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This summary is provided by the STA:
Govt proposes fresh stimulus for business, transfers for the most vulnerable
LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed a bill on additional measures for curbing the consequences of epidemic, envisaging special pay for the most vulnerable such as pensioners and fresh stimulus measures for business. The self-employed and farmers are to be partly compensated for income lost due to quarantine and force majeure and companies would get refunds for coronavirus tests for their employees. Extension of tourist vouchers until then end-June 2022 has also been proposed. Associations of small businesses and tourism companies welcomed the fresh stimulus, but said they expected more aid in the event Slovenia enters a new lockdown.
Compensation scheme proposed for adverse effects of vaccination
LJUBLJANA - The government proposed a compensation scheme for those who have suffered serious health damage as a result of a Covid-19 vaccine, a step Health Minister Janez Poklukar said was key to maintaining confidence in the vaccines and ensuring the effective implementation of the national vaccination programme. Compensation of EUR 60,000 would be paid to those who suffer a serious and permanent reduction in their vital functions after vaccination. The parents of a child or the spouse or civil partner of a person who died after vaccination would receive EUR 10,000, while underage children of a person who died after vaccination would receive EUR 20,000.
New issues on horizon in wake of govt EDP decision
LJUBLJANA - The State Prosecution Council welcomed the government's decision to refer the council's pick of the pair of candidates for delegated prosecutors to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Both the council and experts say such an act cannot be temporary because the legislation does not provide for temporary appointment nor does it empower the government to replace or interfere in the council's proposal for the EDPs nomination. However, the government says it invoked a clause in the relevant regulation that says if a EDP's services are no longer necessary, the member state informs the European Chief Prosecutor thereof and nominates another prosecutor to be appointed as the new EDP.
EU Commission keeping eye on appointment of delegated prosecutors until completion of procedure
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The appointment of Slovenia's two delegated prosecutors to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is a step in the right direction and the EU Commission will continue to follow the developments, Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said. He noted that the Commission had been in ongoing contact with Slovenia at all levels and had repeatedly called on Slovenia to appoint the delegated prosecutors without any further delay. As for the temporary nature of the appointment of Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir on a temporary basis, he said this was now up to the college of the EPPO.
Centre-left opposition stands by accusations against Kustec
LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition argued in the National Assembly that Education Minister Simona Kustec must go due to mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis in the educational sector as a motion of no confidence in the minister was debated all day. Kustec, staunchly defended by the coalition, framed the criticism of her work as based on "mechanisms for silencing women," as she listed the many ways in which she has been trying to make schools a safe learning environment during the pandemic. The vote was scheduled to take place after midnight.
Number of coronavirus cases up weekly, 20 deaths
LJUBLJANA - Another 3,517 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Thursday, slightly up from the same day a week ago. The positivity rate was up week-on-week by almost three percentage points to 42.5%. 20 Covid-19 patients died yesterday. The rolling 7-day average of new cases increased from the day before by 13 to 3,282 whereas the 14-day cumulative incidence per 100,000 people fell by 12 to 2,141. Hospitalisations totalled 1,127 this morning, up by 23 on the previous day, including 253 patients who required intensive care, up by three.
Govt green-lights capital-intensive investment bill
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted on Thursday a bill to boost capital-intensive investment aimed at supporting the green transition. The proposal enables drawing investment incentives out of the EU recovery and resilience fund. The amendments to the investment promotion act would upgrade the state incentive regime from efforts to create new jobs to the promotion of capital-intensive investment for the green transition. The proposal is one of the first and key measures from the national recovery and resilience plan, as EUR 2.5 billion is set aside for Slovenia in the EU recovery and resilience instrument.
Slovenia hails adoption of water diplomacy conclusions
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU's General Affairs Council endorsed conclusions highlighting the strategic importance of water, a move hailed by Slovenia as a landmark in water diplomacy and a major achievement of the Slovenian EU presidency. The conclusions are a milestone in the EU's water diplomacy and in the achievement of progress in the framework of the EU's Agenda 2030, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan said. "I'm glad we've adopted the conclusions during Slovenia's EU presidency. Slovenia has made an important contribution in the preparation thereof and made efforts for their adoption," he was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry.
Minority MPs propose higher Italian language standard for teachers
LJUBLJANA - The MPs representing the Italian and Hungarian minority tabled legislation that would raise the language requirement for teachers and other staff working in bilingual schools and kindergartens. Teachers who teach Slovenian or other foreign languages would have to pass an Italian exam equivalent to the C1 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The existing law exempts teachers of Slovenian from having to be proficient in Italian. The required level of Italian would also be raised for other staff at bilingual schools, including administrative and technical staff.
Petrol group's nine-month profit more than doubles to EUR 91m
LJUBLJANA - The energy group Petrol saw its revenue in the first nine months of the year increase by 34% to EUR 3.1 billion, while net profit more than doubled, increasing by 125% to EUR 91.2 million. The group's gross operating profit was up by 54% to EUR 175.7 million, with sales of petroleum products representing a 55.9% share, and sales of merchandise 18.3%. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were up by 54% to EUR 175.7 million.
Sava insurance group ups nine-month profit by 20% to EUR 57.2m
LJUBLJANA - In the first nine months of the year, the Sava insurance group generated EUR 548.8 million in operating revenue, up 11.1% year-on-year, and a net profit of EUR 57.2 million, or 20.3% more compared to the same period last year, showed the unaudited results. Operating revenue and net profit represent 80% and 108% of the full-year target for 2021, respectively. In the period, the group collected EUR 578.1 million in gross premiums, up 9.1% year-on-year, with the growth being largely driven by life insurance business in Slovenia (+55.4%).
State secretary deletes contentious post about judge after settlement
LJUBLJANA - Vinko Gorenak, a state secretary in the prime minister's office, has deleted a post from his blog sharing content critical of Prime Minister Janez Janša that was published by a former Ljubljana judge in a private Facebook group, Dnevnik reported. This comes after the pair reached a court settlement. Gorenak shared the content in which Janša is labelled a "great dictator" on his blog last December, labelling the judge a leftist activist. He pleaded not guilty at the pre-trial hearing, but then agreed in a court settlement to delete the screenshot of the content as well as his related statement.
Illegal migration gang members caught in Slovenia
MARIBOR - The Maribor criminal police have tracked down an international criminal gang involved in illegal migration in what was a lengthy international investigation. A number of suspects were arrested and detained in Slovenia, whereas the gang's leader was caught in Poland. The investigation, which included police forces from Slovenia, Austria, Poland and Hungary and which was coordinated by Slovenian investigators, uncovered an illegal migration route running from Croatia or Hungary to Austria or Italy with Slovenia being a nexus point.
Number of casualties on Slovenian roads up in 2021
LJUBLJANA - Road accidents have killed 105 people in Slovenia this year, already surpassing the numbers recorded in previous years. There were fewer accidents in 2020 due to the closures during the epidemic, but this year's death toll exceeds even those of the previous three years, and there is still a month and a half left in 2021. The police have recorded 14,248 road accidents up until mid-November this year, which is 633 more than the same period last year.
Kozjansko Regional Park receives UNESCO prize
PODSREDA - The Kozjansko Regional Park, a protected natural and cultural heritage area stretching along Slovenia's eastern border, is the recipient of this year's UNESCO Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes. The Kozjansko Regional Park is an extraordinary and diverse natural site, said the award jury. Representatives of the park will receive the US$30,000 prize next Monday in Paris.
Berlin artist Raether wing Grand Prix at Ljubljana Biennial
LJUBLJANA - Johannes Paul Raether, an artist from Berlin, has won the Grand Prix at the 34th Biennial of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana for an installation that explores the relationship between the human body and screens. Entitled Protekto.x.x 5.5.5.1 Precipitation, the installation deals with materiality, the production process, and with the production settings of modern information technologies, the organisers said.
Diaspora writer Zorko Simčič celebrates 100th birthday
LJUBLJANA - Writer, playwright and essayist Zorko Simčič, a recipient of the Prešeren Prize for Lifetime Achievement in literature, is celebrating his 100th birthday today. Simčič emigrated in 1945 and became one of the most prominent Slovenian diaspora authors, before returning to Slovenia in 1994. Born in Maribor, Simčič first established himself as a writer shortly before the Second World War. In May 1945, he retreated to Carinthia, later went to Italy, and then emigrated to Argentina. He returned to Slovenia in 1994.
