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This summary is provided by the STA:
Marjan Dikaučič appointed new justice minister
LJUBLJANA - Marjan Dikaučič, an official receiver, has become Slovenia's new justice minister after a 44:11 vote in the National Assembly. He succeeds Lilijana Kozlovič, who resigned due to the government's decision to suspend the appointment of Slovenia's members of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Dikaučič said the programme of work at the ministry had largely been determined already and was circumscribed by the presidency of the EU. Among the tasks ahead, he singled out a reform of insolvency law, legislation on the protection of personal data, and legislation implementing several Constitutional Court decisions.
Pahor endorses declaration on Slovenian reconciliation
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor attended a ceremony at the Linden Tree of Reconciliation at Ljubljana's Žale cemetery, marking Day of Guilt, Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Recalling long-standing efforts to right wrongs, Pahor endorsed a declaration adopted by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU). According to Pahor, it is a thorough document adopted at the level of a prestigious institution which addresses Slovenian reconciliation in the most convincing way so far and could be considered suitable for adoption by the general public.
Alstom successor strikes plea bargain in TEŠ6 trial
CELJE - GE STEAM Power Systems, the legal successor to Alstom, struck a plea bargain with the prosecution in a case involving an alleged bribery scheme in the construction of TEŠ6, theunit six at the Šoštanj coal-fired plant. The proposed plea agreement was announced by the judge as the first pre-trial hearing in one of the biggest corruption cases in Slovenia finally got under way at the Celje District Court. GE STEAM Power Systems agreed to pay EUR 23 million in damages plus EUR 50,000 in legal costs, subject to approval by the judge.
SocDems propose closer partnership between opposition parties
LJUBLJANA - The leader of the Social Democrats (SD) Tanja Fajon proposed that four opposition parties forge a closer partnership, starting with a "partnership discussion" that would chart the way forward. Fajon wants the opposition to "really firmly strengthen cooperation with a partnership, set its commitments, and convince people in the coming weeks and months that we will be capable of better and more normally managing the situation in this country and, hopefully, winning the next election."
Active contact tracing relaunched
LJUBLJANA - With new coronavirus infections steadily declining, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has relaunched the active tracing of contacts of those who have tested positive, which had been suspended in autumn due to an unmanageable inflow of daily cases. Between 70 and 100 contact tracers will be available each day, according to Mario Fafangel, the head of the NIJZ's Centre for Communicable Diseases. Active contact tracing was abandoned in October, when cases started surging to over 1,000 per day.
Slovenia reports 112 coronavirus cases for Monday
LJUBLJANA - A total of 112 of 2,330 PCR tests came back positive on Monday for a positivity rate of 4.8% as the epidemiological situation in Slovenia keeps improving. Two Covid-19 patients died, show fresh government data. Hospitalisations declined by twelve to 122 this morning. 40 patients were in intensive care, down by two. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people dropped by ten to 120 and the rolling seven-day average of daily cases decreased by 15 to 132.
Corruption increased in Slovenia during pandemic, shows survey
LJUBLJANA - More than half of Slovenian respondents (51%) believe that corruption increased last year, shows the Global Corruption Barometer for the EU 2021, a survey by Transparency International. Responses by Slovenian participants suggest the second worst deterioration of the situation in the EU. Almost two-thirds of Slovenian respondents said that citizens feared retaliatory measures upon reporting instances of corruption, which is the third highest rate in this category in the EU.
EU directive on whistleblowers crucial for fight against corruption, debate hears
LJUBLJANA - The implementation of the EU directive on the protection of whistleblowers is extremely important for the fight against corruption, agreed participants of a round table debate on whistleblowers hosted by the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik noted that in Slovenia the protection of whistleblowers had been regulated by law since 2011, however the arrangement that the EU directive envisages was wider.
Supreme Court upholds guilty verdict against militia leader
LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court has upheld a guilty verdict against Andrej Šiško, the leader of Štajerska Guard, a self-proclaimed militia, who was found guilty in March 2019 of trying to subvert the constitutional order. He has already served out his eight-month sentence. The court held that Šiško had not been found guilty because of his political convictions, but because of incitement to violence, which is a crime pursuant to the Criminal Code.
New unit of specialised border police launched
BREŽICE - A new police unit specialised in the protection of the border was launched in Brežice in an effort to help beef up border security in a region where many migrants cross into the Schengen zone. The new unit, which follows the Ljubljana-based unit set up in 2002, will initially operate with 23 police officers but up to 52 posts are planned.
Telekom Slovenije upgrades 5G network
LJUBLJANA - The telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije upgraded its 5G network, launched in 2020, with an additional spectrum band. It currently covers 33% of mobile users nationwide. System upgrades at Bled and Brdo Pri Kranju are to follow next to make the cutting-edge communication service available during the Slovenian EU presidency. The milestone is taking place exactly 30 years after the first mobile network was set up by the company, Telekom Slovenije notes.
Cinkarna shareholders get dividend of EUR 21 gross per share
CELJE - Chemical company Cinkarna Celje will pay out dividends of EUR 21 gross per share after shareholders rejected a proposal by the management for EUR 11 per share and backed a counter-proposal by one of the shareholders. This means the company will spend nearly its entire accumulated profit of EUR 16.5 million for dividends, which will be paid out on 24 June.
Photo exhibition by Joco Žnidaršič opens in Cankarjev Dom
LJUBLJANA - An exhibition of photography by Joco Žnidaršič, entitled Years of Breakthrough, will be included in the series of exhibitions in the arts centre Cankarjev Dom, marking this year's 30th anniversary of Slovenian independence. Opening tonight, the exhibition shows a selection of the photographer's works created between 1988 and 1991. Žnidaršič captured almost all of the most important events of this crucial time for Slovenia. He belongs to the oldest generation of Slovenian photographers and is a legend of Slovenian photojournalism.
