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This summary is provided by the STA:

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenians allowed to visit their holiday homes

LJUBLJANA - After Slovenia managed to flatten the curve of coronavirus infections, the strict lockdown restrictions in place since mid-March are being eased somewhat this weekend. Limited movement of residents outside their municipality will be allowed, but restrictions to people's movement and gathering remain in place. Apart from being allowed to go to work, shopping, access emergency services, do farm work and care for family members, Slovenians will from now on also be able to access private land outside their municipality of residence for purposes such as maintenance and seasonal works.

Minister advises caution as restrictions are gradually eased

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec advised Slovenians against rushing to complete roadworthiness tests when vehicle inspection centres open after a month on Monday. "We need to be cautious and not go too fast so as not to undermine everything we've achieved so far," said Vrtovec. He noted that owners have until 16 June to extend their registration papers. Registrations ran out for about 400,000 vehicles during the last month, he said.

13 tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, four died

LJUBLJANA - Four people died of Covid-19 in Slovenia on Friday, bringing the total tally of deaths 70. 1,250 tests were performed and 13 people tested positive, for a total of 1,317. 93 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, 27 in intensive care, while eight were released into home care, the government tweeted. A total of 40,580 tests have so far been performed in Slovenia and a total of 190 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals. According to the website sledilnik.org, the 13 new Covid-19 patients included four health care workers, four retirement home employees and four retirement home residents. Three residents tested positive in Ljutomer, one of the worst-hit homes, yesterday, alongside one employee.

Velenje quarantine shutting down

LJUBLJANA - The Paka Hotel in Velenje will no longer serve as quarantine for Slovenians who returned home from Covid-19 hotspots around the globe. On Sunday, the last two persons who was quarantined there will leave for home. The premises will be disinfected by the Civil Protection services and returned to its owner, the Chinese group Hisense, on Monday, the head of the Western Štajerska Civil Protection Petra Bezjak Cirman told the STA. Meanwhile, the Epic Hotel in Postojna continues to serve as a quarantine facility, currently housing 17 potential Covid-19 patients.

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Govt ordered to check justification of restrictions on movement every week

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ordered the government to immediately verify the justification for restrictions on the movement of persons put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus, whereupon it must examine the justification every week. The decision refers to the most far-reaching government decree to combat the crisis, which was adopted on 29 March and put the entire country into lockdown. The court suspended Article 7 of the decree, which determines that the measures will be in place "until the cessation of the reasons". The suspension will remain in place until the judges reach a substantive decision, until which time the government must check the justification weekly.

Coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia seen as under control

LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia is believed to be under control allowing public life to gradually re-start, said the government's chief medical adviser for the coronavirus epidemic, Bojana Beović. "The curve has now turned downwards and we can therefore start talking about a gradual relaxation of measures and steady normalisation of life," she said. Beović presented estimates by several groups of researchers showing that the reproduction rate, which shows how many people one patient infects on average, had dropped to below one, which epidemics experts see as a point at which an epidemic starts to subside.

MOT tests and some forms of public transport to resume Monday

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to further ease lockdown restrictions by allowing annual vehicle roadworthiness tests and other procedures associated with registration of motor vehicles, and some forms of public transport to resume from Monday. Such transport can be organised by businesses or local communities in order to get people to work. The number of passengers will be limited to up to a third of the seating capacity.

Govt discussing new stimulus measures

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government started discussing amendments to improve the first, EUR 3 billion stimulus package designed to help businesses and people cope with the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. It also started debating a draft of a planned second package. "One of the key goals of the second package is to secure liquidity for companies once restrictions start to be relaxed," Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek told reporters, promising the government would try to help all the affected companies. The legislation is to be rushed through parliament.

Pahor also sympathising with France over Covid-19 emergency

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor has expressed his and Slovenia's solidarity with the French nation in the joint fight against the novel coronavirus in a video message to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The message, posted on Pahor's Twitter account, was made in French. Pahor already made similar messages of solidarity via Twitter to the Italians and their President Sergio Mattarella, Britons and Queen Elizabeth II and the Spanish nation and King Felipe VI. He addressed all of them in their languages.

Officer initially tipped for army chief appointed to PM's office

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed three new state secretaries to the office of Prime Minister Janez Janša, including Brigadier Bojan Pograjc, who media reported had been Janša's favourite for the new chief of the general staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, a job that went to Brigadier Robert Glavaš instead. Pograjc is to be responsible for the military and NATO in the prime minister's office. Also appointed to the office was former SMC MP Marjan Dolinšek and Katja Triller Vrtovec, who was replaced as acting head of the Government Office for Legislation by jurist Miha Pogačnik.

Govt urged by EBU to refrain from pressurising RTV

LJUBLJANA - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) called on the Slovenian authorities to refrain from exerting undue political pressure on the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija in the challenging times of the coronavirus epidemic. In Thursday's statement published on the EBU website and cited by RTV Slovenija on Friday, the organisation said that "RTV Slovenija is playing a critical role in helping the state fight the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently stretched to its limits."

Covid-19 prompts cancellation of national exams for primary schools

LJUBLJANA - As schools are closed due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Education Ministry cancelled nation-wide primary school exams for the first time since they were introduced for sixth and ninth grade students 20 years ago. Headteachers welcomed the decision, which Education Minister Simona Kustec said was taken on the basis of an assessment made by key education stakeholders. The head of the Association of Primary and Music School Headteachers, Gregor Pečan, said he was "grateful that common sense has prevailed".

Prosecutors challenge 30% pay cut in court

LJUBLJANA - The Association of State Prosecutors and individual state prosecutors are filing requests for constitutional review of the part of the anti-corona legislative package which temporarily cuts prosecutors' salaries by 30%. They argue that the move undermines the fundamental constitutional values and the functioning of criminal justice. The association argues the cut encroached upon the constitutional law relationships between the branches of power.

Port fees reduced by 50% to help Luka Koper

KOPER - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec approved a 50% reduction in port fees for Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's only sea port, to make it more competitive. Talking to the press as he visited the port, Vrtovec said the "discount" would remain in place until September and would be extended if necessary. He also announced subsidies for railway transport in short, similar to other countries. Meanwhile, Luka Koper announced it had selected Kolektor Koling and its partners Adriaing and Grafist to extend pier 1 at the cost of EUR 45.66 million.

Pipistrel helps secure 100,000 masks from China

AJDOVŠČINA - Ultralight aircraft maker Pipistrel helped secure a donation of 100,000 medical face masks from China through its Pipistrel Asia-Pacific subsidiary and the city of Jurong where it is located. A total of 30,000 medical masks and 300 thermometers, donated by Jurong, were symbolically handed over by China's Ambassador Wang Shunqing to Ajdovščina Mayor Tadej Beočanin. 60,000 masks donated are already in Slovenia, 10,000 more are expected in coming days along with 1,100 testing kits.

Pahor thanks Novartis for humanitarian aid in coronavirus crisis

MENGEŠ - President Borut Pahor visited a Novartis facility in Mengeš, where the pharma giant is producing a sanitizing preparation that it is donating to health centres, care centres and local communities. Pahor thanked the company for its humanitarian assistance to Slovenia, said the president's office and Lek, part of Novartis. Novartis has so far donated over 8,300 litres to more than 35 institutions in the country.

Prison sentences in Taiwanese call centres case

MARIBOR - Five suspects charged with running illegal call centres operated by trafficked Taiwanese were found guilty of human trafficking by the Maribor District Court. The Slovenian ringleader Allen Cvek was sentenced to four years in prison and the rest to two months less. Allen and Tomislav Cvek and Taiwanese nationals Chen Wei Chung, Tzu Hsiang Hsu and Peng Syuan Hong were found guilty of unlawfully detaining at least 63 people, mostly citizens of Taiwan, in several underground call centres in Slovenia and Croatia between 2015 and 2018 when they were arrested.

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Brigadier Robert Glavaš appointed chief of general staff

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Brigadier Robert Glavaš the new chief of the general staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF), Defence Minister Matej Tonin tweeted, saying that Glavaš had proven himself in the past weeks of crisis as exceptionally operative, committed and professional. Glavaš previously served as deputy chief of the general staff and was also interim chief of the general staff following the dismissal of Alenka Ermenc at the maiden session of the new government on 14 March.

Some non-grocery shops to reopen on Monday

LJUBLJANA - DIY shops, shops selling cars and bicycles, dry cleaners and some repair shops such as tyre replacement shops will reopen on Monday as the government decided to further ease lockdown measures. By adding new exceptions to the restrictions on shops and services imposed in Slovenia on 16 March, the government allowed hair salons and beauty parlours to reopen on 4 May. Already from Monday, shops selling mostly construction and installation materials, technical goods or furniture will be back in business. Between 8am and 9:30am all those shops will be open for vulnerable groups of shoppers only, i.e. persons with disabilities, pregnant women and those above the age of 65. The latter group will not be able to enter the shops outside the dedicated opening hour.

Soldiers may help police on border even without police powers

LJUBLJANA - Interion Minister Aleš Hojs told the press that the government plans to deploy soldiers if needed despite the fact that it was unable to muster the two-thirds majority in parliament to grant soldiers limited police powers to patrol the border. It plans to use a different legislative provision that allows a more limited form of deployment. This provision, allows soldiers to cooperate with the police in the "broader protection of the state border", albeit without police powers.

Info commissioner says focus must be on health, not surveillance

LJUBLJANA - Responding to the government's proposal that health authorities share citizens' personal data with the police to help contain the coronavirus epidemic, Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik said that the data must not be obtained en masse and stockpiled and that focus must not be redirected from health protection. The Interior Ministry argues that the data exchange is key for enabling police work in line with Article 103 of the anti-corona law, referring to police powers to search for persons and temporarily restrict their movement.

Interior minister accepts state secretary's resignation after DUI incident

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs accepted the resignation of Franc Breznik, a state secretary at the ministry who was caught drink driving and speeding. Breznik, an MP for the ruling Democrats (SDS) before he was named state secretary, was driving a ministry car when he was pulled over by a patrol on the Ljubljana ring road on 2 April. The breathalyser test showed 0.44 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, 0.20 mg above the acceptable limit. He was also driving 20 km/h above the speed limit.

Illegal crossings of border up 6.5% in first three months

LJUBLJANA - Police recorded 1,835 illegal crossings of the border in the first three months of the year, which is 6.5% more than in the same period last year. Most migrants came from Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan. Compared to the first three months of 2019, the biggest rise in the number of crossings was recorded in January and February, when they were up by almost 80%. The situation changed in March, when illegal crossings declined by almost 40% compared to the year before, which the police attribute to measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus.

AI points to treatment of migrants in 2019 report for Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Amnesty International (AI) said in its latest report on human rights that Slovenia has failed to respect and protect the rights of migrants, while also pointing to what it believes is an inappropriate definition of rape, inadequate elderly care and treatment of the Roma. In the regional overview of Europe and Central Asia for 2019, the NGO pointed to shortcomings in at least four fields, but the Slovenian chapter noted that "this does not mean that there are no other human rights violations in Slovenia." The report says that numerous potential asylum seekers who had entered Slovenia illegally have been denied access to international protection by the Slovenian authorities.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases up by 21 to 1,269, death toll unchanged at 61

LJUBLJANA - The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Slovenia rose by 21 to 1,269 after 1,023 people were tested on Wednesday, while the number of deaths remained 61. The number of new cases was 28 the day before and when contrasted with days that saw comparable numbers of tests, both figures signal a decline in the curve that was flattened in the past two weeks.

Nurses call for crisis bonus payment

LJUBLJANA - A trade union representing nurses and care workers urged paying staff at hospitals, health centres and care facilities as bonus for working during a crisis as stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement for the public sector. Those under the heaviest stress should also receive the allowance under the anti-corona stimulus package, the Trade Union of Health Care and Social Care told the press. The union said that not all hospitals, health centres and care facilities had paid their staff the allowance with the March salary, which they received in early April.

Minister says situation at care homes under control

LJUBLJANA - Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Cigler Kralj commented on the situation at care homes in the face of coronavirus, saying the elderly were receiving adequate care and treatment, and that in 90% of the homes nobody was infected with the virus. There are 102 care homes in Slovenia and in 90 of them there is no coronavirus infection at the moment. A large number of people have been infected in five of them and only a few cases have been recorded in others, said Rajko Vajd, a specialist in family medicine who is covid-19 coordinator for care homes in the Ljubljana area.

Charitable donations abound amid Covid-19 epidemic

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Beekeepers' Association donated EUR 20,000 to five homes for the elderly, and Caritas Slovenia has helped many precarious workers, chronically unemployed and the elderly as part of its nation-wide campaign, as the country is fighting the Covid-19 epidemic. Moreover, the Chinese multinational Huawei Technologies provided 30,000 protective face masks and 100 tablet computers intended for disadvantaged children so that they can participate in on-line learning. Hungary donated seven pallets of protective equipment to the Murska Sobota hospital, including surgical masks, hazmat suits and disinfectants.

Power group HSE returned to profit in 2019

LJUBLJANA - The state-owned power group HSE reported EUR 29.7 million in net profit for last year, bouncing back from a EUR 11.8 million loss the year before after its subsidiary, the Šoštanj coal-fired power plant (TEŠ), posted its lowest loss since the contentious unit 6 became operational in 2015. The group generated a record EUR 1.7 billion in sales revenue, up 16%, year-on-year, the company said in a press release after the annual report was endorsed by the HSE supervisory board. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 25% to just over EUR 160 million, a five-year high.

NKBM profit down slightly in 2019

MARIBOR - NKBM, Slovenia's second largest bank, reported a EUR 62.5 million net profit at group level and EUR 67.4 million at the level of the core bank for 2019, down EUR 10 million and EUR 8 million respectively on 2018. The total assets of the group, which was expanded with Abanka in February this year, amounted to EUR 5.1 billion at the end of 2019, up EUR 108 million from the start of the year, mostly on account of more lending to non-banking clients.

Substantial interest in seasonal farm work amid crisis

LJUBLJANA - The number of Slovenians interested in helping out with seasonal work on farms has been growing as some farms have been struggling to get by without seasonal workers. In just four days, nearly 400 people responded to an Agriculture Ministry call for help with seasonal farm work, after it became clear that seasonal workers, in particular from Romania, would not be able to help due to health concerns associated with the coronavirus epidemic. But some farmers are sceptical, while organisations promoting workers' rights are up in arms over the potential for abuse.

Novšak reappointed CEO of Gen Energija

KRŠKO - The supervisory board of GEN Energija unanimously reappointed Martin Novšak as CEO for a four-year term starting on 8 July. Novšak started serving his first term in 2005 and has been at the helm of Slovenia's largest energy utility since then. His reappointment is based on his extensive experience, energy industry know-how, positive business results and an ambitious plan for the future which puts safe, reliable and sustainable energy supply first, reads the company's press release.

Govt replaces three supervisors at public broadcaster

LJUBLJANA - The government made early replacements of three members of the supervisory board of RTV Slovenija, the country's public broadcaster. Matjaž Medved, Irena Ostrouška and Petra Majer were dismissed and are being replaced by Borut Rončević, Anton Tomažič and Drago Zadergal, the Government Communication Office announced. Rončević is a professor at the Nova Gorica School of Advanced Social Studies and Anton Tomažič is a jurist who served as MP for the DEMOS coalition in the early 1990s. The government appoints four out of eleven members of the RTV Slovenija supervisory board.

Analyst expects culture to rebound within a year

LJUBLJANA - Economist and cultural studies expert Andrej Srakar is not thrilled with the government's measures taken so far to help the culture sector recover from the Covid-19 crisis. He is nevertheless optimistic that the sector could recover within a year and also create new business models along the way. Srakar admits that the majority of Slovenian artists are still in a crunch. But unlike many economists, he does not expect a long recession because it will result from an external shock rather than from bad business decisions, meaning it will not be structural in nature.

Slovenia supports postponement of Dubai Expo

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry for Economic Development and Technology asked the government to support a postponement of World Expo 2020 Dubai at the upcoming meeting of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) because of coronavirus, the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. The World Expo was scheduled to start in Dubai on 20 October, but the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested a postponement and proposed changing the dates to 1 October 2021 - 31 March 2022.

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President, ministers again call for army to be given police powers

ČRNOMELJ - President Borut Pahor and the defence and interior ministers, Matej Tonin and Aleš Hojs, visited the southern border area along the Kolpa river to call for the military to be given limited police powers. They argued that boosted joint border patrols were supported by the army and police, and the locals in the area. In line with the estimates available to the interior minister, activation of article 37.a of the defence act would increase the number of soldiers along the border from the current 140 to around 500.

Slovenia to conduct random testing to determine scope of coronavirus infections

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will conduct random population testing on a sample of 1,000-1,500 residents to get a reliable estimate of the scope of the coronavirus epidemic. The trial will include antibody tests, said Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute for Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine. The testing, conducted nation-wide and expected to begin next week, will involve technicians visiting people agreeing to the test at home and taking both nasal swabs to determine the presence of the virus SARS-COV-2 as well as conducting a serological test for antibodies. This should give the health authorities a clearer picture of how many people have actually been infected.

Defence minister says Slovenia urgently needs transport plane

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The coronavirus crisis has shown Slovenia urgently needs a transport plane, Defence Minister Matej Tonin pointed out after a videoconference of NATO defence ministers. "It has turn out that we can only rely on ourselves in these difficult times," he said. The multi-purpose 1988 Turbolet L-410, which can transport both passengers and cargo, has done an excellent job in this crisis but a new solution must be found, Tonin pointed out.

Tonin denies wrongdoing in protective gear purchases

ČRNOMELJ - Protective gear purchases have raised quite a lot of dust and could even become subject of a parliamentary inquiry. Defence Minister Matej Tonin told the press today that once it had been clear that all established suppliers had failed to deliver, he had intervened in three cases, contacting businessmen Joc Pečečnik and Janez Škrabec as well as UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. "In those most critical moments when medical staff was literally crying due to the shortage of protective gear, I called the three people whom I believe have enough contacts abroad to be able to help Slovenia get the equipment.

Concerns aplenty as non-urgent health services resume

LJUBLJANA - After the government gave its go-ahead for some non-urgent health services to resume, Slovenian hospitals have started contacting patients for rescheduling. Medical organisations say one out of two patients will have to be rescheduled. Hospitals say very strict preventive safety measures will need to be followed, including a sufficient distance between patients, separate entries and disinfecting and airing out the surgery after every patient. Medical Association head Rajko Komadina said already long waiting times would now be even longer.

Ministry proposes data exchange between health institute and police

LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry proposed that the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) shares citizens' personal data with the police to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. If the motion is endorsed, the police will be privy to the information about the quarantine duration and other anti-COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the individual. The data exchange is key for enabling police work in line with Article 103 of the anti-corona bill, said the ministry, referring to police powers to search for persons and temporarily restrict their movement.

Five new Covid-19 deaths yesterday, cases up by 28 to 1,248

LJUBLJANA - Five more persons died of Covid-19 on Tuesday to bring the overall death toll to 61. The number of persons infected with the new coronavirus was up by 28 to 1,248. The number of new cases is up compared to Monday as the number of tests more than doubled to 1,168, bringing the total number of tests to 37,114. While the daily numbers of fatalities and infected persons were up, the number of hospitalised patients dropped by seven to 96, and the number of intensive care cases was down by one to 34.

President expresses solidarity with Italy, UK in face of pandemic

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor posted two separate video messages on Twitter, expressing solidarity with the Italian and British people as they face the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking in Italian and English, Pahor expressed solidarity in the "joint fight against the coronavirus." He expressed, on behalf of Slovenians, admiration for the British and the Italian people, saying they had shown determination, courage and hope during the coronavirus pandemic.

Slovenia sends aid to Bosnia to help fight coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has sent material aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic, the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief tweeted. The package includes ten tents, 60 field beds, 50 sleeping bags, ten heaters, 1,500 blankets, 100 pieces of cutlery and 20 waste bag stands.

Interior Ministry official hands in resignation after DUI

LJUBLJANA - Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Breznik has offered his resignation after he was caught speeding and drunk driving on 2 April. The commercial broadcaster POP TV reported that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs had learnt about the incident from its journalist and that he is likely to accept the resignation. The breathalyser test showed 0.44 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. POP TV reported Breznik was pulled over by the police in the afternoon on 2 April, as he was returning from a meeting with representatives of produces importer Derby Banane.

Gloves no longer mandatory in closed public places

LJUBLJANA - Protective gloves are no longer mandatory in closed public places such as shops, pharmacies and post offices as of today. Hand sanitizer must be used instead and it has to be provided by the business owners. Face masks are still mandatory. The government had made it mandatory to wear face masks or an equivalent face and nose covering and gloves in closed public places on 30 March. The decree was amended mandating that instead of gloves, hand sanitizer must be used upon entering and exiting a closed public space.

Majority of Slovenian contingent in Mali returns home

LJUBLJANA - A majority of the eight-member contingent of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) serving in the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali returned home after training tasks there were suspended and focus put on containing the spread of coronavirus. While one Slovenian soldier serving in the EUTM Mali mission was brought home on Sunday after becoming infected with coronavirus, another five returned to Slovenia today. Two have stayed in Mali, the Defence Ministry said.

Top court unable to keep up with increasing workload

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court highlighted in a report for 2019 a continuation of an unsustainable rise in the number of cases and urged legislative changes that would result in less cases ending up in the hands of the top court. The increased fresh workload on the yearly level, which started in 2016 after it had been decreasing several years before that, meant 1,599 new cases in 2019, 4.6% more than in 2018.

Frost wreaking havoc in orchards

LJUBLJANA - The mild winter and severe fluctuations in daily temperatures seen in the past three weeks, including constant dips well below freezing point, have caused major damage in Slovenian orchards. First estimates suggest the yield could be slashed by 80% or more. Temperatures fell below freezing point yet again last night to "probably claim what little had been left after three weeks of struggle against frost", Metka Hudina, a member of the Slovenian Fruit Growing Expert Society and professor at the Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty, told the STA.

Monthly pay in February up y/y

LJUBLJANA - Average monthly pay in Slovenia rose in February compared to a year ago, but dropped in comparison with January, the Statistics Office said. Average gross pay stood at EUR 1,800, up 5% in nominal terms and 2.9% in real terms over February 2019. Net pay reached EUR 1,170, up 5.6% in nominal and 3.5% in real terms.

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IMF forecasts 8% GDP drop for Slovenia in 2020

WASHINGTON, US - The IMF forecast Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink by 8% this year compared to 2019 as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, while a rebound of 5.4% is expected in 2021. The forecast for Slovenia in the latest World Economic Outlook report is a drastic downgrade compared to the projection from last autumn, when Slovenia was forecast to record 2.9% GDP growth this year. The country's annual inflation now was projected to hit 0.4% this year and 1.4% next year, with the survey unemployment rate expected to increase to 9% this year and drop to 6% in 2021.

First easing of lockdown expected next week

LJUBLJANA - There had been indications Slovenia may start relaxing lockdown measures this week, but the government's chief medical advisor for the coronavirus epidemic said the easing would not start before next week. Bojana Beović, who heads the Health Ministry's medical task force for coronavirus, said the easing would depend on when the health authorities determined the epidemic was tailing off. While data on new infections over the Easter weekend is encouraging, it is too early to say whether the epidemic is "being gradually extinguished", she said. One more death related to the coronavirus epidemic was recorded on Monday, bringing the overall death toll to 56. Only eight new cases were recorded yesterday for a nationwide total of 1,220.

Majority of Covid-19 victims aged over 75

LJUBLJANA - The figures released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) show that more than 80% of people who died of coronavirus in Slovenia were older than 75 years and almost 60% were older than 85. Although 56 persons died until Monday, the NIJZ statistics take into account only 53 deaths because the institute gets the data with a delay. All the deceased were older than 45, but the number of deaths rose with age; the number of deaths in the age group between 75 and 84 was 13 and that in the age group of over 85 reached 31. Public broadcaster Radio Slovenija meanwhile reported that as many as 75% of all the 56 victims had died in nursing homes.

Govt letter on journalism to CoE debated in parliament

LJUBLJANA - A contentious letter sent by the government to the Council of Europe (CoE) to claim the majority of the main media in Slovenia stem from the Communist regime was defended by Foreign Minister Anže Logar in parliament as it was discussed by the foreign policy and culture committees. The letter was a response to an alert issued by the CoE Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists after PM Janez Janša tweeted that the public broadcaster was misleading the public and indicated that some of its staff should lose their jobs. While denying the letter was a dispatch, Logar indicated he agreed with its content. Since he left after making his point due to previous engagements, the session was suspended until he could attend it. The opposition said the letter served as a settling of scores in domestic politics and an attack on journalists.

Govt migration crisis spokesperson back to Interior Ministry

MARIBOR - Boštjan Šefic, the former Interior Ministry state secretary best known for providing government briefings during the 2015-16 migration crisis under the Miro Cerar government, returned to the Interior Ministry last Friday to work on changes to asylum law, the newspaper Večer reported. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs indicated the coalition could tighten asylum legislation, including by taking into account some of the Cerar government's proposals and the European Court of Human Rights's ruling that migrants who do not enter the country lawfully could be turned back. Šefic returned to the Interior Ministry from the Defence Ministry, and had previously long worked for SOVA, the national intelligence and security agency.

Report: New fence erected on southern border

LJUBLJANA - New fence is being erected on Slovenia's southern border, according to the newspaper Delo. As part of a EUR 4.5 million deal won by the Serbian company Legi SGS last year, 40 kilometres of fence will be put up in the municipalities of Kočevje and Kostel, and in the western Primorska region. The government does not reveal the locations where the new fence will be set up, but according to Delo, 10 kilometres of fence will be erected in the municipalities of Kočevje and Kostel. Fencing has also been erected in southern Primorska. Croatia's local newspaper Glas Istre reported that the Slovenian authorities had put up a metal gate in the middle of Mlini in Istria.

Delo poll shows majority support broader army powers

LJUBLJANA - Over 57% of Slovenians support the government's plans to give the army additional powers to patrol the border with Croatia, showed a poll carried by the newspaper Delo. Just under 26% expressed opposition to the plan, and some 16% were undecided. Asked about whether they trusted the government to consistently uphold democratic standards, 42% said they trusted it to do that, with 37% expressing distrust and just under a fifth were undecided.

Corona-survey shows fewer people worried about their lives

LJUBLJANA - The share of the Slovenians who are worried about their lives because of the coronavirus epidemic is dropping, showed the latest survey by the pollster Mediana, as it currently stands at 50%. Some 42% of the respondents said they were worried and 8% that they were very worried, a drop of 10 percentage points compared to the previous poll from the end of March. 68% of the respondents meanwhile believe it will take three or more months for life in Slovenia to return to normal after the epidemic.

Corona deals could become subject of parliamentary inquiry

LJUBLJANA - Three opposition parties intend to seek a parliamentary inquiry into the government's ordering of personal protective gear worth millions of euro in the coronavirus epidemic. The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) all want an inquiry, but another seven votes are needed to launch it. The eleven-strong deputy group of the Social Democrats (SD) is expected to discuss its position on Wednesday. Meanwhile, National Party (SNS) leader Zmago Jelinčič said it was too early to take a position. He believes a fortnight is needed for things to become more clear, while the moves made now are nothing but vexatious acting-out.

Minister unable to say when schools could reopen

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec, who participated in a videocall EU ministerial, is not yet able to say when kindergartens and school in Slovenia could reopen. The decision will be made based on an expert assessment that this could be done safely, she explained. However, she announced the decision on whether to hold nation-wide primary school exams for sixth and ninth grade primary school students would be taken this Friday. A decision in favour of holding the secondary school-leaving exams had already been made, although the exams will probably take place later than originally scheduled, meaning not before June.

Slovenian tourism sector expects sharp contraction

LJUBLJANA - Tourism is among the industries hit particularly hard by coronavirus. The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) expects the sector to see a 60-70% contraction this year if the relaxation of lockdown measures starts in June. If the restrictions last longer, the contraction is expected to be even sharper, STO director Maja Pak told the STA. After the decline, the recovery is expected to be long. Pak expects it will take several years. Tanja Mihalič, a Ljubljana School of Business and Economics professor who specialises in tourism, believes it may take until 2023 or 2024 before Slovenia returns to last year's levels.

More companies gradually resuming operations

LJUBLJANA - Companies which have suspended their production due to the coronavirus epidemic are gradually restarting operations and joining those that have only partly shut down or have not closed shop at all. At household appliances maker Gorenje, the plant producing washers and dryers started its operations last Friday and other production lines in Velenje restarted today. Sports goods maker Elan sent more than half of its employees back to work. Several other companies have announced the stoppage will last at least another week.

Applications come in for aid from first stimulus package

LJUBLJANA - Businesses and individuals eligible for state aid under a EUR 3 billion fiscal stimulus package have started filing their requests after the package entered into force on Saturday. The Employment Service has received 1,154 applications for pay subsidies from companies with idle employees. Before the stimulus package came into force, companies had been filing requests for aid under a less favourable emergency which had been applicable since 29 March. Unofficially, 8,441 such requests had been filed. All applications will be processed under the new law, which has the state cover in full pay to idle workers equalling 80% of their normal pay.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

One month in, govt lauded for epidemic efforts, criticised for communication

LJUBLJANA - The Janez Janša government has successfully tackled the coronavirus epidemic during its first month in office, according to analysts Rok Čakš and Aljaž Pengov Bitenc. Čakš said that the government had done a good job. There has been some improvisation and there have been some mistakes, but this is understandable considering the situation. He said communication with the public had been a soft spot. Pengov Bitenc said the government had done a good job managing the epidemic and deserves praise for that. On the other hand, he suggested some measures, such as restricting movement within municipal limits, may have been unnecessary.

Two Covid-19 deaths, seven new infections on Sunday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian health authorities reported just seven new coronavirus infections for Sunday, the smallest increase since 8 March, for a total of 1,212 nationwide. The number of fatalities rose by two to 55. The small increase in infections indicates the epidemic is plateauing in Slovenia, which is also borne out by hospital statistics. There were 95 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, compared to a late-March peak of nearly 120. The number of intensive care cases declined by one to 34; the peak was 37 on 10 April.

New shipment of protective equipment from China delivered

BRNIK - A new shipment of protective equipment from China was delivered to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. The 20 tonnes of protective masks, glasses and suits for medical staff, and protective gloves has been delivered for the Commodities Reserves Agency. The delivery was made by Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by gaming millionaire Joc Pečečnik, under a EUR 30 million-plus contract with the state, TV Slovenija reported. Prime Minister Janez Janša wrote on Twitter that "the week after the holidays will be calmer" now.

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