Foreign Minister Logar to visit Washington on 20 Dec
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar has told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee that he will visit the US on 20 December to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss Slovenian-US cooperation. "I always emphasise this alliance is one of the key partnerships Slovenia has to build, nurture and develop. We advocate the same stance at EU level," he told the MPs.
Slovenia close to ratifying OCCAR agreement to buy 45 Boxer APCs
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee confirmed a bill ratifying the agreement between Slovenia and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the purchase of 45 eight-wheeled Boxer armoured personnel carries (APCs). The vote in which nine MPs voted for and four against followed a debate in which Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret said the final price was not yet known but it would not exceed EUR 410 million in any case.
European Parliament to vote on Slovenia resolution next week
STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament will take a vote on a resolution on the rule of law and fundamental rights in Slovenia at the plenary session in Strasbourg next Thursday, follows from the agenda endorsed by the Conference of Presidents. The draft resolution needs to be submitted by Friday. Unofficially, the European People's Party wanted the resolution withdrawn as two key issues, the appointment of European delegated prosecutors from Slovenia and STA financing, have been resolved.
Fmr police commissioner says she was being bullied
LJUBLJANA - Tatjana Bobnar, who was replaced as police commissioner as the Janez Janša government took over in March 2020, told the parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in police work that she was being bullied for the past year and a half. She said she was sad to see police losing people's trust and that the current level of social dialogue within the force was so low. Meanwhile, incumbent Commissioner Anton Olaj rejected the allegations of political interference in police work, citing a survey showing improved sentiment among staff.
Govt official describes SDS financing inquiry as witch-hunt
LJUBLJANA - A parliamentary inquiry looking into allegedly unlawful financing of the ruling Democrats (SDS) was described on Tuesday as a "witch hunt" by Božo Predalič, one of the co-funders of Nova24, the company behind the private broadcaster Nova24TV. Predalič, now a state secretary, dismissed allegations about shady financing deals involving the media outlet. Allegations of wrongdoing were also denied by Nova24TV director Boris Tomašič and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, a former director of Nova24TV, who said the broadcaster's services paid by Hungarian companies had not been a sham.
Debate calls for recognition of German-speaking community
LJUBLJANA - A panel discussion organised by the Institute of Ethnic Studies and the Umbrella Organisation of Cultural Associations of the German-Speaking Community in Slovenia heard participants call for the the German-speaking community in Slovenia to be formally recognised, but there was no consensus on how to attain that. The community's representative Christian Lautischer noted progress in terms of funding, but called for the community to be recognised in the Slovenian constitution.
Podgoršek advocates for fairer, greener agricultural policy
LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek presented at a virtual conference the main achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency in agriculture, environment and climate change, noting that the main file of the presidency had been the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) to make it fairer and greener. Podgoršek as the chair of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council took part in the virtual conference on efforts for better future of climate and environmental policies held under the auspices of the global youth climate coalition Generation Climate Europe and Slovenia's Youth Council.
EU trio holds consultations as end of Slovenia's stint nears
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia hosted on Tuesday consultations between the trio of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia in light of their joint 18-month presidency of the Council of the EU, with the importance of economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic being emphasised. The meeting, hosted by Barbara Sušnik, the head of the EU affairs directorate at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, also featured Axel Dittmann representing Germany and Nuno Lucio representing Portugal.
Covid hospitalisations drop below 1,000
LJUBLJANA - The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals fell below 1,000 for the first time in three weeks with 258 patients still in intensive care units. This was as 1,847 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Tuesday, a daily drop of 5% and a weekly drop of 18% and 16 Covid-19 patients died. The National Institute of Public Health estimates 25,966 people are actively infected, down by over 9,100 from a week ago.
Anti-Covid drug molnupiravir available from next week
LJUBLJANA - The anti-viral drug molnupiravir will be available for treatment of Covid-19 in Slovenia expectedly from Monday after doses for over 5,700 treatments have already arrived in the country. The medicine will be prescribed to adults, except pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, who are likely to develop a severe form of Covid-19. The drug will be first available at four hospitals, UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor, Celje General Hospital and the Golnik Clinic for Respiratory Diseases.
Ban on blood donation for homosexual men found discriminatory
LJUBLJANA - Equal Opportunities Ombudsman Miha Lobnik found the permanent ban on blood donations for men who have sexual relations with men discriminatory, saying they are excluded from taking part in this philanthropic activity despite the fact that the safety of blood donations is ensured by additional testing for viruses. The Blood Transfusion Centre said Slovenia was due to change the current regulation in 2022 to introduce temporary bans on blood donation under which donors will be selected on the basis of the riskiness of their sexual behaviour, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Adria Tehnika extends cooperation with Wizz Air
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian aircraft maintenance company Adria Tehnika announced it had signed a new long-term contract with Hungarian low-budget carrier Wizz Air. Even though the previous contract was still valid, long-term cooperation with Wizz Air will become more active under the new four-year deal, Adria Tehnika said. Adria Tehnika is expected to carry out the first inspection of a Wizz Air aircraft in autumn 2022.
Chemistry institute wins AmCham best business practice award
LJUBLJANA - AmCham Slovenia declared the Institute of Chemistry this year's winner of its best business practice award as part of the Best of the Best project. The institute earned the accolade with the CCEdit project for developing the use of the improved CRISPR gene editing system. The team led by Tomaž Bizjak of the institute's department for synthetic biology and immunology is also establishing an international business and development relationship with foreign organisations.
30 years since Badinter Commission declared Yugoslavia breakup
LJUBLJANA - Exactly thirty years have passed since an international commission established that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had disintegrated and that there had been no secession of individual republics. Its findings paved the way for the international recognition of Slovenia and an agreement on succession to Yugoslavia. A few days after the commission's opinion was published, Slovenia was recognised on 19 December by Iceland, Germany and Sweden.
Documentary made on Garnbret's climb to Olympic gold
LJUBLJANA - After winning gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Slovenia's sports climbing superstar Janja Garnbret will be paid tribute with a documentary film that follows her training for the competition along with three other climbers, Shauna Coxsey of the UK, Brooke Raboutou of the US and Miho Nonaka of Japan. The Wall - Climb for Gold, which is expected to be released this winter, was pre-screened for the Slovenian audience in the Cukrarna venue today.
