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This summary is provided by the STA:
Janša under fire over "Soros puppets" tweet
LJUBLJANA/BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša faced criticism after publishing a tweet implying that many members of the European Parliament are "Soros puppets". "We urgently call on Janša to cease the provocations against members of the European Parliament. Attacks on members of this house are also attacks on European citizens," European Parliament President David Sassoli said on Twitter. Janša tweeted, and then deleted an image with the heading "13 of the 226 known Soros puppets in the EU parliament". Several MEPs accused him of anti-Semitism.
Government not planning to act on energy prices yet
LJUBLJANA - The government got acquainted with the current price trends in energy markets and decided not to take any action for now. "Slovenia is on the safe side for now, but it is absolutely necessary to invest more in renewables and in new nuclear technologies," Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said. The government set up a task force led by Vrtovec to keep an eye on the situation. It also got acquainted with the toolbox of measures presented by the EU Commission yesterday to tackle high prices. "It determined there is no need at this point for Slovenia to take any action. But if that is required, we are ready," he said.
Pahor, Čaputova praise W Balkans declaration, excellent relations
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian and Slovakian presidents, Borut Pahor and Zuzana Čaputova, praised bilateral relations as excellent as Čaputova paid an official visit. They stressed the role of cooperation at bilateral and EU levels to address social, political and economic challenges, and welcomed the EU-Western Balkans summit. The visit is "an expression of excellent bilateral relations, which are truly friendly, without open issues", Pahor said, while Čaputova said that challenges faced by Slovenia and Slovakia, including in dealing with the Covid pandemic, were also discussed.
Impasse over appointment of EU delegated prosecutors continues
LJUBLJANA - The Prosecution Council again rejected the government's stance that the first procedure for the appointment of European delegated prosecutors was not lawful and cannot be revisited. The council said it did not intend to come up with new candidates for Slovenia's two posts in the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), arguing that the first procedure has not yet been concluded given to recent decision by the Administrative Court.
Energy Chamber and businesses urge action in response to price hikes
LJUBLJANA - Soaring global energy prices are raising concerns in Slovenia, in particular in energy-intensive industry, which is already scaling down production in response to the situation. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and the Energy Chamber are calling on the government to act. Pots-pandemic recovery is one reason for the record-high hikes, but deeper reasons are linked to transition from fossil to renewable energy sources with prices of emission coupons going up as well, Ana Vučina Vršnak, the executive director of the Energy Chamber, has told the STA in an interview.
Left seeks for MPs to call on govt to regulate energy prices
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left demanded for the parliamentary committees on infrastructure and social affairs to meet for a joint emergency session due to soaring energy prices. One of their proposals is regulating gas and power prices for end users. Even though end users in Slovenia are not yet feeling the full extent of huge hikes in global gas prices due to sufficient stockpiles and prices guaranteed in long-term contracts the gas wholesaler Geoplin has with Russian suppliers, energy prices have started to go up for end consumers as well, the party said.
Proposal put forward to legalise assisted death
LJUBLJANA - Srebrna Nit, an association campaigning for dignified old age, has drawn up a bill to legalise assisted death in Slovenia. The NGO said their proposal would only permit assisted suicide, while euthanasia would only be possible as an exception. The proposal will first be subject to a six-month public consultation, after which it will be amended and submitted to parliament, backed by 5,000 signatures.
Pahor and Mattarella to visit twin border cities next week
LJUBLJANA - The presidents of Slovenia and Italy, Borut Pahor and Sergio Mattarella, will visit Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the cities on each side of the Slovenian-Italian border, next Thursday to hail their title as the 2025 European Capital of Culture. On the occasion Pahor will decorate Mattarella with Slovenia's top state honour.
New coronavirus case count up 11% week-on-week
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 1,081 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday in what is an 11% increase week-on-week. The test positivity rate stood at 20.1%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population increased by seven to 546, and the rolling seven-day average of new daily cases was up by as many as 30 to 811. The government said that hospitalisations were down by 14 to 406 Covid-19 patients, of whom 117 are in intensive care, down by five compared to yesterday. Three Covid-19 patients died.
Beekeepers to receive EUR 1.3m in aid
LJUBLJANA - The state will allocate EUR 1.28 million in budget funds for aid to beekeepers who were hit by frost this year, the government decided. According to the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association, this year's season was the worst on record. The government's decree is the basis for providing aid to beekeepers who recorded a drop in revenue due to lower production.
New state secretary appointed at PM's office
LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Polona Rifelj as state secretary at Prime Minister Janez Janša's office, effective on 20 October. She will join the eight other state secretaries there. Rifelj has been the head of Celje's main library since 2013. Prior to that she worked at the Celje municipality and the Agriculture Ministry, and in local media outlets.
Media advertising revenue down 10% last year
LJUBLJANA - Total revenue from advertising in leading media in Slovenia dropped by a good 10% to EUR 250 million in 2020 compared to 2019. The biggest drop was recorded in outdoor advertising and the smallest in print media, shows the annual report compiled by the magazine Marketing Magazin. Advertising revenue of print media has been falling for several years, and last year the biggest drop was witnessed by the newspaper Večer (-17%).
Pakistani smugglers of migrants sentenced to prison, expulsion
LJUBLJANA - Three Pakistani citizens were sentenced on Wednesday to prison for organising illegal transport of foreigners across Slovenia as part of a criminal ring, and will also be expelled from the country for several years, Dnevnik reported. The prosecution held that 12 members of the ring organised and transported, or cooperated in, unlawful transport of foreigners from the Croatian to Italian border, or from the Ljubljana Asylum Centre to Italy, in June 2019 and in June-to-October 2020. Among them were four Ljubljana taxi drivers, and three security guards from the asylum centre.
Two dead in shooting incident in Domžale
DOMŽALE - A 44-year-old and a 71-year-old died in a shooting incident in the Domžale area on Wednesday afternoon in what appears to be a murder suicide. The 44-year-old reportedly shot his father before committing suicide. The Ljubljana Police Department told the STA last night the police had been informed of the shooting at around 6:30pm yesterday. As officers arrived at the scene, they found two dead bodies in a house, and a rifle. The information gathered so far suggest that the young man shot the older man before shooting himself, the police said today.
