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Janša calls on MEP in 't Veld to resign as chair of EP group

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša called on Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld to resign as chair of the EU Parliament's democracy monitoring group, accusing her of damaging its reputation and credibility. "The Slovenian government takes freedom of speech and media freedom very seriously and therefore we do not accept censorship," reads a letter sent to in 't Veld. The move comes after in 't Veld refused to screen a video Janša had prepared for his appearance before the group, leading to him accusing her of censorship. She rejected the allegation today and said the impression that the Parliament is an opponent of Slovenia's was regrettable and far from the truth.

Proposal to dismiss Zorčič filed, Horvat could be new speaker

LJUBLJANA - The three coalition deputy groups filed a proposal to dismiss parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič after he and another two Modern Centre Party (SMC) MPs left the deputy group. The proposal, signed by all 38 MPs from the SDS, NSi and SMC, says that the National Assembly should meet to dismiss Zorčič tomorrow. At least 46 votes are needed to dismiss or appoint a parliamentary speaker in a secret ballot, which could prove a challenge given the current balance of power. New Slovenia (NSi) deputy group leader Jožef Horvat is expected to be nominated to replace Zorčič.

287 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Sunday, six deaths

LJUBLJANA - A total of 287 out of 1,774 tests came back positive in Slovenia on Sunday for a positivity rate of 16.2%, with the figure decreasing both on the day and on the week before. However, hospitalisations rose by 27 to 526, with 112 patients in intensive care. According to government Covid-19 spokesperson, Maja Bratuša, 49 persons were admitted to hospital on Sunday, a notable increase on the days before. Sixteen patients were discharged from hospital and six died.

Border restrictions stiffened, already causing problems

LJUBLJANA/ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Toughened restrictions on Slovenia's borders entered into effect in advance of an eleven-day lockdown kicking in on 1 April, while there are fewer exemptions and the testing requirement has been stepped up. Except for a narrow list of exemptions, travel to all red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the list - is prohibited and the mandatory ten-day quarantine upon entry from such countries cannot be prematurely ended with a test. The closure of some border crossings is already causing problems for daily commuters, foremost making their travel much longer.

Slovenia supports digital green certificate

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia supports efforts to implement the Digital Green Certificate system for cross-border travel, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said as he took part in a virtual informal debate at the invitation of Austrian Minister for Sustainability and Tourism Elisabeth Kostinger. Slovenia supports a joint approach by the EU to launch the system as well as the Commission's efforts to come up with the implementing legislation and technical solutions, Počivalšek was quoted as saying by the ministry.

Parliamentary inquiry into political interference in police launched

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly formally established a new inquiry commission, which will investigate potential interference by holders of public office in the work of the police since March 2020, when the current government was sworn in. The request was signed by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB). Apart from determining whether the Interior Ministry has been interfering in specific pre-trial and other procedures, the inquiry will aim to disclose whether unacceptable political pressure has been exerted on police officials and staff.

POP TV poll: Support for govt down to 31%, SDS in the lead with 19%

LJUBLJANA - The Janez Janša government enjoys support of 31.1% of those polled in the latest poll Mediana carried out for private broadcaster POP TV. This is the lowest in a POP TV poll since the government took office over a year ago and down from 36% in the previous poll, the only time when its approval rating improved. The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead with 18.7% support, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) with 10.9%, and the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) with 9.6%. A total of 16.5% of the respondents were undecided, whereas 11.9% would not vote for any of the parties.

French company Treves leaving Slovenia

BIČ - The Slovenian subsidiary of the French car interior components maker Treves is to be shut down in September, which means 102 people will be left jobless, with the announcement coming after the plant was hit by a massive fire in January. The parent company Treves SA told the STA that the plant in Slovenia would be shut down because of poor business prospects, while it has also decided not to renovate the factory after the fire. The employees were informed of the plant closure last Thursday, Treves said.

GZS suggests Slovenia phase out coal in 2036-2038

LJUBLJANA - The strategic council for energy transition, a body established in 2019 by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), said the Šoštanj thermal power plant should close between 2036 and 2038, which is the middle of the three scenarios in the national strategy for phasing out coal. The Infrastructure Ministry has proposed the earliest possible date for closure, 2033 when it launched a public consultation on the strategy.

Intesa Sanpaolo's net profit down 46% last year

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, formerly Banka Koper, last year generated EUR 12.8 million in net profit, which is 46% less than the year before. Revenue was down by 14.7% to EUR 64.6 million, the bank, owned by the Italian Intesa San Paolo group, said. The bank attributed the drop in net profit to a rise in provisions for loan-related losses due to the Covid-19 epidemic in the amount of EUR 4.3 million. Profit before taxes was down 46.3% to EUR 15.5 million. The bank's capital adequacy ratio was up almost three points to 18.82%, and total assets increased up by 9.5% to EUR 2.945 billion.

Bisol ups revenue and profit in 2020

PREBOLD - The solar panel developer and maker Bisol generated over EUR 42 million in revenue last year, some EUR 6 million more than the year before. Net profit reached EUR 3 million, a significant increase over EUR 27,804 in 2019, the Prebold-based company said. Production increased by some 20% over 2019, which was already a record year. In terms of value, the growth was 10% due to a small drop in the price of modules. Employing some 200 people, the company expects growth to continue this year. "Hoping for a stabilisation of the health situation, we expect growth to be at least at last year's level."

NATO flag raised to mark 17th anniversary of accession

LJUBLJANA - A NATO flag was raised in front of the Foreign Ministry building to mark the 17th anniversary of Slovenian's membership in the alliance, in what the ministry said was a long overdue event. The flag was raised by Foreign Minister Anže Logar, who was accompanied by Ambassador Matjaž Šinkovec, Slovenia's first permanent representative at NATO. The ministry said in a press release on the occasion that, by raising the flag, Slovenia was expressing the "affiliation to the Euro-Atlantic space and the awareness that we are part of the strongest alliance".

UNESCO AI centre formally launched in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The UNESCO-sponsored International Research Centre On Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), which was established in Ljubljana in October 2020, was formally launched at a virtual event. The opening ceremony presented the centre's work so far as well as opportunities for cooperation and use of AI tools. The centre has set up programme committees dedicated to sustainable development targets, including in education, support technologies, waste management, climate change, the circular economy and assessment of UN indicators.

Slovenia resubmits Lipizzaner bid for UNESCO intangible heritage list

LJUBLJANA- Slovenia renewed its nomination of Lipizzaner horse breeding for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, which it filed last year on behalf of eight countries with this tradition. The resubmission was needed because the original nomination will not be up for review this December due to a high number of nominations submitted last year. For it to be considered in the 2022 cycle, the nomination had to be filed again.

Abundant harvest for most of crops in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Harvest of principal crops in Slovenia was abundant last year, with farmers reporting increases of 17% in cereals for grain, 35% in potatoes and 19% in dry fodder compared to 2019, data from the Statistics Office (SURS) show. Last year's harvest was slightly better for almost all cereals, with the total output of Slovenia's main bread cereals - wheat and spelt - up 13% to over 158,000 tonnes. The harvest of fruits in orchards and grapes in vineyards was also excellent.

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Circuit breaker lockdown to be imposed from 1 April

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government endorsed the proposal of the Covid-19 advisory team to impose an 11-day circuit breaker lockdown starting on 1 April in a bid to help hospitals cope with an expected influx in Covid-19 patients following an increase in Slovenia's coronavirus transmission rates. The decision means non-essential shops and services dealing directly with customers will be shut down and schools will switch to remote classes, while public transport will run on Sunday schedule. Gatherings will be banned and movement will be restricted to region of residence expect for Easter Sunday when up to two households will be able to meet. The measures were taken after a majority supported them in a cross-party meeting hosted by President Borut Pahor which, however, the centre-left opposition failed to attend.

After 640 more coronavirus infections 7-day average at 944

LJUBLJANA - Anther 640 people tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday to push the rolling 7-day average up by a further 17 to 944, as seven Covid-19 patients died, fresh government data show. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose by two to 499 after 29 patients were discharged yesterday. Intensive care cases dropped by two to 105. A total of 229,553 people have received their first dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 and 112,087 have received two.

Border restrictions stiffened from Monday

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia will step up restrictions on its borders on Monday in advance of an eleven-day circuit-breaker lockdown over Easter. Under the government's decision, travel to red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the red list - will be prohibited except for cross-border commuters, transit, goods and certain other emergency exemptions.

Germany win team event in Planica, Geiger rounds off victory

PLANICA - Germany won the final team event of the Ski Jumping World Cup on the giant hill in Planica ahead of Japan and Austria. Karl Geiger rounded off the victory by taking the individual event ahead of Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi and compatriot Markus Eisenbichler. Geiger and Kobayashi split the victory in the overall World Cup ski flying rankings, while the Crystal Globe went to Norway's Halvor Egner Granerud.

Nika Križnar wins Ski Jumping Globe

TCHAIKOVSKY, Russia - Nika Križnar won the overall Ski Jumping World Cup to secure the first ever Crystal Globe trophy in the discipline in the women's competition for Slovenia. The 21-year-old placed third in today's event in Tchaikovsky, Russia, to pip Japanese Sara Takanashi to the trophy by nine points after the second series was cancelled due to strong winds. The winner of today's event, Austria's Marita Kramer placed third overall, 11 points behind Križnar.

Slovenians win Zadar challenger

ZADAR, Croatia - Slovenian tennis players Blaž Kavčič and Blaž Rola won the doubles competition at the ATP challenger tournament in Zadar, their first victory at a challenger-type event. They beat the Slovak pairing of Lukaš Klein and Alex Molčan 2:6, 6:2 and 10:3. In the singles competition, Rola was eliminated on the first round while Kavčič was ejected in the quarter-final.

Bratislava-Split tourist train to cross Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A EuroNight train taking passengers from Slovakia's Bratislava via Vienna to Croatia's coastal city of Split later this year will cross Slovenia, with stops in the Slovenian towns of Maribor, Celje, Sevnica and Dobova. The first train will leave Bratislava on 18 June before 4pm to arrive in Split next day before 10am, stopping in Slovenia late in the evening, according to the Austrian railways.

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Over 1,250 tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, three died

LJUBLJANA - The number of positive cases of coronavirus continued to grow in Friday, when 1,253 people tested positive in a total of 6,767 PCR tests, the most recent government data show. The test positivity rate was at 18.5%, while the seven-day average increased by 32, reaching 925. Three people died. Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), said he was not happy with the emerging trend. Considering the epidemiological situation the best course of action would be to shut down public life. However, other factors must be considered as well, he said. A decision is expected tomorrow.

Left starts collecting signatures for anti-military investment referendum

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left launched a campaign to collect signatures for a referendum that would block military investments after the parliament adopted changes bypassing the Constitutional Court decision to stay the legislation allowing for the investments. This is the second attempt to block the investments with a referendum. The Left finds this option even worse than the original legislation. "There are no limits to prices and the total value is no longer EUR 780 million but could practically be limitless... The government is trying to get a blanc cheque for weapon deals," the Left's deputy group coordinator Luka Mesec said.

Theatres in talks to reopen despite epidemic

LJUBLJANA - Under the government roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions, theatres in Slovenia will not be allowed to reopen until infections have fallen to less than 300 a day. However, theatres have been in talks with government and health officials in a bid to persuade them to let them partly reopen sooner. Uroš Korenčan, director of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre and head of the college of Slovenian theatre directors, says they have proven they can guarantee a Covid-safe theatre experience as not a single infection was linked to a theatre in the autumn when theatres were briefly allowed to operate.

Slovenia lose second World Cup qualifier

SOCHI, Russia - The Slovenian national football team lost a qualifier for the 2022 2022 FIFA World Cup against Russia 1:2. The match was held in front of an audience of over 13,000 people, cheering as Artem Dzyuba scored the first goal for Russia 20 minutes into the first half. 15 minutes later Dzyuba scored a second goal and a minute later Josip Iličić scored for Slovenia. This was Slovenia's second qualifier, coming three days after the team defeated Croatia 1:0 in Ljubljana. On Tuesday the national team will face Cyprus.

World cup ski flying team event cancelled due to wind

PLANICA - The FIS world cup ski flying team competition in Planica was cancelled due to strong winds. The competition had already started when the wind picked up. The event was suspended for half an hour and then cancelled altogether. The competition will be staged on Sunday. Team Slovenia was in the lead ahead of Austria and Poland, when the competition was suspended.

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Govt shortens Govt shortens curfew, shuts three regions

LJUBLJANA - The government shortened the curfew from between 9pm and 6am to between 10pm and 5pm, and imposed a ban on movement into and out of three regions with the highest coronavirus infection rates. Movement is being restricted to within the region in Obalno-Kraška and Goriška in the west and Koroška in the north, with several exceptions applying. The government also decided that only negative PCR test result will be accepted to avoid quarantine on entering Slovenia, except for exceptions.

Govt overhauls national vaccination strategy

LJUBLJANA - The government amended once again the national vaccination strategy, moving higher up on the list the age group of 60 and older, as well as the national Olympic team bound for Tokyo in the summer. The changes were made due to the changing epidemiological situation and will take effect on Monday. The national coordinator of vaccination logistics, Jelko Kacin, said it was realistic to expect that 70% of Slovenia's population, or all adult residents, would be vaccinated by summer, as the country expected to receive more than 250,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of June.

Rising trend persists as 1,288 new cases, nine deaths confirmed

LJUBLJANA - New coronavirus cases continue to rise at double-digit rates as 1,288 cases were confirmed on Tuesday, an almost two-month high, the latest government data show. Nine Covid-19 patients died. There were 500 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down seven on the day before, while the number of ICU cases rose by three to 99, a one-month high. The cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents rose to 531 and the 7-day to 285, show data released by the National Institute of Public Health.

Slovenia summons Chinese ambassador over sanctions row

LJUBLJANA/BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador Wang Shunqing for talks in response to China's retaliation to EU sanctions due to human rights violations against Uyghurs. In the talks, the ministry described China's measures as unacceptable and expressed concern about human rights violations in Xinjiang and about the legislative changes affecting Hong Kong's autonomy. Talking with reporters in Brussels, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said China's actions contradicted the EU's fundamental values, and would not contribute to an EU-China partnership to boost investment cooperation.

Slovenia supports NATO's ambitious plans for the future

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Addressing reporters after a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia supported NATO's ambitious vision until 2030 as proposed by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Logar noted in particular enhancing political cooperation and building a stronger alliance in the face of new types of threats. As for the proposed strengthening of the common-funded budget, Logar said Slovenia shared the view of some other allies that detailed data should be obtained first.

UK official opposes vaccine exports ban in STA interview

LJUBLJANA - UK Minister of State for Trade Policy Greg Hands opposed any exports ban on coronavirus vaccines, as he talked with the STA in an interview during a visit to Slovenia. He also praised relations between Slovenia and the UK as very good. Vaccines have complicated supply chains and the best thing would be for everybody to work together, he said. "Any kind of vaccines exports ban would be a mistake," said Hands as he commented on the a possible ban by the EU.

IMAD upgrades growth forecast to 4.6% for the year

LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) has upgraded its economic growth forecast for Slovenia for this year to 4.6%, to be followed by a 4.4% growth in 2022 and 3.3% in 2023. IMAD, whose forecasts are used as a basis for state budgeting, had projected a 4.3% increase in Slovenia's GDP in its winter forecast, the reason for the upgrade being improved prospects in the international environment and businesses and consumers adapting increasingly to the new normal.

Culture minister grilled over culture and media policies

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition lambasted Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti for his treatment of the self-employed culture workers and public media as the National Assembly debated for hours their motion to oust him. Rejecting all the accusations, the minister argued he had been working for the benefit of culture, saying the culture budget would be record high this year. The outcome of the vote, which will be taken on Thursday, is not clear yet but the motion is expected to be defeated.

Contentious provision removed from water bill

LJUBLJANA - The environment and economy ministries withdrew a planned provision allowing construction of manufacturing facilities which use hazardous materials in water protected areas. This is one of the two provisions in the amendments to the water law that environmental NGOs and other experts had criticised as unacceptable. NGOs welcome the move but said the other contentious provision, which allows construction of public infrastructure in coastal areas, should be withdrawn as well.

SocDem MP proposes international debate on fracking

LJUBLJANA - Dejan Židan, an MP of the opposition SocDems, called on Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec to convene an international expert discussion on hydraulic fracturing. The debate would establish what individual countries have done abut fracking. Židan noted that the opposition had filed three times a proposal amending the mining act to ban fracking, but the amendment was voted down. The ministry's proposal to change the mining act would ban high-volume fracking and allow low-volume fracking under certain circumstances.

EUSAIR strategy for further green development in region

LJUBLJANA - Representatives of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) presented the initiative's key achievements since June 2020 when Slovenia took over the year-long EUSAIR chairmanship. The chairmanship revolved around green cooperation and environmentally-friendly development, including protection of the marine environment, green infrastructure and ecosystem services. EUSAIR is one of the four EU macro-regional strategies.

Report: NBI investigating Court of Audit

LJUBLJANA - The news portals 24ur and Necenzurirano reported that the National Bureau of Investigation opened a preliminary investigation into the work of the Court of Audit in the audit on the purchase of medical and personal protective equipment in the spring of 2020. Court of Audit President Tomaž Vesel told Radio Slovenija that questions forwarded from the NBI led to believe that the bureau was interested in whether the court had grounds for launching the audit.

Pragersko railway hub gets EUR 40m in EU funds

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy approved EUR 40 million in funds from the European Regional Development Fund to thoroughly overhaul the railway hub in Pragersko, north-eastern Slovenia. The investment is valued at EUR 90 million and is part of the European cohesion policy operative programme for 2014-2020.

Google.org funds Slovenian project promoting elderly digital literacy

LJUBLJANA - Google.org, Google's charitable arm, will donate EUR 134,000 to Slovenian organisation Simbioza to bridge digital gaps in elderly digital literacy in what is Google.org's first investment in Slovenia. Simbioza will raise awareness and promote digital skills all over the country through mobile classrooms equipped with computers, smart phones and other devices, and the mobile app Magda, the first mobile app for the elderly in Slovenia.

Slovenian startup launches all-in-one POS terminal

LJUBLJANA - Lab4Pay, a Slovenian fintech startup, has launched a point-of-sale (POS) terminal that vendors can use for traditional payment methods as well as digital payments such as cryptocurrency. The Elly POS accepts credit and debit cards as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, several Slovenian electronic wallets and a number of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ether and Litecoin. More options will be added.

Judge steps down after drunk-driving crash

LJUBLJANA - The president of the Maribor Higher Court, Miroslav Pliberšek, stepped down following media reports about him causing an accident while drunk driving. According to the newspaper Dnevnik, the 57-year old was driving under the influence at the end of January and caused an accident in Maribor. In his resignation letter to the president of the Supreme Court, Pliberšek said he was stepping down to protect the reputation of the Maribor Higher Court and the judiciary as a whole.

Prosecution rejects criminal complaints over STA funding

LJUBLJANA - The prosecution rejected criminal complains by the Journalist Trade Union against Uroš Urbanija, director of the Government Communication Office (UKOM), for suspending STA funding. It also rejected UKOM's criminal complaint against STA director Bojan Veselinovič, supervisors and former UKOM boss Kristina Plavšak Krajnc over the UKOM-STA contract on public service for 2020. Prosecutor Špela Brezigar said it was evident the dispute between the STA and UKOM resulted from different interpretations of the law, while criminal procedure was not designed to solve disagreements.

Documentary Film Festival gets under way online

LJUBLJANA - The 23rd Documentary Film Festival started online, bringing 20 feature-length documentaries and four short films until the end of the month. A special section will be dedicated to films by director Matjaž Ivanišin, a winner of the Prešeren Fund Prize. Five films will compete for the Amnesty International Slovenija award. The films will be available at Cinesquare.net. Discussions with directors will be aired by Cankarjev Dom on social networks and on radio station Val 202.

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Coronavirus transmissions keep rising

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's curve of coronavirus transmissions keeps rising with another 981 people testing positive on Monday to drive the 7-day average up to 829. The growing trend is also reflected in Covid-19 hospitalisations, which rose above 500 again, to 507, of whom 96 are in intensive care. Nine patients with Covid-19 died, government data show. The government is expected to revise coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday.

Parliament confirms five-year declaration on EU activities

LJUBLJANA - The declaration on Slovenia's activities in EU institutions in 2021-2024 was confirmed in the National Assembly. Prime Minister Janez Janša said that improving the resilience of the EU to crises, green transition and the rule of law were the main topics. These are also one of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year. The debate saw the opposition criticise the document for being too generalised and long-term. Janša argued that the government extended the period covered by the document so that it was tied to the terms of the Commission and Parliament.

SMC head expects Janša to show more discipline, self-control

LJUBLJANA - Coalition SMC leader Zdravko Počivalšek plans to have a word with Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss what he considers Janša's offensive remark about the Modern Centre Party (SMC) he made while responding to a question from SMC MP Janja Sluga in parliament. "I will talk to the prime minister about his statement, which was offensive and also damaging for future relations in the coalition," Počivalšek said in a written statement after Janša rebuked Sluga for questioning his communication strategy.

EP to continue debate on media in Slovenia on Friday

LJUBLJANA - The European Parliament's democracy monitoring group is expected to resume debate on the media situation in Slovenia on Friday even though PM Janez Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti have excused themselves. Janša and Simoniti said they would not be in Brussels in person after the coming EU summit will be held online. The idea was for Janša to come to the European Parliament for the debate after the summit.

Pahor stresses importance of EU perspective at meeting with ambassadors

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor stressed at a meeting with the ambassadors of EU countries that the EU perspective had been the engine of Slovenia's efforts for democratisation and independence and was thus woven into its history. Today, the EU should be more united, efficient and closer to people, he said. He believes the current health crisis should be used for a transition to a more sustainable development that will take into account climate change and the need for new technologies and a green economy.

Slovenia does not wish to be constrained in CAP strategic plans

LJUBLJANA - EU agriculture ministers debated the preparation of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans. Slovenia welcomed the EU Commission's recommendations but warned that countries may not be restricted in the selection of measures, Minister Jože Podgoršek said. "Not all recommendations can be addressed with CAP interventions, and in the selection of interventions it is necessary to ensure a suitable balance between economic, social and environmental aspects," Podgoršek said.

MPs back faster increase in pensions

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly unanimously passed changes to the pension legislation allowing for faster increase in pensions. In line with the changes, the transitional period for equalising the pension rate for men and women will end two years sooner than originally planned, on 1 January 2023. The pension rate for persons with 40 years of pensionable service will be increased to 63.5% of the long-term average wage for both men and women.

Ascent Resources to initiate arbitration with Slovenia

LONDON, UK - The British company Ascent Resources announced it would initiate arbitration proceedings against Slovenia in a dispute over permits for the extraction of gas by means of hydraulic fracturing in Petišovci, after the state had failed to put forward a damages proposal. The company estimates the damage to be in excess of EUR 100 million. The State Attorney's Office said last week that Slovenia had rejected an amicable settlement with the company.

Strabag challenges pick of Koper-Divača track contractor

LJUBLJANA - The Austrian builder Strabag has appealed against the decision by the state-owned company 2TDK to pick a Slovenian-headed consortium as the contractor to build the new railway between Koper and Divača. Kolektor CPG, partnering with the Turkish companies Yapi Merkezi and Özaltin, was initially picked to build the section between Divača and Črni Kal as the cheapest bidder, in a decision challenged by Strabag. As the only bidder left, Kolektor CPG was also picked to build the section between Črni Kal and Koper.

Hopes for new investor after Adient shutdown

SLOVENJ GRADEC - The government is hoping to find a new investor for a location in Slovenj Gradec that the US company Adient plans to shut down at the end of the year at a loss of 430 jobs. "I'm optimistic, we have several interested parties for the continuation of production," Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said. The plan is to leverage the act on investment promotion and the act on regional development in order to find new investors interested in the location. "The reason I'm particularly confident that this is feasible is that we're talking about skilled workers here."

Anniversary of major military exercise marked

LJUBLJANA - Senior officials marked the 30th anniversary of Premik'91, a major military exercise that displayed a high level of organisation of the Slovenian Territorial Defence ahead of the declaration of independence. President Borut Pahor said the exercise had marked the true transformation of the Territorial Defence into the SAF, which had defended Slovenia's independence. Defence Minister Matej Tonin added that the exercise had been a signal that "we are serious, that we have matured as a nation".

Study shows Slovenia should further reduce urban air pollution

LJUBLJANA - A study conducted by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has shown that the majority of Slovenian cities should restrict traffic in order to reduce air pollution, an issue that comes at an immense social cost to residents. The Institute for Health and Environment said polluted air cost residents of Ljubljana and Maribor an average of EUR 1,233 in social costs a year per capita, or EUR 434 million every year for Ljubljana alone.

Italian allegedly linked to Becciu faces money laundering charges

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana crime investigators have filed preliminary charges against an Italian citizen for laundering more than half a million euro in Slovenia in a case that the newspaper Večer says is linked to a financial scandal involving former Cardinal Angelo Becciu. The Ljubljana police said yesterday they had filed a criminal complaint against two individuals and two legal entities on suspicion of money laundering, including an Italian whom Večer identified as Cecilia Marogna, whom Becciu allegedly transferred money from the Vatican that she then laundered in Slovenia.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Rising trend persists amid warnings third wave already happening

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 1,030 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, as new infections rose by around a fifth compared to the week before, a trend that has been going on for a week. The new cases however come amidst intensified testing and the latest figures indicate the situation in hospitals remained stable. Infectious diseases specialist Mateja Logar, who heads the government's expert group, however warned that the country is no longer just facing a new wave of the epidemic but is already at the start of the third wave.

Pahor, Erdogan discuss strategic partnership

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor spoke over the phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to mark ten years since the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement that they said had accelerated economic cooperation and deepened political dialogue. Pahor's office said Slovenia was seeking a more balanced trade and a rebound in economic cooperation after a dip caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. They also discussed EU-Turkey relations with Pahor urging "dialogue and a constructive resolution of issues in the East Mediterranean".

Hojs meets Belgian, Dutch, EU officials in preparation for presidency

BRUSSELS, Belgium/THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs held talks with senior Belgian, Dutch and EU officials Thursday and Friday as part of preparations for Slovenia's presidency of the EU. He met with Christine Roger, director-general of the Council General Secretariat in charge of justice and home affairs, his Belgian counterpart Annelies Verlinden and Secretary of State for Asylum and Migrations Sammy Mahdi, the Dutch ministers for migrations and justice, Ankie Broekers-Knol and Ferdinand Grapperhaus, and Europol's executive director Catherine De Bolle.

Church says all vaccines ethically acceptable in current circumstance

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Bishops' Conference said that all coronavirus vaccines were ethically acceptable for Catholics in the given circumstances, after earlier advising against the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on the grounds that cell lines from an aborted foetus had been used in its development. "Believers currently don't have a choice... [the Bishops Conference] is therefore of the opinion that they can be inoculated with any of the available vaccines."

Pivec returns to politics as president of new party, Our Land

MARIBOR- Five and a half months after resigning as the leader of the Pensioners' Party amidst an ethics scandal, Aleksandra Pivec, a former agriculture minister, has retuned as the leader of a new party, Our Land.The party has not revealed much about its platform except for the pledge to "connect all Slovenian lands" and pursue a policy of "forging ties, dialogue, cooperation and higher level of political culture". Pivec said "politics must abandon ideology and return to the people".

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