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This summary is provided by the STA:
State to guarantee up to 80% for loans to SMEs, 70% for large companies
LJUBLJANA - As part of the second stimulus package to help the Slovenian economy cope with the coronavirus crisis, the state will provide quick liquidity aid to companies to the tune of EUR 2 billion. Loans to micro companies and SMEs will be guaranteed for up to 80% of the principal, and up to 70% for large companies. The package will be debated by parliament next Tuesday and Wednesday, along with corrections to the first package, including relaxed conditions for companies to apply for wage subsidies, and expansion in the number of people eligible for benefits under the first package.
Minister says third stimulus package to be development-oriented
LJUBLJANA - By adopting the second coronavirus crisis stimulus package, the government has completed a set of bills to mitigate the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic and restart the economy, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj told the press. He moreover announced a third legislative package, which the government will start to work on in May and will be development-oriented.
Nine new coronavirus infections, two new deaths bring death toll to 79
LJUBLJANA - Nine new coronavirus infections were recorded in Slovenia on Tuesday, as many as the day before, with the number of tests the highest so far, at 1,459. So far 1,353 infections have been confirmed. The number of hospitalised patients has been decreasing for a week and now stands at 82, while 24 patients are in intensive care. Eight were discharged on Tuesday. The authorities also reported that about 200 tests had so far been conducted as part of comprehensive population testing launched on Monday, all of them turning negative. More than 1,000 of the 3,000 people picked have so far agreed to be included in the study.
Govt decrees exchange of data between health authority and police
LJUBLJANA - The government decreed that the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) share with the police information about individuals who have been ordered to go into self-isolation, quarantine or undergo treatment for Covid-19. The decree lays down the manner of data exchange under Article 103 of the first mega coronavirus crisis and stimulus act, which gives the police special powers for the purposes of epidemic control. The Health Ministry said about 2,900 quarantine orders had been issued to date. Some 1,500 are currently in effect.
Over EUR 39m available for monthly crisis bonus in public sector
LJUBLJANA - The government set the criteria to distribute EUR 39.2 million a month for a coronavirus crisis bonus for public sector employees in high-risk jobs during the epidemic under emergency legislation. Within the EUR 39.2 million ceiling, heads of hospitals and other public sector organisations will be in charge of distributing the funds. Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said the government would fully cover another crisis bonus - the one envisaged in the collective bargaining agreement for the public sector.
Two suspected of stealing protective equipment from Ljubljana hospital
LJUBLJANA - The police are investigating a suspected theft of protective equipment in the UKC Ljubljana hospital. The police identified the suspects as a 31-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, both from Ljubljana. The Ljubljana Police Department said the inquiries so far indicated the suspects made 40,000 euro by selling the stolen equipment online. UKC Ljubljana general manager Janez Poklukar has condemned the incident. Unofficially, the suspects were UKC Ljubljana employees.
Replaced head says Commodity Reserves Agency being scapegoated over PPE
LJUBLJANA - Providing another twist in the outrage over the procurement of faulty protective equipment for SARS-COV-2, the now former head of Agency for Commodity Reserves Anton Zakrajšek protested against the reasons cited for his replacement by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek. Zakrajšek said him and the agency refused to serve as scapegoats. Zakrajšek asked to be relieved of his duties on Monday after spending several weeks on sick leave due to Covid-19. He denied being the one picking the suppliers.
FM says epidemic measures must not be abused for geopolitical pressure
BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU foreign ministers discussed in a videoconference the bloc's approach to its neighbours to the east and expressed expectations that Ukraine would continue with reforms. Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed support for the reform processes underway in Ukraine. He said measures to fight the pandemic should not be abused for the purposes of geopolitical pressure, spread of misinformation or failure to implement agreements.
US donates five military ambulances to Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces received five new military ambulances donated by the US. Defence Minister Matej Tonin and US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard were present as the shipment arrived at Koper, praising the Slovenia-US partnership. Slovenia received the MEDIC HMMWV M1152 Ambulance vehicles, made by US producer AM General, under the European Security Assistance Fund.
President carries on with messages of solidarity amid pandemic
LJUBLJANA - In the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic President Borut Pahor expressed solidarity with Austria and Poland in a video message after sending supportive messages to a number of countries, including France. French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Pahor and returned the gesture. Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen also expressed gratitude for the gesture, saying he appreciated Pahor's words of encouragement and was looking forward to their future cooperation.
Cabinet replaces Infrastructure Agency boss
LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Monika Pintar Mesarič as the acting director of the Infrastructure Agency, appointing Liljana Herga in her place for up to six months. Herga has so far headed the agency's road maintenance and traffic safety department. A possible change of the agency's director was hinted at last week by the commercial broadcaster Planet TV when reporting about an allegedly contentious tender to set up a SCADA system for the railway infrastructure.
Recently appointed govt official faces judicial inquiry
LJUBLJANA - Miha Pogačnik, who was last week appointed acting head of the Government Office for Legislation, is the subject of a judicial inquiry over business his private institute did with the UKC Maribor hospital in 2016, the commercial broadcaster POP TV reported on Tuesday evening. The Specialised State Prosecution confirmed that an inquiry had been launched in late January against three persons, including Pogačnik, over the hiring of Croatian anaesthesiologists in Maribor.
TV Slovenija: Hisense to cut 1,000 jobs in Slovenia
VELENJE - TV Slovenija reported that the Chinese-owned group Hisense Europe was planning to close 2,200 jobs by the end of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including 1,000 in Slovenia. The head of the in-house trade union Žan Zeba told the public broadcaster that Hisense was to make 1,000 people redundant in Slovenia, including 700 at the production facility in Velenje and 300 in the Ljubljana-headquartered company Hisense Europe. Gorenje is to present details on Thursday.
Pandemic to slash Triglav profit by at least 10%
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's leading insurance group, Triglav, expects the coronavirus pandemic to slash its profit by at least 10% and premiums by 5% this year. But the insurer says its business is sound enough to cope with the situation successfully. Triglav Group initially projected a pre-tax profit of between EUR 95 million and EUR 105 million for this year, however, new calculations show the figure could be 10-25% lower. The insurance premium, initially projected at EUR 1.2 billion, is to be 3-5% lower.
Construction sector calls for long-term infrastructural projects
LJUBLJANA - As construction work is slowing down in Slovenia due to the coronavirus epidemic, representatives of the construction sector have called on the government to launch long-term infrastructural projects to revitalise the sector, which would otherwise face a bleak future. The Chamber of Construction and Building Materials Industry said today that if major infrastructural projects were not implemented, the construction sector would be in a "vegetative state for a long time". Government advisor Matej Lahovnik said EU-funded projects should definitely be implemented, especially infrastructural projects.
Covid-19 pushes consumer sentiment lowest on record
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded the biggest drop in consumer sentiment in April since March 1996, when the statisticians started keeping record. The Statistics Office said the index dropped by 30 percentage points in monthly comparison and by 41 points year on year, which statisticians attribute to the coronavirus epidemic.
Large companies largely opting for Covid-19 crisis bonus
LJUBLJANA - Some large companies have already paid their employees a bonus for working during the coronavirus crisis, while others are yet to do so. Some will pay the bonus as set down by the government emergency law, others their own bonuses, while some companies have opted for both. Those which have not suspended their operations because of the epidemic, such as pharmaceutical companies Krka and Novartis, do not plan any pay cuts, while those who will cut wages will start with managers.
Genomic studies show SARS-COV-2 entered Slovenia via multiple sources
MARIBOR - The first genomic studies conducted for SARS-COV-2 in Slovenia have shown Slovenian patients are infected with both the Asian and the more European strains of the novel coronavirus, meaning the virus entered the country through more than one source. The strain that has more resemblance to the Asian strains than the majority of the types discovered in Europe was discovered in the last of three genomic tests conducted for Slovenian patients so far by the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, the Maribor Medical Faculty and the Maribor Community Health Centre.
Ombudsman says virus revealing how much damage humans inflict on Earth
LJUBLJANA - Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina noted on Earth Day that pollution was decreasing significantly in many parts of the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, wondering whether the spread of the virus was necessary for humans to realise what damage is being done to Earth. "We must be aware that the right to a healthy and clean environment is one of our fundamental rights. But it is also our duty, because unless we all take action it will be even more difficult to implement," Svetina wrote in his Earth Day message. A call on the government to prepare concrete measures to switch to sustainable development was also made by a climate panel advising President Borut Pahor.
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