19 Nov 2020, 04:03 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 19 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Janša causes furore with rule of law letter to EU leaders

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša draw widespread criticism from the ranks of coalition and opposition after addressing a letter to EU leaders on Tuesday in which he called for a return to the July EU summit agreement on the next financial budget, which is, he said, now undermined by a recent deal between the EU Council and Parliament tying the rule of law to the EU funds eligibility. He argued that "numerous media and some political groups in the European Parliament are openly threatening to use the instrument wrongly called 'the rule of law' in order to discipline individual EU Member States through a majority vote." All three junior partners in the government coalition distanced themselves from the letter and Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič emphasizing her ministry was not involved in the writing of the letter nor had the letter been discussed by the government. The European Commission would not comment on the letter.

Pahor supports rule of law mechanism, refutes Janša's claims

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor responded to PM Janez Janša's letter to EU leaders by stressing the need to respect the agreement between the European Parliament and the EU Council that makes EU funding conditional on adherence to the rule law. He also rejected Janša's assertion that the 2014 general election had been stolen "through a drastic abuse of state institutions". The president said the 2014 general election had been lawful and legitimate as all elections since the first multi-party election in April 1990.

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New confirmed cases above 2,000 again, 43 with Covid-19 die

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 2,013 new coronavirus cases from 6,813 tests on Tuesday, for a positivity rate of 29.5%. A total of 43 persons with Covid-19 died, bringing the death toll to 919, show official data. Hospitalisations rose to 1,280 and number of intensive care patients to 209. Government's Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin noted that nursing homes were once again becoming major hotspots: one in five of the infections confirmed yesterday were from there.

Janša meets Australian candidate for OECD sec-gen

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša received in Ljubljana Mathias Cormann, who until recently served as Australia's finance minister and is bidding to be the next secretary general of the OECD. They discussed the organisation's role and mission in the global situation and exchanged experience in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. They both agreed on the OECD's role as a advocate and defender of democracy and the principles of market economy.

Logar argues for stronger EU at Prague European Summit

PRAGUE, Czechia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar called for a rethink on how to make the EU better, stronger and more resilient, as he took part in the Prague European Summit. He argued the EU should assume a more decisive role in the global political arena while facing challenges such as changed international economic relations and the changing global security environment. Logar also met separately foreign ministers of Czechia and Slovakia, Tomaš Petriček and Ivan Korčok.

Covid-19 task force head leads race for Medical Chamber boss

LJUBLJANA - Head of the government's coronavirus task force Bojana Beović made it to the second round of election for the head of Slovenia's Medical Chamber, while incumbent Zdenka Čebašek Travnik is out. Beović, a clear front-runner in the first round of voting, will face Tanja Petkovič in the run-off. Ballots were sent in by mail, with data on the chamber's website showing that 5,893 votes had been cast, a 50.7% turnover. Beović received 2,895 and Petkovič 1,510 votes.

Criticism of state asset manager proposal stepped up

LJUBLJANA - The government-sponsored bill to bring the bulk of state assets onto a new national demographic fund is inappropriate, heard a conference held by the Slovenian Directors' Association. There were calls for scrapping the bill. Trade unions said the proposal was beyond repair, urging its withdrawal as well. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the proposal mirrored a strong government influence and was likely to fail to bolster the pension system in the long run.

British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce event underlines need for green financing

LJUBLJANA - The importance of green financing in post-Covid-19 recovery was underlined by all participants, ranging from banks, state and private companies, of an event organised by the UK Embassy and the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. The Chair of the Green Finance Institute Roger Gifford noted that green financing, like any other financing, involves risks and benefits. Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said Slovenia had drawn up a framework for green bonds and was is aware of the challenges related to climate change and its impact on the financial sector.

Maribor airport to be turned into smart hub

LJUBLJANA/HOČE - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec presented in parliament this week a new vision for the Maribor airport that has not been operating for a while. He told MPs this week that he had been working with local mayors on plans to turn the airport into a smart hub by the end of the year. Vrtovec said the idea for a modern multimodal cargo logistic centre had come from the current operator of the airport, the state-owned consulting and engineering company DRI.

Court approves Tuš financial restructuring

LJUBLJANA - The Celje District Court approved an agreement on financial restructuring for the heavily indebted retail group Tuš. Thus the Alfi fund, which owns more than 80% of all claims to the group, is gradually taking over the managing of the Celje-based group. The group includes the parent company Tuš Holding, the real estate arm Tuš Nepremičnine and retailer Engrotuš. The company has 100 stores with more than 3,100 employees.

Slovenia marks day of protection of children against abuse

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia observed the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, with experts warning that child victims of abuse find it harder to seek help amid the epidemic. One in five Slovenians has experienced at least one type of sexual abuse in childhood, whereas one in seven has experienced two or more, according to a survey commissioned by the Justice Ministry as part of efforts for a Children's House. Merely 6% pressed criminal charges, half of those went to court. One in four such cases saw trial without conviction.

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18 Nov 2020, 04:34 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 18 November 2020

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:

Record 45 Covid-19 patients died in Slovenia on Monday

LJUBLJANA - A record number of Covid-19 patients died in Slovenia on Monday, 45, bringing the death toll to 876. A total of 1,388 new infections were confirmed in 5,326 tests and 1,275 people needed hospitalisation, up 11 from the day before. 208 patients needed intensive care, up one from the day before. The share of positive tests dropped to 26%. Coronavirus infections have been detected in 85% of Slovenia's nursing homes, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said. There are currently 1,962 active infections among a total of 19,000 residents, and 797 active cases among nearly 12,300 members of staff.

PM says some measures likely to last until Christmas, may not be as strict

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša indicated that some of the restrictive measures may remain in place until Christmas, but he was hopeful they will not have to be as strict. "It is already certain that notwithstanding the speed of production of vaccines, immunisation will not make enough of a difference by the end of the year to allow us to relax all measures. Some of the measures will definitely be in place then. We hope they will not be as strict," he said in an interview for Planet TV.

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Janša says no blockade of EU budget-and-recovery package occurred yet

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša rejected during a budget debate in parliament reports that a blockade by Poland and Hungary had occurred with respect to the new EU budget and Covid recovery fund. The situation is not what the media are portraying it to be. While Hungary and Poland blocked two key segments of the EUR 1.82 trillion budget-and-recovery package during a meeting of EU ambassadors on Monday due to a clause tying funding with adherence to the rule of law, Janša argued no decision on a blockade had yet been taken by the European Parliament, EU Council or any national parliament.

Slovenia not currently part of US force realignment

LJUBLJANA - The US Embassy said Slovenia was not currently a part of the US's "force posture realignment", after Prime Minister Janez Janša indicated in parliament that Slovenia was open to hosting a US rotation unit. "Discussions with host nations on force posture changes announced in July are ongoing and are expected to continue for many months. US Forces welcome every opportunity to train in Slovenia with their counterparts from the Slovenian Armed Forces, but the country is not part of the current force posture realignment at this time," the embassy said.

Slovenian EU presidency expected to continue rule of law dialogue

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The German EU presidency and the European Commission expressed the expectation that the dialogue on the rule of law in the bloc would be continued under future presidencies, including Slovenia's. This comes after Germany hosted a second debate on the rule of law on Tuesday. Gašper Dovžan, state secretary at the Foreign Ministry, underlined today the importance of an objective and non-discriminatory approach based on independent data, and equal treatment of all member states.

FM Logar says EU-US free-trade agreement needed

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said a free-trade agreement between the EU and US should be concluded as soon as possible as he discussed on Tuesday the future of transatlantic relations with his Swedish and Lithuanian counterparts in an online ministerial panel. Logar noted that there had not been an EU-US summit since 2014, adding that in 2021 it was a matter of urgency to organise such an event. He said that the US turning away from Europe in recent years had freed up space for other global players "who do not necessarily share the same democratic values with us".

Govt hails record high investment, opposition worried by budget deficits

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj highlighted the record investment spending as parliament began its debate on the 2021 and 2022 budgets. Šircelj said the budgets had been drawn up in uncertain conditions caused by the pandemic. Janša stressed that it was nonetheless easier to plan revenue and expenditure more realistically now than in the spring when the first wave of the epidemic began. Opposition parties claimed the budgets had no clear strategy and came without a plan on how to stabilise public finances.

Next stimulus package to continue focusing on job preservation

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša indicated the next stimulus package would continue to focus on job preservation. "We think it is cheaper to preserve employment that to have an affected economy," he told Planet TV. The measures will be targeted at those who have not benefited from previous rounds of stimulus, including sports, hotels and retail.

Supreme Court orders retrial of SDS's Patria damages suit

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court has annulled a ruling upholding the dismissal of a damages claim by the now ruling Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) against the state over the Patria defence corruption trial, returning the case to the Maribor Higher Court for a retrial, Nova24TV reported. The party claimed EUR 886,000 in pecuniary damages because its leader Janez Janša was sentenced to prison ahead of the 2014 general election over a 2006 defence procurement deal. His and co-defendants' convictions were overturned by the Constitutional Court in 2015.

Court reportedly says Muženič still NBI head, appointment of successor halted

LJUBLJANA - In the latest development following the May dismissal of Darko Muženič as the head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Labour Court reportedly altered its original ruling to assert that Muženič remains the NBI head and that the appointment procedure for his successor must be halted, several media reported. The Higher Court argued that following the Administrative Court's annulment of the dismissal decree "the matter is returned to the state prior to its issuing".

New Church guidelines strengthen cooperation with state in sexual abuse cases

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Catholic Church updated its guidelines for the protection of minors and vulnerable individuals against sexual abuse, explicitly ordering all who work for the Church, clergy and lay volunteers, to report any suspicion of sexual abuse to the authorities. The new document says, for the first time, that "a religious worker is obligated to report to the Social Services, the police or the State Prosecution any suspicion, allegation or information of sexual abuse ... at the earliest possible time". The Church's own investigation cannot be launched before a report to state authorities.

Tonin only candidate for NSi president

LJUBLJANA - Matej Tonin, the incumbent leader of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), is the only candidate for the position ahead of the party's election congress on Saturday. The congress will take place online and delegates will vote by mail. Members of the executive committee, the supervisory board and the party tribunal will also be elected. Ballots are already being sent, with the results expected next week.

EUR 200m available to Slovenia from Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The European Commission disbursed EUR 200 million to Slovenia in the form of loans under favourable terms as part of the SURE instrument out of the total of EUR 1.1 billion in support approved to the country to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency. The Commission disbursed EUR 14 billion to nine EU countries in what is the second instalment of financial support to member states under the SURE instrument. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this in an interview with the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija last night.

EU funds secured for modernisation of Karavanke tunnel

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved co-funding of the security and technical upgrading of the the Karavanke railway tunnel from EU cohesion funds. The EU should contribute EUR 49.2 million to the EUR 79.3 million project from its 2014-2020 operative programme. The project includes upgrading 6.1 kilometre of the railway tunnel and track on the main railway connecting Ljubljana to the Austrian border through Jesenice between Jesenice and the border.

EU Commission clears Slovenian aviation subsidy scheme

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU Commission has cleared Slovenia's subsidy scheme for airlines operating flights to the country. The aid is not to exceed EUR 800,000 per company and will be available until 30 June 2021, according to the Commission, which said this was "necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy."

Škrlec elected Eurojust vice-president

LJUBLJANA - Boštjan Škrlec, the national member for Slovenia at the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation or (Eurojust), was elected Eurojust vice-president. Škrlec, who has served as Eurojust national member for Slovenia since August 2017, thanked his colleagues for the trust expressed and added that he took "this honour humbly and with a sense of huge responsibility".

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17 Nov 2020, 04:42 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 17 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Epidemic extended by 30 days as coronavirus doesn't let up

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to extend the Covid-19 epidemic declared as of 18 October for 30 days by another 30 days - until 17 December, as stricter lockdown measures kicked in today. The latest data show Slovenia recorded 501 coronavirus cases for Sunday as the test positivity rate remained a high 28%. A further 34 patients with Covid-19 died, bringing the death total to 831. Covid-19 hospitalisations rose to 1,264 with a record 207 patients in intensive care. The rolling 14-day average of cases per 100,000 residents fell to 922. Presenting the statistics, government Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin said the virus was still spreading too fast; the reproduction number is now at 0.93.

Slovenia not to appeal Teran decision

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will not challenge the decision of the EU General Court to dismiss the country's appeal to annul the European Commission delegated regulation of May 2017 that allows Croatian wine producers to use Teran, the name of a red wine protected by Slovenia, on their wine labels. The deadline to appeal the court's decision from September is on Thursday, with the State Attorney's Office telling the STA that Slovenia will not challenge it. This decision was made after the Agriculture Ministry examined the court's September decision. This means that the court's decision will take effect on Friday. Slovenia's decision was met with mixed responses.

PM says he will happily congratulate US election winner

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša told MPs during questions' time in parliament that he would be happy to congratulate whoever is elected US president. Answering a question from opposition MP Marjan Šarec, the previous prime minister, Janša said the election in the US was not yet over, which happens either when a side concedes a defeat or the official results are proclaimed. "Some have decided to follow the media wave but I decided the opposite. We'll see who was right," he said, assuring MPs this would not affect future relations between Slovenia and the US.

Pahor says still time for govt to congratulate Biden

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said there was still time for the government to congratulate US president elect Joe Biden, as he gave an interview with the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija on Sunday evening. Asked to comment on PM Janez Janša's tweets on the US election, he said "everyone wants me to say this was a mistake and that I get into an argument with the prime minister", but added that this was something he never did. He also assessed the government may have been late in introducing restrictive measures in the second wave of coronavirus infections.

Cerar argues Janša hurt Slovenia with US election tweeting

LJUBLJANA - Miro Cerar, a former prime minister and foreign minister, told the magazine Reporter in an interview he expected a more balanced US foreign policy and a return to multilateralism under Joseph Biden. He argued PM Janez Janša's tweets on the US election hurt Slovenia. "We probably will not even notice it... They simply ignore you and you don't have certain access options," he said. He also accused the junior coalition parties of failing to counter the aggressive policies of Janša's Democrats (SDS).

No details about Janša's US troops proposal

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša, discussing his US election-related tweets in questions' time in parliament, was happy to note how some of his tweets had prompted what he termed "a pro-American wave" among the opposition. "I hope that you will support unanimously our proposal to the US for placing a US military rotation unit in Slovenia and endorse Slovenia's dedication to meet its obligations in NATO more consistently," he said, but did not specify. His office, answering an STA query, said it did "not comment on the prime minister's words" and also provided no comment on whether this was perhaps an initiative of Janša's Democrats (SDS). The foreign and defence ministries meanwhile referred the STA back to Janša's office when asked whether this was a government initiative. Back in summer after the US decided to withdraw its troops from Germany to deploy them in other European countries, Janša tweeted that US soldiers would be welcome in Slovenia.

Lockdown restrictions tightened further

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia entered a two-week period of severe lockdown restrictions to break the circuit of coronavirus infections with all non-essential shops closing and public transport being suspended. Exceptions include taxis as well as stores selling groceries, personal care products, stocks for farmers, pharmacies and produce markets. New border crossing restrictions also came into a force, with owners of property abroad being no longer exempt from quarantine when crossing the border. All courts also switched to lockdown mode, expect for urgent matters, until further notice. Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said he expected the new, stricter measures to show their effects in two weeks, which was when they could start being relaxed.

Survey: Over 50% of Slovenians don't plan to get vaccinated against Covid-19

LJUBLJANA - More than half of Slovenians do not intend (26%) or are not likely (31%) to get vaccinated when a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available in Slovenia because of their mistrust of the vaccine, a Valicon survey showed, indicating people were more likely to get a Covid-19 jab if they were at a greater risk of infection. On the other hand, one sixth plans to get vaccinated for sure and more than a quarter said they are likely to do so, with both groups totalling 43%. Most of those who would get vaccinated would do that out of a sense of responsibility for others (50%) or to reduce a chance of infection (45%).

Minister points to Covid-related issues in agriculture markets

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek noted on the sidelines of an online EU ministerial the impact of the pandemic on agriculture, in particular the repercussions experienced by the wine, beer, beef and pork industries. He said the agricultural sector could not adapt as quickly to the new circumstances as consumers had adapted to the new reality, pointing to a drop in sales of bread and an increase in sales of wheat and yeast as an example, adding a homebaking boom is likely here to stay. He thus announced that Slovenia would call for the EU's state aid temporary framework to be extended until the end of 2021.

Janša: Slovenia's rules on medicinal and industrial cannabis too rigid

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša announced in parliament support for the relaxing of rules on the growing of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, saying the Agriculture Ministry was already drawing up changes, which were expected to be confirmed in the spring. Asked by Janja Sluga of the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) whether the government planned a comprehensive regulatory framework for this field, Janša agreed that certain rules on growing medicinal and industrial cannabis were "probably too rigid and undermined the competitive ability of Slovenian producers".

Govt, coalition rating down in Vox Populi poll

LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - The approval rating of the government and the majority of the coalition parties declined in the latest Vox Populi poll, while the opposition remained stagnant as the share of undecided voters ticked up. Slightly under 30% of respondents assessed the government's work in November as successful compared to 41% in October, whereas the share of those who deem it unsuccessful rose to 66.8% from 49%, shows the poll released by Večer and Dnevnik. The Democrats (SDS) remained firmly in the lead but lost a point to 20.4%, New Slovenia (NSi) was down 0.6 points to 4.6% and the Modern Centre Party (SMC) slipped to 0.2% from 0.8%.

Telekom Slovenije looking for buyers for TS Media

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije published a call for expressions of interest in a 100% stake in its subsidiary TS Media, the portfolio of which includes the news portal Siol.net, the search engine and web portal Najdi.si and the business information portal Bizi.si. The state-owned company had picked the firm KPMG as a consultant in the sales procedure. According to data from the Slovenian Advertising Chamber, Siol.net is the second most popular news portal in Slovenia.

BSH seeing scores of orders, looking at a good year

NAZARJE - The BSH Hišni Aparati plant in Nazarje, considered the largest producer of small household appliances in Europe, has been reporting good orders. The company expects to be locking back on a record-breaking business year, with the targets exceeded by more than 10%. The manufacturer is to put out more than eight million small household appliances this year, up by 1.1 million on 2019. Similar growth is expected in 2021.

Steklarna Rogaška glassworks sees drop in revenue, profit

ROGAŠKA SLATINA - The Steklarna Rogaška glassworks generated EUR 44.4 million in sales revenue last year, which is EUR 3 million less than in 2018. Net profit dropped by EUR 3.4 million to EUR 1.3 million. A drop in revenue is also expected this year, mostly because of the crisis in the US market. The management attributes the drop in profit to lower sales realisation and additional lowering of stock, and to some extent also to lower sales of fixed assets than in 2018.

Value of incoming travel down 56% y/y in H1

LJUBLJANA - The value of incoming travel in Slovenia dropped by 56.2% year-on-year in the January-September period, according to data from the Slovenian central bank. The decrease from nearly EUR 2.2 billion in the same period last year to EUR 961.61 million was caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, which has strongly affected tourism in Slovenia and elsewhere. Data for September show incoming travel generated EUR 127.59 million, 571% less than in September 2019.

Monthly wages down in September

LJUBLJANA - The average gross pay in Slovenia in September stood at EUR 1,799 gross or 1,169 net. Both figures decreased by 0.1% in nominal terms compared to August and by 0.3% in real terms, data from the Statistics Office show. If the average pay were calculated by the number of employees on the basis of paid hours and regardless of the staff figure, the average gross pay in September would have increased by 0.2% in nominal terms compared to the month before.

Slovenia with biggest drop in agricultural output in EU in 2019

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia suffered the biggest drop in agricultural output among all EU member states in 2019, Eurostat data shows. While the output declined in Slovenia by 3.3% on 2018, it was up 2.4% in total in the bloc. Three quarters of EU countries saw agricultural output increase least year, in particular Latvia (21.1%) and Estonia (16.1%), while Slovenia (-3.3%) and Slovakia (-2.4%) stood out among those which recorded a decrease.

Slovenia's youth jobs hardest hit in EU during spring lockdown

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Data from Eurostat show that young people in Slovenia felt the biggest impact of the first wave of coronavirus on their employment compared to their peers in the EU. The youth employment rate dropped the most in Slovenia among member states in the second quarter of 2020. The employment rate declined in most member states due to the economy's shutdown in the April-June period, and the quarter-on-quarter decrease then was the highest in the past two decades.

Coronavirus RNA detected in Ljubljana hospital wastewater

LJUBLJANA - Researchers from the National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food detected the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of Sars-CoV-2 in the wastewater from the Ljubljana UKC hospital's Department of Infectious Diseases, Slovenia's main Covid-19 treatment facility. The study, whose findings are described in the journal Science of The Total Environment, detected the viral RNA when only one patient was hospitalised there. The researchers say their approach could serve as an early warning system.

Minister Šircelj's Facebook profile hacked

LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj has had his personal Facebook profile hacked, the Finance Ministry said, adding it had already notified relevant bodies of the incident and urging anyone that would potentially receive messages from Šircelj's profile to ignore them to avoid falling victim to a fraud. Cybersecurity incidents in Slovenia are on the rise, as the national cyber security incident response centre, SI-CERT, recorded over 2,700 incidents in 2019, up 12% over 2018 and up almost six times over 2010.

Slovenia retain group lead after late win vs Kosovo

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia remain top of their group in the UEFA Nations League after securing a 2:1 win against Kosovo in Ljubljana on Sunday evening through a penalty kick by Josip Iličić in the last minute of the game. With a two-point lead ahead of Greece in Group 3 of League C, the Slovenian side needs at least a tie against Greece on Wednesday to advance to League B. Slovenia's manager Matjaž Kek and Iličić agreed that the win against Kosovo was deserving and they both praised the team's character.

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16 Nov 2020, 04:16 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 16 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

920 infections confirmed in Slovenia on Saturday in 3,563 tests

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 920 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, having performed 3,563 tests. 32 Covid-19 patients died, taking the national death toll to 797, fresh official data showed. Hospitalisations continued to rise, totalling 1,261, however the number of patients in intensive care slightly declined to 201. The number of active cases stood at 19,381, some 2% down on Friday. The rolling 14-day average of infections per 100,000 citizens continued to fall, standing at 925, according to the national tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik. Aleš Rozman, director of the Golnik University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, told the STA that the epidemiological trends should be monitored for another week or two. He advised to steer clear of false optimism and heed prevention measures.

SDS deputy faction head tests positive for coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats' (SDS) deputy group said on Saturday that its leader Danijel Krivec had tested positive for coronavirus. Krivec did the test on Friday and has been self-isolating since Wednesday. Showing no Covid-19 symptoms, he feels well and will remain in quarantine, the ruling party's MPs wrote in a press release.

SocDems launching project to fight fake news

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Social Democrats (SD) launched a project titled #SamoDejstva (#OnlyFacts) this week, aiming to "help expose lies in the public". The party warned against "a deluge of fake news, distortion of facts and media manipulation", saying that such concepts were a dangerous modus operandi. The party believes that it has been a target of a series of lies propagated by media affiliated with the ruling Democrats (SDS) and will thus strive to present arguments to expose lies about the SD, its members and key public issues, according to a press release.

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15 Nov 2020, 04:12 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 15 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

1,731 new coronavirus infections in Slovenia on Friday; 41 patients die

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,731 out of 6,675 coronavirus tests came back positive in Slovenia on Friday, the government said. The number of hospitalised patients rose by 25 to 1,224, with 206 patients needing intensive care, up six from the day before. Forty-one patients died, which is three more than on Thursday. On Friday, 95 persons were discharged from hospital, which is 16 more than on Thursday.

No new taxes in 2021, some tax cuts planned, minister says

LJUBLJANA - The government does not plan to raise any taxes in 2021 or introduce new levies, such as a real estate tax, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj told the parliamentary Finance Committee discussing the supplementary budget for 2021, adding that some taxes would even be cut, starting with the tax on vehicles. During the debate, opposition MPs mostly voiced concern over the planned deficit, but the committee nevertheless adopted all budget documents, including some amendments in the total value of EUR 6 million. The National Assembly will vote on the budget bills at its plenary starting on Monday.

SOVA denies allegations regarding 5 Nov protest

LJUBLJANA - The SOVA intelligence agency has denied statements by opposition Left MP Miha Kordiš that the police and political leadership had known what kind of a protest had been in the making for 5 November and could have prevented the escalation of violence. SOVA said this interpretation was false and inaccurate. Kordiš was the only official to give a statement on Friday after a session of the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee dedicated to last week's violent protest that was held behind closed doors due to sensitive classified information.

Legendary Slovenian inventor dies

BLED/RADOVLJICA - Legendary Slovenian inventor Peter Florjančič has died aged 101, the Bled municipality confirmed for web portal Siol.net. Florjančič patented about 400 inventions, of which 43 reached the production phase. Some of his most popular inventions include plastic slide frames, a perfume atomiser and a plastic injection molding machine. President Borut Pahor expressed condolences to Florjančič's family on Twitter, adding that he had recently decided to decorate Florjančič for his inspiring lifetime achievements. Florjančič will receive the decoration posthumously.

Tone Kajzer to become Slovenia's new ambassador to the US

LJUBLJANA - The government has relieved Tone Kajzer of his duties as Foreign Ministry state secretary because he is leaving for Washington to serve as Slovenia's ambassador to the US, the government said in a press release late on Friday. He will succeed Stanislav Vidovič, who was appointed Slovenia's new ambassador to Ireland.

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14 Nov 2020, 04:20 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 14 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Drop in daily infections to 1,508 recorded on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 38 Covid-19 patients died in Slovenia on Thursday. 1,508 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in 5,762 tests, show fresh official data. There are currently 1,199 patients in hospital compared to 1,210 on Wednesday, of whom 200 are in intensive care, the same as the day before. The national death toll currently stands at 724, according to the tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik. The rolling 14-day average of infections per 100,000 residents has fallen to 948. The share of positive tests was 26.2%.

New restrictions enter into force

LJUBLJANA - New restrictions concerning public gatherings and border crossing enter into force as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. All gatherings are banned, unless people who gather are family or members of the same house hold. Until yesterday gatherings were capped to six persons. While all events are banned, couples will now be able to wed with a special permission from the Ministry of Labour, the Family and Social Affairs. They will not be allowed to have a reception, though.

National Covid-19 vaccination programme ready

LJUBLJANA - The government debated on Thursday a draft national Covid-19 vaccination programme, which will form the basis for a vaccination strategy once a vaccine is available. Health Minister Tomaž Gantar indicated Slovenia might get the first doses of the vaccine in December. "We have the first serious prospects of being able to get the first doses of the vaccine in December," which means vaccination could start in the second half of that month, he told the press yesterday.

Hojs says migration pact entails problematic grey zone with respect to Croatia border

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs highlighted on the sidelines of an EU ministerial on the proposed migration pact a "very, very problematic grey zone" related to Slovenia's border with Croatia, the external Schengen border but not also the EU's external border. It is not clear if Slovenia will still be able to return migrants to Croatia, he said. If Slovenia found itself without the possibility of returning these migrants to Croatia, it would need to process all of them in Slovenia. "You can imagine that this would mean a rope around Slovenia's neck," Hojs said at the online press conference with Slovenian correspondents in Brussels.

Govt replaces Kajzer as FM state secretary, possibly sending him to Washington

LJUBLJANA - The government relieved Tone Kajzer of his duties as Foreign Ministry state secretary, saying he was taking over new responsibilities, which were not specified. Unofficially, Kajzer is a candidate for the post of ambassador to the US. The government appointed Stanislav Raščan in his place, effective on Tuesday. While the appointment procedure for ambassadors is confidential, some media reports handled Kajzer as one of the potential candidates to succeed Stanislav Vidovič as Slovenia's ambassador to the US after Vidovič was recalled prematurely from Washington in October and appointed Slovenia's new ambassador to Ireland.

Pahor discusses AI challenges at Paris Peace Forum

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said the right balance should be found between technological progress and broader social development as he attended a Paris Peace Forum debate on risks posed by unethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and its role in fighting the coronavirus and the climate change. Pahor was invited to take part in the Paris Peace Forum, which is held online this year, by French President Emmanuel Macron, Pahor's office said in a press release.

Govt proposing agreement on Hungary's involvement in Koper port rail track

LJUBLJANA - The government submitted to the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee an initiative for an agreement between Slovenia and Hungary on cooperation in the construction and management of the new rail track to the port of Koper. The details of the initiative, which is labelled internal, have not be disclosed and the Infrastructure Ministry has not commented due to the classified nature of the documents.

DeSUS to pick new party head via mail, results expected on 5 December

LJUBLJANA - The election congress of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) will be held between 20 November and 5 December and will see the junior coalition party's new president selected through ballots cast by mail, the DeSUS council decided. The mail vote on the president and vice-presidents will take place between 27 November and 1 December, with the results expected to be declared on 5 December, the council's chair Anton Urh told the STA. There are presently ten candidate for vice-presidential posts, while Karl Erjavec and Srečko Felix Krope are vying for the top post.

SMC says "it's not for sale" as it turns down alternative govt offer

LJUBLJANA - Modern Centre Party (SMC) leader Zdravko Počivalšek met economist Jože P. Damijan only to turn down his Constitutional Arch offer to form an alternative government to Janez Janša's. The party said in a press release issued after the meeting that it wanted to dispel any doubts and speculation about its potential exist from the current government. Even if the coalition SMC and NSi have turned down his offer, Damijan told the weekly Mladina it seemed he had the necessary majority in parliament to replace the Janša coalition, as he counts on votes by MPs from the ranks of the SMC and DeSUS.

2022 budget ready for plenary session, all amendments rejected

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee rejected all opposition-sponsored amendments to the state budget for 2022 as it prepared the document for a plenary session starting on Monday. The budget bill sets down EUR 11.01 billion in revenue and EUR 12.60 billion in expenditure, which puts deficit at 3.1% of GDP. Investment is being enhanced in transport infrastructure, health care, social care and the environment.

IMAD: Further economic recovery uncertain, especially in services

LJUBLJANA - Sentiment indicators for September and October show economic recovery is uncertain as the Covid-19 epidemic is worsening, says the government's macroeconomic forecaster IMAD. The eurozone economy is losing momentum, and so is Slovenia's, as the country saw a drop in business sentiment in October following a several-month improvement. IMAD says all this indicates that declaring the epidemic for the second time this year in October will have a major impact on the services sector. Still, the economic impact and the consequent restrictions to businesses could be less intensive than in the spring episode of coronavirus.

Nine airlines would fly to Ljubljana with government support

LJUBLJANA - Nine airlines have submitted applications for subsidies to fly to Ljubljana, an effort to improve air links to the Slovenian capital. All the carriers have previously operated or are still operating Ljubljana flights. An expert commission set up by the Economy Ministry is to decide on the applications on 23 November. The airlines in the running for EUR 1.5 million in subsidies are Lufthansa, Air Serbia, Montenegro Airlines, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Swiss Air, EasyJet, Wizzair, and LOT Polish Airlines.

Triglav premiums increase 6% in Jan-Sep, net profit down 14%

LJUBLJANA - Insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav reported consolidated gross written premium of EUR 960.9 million for the first nine months of the year, a 6% year-on-year increase. Net profit declined by 14% to EUR 50.8 million. The profit decline is principally the result of the situation in global financial markets, and partly a result of major events such as hailstorms in three markets, the Zagreb earthquake and an increase in provisions. The combined ratio, an insurance industry benchmark, stood at 91.4%, which the company says is favourable.

New director appointed at Jožef Stefan Institute

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed the appointment of Boštjan Zalar as the new head of the Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS), Slovenia's leading science and research institute. Zalar will start his five-year term on 1 December and succeeds Jadran Lenarčič, who has been at the helm of the IJS since 2005. Zalar has a PhD from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana. He works at the IJS's department for solid-state physics and is a full professor for solid-state physics at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School.

Govt dismisses Book Agency head

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed the head of the Slovenian Book Agency, Renata Zamida, who started her five-year term on 1 January 2018. Zamida told the STA the move was illegitimate. "Just like four months ago, I think the dismissal is illegitimate and a symptom of a policy that is currently being implemented in culture and wider. Zamida has been on the chopping block since January amidst allegations of imprudent spending.

Military Chaplaincy receives SAF bronze medal on 20th anniversary

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin conferred the Bronze Medal of the Slovenian Armed Forces on the Military Chaplaincy, which was established 20 years ago to provide spiritual care in the Slovenian army. Tonin highlighted the activities of the Chaplaincy in international operations and missions, while describing the Chaplaincy as "firm, reliable and trustworthy support to all members of the Slovenian Armed Forces and their family members irrespective of creed or world view".

President honours diabetes expert Janež

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor bestowed the Apple of Inspiration award on diabetologist Andrej Janež. The head of UKC Ljubljana's endocrinology and diabetes department has been honoured for his extraordinary and breakthrough achievements in treating diabetes, said Pahor's office. Janež's work is proof that Slovenia's scientists can "reach the global Olympus of science", said Pahor, at the award ceremony that was without audience but streamed online.

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13 Nov 2020, 04:22 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 13 November 2020

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:

Slovenia tightening lockdown for two weeks

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will tighten its lockdown for two weeks. Public transport will shut down and all non-essential stores will close. Schools and kindergartens will remain shut down. All gatherings except of persons in the same household will be completely banned, and exemptions for quarantine-free border crossing will be narrowed. Some of the measures will take effect on Friday, while others will be put in place on Saturday or Monday, government officials said.

Covid-19: A new daily death toll high, almost 2,000 new cases

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 41 more deaths among Covid-19 patients for Wednesday, another daily high, for a total death toll of 686. A further 1,925 infections were confirmed, from 6,767 tests for a positivity rate of 28.45%, down one percentage point from the day before. Government spokesman Jelko Kacin reiterated that the situation was stabilising and the trends were favourable with the R0 now at 0.91. A total of 1,210 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, 200 of them in intensive care units.

MPs told police expected 5 Nov protest would be violent

LJUBLJANA - The Home Affairs Committee discussed the 5 November protest at which rioters got violent against police and the press and damaged property around Ljubljana's city centre. Senior police representatives told the MPs that it had been clear from the information gathered that the protest would be violent. The police started gathering information about the protest after first calls to join it emerged on social media, explained the head of the uniformed police at the General Police Department, Danijel Lorbek.

Police use rubber bullets, taser for first time

LJUBLJANA/VELENJE - The Ljubljana Police Department confirmed yesterday that officers had used rubber bullets to disperse protests that turned violent Thursday a week ago in what was the first such instance since Slovenia's independence. They fired 16 gas and five rubber bullets. On Wednesday, police intervening against a man in the north-eastern town of Velenje applied a taser gun for the first time, although the man went on to attack a police officer with a knife and her colleagues had to resort to the use of firearms. The police officer sustained light injuries and the man was seriously injured.

Quarantine order issuance being streamlined

LJUBLJANA - Certain changes are being made to streamline the issuing of quarantine orders under the latest coronavirus stimulus package. In addition to the epidemiologists and police officers, GPs will now be able to issue such orders. It will be possible to refer persons to quarantine orally and from today individuals are able to get quarantine orders online after filling out relevant forms on two public websites, so as to have proof for their employers.

NLB bank's group net profit down 36% in Jan-Sep

LJUBLJANA - NLB group posted EUR 104.6 million in net profit in the first nine months of 2020, 36% less than in the same period last year. The drop in profit was mainly due to additional impairments and provisions in the amount of EUR 50.2 million. Profit before impairments and provisions was only 2% lower than in the same period of last year, at EUR 167 million. The supervisory board reappointed CEO Blaž Brodnjak and the other two management board members for another five years at the helm of the bank.

Pandemic boosts Slovenia's trade with China

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's imports from China saw a surge during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially due to imports of protective equipment and medical supplies. The imports of those products rose from EUR 972,000 in the first eight months of 2019 to EUR 92.9 million in the same period this year, shows a report from the Statistics Office. In the first eight months of the year, imports from China rose by 13.8% compared to the same period last year. Slovenia's exports to China increased by 3.5% year on year in the first eight months.

Supreme Court denies having restricted public access to rulings

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court denied having restricted public access to court rulings in a judgement issued in May. It said that restriction of access was the consequence of incorrect interpretations. The statement comes after law professor Jurij Toplak said the Supreme Court decided that court documents are no longer publicly accessible. He said the decision restricted access to rulings. The issue was also raised by a legal expert and the Association of Journalists (DNS).

Cohesion policy office welcomes Parliament-Council deal on recovery package

LJUBLJANA - The political agreement the Council and the European Parliament reached on the EU's post-coronavirus recovery package - the EUR 1.8 trillion multi-year budget and the recovery fund - is an important step in the right direction, Slovenia's Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy said. "If the political step ... is followed up by the European administration at all levels, then we are on the right path."

EU Affairs Committee says proposed migration pact good basis for talks

LJUBLJANA - The EU Affairs Committee labelled the EU Commission-proposed new pact on migration and asylum a good basis for negotiations on the EU's joint migration policy. The negotiations will be demanding, especially in a time when the EU is trying to control the Covid-19 pandemic. Slovenia supports a package approach as regards the migration pact, while it is also in favour of a more careful or gradual approach to the adoption of individual acts, it said.

Stimulus package also brings aid for religious communities

LJUBLJANA - Religious communities have seen an estimated 60% drop in donations due to coronavirus restrictions, so the government heeded their calls for aid in the latest stimulus package. Religious workers will get a basic income of EUR 700 a month for the period between October and December, with the option of a six-month extension, and a permanent rise in state-paid social contributions to the level of culture workers. The bill was sent to parliament yesterday.

Maribor youth club to host online European Poetry Slam Championship

MARIBOR - The Maribor Youth Cultural Centre will organise this year's European Poetry Slam Championship, which will be held online for the first time due to Covid-19. The event, running between 4 and 5 December, will feature 19 competitors from various European countries, who the organizers say are the creme de la creme of the European slam poetry scene. Slovenia will be represented by theatre and radio director and performance artist Eva Kokalj.

Slovenia secure goalless draw vs Azerbaijan

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia have gone without conceding a goal for the sixth match running, securing a nil-nil draw in a friendly against Azerbaijan in Ljubljana on Wednesday. The game was seen as a dress rehearsal for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Kosovo in Ljubljana on Sunday and against Greece in Thessaloniki on Wednesday. Slovenia manager Matjaž Kek suggested the team would need to do better than last night to succeed in finishing top of the Group 3 of C League.

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12 Nov 2020, 04:05 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 12 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Coronavirus daily case count up to 2,217, record 40 deaths reported

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 2,217 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, more than double the figure the day before, and a record 40 fatalities as Health Minister Tomaž Gantar reiterated his call for tighter restrictions. The latest statistics were first revealed by Gantar on Twitter, with the minister wondering ahead of Thursday's government session dedicated to the restrictions if anyone still doubted the need for stricter measures. A near record 7,515 tests were performed in line with re-expanded testing, which puts the positivity rate at 29.5% after 24% on Monday. Government spokesman Jelko Kacin argued the trends continued to improve despite higher absolute numbers.

Covid-19 on rise in elderly care homes

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is once again seeing an increase in coronavirus cases in elderly care homes, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj said. There are currently 1,551 active cases among the total of 19,000 residents, and 718 active cases among nearly 12,300 members of staff, he said. Since the the pandemic reached Slovenia in the spring, 277 care home residents died, he said. Total death tally was at 645 on Tuesday. Out of the total of 40 deaths reported for Tuesday, six were in care homes, he said. The virus has made its way into about 80% of care homes in Slovenia.

Govt adopts sixth coronacrisis package

LJUBLJANA - The government has adopted the sixth legislative package meant to alleviate the impact of the coronacrisis on businesses and residents, extending once more the furlough scheme subsidies, measures to help liquidity and help with funding of fixed expenses. The government adopted the package, valued at around EUR 1 billion, late on Tuesday in a correspondence session. One of the most awaited measures in this package, and one that Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek highlighted as the key measure, is the compensation of fixed expenses to businesses whose revenue declined significantly due to the epidemic. Details

Logar says relations with US at highest level so far

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the Foreign Policy Committee that Slovenia's relations with the US were at the highest level so far as he rejected criticism by the opposition that Prime Minister Janez Janša's Twitter posts on the US election had jeopardised the relations. While opposition MPs spoke of Janša - who endorsed Donald Trump and stated it was pretty clear he was the winner as votes were still being counted - bringing shame on Slovenia and conducting "suicidal foreign policy", Logar told them not to "reduce the debate on Transatlantic relations to one tweet". He said relations with the US "practically did not exist" before he became minister in March.

Makovec to take over high-level EU diplomatic post

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian diplomat Marko Makovec has been appointed deputy managing director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and the UK at the European External Action Service. Foreign Minister Anže Logar described the appointment as a great accomplishment of Slovenian diplomacy. The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed Makovec's appointment last Friday, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Makovec would take over a senior position dealing with issues key for Slovenia, especially in light of its upcoming EU Council presidency. Makovec, an ambassador at the Slovenian Permanent Representation to the EU, is currently Slovenia's representative in the EU's Political and Security Committee.

Group of opposition MPs proposes abolishing electoral districts

LJUBLJANA - A group of MPs from the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left and Social Democrats (SD) has filed a motion that would abolish electoral districts and introduce a preference vote after the current system was declared unconstitutional in 2018. In March, the same proposal was three votes short of the needed two-thirds majority, with the coalition Democrats (SDS) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) rejecting it. An attempt is under way to redraw the districts, but SAB feels that a preferential vote is the only viable way of implementing the top court ruling. President Borut Pahor has been warning that formal democracy in Slovenia might be in danger if there is no reform before the next general election.

Stepping up productivity and digitalisation seen as key to prosperity

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's future development and prosperity will depend of the country's ability to step up its productivity growth and digital transformation with a report drawn up by the government's economic think-tank suggesting the current trends are not encouraging. This year's productivity report, drawn up by the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD), was presented at an online debate hosted by IMAD and the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. As a key message of the report, IMAD's Peter Wostner emphasized the need to attain a much higher growth in productivity in order to catch up with the advanced economies, taking into account the current level of employment and expected demographic change.

Majority in Delo poll blame populace for fast coronavirus spread

LJUBLJANA - More than 45% of respondents in a poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo believe the second wave of coronavirus had caught Slovenia unprepared and more than half blame the fast spread of infections on people themselves. Only 28% of those questioned believe that the country awaited the second wave prepared with the poll showing that respondents' position on the matter depends on their political preferences. Among those who vote for the ruling Democratic Party (SDS) as many as 72% believe the country was well or even very well prepared for the second outbreak, while there are 56% who think so among the voters of junior coalition party New Slovenia (NSi). By contrast, three out of four supporters of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) believe the country was ill prepared and as many as 79% among the voters of the Left believe the same.

NGO warns against restricting exercise

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Heart Foundation NGO has urged decision-makers not to restrict people's movement and thus their ability to exercise because of coronavirus, warning that this could have harmful consequences for people's health. Children and adults, especially the elderly, must be allowed to get enough of exercise, the NGO said. The call comes after the Covid-19 task force at the Health Ministry proposed restricting people's movement to a radius of one kilometre from their home as the epidemiological situation in the country remains poor. According to the head of the Slovenian Heart Foundation, Matija Cevc, such a restriction would affect people living in city centres and in apartment buildings the most.

Springwater Capital new owner of Kompas

ZAGREB, Croatia - The new owner of Kompas, Slovenia's oldest travel company, will be Springwater Capital in line with a contract signed between the Madrid-based investment fund and the Croatian group Fortenova, the current owner of Kompas. The signing of the contract on the sale of Kompas Ljubljana and Kompas Poreč comes after the new owner had already notified the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency on the planned takeover days ago through its Luxembourg affiliate Special Sits General Partner. The regulatory approval is the only formal condition still pending for the transaction to be finalised.

Slovenian organisations very successful in Creative Europe

LJUBLJANA - In the last seven years, Slovenian organisations have obtained EUR 24 million in support funds to implement projects from the Creative Europe programme for 2014-2020, and created more than 1,000 international connections. More than 130 organisations, including NGOs, have participated in the programme. In the seven years, the European Commission's programme for the culture and audiovisual sectors supported almost 400 international projects implemented by Slovenian project managers or partners, the Motovila Institute said.

Wood discussed as major part of Slovenia's green future

LJUBLJANA - The main event of the Slovenian wood processing industry heard that the numerous positive features of wood may play a major role in a green future of the country's economy. The state intends to encourage greater use of wood by changing public procurement rules, and to support the national industry with tens of millions of euros. The first day of the Day of the Slovenian Wood Industry event, entitled Wood - Our Green Future, was held on-line and hosted by the trade promotion agency SPIRIT Slovenia, the Economy Ministry and the Wood Industry Cluster.

Entrepreneurs not so pessimistic in second coronavirus wave

LJUBLJANA - Entrepreneurs in Slovenia are not as pessimistic about their businesses in the second wave of coronavirus as they were in the first, the AJPES agency for legal records has said. In October, much fewer private entrepreneurs were deleted from the business registry than in March and much more new businesses were founded. In October, 1,274 small businesses closed down, which is 39% fewer than in March. Meanwhile, more new businesses opened, as 2,009 people decided to start their business, which is 8% more than in September. In March, only 1,285 new businesses were founded.

Employers project 1.3% growth in jobs for first half of 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian employers appear to be upbeat about employment prospects in the first half of next year with a survey conducted by the Employment Service projecting a 1.3% growth in employment. The survey, conducted in October among 2,853 companies employing ten or more staff, suggests the most sought after will be labourers in manufacturing, builders, retail staff, welders and lorry drivers. Meanwhile, the biggest decline in employment is projected for the hospitality industry. Considering their responses, employers will be looking for about 26,000 employees over the next six months, most of which to fill for replacements and temporary jobs, and to a lesser extent these will be new jobs.

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11 Nov 2020, 03:57 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 11 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Logar stresses role of transatlantic cooperation post US election

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar highlighted the role of transatlantic cooperation as one of the EU's key endeavours and one of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU next year. Addressing an online debate hosted by the STA ad the European Representation in Slovenia, Logar said Slovenia had the ambition to hold an EU-US summit attended by the US president during its presidency. Meanwhile, Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner from Slovenia, said that Joe Biden's win provided an opportunity for improving transatlantic relations.

Janša takes part in Berlin Process summit

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša took part in a videoconference of heads of state of the Berlin Process as part of which the leaders of six Western Balkan countries signed declarations on Common Regional Market and Green Agenda. Commenting on his Twitter account, Janša said there had been open issues in the region for decades, some even for centuries. "We welcome steps forward, made during a #BerlinProcess. But, let's be frank, effective regional cooperation and EU perspective for all depends on how we solve a big picture," he added.

Lenarčič and Logar hail boost in EU-wide solidarity

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister and European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič agreed that solidarity had gained new momentum in the EU as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, as they addressed an online debate, organised by the STA and the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. The pair also noted solidarity with third countries, with Lenarčič noting the Covax mechanism, whose aim is a fair global distribution of Covid-19 vaccination. Logar also noted the significance of cross-border solidarity in other fields as well such as migration.

1,084 new coronavirus cases, 27 patients with Covid-19 die

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 1,084 new coronavirus cases from 4,457 tests on Monday as the increase in new cases continued to slow down. Nevertheless, hospitalisations remain on the rise, the latest government data show. There are now 1,171 people in hospital compared to 1,143 yesterday as incoming patients continue to outnumber discharged patients, with 196 in intensive care, up six from yesterday. The death toll climbed to 605 after 27 people with Covid-19 died.

Businesses object as health minister seeks new restrictions

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Tomaž Gantar proposed the government tighten coronavirus restrictions further for two weeks as it meets to review lockdown restrictions on Thursday. He suggested closing further non-essential businesses and public transport. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek indicated his opposition, while the Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged the government not to jeopardise jobs, offering data showing that fewer than 1% staff at companies are infected.

Health Ministry says vaccine to be available across EU simultaneously

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry reiterated that Slovenia's efforts towards securing vaccination against Covid-19 are conducted as part of the joint public order being led by the European Commission and involving all EU member states. It stressed that the vaccine or more of them, when approved, will be made accessible to all members state simultaneously. Slovenia will sign contacts with all vaccine producers with which the European Commission already has or will shortly sign contracts on supply pending a permit from the European Medicines Agency, it said.

Prospective DeSUS leader meets PM, potential aspirant

LJUBLJANA - Karl Erjavec, the favoured candidate for the presidency of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) at the 28 November congress, held separate meetings with PM Janez Janša and Jože P. Damijan, a potential candidate for prime minister. According to the commercial broadcaster POP TV, Erjavec met Janša on the prime minister's initiative to discuss his position on the current government. Meeting Jože P. Damijan, Erjavec told him DeSUS MPs were satisfied with the manifesto put forward by the alternative coalition.

Bank profits down a fifth in first nine months

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian banks posted a cumulative pre-tax profit of EUR 414 million for the first nine months of 2020, down a fifth year-on-year. The decline would have been much sharper, at -60%, were it not for the one-off impact of the merger of Abanka and NKBM, the central bank said in its month report. Despite the fallout from the escalating Covid-19 epidemic, "the liquidity and capital position of the banking system remains good," the report from Banka Slovenije notes.

Fewer companies going bust during epidemic

LJUBLJANA - During the coronavirus epidemic, there were fewer bankruptcies among companies compared to last year, show data by the AJPES agency for legal records. In the first nine months of 2020, 845 companies went bankrupt, down 16% on the same period in 2019 and a 21% drop on the same period in 2018. This is most probably because the emergency act to contain the epidemic and mitigate its consequences, passed during the first wave, extended certain insolvency procedure deadlines.

Industrial output down 3.6% in September

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output declined by 3.6% year-on-year in September. In the first nine months of the year output contracted by 7.9%, the Statistics Office said. All main categories of industry contracted compared to the year before. The most important segment, manufacturing, was down 3.6%, whereas output in energy supply was down 5.3% and in mining by 14.1%. At the monthly level, output was down by 0.4%, the first monthly decline after four months of growth.

Independence-era archbishop remembered on centenary

LJUBLJANA - Archbishop Alojzij Šuštar (1920-2007), who played a major role in Slovenia's independence efforts, was honoured with a book and symposium marking the centenary of his birth. President Borut Pahor described him as the "nestor of the process of reconciliation in society, a pillar of independence", saying he was among those without whom Slovenia would not have been a sovereign country today. Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenia's first foreign minister, counts Šuštar "among the great Slovenian generation who advocated an independent country and brought it to fruition".

Team led by Slovenian researcher creates pandemic predicting model

LJUBLJANA- A team of researchers led by Jure Leskovec, the Slovenian Stanford computer scientist, has created a computer model to predict the spread of Covid-19 based on people's travel habits and movements. They published their article in the journal Nature. They created the model based on data on mobile phone locations capturing the movement of almost 100 million people in 10 major US cities, identifying "superspreader" sites where more than 85% of all virus transmissions occur.

Police comms system hacker gets suspended sentence

LJUBLJANA - Dejan Ornig, who hacked into a police communications system five years ago as a student of the Faculty of Security Studies, has received a two-year suspended sentence. The Ljubljana District Court ruling is not final and the defence plans to lodge an appeal, Dnevnik reported. Ornig was found guilty of attacking an information system and forging a criminal police ID, despite his defence arguing that he thought he was doing this in collaboration with the police.

Belgian caught smuggling 16 migrants in a van

RAZKRIŽJE - A Belgian citizen was caught transporting 16 foreigners who illegally crossed the border in the north-east on Monday. The van with Belgian licence plates was pulled over by the Ljutomer police yesterday morning. After inspecting the vehicle, police found 16 foreigners in the van - two citizens of Iraq and 14 citizens of Egypt, the Murska Sobota police station said.

Family tragedy in Janče ends in triple murder and suicide

LJUBLJANA - Police are investigating a triple murder and suicide in what appears to be a family tragedy in the eastern rural part of the Ljubljana municipality. A 22-year-old appears to have murdered his 26-year-old sister and parents, aged 56 and 60, with a knife and a firearm on Monday. the information gathered so far suggests.

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10 Nov 2020, 04:44 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 10 November 2020

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Coalition join criticism of Janša over Biden tweets

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša has drawn criticism over his tweeting in response to the outcome of the US presidential election from the ranks of his own coalition partners. "The prime minister's tweets are not benefiting Slovenia at the moment," Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the NSi leader, told TV Slovenija on Sunday. National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič, a member of the SMC party, called them indecent, saying the coalition would need to have a word on that.

Logar urges joint action to tackle challenges in EU, W Balkans

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar urged joint approach to addressing challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, migration, climate threats and organised crime as he took part in an online ministerial of the Berlin Process, organised by Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the initiative's co-presiding countries. He said the challenges were common to the EU and the Western Balkans. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Janez Janša will take part in a digital Berlin Process summit.

Coronavirus test positivity rate keeps falling

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 464 new coronavirus cases for Sunday as the share of positive tests inched lower still to 22.49%. Government spokesman Jelko Kacin told today's briefing the most encouraging piece of news was that the R0 number had fallen to 0.95. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose to 1,143, including 190 in intensive care, but the curve of new admissions is falling as discharges are increasing. With 24 more fatalities, Slovenia's death toll from Covid-19 rose to 578.

UKC Ljubljana opens new premises for Covid-19 patients

LJUBLJANA - The UKC Ljubljana hospital opened on Sunday new premises for Covid-19 patients which currently have 56 beds, but the location may be expanded to receive up to 100 patients. The new facility was adapted on a site planned to house a new therapeutic centre in mere ten days, on encouragement by PM Janez Janša, who also visited the premises yesterday. UKC Ljubljana director general Janez Poklukar said intensive care would also be provided on the location if needed.

Decision on independence plebiscite taken 30 years ago

LJUBLJANA - At a secret meeting on 9-10 November 1990, the deputy group of the ruling DEMOS coalition, elected in the first multi-party election seven months earlier, took a decision to hold a referendum on Slovenia's independence. The vote was held six weeks later. Addressing an event marking the anniversary of the meeting in Poljče (NW), President Borut Pahor reiterated the need for politicians to join forces again to fight coronavirus, and PM Janez Janša, who at the time served as defence minister, said those in power must offer cooperation.

EU trade ministers discuss relations with US and China

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek attended an informal EU ministerial which saw ministers in charge of trade discuss relations with the US and China. They welcomed the expected change in tone in transatlantic relations following the US election and discussed negotiations with China about a comprehensive investment agreement. Počivalšek said Slovenia wanted to see ambitious results in terms of market access, fair competition conditions, investment protection and conflict resolution.

FinMin opposed to VAT cut, not planning real estate tax

LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj, giving an online talk hosted by the newspaper Finance, assessed that the government measures to mitigate the coronavirus crisis had helped companies and people more than lowering the value added tax (VAT) would. He is not planning to propose a real estate tax in this term and said no rushed changes to taxes would be made in any case. "When it comes to labour taxation, we will lean towards greater competitiveness," Šircelj said, but also urged caution.

SDS MPs file criminal report over suspected intelligence leak

LJUBLJANA - Two coalition members of the parliamentary intelligence oversight commission reported an unknown perpetrator over suspected disclosure of classified information after commission members visited the SOVA intelligence agency, the National Bureau of Investigation and the General Police Department last week. Details of the visit had been leaked to news portal 24ur.com and newspaper Dnevnik, and their reports involved information that not even all members of the commission knew, Democrat (SDS) MPs Anja Bah Žibert and Dejan Kaloh said.

Government with highest average mark since April in Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - The average mark of the work of the Janez Janša government in the latest poll commissioned by Delo is up for the first time since April with the government getting 2.78, up from 2.63 in October, as the share of respondents who assessed the government's work as positive or very positive was up to 27% (from 23.6% in October). The SDS continues to top the party rankings with 19.6%, up from 18.7%. The opposition Social Democrats (SD) follow far behind with 11.7% from 9.3% the month before.

Fall in imports outpaces decline in exports

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's goods exports dropped by 0.3% year-on-year to EUR 2.958 billion in September as imports fell by 12.1% to EUR 2.642 billion. Despite the fall, the September exports figure is the second highest in the past decade, data from the Statistic Office show. Exports for the first nine months of 2020 declined by 3.8% on the same period in 2019 to EUR 24.2 billion, and imports feel by 9.1% to EUR 22.9 billion. The falls were due to a slowdown in trade with the EU.

Entire Gorenjska railway section slated for modernisation

RADOVLJICA - Works began on a section of the Gorenjska railway leading from Ljubljana to the border with Austria. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said this was just the beginning and announced upgrades of other sections, new tracks, and a connection to Brnik airport. "The ministry wants to strengthen railway transport in Slovenia both because of sustainable mobility and the awareness of how important this is for the Slovenian economy," he said.

Virtual LIFFe showcasing 22 feature films

LJUBLJANA - The 31st Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) will be held in the virtual realm, offering 22 feature films and a selection of shorts available as an on-demand service between 11 and 22 November. The opening ceremony on Wednesday will be held online as well. Since most of the online programme will be on general release in cinemas, tickets for the festival screenings will be accessible in numbers similar to those in festival theatres, the festival's director, Simon Popek, said.

Over 300 volunteers respond to Maribor hospital's call for help

MARIBOR - The UKC Maribor hospital, which has called for help in the face of a growing number of Covid-19 patients, said it was amazed by the response as more than 300 volunteers offered to help. The hospital's medical director, Matjaž Vogrin says all of their needs are covered for now. After Vogrin published the plea on Facebook last week, more than 300 volunteers, medical and nursing students, and health staff from other institutions offered to help, which is more than the hospital needs at the moment.

Singer who lent his voice to popular children's hero dies

LJUBLJANA - Martin Lumbar, a composer, singer and instrumentalist, who is best known for lending his voice to Kekec, a popular children's hero, when he was eight years old, has died. Apart from singing the Kekec song in 1963 in the film Srečno, Kekec! (Good Luck, Kekec!), Lumbar took part in numerous film and theatre projects. He collaborated with the legendary Slovenian band Laibach, contributing to its new sound on its Let It Be (1988) album. He released his own album in 2003.

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