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: 

Coronavirus restrictions stepped up in coastal region

KOPER - Tighter coronavirus restrictions kicked in in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region after the epidemiological situation in the south-west worsened. Gatherings are banned and travel between the region and the rest of Slovenia is restricted to work- and health-related reasons. Schools and shops up to 400 square metres meanwhile remain open.

Nearly 950 new test positive for coronavirus on Friday, 13 die

LJUBLJANA - 948 of a total of 4,861 PCR coronavirus tests came back positive on Friday for a positivity rate of 19.5%, the government said. 513 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, 95 requiring intensive care, while 13 died. The 7-day incidence average was at 763, one fewer than the day before. The number Covid-19 patients requiring hospital care continues to drop as well, decreasing by 16 compared to Thursday, while the number of those in intensive care remained unchanged.

Slovenia sees EUR 432m in budget deficit in January

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's state budget revenue was at EUR 890 million in January, down from EUR 1.7 million in January 2019, while expenditure went up by 48% to EUR 1.32 billion. The measures designed to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis drove the deficit to EUR 432 million, which amounts to some 17% of total deficit planned for this year, the Finance Ministry said. Year-on-year increases in expenditure were highest in salaries, subsidies, transfers to individuals and households.

Slovenske Železnice posts EUR 3m in 2020 profit

LJUBLJANA - Railways operator Slovenske Železnice generated EUR 2.9 million in net profit at group level last year. The figure was considerably lower than the EUR 35 million in 2019 due to severance payments. It paid out EUR 36 million on severance and expects to spend a total of EUR 52 million by the time it lets go redundancies. Revenue reached EUR 540.7 million, compared to more than EUR 600 million in 2019. The groups' EBITDA reached EUR 52.4 million, while EBIT was at EUR 6.7 million, the parent company said.

Agricultural products prices down 2% last year

LJUBLJANA - Agricultural product prices dropped by 2% in 2020 over 2019, the Statistics Office said. They were dragged down by a drop in prices for animals and animal products, while crops became more expensive, apples above all. Total value of agricultural products sold last year amounted to EUR 535.8 million, 3.5% less than in 2019. Prices of crops went up by 1.1% on average last year, dragged up above all by apples. The prices of animals and animal products dropped by 3.9% on average.

Lanišek wins bronze at Nordic World Ski Championships

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ski jumper Anže Lanišek won the bronze medal on the normal hill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf. Gold went to Polish Piotr Zyila, while German Karl Geiger was second. Touching down at 102.5 metres in the first round, Lanišek was in place two before the second round, lagging three points behind Zyla in first place. Lanišek's second jump was 1.5 metres shorter and he lost a spot, with Geiger jumping 102 metres and taking the silver medal.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

Janša urges von der Leyen to send fact-finding mission to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an invitation for the Commission to appoint a fact-finding mission that would visit Slovenia to get acquainted with the state of democracy, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media plurality. Responding, the Commission confirmed it had received Janša's letter on Thursday, adding the Commission's annual report on the rule of law was the proper framework to assess the situation of the freedom of the media. The second report for EU members is to be released in the second half of 2021 after the first came out last September, expressing concern at online attacks on journalists in Slovenia.

Highly virulent South African variant of coronavirus confirmed in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The first case of the South African variant of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in Slovenia today. The person from the area of Maribor in the north-east of the country has recently returned from Africa and was vaccinated against the coronavirus before travelling there, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press. Out of precaution, the National Laboratory of Health and the Institute of Microbiology will from now on do genetic sequencing of not only 10% but of 30% of all positive PCR tests in the region of Maribor per week. Until now, only the UK variant has been confirmed in Slovenia.

Slovenia's GDP down 5.5% in 2020 year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP dropped 5.5% in real terms last year over the year before, the Statistics Office said. Domestic spending saw a considerable drop, while external demand also suffered a blow. Preliminary estimates show a drop of EUR 46.3 million at current prices, a nominal decline of 4.3% over 2019, while the drop reached 5.5% in real terms. Domestic spending was down 6.5%, dragged down most significantly by a 9.8% decline in household spending. GDP dropped 4.5% year-on-year in the final quarter of the year. IMAD, the government's macroeconomic think-tank, said the drop had been milder than its forecast because of favourable trends in exports and construction.

1% annual deflation recorded in February on cheaper fuel

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded an annual deflation of 1% in February as prices of goods were down 1.3% compared to the same month in 2020 and prices of services dropped by 0.5%. Significantly cheaper petroleum products contributed the most to the annual deflation. Prices of fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles were down by 10% and prices of liquid fuels by 3.5%, contributing as much as 0.5 of a percentage point to the annual deflation in February. On the other hand, a 5.3% increase in prices of tobacco products offset the annual deflation by 0.2 of a percentage point.

Sales in services and retail down almost 10% last year

LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 lockdown that started in March last year and that has persisted in various forms had a significant impact on the volume of sales in the services sector and retail in 2020, as it was down by a combined 9.6% compared to the year before. The drop in the services sector was 11.6% compared to 2019, while it was smaller, 6.2%, in retail, the Statistics Office said. The volume of sales decreased in all groups of the services sector, the most in hospitality (37.7%).

Survey unemployment in Q4 2020 up year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - The survey unemployment rate in Slovenia stood at 5.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020, level with the previous quarter and up 1.1 percentage points on same period in 2019, show Statistics Office data. The total of furloughed workers increased at the quarterly level, but remained below the spring lockdown figure. There were 53,000 unemployed persons in Slovenia in the fourth quarter, roughly the same number as in the previous two quarters but an almost 30% increase (12,000) year-on-year.

912 test positive for coronavirus, 14 people die

LJUBLJANA - 912 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday in 4,484 PCR tests, the government said. The positivity ratio was at 20.3%. 14 Covid-19 patients died. The seven-day incidence average was at 764, an increase of 1, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). NIJZ director Milan Krek warned that the lowering trend in infections is reversing, likely due to the presence of the British variant in the country.

Govt makes public national recovery and resilience plan

LJUBLJANA - The government on Thursday declassified the draft national recovery and resilience plan, which gives an insight into how much the government intends to allocate for each priority area. The development comes after a number of calls by centre-left opposition to make the document public, but Development Minister Zvonko Černač told the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee today he had declassified it after its contents had been leaked to a weekly. The committee discussed the plan today but rejected all recommendations from opposition parties.

Parliamentary body calls for new concept of demographic fund

LJUBLJANA - After discussing the government's Demographic Fund bill at the request of the opposition, the parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances concluded that the concept did not provide a long-term sustainability of pension funding and called on the government to draw up a new, better solution. Luka Mesec from the Left said this was one of the most important bills in this government's term, as it would decide on the management of EUR 8.4 billion in state assets, but no public debate had been conducted, but he finds it problematic that the fund would not be used to sustain the pension fund. Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj disagreed. The second reading is due at the plenary session starting on Monday.

Schools to stay open in Obalno-Kraška, no municipal travel ban

LJUBLJANA - As gatherings are banned in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region from Saturday and travel between this and other regions is restricted to work- and health-related reasons, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said schools would not be closed in the region for the time being. There will also be no ban on travel between municipalities there. Hojs said the restrictions were being introduced due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the region. Several exceptions for the crossing of the regional border will be allowed, but these do not include visits to shops that are not available in the region.

Tonin says Poland example of modernisation and recruitment in army

WARSAW, POland - Defence Minister Matej Tonin met his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak in Warsaw as he concluded an official two-day visit to the country. He said that Poland was an example in terms of modernisation and recruitment in the armed forces that Slovenia would use in doing the same with the Slovenian Armed Forces.
Tonin and Blaszczak also praised the good relations and cooperation between the countries in defence and military matters, and agreed to form special expert groups that will exchange know-how and experience in modernisation and recruitment in the armed forces and cyber defence.

Nove24TV cameraman denied access to SD news conference

LJUBLJANA - A camera operator for Nova24TV, a news channel affiliated with the ruling Democrats (SDS), was denied access to today's news conference of the opposition Social Democrats (SD). While SD leader Tanja Fajon already apologised for the incident, which both Slovenian journalist associations condemned, the SD said on its platform Facts Only taht because of Nova24TV's known abuse, lies and distortion of facts, it had decided a while ago not to cooperate with it any more and that it was not welcome at the party's events as long as it continued "systematically generating lies and hatred".

Report: NBI files charges against four in Adria Airways case

LJUBLJANA - Delo reported that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had filed criminal complaints last month against four persons suspected of abuse of office or rights in relation to alleged irregularities in the bankrupt flag carrier Adria Airways. They are suspected of having caused EUR 3.6 million in damage to the company. This concludes the procedure conducted by the NBI in one part of the investigation, while another procedure is still under way, which the police did not wish to discuss as they want to protect the interest of the investigation.

Energy efficiency study shows room for improvement in public sector and companies

LJUBLJANA - The REUS study on energy efficiency in Slovenia has once again focused on the public and services sectors. Since the previous such study, seven years ago, much has changed regarding legislation and circumstances, however the situation leaves plenty of room for improvement in both sectors, the results of the latest survey indicate. The outcome of the study, conducted by communication agency Informa Echo in 2020, shows that the share of energy efficiency-minded consumers is smaller in the two sectors compared to households, Informa Echo director Rajko Dolinšek said at the presentation of the results.

Former Probanka executives plead not guilty to abuse of office

MARIBOR - Former member of the management board of Probanka bank, Milana Lah, and one of the bank's directors, Peter Lobnik, denied the charges of complicity in abuse of office or trust as they appeared before the District Maribor Court for a per-trial hearing, which was however not attended by the main defendant, businessman Tomaž Ročnik. The three are accused of causing over EUR 3 million in damage to companies Toming Consulting and Millcom group, both owned by Ročnik, with a deal involving the purchase of NKBM bank shares in 2008 for EUR 4.5 million from Probanka, although they were only worth EUR 1.7 million on the stock market.

Italy up in arms about new Slovenian rules on balsamic vinegar

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's draft regulation on vinegar and dilute acetic acid quality has sparked strong protests in Italy, although the Slovenian government says Italy has not provided any formal comments so far. The proposal sets down that any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must could be labelled balsamic vinegar. Slovenia notified the European Commission of the draft on 2 December 2020 with the standstill period ending on 3 March, the Agriculture Ministry told the STA.

Slovenia's women's ski-jumping team wins silver at World Championship

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenia's Nika Križnar, Špela Rogelj, Urša Bogataj and Ema Klinec won silver at the Nordic World Ski Championships, missing gold by just 1.4 points. This is first medal for Slovenia's women's ski-jumping team at a world championship, and comes a day after Klinec won gold to become the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

852 new infections confirmed, seven Covid-19 patients die

LJUBLJANA - A total of 4,565 PCR tests were performed in Slovenia on Wednesday, resulting in 852 new infections, government data show. The number of positive tests was down by 237 compared to Tuesday and the positivity rate decreased by almost two percentage points to 18.7%. Hospitalisations remained at 546, out of whom 103 required intensive care, which is two persons fewer than yesterday. The national seven-day average of new cases was down from 766 to 763. Another seven Covid-patients died yesterday to increase the total death toll in Slovenia to 3,809. Slovenia remains in the orange tier, while the situation in the south-western region of Obalno-Kraška has deteriorated in the past week and it has been placed in the red tier.

Movement restriction and ban on gatherings in coastal region from Saturday

LJUBLJANA - Gatherings are banned in the coastal Obalno-Kraška region from Saturday and travel between this region and others is restricted to work- and health-related reasons, the government decreed at Thursday's correspondence session. The current level of restrictions remains in force in the rest of the country. The list of exceptions is the same as it was in place for all regions in the country before 15 February.

Slovenia urged to appoint its European delegated prosecutors

LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders recently urged the Slovenian government to swiftly appoint the country's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, so that the new institution could start operating in Slovenia on 1 March as planned. Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič has put forward Matej Oštir and Tanja Frank Eler after they have been proposed by the relevant bodies, bur the candidates have not received the government's clearance. Radio Slovenija said, citing unofficial sources, this was because PM Janez Janša opposed them due to some old procedures. The government has meanwhile adopted a bill related to the appointments.

Počivalšek discusses implementation of industrial strategy with peers

LJUBLJANA - Attending a virtual informal session of EU ministers in charge of the internal market and industry on Thursday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek discussed with his colleagues the role of national recovery and resilience plans as instruments of implementing the industrial strategy. Corporate tax transparency was also on the agenda.

Deep concern expressed as UKOM suspends STA funding again

LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office's (UKOM) rejection to pay a bill for the STA's public service has prompted strong reactions from STA employees and from several journalist organisations at home and abroad as well as MPs from the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), and the opposition Left, Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). The move is seen as another attempt at destabilising the press agency after its funding was first suspended in late 2020.

Opposition requests inquiry into political interference in police

LJUBLJANA - A group of opposition parties has requested a parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work during a period from 13 March 2020, when the Janez Janša government was sworn in, to the launching of the inquiry. The petition was signed by 39 MPs of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), urging an investigation to establish "the actual situation and potential political responsibility of public officials for unacceptable political interfering in the work of the Slovenian police, its investigative bodies, investigative teams and autonomous investigative units due to suspicion of political influence on the phases and/or the outcome of pre-trial and other procedures".

Govt adopts changes redefining rape

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted on Wednesday evening changes to the penal code redefining rape. Under the changes, rape will no longer have to involve force, as the changes incriminate interference in sexual integrity without consent. Victims will no longer have to prove that they had put up a fight. Under the changes, those involved must express consent to the sexual act either implicitly or verbally, the government said. NGO the March 8 Institute was critical of the government's move today seeing it as overriding the efforts of numerous volunteers and voters collecting signatures to push for a similar redefinition, campaigning under the slogan Only Yes Means Yes.

Natural gas-powered vehicles to be exempt from excise duties

LJUBLJANA - The government has drafted legislative changes under which drivers of motor vehicles powered by natural gas will be exempt from paying excise duties until the end of 2025, in a bid to pursue Slovenia's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transport. The Government Communication Office (UKOM) said on Wednesday that the changes aimed at encouraging the use of natural gas in transport. "This would result in competitive prices of natural gas for motor vehicles in Slovenia in comparison with the prices and rate of taxation in neighbouring countries," UKOM added.

Govt appoints new acting director of Financial Administration

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed on Wednesday Simon Starček the new acting director general of the Financial Administration (FURS) to replace Irena Nunčič, who has been the acting director general since September 2020. Starček, who is currently the deputy director general of FURS, will take over on 1 March for not longer that six months. A call for applications for the full-fledged director was initiated in January, but was unsuccessful, as only one candidate applied. That candidate subsequently withdrew the bid. According to the public Radio Slovenija, the only candidate was Nunčič.

Papež in for another term as boss of ZPIZ pension insurer

LJUBLJANA - The council of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ) unanimously confirmed the appointment of Marijan Papež as director-general for another four-year term. If the government clears the appointment, this will be Papež's fifth term at the helm of the ZPIZ. The 59-year-old was the only candidate to have applied for the post. His current term ends on 11 April.

Cantarutti appointed GZS director general

LJUBLJANA - Former Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti will take over as Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director general on 1 April. He was appointed for four years by the GZS management board as it met for an online session on Thursday. Presenting his bid to the board, Cantarutti said his term would be dominated Slovenia 5.0, the GZS's agenda aimed at raising awareness about the role of industry.

Ski jumper Ema Klinec wins World Championship in Oberstdorf

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Ema Klinec won a ski jumping event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany becoming the first Slovenian female ski jumping world champion. The defending champion, Norwegian Maren Lundby, won silver, while Japanese Sara Takanashi won bronze. "I can't believe it! I want to thank all of you who believed in me," said the 22-year-old winner. "After the final jump I didn't feel I could win. But I did the best I could, and I made it," she told the organisers.

Lampič wins cross-country sprint bronze at world championships

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič won the bronze medal in the women's classical sprint at the Nordic World Ski Championships, missing out on the silver medal by a mere 0.02 seconds. The gold went to Jonna Sundling of Sweden, who was followed by Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway (+2.32 seconds). This is a second world championships medal for Lampič, coming after the silver in the team sprint in 2019. Lampič, the 2020 Slovenian female athlete of the year, has already been awarded the small crystal globe as the overall World Cup winner in sprint as the season has been cut short.

Ikea store opens in Ljubljana amid and despite epidemic

LJUBLJANA - Swedish furniture group Ikea opened its much-anticipated first store in Slovenia. "Although this is not an opening we expected, we are grateful to be here today," Sara Del Fabbro, the CEO at Ikea South East Europe, said at today's inauguration event in Ljubljana's BTC shopping district amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of shoppers is capped at 700 with Ikea estimating that they will spend roughly two hours on average browsing around the store. Once the epidemiological situation normalises, the Ljubljana store is expected to attract around two million visitors a year. The store with some 22,000 square metres of the shopping area stocks about 9,500 products. It was originally scheduled to open at the end of 2020.

Fire destroys mountain lodge in Golte

MOZIRJE - A fire completely destroyed the Mozirska Koča mountain lodge near the Golte ski centre in the Savinja-Kamnik Alps on Wednesday. The fire was put out already last evening, with a group of firefighters and police officers staying there overnight to watch the fire site. TV Slovenija reported that the fire was caused by an explosion. There lodge was closed when it caught fire. Celje police are now investigating the site to establish the cause of the fire. This is the third mountain lodge in the area covered by the Celje Police Department to completely burn down in the last three years.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

PM proposes cooperation agreement, invites all parties to join

LJUBLJANA/BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša invited all parliamentary parties to sign an agreement on cooperation in addressing "fundamental development challenges". The invite came only hours before a meeting of party heads, with most opposition parties declining it. The meeting resulted in the decision that they will meet again in March in a bid to find a common ground on the exit strategy and restructuring of healthcare needs in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic, President Borut Pahor announced.

DeSUS to act as moderate opposition

LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party's (DeSUS) executive council decided that the party would act as moderate opposition in the future, party leader Karl Erjavec said after the meeting. The party will not sign the prime minister's cooperation agreement and it will also not remain a member of the opposition's Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL). The party will endorse the coalition's proposals that are in line with its manifesto, especially those in the field of the long-term care and rights of the elderly, said Erjavec.

Slovenia reports 1,089 new coronavirus cases, hospital numbers improving

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 1,089 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, a slight increase over the week before, as the situation in the west of the country deteriorated further. Hospital numbers continued to improve. There were 546 patients in hospital, down 21 on the day before, of whom 105 were in intensive care, two fewer than on Monday. The national seven-day average of new cases was 766, a slight improvement over yesterday.

More virulent variants not widespread in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The more virulent variants of coronavirus appear not to be very widespread in Slovenia yet. Two labs which conduct genetic sequencing have so far identified 35 cases of the UK variant and not a single case of the South African or Brazilian variant, said Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, the head of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food. Both labs currently sequence 5-10% of all positive tests.

Foreign minister discussing resilient Europe efforts in Luxembourg

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Minister Anže Logar was in Luxembourg, to talk about creating a resilient Europe with counterpart Jean Asselborn, a topic that will be one of the priorities of Slovenia's approaching EU Council presidency. The pair also discussed the Western Balkans situation and Covid measures. Logar also visited the headquarters of the European Investment Bank (EIB) where he met its president Werner Hoyer, discussing the recovery of the European economy in the wake of the pandemic and EIB-funded projects in Slovenia.

Logar extends terms of six heads of mission

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar has extended the terms of six heads of mission - in Berlin, Brussels, Bratislava, The Hague, Tehran and Trieste, Dnevnik reported. The terms of all six diplomats would have expired in the summer. The ministry confirmed the report for the paper, while State Secretary Gašper Dovžan declined to comment at a session of the Foreign Policy Committee. He said these were confidential procedures.

NLB to pay out EUR 92m in dividends this year

LJUBLJANA - The bank NLB may pay out EUR 92 million in dividends this year and a total of some EUR 300 million in three years, the bank's board said in an online financials presentation. The results released last week show a significant increase in profit, owing greatly to the acquisition of the Serbian Komercijalna Banka. Chairman Blaž Brodnjak said that the group acquired nearly a million new clients in the acquisition. NLB's market share in Serbia has gone from below 2% to over 12%.

STA financing suspended again

LJUBLJANA - The Government Communication Office (UKOM) has suspended the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) again, declining to pay it for the services provided as a public service in January on the ground that the parties have not yet signed a contract for the year. In response STA director Bojan Veselinovič noted that a provision in the 7th coronavirus relief package set forth that budget funds be provided to the STA for performing a public service for 2021 in line with the STA business plan, regardless of whether a contract with the founder has been signed or not. He called the development the launch of a new offensive against the STA, describing the excuse that there is no legal basis for the payment as "an outright eerie pretending of ignorance".

EP Democracy Group hearing on Slovenian media scheduled for next week

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša and other Slovenian officials have been invited for a virtual exchange of views on the media in the country with the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group on 5 March. The group's head, Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew), confirmed for the STA that invitations had been sent out, although she did not name the invitees. The MEP told TV Slovenija a few days ago that apart from the prime minister, the country's culture minister and the director of the Government Communication Office and representatives of the media would be invited for an exchange of views.

New interim manager takes over at UKC Ljubljana hospital

LJUBLJANA - Jože Golobič was named acting director general of the Ljubljana University Medical Centre (UKC) to succeed Janez Poklukar, who was appointed new health minister on Tuesday. Golobič has so far served as chairman of the UKC Ljubljana council. He will serve until a new director general is appointed but not more than a year, under a decision taken unanimously by the UKC Ljubljana council.

Slovenia's Lampič wins Cross-Country World Cup sprint globe

OBERSTDORF, Germany - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič has been awarded the small crystal globe as the overall World Cup winner in the women's sprint discipline as the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to cut the season short. After seven World Cup sprint events, the Slovenian has 402 points, well ahead of Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland (296) and Linn Svahn of Sweden (275).

Business sentiment improves in February

LJUBLJANA - The business sentiment indicator for Slovenia was up by 3.3 percentage points in February over January as some coronavirus restrictions were relaxed and sub-indicators for the majority of activities increased. Still, the indicator was down by 8.1 percentage points year-on-year, and was 2.4 percentage points below the long-term average.

Bilingual signposts vandals arrested in Carinthia

KLAGENFURT, Austria - The Austrian police have apprehended individuals who are suspected of vandalising bilingual city limit signs in Carinthia in January by spray-painting the Slovenian place names. A 20-year-old from Klagenfurt has confessed to the crime, saying he did it along with his 21-year-old friend, the Austrian Press Agency (APA) reported. Both had been members of the conservative Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) until today's revelation after which they were kicked out of the party. Gernot Darmann, the regional FPÖ head, has condemned the incident.

Giro d'Italia to visit Slovenia

MILAN, Italy - The Giro d'Italia, one of the three iconic Grand Tour cycling races, will take a detour through Slovenia this year. The 15th stage will take the riders to the winemaking region of Goriška Brda and the city of Nova Gorica in the west of the country on Sunday, 23 May. With the start and finish in Italy, the stage will run from Grado to Gorizia and will be perfect for sprinters, the organizers said.

13 Iraqis rescued from hidden compartment in a lorry

LJUBLJANA - During a check of a cargo vehicle registered in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the Obrežje border crossing with Croatia, Slovenian police and customs officers rescued on Tuesday 13 citizens of Iraq who had been transported in a secret compartment in the vehicle. Some of them required medical attention due to lack of air and dehydration.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

Logar urges EU unity on Russia

BRUSSELS, Belgium - As EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement to introduce sanctions against the persons responsible for the arrest and prison sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Slovenia's Anže Logar pointed to the need for the EU to be united in its attitude towards Russia. He also said that it was important to maintain dialogue with Russia but that the EU needed to make strategic reflection in the context of future relations with Russia.

Slovenia would like to organise EU-W Balkans and resilience summits

BRUSSELS, Belgium - During its EU presidency in the second half of 2021, Slovenia would like to organise an EU-Western Balkans summit and an informal summit on resilience, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the press after attending a session of the Foreign Affairs Council. He said the wish was to discuss building a robust EU which will be able to address various crises, from a health to a cyber crisis.

FM speaks about pandemic recovery at UN Human Rights Council

GENEVA, Switzerland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said recovery after pandemic should include actions aimed at achieving greater equality, solidarity and social protection as he addressed in a video call the UN Human Rights Council, which started its 46th regular session virtually in Geneva. He welcomed the recent US decision to re-engage with the council and noted that Slovenia stood ready to take its part in international human rights efforts as a member state in the 2026-2028 period.

Janša invited to Brussels for discussion on media in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew) has invited PM Janez Janša, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, Government Communication Office director Uroš Urbanija and public broadcaster RTV Slovenija director general Igor Kadunc to Brussels to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia expected to take place in March, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported. The MEP chairs the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group. After Janša accused Politico's journalist of lying in her story about the media in Slovenia, In 't Veld said last week she believed there was sufficient ground for the group to start monitoring the situation in the country. Earlier in the day, the leaders of both junior government coalition partners, New Slovenia (NSi) and Modern Centre Party (SMC), called on Janša to invite an EU mission to Slovenia to investigate the state of freedom of the press.

Slovenia taking over LOT House in Bosnia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will take over a Liaison and Observation Team (LOT) as part of the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. Addressing reporters, Colonel Borut Cesar said Slovenia would officially take over the LOT House in Banja Luka from Chile with a flag raising ceremony on Friday, while eight members of Slovenian Armed Forces will start operating there on 15 March. LOT Houses provide a link between the European Union Force FOR and the local civilian population.

Coronavirus situation stable, hospitals on exit strategy

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 247 coronavirus cases from 1,428 PCR tests performed on Sunday to keep the 7-day average number of new cases flat at 744. Eight patients with Covid-19 died for a total death toll of 3,784. Covid hospitalisations rose by 18 to 584 and ICU cases were up by two to 104, with the increase typical at weekends. Announcing an exit strategy for hospitals, Health Ministry State Secretary Alenka Forte announced that Covid beds capacities were being reduced to 10% of all bed capacities. In addition Topolšica and Sežana hospitals are no longer Covid hospitals.

New batch of Pfizer vaccine arrives in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A new batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has arrived in Slovenia. It comprises 22,230 doses, of which 2,200 will be used for second jabs and the rest for the first, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) said. In line with the vaccination strategy, the batch is intended for residents older than 80. If some goes unused, the leftover doses will be used for those aged 75-80. All residents aged 80 or more and have opted for vaccination will have been vaccinated by the end of this week. So far, around 94,300 persons (4.5% of Slovenia's population) have received the first dose of the vaccine, whereas 49,918 have received both jabs.

Vizjak points to green transition in address to UN Environment Assembly

NAIROBI, Kenya - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak highlighted the role and potential of green investment for a low-carbon and circular economy as he addressed in a video call a two-day virtual session of the UN Environment Assembly. He said Slovenia was working on a plan of concrete measures for a systemic transition to a low-carbon circular economy. "It's true that we live in a crisis but also in a time of opportunities where actions and post-pandemic recovery can bring benefits to both the economy and environment."

Man charged with incitement to violent protest

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Police Department said a 39-year-old man from Ljubljana had been charged with incitement to violent protests in connection to an anti-government rally that turned violent on 5 November. News portal Siol.net identified the suspect as Anis Ličina. He is suspected of having called for violence on various social networks for three weeks prior to the protest, and of being the ringleader of a group that obstructed police work at the protest and attacked police officers.

Doctor censured by peers over coronavirus statements

LJUBLJANA - A doctor who has downplayed the severity of the coronavirus epidemic has been censured by the Medical Chamber's ethics committee, which will now hand the case over to the chamber's prosecutor, who may initiate follow-up proceedings. While the committee admitted in its recent decision that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, it has said that internal medicine specialist Matjaž Figelj "must realise that his publicly expressed opinions on the medical profession carry far greater weight and responsibility that statements by the lay public, and may significantly affect the public".

Slovenian community in Italy reclaims old land rights

TRIESTE, Italy - The Trieste-based Primorski Dnevnik reported that a predominantly Slovenian group of landowners in San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina municipality in Italy had reclaimed ownership of large tracts of lands under a landmark judgement recently handed down by an Italian court, a development seen as creating significant economic opportunities. The judgement affects 88 plots of land stretching over 233 hectares, some of it in the picturesque Glinščica Valley.

Boxmark wins deal to make upholstery for Emirates

KIDRIČEVO - Boxmark, the Kidričevo-based maker of car upholstery, is branching out into aircraft upholstery having recently sealed a deal with the Emirates Group to make leather upholstery for Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. The deal is a special achievement in the light of the aviation crisis. It will generate about EUR 3 million in revenue a year, as Boxmark continues to make the bulk of income with car upholstery, but the Emirates deal will boost its brand abroad.

Actor Danilo Benedičič dies

LJUBLJANA - Film and theatre actor Danilo Benedičič has died, aged 87, according to a release issued by the SNG Drama Ljubljana theatre on Friday. Benedičič, a winner of Borštnik Ring, Slovenia's top accolade for lifetime achievement in theatre acting, was a member of the SNG Drama ensemble for almost 40 years. He played in almost 150 roles, and was known and celebrated for his "extraordinary artistic heritage and kind, mindful personality", the theatre said.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

956 new infections confirmed as 7-day average continues to drop

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

Ministry procuring million rapid tests, Majbert Pharm to supply them to UKC Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry published on Thursday a call to tender to supply a million rapid antigen tests for coronavirus screening with bids expected by noon on 10 March. Under the terms of the call, it expects the supply of about 50,000 tests a day with up to a 30% margin for departure on the volumes. Meanwhile, UKC Ljubljana hospital has signed a deal with Majbert Pharm to supply rapid antigen tests at virtually the same cost apiece as the company supplied to the Health Ministry for mass coronavirus testing under a contract signed in December.

910 coronavirus cases on Thursday as 7-day average inches lower

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 910 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, 14% fewer that the same day a week ago, to push the rolling 7-day average of new cases down further to 748, data released by the government show. Seven patients with Covid-19 died. The latest cases were confirmed from a total of 4,556 PCR tests, for a positivity rate of 20%. In addition 19,723 rapid antigen tests were also performed where all those who test positive take PCR tests.

Logar and Austrian colleague praise bilateral relations

VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg assessed the countries' relations in the past year as positive as Logar paid a working visit to Vienna. The pair also noted the importance of the 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite in presence of both presidents. "A year of intensive dialogue is behind us," Logar said on Twitter after the meeting. He also met Slovenian minority representatives.

MPs to vote on health minister candidate next Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will hold an emergency session on Tuesday to vote on the appointment of Janez Poklukar, the director of UKC Ljubljana, to the post of health minister, the college of deputy group leaders decided. MPs will be able to take part in the session remotely.

Restaurants allowed to serve B2B meals under certain conditions

LJUBLJANA - Despite the ongoing ban on indoor food service, restaurants in Slovenia are allowed to serve business customers under certain conditions, a senior Economy Ministry official said as he clarified government restrictions following uncertainty over what the indoor eating ban actually means. The decree banning the provision of goods and services, including indoor dining, "restricts only commerce with consumers. Commerce with business entities is permitted," Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc said at the government's daily Covid-19 briefing.

Specialised Prosecution sees fall in cases due to Covid-19

LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic has had an impact on the work of the Slovenian law enforcement authorities with a report from the Specialised State Prosecution Service showing there were virtually no new incoming cases during the first wave of the epidemic last spring. The second largest prosecution office in the country, the Specialised State Prosecution Service is tasked with prosecuting the toughest forms of crime, including white collar crime and organised crime.

New non-executive director appointed at bad bank

LJUBLJANA - Franc Dover, the director of the Maribor waste utility Snaga and chief supervisor of state-owned power utility HSE, is a new non-executive director of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC). The appointment, made by the government in its capacity as the sole shareholder of BAMC, took effect yesterday, a day after Boris Novak was dismissed.

Luka Koper sales slide 8% in 2020, net profit down 21%

KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper reported sales dropping by 8% year-on-year to EUR 210 million as shipping volumes contracted across the board. Net profit declined by 21% to EUR 32 million but it was still a percent higher than planned. Profit before income tax (EBIT) plunged by 26% to EUR 33.5 million and profit before income tax, depreciation and amortisation was at EUR 61.8 million, down 15% on the year before and 2% lower than planned, shows the earnings release published today.

SMC files bill to deregulate pharmacy business, chamber critical

LJUBLJANA - The coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) tabled on Wednesday amendments to the pharmacy practice act that would partly deregulate the retail pharmacy market, including by rolling back a ban on vertical integration of pharmacies and drug wholesalers. The linchpin of its proposal is a loosening of criteria for the density of pharmacy chains, which is currently tightly regulated. The Chamber of Pharmacies criticised the proposal, arguing the existing rules are good.

E-tolling contract in parliamentary spotlight

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated the selection of Slovakia's Skytoll for an e-tolling system for cars as the opposition alleged irregularities. Motorway company DARS and the Infrastructure Ministry meanwhile rejected any impropriety. The MPs ended up adopting a resolution calling on the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to investigate potential risks in the public tender. They also asked the Infrastructure Ministry to prepare a report on the tender in a month.

Suspected sex trafficking ringleader pleads not guilty

KOPER - Sergej Racman, a businessman suspected of masterminding a sex trafficking operation in a case known as Marina, pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation through prostitution as he appeared at the Koper District Court for a pre-trial hearing. He was put in the dock more than a year after his fellow suspects appeared before the court, having been on the run in Canada before he was extradited three months ago. The trial date has not been set yet.

Komenda mayor resigns over EUR 1.2m damages suit

KOMENDA - The mayor of Komenda is reported to have stepped down after the municipality, located some 20 kilometres north of Ljubljana, lost a EUR 1.2 million damages suit for seizing a piece of land from a company. The commercial broadcaster POP TV reported on Thursday that Stanislav Poglajen resigned after being urged to do so by local councillors in a unanimous call yesterday.

Tone Peršak resigns as Slovenian PEN head

LJUBLJANA - Writer and former politician Tone Peršak resigned on Thursday as the president of Slovenian PEN, citing personal reasons, after having served less than four months. He will however stay on as a member of the centre's board, Slovenia's PEN centre said. He will hand his office over to vice-president Helena Kraljič next week, as the centre prepares to elect a new president.

Ski jumper Križnar remains overall leader

RASNOV, Romania - Slovenian ski jumper Nika Križnar remains the overall World Cup leader in the women's competition, having won her ninth career podium today with a third-place finish in Romania. Coming a day after she won an event on the same hill, the latest achievement positions her as a top favourite for the World Championship, which starts in Oberstdorf next week.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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: 

Head of EP democracy group finds basis to monitor situation in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (D66/Renew) said she believed there was sufficient ground for the European Parliament's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, which she heads, to start monitoring the situation in Slovenia. Speaking in an online debate on media freedom hosted by her party D66, the MEP said the decision on such fact finding would have to be taken in the European Parliament. The monitoring group is part of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. As an example she noted that PM Janez Janša would initially not acknowledge Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election, and described as unusual Janša's response to Politico article on the media situation in Slovenia as he attacked the author Lili Bayer, accusing her of being "instructed not to tell the truth".

Slow but steady decline in coronavirus continues

LJUBLJANA - A total of 872 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday as the rolling 7-day average of new cases dropped to 768. A further ten patients with Covid-19 died. The latest case count marks a decline of 36% from Wednesday a week ago. The cases were confirmed in 4,271 PCR tests for a positivity rate of 20.4%. The count includes retested positives suggested by 24,005 rapid antigen tests. Hospitalisations kept declining further, dropping by 29 to 619 as 61 patients were discharged and 42 were newly admitted. The number of patients in intensive care units fell by ten to 116.

New analysis suggests UK variant spreading in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The latest sequencing of coronavirus samples conducted by the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine suggests the highly virulent UK variant is spreading in Slovenia. The institute sequenced 576 samples from those who tested positive for coronavirus between 1 and 7 February, finding all mutations typical of the UK strain in 13 groups of samples. However, the institute says that most of the mutations still appear in small percentages, that is only individual samples in each of the groups are positive for the new strain.

DeSUS to notify speaker it is an opposition party, will not sign pact with govt

LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) will notify Speaker Igor Zorčič that it is an opposition party and does not plan to sign an agreement with the government, leader Karl Erjavec said after a session of the party's leadership. The announcement comes after Erjavec unsuccessfully bid to become prime minister, the motion of no confidence in the government having come six votes short of the required majority on Monday. The vote was secret but speculation is rampant that Erjavec did not get the votes of all of his MPs, some of whom have openly contradicted him in recent weeks.

Slovenia supports NATO reform

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin endorsed the proposal for a reform of NATO presented by the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after attending a virtual meeting of NATO defence minister Wednesday and Thursday. Slovenia supports Stoltenberg's guidance, because it means member states have not only rights but also obligations, he said, adding that it was a new way of fair burden sharing. "I see it as the beginning of the end of free riding... This concept involves either providing for our own security, or paying for others to provide it for us," Tonin noted.

Govt dismisses chairman of BAMC management board

LJUBLJANA - The government has dismissed Boris Novak as one of the four non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company. Novak, who has served as chairman of the BAMC management board since mid-June 2020 confirmed his dismissal for the media. "The government has a right to appoint or dismiss me from the post. I respect its decision," Novak, director general of the state-owned postal operator Pošta Slovenije, told the newspaper Delo. He was appointed a BAMC non-executive director by the incumbent government in early June 2020. Delo reports the reason for his dismissal was his inactivity in major areas.

NLB bank's net profit jumps on Komercijalna Banka acquisition

LJUBLJANA - NLB, Slovenia's largest bank, posted a group net profit of EUR 269 million for 2020, more than a third higher then the year before, largely due to the effects of the acquisition of Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka, the bank said in a preliminary earnings report. Without the one-off effect, net profit would have stood at EUR 141.3 million, a drop of nearly 37% on the year before. But this still "exceeds previous forecasts, mostly because of better than expected cost-of-risk performance". Total group net operating income was down 2% to EUR 504.5 million, and profit before impairments and provisions amounted to EUR 210.5 million, a 1% decrease.

Investigation into SRIPT tourism project under way

LJUBLJANA - House searches were carried out around Slovenia as police are investigating an EU-funded tourism project, including at the home of former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec. Fourteen persons and one legal entity are suspected of fraud involving EU funds and of abuse of office, while no-one has been detained, the NBI said. Pivec said in a written statement the police had arrived at her home this morning investigating the Strategic Development Innovation Partnership Tourism (SRIPT) case. She was invited to take part in it in 2017 while serving as a state secretary at the Office for Slovenians Abroad and received EUR 35,000 gross for her contribution.

Brussels sues Slovenia over waste water directive, issues warning about e-tolling

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission has taken Slovenia to court for failure to comply with the directive concerning urban waste water treatment. Under the urban waste water directive, EU members must provide an adequate system for collecting and treating waste water in urban areas with 10,000 or more residents. The country has also received a formal notice for not complying with the EU's electronic tolling rules. The Commission called on Slovenia to accept European Electronic Tolling Service (EETS) providers on Slovenian roads subject to tolling.

Report: Fmr state secretary to become GZS boss

LJUBLJANA - Aleš Cantarutti, former Economy Ministry state secretary, will become the new director general of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) in April to succeed Sonja Šmuc, the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija reported on Wednesday. The GZS management board will pick him among ten candidates next week. Cantarutti had worked for the company Javorje and been the head of the GZS's centre for international business operations before becoming state secretary at the Economy Ministry in December 2014.

Bill tabled to legalise growing of medical marijuana

LJUBLJANA - The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) has tabled a bill that would legalise the growing of medical marijuana, a step it says would improve access for patients. "We're not talking about marijuana legalisation, we want to create the legislative conditions to grow this plant for medical purposes," MP Andrej Rajh told the press. According to him, the new legislation, which is modelled on Germany's 2017 law, would regulate the market and provide medical marijuana grown in a controlled way. Borut Štrukelj of the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy said there were currently two institutions in that grow medical marijuana for scientific purposes, specifically to determine which cultivars are best for different growing conditions.

Energy group GEN-I reports record profit for 2020

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian energy group GEN-I sold a record 127.4 terawatt hours of electricity last year to generate the highest net profit to date. At EUR 15.4 million the profit was one percent above that posted in 2019 despite revenue falling by 4% to EUR 2.1 billion. The group, active in trade, retail and purchasing of energy products, was successful across all its divisions and has been improving its financial position further with capital growth, the group said in a regulatory filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Hisense Gorenje closes down Bistrica ob Sotli location

BISTRICA OB SOTLI - Hisense Gorenje, the Chinese-owned consumer electronics and household appliances maker, has shut down its production unit at Bistrica ob Sotli in the east of Slovenia after its sole client decided not to extend partnership. Explaining its decision for the STA, the company said the Hisense Europe group was focusing on production of household appliances and televisions as its core business.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here