23 Oct 2021, 04:28 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 23 October 2021

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Luka Koper management agrees to resign

KOPER - The management board of port operator Luka Koper agreed with the supervisory board on Friday to resign. CEO Dimitrij Zadel and the other two members, Metod Podkrižnik and Irma Gubanec, will serve until 15 November, chief supervisor Franci Matoz told the press after the extraordinary session of the supervisory board. Matoz said that the management performed well, but they had concluded that a new management team was needed for the company's strategic development. "We believe that Luka Koper needs faster development and a bigger breakthrough," said Matoz. Zadel was named CEO in December 2017 after his predecessor was dismissed.

Upward trend continues with almost 2,000 new coronavirus cases

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged almost 2,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, up almost 80% week-on-week, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). The share of positive tests stood at 28.6%, up by more than seven percentage points from a week ago. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents increased by 53 to 759, and the rolling seven-day average of new daily cases was up by 123 to 1,429. The government reported that hospitalisations were at 440 today, which is 19 more than on the day before, with 120 patients requiring intensive care. Nine Covid-19 patients died yesterday, two more than on Wednesday.

Janša says solution on rule of law should be sought in cooperation with Poland

BRUSSELS, Belgium - An important conclusion of today's EU discussion in Brussels on the primacy of EU law is that a solution needs to be sought in cooperation with Poland not against Poland, stressed Prime Minister Janez Janša after a two-day EU summit. He said only one country had directly proposed setting the rule of law as condition for EU funding. The debate on how the EU should respond to a ruling by the Polish Constitutional Court rejecting the core principle that EU law has primacy over national legislation was shorter than expected and much calmer than a debate at the European Parliament beforehand, Janša said.

Janša: Green transition in energy crisis should be seen as solution

BRUSSELS, Belgium - In the energy crisis, green transition should be seen as a solution, not a problem, Prime Minister Janez Janša said as he addressed the press after a two-day EU summit. He again urged the use of nuclear energy in the transition to a fossil-free future. Calculations show transition will be impossible to make without nuclear energy, because it accounts for 27% of Europe's electricity and even a bit more in Slovenia. If it is excluded, the only other transition energy source is natural gas, in which case the EU would agree to being strongly dependant on external factors, he said.

C5 ministers urge cooperation in post-pandemic recovery efforts

VIENNA, Austria - Foreign Minister Anže Logar was in Vienna for a meeting of foreign ministers of the Central 5 (C5) group hosted by Austrian counterpart Michael Linhart. The ministers have urged further cooperation of the five European countries - apart from Slovenia and Austria, also Hungary, Czechia and Hungary - particularly in post-Covid recovery. Logar said talks on a declaration to be adopted at the summit had already started, while he stressed that since 2017, the summit would be the first in-person meeting with this group of countries - apart from Belarus, also Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Tonin says EU strategic autonomy not to rival NATO

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Coming out of a two-day NATO ministerial, the first in-person session in over a year, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said he had made it clear the EU's strategic autonomy was not meant to compete with NATO or the US. Speaking to reporters, Tonin said the important thing was everyone understood strategic autonomy the same way. As the chair of the EU Council, he underscored clearly, including to US allies, that strategic autonomy was not about competition with NATO or the US, but "merely about our greater autonomy".

Spa boss doubts leaked tape of his conversation with minister genuine

LJUBLJANA - Bojan Petan, the CEO of spa Terme Čatež and publisher DZS, broke silence over the leaked recording of his alleged conversation 14 years ago with Andrej Vizjak, the economy minister of the time. In a written statement he said he did not remember having such a conversation, calling for law enforcement authorities to examine its authenticity. "Considering the repeated media reports about the recording of the alleged conversation between me and Minister Vizjak I emphasise that I have never recorded any my conversation with any person, including ministers of any Slovenian government," Petan said.

Minister urged to act amid controversy over rapid tests

LJUBLJANA - An opposition MP has urged Health Minister Janez Poklukar to appoint a competent group of experts to look into the verification of rapid antigen coronavirus tests bought by the state last year after a senior microbiologist at the verifying authority who has since lost her job told a parliamentary inquiry they were inadequate. The Health Ministry bought the controversial tests from Majbert Pharm in December 2020 to be used for voluntary mass testing against coronavirus. They were verified by the National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH), which found them to be up to the standard.

Speaker stresses importance of multilateralism at CoE conference

ATHENS, Greece - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič underlined the importance of multilateralism in responding to present-day challenges and the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans as he addressed the plenary session of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament from Council of Europe (CoE) countries. "The Covid-19 pandemic has harshly reminded us of humanity's vulnerability, but it has also shown us that only cooperation guarantees solving problems," said Zorčič. He also addressed yesterday's discussion on the pandemic, saying that democracy and the rule of law should never become its collateral damage.

State investments underperformed last year due to epidemic

LJUBLJANA - The return on equity of state-owned investments and those owned by Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) reached 4.3% last year, down on the previous year and below the target value. The lower return is due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the SSH said in its annual report. The net return on equity (ROE) of the managed portfolio reached 4.3% in 2020, 2.6 percentage points lower than in 2019 and 1.6 percentage points below the target set in the annual plan. However, the amount of dividends received was above target value at almost EUR 151 million. "The reason for the lower profitability is the Covid-19 epidemic, which has completely changed business conditions and the global macroeconomic situation," the state assets custodian said.

Finance Committee rejects all changes to draft 2023 budget

LJUBLJANA - The Finance Committee discussed the draft national budget for 2023 as the last parliamentary body to do so, voting down all changes proposed by MPs. The document now goes back to the government to potentially make changes, while parliament is to take the final vote on it together with the supplementary 2022 budget in November. The government projects EUR 11.84 billion in revenue in 2023, and EUR 13.36 billion in expenditure, down EUR 580 million compared to 2022. The government based the 2023 budget on 3.3% economic growth forecast by the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development.

Government to promote vaccination by incentivising GPs

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted on Thursday a project to boost Covid-19 vaccination, deciding to provide incentives for general practitioners and their teams who actively promote vaccination. They will be eligible for bonuses if at least 45% of their registered patients aged over 50 have received the first dose, or at least 55% have been fully vaccinated. The goal of the project is to increase the vaccination rate, especially among the people over 50, the government said after a correspondence session. The project will be financed from the national budget. Doctors and nurses warned that their workload was excessive as it is and some also voiced concern about the ethical aspect of such a campaign.

Slovenia to donate over 610,000 Janssen vaccine doses to COVAX

LJUBLJANA - The government decided on Thursday to donate 612,064 doses of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine to the COVAX initiative. The vaccine doses, which Slovenia ordered under a joint European public procurement contract and are to be delivered this year, are expected to be shipped on to Africa. Africa is the continent with the lowest vaccination rates, while hygienic and other conditions, make it difficult to effectively combat the pandemic, the government said. It also decided to withdraw the decision made on 28 September to purchase an additional 100,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine from Hungary.

Business calls for import of foreign labour to address shortages

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) has called for action to deal with staff shortages in particular in manufacturing and services, including closing agreements with countries in the region, Ukraine and the Philippines to facilitate import of foreign labour. Citing surveys by the national statistics office and Eurochambers, the GZS said at least a third of manufacturing companies and a fifth in the services sector were grappling with staff shortages, while the issue was a major problem for the whole economy.

Average gross pay down in August to EUR 1,900

LJUBLJANA - The average gross pay in Slovenia in August stood at EUR 1,900, down 2.1% nominally and 2.2% in real terms compared to July. The average net wage was EUR 1,228, down 1.7% in nominal terms and 1.8% in real terms, the Statistics Office said. The average gross pay in August was EUR 2,179 in the public sector and EUR 1,773 in the private sector, while the average net pay stood at 1,400 and 1,149, respectively. The average gross pay in the public sector was 7% lower month-on-month, while it was up by almost 1% in the private sector. The highest average gross pay was recorded in electricity, gas and steam supply (EUR 2,864).

Business sentiment down in October for fourth month running

LJUBLJANA - The downward trend of business sentiment in Slovenia continued for a fourth month in a row in October, as the relevant indicator dropped by 2.5 percentage points compared to September, the Statistics Office said. The monthly drop in October is mostly attributed to the decline in the indicators of confidence in manufacturing (contributing two percentage points), of consumer confidence (0.7 of a point) and of confidence in retail (0.4 of a percentage point). Year-on-year, the business sentiment indicator was up 8.3 percentage points, mostly due to the higher confidence in the services sector.

Protesters in Ljubljana demand independent journalism

LJUBLJANA - Friday's protesters gathering in Ljubljana's city centre demanding the government's resignation and an early election, today raised the issue of pressure on media freedom and the suspension of funding of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) as well as leaked recordings of Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak, which they said that in any other normal democracy would lead to the minister's resignation.

22 Oct 2021, 17:16 PM

Business Groups Says Slovenia Needs More Workers from Region, Ukraine & Philippines

STA, 22 October 2021 - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) has called for action to deal with staff shortages in particular in manufacturing and services, including closing agreements with countries in the region, Ukraine and the Philippines to facilitate import of foreign labour.

Citing surveys by the national statistics office and Eurochambers, the GZS said at least a third of manufacturing companies and a fifth in the services sector were grappling with staff shortages, while the issue was a major problem for the whole economy.

The chamber proposes a series of measures including adapting education, expanding the list of shortage occupations, introducing a special procedure to hire highly-qualified staff from abroad, and measures to retain and attract back staff in Slovenia.

They also propose closing new bilateral agreements with some of the countries in the former Yugoslavia as well as bilateral accords with Ukraine and the Philippines, the countries they say offer "suitable professional profiles."

A virtual meeting was held on Thursday to match representatives of job agencies from the Philippines with employers in Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Czechia and Poland, however the GZS said Slovenia acted more like an observer of best practice in other countries, which have embassies and trade and investment agencies present in the Philippines.

Since Slovenia covers the country from its embassy in Tokyo it is in a disadvantaged position compared to other countries, while procedures to obtain visas and other paperwork for the staff Slovenian companies would like to employ are lengthy and costly.

The chamber thus urged the government to sign an agreement with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as soon as possible and set up monthly consular days in Manila to allow qualified Philippine staff to be hired by Slovenian companies as well.

22 Oct 2021, 13:36 PM

Slovenia’s Average Gross Pay Fell Slightly to €1,900 in August

STA, 22 October 2021 - The average gross pay in Slovenia in August stood at EUR 1,900, down 2.1% nominally and 2.2% in real terms compared to July. The average net wage was EUR 1,228, down 1.7% in nominal terms and 1.8% in real terms, the Statistics Office said on Friday.

The average gross pay in August was EUR 2,179 in the public sector and EUR 1,773 in the private sector, while the average net pay stood at 1,400 and 1,149, respectively.

The average gross pay in the public sector was 7% lower month-on-month, while it was up by almost 1% in the private sector, show the Statistics Office data.

The highest average gross pay in August was recorded in electricity, gas and steam supply, standing at EUR 2,864, while this sector also recorded the largest monthly increase at 8.5%. The largest decrease in gross wages (-16%) was recorded in education.

More on this data

22 Oct 2021, 13:29 PM

Ljubljana Exhibition & Convention Centre Expects Business to Recover Autumn 2022 (Interview)

STA, 22 October 2021 - The Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre is hosting its first fair after an interlude of a year and a half due to coronavirus. However, CEO Iztok Bricl says he does not expect business to get back to normal before the autumn next year.

The 51st iteration of the Nature-Health fair opened at Gospodarsko Razstavišče (GR) on Wednesday, the first such event after the 59th Home fair had to close a day early in March 2020 when the coronavirus epidemic was first declared.

"Nature-Health is our third largest fair. It's featuring 140 exhibitors and we've leased out over 2,500 square metres of exhibition space," Bricl has told the STA in an interview.

A bigger question is the turnout. "Realistically, I believe the visitor numbers will be halved. The recovered-vaccinated-tested rule being the condition to visit, we've organised free testing for the visitors," says Bricl.

November will see the 31st Ambient Ljubljana furniture fair with the construction fair Dom Plus, which make up the second largest fair at the Ljubljana fairgrounds. The largest one is Home, which is due back next March.

Lockdown measures have had a major impact on business. "We saw a decline of nearly 60% last year. We generated 2.6 million in revenue, which compares to roughly six million in the years before. We made half a million euro in loss in 2020."

The company had been doing very well in the years before Covid, in particularly after 2016. Half the revenue was generated by fairs and half by conventions and large events. Both divisions ground to a halt. The staff was thus cut back from 39 to below 30.

GR made use of state aid measures such as furlough and compensation for fixed costs, deferring the land contribution tax payment of EUR 180,000 a year by a year as well as delaying the payment of the corporate income tax.

"Gospodarsko Razstavišče survived that period by means of loans and the cash flow that had been generated before. State aid was not enough, it didn't offset even a third of the loss," says Bricl.

He does not think the government acted fast enough to provide loan guarantees or provided sufficient support for the events industry, which was hit the hardest. "Everything they gave, came late," he says, comparing measures to those in Austria, Germany and Italy.

"In Slovenia, the government was saving jobs, not companies. That's a major difference," says Bricl, who is also the head of the Chamber of Fairs and Meetings Industry.

Everyone in the industry is now waiting for the call for funds that is being promised by the Economy Ministry "so we can survive and get prepared for the coming years".

While noting the uncertainty surrounding the epidemic in view of the low vaccination rate in Slovenia, Bricl expects GR to get back to business as usual in the autumn of 2022 when he expects a major new problem to be finding the right staff.

This year the company has been holding mostly smaller events, seminars, meetings of up to 50 people. The CEO expects revenue to the tune of EUR 2 million with the loss likely at last year's level.

The pandemic has also put investments on hold. Plans for a new multi-purpose hall remain with the city council expected to endorse the relevant zoning plan in about a year.

Next year they plan to hold ten major international conventions, five of which have already been confirmed. Provided people can travel normally, they will also carry them out.

22 Oct 2021, 11:57 AM

Slovenia Joins Call for EU Rapid Reaction Force

STA, 21 October 2021 - Slovenia and four other EU countries have drawn up a proposal to transform the EU's existing battle groups into a rapid reaction force in an initiative prompted by the experience of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan where the EU had to rely on the US, the Germany press agency dpa has reported.

The report says the concept proposed by Slovenia, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal is to create effective forces capable of responding to crises at short notice. Along with special forces and air transport they would also include space and cyber capabilities.

"Recent events in Afghanistan have shown once more that the EU has to be in a position ... to act robustly and rapidly," reads the document compiled by the five countries and obtained by the dpa.

To provide greater flexibility, the five countries propose invoking Article 44 of the EU Treaty, which talks of intervention by a "coalition of the willing" and which has never been activated. The countries also propose using regional cooperation arrangements already in place to greater effect.

While not specifying what size the reaction force should be, the document says the land-based forces should be of brigade strength, which means around 5,000 troops.

The current battle group concept provides for two 1,500-strong units to be on standby but currently only one such unit is available and the force has never been in fact deployed.

The five countries hope to have the document included in the Strategic Compass - a key European defence and security process aimed at enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy.

Answering a query from the STA, the Defence Ministry confirmed that Slovenian had participated in drawing up the proposal from the field of crisis management.

"It is just another segment in the mosaic of thought papers and discussions with which EU members make efforts for the Strategic Compass to give concrete political guidelines for further development of the common security and defence policy in the coming five to ten years," it said in a written statement.

EU members' efforts are directed towards using and upgrading the existing EU structures and elements to make them more operational, the ministry said, adding the proposal received broad support at today's discussion of EU defence ministers in Brussels with more countries announcing to join it.

22 Oct 2021, 11:35 AM

Svetlana Makarovič Wins Ježek Award

STA, 21 October 2021 - Svetlana Makarovič, a leading Slovenian poet and children's author, is the winner of this year's Ježek Award, an accolade celebrating creative and witty radio and television works. Makarovič was labelled as the most representative contemporary author of fairy tales who has also made her mark on theatre and chanson.

Makarovič's works are distinguished not only by literary intertextuality but also versatility, as she draws from many languages, literatures and cultures, the jury said.

She has introduced several new features into Slovenian children's literature: original imaginary spaces, perspectives and construction, subversive style and linguistic ingenuity, and social criticism for children.

Her works have dual message - the text is meant for children while the context is for adults.

She has also been recognised abroad; in 2020 she was nominated for the ALMA, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Makarovič has also left a strong mark on theatre, especially the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, where her fairy tale Sapra the Little Mouse has been made into a hit play.

The jury also pointed to Makarovič's chansons and lyrics she has written for other musicians. According to literary and music critic Jure Potokar, chanson seems to be as natural artistic environment for Makarovič as poetry and storytelling.

Through chanson, her poetry has also reached those who do not read books, let alone poetry.

The Ježek award has been presented by the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija annually since 1989 to mark RTV Slovenija Day on 28 October. Last year it went to musician and poet Vlado Kreslin.

22 Oct 2021, 04:01 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 22 October 2021

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenia joins initiative pushing for EU rapid reaction force

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and four other EU countries have drawn up a proposal to transform the EU's existing battle groups into a rapid reaction force in an initiative prompted by the experience of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan where the EU had to rely on the US, the Germany press agency dpa has reported. The concept proposed by Slovenia, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal is to create effective forces capable of responding to crises at short notice. Along with special forces and air transport they would also include space and cyber capabilities. The Defence Ministry confirmed for the STA that Slovenia had participated in drawing up the proposal from the field of crisis management.

Pahor presents Mattarella with Slovenia's highest honour

NOVA GORICA/GORIZIA, Italy - President Borut Pahor presented his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella with the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service, Slovenia's highest honour, in a ceremony in Europe Square linking Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the cities on each side of the Slovenian-Italian border. Pahor and Mattarella were also there to hail their title as the 2025 European Capital of Culture. Pahor first received his Italian counterpart with full military honours in Nova Gorica, and they also visited a new footbridge across the border river Soča, and an exhibition in Gorizia that marks the 140th anniversary of the Trieste-based newspaper Il Piccolo. In Gorizia, Mattarella formally received Pahor with a guard of honour.

Week-on-week spike in Covid cases continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 1,845 new coronavirus cases for Wednesday in what continues to be a week-on-week increase. The test positivity rate stood at 27.8%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents increased by 42 to 706. Hospital figures remain broadly flat. There were 421 patients with Covid-19 in hospital this morning, of which 120 in intensive care. Seven patients with Covid-19 died, official data show.

Slovenia's NATO capability goals changed as defence ministers meet

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The NATO defence ministers, including Slovenia's Matej Tonin, confirmed the alliance's capability goals, with the most demanding capability goals for Slovenia as of new including only one battalion-size battlegroup instead of two. "After a year of coordination, the Slovenian capability goals have been confirmed and they bring two key news," the Slovenian Defence Ministry, noting that in addition to a battalion-size battlegroup, the country had been tasked with establishing a medium-sized reconnaissance battalion.

Minister hopes energy vouchers won't be needed

RAVNE NA KOROŠKEM - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek has confirmed the government is considering introducing energy vouchers to help the most vulnerable groups of population cope with rising prices, but also said they hoped such measures would not be necessary. The minister commented on potential measures during a visit to steel company SIJ Metal Ravne after the government imposed a temporary cap on margins on heating oil yesterday. Počivalšek noted that the issue of rising energy prices is a complex one and thus not easy to tackle. "We cannot affect gas prices because we rely fully on imports."

National Assembly passes new energy supply act

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed on Wednesday the energy supply act, a piece of legislation that defines relationships between energy companies and end consumers, introduces the right to conclude a contract with dynamic prices, provides the legal basis for energy communities, and defines the concept of energy poverty. The energy supply act is one of the six acts into which the government has divided the energy act.

Novartis to fill Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Novartis has signed an initial agreement to use its manufacturing facility in Ljubljana to fill the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19. The Novartis Technical Operations site in Ljubljana will fill at least 24 million doses in its sterile manufacturing facilities in 2022, the Swiss pharma company announced. Novartis plans to take bulk mRNA active ingredient from BioNTech and fill it into vials under sterile conditions for shipment back to BioNTech for its distribution.

United Media taking over publisher Adria Media

LJUBLJANA - United Media, the media division of United Group, reported a takeover of Slovenian publishing company Adria Media at the country's Competition Protection Agency (AVK). Adria Media publishes magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Elle and Avtomagazin, and the portal Motropolitan.si. United Media already owns several businesses in Slovenia - telecommunications company Telemach, online retailer Shoppster, sport TV channels Sport Klub, and an N1 news portal, which was launched last June.

Petrol and OMV to comply with regulation of heating oil prices

LJUBLJANA - The energy companies Petrol and OMV Slovenija, leading providers of petroleum products in Slovenia, said they would abide by a new government regulation re-introducing administered heating oil prices which will kick in on 9 November. Petrol and OMV Slovenija will thus have to limit the distributors' margin to a maximum of six cents per litre of heating oil. Currently, the price is expected to be 15 cents per litre. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek noted today that the price of heating oil had increased by 69% since 2016, including by 64% due to the increase in global market prices.

Slovenian, Russian agriculture ministers sign cooperation plan

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Patrushev discussed possible forms of cooperation in the field of agriculture and rural development at a bilateral meeting and signed an action plan to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The documents highlight cooperation in the areas of beekeeping, animal health, organic farming, family farming, young rural entrepreneurs and digitalisation in agriculture.

Energy company Gen-I vows not to increase prices until 2022

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest electricity supplier Gen-I will not increase the prices of electricity and natural gas for households at least until summer 2022 despite the situation on global markets, Gen-I's board chairman Robert Golob said on Thursday. He also presented the company's plans to establish a new "solar energy community", connecting small solar plants on rooftops with consumers across the country in order for more households to become self-sustainable.

SIJ Metal Ravne launches new ESR plant worth EUR 6.8 million

RAVNE NA KOROŠKEM - SIJ Metal Ravne, the second largest subsidiary of the Russian-owned steel group SIJ, has completed the investment into a new electro-slag remelting plant, worth EUR 6.8 million. The investment was officially launched today and will help the company respond to the increased demand from the world's most intensive industries. Economy Minister Počivalšek said this is "a bold step for the SIJ Group, which will contribute to further growth", and stressed that the group was one of the largest Slovenian exporters and one of the most important employers.

Author Svetlana Makarovič wins Ježek Award

LJUBLJANA - Svetlana Makarovič, a leading Slovenian poet and children's author, is the winner of this year's Ježek Award, an accolade celebrating creative and witty radio and television works. Makarovič was labelled as the most representative contemporary author of fairy tales who has also made her mark on theatre and chanson. Makarovič's works are distinguished not only by literary intertextuality but also versatility, the jury said.

Pianist Alexander Gadjiev takes second place at Intl Chopin Piano Competition

WARSAW, Poland - Alexander Gadjiev, representing Slovenia and Italy, has won second place at the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw,sharing it with Kyohei Sorita from Japan. Gadjiev also won the Krystian Zimerman Prize for the best performance of a Chopin sonata. This is the first time that Slovenia was represented in the finals.

Labour costs per employee up by 5% last year

LJUBLJANA - Average monthly costs per person in paid employment in Slovenia increased by 5% last year to EUR 2,498.73, data from the Statistics Office shows. Average monthly labour costs were the highest in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector, at EUR 3,903.58 per employee, and in financial and insurance industry, at EUR 3,683.87. According to Eurostat, Slovenia's labour costs were below the EU average.

Complaint filed against man, company over Celje gas explosion

CELJE - Celje police have filed a criminal complaint against a 64-year-old man and a company he worked for over an explosion of natural gas that injured three persons and caused significant damage to the main coach terminal in Celje in January. The cause of the explosion was an uncontrolled leakage of natural gas, with a fire breaking out at the ground floor of the terminal in a room with a power switchboard. The suspect was working for a gas supply company and was tasked with checking the gas network.

21 Oct 2021, 17:40 PM

32nd Ljubljana International Film Festival Returns to Cinemas with Almost 100 Films, 10-21 November 2021

STA, 21 October 2021 - The 32nd Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) returns to cinemas after being held in the virtual realm last year. According to the festival's director, Simon Popek, around 80 feature and 16 short films will be screened between 10 and 21 November, with ten in the running for the Kingfisher Award for the best film.

The Perspectives section, featuring films by up-an-coming directors in the running for the Kingfisher, will include Inventory by Darko Sinko, a drama with elements of a thriller and black comedy.

Set in contemporary middle-class surroundings in Slovenia, the film won the best directing award at this year's Slovenian Film Festival Portorož.

Also competing will be the award-winning Slovenian minority co-productions Morena by Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, a psychological family drama about patriarchate, and Small Body by Laura Samani, a mythopoetic odyssey of grief, faith, and feminine determination.

Popek described Azor by Andreas Fontana, "an abstract symphony of the Venetian Lagoon", while Kala Azar by Janis Rafa will offer a dystopic view of the different relations between humans and animals.

Looking for Venera, directed by Norika Sefa, is a story about a girl growing up in the Kosovo countryside.

The list also includes black-and-white film by Zheng Lu Xinyuan, The Cloud in Her Room, the winner of the Rotterdam film festival, and Hit the Road by Panah Panahi, "a spiritual story set in the Iranian countryside".

Servants by Ivan Ostrochovsky is a story about two students of theology in Czechoslovakia in 1980.

Slovenian film production will be represented by Tijana Zinajić's Bitch, a Derogatory Term for a Woman, which won multiple awards at the Portorož festival, a minority production Heavens Above by Serbian director Srđan Dragojević, and Bird Atlas by the Czech Republic-based Slovenian director Olmo Omerzu in the Avantpremieres section.

A minority co-production Beanie by Slobodan Maksimović will be screened in the Kinobalon section targeting young audiences and The Last Day of Patriarchy, also by Omerzu, in the short films section.

The competing section Europe in Short will showcase 16 short films. Next to Omerzu, Rok Bičko and Špela Čadež will be represented with Penalty Shot and Steakhouse, respectively.

The opening film on 10 November will be I'm Your Man by Marie Schrader, presenting an experience of a female scientist who must live with a humanoid robot for three weeks.

Several big names will be presented as well as films taking the main prizes at top international film festivals or standing out for some other reason, Popek said.

In the Avantpremiere section, Aurey Diwan's Happening, which won the top award at the Venice International Film, and a film about a relationship between two Italian nuns in the 17th century Benedetta by Paul Verhoeven will be screened alongside Radu Jude's Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn.

Perhaps the most commercial film of the festival, according to Popek, is Spencer, an interpretation of four days in the life of Princess Diana, directed by Pablo Larrain.

Pedro Almodovar is returning to the festival with another example of his film poetics Parallel Mothers, a story exploring the complicated nature of a women and mother.

The only animated feature film of the festival is Belle: The Dragon and the Freckled Princes, a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast, signed by Mamoru Hosoda.

The country in focus will be Georgia, while the festival's retrospective will present films that have been censored.

LIFFe will also pay tribute to French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, who died in September, with four films, including The Man from Acapulco, which will close the festival on 20 November.

Despite the hope that the festival will be held live in cinemas, the organisers will also offer at least 16 films through a video on demand platforms.

Ticket sale started today. Some screenings will also be held in Maribor, Celje and Novo Mesto.

Lean more and get tickets at the website

21 Oct 2021, 14:15 PM

Novartis to Produce Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine in Ljubljana

STA, 21 October 2021 - Novartis has signed an initial agreement to use its manufacturing facility in Ljubljana to fill the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19. The Novartis Technical Operations site in Ljubljana will fill at least 24 million doses in its sterile manufacturing facilities in 2022, the Swiss pharma company announced on Thursday.

Novartis plans to take bulk mRNA active ingredient from BioNTech and fill it into vials under sterile conditions for shipment back to BioNTech for its distribution.

Subject to reaching a final agreement, Novartis plans to start filling and finishing the vaccine in Ljubljana in the first half of 2022 once it has transferred the manufacturing process from Stein, Switzerland, to Ljubljana.

Novartis has been filling for BioNTech at its Stein site since June after the European Medicines Agency approved the filling-and-finishing plant. Under the agreement signed at the beginning of 2020, Novartis will fill more than 50 million doses of the vaccine in Stein this year.

Novartis says the facility in Ljubljana is "a state-of-the-art aseptic filling operation which manufactures and supplies a broad range of aseptic products" for its division Sandoz.

Novartis plans to disclose more details once it has concluded specific agreements. It did say however, that it continued to offer its "world-class capabilities to other companies to take over manufacturing activities including a variety of technologies such as mRNA production and others".

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the most widely used Covid-19 vaccine in Slovenia. According to the National Institute of Public Health, 1,514,526 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

21 Oct 2021, 12:12 PM

Alexander Gadjiev Wins 2nd Place at Chopin Piano Competition (Video)

STA, 21 October 2021 - Alexander Gadjiev, representing Slovenia and Italy, has won second place at the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, sharing it with Kyohei Sorita from Japan. Gadjiev also won the Krystian Zimerman Prize for the best performance of a Chopin sonata.

The competition, which is held every five years and should have taken place last year but was pushed to this year because of the pandemic, started on 2 October and the winners were declared on Wednesday evening.

A record of 500 pianists born between 1990 and 2004 applied for the competition. Based on their recordings, 164 made it to the preliminaries. A total of 151 presented their programmes and only 87 from 17 countries progressed to the main competition. A dozen then made it to the finals.

This is the first time that Slovenia was represented in the finals. In 1995, Slovenian pianist Tomaž Tobing took part in the preliminaries, according to web portal MMC.

The winners were chosen by a 17-member jury, according to the website of the competition.

Born in 1994, Gadjiev was raised in a music family from Gorizia, Italy. He began piano lessons with his mother before continuing his training with his father, the acclaimed Russian pianist Siavush Gadjiev, at the Slovenian Centre for Musical Education Emil Komel in Gorizia.

He made his orchestral debut at the age of nine and gave his first piano recital a year later. In 2012 he graduated magna cum laude from the Bruno Maderna Conservatory in Cesena. A notable milestone in his career came in 2015, when he won first prize and the audience prize at the 9th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.

Gadjiev studied at the Mozarteum University Salzburg under Pavel Gililov and is currently completing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin under Eldar Nebolsin.

The organiser of the 18th Chopin Competition is the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, and the Competition is held under the national patronage of Polish President Andrzej Duda.

The first place comes with a EUR 40,000 prize, the second with EUR 30,000 and the Krystian Zimerman Prize is worth EUR 10,000.

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