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Erjavec mulling temporary withdrawal of no-confidence motion due to Covid

LJUBLJANA - DeSUS leader Karl Erjavec will decide by midday tomorrow whether to temporarily withdraw his consent to the bid to become a prime minister-designate because several MPs have been infected with coronavirus and could not vote in person. He believes it would be right to continue with the no-confidence motion once all MPs can vote. Under the parliamentary rules of procedure, MPs must be present in parliament in person for a secret ballot. The college of deputy group leaders meets tomorrow to decide when to hold the session. Wednesday has been mentioned as a possible date.

Slovenia supportive of vaccine travel certificate

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia expressed support for a vaccine travel certificate as the EU's Europe ministers launched a debate on the issue. Gašper Dovžan, Foreign Ministry state secretary for European affairs, "supported the idea of European vaccination certificates, which could strengthen the four European freedoms in accordance with the principles of EU law," the Foreign Ministry said. The office of Prime Minister Janez Janša said Janša had "already made it clear that he thinks this will sooner or later come to be".

Daily coronavirus case count hits three-month low

LJUBLJANA - In another sign that the second epidemic wave in Slovenia is gradually ebbing, 293 new coronavirus infections were confirmed from 1,769 tests on Sunday, a three-month low. 26 Covid-19 patients died, bringing the death toll to 3,206. Government data also show Covid-19 hospitalisations rising by 17 to 1,237 as the number of intensive care cases dropped by four to 184. National Institute of Public Health data put the 7-day average of cases at 1,350, the threshold value for one of the criteria to start easing restrictions.

Tests used for mass testing meet standards, says official

LJUBLJANA - After questions were raised about rapid antigen tests used for mass screening and their efficacy, Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne told reporters the ministry's inquiry into the matter showed the test kits complied with relevant national guidelines and WHO standards regarding their sensitivity and specificity. Wile detailed findings about the quality of the tests will be released later, Magajne said the result of positive tests was almost 100% accurate and negative were 80-90% accurate.

SD deputy group leader Han catches coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - A rapid antigen test showed today that Matjaž Han, the leader of the deputy group of the opposition Social Democrats (SD), is infected with coronavirus, after an expert working for the deputy group tested positive Saturday. Another SD deputy, MP Matjaž Nemec is still waiting for the test result, after he was in contact with SOVA intelligence agency director Janez Stušek, who tested positive over the weekend.

Foreign Ministry calls for immediate release of Navalny

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry called for "immediate release" of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. "Unhindered activities of opposition politicians are the foundation of a free democratic world," the ministry said in a post on its Twitter account on Sunday. After spending several months in Germany to be treated for Novichok poisoning, Navalny returned to Russia on Sunday and was detained by police soon after his flight landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

Speakers Zorčič and Bečić discuss closer cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Speaker Igor Zorčič and his Montenegrin counterpart Aleksa Bečić discussed in a video call Slovenia's support for Montenegro's EU bid, ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation, and the epidemiological situation in their countries. The officials expressed satisfaction with the excellent bilateral relations, and lauded the cooperation and close ties at the top parliamentary level and at the level of parliamentary bodies, the National Assembly said. The pair called for strengthening economic cooperation.

Bilingual signposts in Austrian Carinthia vandalised

BLEIBURG, Austria/LJUBLJANA - Unknown perpetrators spray-painted the Slovenian names of bilingual signposts in Pliberk/Bleiburg and Škocjan v Podjuni/Sankt Kanzian am Klopeiner See in the state of Carinthia, Austria on Saturday night. Police think the cases might be related. Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch strongly condemned the incident. She expects the perpetrators to come forward and publicly apologise, and the Austrian authorities to condemn the incident and prosecute the perpetrators.

Water diplomacy in focus of Slovenia-EU conference

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A four-day online conference organised by Slovenia and the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships kicked off under the title Water and Beyond: EU Transformative Approaches for International Partnerships. The event focuses on water diplomacy, one of the priorities for Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency. Water must be inserted systemically and comprehensively into all aspects and forms of the EU's external action, said Stanislav Raščan, a state secretary at Slovenia's Foreign Ministry.

Vox Populi poll shows half support Erjavec as PM-designate

LJUBLJANA - The latest Vox Populi poll, commissioned by the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer, sees the ruling Democrats (SDS) as the most popular party at 19.9%, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) at 12.6%. Almost half of the respondents (48.8%) support the vote of no confidence in the government, and slightly more than half (50.6%) would endorse DeSUS leader Karl Erjavec as PM-designate. President Borut Pahor remains the most popular politician head of by MEP Ljudmila Novak.

Negative staffing trend in army reversed

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin said the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) have managed to reverse the negative staffing trend in 2020, as the SAF hired 222 members of the permanent force and 73 members of the contractual reserve. Among the main reasons for the improvement, the minister mentioned the elimination of red tape, as well as reports about the army in the positive light and about its modernisation.

Higher court upholds fine for Agrokor in Costella takeover

LJUBLJANA - Croatia's Agrokor will have to pay a fine of EUR 1 million for failing to notify Slovenia's competition regulator of concentration following the 2017 takeover of Slovenian-based water-bottling company Costella. The Agency for the Protection of Competition said the Higher Court in Ljubljana has rejected Agrokor's appeal against a first-instance ruling, which means that the agency's decision on the fine is now final, and Agrokor will also have to pay the costs of the procedure.

Slovenia redeems EUR 1.5bn ten-year bond

LJUBLJANA - The treasury redeemed a EUR 1.5 billion eurobond issued by Slovenia ten years ago at an interest rate of 4.375%. This represents 40% of the central government budget debt that is due this year, the Finance Ministry announced. The total amount of the central government budget debt that is due in 2021 is EUR 3.7 billion, and Slovenia has already secured re-financing of these liabilities as part of long-term borrowing the treasury carried out earlier this month.

NGO warns mining act changes allow fracking in Petišovci

LJUBLJANA - The environmental NGO Focus is critical of the government-sponsored amendments to the mining act, arguing they would open the door to hydraulic fracturing or fracking in Slovenia's Petišovci and, consequently, to public health and environmental hazards in the local environment. Under the amendments, high-volume fracking would be prohibited in Slovenia, while low-volume fracking would be allowed under certain conditions. Focus said fracking should be completely banned.

TEB power station launches new gas unit

BRESTANICA - TEB, a Brestanica-based natural gas power station, has launched its seventh gas unit after its construction started in July 2019. Together with unit six, PB7 will replace the first three gas units from 1974. As part of the trial launch the turbine was turned on on Friday after TEB completed in December cold tests AND obtained all the required certificates. PB7 is to start supplying power to the grid at the end of the month.

Hiša Denk and its chef top new Gault & Millau guide

LJUBLJANA - The new Gault & Millau culinary guide has further cemented the position of three restaurants, Hiša Denk, Hiša Franko and Pri Lojzetu, as top culinary destinations in Slovenia, after the three had already received excellent scores in the country's first Michelin guide in 2020. Gregor Vračko of Hiša Denk in Zgornja Kungota was named chef of the year 2021 by Gault & Millau, while his restaurant received four toques, the highest possible score in the Gault & Milau guide. Hiša Denk and Pri Lojzetu each have two Michelin stars, while Hiša Franko became the first and only restaurant in Slovenia to get the highest Michelin score of three stars in June.

Star cyclist Tadej Pogačar becomes tourism ambassador

LJUBLJANA - Cyclist Tadej Pogačar, winner of the Tour de France, is the latest in line of top athletes to become an ambassador of Slovenia promoting the country as a tourist destination. The athlete will join forces with the Tourism Board (STO) to call attention to what he considers perfect spots across the country for cycling and leisure activities. Pogačar said Slovenia had been gaining on its popularity among foreigners. He believes cyclists and athletes in general have put Slovenia on the map with their accomplishments.

Slovenia earn important win against Belarus at handball worlds

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt - Slovenia wrapped up the preliminary round at the World Men's Handball Championship with an important 29:25 win against Belarus to earn second place in Group H and take a good position entering the main round. Slovenia are taking two points from the win against Belarus to the main round, where they will play against North Macedonia, Sweden and the hosts Egypt in Group IV.

Cervical Cancer Prevention Week focusses on efforts during epidemic

LJUBLJANA - The 15th European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week stresses the importance of vaccination against the Human papillomavirus (HPV) and the importance of regular checks also during the epidemic. In Slovenia, 19% less precancerous conditions were detected in women until the end of September compared to the average of the last three years as the screenings were suspended during the spring wave of coronavirus. Meanwhile, the immunisation against HPV has not been affected by the epidemic.

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PM thinks hard lockdown may not be necessary

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša thinks a hard lockdown that would involve limiting people's movement to within a certain radius around their home may not be necessary. "Due in particular to the introduction of rapid testing, it will be possible to weather the January-February wave without the most drastic measures," he told Planet TV on Saturday evening. Janša stressed that the effects of vaccination were starting to show as well.

569 infections confirmed in 3,067 tests on Saturday, 40 died

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 569 new coronavirus cases on Saturday out of 3,067 PCR and rapid tests combined, and 40 further Covid-related deaths, fresh government data showed. Compared with a week ago, the daily case count continued to improve. 1,220 persons were in hospital, down by four on Friday, including 188 patients in intensive care, a drop of five. The positivity rate for PCR tests was roughly 21%, an improvement from 24% on Friday. The 7-day average of new daily cases continued to decline, falling to 1,366 from 1,392 the day before. The figure is nearing the 7-day average of 1,350 that is set as the limit below which easing of restrictions can begin.

Slovenian triggers Frankfurt Airport evacuation

FRANKFURT, Germany - The German Federal Police reported it had evacuated and closed off sections of Frankfurt Airport due to a security threat posed by a Slovenian citizen on Saturday. The 38-year-old, who was not wearing a face mask, threatened police officers and resisted arrest. His abandoned luggage was deemed harmless. He was detained and taken to a psychiatric hospital, according to police spokesperson, who also said the Slovenian was considered the main suspect. His motive has not yet been established. The Slovenian police has been notified of the incident.

Potential staying of school closure would be health risk, govt says

LJUBLJANA - After a group of parents recently filed a constitutional review proposal of the closure of primary schools and kindergartens, the government said that if the Constitutional Court stayed the implementation of the decree, that would be contrary to all the prevention measures and would mean direct harm to public health. The parents meanwhile believe remote schooling is neither an appropriate nor a proportional measure.

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Slovenia to receive 25% less Pfizer vaccine next week

CELJE - Slovenia will receive 20-25% less Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than planned on Monday due to production adjustments at Pfizer, Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne told the press. This means the first-dosage vaccination will be delayed, and the whole vaccination plan will need to be adjusted.

Report: SOVA head infected with coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - The head of the SOVA intelligence agency, Janez Stušek, is infected with the new coronavirus, web portal 24ur.com reported. Since he attended a session of the Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services on Friday, all nine members of the commission will be tested. This means, the secret ballot on the no-confidence motion in the Janez Janša government, which was to be held on Wednesday, will most likely be postponed.

1,523 new coronavirus infections confirmed on Friday, 19 people died

LJUBLJANA - A total of 10,553 PCR and rapid testes were conducted in Slovenia on Friday with 1,523 of them returning positive, a slight increase on the day before but a notable drop in weekly comparison. Another 19 Covid-19 patients died, brining the death toll to 3,140, fresh government data show. 1,224 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, which is 42 fewer than the day before, and four fewer needed intensive care (193). A total of 128 people were discharged from hospital.

Janša congratulates new CDU head

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated Armin Laschet on his election as the leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Janša congratulated Laschet on Tiwtter in German, adding he was looking forward to future cooperation between his Democrats (SDS) and the CDU. Laschet, the centrist premier of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, was elected CDU head at today's digital congress of the party.

Agency DBRS Morningstar confirms Slovenia's credit ratings

LJUBLJANA - The Toronto-based rating agency DBRS Morningstar has confirmed Slovenia's credit rating at A (high), noting that the trend on all ratings was stable. "The confirmation of the A (high) ratings and stable trends reflect DBRS Morningstar's assessment of Slovenia's credible macroeconomic policy framework, even when confronted with the current health and economic crisis," the agency said. The Finance Ministry said this was another proof that Slovenia remained a trustworthy country despite the difficult situation.

Consular service chief says vaccination brings hope for revival of travel

LJUBLJANA - Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular service, told the STA in an interview that vaccination brought hope that coronavirus restrictions to travelling could be gradually eased. He believes a unified vaccination certificate will be required to restore travelling within the EU. He is upbeat about the fast process of vaccination, noting that vaccination provided much greater certainty that a person is not infected than tests.

Smart bird feeder becomes most successful Slovenian project on Kickstarter

LJUBLJANA - Bird Buddy, a project of a smart bird feeder created by a predominately Slovenian team, has raised a total of EUR 4.19 million on Kickstarter, the global crowdfunding platform, thus becoming the most successful Slovenian project ever. So far the most successful Slovenian campaign on Kickstarter was for electric bike Flykly, which collected around US$700,000 (EUR 570,000).

Italy's Marta Bassino wins World Cup giant slalom race in Kranjska Gora

KRANJSKA GORA - Italy's Marta Bassino is the winner of the first Women's World Cup giant slalom race of the 57th Golden Fox in Kranjska Gora. France's Tessa Worley was second, and Michelle Gisin from Switzerland third. The best ranking Slovenians were Meta Hrovatin in ninth and Neja Dvornik in 23rd place. Another giant slalom race will take place on Sunday.

Slovenia lose to Russia but advance at handball worlds

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt - Slovenia lost to Russia in their second match in Group H of the preliminary round at the World Men's Handball Championship. They have nevertheless already qualified for the main round as South Korea eliminated themselves from contention with a loss to Belarus. Slovenia will wrap up the preliminary stage on Monday against Belarus.

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Motion filed to oust Janša government

LJUBLJANA - An informal coalition of centre-left opposition parties filed a motion of no confidence in the Janez Janša government with the backing of 42 of the 90 deputies of the National Assembly. The crux of their argument is the government's failure to cope with the coronavirus epidemic. The motion, which puts forward Karl Erjavec as candidate for prime minister, who regretted they had only 42 signatures, but added: "I'm convinced we can succeed. The country's de-normalisation needs to be stopped. Prime Minister Janez Janša has described the motion as "mischievous", a "pathetic out-pour of ideological hatred" to those who think differently. He said this would be comical were Slovenia not in the middle of a bad wave of the epidemic.

Daily coronavirus count keeps falling

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,478 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Thursday as the daily increase in infections dropped on the week before for the sixth day running. Another 28 Covid-19 patients lost their lives, fresh government data showed. Out of the 4,897 PCR tests a total of 1,144 or 23.4% came back positive. According to the NIJZ institute, the 7-day average of new daily cases fell to 1,455 from 1,540 the day before, nearing the set limit of 1,350 below which easing of restrictions can begin. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals remained level with the day before, at 1,266 with 197 patients in intensive care units, two fewer than on Wednesday.

Police trade union files criminal charges against minister

LJUBLJANA - PSS, one of the two trade unions in the Slovenian police force, which started a police strike to demand higher pay this week, has filed criminal charges against Interior Minister Aleš Hojs over his publishing of a document with pay data for nearly 9,000 members of the police force and ministry employees. The PSS argues the publishing of the document on the first day of the strike was in breach of law. Hojs dismissed the allegations, saying that the released data were public information under the law and not labelled classified information. A parliamentary commission debated the issue to vote against an opposition-proposed resolution that Hojs's act was inappropriate and affected the security in the police force.

Petrol takes over Croatia's Crodux

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's energy company Petrol has taken over an outright stake in Croatian petroleum products seller Crodux as a result of which Petrol will acquire 91 service stations in Croatia once the deal has been cleared by regulators. Petrol said the deal was signed on 12 January with Ivan Čermak, the owner of Crodux. The takeover will increase Petrol's market share in Croatia from 13% to 23%, as the company will operate more than 200 points of sale there. The newspaper Finance has reported that the company was priced at EUR 200 million in the past, but Crodux at the time said the figure was undervalued.

Vaccination at medical school extended to non-staff

LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 vaccination at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine seems to have been extended to persons who are not staff. Allegedly the shots that were left after staff inoculation were administered to doctors' relatives to use all the prepared jabs. The Ljubljana Oncology Institute said it was considering vaccinating the oldest relatives of their staff if any doses were left after staff immunisation. It added that the authorities had given no instructions yet on how to proceed in such a situation, except for a health inspector who said the institute should then adhere to the priority group guidelines.

Anti-graft watchdog determines breach of integrity in ex-minister case

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption has determined a breach of integrity and provisions banning the accepting of gifts in a case concerning Aleksandra Pivec, the former minister of agriculture. The watchdog's conclusion comes after an investigation of two visits to the coastal region in 2019 and 2020 in which she reportedly mixed business with family matters and which ultimately led to her resignation first as Pensioners' Party leader in September and then as agriculture minister in October. Pivec disagrees with such an interpretation of the decision.

Strike under way at US-owned sewing threads company in Maribor

MARIBOR - Almost all workers on the morning shift at A&E Europe, the American-owned Maribor sewing threads manufacturer, went on strike to demand better pay after talks with the management failed to make progress since a token strike in December. David Ažnoh, the vice-head of the KSS association of trade unions, said that unless there was any major progress, an open-ended strike would go ahead on 26 January. The union also turned to President Borut Pahor for help as the only politician who has responded to their recent appeals.

Adria Mobil's sales down slightly in last business year

LJUBLJANA - Adria Mobil, a leading European caravan maker, was on its way to achieve one of the best results in history at the beginning of the 2019/2020 business year but this did not materialise due to the coronavirus epidemic. Nevertheless, the company still sold 14,454 products in Europe to generate EUR 401 million in revenue, down slightly compared to the previous business year. While most sale outlets for the European market were closed for weeks, the caravanning market was revived quickly, the Novo Mesto-based company said. The company expanded its production facilities by 3,800 square metres.

Slovenia seeks to buy Italian C-27J Spartan transport aircraft

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia wants to buy an Alenia C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft made by Leonardo under a government-to-government contract with Italy, the Slovenian Defence Ministry said. A task force picked the aircraft late last year and an expert council for key investments has completed the investment procedure. Based on that, the ministry's Logistics Directorate commenced government-to-government procurement procedures, which have been halted now that the Constitutional Court has stayed the implementation of a law on EUR 780 million in defence investments pending its final decision.

Pahor's climate advisors urge decisive action against climate change

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor's permanent advisory committee on climate policy called on the government to take all necessary measures for efficient and timely action against climate change. The committee proposes the government make a plan for post-epidemic economic recovery with a focus on investment in sustainable development. "The government should declare an environmental and climate crisis or act as if the crisis was declared," the committee said.

Illegal migration down by 10% last year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police handled 14,592 attempts by migrants to cross illegally into the country last year, which compares to 16,252 the year before, a decline of roughly 10%. Two-thirds of the migrants were from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Morocco. The police noted the slowdown in migration was due to coronavirus restrictions and weather conditions. A new surge is expected once it gets warmer in spring.

Ban on overtaking for lorries on A1 motorway enters into force

LJUBLJANA - A 6am-6pm ban on overtaking for lorries on the A1 motorway between Šentilj and Koper entered into force. Police controls are beefed up. The new regime applies to lorries weighing more than 7.5 tonnes. Overtaking is still allowed for these vehicles during the day in three-lane sections, and on the entire motorway in night time.

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

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Daily rise in coronavirus down nearly 40% from week ago

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 2,092 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, down nearly 40% on the record daily figure a week ago. A total of 17 patients died, the latest government data show. The number of patients in hospital increased by 42 from the previous day to 1,244, of which 206 in intensive care. Slovenia has so far reported nearly 143,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,070 deaths. Slovenia's health organisations, faculties of medicine and the National Medical Ethics Committee recommend residents get vaccinated against Covid-19 if there are no health reasons to avoid vaccination.

Coronavirus restrictions extended until 22 January

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The vast majority of existing coronavirus restrictions will be extended until 22 January, the government decided as it conducted its weekly review of the measures on Wednesday. The only major change is an extension of the formal state of the epidemic by 60 days. There are very few changes compared to existing restrictions, most of them having to do with the crossing of borders.

Furlough scheme will be extended, Janša says

LJUBLJANA - The furlough scheme, a measure aimed at preventing lay-offs due to the Covid-19 epidemic, which was to expire at the end of the month, will be extended with the eighth stimulus package at least until the end of April, Prime Minister Janez Janša tweeted before today's cabinet session dedicated to the epidemiological situation. The measure was one of the first introduced to help companies and has been in force since the first day of the first wave of the epidemic in the spring.

Janša calls for faster vaccination within EU

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša called for speeding up vaccination as he attended an informal video conference of EU health ministers on Covid-19 vaccination in his capacity as health minister. He also proposed increasing capacities for vaccine production within the EU. Based on the experience so far, future measures must be planned to make sure "we will be better prepared in the future", Janša stressed.

EU commissioners say state aid to STA may be provided without prior notification

LJUBLJANA - Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner for competition, and Vera Jourova, the Commission vice-president for values and transparency, stressed that the state may support news agencies as entities performing a service of general economic interest under EU state aid rules if they so wish, and without prior notification, as they responded to an STA letter on the suspension of the agency's financing. In their letter they say "it is crucial for democracy and for our common EU values that media should be able to work freely and independently everywhere in the European Union".

Committee endorses opposition amendments to STA act

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee voted 10:8 in favour of amendments to the act governing the STA that would require the STA English Service to report on the work of NGO as a legal requirement, amidst warnings that the STA has still not received overdue payment from the government for the performance of public service. The Left tabled an identical bill and resubmitted it after it was voted down in October.

Janša announces police pay reform

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that the "operative part" of the police force would be extracted from the single public sector pay system to make pay ratios fairer. Janša, responding on Twitter yesterday to the controversy following the release of pay data of almost 8,700 Interior Ministry employees, including police, said the problem of police pay was not its being public or not but rather pay ratios in the force. Public sector trade union representatives expressed disagreement and called for social dialogue.

Public sector unions bring class suit over risk bonuses

LJUBLJANA - The KSJS association of public sector trade unions, acting through a police union, has brought a collective labour dispute to demand all public employees who have worked in their workplace during the coronavirus epidemic get a bonus amounting to 65% of hourly pay for risk working conditions for all the hours put in during the formal duration of the epidemic. The dispute was brought before the Labour and Social Court based on the collective bargaining agreement.

Počivalšek discusses space technology at European Space Conference

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek took part in the virtual European Space Conference to present the opportunities for Slovenian science and economy brought by the country's participation in the European Space Agency. He sees this sector as an opportunity for successful recovery after the coronavirus crisis. At the conference hosted by Business Bridge Europe, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Space Agency and the European Investment Bank, the speakers pointed that space technology would be given special attention and additional funds in the coming years.

Slovenia slapped with EUR 750,000 fine over delay with MIFID II

LJUBLJANA - The EU Court of Justice ordered Slovenia to pay a EUR 750,000 fine for failing to timely transpose into national legislation the 2016 changes to the EU directive on markets in financial instruments or failing to notify the European Commission about this. The European Commission sued Slovenia over the matter in 2018, the year when the relevant changes to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFID) entered into force.

More funds raised for quake-hit Croatia

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian chapter of Caritas continues to raise funds for earthquake-stricken Croatia and has so far transferred EUR 220,000 to its Croatian counterpart to enable the purchase of more than 30 new housing containers for families in the Petrinja area. The Slovenian Beekeeping Association has meanwhile raised EUR 23,000 for the fellow organisation in Croatia, with the funds contributed by its members, beekeeping companies and business partners.

Anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers protest over Covid restrictions

LJUBLJANA - Some hundred protesters gathered in Republic Square in front of the National Assembly building to air their disagreements with Covid restrictions, including mask-wearing, and vaccine recommendations. A relatively heavy police presence was in force for the protest, which was peaceful and ended in about two hours.

Arms manufacturer Arex expanding to Brazil

ŠENTJERNEJ - The Šentjernej-based military gear and weapons producer Arex, owned by the Czech private fund RSBC, is expanding to Brazil where it will set up its first subsidiary abroad. The director and former owner of Arex Ivan Kralj, who said the company operated at a profit last year, told the STA that in 2021 a plant to manufacture handguns would be launched some 150 kilometres away from Brazil's capital in a joint venture with Brazil based on a defence agreement signed between the two countries.

Fires damage Riko and Treves production premises

TREBNJE/RIBNICA - The premises of the companies Treves in the village of Bič near Trebnje (E) and of Riko Hiše in Ribnica (SE) went ablaze over the night. No person was reported injured in either of the incidents but the damage at Treves appears to be substantial. The blaze engulfed the entire building of Treves, the French-owned manufacturer of interior equipment for cars whose clients include Revoz, Magna, Jaguar and Fiat and which numbers around 100 employees.

Teen killed by train amid photo session

MARIBOR - An underage girl was killed after she was hit by a passenger train in Maribor on Tuesday with preliminary police inquiries indicating she and her friend had been taking photos on the tracks. While the investigation is ongoing, a release from the Maribor Police Department said foul play and suicide had been ruled out. The online edition of Večer quotes well placed sources as saying the death of the 14-year old might have been the consequence of a social network challenge.

Slovenia looking to set new milestone at handball worlds

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian men's handball team will open its world championship campaign in Egypt on Thursday against South Korea in what is seen as an opportunity for Slovenia to earn a third medal at major tournaments. They are among the favourites. "If everything falls into place and the players' preparedness is at the highest level, then we can reach very high," head coach Ljubomir Vranješ said.

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UK and South African coronavirus strains not detected in Slovenia so far

LJUBLJANA - The highly virulent variants of the SARS-Cov-2 virus known as the UK and South African strains have not been detected in Slovenia so far, Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute of Microbiology, told the press. The Institute of Microbiology processes roughly half of all PCR tests done in the country. "We have not detected the UK strain nor the second problematic strain - the South African strain. We have not detected either of the genotypes in the portion [of tests] that we are analysing. This is very good news," he said.

Slovenia new rescEU mechanism host country

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia along with Belgium and the Netherlands has become the new host country of the rescEU mechanism, providing storage of medical equipment for fighting cross-border medical threats. The countries involved in the project receive funding from the EU Commission to create strategic supplies of the equipment to be distributed around Europe. Currently, a total of nine countries are storing the strategic supplies of medical and personal protective equipment: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Concern raised after police pay data released

LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry released on Monday a document with pay data for nearly 9,000 members of the police force and ministry employees. While this information is public knowledge according to the law governing freedom of information, some have raised concern about the potential security impact of such a full disclosure. The General Police Directorate believes the list's publication "may affect internal security in the police". Several media have highlighted as particularly problematic the inclusion of staff such as members of the special forces, criminal investigators and even undercover officers.

9,500 care home residents, 3,000 staff vaccinated against Covid-19

LJUBLJANA - As many as 9,500 elderly in Slovenia's care homes have already received the first of the two Covid-19 vaccine jabs, which means almost all of those who have not had the disease yet, and just over 3,000 staff, Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj has announced. The minister, addressing the daily coronavirus press briefing, said that a quarter of the staff at aged-care facilities had been inoculated, which was fewer than expected considering the responsible job they had.

1,860 coronavirus infections on Monday, 31 deaths

LJUBLJANA - Another 1,860 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Monday and a further 31 patients with Covid-19 lost their lives, Jelko Kacin, the government's Covid-19 spokesman, has announced, finding the conditions for easing of restrictions have not been met. A total of 5,512 PCR tests and 8,455 rapid antigen tests were performed, of which 25% and almost 6% were positive, respectively. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 dropped by three to 1,202 as 131 were newly admitted and 110 were discharged yesterday, as the number of those requiring intensive care dropped by four to 192, Kacin said.

Vaccination plan presented as vaccination of elderly over 80 starts

BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša and NIJZ director Milan Krek presented Slovenia's vaccination plan until the end of June, as vaccination was launched around the country. The country expects to get some 17,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine a week until the end of March, or a total of 245,500 doses. People older than 80 will thus be vaccinated first, to be followed by those older than 70 in the last week of January. A second dose will also be administered to those who were already vaccinated, expectedly already next week. Almost 110,000 doses are to be used for a second jab.

Religious groups advocating Covid-19 vaccination

LJUBLJANA - Several representatives of Slovenian religious communities have expressed support for Covid-19 vaccination, following an appeal for vaccination by Pope Francis a few days ago. They highlighted there were no ethical dilemmas in getting vaccinated. Slovenian Catholic bishops support all efforts to protect public health and to come up with new ways of treating Covid-19 patients as well as stand behind all those who will opt to get vaccinated, a press release reads.

Fiscal Council urges transparency as it examines Covid-19 expenditure

LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council made a renewed call for transparent and temporary coronavirus relief measures, finding the actual realisation of the measures last year was below government projections but had a significant impact on the worsening state of public finances. Preliminary data put the budget deficit for 2020 at EUR 3.5 billion, with the Fiscal Council noting that it was thus below the EUR 4.2 billion projected in the supplementary budget.

DeSUS MPs to contribute signatures for proposal to oust govt

LJUBLJANA - Four MPs of the Pensioners's Party (DeSUS), which left the government coalition in December, will contribute their signatures in support of a motion of no-confidence in the Janez Janša government, DeSUS leader Karl Erjavec announced. This means the informal Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), which brings together five left-leaning parties in a bid to oust the government, has 43 votes secured.

High school students want to return to school earlier than planned

LJUBLJANA - An organisation representing secondary school students urged the Education Ministry and the government to open secondary schools to final grade students along with the opening of kindergartens and the first three grades of primary schools. In an open letter, the DOS organisation welcomed the latest government strategy for a gradual easing of restrictive measures depending on the epidemiological situation but called for faster reopening of secondary schools.

NGOs criticise planned environmental law changes

LJUBLJANA - Environmental NGOs warn that proposed changes to the environmental protection and spatial planning acts would exclude them from key relevant procedures and scrap legislative safeguards. Without the latter an irreparable damage could be caused regarding the environment and public health, they said, as the Environment Ministry proposed scrapping an article providing judicial protection that could be used to challenge implementing spatial acts in court.

NGOs, MEPs urge continuing Student Radio funding

LJUBLJANA - Several organisations have come forward in support of Radio Študent, an independent radio station which is at risk of losing a major source of funding from its founder. Slovenian MEPs reminded the Student Organisation (ŠOU) that depriving the radio station of funds would be in contradiction with EU media plurality goals and efforts. Independent media are guardians of democracy and the rule of law and they are key to preserving our democracy, six of Slovenia's eight MEPs said in a statement.

Slovenian sea affected by coral die-off and tropicalisation

KOPER - The Slovenian part of the Adriatic Sea has not been spared from the impact of climate change in recent decades, with the worst consequences including bleaching and die-off of corals, as well as the arrival of non-native species due to tropicalisation, marine biologist Lovrenc Lipej said. Seaside wetlands are also expected to gradually disappear due to the rising sea level.

Kranjska Gora population swells as rules bent

KRANJSKA GORA - The Alpine resort of Kranjska Gora, which currently has near perfect snow conditions and roughly a meter of snow, has seen its official population double during the epidemic as over 2,000 have registered temporary residence, which allows them to invoke one of the exceptions to the ban on crossing municipal borders. While this is legal, local authorities say rules are being bent and that this does not contribute to an improvement of the epidemiological situation.

GZS celebrating 170th birthday

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) is celebrating its 170th anniversary, having been throughout dedicated to advocating its members' interests and business success. Labelling 2020 as a year of special challenges, it is now looking ahead to 2021 as a year of opportunities for growth and development. It was on 12 January 1851 that the first cross-sectoral chamber of commerce in Slovenian lands was set up in Ljubljana, which happened on orders of Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph.

Celebrations of 200 years of National Museum begin

LJUBLJANA - An exhibition of the National Museum's first exhibits was launched as Slovenia's oldest museum started year-long celebrations of its bicentenary. The celebrations will culminate and end with a high-profile reception in October, exactly on the museum's 200 birthday. Entitled Museum through History, the exhibition features three parts, with the first covering the items that the museum acquired in the first decades of its existence.

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Slovenia's Covid-19 death toll passes 3,000

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's total of deaths among Covid-19 patients since the start of the pandemic has passed 3,000 after a further 24 died on Sunday. Another 426 people tested positive from 1,720 PCR and 480 antigen tests, as the PCR test positivity rate dropped for the fifth day. Covid-19 hospitalisations rose to 1,205 with 196 patients in intensive care. Slovenia has confirmed over 139,700 infections and 3,022 deaths, show data from the Covid-19 tracker site and National Institute of Public Health. On Tuesday, the first shipment of the vaccine developed by US biotechnology company Moderna, although only 1,200 vials, is expected to arrive in Slovenia.

Committee clears Adriatic zone-related activities

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar presented to the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee the background of and Slovenia's planned activities regarding plans by Italy and Croatia to proclaim exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic. The strategy was endorsed unanimously by the committee behind closed doors. Logar told the press after the session the discussion had been constructive. He also announced a trilateral meeting between the Slovenian, Italian and Croatian prime ministers in Rome by the end of January.

Part of police officers on strike

LJUBLJANA - One of the two police trade unions went on strike to demand higher pay in line with a 2018 agreement that ended a previous strike. PSS trade union head Rok Cvetko said the strike would continue until a deal is clinched with the government, which deems some of the trade union's demands unjustified. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said the Interior Ministry was in talks with the union. The ministry meanwhile posted on its website gross pay for almost 8,700 employees of the ministry, its inspection service and the police force for December to show that pay in the police force was not as low as some would think.

Financial experts stress key role of investments post-Covid

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's central bank Banka Slovenije and the European Investment Bank (EIB) discussed investment priorities in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with Boštjan Vasle, the governor of Slovenia's central bank, saying investment success would translate into effective crisis exit strategies. A slow rise in investments was halted by the crisis, however investments are even more vital now, Vasle noted, adding they also played a role in tackling one of Slovenia's key challenges - relatively low workforce productivity.

Constitutional Court stays implementation of act on army investments

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court said it had stayed the implementation of a law on EUR 780 million in investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2021-2026 pending its final decision on the law's constitutionality. If it turned out the act is unconstitutional, the consequences of its implementation would be more severe than if it is stayed for a relatively short time until it has reached its decision, the court said. The Defence Ministry labelled the decision as "disproportionate".

EUR 660m in development incentives available to companies

LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry has drafted a programme for development incentives for 2021, worth a total of EUR 660 million, including EUR 248 million in grants. The priorities of the programme include providing liquidity to companies and assistance in green and digital transition for higher added value. The ministry said the Slovenian economy was robust, but it was following the situation and trends in small and medium-sized enterprises with concern, especially in the field of services.

EU Commission: Press agency compensation possible without prior notification in certain circumstances

BRUSSELS, Belgium - State aid rules enable EU member states to grant state aid to press agencies as compensation for services of general economic interest, European Commission spokesperson for competition Arianna Podesta said in response to questions by Slovenian media after the government decided to solicit a state aid opinion from the Commission following legislative changes adopted to secure financing for the STA. Under certain conditions, compensation may be granted without prior approval by the Commission. The threshold is set at EUR 15 million per year, according to a Commission working paper. Unofficial information indicates the STA public service payments could be below the threshold for notification.

US ambassador to leave Slovenia next week

LJUBLJANA - US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard will leave Slovenia next week when incoming US President Joe Biden is to be inaugurated, the embassy told the STA, adding Blanchard, who is not a career diplomat, sent her resignation notice to outgoing President Donald Trump today. In recent days, Slovenia's top officials have met Blanchard, who started serving in Slovenia August 2019, for farewell visits. Both Foreign Minister Anže Logar and President Borut Pahor thanked her for her efforts to strengthen Slovenian-US relations.

SDS, LMŠ and DeSUS lose ground in Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) continue to lead the field with 13.7% in the latest poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo, but have lost ground for the second month running. Its leader and PM Janez Janša saw the biggest improvement in voter approval to climb two spots to 16th on the list of the most popular politicians. The opposition LMŠ party of ex-PM Marjan Šarec and the DeSUS of the aspiring PM-designate Karl Erjavec have likewise slipped back amid growing voter discontent.

Quarantine word of the year 2020

LJUBLJANA - The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) declared quarantine the word of 2020. It is followed by cycling in second place and 14 days in third. Apart from the 14-day period of isolation due to risky contacts which was later shortened to 10 days, quarantine was also used to refer to the lockdown in general. Cycling was, however, a form of protest against the Janez Janša government during lockdown.

Judge loses post for criticising Janša on Facebook

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik reported that judge Urška Klakočar Zupančič lost her position as the head of the commonhold department of the Ljubljana Local Court due to her posts about Prime Minister Janez Janša in a closed Facebook group. She labelled Janša as a "great dictator" and expressed hope "the age of Janšism will eventually become only a bitter memory". The judge, who says her Facebook 'friend' abused her trust, is also subject to disciplinary procedure.

Boom in public rental flats expected due to legislative changes

LJUBLJANA - The government expects that up to 10,000 new public rental apartments could be available within five to ten years under recently adopted housing act changes. The amendments to the housing act, adopted by the government last week and submitted to parliament, among others allow the national housing fund and municipal housing funds to borrow more. "The key objective of housing policy is to secure more public rental flats," Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak told the press.

Luka Koper's net sales revenue down 8% to EUR 206m

KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper generated EUR 206 million in net sales revenue in 2020, down 8% from 2019, while cargo transshipment was down by 14% to 19.5 million tonnes, shows the company's preliminary and unaudited report. "The reason for revenue dropping at a smaller rate than transshipment is better operations in additional services, filling and emptying of containers and in higher revenue from storage charge in certain segments," it said. The company felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but transshipment of containers as a strategic group of goods nevertheless remained stable.

Industrial output slightly up in November

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output was up by 0.2% in November 2020 compared with the month before, but dropped 0.8% year-on-year. In the first eleventh months of last year, it was down 6.7%, the Statistics Office reported.

Number of expected deaths in 2020 to be exceeded by 3,150

LJUBLJANA - The number of deaths in Slovenia in 2020 is expected to be the highest since WWII based on data collected so far. The number of excess deaths in 2020 compared to 2019 was 3,153, but only 262 were not related to Covid-19. Compared to the last five years, excess deaths reached 3,821, of which 930 were deaths not related to Covid-19, show data presented by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Four mobile homes on their way to quake-stricken Croatia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia continues to provide aid to the Petrinja area in Croatia that was hit by a devastating earthquake at the end of December, with a shipment of four mobile houses on their way there from the Roje logistic centre in Ljubljana. The Defence Ministry and the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration said this was a third phase of aid provided by Slovenia to alleviate the consequences of the 6.4-magnitude quake. Aid is also being sent by charities and individuals.

Slovenian culture centre in Berlin gets new head

BERLIN, Germany - Saša Šavel Burkat was appointed the new head of the Slovenian Berlin Culture Centre starting on 9 January. The Culture Ministry described the new culture attache as an exceptional connoisseur of contemporary Slovenian and German production. A journalist and anthropologist, Šavel Burkart has worked at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija for years, and is the author of several documentaries on visual arts and culture. She succeeds Gregor Jagodič.

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752 daily coronavirus cases, 25 deaths on Saturday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 752 coronavirus cases on reduced testing on Saturday, as 25 patients with Covid-19 died, bringing the total of deaths to 2,998. Government data show 5,161 PCR and antigen tests were performed. Compared to a week ago, the daily rise in cases fell by 0.9% and the PCR positivity rate dropped by four percentage points to 25%. Since the start of the pandemic, Slovenia has confirmed over 139,000 infections, with an estimated 24,328 still active, according to the National Institute of Public Heath.

President lays wreath at WWII battle site

DRAŽGOŠE - President Borut Pahor honoured the 79th anniversary of a defining World War II battle as he laid a wreath at the Dražgoše memorial in the north-west of the country. Addressing the media, he was hopeful the nation would be able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence in June united and en masse. The village of Dražgoše attracts several thousand people every year for the annual ceremony, but this time attendance was prevented by the coronavirus epidemic.

Coastal region threatened by rising sea level

KOPER - The expected rise in sea level in the coming decades could affect some 3,800 people living on the Slovenian coast, destroying fertile soil and flooding some nature reserves out of existence, a study by researchers the geography department of the Koper Faculty of Humanities has found. Sea level in Slovenia has risen by 10 centimetres in the past 50 years with the rise in the past 20 years above European and global average. Scientists expect global sea level could rise by up to 100 centimetres by 2100.

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Some additional services reopened, museums closed

LJUBLJANA - A number of additional activities deemed essential were permitted to reopen. Non-essential shops and services remain closed. Museums and galleries were closed again and sports activities restricted. Additional activities have been added to the list of exceptions, including surveying services, cleaning services, medical pedicure and construction works with zero contact with clients.

Slovenia to get 26,000 Moderna vaccine doses before March

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is to receive 26,000 doses of the newly approved Moderna coronavirus vaccine by the end of February, the Health Ministry said. The European Commission and Moderna agreed on the supply of 80 million doses with the possibility of increase by another 80 million doses. Slovenia has the right to 369,767 doses from each supply.

Another 1,843 test positive for the coronavirus, 26 die

LJUBLJANA - Of the total of 13,069 coronavirus tests performed in Slovenia on Friday, 1,843 came back positive, the government said. 1,143 people were in hospital, 17 fewer than the day before. 194 Covid-19 patients required intensive care, three more than on Thursday. While 106 were discharged from the hospital, 26 died.

Govt wants to ban high-volume fracking

LJUBLJANA - The government has drafted mining act changes, under which high-volume fracking would be prohibited in Slovenia. The changes also lay down a number of conditions for low-volume fracking. The changes draw the limit between low-volume and high-volume fracking at 1,000 cubic metres of water per fracking phase or 10,000 cubic meters per entire fracking procedure.

Anti-govt protestors file criminal charges against police officers

LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protestors who have been rallying Friday evenings for months in 2020 have filed complaints against the work of police officers during protests, also bringing criminal charges against ten of them. They told the STA on Saturday that they were a target of intentional discreditation and sanctioning. The complaints, filed on Friday, concern police work on Christmas Day, when protestors were ID-ed and told they would be fined.

Expert believes STA funding does not require EU Commission assessment

LJUBLJANA - Lawyer and former Information Commissioner Nataša Pirc Musar believes that the funding of the STA under the most recent coronavirus stimulus package does not have to be assessed by the European Commission because, as claimed by the government. STA's funding does not constitute state aid nor is there an administrative relationship. The STA is performing a public service, the funding of which is laid down in the STA act and now also in the seventh corona crisis stimulus package, Pirc Musar told the STA on Friday.

Snowboarder Mastnak third in parallel giant slalom

ST. MORITZ - Slovenian Tim Mastnak took third place in parallel giant slalom in FIS Snowboarding World Cup in Scuol, Switzerland. Russian Igor Sluev won the competition, while Pole Michal Nowaczyk was second. This was Mastnak's fifth World Cup podium and the second podium for the Slovenian team in this season.

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