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Thousands of Slovenians usher in 2020 in streets and squares

LJUBLJANA - Tens of thousands of Slovenians ushered in the new year in the open, with the largest crowd of 55,000 gathering in four squares in Ljubljana. The capital also saw the traditional fireworks, while some major cities this time opted for quieter celebrations without fireworks. In Slovenia's second largest city, Maribor, the main venue was Leon Štukelj Square, while people could also welcome the new year while ice skating in Freedom Square and in Hotel Arena under the slopes of the Pohorje mountains. The Ljubljana maternity hospital was also the first to welcome a new life in the new year, with Natanael, a baby boy, being born there two minutes after midnight. The first baby girl, named Sofia, was born in Jesenice at 2am.

NBI has met expectations in the first ten years of its work

LJUBLJANA - Ten years have passed since the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was established to deal with the most demanding cases of white-collar crime and corruption, with Police Commissioner Tatjana Bobnar assessing that the NBI has fulfilled the expectations. According to her, the NBI investigators are enthusiastic and hard-working, and have proven with their work that there are no untouchables. In the ten years, the NBI has filed 796 criminal complaints to the prosecution in relation to criminal acts which have resulted in illegal gains of a total of EUR 1.048 billion.

Income tax changes enter into force

LJUBLJANA - Recently adopted tax changes that slightly reduce the taxation of labour in favour of higher taxes on capital officially entered into effect, increasing the thresholds for all five personal income tax brackets, effectively subjecting a higher share of income to lower tax rates. In the second and third tax brackets, which cover mostly the middle class, the tax rate will drop by a percentage point to 26% and 33% respectively. Those on the minimum wage will see their earnings rise only marginally, while those on average pay can expect roughly EUR 150 more per year.

VAT on books reduced, goal to abolish it altogether

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia introduced a new, reduced rate of the value-added tax (VAT) at 5%, to apply to books, newspapers and periodicals in their physical and digital forms. The reduction, from 9.5%, comes more than a decade after the publisher Sanje initiated a petition for a zero tax on books in 2006, to counter proposals for imposing the standard rate of 22%, which Sanje director Rok Zavrtanik says "would have been a disaster for what is a struggling industry as it is". However, publishers and book promoters say books should be exempt from tax to allow quality production in the Slovenian language.

New year brings uniform cigarette packaging

LJUBLJANA - Uniform cigarette and tobacco packaging rolled out on New Year's Day under new rules, bearing graphic warnings of the adverse health effects of smoking and donning the Pantone 448 C dark brown hue, known as the ugliest colour in the world, to further deter anyone from picking up the harmful habit. In line with the changes to the act on the use of tobacco and related products, packages will be non-branded, standardised and overall looking as uninviting as possible, according to the Health Ministry.

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Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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NLB bank sells life insurer NLB Vita to Sava Re

LJUBLJANA - Bank NLB and Belgian KBC, NLB's former owner, sold their life insurance company NLB Vita to the country's second biggest insurer Sava Re. The sale means that NLB has met the last of several conditions upon which the European Commission approved the 2013 bailout. The cost of the deal has not been disclosed, but the business paper Finance recently reported that NLB and KBC expected to get EUR 20-30 million. Stocks of Sava Re gained ground on the news on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Agrokor reports Mercator share seizure to EU authorities

LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - Bankrupt Croatian conglomerate Agrokor, the owner of Slovenian retailer Mercator, turned to the EU to complain about the seizure of Mercator stock by the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency. In a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and the Commission's directorate general for competition, Agrokor chairman Fabris Peruško says the procedures contrary to EU and Slovenian law and motivated by "national political reasons".

Obrežje crossing closed for an hour due to bomb threat

OBREŽJE - The Obrežje border crossing with Croatia was closed for around an hour after a device, resembling a bomb was detected by an x-ray machine in a suitcase belonging to a Russian citizen travelling by bus. The device turned out to be a piano tuner with a charging device.

Embassy in Egypt honours Aleksandrinke

ALEXANDRIA/CAIRO, Egypt - Slovenia's Ambassador to Egypt Mateja Prevolšek unveiled on Christmas Eve a restored tomb and memorial plaque honouring Aleksandrinke, thousands of Slovenian women who worked for European and Arab families in Egypt as wet nurses and household help in the 19th and 20th century, many leaving behind their families and newborns. The tomb renovation was a joint effort of the Slovenian Culture Ministry and the Nova Gorica Municipality.

Basketball star Dončić joins Jordan Brand

DALLAS, US - Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić has signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike Jordan Brand. After months of speculations, the shoe brand confirmed the news on Thursday, with unofficial sources saying it is a seven-figure deal. Nike and its Jordan Brand announced on Twitter that the 20-year-old was the latest contribution to their family. Dončić confirmed this on his official web page, adding that he had signed a five-year deal and that more details are to follow.

PM Šarec critical of coalition partners

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec criticised some of his coalition partners in an interview for Dnevnik, displeased both with how he was put in the spotlight in the run-up to the vote on a new cohesion policy minister, and the way he is seen as having to act on the alleged transgressions by the agriculture minister. He does not agree with the opinion of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) the onus was on Šarec to provide the votes in parliament for the candidacy of Angelika Mlinar, saying that he personally would have opted for a technocrat. He also suggested he would not yield to pressure by DeSUS president Karl Erjavec to act against Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, who is suspected of having made money on the side with a publicly-funded project before she became minister and in the initial months in office.

Over thirty films at Bovec Outdoor Film Festival

BOVEC - The 13th Bovec Outdoor Film Festival (BOFF) will got under way today, bringing 32 mostly short films that deal with sports and the outdoors until 30 December. Topic-specific films are grouped together for the screenings, starting with environmental and female-focused films, while Slovenian films will be shown on Monday. "I'm glad the festival is developing and that we have so many films," BOFF director Jan Maček told the STA. Two audience awards will be conferred, for the best foreign and best Slovenian film.

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Serious flaws found in contentious Ljubljana sewerage project

LJUBLJANA - An audit conducted by the Environment Ministry has found serious shortcomings in approval procedures for a stretch of an EU-subsidised sewerage project that some say could jeopardise the source of drinking water for 300,000 residents of Slovenia's capital. The audit report, released by the environmental organisation Alpe Adria Green on Friday, finds that the Ljubljana city authorities obtained the development permit and necessary environmental consents for the C0 waste water collection channel before an environmental impact assessment procedure had been conducted.

Arrest warrant issued for militia leader

LJUBLJANA - An arrest warrant has been issued for Andrej Šiško, the self-styled leader of a militia that should have reported to prison to serve out his sentence for incitement to subversion of the constitutional order. Šiško, the leader of the militia that call themselves Štajerska Guarda, was sentenced to eight months in prison in March and has served most of his time on remand. He is wanted since Thursday.

Philharmonic director faces dismissal

LJUBLJANA - Culture Minister Zoran Poznič has formally launched the procedure to dismiss Marjetica Mahne as director of the Slovenian Philharmonic, after barely two years on the job, according to the newspaper Dnevnik. The paper reports that the minister notified Mahnič of her early dismissal in a letter on Thursday, unofficially due to violation of several pieces of legislation and the Philharmonic's financial shape, all of which Mahne denies.

Christmas strike at Terme Maribor called off

MARIBOR - A strike planned at hotels operated by Terme Maribor in and around Maribor for the Christmas and New Year holidays was called off after the management agreed to raise wages. Under the deal, the lowest base pay will be adjusted to the consumer price growth for up to 2% a year. The rule is to be set down in the company collective bargaining agreement. Terme Maribor is owned by MB Dailyrates Management Limited, a Cyprus-based undertaking.

More than half of Slovenians on private trips in Q3

LJUBLJANA - Over half of Slovenia's population took at least one private trip in the third quarter of the year. Seven out of ten trips were abroad, of which three out of four to Croatia, data from the Statistic Office show. Roughly 922,000 Slovenian residents or 52% of the population aged 15 or more were away on at least one private trip between July and September, making a total of 1.78 million trips. On average, Slovenians stayed 5.9 nights on a trip and spent on average EUR 43 a day.

Sundling and Chanavat win Planica XC sprint events

PLANICA - Swede Jonna Sundling and France's Lucas Chanavat won respective Cross-Country World Cup sprint freestyle events in extremely bad weather conditions in Planica. The best home favourite was Anamarija Lampič, who came in 5th in the women's sprint, 1.49 seconds behind Sundling. Swede Stina Nilsson placed second (+0.22), and Julia Kern from the US third (+0.79) in the women's event. In the men's, Italy's Federico Pellergino (+0.40) was the runner-up ahead of Norway's Erik Valnes (+0.83).

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Mlinar named minister in charge of cohesion policy

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted 44:43 to appoint Angelika Mlinar, an ethnic Slovenian from Austria, minister without portfolio in charge of cohesion policy, as the government secured a slim minority after several days of uncertainty. Mlinar said the vote showed that "we want to overcome borders". The vote came after Prime Minister Marjan Šarec urged the National Assembly to discuss the nomination on substance, as he criticised committee debates earlier this week that focused on her nationality and origin.

Environment minister urges leniency in carnivore management

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Environment Minister Simon Zajc told an ministerial that EU rules should consider specific circumstances of individual EU countries regarding their large-carnivore management. He called for a more flexible approach in dealing with wolves and bears, in particular when the species are not threatened but are thriving, as is the case in Slovenia. He sees improved management or new EU legislation as possible ways forward.

Bratušek corruption allegation returns after two years

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption issued an opinion finding Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek was in conflict of interest in 2014, when she nominated herself for EU commissioner. Bratušek said she would challenge the claim, just as she had successfully challenged a previous opinion, which was dismissed by courts on procedural grounds.

Cerar praising CEI role in enabling EU enlargement

ROME, Italy - Attending the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Rome, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar highlighted the role of the forum in enabling European integration processes and paving the way for potential new EU member states. Other participants urged support for the countries aspiring to join the bloc as well.

Govt adopts resolution on environmental protection, changes to water law

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a draft resolution on the national environment protection programme for 2020-2030. To implement the national programme, an estimated 47 to 53 million euro a year will be needed. The resolution sets down goals, guidelines and tasks related to environmental protection, nature preservation and water management. It also adopted a set of changes to the water law which makes it easier for the state to provide financial aid for emergency works in natural disasters.

New reading promotion strategy adopted

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a national strategy on the development of reading literacy that revolves around the promotion of reading literacy as an essential skill throughout all age periods. The goal is to achieve a degree of reading literacy that will "make it possible for every individual to optimally develop skills for active life and work," according to the Government Communications Office.

Pension fund will need EUR 680m from state budget in 2020

LJUBLJANA - The budget of the ZPIZ pension fund will stand at EUR 5.8 billion in 2020, but the state will have to chip in almost EUR 680 million to balance revenue and expenditure. Under ZPIZ's financial plan for next year, adopted by the fund's council on Thursday, 84.2% of all revenue or EUR 4.9 billion will go for pensions. Another EUR 145 million is planned to be spent on the annual holiday allowance for all pensions, up EUR 4.6 million from this year.

Archbishop Zore keen to resume talks with state

LJUBLJANA - Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore would like the Catholic Church to settle practical matters with the state, so they do not change with every change of government. Talking with the STA, he also discussed the changing manifestation of faith, denationalisation, and the negative image of the Church in the media.

Slovenia-Croatia relations remain frozen

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian-Croatian relations have remained burdened by Croatia's refusal to implement the border arbitration award in the past year, a source of instability that Slovenia's former ambassador to the country says is rubbing off on the whole region. Speaking to the STA, Ambassador Vojko Volk attributed the responsibility for the state of affairs mainly to Croatia, which he says has been unable to tackle border issues with any of its neighbours.

Hisense exec says Gorenje important in plans to grow

TIANJIN, China - Hisense, a Chinese conglomerate with global presence, said its Slovenian company Gorenje played an important role in its plans to grow; the multinational would like to double its revenue from last year's 17 billion US dollars in five years' time. The group's success also depends on home appliances maker Gorenje, which it took over in 2018, Gorenje CEO Lan Lin told reporters at Hisense's seat in China's Qingdao.

NEK expects to exceed annual production plan by 1-2%

KRŠKO - The management of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) has announced that if the operation remains stable until the end of the year and barring security issues, the plant will exceed the planned annual production of 5.43 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity by one to two percent. The operation is stable and reliable, and the objective for 2020 is operation at full capacity throughout the entire year, NEK chairman Stane Rožman said at the traditional end-of-year press conference.

Active employment funds to increase by third in 2020

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to increase the funds for active employment policy by nearly a third. While EUR 64 million were available this year to encourage employment, EUR 92.8 million will be available in 2020. Some 38,400 people are to be included in the policy measures. While nearly EUR 32 million will come from Slovenia's budget, the rest will be covered by the European Social Fund.

New collective agreement ups holiday allowance in construction

LJUBLJANA - Construction companies and trade unions have signed an annex to the existing collective bargaining agreement, improving the position of workers, including through higher lunch compensation and a holiday bonus of at least EUR 1,000. Employers' representatives and the trade unionists said that compensation for work on remote locations has been increased by 5%, while lunch compensation was set at a minimum of EUR 5 a day.

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Watchdog temporarily seizes Mercator shares from Agrokor

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Competition Protection Agency temporarily seized 70% of Slovenian retailer Mercator shares from its owner, Croatia's Agrokor. The move is to ensure that Agrokor pay a EUR 53.9 million fine the agency imposed in September after Agrokor failed to notify it of its 2016 takeover of Slovenian-based bottled water company Costella. The agency decided to seize the shares on Monday, Fortenova Group, the successor of indebted Agrokor, said today. The agency said the decision was not final and could be challenged with an appeal, with Fortenova announcing it would fight against it with all means available.

Support for ministerial nominee Mlinar in parliament uncertain

LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec has been put in the position of having to secure votes for cohesion minister candidate Angelika Mlinar, who does not have sufficient support in parliament heading into Thursday's vote. The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which had put Mlinar forward, expects "more activity" from Šarec given that Mlinar would but a minister in his government. SAB leader Alenka Bratušek said her party would think twice whether to stay in the coalition if Mlinar failed to get appointed. Analysts think Mlinar's failure in parliament, although not very likely, could be damaging for the government, and controlling the outcome will require prudence by Šarec and his party.

Bill passed on loan guarantees for key infrastructure projects

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed a bill to secure state loan guarantees for the construction of a new rail link connecting the Koper port and Divača, and a part of an expressway connecting the north and south of the country. The law caps the loan guarantee for the Koper-Divača rail project at EUR 417 million, securing up to EUR 360 million in guarantees for the expressway between Slovenj Gradec and Velenje in the north and between Novo Mesto and Osredek in the south, two sections of the link known as Third Development Axis. The law is to enable the state-owned companies 2TDK and DARS to negotiate much lower interest rates for the planned loans.

Parliament briefed on arbitration intel report

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly reviewed a report on the 2015 wiretapping scandal during the Slovenia-Croatia border arbitration process behind closed doors. The report, compiled by the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission (KNOVS), pins the blame for the scandal, which Croatia used as an excuse to withdraw from the arbitration, on Simona Drenik, who served as Slovenia's agent in the procedure. KNOVS chair Matej Tonin from the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) said most MPs assessed the report as useful because they had learnt what went wrong - it was not a systemic problem but rather a human error.

Bad bank working on more frequent flights to major hubs

LJUBLJANA - The Bank Assets Management Company is in talks with several "European regional carriers" to increase flight frequencies on routes connecting Ljubljana with Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Brussels following the bankruptcy of air carrier Adria Airways, its director Matej Pirc told the STA. While Lufthansa and its affiliates have quickly filled the gaps on these routes, which are considered key hubs for Slovenian business executives and tourism, there have been complaints about the absence of morning flights to Brussels, which are often used by public administration officials.

Financial stability strong, some risks remain, c-bank says

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian financial system is sound and risks remain low to moderate, with only one particular area of concern, banks' income, suggests the Slovenian central bank's quarterly financial stability report, released today. The income risk estimate has been raised from moderate in the second quarter to heightened with a negative outlook in the third quarter, mostly as a result of increasing systemic risks associated with the cooling of economic growth and uncertainty in the international environment. The only other risk estimated as heightened stems from the real estate market, but its outlook has been changed to positive as housing prices start to drop.

Lowest allowances for new parents to be raised in 2021

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislative changes that raise the lowest maternity, paternity and parental pay from EUR 252 to EUR 402 net a month as of 2021, the level of the national minimal income. The same amount will be paid to parents who are not entitled to maternity, paternity or parental pay because they do not pay parenthood contributions, most often students. The rise will apply for parents of children born after January 2021.

Majority in favour of Slovenia's stance on arbitration

LJUBLJANA - Slovenians are largely in favour of the government's policy towards Croatia with regard to border arbitration, in particular its insistence that the award handed down by a Hague-based arbitration tribunal be implemented despite Croatia's recalcitrance. Almost 78% of respondents of a Delo poll are in favour of this stance and around 14% agree Slovenia should consent to new bilateral talks, a stance held by Croatia and a portion of the centre-right opposition in Slovenia. Asked about the responsibility for the non-implementation of the arbitration decision, almost 39% blamed Croatian politics.

Slovenian suppliers talk e-mobility cooperation with Volkswagen

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek and representatives of Slovenian automotive industry suppliers paid a visit to the headquarters of the Volkswagen Group, designed to boost cooperation, especially in e-mobility, with Volkswagen also being presented investment opportunities in Slovenia. Tanja Mohorič, the head of the Automotive Cluster (ACS), said that the visit opened up new opportunities for cooperation to members of the strategic research and innovation partnership for mobility in Slovenia. Počivalšek said the visit had discussed innovative solutions for carbon-neutral society and e-mobility, adding that the ACS members were up to the task.

Luxury cars tax avoidance scheme exposed

LJUBLJANA - The Financial Administration (FURS) has found some taxpayers are avoiding paying taxes on their luxury cars by registering them abroad but using them in Slovenia. In one such case, an individual was ordered to pay EUR 219,000 in additional tax for two cars he registered in Germany. After analysing the use of the vehicles with foreign licence plates whose users are Slovenian residents, FURS discovered that individuals had been avoiding paying taxes in Slovenia by setting up a company in another EU country with the sole purpose of buying and registering luxury vehicles.

Supernova takes over another ten shopping centres

LJUBLJANA - Supernova, an Austrian manager of shopping centres, confirmed reports from earlier this year it was acquiring new shopping malls in Slovenia from Centrice Real Estate. The company is to acquire ten centres, mostly of the Qlandia brand, for EUR 220 million, after it bought ten centres run by Mercator at the beginning of 2019. The transaction was green-lighted by the Competition Protection Agency in November, according to the watchdog's web site. The acquisition means Supernova will have exceeded EUR 100 million in annual revenue from leases and its Slovenian ventures make up more than 30% of its revenue.

Slovenia remains 35th in human freedom

WASHINGTON, US - Slovenia placed 35th in this year's human freedom index ranking, level with last year. Its index is 7.97, above the average of 6.89. Among the country's neighbours, Austria is the only one doing better, ranking 13th, while all the others lag behind - Italy ranked 32nd, Croatia 37th and Hungary 45th. The ranking includes 162 countries, with New Zealand topping the list. It is based on publicly available data, with the 2019 report based on the 2017 figures.

Extensive Slovenia geography book in English published

LJUBLJANA - Non-Slovenian speakers will be able to get an insight into Slovenia's geographical diversity as the first English-language geographical overview of the country will be officially launched by Springer Publishing in 2020, although it is already available for purchase. Geography of Slovenia - Small but Diverse, a 360-page book written by researchers of the Anton Melik Geography Institute of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, features maps and photographs so as to best present Slovenia as a meeting point of four geographical units: the Alps, Pannonian lowlands, Dinaric Alps and the Mediterranean.

Slovenia's first photo gallery 40 years old

MARIBOR - Housed in a 15th-century tower in Maribor, the first ever Slovenian gallery dedicated specifically to photography is marking its 40th anniversary with an exhibition of minimalist photography. The tower next to the city's former synagogue, was assigned to the local photo club in 1979 by the city council, but it took almost a decade before it was made fit to serve as an exhibition venue. "Maribor may be proud to have the first specialised gallery for photographic art in Slovenia," Branimir Ritonja, the head of the Maribor Photo Club, said as he recalled how its members put in countless hours of voluntary work to refurbish it.

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Candidate for cohesion minister Mlinar fails to secure committee support

LJUBLJANA - Angelika Mlinar, the candidate for cohesion policy minister, failed to secure support in parliamentary committee in a debate dominated by questions about her loyalty as a dual Austrian-Slovenian citizen. One of the coalition partners, DeSUS, said it would leave the decision up to individual MPs, while the Left and the SNS, which have often helped the government, withheld their support. The rejection does not necessarily derail her candidacy since the committee opinion is not binding. The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which nominated her, was convinced Mlinar could muster the support at the plenary vote.

Slovenia pledges to continue helping Serbia in EU efforts

NOVI SAD, Serbia - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec promised Slovenia's further assistance to Serbia in efforts to join the EU, as he visited the country with a delegation of ministers. Talking to the press alongside his counterpart Ana Brnabić, he said that there was no alternative to Serbia joining the EU. Brnabić thanked Šarec for Slovenia's political and technical support, adding that the countries' bilateral cooperation, both economic and political, were at a high level and with no open issues. A number of bilateral ministerial meetings also took place.

Central bank downgrades growth forecast

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's central bank has downgraded its projection for the country's economic growth for the year by 0.6 percentage points to 2.6%, decreasing the forecast for 2020 by 0.4 points to 2.5%. In 2021 and 2022, GDP growth is expected to remain at roughly 2.5%. Banka Slovenije notes that economic activity, driven by domestic demand and solid exports, will continue to expand at rates above euro area average, which will allow the economy to continue to catch up with the most advanced member countries.

Slovenian fishermen fined EUR 500,000 by Croatia

PULA, Croatia - The Croatian media reported that Croatia's fisheries inspectors had imposed over 270 fines worth over EUR 490,000 on Slovenia fishermen for fishing in what Croatia claims is its part of the Piran Bay. The fines had been issued since 15 March 2018, according to Glas Istre, a Croatian newspaper based in the Istrian city of Pula. Since Slovenia implemented the arbitration award in December 2017, it issued fines totalling more than EUR 1 million against 20 Croatian citizens fishing in Slovenian waters.

Troops serving abroad mostly happy with equipment

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian troops serving in international missions and operations are largely satisfied with their equipment. Only those serving in Latvia complained about their light armoured vehicles as they discussed the security situation in a video conference with the Slovenian president, defence minister and the chief of the general staff. The troops in Latvia were promised new armoured vehicles.

Ljubljana Stock Exchange marks 30th anniversary

LJUBLJANA - The 30th anniversary of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange was marked, with its boss Aleš Ipavec saying this was a relatively short period for capital market development, and he would like the stock exchange to become more interesting for investors. The exchange was launched on 26 December 1989 under the name of the Yugoslav Stock Exchange. Its first director Draško Veselinovič recalled its beginnings, noting the stock market had been something new and exciting.

NLB submits binding bid for Serbian bank

BELGRADE, Serbia - The Serbian newspaper Blic reported that Slovenia's largest bank, NLB, had submitted a binding bid to take over the Serbian state-owned bank Komercijalna Banka. Unofficial information available to the paper indicates that the other two bidders are Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International and Serbia's AIK Banka, which has recently bought Slovenia's Gorenjska Banka.

Roglič, Garnbret and volleyball team win top sport awards

LJUBLJANA - Cyclist Primož Roglič, sport climber Janja Garnbret and the men's national volleyball team were named the winners of the main awards conferred by the Association of Sports Journalists at the 2019 Athlete of the Year ceremony. Roglič, who entered the world elite this year by finishing 3rd overall at the Giro d'Italia and winning the Vuelta a Espana to become the fist Slovenian ever to win a Grand Tour race, scored 272 points from 105 Slovenian sport journalists. Garnbret defended last year's title of the Athlete of the Year among women, winning 269 points ahead of Alpine skier Ilka Štuhec (208), the world downhill champion, and world slalom canoe champion Eva Terčelj (78).

Foreigners in one out of nine jobs in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The number of people in employment in Slovenia rose to almost 901,300 at the end of October. As many as 101,200 were foreigners, almost half of them from Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to a report from the Statistics Office. The number of foreigners in employment in Slovenia increased by 15% since October 2018, expanding by as much as 81% over the past five years. Apart from Bosnia, the largest number of foreigners come from Serbia and Kosovo.

Number of measles cases this year rises to 40

LJUBLJANA - The National Public Health Institute confirmed several new cases of measles infection in Slovenia so that the number of confirmed cases in Slovenian population rose to 38 plus two in foreigners. Two new, apparently unrelated, outbreaks of the infection were handled in November and December. A major outbreak, unofficially at the Škofja Loka company Knauf Insulation, was after a person got infected in Belgium before infecting six more people, one of whom infected a further eight.

Foreign tourists spend almost EUR 100 per day

LJUBLJANA - A foreign tourist spent on average EUR 97 per day in Slovenia during this year's summer season. Those staying in hotels spent more - EUR 138 daily, while those on camping holidays spent considerably less - EUR 58 per day, according to a report by the Statistics Office. Visitors from non-European countries spent the most on accommodation, food, drinks, transport, leisure activities and shopping in July and August - as much as EUR 153 per day.

Exoplanet, star in Hercules constellation given Slovenian names

LJUBLJANA - An exoplanet and its star located in the Hercules constellation 446 light years from Earth will be given Slovenian names Iztok and Irena. The names were picked as part of a campaign promoting astronomy held on the 100th anniversary of the International Astronomical Union. The winning proposal came from Samo Košmrlj, a physics student, who proposed naming the two celestial bodies after two characters from the novel Pod Svobodnim Soncem (Under the Free Sun) by Fran Saleški Finžgar.

Slovenian MEPs urging independent investigation of Maltese journalist murder

STRASBOURG, France - In the wake of the recent developments in the Maltese journalist murder investigation, Slovenian MEPs called for steps ensuring independent investigation as well as urged EU institutions to step up their efforts in determining the desirable outcome of reaffirming the rule of law in Malta and the EU. Slovenia's MEPs gave their responses to the developments on the sidelines of today's EU Parliament debate on the matter.

Roglič, Garnbret and volleyball team win top sport awards

LJUBLJANA - Cyclist Primož Roglič, sport climber Janja Garnbret and the men's national volleyball team were declared athletes of the year by the Association of Sports Journalists. Roglič who entered the world elite this year by finishing 3rd overall at the Giro d'Italia and winning the Vuelta a Espana to become the fist Slovenian ever to win a Grand Tour race. Garnbret won gold medals in bouldering, lead and the combined at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Japan to become the first ever climber to complete a hat trick in a single championship.

Swedish expert named Slovenia's new handball coach

LJUBLJANA - Swedish handball coach and former player Ljubomir Vranjes was selected as the new coach of the Slovenia men's national handball team. The 46-year-old of Serbian roots will thus replace Veselin Vujović, who was dismissed in late November. Vujović, a Montenegrin coach, was dismissed due to a reportedly negative atmosphere among the players and the team's poor performance in the months leading up to his dismissal.

Croat gets five years for two robberies, sexual offence

MARIBOR - The District Court in Maribor sentenced Aleksandar Miljuš to five years and three months in prison after the 26-year-old Croat pleaded guilty to two robberies and one sexual offence. Miljuš, who has temporary residence in Slovenia, will be expelled from country for five years after serving out his sentence.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Mlinar becomes Slovenian citizen, formally nominated minister

LJUBLJANA - Angelika Mlinar was formally nominated for the minister without portfolio for development and cohesion policy as Prime Minister Marjan Šarec submitted the candidacy to parliament. The nomination came after Mlinar, an Austrian citizen of Slovenian descent, was first granted Slovenian citizenship on ground of national interest, whereupon Austria granted her request to hold dual Austrian-Slovenian citizenship. The committee hearing is scheduled for Tuesday while the plenary vote at the National Assembly is expected on Thursday. While not all opposition parties support her, it is not clear if she enjoys support of all coalition parties.

Šarec says Slovenia unlikely to found new national carrier

LJUBLJANA - The founding of a new airline in full or partial state ownership after flag carrier Adria Airways went into receivership is not very likely, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec told reporters. This was considered one of the ways to keep Ljubljana connected to the world after Adria went into receivership at the end of September. "There are no major changes, because risks are very high. I think it's not very likely that we get our airline at this point," Šarec said.

Šarec sees nuclear as key to Slovenia's carbon neutrality

LJUBLJANA - The government appears prepared to making construction of a new nuclear reactor a cornerstone of Slovenia's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with EU goals. "The fact is ... that if we don't build a second reactor at the nuclear power station and if we close coal-fired power stations, we will not achieve environmental goals," Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said during questions' time at the National Assembly.

Commissioner Lenarčič wants European Green Deal to succeed

LJUBLJANA - European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič urged the implementation of the European Green Deal, outlined by the European Commission last week, as he met Slovenia's senior officials. He believes Europe should continue to play a leading role in the global fight against climate change. He would like the Green Deal, under which the EU aims to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050, to be a success story. He also believes environmental issues are one of Slovenia's major challenges for the future.

Lenarčič wants EU better prepared to tackle crises

LJUBLJANA - European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič is confident that in five years, the EU will be better prepared to rapidly provide humanitarian aid in the event of crisis. Preparedness must be improved, he told a debate on crisis management co-organised by the STA during his official visit to Slovenia. The Slovenian member of the European Commission pointed out that climate change would increase the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. "Without action, the consequences of these phenomena will be unmanageable."

Cerar presents Slovenia's view on multilateralism in Madrid

MADRID, Spain - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar presented Slovenia's stance on multilateralism and its efforts related to climate change, sustainable development and gender equality on the final day of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Madrid, where he also held several bilateral meetings. In his address, he stressed the need for cooperation in the tackling of global challenges and the importance of strengthening multilateralism, noting Slovenia remained committed to the system of multilateralism that is based on UN values, to the rule of law and human rights. He also called for rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Slovenian consul worried about neo-fascist campaign

TRIESTE, Italy - Slovenian Consul General in Italy's Trieste Vojko Volk condemned the posters on which an Italian neo-fascist movement labelled five Slovenian victims of fascism as terrorists. The provocation happened in two Italian towns on Saturday, on the the eve of an event commemorating the victims, executed in 1941. The neo-fascist campaign was immediately condemned by the Slovenian minority SSk party and by the SKGZ umbrella minority organisation, with TIGR Primorska, an association cherishing the memory of the first anti-Fascist fighters, urging Slovenian senior officials to respond. Volk said the incident was meant to undermine the achieved level of cooperation and trust among the Slovenian and Italian nations.

Report: Militia leader's prison deferral request not granted

MARIBOR - The District Court in Maribor threw out a request by Andrej Šiško, the self-styled leader of a militia that calls itself the Štajerska Guard, for deferral of a prison sentence he received for incitement to subversion of the constitutional order earlier this year. This means the court's decision that he has to go to prison became final two days ago, so he will have to go to prison, POP TV and TV Slovenija reported, but said no arrest warrant had been issued against him. Šiško was sentenced to eight months in prison in March, but has already served around seven months while being in detention before and during the trial.

PM announces tightening of vaccination law

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec announced legislative changes to prevent an increasing number of parents citing health reasons to avoid their children getting the compulsory vaccinations. Amendments to the contagious diseases act will be ready by April and will bring changes to long-term administrative procedures related to refuse inoculation out of medical reasons, Šarec told MPs in questions' time about a law that he said was often abused.

Salaries up in October

LJUBLJANA - Average take-home pay paid out in Slovenia for October amounted to EUR 1,122, up 1.6% in nominal terms and 1.5% in real terms compared to the month before, and 3.3% nominally year-on-year. Fresh data from the national Statistics Office showed that average gross pay for October was 1,742, up 1.7% in nominal terms and 1.6% in real terms compared to September's and up 3.9% compared to that for October 2018.

European Blockchain Hub declares bankruptcy

LJUBLJANA - Just over a year after its launch, the Ljubljana-based European Blockchain Hub, a cooperative designed to act as a platform bringing together blockchain stakeholders, has declared bankruptcy. Founded in October 2018 with the aim of facilitating the development of blockchain technology and start-ups based on "European values and principles of good corporate governance", the cooperative never really took off. Director Blaž Golob said the main reason why the cooperative had to enter bankruptcy was because some stakeholders had failed to deliver.

Slovenian painter wins Eugene Boudin Award in France

PARIS, France - Slovenian painter Gregor Pratneker has won the Eugene Boudin Prize at the Salon de Beaux Arts in Paris, a major international art showcase. He received the honour for his oil painting Spring in Mountains. Pratneker, a Maribor native, makes exclusively oil canvasses and has lately been focusing on landscapes.

Slovenian Tea Jarc to head European youth union group

LJUBLJANA - The Youth Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) elected Slovenian Tea Jarc its president, making her the first Slovenian to elected president of a European trade union confederation. Jarc heads Mladi Plus, a part of Slovenia's biggest trade union confederation, the ZSSS, and represents secondary school students, students, the young unemployed, and youths in precarious jobs.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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