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This summary is provided by the STA:
PM Janša pledges an extra EUR 1m to help Ukraine
WARSAW, Poland - Prime Minister Janez Janša pledged another million euros in Slovenia's aid to Ukraine as he took part in an international donor conference for Ukraine in Warsaw. This comes on top of almost EUR 1 million that Slovenia had already promised last month as part of the global campaign in support of Ukraine. "We have responded in line with our moral obligation," said Janša, announcing a bill to be put to parliament to shorten the procedures to be able to deliver help on time.
Slovenian army focussing more on combat readiness
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces presented its plans for more than 90 different military exercises at home and abroad this year with the force commander Major General Miha Škerbinc explaining there was more focus on combat training and combat tasks than before. There is also an increased focus on tasks related to defending Slovenia's national territory and Europe's territory, and tasks related to the operationalisation of the concepts of the new military strategy.
New Ukrainian ambassador to Slovenia appointed
KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Andriy Taran, the former defence minister of Ukraine, new ambassador to Slovenia. The current Ukrainian Ambassador Mykhailo Brodovych, who has served in Slovenia since 2015, was relieved of his duties. The incoming ambassador was the defence minister of Ukraine from March 2020 to last November, when he resigned.
Govt decrees on Covid pass found in breach of constitution
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court upheld the information commissioner's view that collecting personal data to determine whether a person meets the recovered-vaccinated-tested rule based on a government decree rather than a law is in breach of the constitution. The challenged decrees remain in force but will be annulled after one year. By then the government must make sure a legal basis is passed to state clearly which data may be collected and processed and for which purpose and how to monitor this.
SocDem leader given mandate to resume coalition talks
LJUBLJANA - Tanja Fajon obtained a full mandate from the presidency of her Social Democrats (SD) to resume talks with the Freedom Movement and the Left to form a new government amid speculation about discontent among the rank-and-file members over the election result. Fajon said she was "aware we cannot be happy with the election result [...] but we are happy that we have replaced the Janez Janša government." The SD is to get four departments in the next government with Fajon to be foreign minister.
Businesses hit by energy hike receive aid
LJUBLJANA - The Financial Administration disbursed one-off aid to businesses and farmers who have experienced a more than 40% increase in fuel, heating, electricity and other energy costs this year. The payments, EUR 51.56 million in total to 5,996 beneficiaries, were made on the basis of a bill passed in February as part of an energy relief package meant to mitigate the impact of high energy prices for households and business entities, including agriculture.
Exports up almost 24% in March, still outpaced by growth in imports
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's merchandise exports were up by 23.7% year-on-year in March, but imports surged by 45.5%, further widening the trade deficit, the latest Statistics Office data shows. In the first quarter of the year exports rose by 21.6% over the year before to EUR 10.5 billion, whereas imports were up by almost 50% to EUR 13.1 billion. The export-import ratio was 87.4% and the trade deficit stood at EUR 1.6 billion.
Registered jobless total in April lowest since 1990
LJUBLJANA - A total of 58,081 people were registered as unemployed at the Employment Service at the end of April, which is 4.1% less than in March and 26.7% less year-on-year. This is the lowest jobless total since 1990, the Employment Service said. Indicating that the labour market remains tight, demand for workers increased by 40.1% compared to the first four months of last year, as employers reported 59,617 vacancies.
Slovenians remain worried about Ukraine war, poll shows
LJUBLJANA - A survey carried out by Mediana shows that the level of concern about the war in Ukraine remains high but practically unchanged - 60.8% of Slovenians were worried about the war in April and 60.2% in March. Some 90% are also concerned about the negative impact on prices as a result of the war, although the shares are lower than in March. Almost 92% are worried that prices of energy will rise, and 90% that the prices of basic necessities will increase, down three and four points, respectively.
NGOs want independent environment ministry, oppose merger with infrastructure
LJUBLJANA - Environmental NGOs warned against a potential merger of the environment and infrastructure ministries, which is reportedly being mulled by the emerging new coalition. They want the Environment Ministry to remain independent and urge the new government not to speed up the degradation of the environment but put a stop to it. "This is a political practice that we've been seeing for many years and that needs to be ended because it is harmful," said the NGOs.
Ascent Resources committed to defend investment after fracking ban
LONDON, UK - As a blanket ban on hydraulic fracturing in Slovenia entered into force, the UK investor Ascent Resources, which is still in dispute with the state over the granting of permit to extract gas by means of fracking in Petišovci (NE), said it remained committed to defending its EUR 50 million investment. It said it had notified the Slovenian government of "further breaches under the UK-Slovenia bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty".
Ceremony held for WWII British pilot killed in Slovenia
PIVKA - Slovenian and British officials laid wreaths at a monument to a British pilot who crashed in the village of Suhorje in south-western Slovenia in 1945. The monument was erected last June by the Park of Military History in the nearby town of Pivka at the initiative of the locals. Respects to RAF patrol pilot Edmund Ramsbotham were paid by National Council President Alojz Kovšca and British Ambassador to Slovenia Tiffany Sadler.
Union demands return of original Studio City
LJUBLJANA - Studio City, a TV Slovenija magazine-format current affairs show hosted by Marcel Štefančič since 1998, continues to raise dust. The programme was suspended two months ago and the RTV Slovenija failed to extend its host's contract, announcing it will return in a changed format and with a new host. In the wake of protests by RTV Slovenija staff and journalist organisations, the Trade Union of Journalists (SNS) today demanded the weekly show return with Štefančič as its host.
New Bosch production plant to get EUR 829,000 incentive
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian subsidiary of the German group Bosch Rexroth will get up to EUR 829,308 in state incentive for its new production facility close to Ljubljana airport, under a decision taken by the government. Valued at EUR 13.2 million, the investment is to create 123 new jobs. In February the company told the STA they were planning to relocate from their current three locations to the new location in the first quarter of 2023.
Slovenian UniCredit posts higher profit in Q1
LJUBLJANA - UniCredit Bank Slovenija posted a net profit of EUR 8 million in the first quarter of the year, a 22.2% increase over the same period last year, even as interest revenue and commissions were lower, shows the group's business report. The group, incorporating the UniCredit Bank Slovenija and UniCredit Leasing, recorded EUR 10 million in net interest revenue, down by 6.5% over the first trimester of 2021.
Coronavirus situation stable
LJUBLJANA - A total of 990 new coronavirus cases were recorded on Wednesday, a drop of 14 from a week ago. The National Institute of Public Health estimates that there are some 12,000 active cases in the country, over 260 fewer than yesterday. Five patients died. Hospitalisation figures also remain stable, with 230 persons with Covid or due to Covid currently in hospital, including 23 in intensive care.
Photos of Plečnik's golden age on show at SEM
LJUBLJANA - A selection of 70 photographs of the masterpieces architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) designed in Slovenia were put on show at the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum. The photos were taken by Plečnik's three contemporaries and bring insight into his golden age - a period between both world wars when Plečnik left a strong mark on Ljubljana. The Golden Age of Plečnik's Architecture is part of the year dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the architect's birth, and will close in mid-September.
Film essay wins Đejmi Hadrović OHO Group Award
LJUBLJANA - A film essay about a woman's situation in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina won the author Đejmi Hadrović this year's OHO Group Award for up-and-coming Slovenian visual artists. The judging panel described Nena as "a difficult yet magical, and local yet universal film essay". The short film essay depicts Zahida's situation in a neglected region in contemporary Bosnia-Herzegovina. The film relates directly to capitalism and the question of labour and capital structures of society.
