it is high time that this invasive and dangerous method...also be banned in Slovenia," Knežak added.