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STA, 25 June 2021 - The prime ministers of Austria, Croatia and Hungary, the foreign minister of Italy, and the president of the European Council congratulated Slovenia on the 30th anniversary of its independence and wished it a successful stint at the helm of the EU as they addressed the Statehood Day celebration on Friday.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Slovenia was an important neighbour and economic partner of Austria's that cannot be imagined not being part of the European space.
He said Austria was looking forward to Slovenia's EU presidency and thanked Prime Minister Janez Janša for making Western Balkans among the focal points of the presidency.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković wished Slovenia all the best in presiding the EU, pleased that he could count on the know-how, creativity, patriotism and European character of the country.
Wishing that it makes a substantive contribution to the future of Europe, he said Slovenia could "always rely on Croatia as a friend and partner".
Sem na strani domoljubne, ponosne, optimistične in v prihodnost usmerjene Slovenije.#30let ??????
— Matej Tonin (@MatejTonin) June 26, 2021
Foto: Srdjan Živulović, MMC pic.twitter.com/2i0Wys9aJ6
? LIVE now: Follow my speech at the ceremony for the 30th anniversary of Slovenian statehood #30let and the upcoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU @EU2021SI https://t.co/M2hAtWlkie
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) June 25, 2021
#Slovenia30 | ?? FM Augusto Santos Silva gifted an astrolabe to PM @JJansaSDS:
— EU2021SI (@EU2021SI) June 25, 2021
"Many challenges await you in the next semester. So may the Portuguese astrolabe be of help to you, guiding Slovenia on its path to the Presidency. We wish you a good presidency." pic.twitter.com/h6svstlZ6e
Ich danke @JJansaSDS für die Einladung heute nach Ljubljana zu den Feierlichkeiten zu 30 Jahren Unabhängigkeit #Sloweniens! Das war ein bewegender Moment für mich. Von der ersten Stunde an haben wir die Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen von Slowenien unterstützt. pic.twitter.com/dtDea3JWxS
— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) June 25, 2021
?? i ?? učvršćuju prijateljske i dobrosusjedske odnose te partnersku suradnju u ?? i NATO-u. Svim Slovenkama i Slovencima čestitam Dan državnosti i želim uspješno predsjedanje ??! Vsem Slovenkam in Slovencem iz srca čestitam Dan državnosti in to pomembno obletnico! pic.twitter.com/IIBywv6vNM
— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) June 25, 2021
Things that separate the two countries are insignificant compared to what they have in common, he said, noting that Slovenia and Croatia understood best what went on in this region thirty years ago.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban likewise emphasised the close ties between the two countries. "Hungarians see you as friends and Christian brothers. Hungarians are happy to be your neighbours," he said.
Orban said that the stronger, wealthier and happier Slovenia is, the better this is for Hungary.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio said Slovenia and Italy had very friendly relations, "in particular because we share the same values, which stem from and converge into our common membership of the EU and NATO."
Di Maio expressed Italy's support for Slovenia's presidency, noting that its second stint at the helm of the EU represented a new era on the path of liberty and democracy that Slovenia entered thirty years ago.
"we have strong confidence in Slovenia's ability to lead the EU in this sensitive time."
European Council President Charles Michel said he was proud and moved to be able to stand next to the Slovenian and EU flag and say happy birthday Slovenia and usher in the Slovenian presidency.
He said the European project was based on the values of democracy, freedom and rule of law, noting that diversity, tolerance and respect were Europe's powers
STA, 26 February 2021 - Slovenia's draft regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality has sparked strong protests in Italy. The proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar. The Slovenian government has said that Italy has not provided any formal comments so far.
The Austrian Press Agency (APA) has recently reported on what it describes as a battle for balsamic vinegar between Slovenia and Italy. What triggered it is the Slovenian draft, which defines balsamic vinegar as any vinegar containing concentrated or diluted fruit juice or must as an additive.
Slovenia notified the European Commission of the draft on 2 December 2020 with the standstill period ending on 3 March, the Agriculture Ministry told the STA today.
Both the economy and agriculture ministries highlighted that so far Slovenia had not received any formal comments or reservations by the Commission or member states.
"The regulation is still in the notification phase and reviews by the European Commission and all the member states are ongoing," the Agriculture Ministry added.
The same requirements for the use of the balsamic vinegar label as in the new draft are already set down under the current Slovenian regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality, which was most recently amended in 2004, the ministry noted.
In the event of formal comments on the draft made by the Commission or individual EU countries, the document will be amended accordingly, according to the ministry.
Italy protected Aceto Balsamico di Modena or Balsamic Vinegar of Modena using a protected geographical indication (PGI) in 2009. The Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena label is also protected as designation of origin (PDO), the ministry said, adding that in Slovenia balsamic vinegar was meanwhile a generic term.
The Italian Press Agency (ansa) quoted Italian Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli on Thursday as saying that the Italian government will take action to protect the Modena balsamic vinegar. Using the draft, Slovenia would like to elude a system that protects the authenticity of the Italian vinegar, he added, highlighting that such protection was one of the Italian government's priorities.
The Modena consortium of balsamic vinegar producers has been critical of Slovenia's step as well, saying that the Slovenian government seeks to change the balsamic vinegar labelling into product standard.
Moreover, Slovenia's move has been criticised by the Coldiretti society of Italian farmers, which has described the attempt by the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry as a "dangerous precedent".
"The proposal regarding the Slovenian regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality does not oppose or restrict in any way the already established protected geographical indications Aceto Balsamico di Modena and the designation of origin Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena," the Slovenian ministry said.
STA, 22 February 2021 - A predominantly Slovenian group of landowners in San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina municipality in Italy has reclaimed ownership of large tracts of lands under a landmark judgement recently handed down by an Italian court, a development seen as creating significant economic opportunities.
Based on new documents dated to the early 20th century, the Dolina "srenja", a kind of self-governing community of landowners, managed to reverse a 1931 court verdict under which the land had been made public property, the Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reports.
The srenja managed to prove that they were the rightful owners of the land, and not the municipality. The judgement affects 88 plots of land stretching over 233 hectares, some of it in the picturesque Glinščica Valley.
Over the years some of the land has been repurposed for infrastructure such as roads, which is why the srenja and the municipal authorities will now determine which of the plots will be assigned to the municipality and which will be left over for the landowners.
The two largest organisations representing the Slovenian minority in Italy, the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union (SKGZ) and the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO) welcomed the decision in a joint statement.
They said it "opens a new chapter and has potentially positive effects" as the land may now be used for farming, forestry and tourism.
"But more than that, it returns the land to the original owners [...] who will now be able to manage it to the benefit of the home community."
STA, 22 January 2021 - Slovenian Ambassador to Italy Tomaž Kunstelj and the foreign and culture ministries are opposed to the Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art's involvement in an exhibition showcasing the imagery of heroism in the former Yugoslavia at the MAXXI museum in Rome, the left-wing magazine Mladina reports in the latest edition.
The ambassador finds the exhibition scandalous, in particular considering that Slovenia is observing the 30th anniversary of independence from Yugoslavia this year.
In a dispatch to the Foreign Ministry on 12 January, part of which is published by Mladina, Kunstelj says the main reason for his opposition is that the project is linked to the theme of the former Yugoslavia and does not showcase achievements of Slovenian arts.
In the dispatch he says the embassy "will not promote or organise exhibitions from Slovenia on the topic of ex-Yugoslavia, in particular not during the 30th anniversary period".
The Foreign Ministry told the STA they agree with the ambassador that the "exhibition cannot be part of cultural and promotional programme to observe the round anniversary of statehood or the programme of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU".
The Culture Ministry said the ambassador did not demand for the exhibition to be "banned, he only expressed his opinion that it is not suitable to be included in the project to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence or the Slovenian presidency of the EU".
It added that the exhibition "unfortunately does not pursue such goals and values of international promotion of Slovenian culture and arts globally" as to be included in the programme of two international projects of such importance.
According to Mladina, MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts decided to put on the show as part of the years-long running presentation of contemporary arts in the broader Mediterranean region.
The show Bigger than Myself. Voices of Heroes from Ex-Yugoslavia will showcase contemporary arts from the region of the former Yugoslavia with heroism as the recurring theme.
The Rome museum invited Zdenka Badovinac, the former director of the Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art, to edit the show. It involves more than 50 artists from countries of the former Yugoslavia, including more than ten directly linked with Slovenia.
The show was to be put on as early as 2018, but the opening has been postponed several times due to organisational problems and the coronavirus pandemic. It was to be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana from October to December.
The museum told the STA today it had not been informed of the ambassador's opposition to the show. "We have learnt about the ambassador's letter from Mladina, which is unacceptable as the Embassy and or the Culture Ministry should check facts with us as well."
Badovinac told Mladina that the exhibition was fully financed by the Italian museum. She believes the ambassador's letter suggests his "not being informed of the facts and his judging the exhibition based on national criteria, which is unacceptable in the modern world".
The opposition Left protested against the ambassador's dispatch in a press release today, saying the government was interfering not only in the programme of the Ljubljana museum but also in that of MAXXI, an internationally acclaimed private museum.
STA, 26 October 2020 - The Nova Gorica municipality in the west and Slovenian minority organisations in Italy have called on the Slovenian interior and foreign ministries to coordinate anti-corona measures in the border area where cross-border ties are strong with the Italian government and Friuli-Venezia Giulia authorities.
"We would like to see coordination between Ljubljana, Rome and Trieste that would show understanding for people's lives, particularly those of both ethnic communities, the Slovenian in Italy and the Italian in Slovenia, and for the economy in the border area.
"The first wave of infections already showed that the state border in the Goriško area cuts across the Slovenian-speaking area and intense cross-border economy, cultural and social activities," reads the appeal, signed by Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič and the heads of the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ) and of the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO), Ksenija Dobrila and Walter Bandelj, respectively.
Gorizia Mayor Rodolfo Ziberna has already addressed a similar appeal to the Italian government.
The mayors of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, twin towns, separated by the border, have noted the ramifications of poor coordination between Slovenia and Italy, highlighting that citizens do not see the need for restrictions within the community since both the spread of coronavirus and preventive measures are similar on both sides of the border.
Today's appeal points out that even if unilateral measures by Ljubljana or Rome are taken in good faith, they pose a risk of casting doubt on support for turning the area into the European cross-border region.
Moreover, border restrictions interfere with day-to-day activities and urgent errands in the cross-border urban centre of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as well as weaken economic and other ties between the twin towns.
Both towns were relatively successful in tackling the first wave. They are doing relatively well in stemming the second wave as well, with Gorizia being even more effective at the moment. The Italian town is thus surprised over Slovenia's border restrictions in the area.
Nova Gorica and the minority organisations have thus called for measures that would not result in economic damage or hamper the progress of long-term development in the cross-border region.
Miklavič added that the government had taken into account the nature of cross-border regions when imposing movement restrictions. There will be no physical barriers at small border crossings or between the twin towns as a result.
All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia
STA, 20 October 2020 - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday to establish himself as one of the favourites in the race around Spain as he is defending his overall winner title in the same race from last year.
In the 173-kilometre stage from Irun to Eibar, the 30-year-old defeated the closest followers Richard Carapaz of Ecuador and Dan Martin of Ireland to put on the overall leader's red jersey already after the first day.
"It is great to win. I'm very happy. The team has again showed that it is very strong. It has done an excellent job during the entire stage, and I returned the favour with the win. It is a nice way to start the Vuelta," Roglič said.
?❤️ @rogla, el primer líder de #LaVuelta20
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 21, 2020
?❤️ First leader of #LaVuelta20!
? Charly López | @CarrefourES pic.twitter.com/jErHYiiAdl
"It has been a strange season, so I will enjoy the overall leader's jersey from tomorrow on, and the fact that we are able to race here," the Slovenian added after taking over the red jersey for the 12th time in his career.
Slovenia is celebrating a double win today as Jan Tratnik won the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia between Udine and San Daniele del Friuli to become only the fifth Slovenian ever to win a stage at the prestigious road race around Italy.
This made Slovenia the third country ever with stage wins at the Grand Tour races on the same day. The Giro and the Vuelta used to overlap, and the last time a nation managed the feat before today was in 1978 (Belgium).
This is meanwhile the third stage win ever for Roglič at the Vuelta a Espana, the race he won last year, when he also finished 3rd overall at Giro d'Italia.
Roglič's best achievement this year by far is the 2nd overall place at the Tour de France, the race won by his younger compatriot Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates.
STA, 8 September 2020 - Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has announced that Italy will not close small border crossings on the Italian-Slovenian border due to increased migration, but will bolster the presence of the military and police in the border area. She has also announced that mixed border patrols will be reintroduced.
Joint Slovenian-Italian border police patrols were discontinued when the Covid-19 situation started to escalate.
But Lamorgese said in Trieste on Tuesday that the joint activities would be renewed "already this evening", lauding cooperation with the Slovenian police, reported Primorski Dnevnik, the Trieste-based newspaper of the Slovenian minority in Italy.
The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region will see the arrival of additional soldiers "to monitor the region more efficiently", she said during her visit to Trieste, where she mostly discussed illegal migrations with regional authorities, according to the Italian press agency Ansa.
Additional soldiers will be primarily deployed to small border crossings as well as to roads and expressways to upset the apple cart for migrant smugglers.
Lamorgese said that the authorities needed to be one step ahead of the smugglers, who are inventive in coming up with new routes.
More than 3,000 illegal migrants have taken the Western Balkan route to arrive in Italy this year, which compares to 2,100 migrants crossing the Slovenian-Italian border illegally in the same period last year. Some 850 were handed over to the Slovenian authorities, said Lamorgese.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia President Massimiliano Fedriga is meanwhile disappointed that small border crossings remain open, reported Ansa. But he said the minister had told him she would see no alternative to closing them if sending additional manpower did not prove efficient.
Lamorgese hopes the move will bring positive results though. A total of 21 small border crossings will see reinforced border control already tonight.
STA, 6 September 2020 - Four victims of fascism, known among Slovenians as Basovizza Heroes, were remembered with a ceremony on Sunday at the site where they were executed 90 years ago following a short trial before a Fascist court in Trieste.
Slovenian patriots Ferdo Bidovec, Fran Marušič and Alojz Valenčič as well as Zvonimir Miloš, a Croat with close links to the Slovenian community in Trieste, were executed on 6 September 1930 in Basovizza common.
They were sentenced to death in what is known as the First Trieste Trial for an attack on the newspaper Il Popolo di Trieste. The other 12 defendants were sent to prison.
Tried under Fascist laws, the four are still formally "terrorists", something their relatives would like Italy to change, especially because the other Slovenian patriots and antifascists sentenced to death at the Second Trieste Trial in 1941 were posthumously rehabilitated.
The Slovenian ethnic minority in Italy cherishes the memory of Basovizza Heroes with annual commemorations, which are also often attended by Slovenian officials.
The victims of the first and second Trieste trials were also posthumously honoured with Slovenia's Golden Order of Freedom for their fight against Nazism and Fascism and for loyalty to Slovenian identity in the darkest times of Italianisation.
What is one of the highest state honours was bestowed on them in 1997, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Primorska region with Slovenia.
In July, President Borut Pahor and Italian President Sergio Mattarella visited the Memorial to Basovizza Heroes alongside paying a visit to the Foiba of Basovizza, a karst pit which for Italians symbolises post-war summary killings by Partisans.
The move was seen by some as an act of reconciliation between the nations which had been on the opposite sides in the past, and as a revision of history by others.
Today's commemoration was addressed by Slovenian parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič, by Marija Bidovec, Ferdo Bidovec's niece, by Peter Močnik, a secretary of the SK Slovenian minority party, and by the head of the regional institute for the history of WWII resistance movement, Mauro Gialuz.
Addressing a sizeable gathering, Zorčič said the Basovizza Heroes had become a symbol of resistance to a murdering and oppressive regime and ideology that incited hatred and violence among people. They are heroes of the free Europe built on the foundations of anti-Fascism and resistance to all ideologies in the name of which people oppressed and killed each other.
The ceremony was attended by people from both sides of the border, including several senior officials, among them Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch, Slovenian Ambassador to Italy Tomaž Kunstelj, General Consul in Trieste Vojko Volk and Slovenian senator in Rome Tatjana Rojc.
In his address, Trieste Mayor Roberto Dipiazza said he did not deem the Basovizza Heroes terrorists. He mentioned Pahor's and Mattarella's joint visit to the Basovizza memorial and foiba and the symbolic return of Trieste Hall among the gestures that he said inspired hope for the future among the Slovenian and Italian communities.
Several other speakers noted the latest events as a new piece in the puzzle of reconciliation between the two nations and called for full rehabilitation of the Basovizza Heroes.
Later in the evening Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore was to say mass at the local parish church, whereas Italian Senator Tatjana Rojc, a Slovenian minority member, delivered a speech.
The four patriots were also remembered in Slovenia with two commemorations on Friday, one in front of the University of Ljubljana and the other at the memorial to Basovizza Heroes in Kranj.
Historian Štefan Čok spoke about the values and message of Basovizza on Saturday at the memorial in Basovizza, and a number of events are planned for next week.
One of the highlights will be the presentation of Milan Pahor's book about Borba, an underground organisation whose members the four Basovizza victims were.
STA, 4 August 2020 - Due to an increase in illegal migrations from Slovenia to Italy, the government in Rome has announced it will send an additional contingent of soldiers to the Friuli Venezia Giulia region to help monitor the border with Slovenia, Tatjana Rojc, the ethnic Slovenian senator in Rome, said on Tuesday.
Rojc met today with Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, who presented the government's plans. The Italian government is closely watching the developments and wants to strengthen cooperation with Slovenia in the fight against smugglers, Lamorgese was quoted as saying by the Austrian Press Agency (APA).
Rojc told the APA that the stricter controls in Trieste and Gorizia are leading an increasing number of migrants and Ukrainian smugglers to try to enter via the smaller border crossing in the Udine area. The smugglers are transporting the migrants to Italy with small buses, camper vans and lorries, the senator added.
The plans of the Italian government seem to come in response to a letter sent to it last week by the regional authorities in Friuli Venezia Giulia, which called for fast and targeted action.
STA, 17 July 2020 - President Borut Pahor discussed Monday's return of National Hall in Trieste to the Slovenian minority, and his and Italian President Sergio Mattarella's visit to two memorials in Basovizza in an interview he gave to Mladina weekly. He said Italy transferring the centre's ownership onto the minority should not be taken for granted.
After the law on the Slovenian minority was passed in 2001 setting down the return of the former commercial and cultural centre to the minority, Italy had been considering leasing it to the minority, according to Pahor.
Intervju s predsednikom republike: "Borut Pahor: »Bilo bi dobro, če bi obstajala jasnejša alternativa sedanji vladi« @SpletnaMladina https://t.co/yOqdZjyJly pic.twitter.com/U08YNntbFt
— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) July 17, 2020
The president said the final decision to claim ownership was taken in mid-May when he had a video call with the heads of the two Slovenian minority organisations in Italy and the Slovenian consul general and ambassador to Italy.
"We were discussing whether to risk going all the way to claim National Hall ownership, or to accommodate for some other solution, for instance merely leasing it from Italy."
He said they had decided at the videoconference to reject Italy's proposal to return the centre just to be used by the minority and to insist on its ownership.
Related: President Borut Pahor: Best of 2019 Instagram, Part 1
Only after this decision was made had a debate started on a ceremony accompanying the restitution event as well as on Pahor and Mattarela's visits to the memorials to the anti-Fascist victims and to the Italian victims of post-WWII killings, said the president.
Pahor thus rejected the notion of "quid pro quo" bargaining in that Italy would not have returned National Hall had he not visited the Foiba of Basovizza memorial.
He indicated that questions surrounding his and Mattarella's visit to the foiba memorial were hard issues, "but if I rely on my moral compass, I'm at peace".
"Both me and Italian President Mattarella felt all the way that we were doing something good."
Pahor is also aware that this gesture would not be necessarily interpreted in the same manner in Slovenia and Italy.
He was asked whether Italy should not have accompanied Pahor's visit to the foiba memorial with some other more substantive gesture, such as "giving more weight to" the 2000 report on Slovenian-Italian relations in 1880-1956 which, was compiled by historians from both countries.
Pahor said that Slovenia did expect Italy to "more attentively read the report and foremost to take it into account".
He said he did not think, based on what we know, that there are actually the remains of those killed after WWII in the Foiba of Basovizza, as they are mostly in other caves.
Il Presidente #Mattarella ?? e il Presidente della #Slovenia ?? #Pahor depongono una corona di fiori alla foiba di #Basovizza e al Monumento ai caduti Sloveni pic.twitter.com/3iDCtq2JDs
— Quirinale (@Quirinale) July 13, 2020
But he also noted that for Mattarella as a jurist, visiting the Slovenian anti-Fascists memorial, was a legal issue, since under Italian law they are still terrorists.
"If Mattarella went there, then this is a kind of an act which implies rehabilitation" of the four anti-Fascists, executed in 1930, according to Pahor.
He also said that his family had suffered under Fascism and that his grandfather had taught him that "we have to be proud, but that the other side also needs to be allowed its pride".
"Without this historical knowledge, I would not have gone that far," said Pahor in defence of his visit to the foiba memorial.
He also told Mladina that he had been raised in the anti-Fascist spirit and that he would not shy of saying he is an anti-Fascist.
