STA, 12 October - Petrol, Slovenia's largest energy company, will significantly increase the prices of electricity and natural gas on 1 December. The price of electricity is expected to rise by around 30% and of natural gas by 12%, with Petrol citing higher energy prices on international markets as the reason.

"We have recently witnessed exceptional conditions on the commodity and energy markets, where prices are reaching record high levels day after day," Petrol said when announcing the new price list last week.

According to media calculations, the price of electricity for households will rise by 21% to 35%, depending on the tariff. For small business consumers, prices will be around 30% higher, while the price of gas is expected to rise by 12%.

Prices of energy products to be delivered in 2022 have risen significantly in the last year: electricity by more than 175%, gas by almost 300%, oil by around 65% and emission allowances by more than 125%, Petrol added.

They pointed to last year's relatively long and cold winter, which depleted gas supplies across Europe, as one of the reasons for the situation.

The development of Covid-19 vaccines had reignited economic activity and energy demand, but supply has not been able to keep up, not least because of the poor production of electricity from renewable sources over the summer.

Natural gas supply also remains a major problem, with storage capacities being underused across Europe.

"Despite the turbulent market environment, we remain committed to offering a quality, reliable and affordable supply of electricity and natural gas," Petrol said.

"The new price list will apply for our residential and small business customers as of 1 December," the company added.

According to the newspaper Finance, other suppliers are unofficially expected to follow Petrol in raising energy prices soon.

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Pfizer jab recommended in Slovenia for under 30s

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar announced the government will follow the recommendation of the national advisory committee on immunisation to use the Pfizer vaccine for under 30-year-olds. In general, the use of mRNA vaccines will be recommended over viral vector vaccines. The latter can still be used for people with a contraindication to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines or at a special request. The decision comes after a 20-year-old woman died due to brain haemorrhaging and blood clots a fortnight after she received the single-shot Janssen vaccine.

186 coronavirus infections on Sunday, six deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 186 new coronavirus cases on Sunday as the curve of infections kept falling. Another six Covid-19 patients died. This morning 422 Covid-19 patients were treated in hospitals, five more than the day before, including 121 in intensive care, official data show. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents fell to 551 and the 7-day average dropped to 788.

Minister visits Slovenian community in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch is on a visit to the Slovenian community in Argentina, as part of which she attended on Sunday the 66th Slovenian Day, the main annual event of the community in Buenos Aires. Jaklitsch also marked the 65th anniversary of the Slovenian community centre San Justo. She thanked the community for its loyalty to the Slovenian identity and for contribution to Slovenia's recognition 30 years ago.

MPs discuss infrastructure, environment budgets for 2022-2023

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Committee of Infrastructure, the Environment and Spatial Planning discussed the proposed budgets for the infrastructure and environment ministries for the next two years, with the coalition MPs praising them as development-oriented. The budgets give the Infrastructure Ministry EUR 1.27 billion next year and EUR 1.29 billion in 2023. The budgets for the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry meanwhile stand at EUR 517 million and EUR 430.5 million. The opposition expressed concern about the high public debt and budget deficit.

More budget funds for culture, but NGOs complain about cut for self-employed

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee discussed a draft supplementary budget for 2022 and a draft budget for 2023, both of which raise funds for culture. The supplementary budget brings EUR 238 million, up EUR 8.4 million from the 2022 budget passed late last year, while the draft budget for 2023 brings culture a record EUR 244 million. Culture Ministry State Secretary Ignacija Fridl Jarc said there would be more funds for audiovisual media, publishing, media, public culture infrastructure, etc. The Asociacija NGO meanwhile criticised a cut for the non-governmental culture sector from EUR 6.4 million to EUR 3.6 million for 2022. Fridl Jarc said the funds for this segment were featured in many other "budget items", and if all were added, it became clear they were not being cut.

Committee debates media ownership, part of opposition walks out

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee debated media ownership and concentration in Slovenia, urging the Financial Administration to examine deals in the media conglomerate controlled by businessman Martin Odlazek from the past five years. It urged the Culture Ministry to draft legislation to prevent media concentration. The Economy Ministry was urged to call on the Competition Protection Agency (AVK) to play a more active role in preventing media concentration, among other resolutions adopted. The session was boycotted by all four centre-left opposition parties.

Centre-left parties tied, govt rating down in Delo poll

LJUBLJANA - Three centre-left opposition parties are very close together in the party rankings behind the ruling Democrats (SDS), who with 17.6% remain at the top in the latest Mediana poll conducted for the newspaper Delo. The SDS is followed by the Social Democrats (SD) at 8.7%, the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) with 8.6% and the Left with 8.4%. Delo singled out the SD as the losers of the latest poll as the party's rating is down for the third straight month. The voter approval rating for the government has deteriorated.

Power group HSE entering retail electricity market

LJUBLJANA - Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE), the state-owned power company and the country's largest producer of electricity from renewable sources, will enter the retail electricity market by signing an agreement on Thursday to acquire a 51% stake in ECE, a company created in a merger of Elektro Celje and Elektro Gorenjska. "We will combine the best of our energies and jointly enhance our operations with the confidence, know-how and experience," said HSE.

Industrial output expanded in August

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output grew by 1.1% in August compared to July, expanding by 8.4% year-on-year, fresh data from the Statistics Office shows. The monthly growth was driven by a 7.2% growth in the electricity, gas and steam supply industry while a 9.8% growth in manufacturing contributed most to the annual growth. Industry also posted a 5.7% growth compared to August 2019.

Campaign launched against stigmatising mental health issues

LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) launched a national campaign against stigmatisation of mental ilnesses that in particular aims at encouraging people with such issues to seek help. A round table debate accompanying the launch called for systemic changes to provide these people with access to services and support. Head of the project Branko Gabrovec said that the epidemic was an opportunity for systemic changes when it came to the rights and access in healthcare, including in mental health.

Two women stabbed in separate incidents

POSTOJNA/MARIBOR - Two women were stabbed this morning in separate incidents involving male perpetrators, both of whom have been apprehended, while the two wounded women have been hospitalised. The incident in Postojna involved a 22-year-old woman who was stabbed several times. The incident in Lehen in the Pohorje mountain range west of Maribor meanwhile involved a 29-year-old inflicting multiple wounds in the neck to a 48-year-old woman, who is said to be the mother of the attacker's partner.

STA, 11 October 2021 - Slovenia will follow the recommendation of the national advisory committee on immunisation to use the Pfizer vaccine for those under 30 years old, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said on Monday. In general, the use of mRNA vaccines will be recommended over viral vector vaccines.

Viral vector vaccines can still be used for people with a contraindication to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines or at a special request.

The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) is to send the set of new recommendations to vaccination centres tomorrow, Poklukar said.

He said the national advisory committee on immunisation decided for the move due to "data on the possibility of a slightly higher risk of inflammation of the heart muscle or pericardium".

Bojana Beović, the infectious diseases specialist who heads the advisory committee on immunisation, said that the age limit had been set at 30 due to potential side effects after vaccination with the Moderna vaccine that occur not only in people younger than 18 but also those younger than 30.

Under-30s who received the first dose of Moderna may get Pfizer when getting their second jab, she added.

This comes as the use of the single-shot Janssen vaccine in Slovenia was suspended at the end of September after a 20-year-old woman died due to brain haemorrhaging and blood clots a fortnight after she received the shot.

The only other vector vaccine in use in Slovenia is AstraZeneca.

Beović and Poklukar stressed the new recommendations were to restore trust in vaccination.

Asked what would happen with the supplies of viral vector vaccines Slovenia currently has, the minister said that the leftover vaccines should be distributed to parts of the world where they were needed.

Asked about the 100,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine Slovenia ordered from Hungary, he said the order had been suspended.

Beović also noted today that following the approval by the European Medicines Agency, Slovenia too recommended the third shot of vaccines Pfizer and Moderna for those aged 65 or more.

"This is the doze that people with a very weak immune system response receive, as we assess that the vaccination with two doses has not been sufficient. This shot is administered 28 days after the second dose or later."

Previously, the third shot was recommended for those over 70, but now the age limit was lowered following the example of other European countries. "We startedPOLNOČ! with 70, as this is the age that significantly increases the risk of severe Covid-19 disease," Beović said.

But since the epidemiological situation in Slovenia is relatively bad, the third shot can also be administered to anyone over 18 if they wish so six months after they were fully immunised, she added.

As for the use of the vector vaccines AstraZeneca and Janssen, she said that the national advisory committee on immunisation had recommended the use of mRNA vaccines over viral vector vaccines in the early summer, but these recommendations had obviously not been followed.

Both vaccines, AstraZeneca as well as Janssen, provide very good protection against severe Covid-19 disease while not protecting against infection so much, which is important for preventing the spreading of the virus, she said.

Beović said that accusations that the recommendations were constantly being changed were unfounded. "It's important to understand that things change during an epidemic. New research, new reports are coming out, and the approach to both non-pharmaceutical measures and vaccination is changing as a result," she said.

Addressing today's Covid-19 briefing, Poklukar advised all people aged 65 and over to consult their GP about a possible referral for an outpatient Regeneron infusion treatment if they get a positive PCR test.

The decision to give such a recommendation was made because of the higher risk of a more severe course of Covid-19 in older people, he said, noting that Regeneron, a treatment based on monoclonal antibodies, had been available in Slovenia since mid-summer.

"It's used for early treatment of patients with confirmed infection and for protection after contact with an infected person in case there is a risk of severe Covid-19," he said.

STA, 9 October 2021 - Lumar IG, a Maribor-based maker of prefabricated energy-efficient homes, increased its revenues by more than 6% to over EUR 19 million last year despite the epidemic and challenging conditions. The company ended the year with a net profit of EUR 1.4 million, almost double the figure of 2019.

According to the annual report of the family-run company, which employs 80 people, almost a fifth of its total revenue was generated abroad. Besides Slovenia, Lumar's most important market is Austria.

In addition, Lumar is also currently building its own sustainable housing units for sale on the market. Some of the planned projects in Galjevica, Domžale and Maribor are already underway and should be completed between 2021 and 2023.

In 2020, the company also undertook reorganising its business processes and the digitalisation of its operations.

CEO Marko Lukić wrote in the report that results are already partly visible in this year's sales, which will significantly exceed last year's.

Lumar is currently facing a huge increase in the price of all materials, most notably insulation, steel and especially wood.

STA, 9 October 2021 - The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) adopted a new programme on Saturday. The 15-point platform revolves around the welfare state supported by a strong economy, democracy and respect for the rule of law.

"Everything we do, we do for the people and their future," Party leader Alenka Bratušek said in her address to the delegates.

SAB, which describes itself as a social-liberal party, has put youths and pensioners at the top of its agenda.

It says pensioners deserve decent pensions, good long-term care and free mobility.

For youths, they advocate housing assistance with 500 new flats nationwide annually, simpler renting, and a universal basic income for those aged 18-25.

Another major segment of the programme deals with public healthcare, which the party says must be accessibly to all under equal terms. They advocate a clear division between public and private providers.

This should be supported by a strong and innovative economy, a friendly business environment open to domestic and foreign investors, fair taxation, and better corporate social responsibility.

The platform says strategically important state-owned companies must remain in state ownership.

Outside their core policies, they advocate sustainable public finances and sustainable development, as well as a stable national security system that will "support a peaceful policy underpinned by neighbourly relations".

The party wants to develop the common European security and defence policy and plans to advocate the development of "additional collective-security mechanisms" in NATO. They say Slovenia should regain leadership in Western Balkans.

The chapter on foreign policy states Slovenia should advocate a "free, secure and just EU," a stronger common foreign policy making the EU a stronger global player, continued EU enlargement, and a common approach to border protection.

The chapter on democracy and rule of law singles out respect for the principles of rule of law and protection of human rights and freedoms.

Bratušek said the party was aware it is difficult to work in present-day circumstances, but noted that she had already led the government once.

"My experience shows that people understand the difficult situation and are ready to cooperate, to understand the government when it must take difficult decisions, but only if someone explains to them why a certain measure is needed."

The delegates - just over 300 - were also addressed by representatives of sister parties in Renew Europe including Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Number of new coronavirus cases continues to drop week-on-week

LJUBLJANA - A total of 489 new coronavirus cases were detected with PCR tests in Slovenia on Saturday, as the downward trend of the past week continues, show data by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). The number of patients in hospitals continues to drop as well, according to the government. However, six more deaths were recorded. Currently, 417 Covid-19 patients need hospitalisation, of whom 120 require intensive care.

Slovenia calls for abolishing of death penalty on World Day Against the Death Penalty

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia called on the countries that still have the death penality to fully abolish it on World Day Against the Death Penalty. The death penalty, which Slovenia firmly opposes is inhumane, cruel, demining and final form of punishment, the Foreign Ministry wrote on Sunday. As this year's World Day Against the Death Penalty is dedicated to women who have been sentenced to death or executed and those who have been exonerated, the ministry noted that in some countries women were being discriminated because of their gender and thus put in a worse position than men.

Legal expert Ljubo Bavcon dies

LJUBLJANA - Ljubo Bavcon, professor emeritus of penal law at the Ljubljana Faculty of Law, died aged 97, the newspaper Delo reported online. Bavcon is considered one of the most prominent legal experts of the second half of the 20th century. Bavcon, who was a prominent human rights activist during Slovenia's independence efforts, received the Golden Badge of Honour of Freedom in 1993 for his efforts. The University of Ljubljana bestowed him the title of professor emeritus of penal law in 1995.

Slovenia's sailboat finishes second at Barcolana

TRIESTE, Italy - Sailor Gašper Vinčec and his crew finished second at this year's Barcolana, the biggest mass start sailing regatta in the world, which took place in Trieste on Sunday. The winners were Italians led by Furio Benussi in the sailboat Arco. The Slovenians competed with Way of Life, a 27-metre sail boat, which was in the lead after the first two buoys but then a malfunction occurred, causing the sail to lower. The crew prevented the sailboat from tipping over and managed to fix it.

STA, 9 October - Slovenian star cyclist Tadej Pogačar wrapped up the season in style by winning the last big race, Il Lombardia, on Saturday.

Trumping an all-star line-up, Pogačar finished the race ahead of the Italian Fausto Masnada and the Brit Adam Yates. The Slovenian Primož Roglič was fourth.

The UAE Team Emirates rider claimed victory in Bergamo after winning his second straight Tour de France and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege this season.

Two monuments and the Tour in one season is a historic feat which puts the 23-year-old alongside the likes of Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi, according to cycling media.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

SAB party adopts new programme

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) adopted a new programme at a party congress. The 15-point platform revolves around the welfare state supported by a strong economy, democracy and respect for the rule of law. "Everything we do, we do for the people and their future," Party leader Alenka Bratušek said. SAB, which describes itself as a social-liberal party, has put youths and pensioners at the top of its agenda.

EFJ expresses solidarity with Slovenian journalists

ZAGREB, Croatia - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed solidarity with journalists working at the STA and public broadcaster RTV Slovenija as it urged the government to stop contributing to an environment in which verbal and physical harassment of journalists has become par for the course. It urged the government to restore financing of the STA and to make sure RTV Slovenija preserves its institutional autonomy and editorial independence.

Plurality in Delo poll in favour of early election

LJUBLJANA - A poll by Delo has found a plurality of voters in favour of a snap election, but a large share believe the government should serve our the rest of its term. A total of 47% favour a snap election and almost 42% believe the current term should end on schedule, with under 4% saying a new coalition should be formed in the current sitting of the National Assembly.

Case count at 883 as curve slopes downwards

LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus pandemic has been in slow retreat in Slovenia for a week now with the latest daily case count, at 883, a tenth lower than in the week before. Five patients with Covid-19 died. The 14-day incidence is at 533, down six from yesterday. The overall number of Covid patients rose by ten to 423, whereas ICU cases rose by five to 120.

Pogačar caps season with Lombardy win

BERGAMO, Italy - Slovenian star cyclist Tadej Pogačar wrapped up the season in style by winning the last big race, Il Lombardia. The UAE Team Emirates rider claimed victory after winning his second straight Tour de France and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege this season: two monuments and the Tour in a single season is a historic feat which puts the 23-year-old alongside the likes of Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi.

Slovenia beat Malta in World Cup qualifier

VALLETTA, Malta - The Slovenian national football team beat Malta 4:0 in the qualifying for the World Cup on Friday night to remain in theoretical contention for a World Cup berth ahead of Monday's game against Russia. The Atalanta forward Josip Iličić scored two goals and Andraž Šporar and Benjamin Sešek added one each.

STA, 9 October 2021 - The Slovenian national football team beat Malta 4:0 in the qualifying for the World Cup on Friday night to remain in theoretical contention for a World Cup berth ahead of Monday's game against Russia.

The Atalanta forward Josip Iličić scored two goals and Andraž Šporar and Benjamin Sešek added one each for a convincing showing by the Slovenian team, which had come under heavy criticism after a botched performance against Croatia in September.

"They did what was desired and expected. The play was reliable. The victory will serve us well if we are smart," coach Matjaž Kek said after the game. "The game against Russia will show where we're at."

Slovenia now rank third in Group H with ten points behind Croatia and Russia, which have 16 points each after notching wins against Cyprus and Slovakia yesterday.

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

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FRIDAY, 1 October
        CHISINAU, Moldova - President Borut Pahor met his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu and PM Natalia Gavrilita as part of his official visit to Moldova. He expressed support for the president's and the government's reform efforts.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kövesi again raised the issue of non-appointment of European delegated prosecutors from Slovenia. She told the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control that after four months of operation this was one of the main challenges the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
        LJUBLJANA/BRESTANICA - European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica visited Slovenia to attend an international conference on smart villages. She also met Prime Minister Janez Janša in Ljubljana to discuss the Conference on the Future of Europe and demographic issues.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša met senior representatives of the Identity and Democracy (ID) Group in the European Parliament to discuss topics related to the EU and the post-Covid situation in Europe. Janša's office said the meeting focussed on the Conference on the Future of Europe as well as the EU-Western Balkans summit.
        LJUBLJANA - Police Commissioner Anton Olaj appointed Janez Rupnik interim head of the Ljubljana Police Department, according to the website of police. He will replace Boštjan Glavič, who will become an assistant of the Police Academy.

SATURDAY, 2 October
        MILAN, Italy - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak attended a Pre-COP meeting whose participants tried to bring their positions closer together ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. He noted the importance of agreement being reached at the summit as the only way to limit heating of the atmosphere and negative impact of climate change.
        LJUBLJANA - A Walk for Life march by opponents of abortion brought together a few hundred people, including Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore, who said the fundamental right to life must not be forgotten. A counter-rally was also held.
        KAS, Turkey - Slovenian freediver Alenka Artnik set a new world record in the double-fin discipline. The 39-year-old said on Facebook that she had improved her own mark in the discipline to 106 metres.

SUNDAY, 3 October
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša said the government would "not cave in to pressure" after Zoran Stevanović, the leader of the protests against the Covid pass mandate, called on the government to resign or face new protests. He called on the competent authorities to take action.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told commercial broadcaster POP TV that the possibility of an early election was completely justified. The ruling Democrats (SDS) are discussing this, he said, adding that going to the polls a few months earlier would make no difference as this government was practically at the end of its term.
        TEHARJE - An estimated 5,000 victims of war and post-war summary executions were commemorated at a memorial mass in Teharje. More than 600 unmarked killing or burial sites across Slovenia bear witness to these atrocities, retired Celje Bishop Stanislav Lipovšek said at the annual event.

MONDAY, 4 October
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to restrict movement in Ljubljana, the lakeside resort of Bled and around the Brdo pri Kranju conference centre on 5 and 6 October citing a high probability of severe violations of public law and order during the EU-Western Balkans summit. This is the first time that the legislative provision was invoked.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor held talks with Zoran Stevanović, the initiator of recent protests against the Covid pass mandate who demands that the government step down. Stevanović wanted Pahor to endorse the calls but Pahor turned down the request.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary interior affairs and justice committees urged the police and prosecution to immediately act against the organisers of unregistered rallies and against violent protesters. The session was requested by the ruling Democrats (SDS).
        LJUBLJANA - In its latest Financial Stability Review, the Slovenian central bank finds that general gravity of systemic risks to financial stability has been reduced as the economy has rebounded, but there are elevated risks stemming from the housing market and the long-term profitability of banks.
        LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit found the Health Ministry and the Medical Chamber failed to set up a system in 12 years to establish how many doctors were needed in Slovenia and identify reasons for shortages of consultants, so they could not deal with shortages and work overload. The report covers the period from 2008 to September 2019.

TUESDAY, 5 October
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The EU must strengthen its capacity to act autonomously in order to become more effective and assertive on the international stage, EU leaders agreed at an informal dinner according to European Council President Charles Michel. The office of the Slovenian prime minister said the leaders conducted a "strategic debate" on the EU's role in the international arena.
        LJUBLJANA - The Administrative Court sided with the two prosecutors picked to represent Slovenia on the European Public Prosecutor's Office as it overturned a government decision to annul the selection procedure. The decision means that the government must now re-examine the appointment of the two prosecutors, Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir, who initiated the court proceeding.
        LJUBLJANA - Opponents of the government anti-coronavirus measures gathered in thousands in Republic Square in front of the parliament building, which the police protected and cordoned off after a similar protest turned violent last week. The police used a water cannon and tear gas. Several people were arrested, including the protest organiser Zoran Stevanović and the rapper Zlatko, one of the mainstays of anti-government rallies.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service, Slovenia's highest honour, for her personal contribution to deepening the relationship between the two countries and for her credible and trust-inspiring European leadership.
        BUDAPEST, Hungary - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs called for better control over who enters the EU as he took part in a meeting of the home affairs ministers of the Visegrad Group plus Austria and Slovenia. He said securing EU borders should remain top priority.
        STRASBOURG, France - Slovenia has failed to satisfactorily implement or address any of the 15 recommendations the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) made in its 2018 evaluation report. The country has partly implemented only one recommendation, the Council of Europe's (CoE) body said in its latest compliance report on Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's budget deficit in the first nine months of the year reached EUR 2.453 billion, mostly as a result of financing a variety of coronavirus measures. The figure represents 89% of the deficit planned for the entire year.
        LJUBLJANA - The Medical Chamber and GP Nada Hiti of the Domžale Community Health Centre have reached a settlement on the doctor's video in which she discussed a problematic heavy metal content in anti-coronavirus and flu vaccines. Hiti disowned her statements.
        VIENNA, Austria - Slovenian minority poet and writer Maja Haderlap from Carinthia, Austria, won the Christine Lavant Prize for her work, including a novel about the battle of Slovenians living in Carinthia against National Socialism in Austria.

WEDNESDAY, 6 October
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The leaders of EU and Western Balkan countries confirmed the Western Balkans' EU perspective and their commitment to enlargement as they met for a summit in Brdo pri Kranju. However, the summit brought no major progress for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša disagreed with the claim that Slovenia is setting a poor example to EU candidates by suspending the funding of the STA, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was clear that current STA funding is a must, as she spoke to the press after the EU-Western Balkans summit alongside Janša.
        LUXEMBOURG - EU environment ministers adopted a joint EU position for the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which includes an agreement on a five-year time frame. Slovenia's Andrej Vizjak said this was the first time in many years the European delegation was going to the climate conference with a clear position on time frames.
        LJUBLJANA - President of the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard warned that media freedom was deteriorating in several European countries, including Slovenia. He called on the European Commission and EU leaders to take a stand and call on their counterparts to support media and journalist freedom.
        LJUBLJANA - The police and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs rejected the allegation that excessive force was used to disperse 5 October riots against coronavirus measures, as NGO The Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy urged MPs to open a parliamentary inquiry to look into the matter.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian energy group Petrol completed the acquisition of an outright stake in Croatian fuel retailer Crodux after having fulfilled all suspensive conditions. The purchase consideration was EUR 191.7 million and Petrol will also assume net financial liabilities to banks in the amount of EUR 19.2 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide the Slovenian Regional Development Fund with a EUR 30 million loan to help secure a new line of credit intended for facilitating the recovery of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-caps and municipalities post-Covid-19.

THURSDAY, 7 October
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša accused the European Commission of exceeding its powers and of political abuse of the rule of law in an interview with Euronews, saying in its efforts to get member states to comply with the EU's fundamental values the Commission was "close to breaking the rule of law" itself.
        LJUBLJANA - After a court reversed its decision to annul the original procedure to appoint Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors, the government asked the Justice Ministry to publish yet another call for applications arguing that the court's decision could not be implemented as the procedure the government was supposed to re-examine had been concluded with the publication of a new call for applications on 9 July.
        LJUBLJANA - The SPS police trade union called on the human rights ombudsman to open an inquiry into the clampdown during the 5 October protest in Ljubljana. Police Commissioner Anton Olaj defended the action, denying allegations of political interference in the force's decisions.
        LJUBLJANA/KRANJ - The home of Zoran Stevanović, one of the principal initiators of protests against the Covid pass mandate, and the headquarters of his party Resni.ca (Truth) were searched after Stevanović was detained by police after the 5 October riots. Stevanović was released from custody.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an integrated border management (IBM) strategy to better manage illegal migrations. The strategy is binding for all EU member states under the EU law. The document aims to contain illegal migration on Slovenia's EU external and internal borders and to effectively implement bilateral agreement on return of migrants.