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This summary is provided by the STA:
Govt sets maximum prices of fuel
LJUBLJANA - In order to tackle the rising energy prices, the government capped retail prices for fuels at service stations. From Tuesday, regular petrol will cost EUR 1.503 per litre, about six cents below the lowest price at the pump on Monday, and diesel will cost EUR 1.541, roughly 13 cents cheaper. The cap will be in force for 30 days, said Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek. Announcing this earlier, PM Janez Janša said the government would not allow any speculation on the fuel prices market.
Janša accuses Russia of "ethnic cleansing" in Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša accused Russia of conducting ethnic cleansing in Ukraine as he drew parallels between the current situation in Ukraine and the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina during questions time in parliament. "This is not just war or aggression, it is simply the ethnic cleansing of the coastal area along the Black Sea," he said, adding that the Russian army was trying to displace hundreds of thousands of people.
Pahor meeting Van der Bellen over Ukraine on Tuesday
VIENNA, Austria - President Borut Pahor will start a two-day visit to Vienna on Tuesday. He will first meet Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen to discuss Russia's military aggression in Ukraine and efforts to end it as soon as possible, and establish dialogue that could lead towards a peaceful solution. The next day, Pahor will give a talk at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna on the Western Balkans and the war in Ukraine and its implications for European and global peace.
Slovenia, US complete second strategic dialogue
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and the US affirmed historical friendship and shared values as they completed the second strategic dialogue in Ljubljana led by Political Director at the Foreign Ministry Jernej Müller and Deputy Assistant Secretary Robin Dunnigan from the US Department of State's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. The officials exchanged views on the latest developments in Eastern Europe and its neighbourhood, including their joint condemnation of the war in Ukraine.
Army plans significant equipment purchases this year
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) is planning significant equipment purchases this year, including a new transport aircraft, new helicopters, 8x8 armoured vehicles, cargo vehicles, communication and information systems and ground sensors, the Defence Ministry's logistics director Uroš Korošec said. The purchases are not related to the current security situation in Europe, but have been planned in advance, he added.
Slovenia to send aid to Slovakia in face of refugee influx
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will send material assistance to Slovakia in the face of an increasing flow of refugees from Ukraine under a decision taken at the government's correspondence session. The estimated value of the aid is nearly EUR 380,000. The assistance will be in the form of sleeping bags, blankets, diesel generators and protective masks, the Government Communications Office said.
Administrative units returning to business as usual
LJUBLJANA - Administrative units will return to business as usual after the government revoked a decree that severely restricted in-person operations by requiring that customers schedule appointments for services such as issuance of documents. Clients will no longer have to do this now, but the option of scheduling will remain, the Government Communications Office said.
Slovenia, Croatia, Italy launch hydrogen valley cooperation
ZAGREB, Croatia - Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok signed a letter of intent with his Croatian colleague Ivo Miletić and Massimiliano Fedriga, president of the Italian region Friuli Venezia-Giulia, to boost cooperation in building a cross-border hydrogen valley in the North Adriatic. The collaboration will contribute to efforts to achieve the targets set out in the European Green Deal and the European Hydrogen Strategy, the ministry said.
Slovenia just below EU average in barriers to wind and solar energy
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranks just below EU average in terms of barriers to wind and solar energy projects, with the biggest obstacle being the difficulty integrating such projects in spatial and environmental planning, the European Climate Foundation found in the first-of-its-kind report. The report puts Slovenia's barrier index at 0.82, which compares to 0.83 for the 27 EU countries and the UK. Slovenia thus ranks 18th among the EU countries and the UK.
Slovenia 7th in EU Commission's Transitions Performance Index
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia ranks seventh among all EU member states in the European Commission's Transitions Performance Index (TPI), a scoreboard that monitors and ranks countries based on implementation of sustainability policies between 2011 and 2020. The bloc has made an average progress of 4.9%, while the global rate was 4.3%. Slovenia's progress was 5%, the European Commission said.
Slovenian politicians regret the death of Erhard Busek
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian politicians, including Prime Minister Janez Janša, expressed regret at the news that Erhard Busek, former vice-chancellor of Austria, has died aged 80. The expert on the Western Balkans was considered Slovenia's ally, including during the country's independence efforts, and an advocate of Slovenia's EU accession. "Rest in peace, dear Erhard, we will never forget your support for Slovenia in the most challenging times," Janša wrote.
Ljubljana airport upbeat about summer season
BRNIK - Ljubljana airport plans to offer flights to several new destinations in the summer season that starts at the end of the month. Talks are still under way, but 16 airlines are expected to fly to 20 destinations, and several new charter flights are also planned. The airport's operator Fraport Slovenija said the increased demand showed the European aviation was recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The company expects passenger numbers to double this year compared with 2021 to 52% of the 2019 figure.
Ljubljana sign infrastructure deal with govt
LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec signed a protocol to continue infrastructure projects and an agreement to develop railway stations in the capital. A total of 11 projects have been identified, including construction of underpasses under railway lines. The value of the planned projects and the timeline of the construction is not defined but Vrtovec said the state would earmark "tens of millions of euros".
New Ljubljana park named in honour of the erased
LJUBLJANA - A park in Ljubljana will be named in honour of some 25,000 nationals of former Yugoslav republics who were unlawfully erased from Slovenia's permanent residence register thirty years ago under a proposal confirmed by the City Council. The proposal was put forward by Amnesty International Slovenia and the Civil Initiative of Erased Persons.
Slovenians firmly on Ukraine's side, poll shows
LJUBLJANA - In Russia's war against Ukraine, Slovenians overwhelmingly support Ukraine and a plurality think Russia is to blame for the war, though many feel all sides are to blame, shows a poll carried by Dnevnik and Večer. More than a half of respondents fear that the war will spread to other countries, under a quarter said this was a local war, and 15% expressed the fear that the war will end with a nuclear confrontation.
Another poll shows gap narrowing between Freedom Movement and SDS
LJUBLJANA - The Freedom Party continues to lead the field in the latest poll run by the newspaper Delo, polling at 18.8%, but just like in a poll released a couple of days ago it has lost its margin ahead of the ruling Democrats (SDS). However, pollsters somewhat changed the methodology since. The approval rating for the government is up too.
Insurer Grawe's annual net profit drops by a quarter
MARIBOR - The Slovenian subsidiary of Austrian insurance group Grawe last year collected EUR 47.7 million in gross revenue from insurance premiums, which is 1.2% more year-on-year, while net profit was down by a quarter to EUR 1 million. The number of concluded insurance policies increased by 2.7% compared to 2020 to 408,839, Zavarovalnica Grawe said, noting that gross revenue from insurance premiums for 2021 was the highest in the last 31 years.
Cleangrad develops first sliding airtight doors for cleanrooms
LJUTOMER - Cleangrad, a Ljutomer company specialising in design and construction of cleanrooms, has become the world's first to develop sliding airtight doors for cleanrooms. A total of 25 such doors have been ordered so far, and if the demand increases, a new production facility will be built solely for this product. CEO Jernej Zupančič said the company had EUR 13 million worth of orders for this year after sales rose by EUR 1 million to EUR 18.5 million in 2021. They will celebrate 20th anniversary in June.
Steady climb in Covid-19 cases continues
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 907 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, up 19% from the same day a week ago. Five more patients with Covid-19 died, Health Ministry data shows. A total of 233 patients are treated in hospitals due to Covid-19, including 59 in intensive care. This is three and five fewer, respectively, than yesterday and 22 and 15 fewer than a week ago. The 7-day average of new cases is now at 1,997 and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population at 1,220.
