Nominee for central bank vice-governor rejected
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected the appointment of Marjan Divjak as vice-governor of the central bank. The Democrats (SDS) proposed that the vote be postponed, but their motion was rejected and the vote went ahead with 44 voting in favour and 40 against in a secret ballot, short of the required super majority. The only party to speak up about the nomination was the opposition Left, which accused the government of trying to postpone voting whenever it realised it did not have a majority, having described Divjak as an "SDS insider" unfit to sit on the central bank's governing board.
MPs vote down bill that would bar Huawei from market
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted a bill on electronic communications, put forward by the government to transpose EU law, unfit for further reading. The bill would bar high-risk vendors from the market in a provision directed against Chinese Huawei. While not mentioning the vendor specifically, the bill would ban providers from using the equipment of high-risk suppliers if they are labelled by such by the government based on the opinion of the National Security Council. "We're talking of Huawei," said Jani Möderndorfer, an MP for the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ).
Changes to communicable diseases act endorsed at first reading
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly confirmed at first reading amendments to the communicable diseases act authored by an NGO and formally tabled by a group of unaffiliated MPs that are aimed at making sure efforts to battle infectious diseases are in line with the Constitution. The bill was endorsed by 43 votes in favour and 31 against as the opposition was joined by the coalition NSi in supporting the bill. The coalition SDS claimed that if passed, the legislation would render it impossible for the government to fight an epidemic.
Environment protection bill passes first reading
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed an environment protection bill on first reading with Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak expressing the hope that what he described as an environmental constitution could be passed before the end of this parliament's term. The main goal and ambition of the bill is to consistently protect the environment through implementing the latest environment protection standards and tackling existing problems. Most importantly, the bill would transpose EU rules and new directives, especially on the expanded producer responsibility for packaging, he said.
Lower chamber fails to override veto on tougher language standard for bilingual schools
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly failed to overturn the upper chamber's veto on a bill raising the required level of Italian language proficiency for staff at Italian-language schools and kindergartens. While the coalition voted in favour, the centre-left opposition voted against, noting that Italy did not reciprocate and suggesting the bill was a reward for the minority MPs' support for the government. The vote was 44 in favour and 35 against, two votes short of the required majority.
Left abandons plan for referendum on income tax act amendments
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left announced it will withdraw its motion for a referendum on the income tax act after the government indicated the referendum could be held on the same day as the general election. The amendments will probably be passed during this government's term and the Left will strive to win the election and then "correct the law," Left leader Luka Mesec said. The news came after the coalition New Slovenia (NSi) launched a campaign promoting these amendments, which it said would include the collecting of signatures in the run-up to the official election campaign.
Janša talks Ukraine, Slovenian-Italian relations for Rai
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša spoke for the Italian public broadcaster Rai on Thursday evening to note that, when it comes to the situation in Ukraine, Slovenia shared with other European countries the concern for peace in the eastern neighbourhood and the position that every country has a right to decide independently on its foreign policy orientation. He again made the case for the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and lauded relations between Slovenia and Italy.
Teachers threaten strike if pay demands are not met
LJUBLJANA - Teachers in Slovenia are gearing up for a general strike in the education system, scheduled for March 9, unless their demands that include payment of additional workload related to the Covid-19 epidemic and an increase in wages for all employees in the system are not met before that date. The SVIZ teachers' union decided unanimously that the union's membership would take a vote next week on whether to go on the planned strike.
New proposal for cryptocurrency tax unveiled
LJUBLJANA - The Finance Ministry unveiled a new draft law on cryptocurrency taxation. It proposes a 10% taxation rate and a general tax exemption on up to EUR 10,000 of redeemed cryptocurrency per year. The proposed solutions would apply to all natural persons who pay taxes in Slovenia, but not to legal persons and natural persons that hold cryptocurrencies as a business asset. The ministry expects public feedback by 21 February.
Slovenia, Italy discussing joint promotion of Rebula wine
DOBROVO - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek held talks with his Italian counterpart Stefano Patuanelli. They discussed plans for the joint promotion of Slovenian and Italian wines from the border-spanning region, especially the Rebula white wine, known in Italy as Ribolla. "Today's meeting is a strong political signal to cross-border cooperation in the promotion of Rebula," Podgoršek said.
Exports up by 20% in 2021, imports by 31%
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports rose by 19.8% year-on-year to EUR 39.4 billion in 2021 and imports increased by 30.8% to EUR 42 billion, the Statistics Office reported. A trade deficit of EUR 2.6 billion was recorded, the highest in the last ten years. The export-import ratio was at 93.9%. Slovenia exported the most goods to Germany (17.3%), a country from where by far the most imports also came (14.9%).
Survey shows Slovenia's fuel market highly concentrated
LJUBLJANA - A survey conducted by the Competition Protection Agency (AVK) found the market of fuel retailers in Slovenia to be highly concentrated, which confirms the findings of a previous survey that the AVK conducted in 2017. New providers are thus unlikely to appear due to high entry barriers. No violations of law have been detected in the latest survey, but the agency did propose some improvements.
Dismissed Research Agency board members suing government
LJUBLJANA - The newspapers Dnevnik and Večer reported that the four members of the management board of the public Research Agency who had been recently dismissed by the government had filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court over the dismissal. They also request that the appointment of the substitute members be stayed, arguing the dismissals were carried out completely arbitrarily.
Iconic protest artist Marko Brecelj dies
KOPER - Marko Brecelj, an activist singer best known as the founder and frontman of the iconic progressive rock band Buldožer, died aged 70. Brecelj released a total of two albums and one soundtrack with Buldožer, contributing the socially charged and subversive lyrics for them before leaving the band to pursue a solo career. Brecelj remained active and provocative until the very end despite his grave illness and was known in recent years for his provocative protest performances.
Slovenian diaspora plans many events ahead of Culture Day
SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary/GORIZIA, TRIESTE, Italy/KLAGENFURT, Austria - Slovenian communities abroad will or have held a number of events ahead of the Slovenian Culture Day on 8 February, including today's ceremony held by two Slovenian organisations in Hungary, which was attended by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch. She will attend another ceremony on Sunday, organised by the two umbrella organisations of the Slovenian minority in Italy. Events marking the holiday will also take place in Carinthia, Austria.
