Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Another attempt to dismiss Speaker Zorčič fails

LJUBLJANA - Igor Zorčič remained parliamentary speaker as only 45 MPs voted to dismiss him in a secret ballot, one short of the needed majority, just like in the first attempt on 30 March after he quit the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC). Two ballots were invalid while no MP voted against as the centre-left opposition and unaffiliated MPs obstructed the vote. Zorčič said that the National Assembly "has proved once again that it is a sovereign institution", adding it would be best to hold an early election. The ruling Democrats (SDS) announced that a third attempt would have to be mounted to replace Zorčič.

Logar and Lavrov for improving EU-Russia relations

MOSCOW, Russia - As EU presiding country, Slovenia will make efforts to reduce tensions in relations with Russia, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced in Moscow after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov would also like EU-Russia relations to be normalised, but on the basis of equality of both sides. "Slovenia regrets the expulsion of diplomats and expresses solidarity with the EU member states which have been affected by Russia's retaliatory measures," Logar was quoted as saying by the ministry. He also expressed concern about Russia's military activities along the border with Ukraine. Lavrov said the pair agreed for Russia and Slovenia to enhance the legal basis to protect investments, according to Russia's Tass news agency.

Over million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - More than one million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Slovenia as 653,310 people have received a first shot and 381,619 have been fully inoculated, data from the National Institute of Public Health showed. The figures mean that just over 31% of Slovenia's entire population has received at least one dose, and just over 18% has been fully vaccinated. The vaccination rate is the highest in people aged between 70 and 89.

Mass anti-government protest calls for early election

LJUBLJANA - Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital protesting against the government's actions and calling for an early election. The rally included various groups and movements and was supported by trade unions and part of the opposition. Amnesty International Slovenia, the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy and the human rights ombudsman monitored the policing of the protests. PM Janez Janša said spreading Covid-19 with unregistered mass rallies was a crime.

New coronavirus cases inch further below 300

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 288 new coronavirus cases for Thursday, to push the rolling 7-day average down further to 282. Four more patients with Covid-19 have died, latest government figures showed. Out of 3,585 PCR tests performed yesterday, 8% came back positive. Hospitalisations dropped by a further 13 yesterday to 252, of whom 78 were in intensive care, one fewer than yesterday.

Govt and public sector unions sign pay deal

LJUBLJANA - The government and ten out of over 40 public sector trade unions signed a deal which abolishes some of the remaining austerity measures introduced during the financial crisis, delays the payday and raises the holiday allowance. It is estimated at EUR 65 million, said Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik. Several trade unions decided not to sign the agreement today, arguing they did not have enough time to study the annexes to collective bargaining agreements, which are usually signed together with the pay deal. Koritnik explained the deal remains open for signing until Wednesday.

Montenegro PM visits Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was on an working visit to Slovenia meeting Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral relations and Montenegro's EU prospects. Krivokapić also met Speaker Igor Zorčič and President Borut Pahor. Janša and Krivokapić pledged stronger bilateral economic cooperation and called for the joint economic commission to meet as soon as possible, Janša's office said. Krivokapić took to Twitter saying that the experience and support of Slovenia as an EU member state meant a lot to Montenegro.

Logar talks EU presidency, media for Portuguese press agency

LISBON, Portugal - Foreign Minister Anže Logar spoke with the Portuguese press agency Lusa on Thursday as part of his visit to the country, saying that Slovenia as the next EU presiding country wanted to put enlargement to the Western Balkan countries back on the agenda as "a strategic opportunity". He also discussed media freedom in Slovenia, saying the government guaranteed that the media were "completely independent".

Minister talks efforts to strengthen EU-NATO partnership with peers

LISBON, Portugal - Defence Minister Matej Tonin stressed the importance of the European Defence Agency as he took part in a virtual informal meeting of EU defence ministers. Discussing efforts to strengthen the EU-NATO strategic partnership, Slovenia joined the EU's calls for coordinating the two alliances' forward-looking defence processes. Tonin finds it key to streamline procedures and coordinate the EU's capacity planning with NATO's Defence Planning Process.

Minority MPs will continue to cooperate with the government

LJUBLJANA - The MPs for the Italian and Hungarian minorities will continue to support the government in principle. But when it comes to possible dismissals in parliament this support is not "absolute", they will decide on a case-by-base basis, Felice Žiža, who represents the Italian minority, told the STA. Žiža noted that the Italian and Hungarian minority deputies relied on Article 82 of the Constitution, which says that National Assembly deputies are representatives of all the people and are not bound by any instructions.

CoE says Slovenia progressed in tackling money laundering

STRASBOURG, France - Slovenia made progress in tackling money laundering and terrorist financing since the last evaluation in 2017, shows the Council of Europe's MONEYVAL report. But deficiencies remain, the biggest one being its progress in mitigating risks related to virtual currencies, as a result of which Slovenia's rating on the implementation of the new requirements for virtual assets has been downgraded from "compliant" to "partially compliant".

Koper port operator posts higher quarterly revenue and profit

KOPER - Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's sole commercial port, posted a year-on-year growth in the first quarter of the year as net sales revenue rose by 4% to EUR 57.5 million and net profit was up 15% to EUR 8.6 million. Operating profit (EBIT) increased by 15% from the first quarter of 2020 to EUR 9.8 million and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization rose by 10% to EUR 17.1 million, according to a non-audited report. The company said the results trumped projections by virtually all indicators.

Slovenia and N Macedonia seek to boost economic cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Noting that bilateral economic relations were at a high level, Foreign Ministry officials from Slovenia and North Macedonia called for further enhancing cooperation between their countries as they chaired a virtual session of the bilateral commission on economic cooperation.

Bia Separations - Sartorius increasing production

AJDOVŠČINA - Biotech company BIA Separations - Sartorius launched a new production facility in Ajdovščina, which increases the company's production capacities fivefold. Addressing the event, Prime Minister Janez Janša said he was happy that new well-paid jobs were being created. The new production facility of 3,200 square metres will be used to produce chromatographic columns for cleaning new generations of medicines. According to Janša's office, the expansion of production will allow the company to meet the demand in Covid-related projects.

Survey unemployment rate in first quarter up to 5.6%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate in the first quarter of the year stood at 5.6%, which is half a percentage point higher than in the quarter before, the Statistics Office said. It has estimated that there were around 56,000 unemployed people and 928,000 active people in the country in the first quarter.

Commission clears EUR 6m state aid to cattle breeders

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission approved a six million euros scheme to support Slovenian cattle breeders affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The beneficiaries will be entitled to receive direct grants of up to 225,000 euros or 76 euros per head of cattle.

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Justice minister resigns as govt annuls delegated prosecutor procedure

LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič stepped down after the government decided to annul the procedure to appoint candidates for Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors and start a new one. Kozlovič's party boss, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, regretted her decision, but said the Modern Centre Party (SMC) would put forward her replacement as soon as possible. PM Janez Janša also called on Počivalšek to promptly put forward a candidate. European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi commented on the annulment of appointments by saying the Slovenian authorities' lack of sincere cooperation seriously undermined the trust in the effective functioning of the management and control systems for EU funds in Slovenia. In response, Janša suggested Slovenia might withdraw from the European Public Prosecutor's Office should such political comments continue.

New tourist vouchers intended also for cultural, sport events

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will introduce new tourism vouchers as it is finalising an emergency bill to help the tourism industry. Unlike the vouchers issued last year, it will also be possible to use these for services such as cultural and sport events or recreational activity, Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc announced at a news conference of the Slovenian Tourism Board. The new vouchers are planned to be valid until the end of the year, while implementation is expected to be more demanding because they would be used more broadly than the existing ones.

Slovenia's EU presidency exhibition at Parliament to go ahead

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Culture Ministry announced the art exhibition that was planned to be put up at the European Parliament during Slovenia's EU presidency will go ahead, yet under conditions set by Minister Vasko Simoniti. This is after the Parliament said ten days ago the show was cancelled and Simoniti said that was his decision. "The works selected in Slovenia and the works from the permanent collection of the European Parliament will be exhibited in two segments. The focus will be on the works by artists that were selected for this occasion in Slovenia," the ministry wrote.

Slovenia resuming acquisition of Boxer APCs

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will resume the process to purchase eight-wheeled Boxer armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) after the deal, at the time valued at EUR 306 million, was shelved by the previous government early in 2019. The government today got acquainted with the procedure to buy the 8X8 Boxer vehicles as part of the OCCAR programme to build a battalion-sized battlegroup, saying conditions had been met to resume the procedure.

Govt adopts national programme on AI by 2025

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted the national programme on encouraging the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) by 2025 and put the Public Administration Ministry in charge of coordination and implementation of measures from the programme. In line with the government decision, the ministry in cooperation with other ministries must prepare a plan for the implementation of measures and the plan of financing, as well as the sources of financing.

Right to use of sign language enshrined in constitution

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia became the fifth country in the EU to enshrine the right sign language in the constitution and the first country in the world to recognise the status of tactile sign language by deaf-blind persons in this way as MPs endorsed the relevant constitutional amendment. The amendment ensures a free use and development of the Slovenian sign language as well as the Hungarian and Italian sign languages in areas with official language minority communities.

Parliament amends Constitutional Court act

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed an amendment sponsored by Democrat (SDS) MP Jože Tanko under which the Constitutional Court will need to handle each petition for which the petitioner had legitimate interests on submission even though they have lost those while waiting for their petition to be handled. Tanko said the court would thus no longer be able to reduce its backlog by throwing out petitions it had already admitted. The centre-left opposition said the change would weaken the court and increase its workload.

Počivalšek discusses digital package in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek noted the importance of the digital services act package for Europe's recovery as he attended a session of the EU's Competitiveness Council in Brussels. Počivalšek hailed the reports on the progress presented by the European Commission. He also presented to his counterparts the working programme of the Slovenian presidency for the Competitiveness Council.

Kustec and Vestager pledge cooperation in promoting science

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec met Executive Vice President of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager in Brussels ahead of the Slovenian EU presidency. The pair vowed to cooperate in supporting science, research and innovation, describing the three areas as the driver of further progress. They noted the EU needed an upgraded European Research Area, which would be a key priority of the coming Slovenian EU presidency.

Legal information system unavailable due to cyber attack

LJUBLJANA - The website of the national Legal and Information System (PISRS) has been unavailable for a few days, with the Government Office for Legislation as its administrator saying this is due to a security incident. The cybersecurity incident response centre and competent services of the Public Administration Ministry are investigating the incident that occurred in the back-end system of the PISRS. The incident analysis and the evaluation of damage are still under way, while competent services are determined to bring the system back online already this week.

Slovenia's UN ambassador hosts reception for EU delegates on budgetary committee

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia's Ambassador at the UN Darja Bavdaž Kuret, whose term expires in June, hosted a working reception for EU delegates and negotiators on the UN General Assembly Fifth Committee, which has been meeting virtually since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on UN rules, the fifth committee distributes member states' contributions between the regular and peace-keeping budgets. "To implement its mission, the UN needs sufficient funds, which are being set on the Fifth Committee," said Miha Erman, a Slovenian diplomat on the committee.

Govt lowers prices of Covid treatment, secures more funds for children's mental health

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed the annual plan for public healthcare in 2021, which sets down the prices and scope of services. Health Minister Janez Poklukar says there will be more funds for children's mental health and for primary health services while prices of hospital treatment of Covid patients have been considerably lowered. The plan is known as the general agreement and is a basis on which the ZZZS public health fund finances public health providers for the services they carry out.

365 new infections, three deaths confirmed on Wednesday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 365 new cases of coronavirus for Wednesday, a slight increase over the week before, as roughly 9% of all PCR tests came back positive, while three Covid-19 patients died. Hospitalisations dropped to 265 Covid-19, the lowest figure since October, of whom 79 were in intensive care. The daily average of new cases over the past seven days inched up to 288 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population stood at 224. Almost a million jabs have been administered.

Slovenia to help India fight Covid

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will send India 240 pieces of Remdesivir, an antiviral medicine used in the treatment of Covid-19, to help it cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The aid is worth EUR 86,800. The government approved aid after India, one of the three countries in the world with more than 300,000 Covid deaths, asked for aid through the EU's civil protection mechanism.

More public housing expected as housing act passed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly adopted on Wednesday an amended housing act whose overarching goal is to increase the number of public rental homes in the country. Under the new legislation, public housing funds will be allowed to take on more debt to speed up construction of new flats. According to government projections, an extra EUR 200 million in fresh borrowing for housing construction will be released. At the same time a public service will be established acting as an intermediary and manager of rental homes. It is believed that thousands of flats in Slovenia are currently idle.

MPs pass two banking bills to transpose EU law

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed two banking bills to transpose EU directives, including the directive on bank resolution to protect taxpayers. Since Slovenia is late in adopting the new rules, the European Commission has sent it a warning, which earned the government some criticism during today's debate. The bill on bank resolution and liquidation and the banking bill replace the laws which entered into force in 2016 and 2015, respectively, while also bringing the new EU rules.

Mercator's net profit in Q1 almost triples year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - The retail group Mercator generated a net profit of EUR 3.14 million in the first quarter of the year, up nearly 184% over the same three months in 2020. Retail revenue dropped by 4.5% annually, but rose by nearly 9% compared to the same period in the pre-coronavirus year 2019. Revenue from retail, Mercator's core business, dropped to EUR 413 million, the Ljubljana-based group in Croatian ownership said. It attributes the drop to a considerable rise in revenue in March 2020 when the epidemic was declared in Slovenia and residents stocked up on food and necessities.

NLB reportedly selling asset manager NLB Skladi

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Finance reported that Slovenia's largest banking group, NLB, would sell its asset management arm NLB Skladi. NLB Skladi managed EUR 1.771 billion in assets at the end of March, generating a net profit of EUR 1.9 million in the first quarter of the year. "Due to increasing expectations of customers and regulators and increasingly specialised solutions in various fields of financial services, banking and asset management business is being consolidated across Europe," NLB told Finance, but would not give any details about the sale.

Vrtovec discusses cross-border infrastructure projects in Austria

VIENNA, Austria - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec met his Austrian counterpart Leonore Gewessler in Vienna to discuss bilateral cooperation, especially in transport and infrastructure, and bilateral relations. They agreed cooperation should be strengthened in infrastructure. Vrtovec also presented to his Austrian counterpart the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency in the second half of the year in transport.

DARS and Skytoll sign e-toll system contract

LJUBLJANA - The national motorway company DARS and Slovakia's Skytoll signed a contract to launch an e-tolling system for cars in Slovenia. Both sides will try to push forward the date of the launch so that drivers could start using the system on 1 December as was initially planned, DARS said. The step has come after the National Review Commission rejected requests for a revision of the selection of Skytoll as the contractor. Th project is valued at EUR 15.7 million excluding VAT.

Amnesty Slovenia marks 60 years of parent organisation

LJUBLJANA - Marking the 60th anniversary of Amnesty International (AI), Amnesty International Slovenia notes that despite improvements in the last six decades, attacks on human rights are ongoing. The organisation has also raised concern over the situation in Slovenia. "Sixty years of Amnesty International's work is a source of pride for us due to all the changes for the better that our organisation has achieved. We're glad that Amnesty Slovenia is part of these efforts and accomplishments," Nataša Posel, the head of Amnesty International Slovenia, told the STA.

Woman punished with 16-month prison for wrongful infant death

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced a 47-year-old to 16 months in prison for criminal negligence causing death of her baby. The woman did not take appropriate care of the infant after giving birth, several media reported, adding that her mental capacities had been impaired at the time. The offender gave birth to a girl at home in September 2017 and failed to take care of the baby afterwards. She had also been concealing her pregnancy from her relatives.

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Prime Minister Janša survives impeachment vote

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša survived an impeachment vote in parliament as 42 deputies voted in favour and 44 against. A 46-vote majority would have been required to impeach him. The motion was sponsored by the LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB, who accused Janša of violating several articles of the constitution and laws pertaining to healthcare, media, and the state prosecution. LMŠ deputy Jani Möderndorfer described Janša's conduct as "arbitrary, authoritarian, harmful and dangerous" and "in ridicule of democracy and his own country and people". Janša dismissed the claims saying the impeachment motion contained "so many absurd things that it does not make sense to answer all of them, and it does not make sense to quarrel about that". He said Slovenia was not in for a disaster as claimed by the opposition, but had very optimistic times ahead.

Janša counting on close cooperation with EU Parliament during presidency

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted the EU's resilience and post-pandemic recovery as key topics of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency at today's virtual meeting with the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents. Slovenia will cooperate closely with the Parliament, Janša said. He also highlighted cybersecurity and the Conference on the Future of Europe, and proposed the creation of an European institute for constitutional law. European Parliament President David Sassoli said many issues which would need to be tackled during Slovenia's presidency had been discussed. The financing of the STA was also discussed. Janša provided his explanation about the financing, Sassoli said, adding that the Parliament deemed press freedom an important matter.

Pahor receives senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi

LJUBLJANA - Yang Jiechi, the director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), was received by President Borut Pahor. The president's office said in a press release that Pahor and Yang had exchanged views on the topical issues in the international community and called for stronger bilateral relations. Pahor pointed to the importance of multilateralism and responsibility for global peace and development for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Govt could annul procedure to pick delegated prosecutors

LJUBLJANA - The government could vote on a proposal to annul the procedure to appoint Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors as early as tomorrow, and then publish a new call for applications. According to Delo, the proposal to annul the procedure, labelled internal, has been submitted by the acting secretary general of the government, Janja Garvas Hočevar. PM Janez Janša said the government would check the appointment procedure Thursday to decide whether to proceed with it or repeat it. State Prosecutor General Drago Šketa sees this as an arbitrary and unlawful invasion of independence of state prosecution.

Slovenia remains in yellow tier of Covid restrictions

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia remains in tier yellow of coronavirus restrictions, despite meeting the conditions for the green tier. The current regime will remain in place until 6 June, save for some changes to rules governing the convention industry, the government decided. The decision comes after the Health Ministry's advisory group on Covid-19 proposed that measures not be eased. National coordinator of the Covid-19 vaccination logistics Jelko Kacin said there had been some events last weekend where many people had gathered and that experts were monitoring the situation in these regions now.

Slight easing of border restrictions, new red list of countries confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The government amended the decree governing coronavirus restrictions on borders. Effective on 30 May, accompanied children under 15 will not need to have a Covid certificate to avoid quarantine when they cross the border in groups accompanied by teachers or custodians or travel with family members who are not required to quarantine. The red list of countries will be split to lower- and higher-risk countries, designated as light and dark red. Covid certificates from Serbia will be recognised, after the move had been announced by both countries' foreign ministers yesterday.

Furlough payments extended until end of June

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to extend the furlough scheme by another month, until the end of June, in a bid to reduce the risk that companies facing slow demand or a negative productivity shock start laying off workers. Government data show furlough subsidies cost the treasury EUR 533 million through 3 May and benefited over 214,000 workers at almost 32,000 companies. The one-month extension is projected to cost EUR 28 million.

Covid-19: 7-day average drops below 300

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 388 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the 7-day average of daily coronavirus cases dropped below 300 to 287, meaning Slovenia has reached the threshold to move to tier green, the mildest tier of restrictions. Another five Covid-19 patients died, fresh government data show. The positivity rate was 9.2%, same as the day before. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals fell to 277 this morning, with 85 still in intensive care, which is seven fewer than yesterday. The latest government data show some 20% of adults have been fully inoculated.

Vaccine supply expected to improve as of next week

LJUBLJANA - After Slovenia's vaccination centres reported they have been receiving fewer Covid-19 vaccines this week than they have ordered, Jelko Kacin, the national vaccination logistics coordinator said that more doses would be available in June, and that a major shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine was expected this Friday. While two-thirds of all doses are currently used for the first jab, the increased supply means that next week two-thirds of all doses will be intended for first jabs.

Zorčič: In case of 46 votes, we have a new coalition

LJUBLJANA - Speaker Igor Zorčič said that the National Assembly will vote on the coalition's proposal to dismiss him as parliamentary speaker on Friday, unless an MP proposes the item be removed from the agenda. He said he had put the proposals of appointments and dismissals on Friday's agenda of the ongoing extraordinary plenary session. Asked whether he could still step down before the scheduled vote, Zorčič said that the National Assembly should count oneself, even if that means a vote on his office.

IMF commends Slovenia's response to Covid, says consolidation must follow

WASHINGTON, US - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended Slovenia's "swift, substantial, and well-coordinated policy responses" to the pandemic following consultations with the authorities earlier in May, as it stressed that once the recovery is entrenched, the focus should shift toward consolidation. While a strong economic rebound is expected as the pandemic abates, "the outlook is clouded by significant uncertainty and risks are tilted to the downside."

10th Africa Day conference dedicated to water management

LJUBLJANA - The participants of the ongoing 10th Africa Day international virtual conference, which is dedicated to water management, agreed that cooperation between Europe and Africa was of key importance in order to ensure access to drinking water for all. The event is held under the auspices of President Borut Pahor, who said that water was an exceptionally important topic that should be paid the maximum possible attention everywhere in the world. Both he and FM Anže Logar pointed to security challenges related to management of water resources.

NGOs want inquiry into targeting of foreign protesters

LJUBLJANA - Several NGOs warned that police identified and fined mostly foreigners ahead of and during last week's protests in Ljubljana, which they see as inadmissible ethical profiling. The Slovenian Philanthropy, Amnesty International Slovenia and the Peace Institute stressed the right to protest, in particular for the Palestinian community in Slovenia, which they said was violated last Friday. The Human Rights Ombudsman is investigating the matter.

Ex-Maribor Archdiocese treasurer to publish book, points finger at Vatican

LJUBELJ - Mirko Krašovec, the Maribor Archdiocese's ex-treasurer who has been cleared of EU funds abuse charges after two retrials, will publish a book to give his take on the developments leading to the archdiocese's financial collapse and the role of its two financial holdings as part of the financial crisis ten years ago. In the 600-page book that is about to be published, he proposes establishing an independent commission to look into all the circumstances of the collapse, pointing the finger at the archdiocese's disloyal business partners from Slovenia and Italy, "foremost from the Vatican Bank".

Equal opportunities ombudsman says deaf disadvantaged in education

LJUBLJANA - In a special report on deaf people in the education system, Advocate of the Principle of Equality Miha Lobnik notes that they are disadvantaged when it comes to exercising their rights. He called on the relevant authorities to ensure greater and more active protection of deaf people and users of the Slovenian sign language from discrimination. What speaks about people with deafness and hearing loss being in a worse position is data on education, which show that in 2011 only 1% of them had higher education, while this share in the entire population stands at 17%, Lobnik's office said.

Waters act referendum proponents convinced voters will say no

LJUBLJANA - The proponents of the referendum on changes to the waters act, scheduled for 11 July, believe that they will be able to convince the voters to reject what they see as controversial legislation despite the unfavourable date. They expect a difficult campaign ahead in which the other side could mislead people and instigate divisions. The initiative for the referendum was given by an alliance of green non-governmental organisations.

May Salon 2021 brings review of ceramics, drawings & sculptures

LJUBLJANA - The annual May Salon, the country's oldest art exhibition, is opening tonight in Ljubljana, bringing an exhibition of ceramics, while drawings and sculptures will be displayed at the end of June in the city of Koper. Ceramics will be put on show as part of May Salon, the annual exhibition of the Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies (ZDSLU), at two venues in Ljubljana until 1 July.

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Referendum on changes to water act to be held on 11 July

LJUBLJANA - MPs decided that Slovenians will head to the polls on 11 July to vote on amendments to the water act that have pitted environmentalists, who say the legislation paves the way for the build-up of coastal land, against the government, which says their claims are misguided. The referendum was supposed to be held on 4 July, but it was pushed forward by a week after it was determined that recent electoral law changes had inadvertently left out a few settlements with roughly 800 inhabitants. The delay, the coalition argued, is needed so that electoral law can be fixed in time, while the opposition countered that this was merely a manoeuvre designed to push the date deeper into the summer season.

Ilešič not confirmed as EU Court judge

LJUBLJANA - Marko Ilešič will not get a new term as EU Court judge after the National Assembly voted by 37 in favour and 43 against in a secret ballot. Ilešič was nominated by President Borut Pahor after consultations with parliamentary factions and was endorsed by the Privileges and Credentials Commission, but now he fell nine votes short of the required absolute majority. Six ballots were invalid. It was never clear whether he enjoyed the necessary support since almost all parties kept mum about their voting intentions. Ilešič has been representing Slovenia at the court since 2004.

Janša says Belarus debate shows EU firmly behind its values

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša hailed the European Council's decision to step up sanctions against Belarus, saying the debate had shown the EU standing firmly behind its values. "Us placing human rights and political freedoms of an individual, human, in the centre is the right answer to what has happened," Janša said in a reference to Belarus forcing the diversion of a passenger flight in order to arrest a dissident journalist.

Slovenia, Serbia agree to recognise vaccination certificates

LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar and his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selaković agreed on a mutual recognition of vaccination certificates as they held talks that focused on bilateral relations and Slovenia's forthcoming presidency of the Council of the EU. Logar noted that the Western Balkans was one of the priorities of the presidency, with the planned informal EU-Western Balkans summit expected to open up a series of questions. The ministers agreed that the countries are important business partners, who had doubled bilateral trade in the last ten years, to bring it above EUR 1.1 billion last year.

Minister Hojs presents Slovenia's EU presidency priorities in Malta

VELLATE, Malta - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met his Maltese counterpart Byron Camilleri to present the priorities of the coming Slovenian EU presidency. Hojs highlighted the role of efforts to strengthen the Schengen area, the ministry said. "We will devote efforts to a search for appropriate solutions regarding negotiations over legislative acts that are part of the migration and asylum package," said Hojs, noting that another key priority would be the strengthening of the Schengen area.

Police results in 2020 encouraging, public trust lower

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police leadership presented the annual report on police work in 2020, saying the results were encouraging, although the Covid epidemic presented an unprecedented situation for the police force in its entire 30 years. Despite the good work, a public opinion poll has shown decreasing trust in the force, which Deputy Police Commissioner Tomaž Pečjak commented on by saying that the results were being taken seriously and the police were already working on restoring trust.

Covid-19: 7-day average drops to 309, hospitalisations below 300

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's rolling average of daily coronavirus cases has dropped to 309, just above the threshold to move to the green tier, as Covid-19 hospitalisations have already fallen under 300, fresh government data show. Out of 3,558 PCR tests performed yesterday, 326 new cases were confirmed for a positivity rate of 9.2%. A total of 44,113 people were screened with rapid antigen tests.

Vaccines in short supply this week

LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - Slovenia's vaccination centres are receiving fewer anti-Covid vaccines this week than they have ordered because supplies by producers other than Pfizer are still rather unreliable, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) told the STA. This week, vaccination centres will receive all the ordered vaccines for second jabs, but only 70% of the ordered mRNA vaccines, that is by Pfizer or Moderna, and just 20% of the ordered supplies of the Johnson & Johnson's vaccine.

Record workload for Information Commissioner in 2020

LJUBLJANA - The Office of the Information Commissioner received a record number of applications, complaints and queries last year, according to the annual report submitted to the National Assembly. A total of 565 complaints were received, and the number of requests for opinion rose by almost a third due to high demand for information about spending on public health measures. More than 40% of the complaints refer to state bodies and a high share of those concern failure by the competent authorities to answer freedom of information requests. The office says this is worrying.

New FURS head to speed up digitalisation

LJUBLJANA - Ivan Simič, who was appointed interim head of Financial Administration (FURS) last week, plans to simplify FURS's operations and services as well as speed up digitalisation. But he does not plan to keep the post for more than six months, he told the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija last night. His term starts on 1 June and will last until a new head is appointed, but no longer than the end of November.

Triglav shareholders to get dividend of EUR 1.7 per share

LJUBLJANA - The annual general meeting insurance company Zavarovalnica Triglav decided on Tuesday to pay out a dividend of EUR 1.7 gross per share, as proposed by the management and supervisory boards. EUR 38.7 million or just over half of last year's consolidated profit will be allocated for dividends.

EUR 0.85 dividend confirmed for Sava Re shareholders

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of the insurance group Sava Re confirmed at annual general meeting (AGM) the dividend payout of EUR 0.85 gross per share for 2020. The AGM representing 79.85% of the voting rights endorsed the proposal by the management and supervisory boards that EUR 13.17 million out of EUR 23.81 in distributable profit from the end of last year be allocated for dividends. They also appointed two new members of the supervisory board and extended the term of another supervisor.

New truck entrance to Koper port inaugurated

KOPER - A new entrance for trucks to the port of Koper was inaugurated to reroute heavy cargo traffic from the main roads just outside the city of Koper. Luka Koper, which operates the port, has also a new car park for 6,000 vehicles and a new petrol station. The Bertoki entry to the port, which cost almost EUR 5 million, was inaugurated by Luka Koper chairman Dimitrij Zadel and Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec.

Slovenia gets additional EUR 9m in React-EU funds

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia will get an additional EUR 8.9 million from the React-EU facility under a European Commission decision that allocates an extra EUR 286.5 million to France, Malta and Slovenia. The funds will be allocated to support the most deprived population groups, the Commission said. React-EU is a cohesion instrument worth EUR 47.5 billion that is part of the EU's recovery and resilience fund.

Business sentiment continues to improve

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's business sentiment has continued to improve in May for the sixth month in a row as the relevant indicator was up by 6.2 percentage points over April. The latest figure, standing at 5.6 percentage points, was also up by 6.8 percentage points on the long-term average, the Statistics Office said.

STA being put forward for state decoration

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Association of Journalists (DNS) will put forward a proposal to President Borut Pahor to decorate the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) on its 30th anniversary. DNS head Petra Lesjak Tušek announced the move as the fundraising campaign for the STA entered its final week, having raised EUR 246,300 in donations.

Police arrest almost 60 members of criminal ring

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police arrested about 60 members of the Montenegro-based international criminal ring Kavački Klan, which also had an arm in Slovenia, the newspaper Večer reported. The group trafficked drugs and weapons. Kavački Klan is based Montenegro, but is also active in Serbia and other European countries.

Slovenian women shooters win silver at European championships

OSIJEK, Croatia - Slovenian shooters Urška Kuharič, Živa Dvoršak and Klavdija Jerovšek won silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event at the 2021 European Shooting Championships, having to concede a 2:16 defeat against Russia in the final. Slovenia had a score of 623.2 points to place second among the eight top-scoring teams today. Kuharič was the best Slovenian shooter (209.5 points), followed by Dvoršak (207.7 points) and Jerovšek (206 points).

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Slovenia condemns forcible jet landing in Belarus

LJUBLJANA - Senior Slovenian officials condemned actions by Belarus after a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk. PM Janez Janša wrote on Twitter that he supported a proposal by Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki for an expansion of the agenda of today's summit of EU leaders. "Sanctions have to include everything the #Lukashenko #regime is using to legitimize itself. Sports events included." President Borut Pahor called for an independent investigation of the event, and FM Anže Logar labelled the incident as state terrorism that violated practically all international customs and norm. The Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS) also condemned what it sees as unacceptable actions by the Belarusian authorities.

Janša impeachment motion in parliament on Wednesday

LJUBLJANA - After last week's blockade of a plenary session, parliament was back to business as the college of deputy group leaders called two emergency sessions. The impeachment motion against PM Janez Janša is scheduled at the second plenary on Wednesday. Other appointment and dismissal motions were also added to this session, but it is not yet clear whether the coalition will propose dismissing Speaker Zorčič, after he left the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) to become unaffiliated at the end of March.

Under 100 new cases confirmed on Sunday, one death

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 82 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, the lowest daily figure in over a year, as under 6% of all PCR tests were positive, the latest government data show. One patient with Covid-19 died. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital rose by ten to 316, of which 96 were in intensive care, down two from the day before. The 14-day incidence of new cases per 100,000 population stood at 259 and the rolling daily average of new cases over the past seven days dropped slightly to 333.

Convention industry reopens with some restrictions in place

LJUBLJANA - Trade shows and events were allowed to reopen after more than a year. Indoor events may be held provided visitors have either recovered from Covid-19, been vaccinated or tested. Moreover, there are other restrictions to be heeded. Event organisers are required to make sure a one-way flow of visitor traffic is put in place, and staff must get regularly tested. The number of visitors is capped at one visitor per 10 square metres, with underage persons and those requiring assistance exempt from the cap.

Govt, Hisense sign contract on EUR 1m incentive for TV plant

VELENJE - Representatives of the government and the Chinese-owned group Hisense Europe Electronics signed a contract under which the state will provide almost EUR 1 million in non-refundable funds for its TV production plant at the existing Gorenje operation in Velenje. The contract representing 25% of the total value of the investment planned until the end of 2023 was signed by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek and Chao Liu, the director of the Hisense Europe Electronics plant in Slovenia.

Justice minister in favour of appointing one EDP first

JESENICE - Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič expressed her inclination to support the idea for Slovenia to first appoint only one candidate for a European delegated prosecutor (EDP) as a way to break the impasse in the appointment of candidates for two delegated prosecutors from Slovenia. The minister said this would be a solution because it was important Slovenia join the European Public Prosecutor's Office, thus allowing the office to become fully operational in Slovenia and at the EU level. "I see it as one of the possible solutions to cut the Gordian knot and resolve the situation," she added.

Almost two-thirds of respondents oppose govt, survey shows

LJUBLJANA - The share of people opposing the government has reached 63%, a new record, while 30% support it, shows the latest poll Mediana carried out for POP TV. The remaining 7% are undecided. Nevertheless, the SDS continues to top party rankings with 18.2%, up from 17.6% last month. The SD follows with 10%, down from 10.8% in April. The LMŠ is in third place with 9%, a 0.5 percentage point increase. The most popular politician is Health Minister Janez Poklukar, followed by MEP Ljudmila Novak, who pushed President Borut Pahor to third place.

SDS warns about leftists, extremists in draft manifesto

LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) warns of the dangers of the opposition Left, extremists, leftists and the escalation of circumstances in one of the five draft manifestos sent to its local branches ahead of the party congress, which is expected to be held on 19 June, the news portal 24ur.com reported. The draft warns of the above-mentioned dangers, pointing to an attack on Slovenia's democracy. Responding to the draft, the Left said that the SDS was again painting a picture that had nothing to do with reality.

Liquidity loans worth EUR 35m available to hauliers

LJUBLJANA - Hauliers, who have been severely hit by the Covid pandemic, can now count on EUR 35 million in loans to weather liquidity issues, while they can also look forward to some 10 million in grants in coming months, as a contract on financing and implementing the new scheme was signed by Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec and SIB Banka chairman Sibil Svilan. Companies providing local, inter-city, land, passenger and cargo transport will be eligible for loans from the fund, to be managed by the export and development bank SID. Svilan expects the bank could start accepting first applications soon.

Majority stake in newspaper Primorske Novice sold

KOPER - Splošna Plovba, a Portorož-based shipping company in German ownership, has sold its 52.45% stake in media company Primorske Novice to three companies - Svet24, Salomon and Curator Nova. Patricija Ukmar, the editor-in-chief of the Koper-based regional newspaper, which was launched 74 years ago and which also has a news portal, said she hoped the sale would result in successful cooperation with the new owners. Primorske Novice journalists added they believed the change in ownership will by no means encroach upon the editorial autonomy of the newspaper, it should in fact enhance it.

Opposition requests session to discuss suspension of STA financing

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left, supported by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and the group of unaffiliated MPs, requested an emergency session of the parliamentary Commission for Public Finance Oversight to discuss the suspension of funding of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The parties say that suspending the funding of the STA is a direct attack on press freedom, democracy and the constitutional right of the public to be informed.

Survey shows youth more independent, but with poorer mental health

LJUBLJANA - The Youth 2020 survey into the youth in Slovenia shows that, compared to ten years ago, they are noticeably more active, responsible and independent, while on the other hand they face greater housing problems and more precarious work in the labour, with their mental health also having deteriorated. The survey, the latest after the surveys in 2000 and 2010 and including 1,200 young people around the country, also busts a number of myths about the young that were rooted in society, such as that they drank and smoked a lot, said Andraž Zgonc of the Government Office for Youth as he presented it.

Italian president receives Nova Gorica, Gorizia mayors

ROME, Italy - The mayors of Slovenia's Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia, Klemen Miklavič and Rodolfo Ziberna, met Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who confirmed that together with Slovenian President Borut Pahor, he will visit the two border cities in the autumn 2025 when they turn into the European Capital of Culture. The mayors and Mattarella discussed the European Capital of Culture project and the period after it, foremost efforts to develop a cross-border economic zone.

Iskra acquires Croatia's Elka

LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - The Slovenian privately-held electronics group Iskra has signed an acquisition agreement with Croatian electric cable manufacturer Elka. The value of the deal has not been disclosed and the transaction will be completed pending approval from the competition watchdogs in both countries. According to Delo, Iskra hopes to reap the benefits of forthcoming investments in long neglected electricity networks, rail renovation and construction, future investments in telecommunications, and efforts to reduce Europe's dependence on manufacturing in Asia.

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FMs of Slovenia, Austria, Czechia point to role of EU enlargement to W Balkans

TIRANA, Albania - The foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic, Anže Logar, Alexander Schallenberg and Jakub Kulhanek, stressed the role of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans for the entire EU as they met senior Albanian officials in Tirana a day after visiting neighbouring North Macedonia. FM Olta Xhacka, PM Edi Rama and President Ilir Meta assured them that Albania was ready to start EU accession talks. Logar said "Slovenia will make efforts for the Western Balkans to be high on the EU agenda, especially during Slovenia's EU presidency." He also cautioned against the enlargement process being blocked over bilateral issues.

Epidemic remains in retreat

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 159 new coronavirus cases in 2,117 PCR tests on Saturday, down significantly from the week before, with positivity rate at 7.5%. Four Covid-19 patients died, fresh government data show. Hospitalisations dropped to 306 on Sunday morning and and the number of patients in intensive care was down to 98. The 7-day average of new cases fell from 356 to 337, while the cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is at 262.

Mura win first championship title

MARIBOR - Mura, a football club from Murska Sobota, won their first ever title of national champion after defeating Maribor 3:1 in the final round of the premiere league on Saturday evening. The title marks an apex for the club, which is much smaller than Maribor but has a fan base that only Maribor can rival in Slovenia. Maribor had a three-point lead heading into the final round and only needed a draw to clinch their 16th national crown.

Giro again passing through Slovenia after 17 years

NOVA GORICA/BRDA - The famous road cycling race Giro d'Italia returned to Slovenia after 17 years, as today's 15th stage from Grado to Gorizia also made a turn to Slovenia's picturesque wine-growing region of Brda and the city of Nova Gorica. This is the sixth time the Grand Tour race passed through Slovenia, after 1922, 1971, 1994, 2001 and 2004. A number of spectators gathered along the 40km Slovenian section of the 147km route, particularly along the steep 2km-climb to Gornje Cerovo.

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Significant easing of restrictions on public events

LJUBLJANA - Restrictions on public events will be significantly eased from Saturday, and the convention industry will reopen from Monday under decisions taken by the government late on Thursday. The number of participants at sports or cultural events will now depend on capacity. Indoors, there must be at least one empty seat between each spectator and masks are mandatory. Outdoors, there has to be a metre's distance between them at a minimum. In libraries, archives, museums and galleries, the limit is one visitor per ten square metres.

Digital green certificate to be ready no later than end-June

LJUBLJANA - A digital green certificate proving a person has been vaccination against Covid, tested negative or recovered from Covid will be available to Slovenian residents no later than at the end of June, the Government Communication Office said after the government discussed the matter. To receive the digital document, which should facilitate safe travel within the EU, a person will have to have SMSPass mobile identity or a digital certificate. The Public Administration Ministry was tasked to speed up efforts to allow as many residents as possible to obtain a safe mobile identity.

Downward trend continues as 331 new cases recorded

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 331 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, down significantly from the week before, and the test positivity rate was 8%. Three persons died, the latest government data showed. Hospitalisations dropped significantly, to 348, but the number of patients in intensive care rose by one to 111. The 7-day average of daily new cases fell to 372 from 384. By yesterday almost 314,000 were fully vaccinated, 18% of the adult population.

Government names EU presidency spokespersons

LJUBLJANA - The government released the names of all 22 official spokespersons or press contacts for the country's coming EU presidency. Domen Petelin had been appointed the government's EU presidency spokesman. The official spokespersons should not be mistaken with chief or political spokespersons of Slovenia's EU presidency, that is Prime Minister Janez Janša, ministers or in some cases state secretaries, and the head of Slovenia's Permanent Representation in Brussels Iztok Jarc and his deputy Tamara Weingerl-Požar.

Vizjak talks EU presidency with Timmermans

LJUBLJANA - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak held a virtual meeting with European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans to present the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the environment and climate change. They also touched on Fit for 55, a legislative package under the European Green Deal, and the Glasgow climate conference scheduled for November. Slovenia is to continue with steps aimed at making the EU a leading global player against climate change.

Slovenia welcomes ceasefire in Middle East

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry welcomed on Twitter the ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Palestinian militants after the latest escalation of tensions in the Middle East as "an encouraging development", but at the same time urged further efforts to reach a lasting political solution and peace. The ceasefire came into effect early on Friday morning after eleven days of airstrikes and rocket fire between Israel and Islamist group Hamas, which killed over 250 people.

Protesters serve govt ultimatum, back Palestinians

LJUBLJANA - Friday's anti-government protesters gave the government a week to resign or face a massive "uprising" to push for an early election next Friday. The ultimatum was issued as the latest weekly cycling protest merged with an event staged by a movement for Slovenian Palestinian community with many of the protesters waving Palestinian flags. There was some pushing between the protesters and the police, and some protesters, mainly Palestinians, were apprehended.

RSF urges Slovenia to preserve public media independence

PARIS, France - The NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) urged authorities in Slovenia and the Czech Republic to stop exerting political pressure on public media, and to safeguard their independence in line with Council of Europe recommendations from 2012. The RSF says the public service media in the two countries are resisting political pressure, including accusations of criminal acts and threats to funding, but their editorial and financial independence is clearly in danger.

Jourova reiterates call for solutions to STA financing

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova repeated her expectation for swift solutions to be found to ensure the sustainable funding and independence of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). In a letter to international journalist organisations, Jourova noted it was the duty of the Slovenian government to ensure the independence and appropriate funding of the public service provided by the STA.

Vrtovec discusses logistics cooperation in Prague

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec discussed closer bilateral cooperation in transport and energy as he met Czech PM Andrej Babiš and Transport Minister Karl Havliček in Prague. Opportunities to boost Czech companies' cooperation with the Slovenian port of Koper was discussed as Slovenia is building a new rail track to the port. Vrtovec said that cooperation aimed to facilitate a greater flow of goods via the Koper port.

Petrol ups Q1 group net profit by 27% on flat revenue

LJUBLJANA - Energy group Petrol posted a net profit of EUR 27.8 million for the first quarter, an increase of 27% year-on-year and up by more than half over the same quarter in pre-pandemic year 2019, as revenue inched down marginally to EUR 912 million. EBITDA rose by 16% to EUR 54 million and adjusted gross profit was up by 30% to EUR 137 million. The company said the performance was a result of the "successful adaptation of sales to market conditions and effective cost management".

Slovenian economy in the black despite poorer results in 2020

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian economy as a whole posted somewhat poorer results in 2020 compared to 2019 but managed to stay afloat, suggest data by the AJPES agency for legal records, as net profit shrunk by almost two-fifths and total revenue by almost 6%. Slovenian companies recorded a higher total net profit than the total net loss at the end of 2020 for the seventh year in succession. This time net profit reached EUR 2.8 billion, which is down 38% compared to 2019. Companies mostly kept their staff and slightly increased net added value.

Consumer confidence improves in May

LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence in Slovenia improved in May, as the relevant indicator was up by seven percentage points compared to April and 17 points higher than in May 2020. It also surfaced above the long term average for the first time since early-2020, the Statistics Office said. Among the components that constitute the consumer confidence indicator, consumers' expectations regarding the economic situation in the country improved the most, by 19 percentage points.

Pre-trial hearing in TEŠ6 case postponed

CELJE - Ten individuals and two legal entities suspected of corruption in the construction of unit six of the Šoštanj thermal power station (TEŠ) were to be arraigned at the Celje District Court today but the hearing was postponed, as the lawyer of the chief defendant, Uroš Rotnik, demanded recusal of the chair of the judging panel. Lawyer Mitja Jelenič Novak demanded the recusal of judge Mojca Turinek as she convicted Rotnik in last year's criminal procedure.

War crimes charges against Yugoslav army officer dropped after thirty years

NOVO MESTO - The tabloid Slovenske Novice reported that the prosecution had dropped war crimes charges against Dragomir Grujović, an officer of the Yugoslav National Army, over an incident during Slovenia's independence war nearly thirty years ago. He is still being tried for an attempted murder charge in absentia, but the charge will become statute barred in June. Grujović, an army captain, was indicted in November 1994 for war crimes against civilians and attempted murder in relation to the clash for a Yugoslav army fuel and weapons depot in Mokronog, southern Slovenia.

Slovenian pavilion launched at Venice Biennale of Architecture

VENICE, Italy - The Slovenian pavilion was launched online at the 17th architectural exhibition La Biennale di Venezia. The Slovenian project focuses on the Yugoslav-era community centres as a type of social infrastructure, highlighting the role of architecture in building a sense of community. The heritage and societal role of this phenomenon remain relevant today, said architects Blaž Babnik Romaniuk and Rastko Pečar, who created the Slovenian show along with curators Martina Malešič and Asta Vrečko.

Maribor art gallery reviving triennial of art and ecology

MARIBOR - The Maribor Art Gallery relaunched the EKO 8, International Triennial of Art and Environment, exploring the current social and economic challenges, environmental policy and postcolonial globalisation, and presenting projects by around 30 international artists. Founded under the name Ecology and Art in 1980, the triennial is one of the oldest of its kind. This year it is held for the eighth time after a 15-year break.

Artist Jasmina Cibic presenting her Palace project in Poland

LODZ, Poland - A solo exhibition by Slovenian artist Jasmina Cibic opened at the Sztuki museum in Lodz, Poland, exploring solidarity in the face of crisis and manipulation of art through film, photography, sculpture and sound. The project entitled Palace explores what the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Stalin's Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw and the nationalised residence of a manufacturer in Lodz have in common.

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This summary is provided by the STA: Brdo debate argues for inclusive Conference on Future of Europe

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Prime Minister Janez Janša and President Borut Pahor argued for making discussion within the Conference on the Future of Europe as inclusive as possible, as they addressed an opening debate on the topic. The same view was aired by some other participants, who advocated for pluralism in the bloc. Janša said a joint decision had been made with other guests in today's debate back in March that Slovenia as the country presiding the Council of the EU in the second half of the year would seek to add value to the conference substance-wise. The debate would be significantly affected by the EU's strategic agenda, that is green and digital transformation, he added.

Slovenian soldiers already pulled out of Afghanistan

LJUBLJANA - Following the government's decision to withdraw Slovenia's troops deployed in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, the six Slovenian soldiers returned home via Italy, the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) said. Their return marks the end of Slovenia's mission in Afghanistan after the government decided that the withdrawal would be made in line with the time frame agreed by the allies or by the end of August at the latest. Defence Minister Matej Tonin said this was a special day as the last soldiers had returned from Afghanistan after 17 years of presence, safe and sound. Captain Jernej Alič, the commander of the last Slovenian contingent in Afghanistan, said the withdrawal was fast-paced and completely depended on the support by the Italian forces.

Top officials visit Defender Europe 2021 exercise in Poček

POSTOJNA - Prime Minister Janez Janša and Defence Minister Matej Tonin visited the main training grounds of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in Poček to take a look at the Slovenian part of the ongoing all-European military exercise Defender Europe 2021. Joining Janša and Tonin in reviewing the exercise led by the US forces was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod D. Wolters. In Slovenia, the exercise is commanded by Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc, the force commander of the SAF, and features around 2,000 SAF members, and around 600 members of the allied and partner armed forces.

Military helicopter makes emergency landing after hitting power line

BRESTANICA - A Eurocopter Tiger helicopter hit an overhead power line during the military exercise Adriatic Strike near Brestanica in the east in the morning, the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) said. The helicopter had to make an emergency landing. Nobody was injured. The accident involved the helicopter of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the allied countries taking part in the military exercise. The investigation is ongoing and electrical technicians have fixed the power line, said Jani Krošl from the SAF. While the cause of the incident has not been established yet, it is clear it happened when the helicopter was returning from the exercise, Mihael Klavžar, the head of the Defence Ministry's air accidents investigation service, said.

Logar wraps up Germany trip by meeting Bundestag representatives

BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Minister Anže Logar concluded a two-day working visit to Germany by meeting representatives of the German parliament. He presented Slovenia's EU presidency priorities and the European perspective for the Western Balkans to the president of the Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. Logar highlighted the good cooperation between the Slovenian and German parliaments. The minister also met Gunther Krichbaum, the chair of the Bundestag Committee on European Union Affairs, and Norbert Röttgen, the chair of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee.

Poklukar urges joint guidance on travel within EU

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar called for coordination of measures to form guidance for travel and crossing the borders within the EU, as he addressed a virtual informal meeting of EU health ministers. He also urged a fair global distribution of vaccines against Covid-19. Slovenia's proposal was for the travel guidance to be formed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), according to a press release issued by the ministry.

Počivalšek talks WTO reform with EU peers

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Attending a session of the EU's Trade Policy Council, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek discussed the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with his EU counterparts. Počivalšek said that Slovenia was ready to cooperate to affirm the importance of the WTO during its EU presidency. He noted an open, fair and rule-based international trade was necessary. The minister also called for United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai's cooperation in the bilateral agenda.

Minister presents digitalisation priorities of EU presidency in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik presented the priorities of the coming Slovenian EU presidency when it comes to digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security. What he deems key are the AI, digital services and digital markets acts. Koritnik held a number of meetings with the EU's senior officials as part of his two-day visit. During a meeting with Executive Vice President of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager, Koritnik highlighted the role of stepping up the development of a digital society in the EU, the ministry said.

MEPs offer to organise EU presidency art exhibition

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Five of Slovenia's eight MEPs addressed a letter to European Parliament President David Sassoli in search of a solution to organise a Slovenian art exhibition at the European Parliament during Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year, after Slovenia recently cancelled it. The MEPs propose that the exhibition be organised by the European Parliament, or by themselves, should the parliament give them the green-light. The Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts, which had participated in the preparations for the art show, is meanwhile not in favour of Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti's idea to put it on at some other gallery in Brussels.

Almost 360 coronavirus cases reported for Wednesday, seven deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia saw 358 people test positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, while the 7-day average of new cases dropped below 300, government data show. Seven patients with Covid-19 died. Hospitalisations also dropped slightly, to 363 this morning, of whom 110 are in intensive care, the same as yesterday. The 7-day average of new cases fell to 384 on Wednesday, from 417 on Tuesday. After Slovenia confirmed its first case of the Indian variant of coronavirus in a test sample taken in April, another case of the variant was confirmed, along with another case of the variant first identified in Brazil. Both are linked to travel abroad.

Trade unions liken tax reform to Trojan horse

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's trade unions came out against the government's proposal to cut the general tax allowance as a way to raise take-home pay for everyone, arguing it would cost workers dearly in the end. In the wake of a package of tax tweaks proposing to gradually raise the general tax allowance and cut personal income tax in the top bracket, representatives of the country's major trade union associations pointed to an estimated EUR 1 billion in budget shortfall as a result of the tax cuts, which they fear would impact on social rights.

Agricultural NGOs warn against trade agreement with Mercosur

LJUBLJANA - The Alliance for Agriculture, which unites a dozen Slovenian agricultural NGOs, warned against a trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur alliance, a South American trade bloc, ahead of today's meeting of EU trade ministers. The NGOs said in a letter to decisions-makers in Slovenia the deal posed a great threat to EU farming. "We urge you to protect sustainable farming," it said as it warned about the already dire state of Slovenian farming.

Drug maker Krka reports 14% decline in Q1 sales, profit up 1%

NOVO MESTO - Drug maker Krka, which had a record 2020, saw group revenue decline by 14% in the first quarter of this year to EUR 395.8 million. Net profit rose by 1% to a record EUR 86.4 million. Profit before income tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined by nearly a quarter to EUR 123.6 million, and operating profit (EBIT) was down 28% to EUR 96.3 million. CEO Jože Colarič described the Q1 performance as "successful and according to our expectations".

Sava insurance group's net profit more than doubles in Q1

LJUBLJANA - Insurance group Sava saw group net profit rise by 128% in the first quarter to EUR 23.5 million, mostly as a result of past takeovers and positive operations in all of its segments. The profit represents over 44% of the target for the year. Gross written premiums rose by 9% over the same period in 2020 to over EUR 215 million, exclusively as a result of life insurance following the takeover of NLB bank's Vita, which contributed almost EUR 27 million to the figure.

New acting director named at Financial Administration

LJUBLJANA - Ivan Simič will return to the Financial Administration as acting director as of June almost thirteen years after he finished his first stint there. The government appointed Simič in an acting role for up to six months, until a fully-fledged director is named. One of Slovenia's most prominent tax advisors, Simič currently heads the government's strategic council tasked with proposing measures to cut red tape.

Former foreign minister named Book Agency acting director

LJUBLJANA - The government has appointed long-serving former Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel the acting director of the Slovenian Book Agency. He will take over on 2 June and serve at the helm of the agency until the appointment of the new director, but not longer than until 1 December. The Government Communication Office said after appointing the 75-year-old that he boasted top-level professional, scientific and political credentials in Slovenia and internationally.