17 Jul 2021, 12:36 PM

Last Week in Slovenia: 9 - 15 July, 2021

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

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 9 July
        LJUBLJANA - The prime ministers of Visegrad Group countries endorsed the priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU as they held talks with Prime Minister Janez Janša, who said the statement the four adopted at their recent summit largely reflected Slovenia's priorities and to a large extent the positions that Slovenia had about several topical issues.
        LJUBLJANA - The Justice Ministry published a new call for applications for two European delegated prosecutors after the previous one was annulled. The State Prosecutor's Council indicated it would not go along with the new call.
        SOFIA, Bulgaria - President Borut Pahor said at a meeting of leaders from the Three Seas Initiative that the initiative could only be successful if it acted in line with the goals, priorities and policies of the EU. He said one strategic goal must always be pursued, and that is sustainable development.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - EU ministers in charge of employment and social policy concluded a two-day informal meeting with the conclusion that to have resilient and inclusive labour markets, a regular and constructive dialogue with the civil society needs to be boosted.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenians who wish to mix different coronavirus vaccines will be allowed to do that under new guidance issued by the National Institute of Public Health. The general rule is that the same vaccine be used for both shots, but if individuals express the wish to mix vaccines, they can do it.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed changes to the audiovisual media services act under which content providers will have to earmark 6% of their gross annual revenue to a special fund to finance European audiovisual production. It was originally proposed that the levy be set at 2%, but the coalition partners pushed through an amendment raising the share to 6%.
        LJUBLJANA - An investigation into the conduct of the police at the 25 June anti-government rally found no fault in the decision of police officers to remove a far-right group, though several irregularities in the policing of the event had been detected.

SATURDAY, 10 July
TRIESTE, Italy - President Borut Pahor said during a visit to Trieste that National Hall, which used to be the centre of the Slovenian community in Trieste, should be returned to the Slovenian community there as soon as possible, the symbolic restitution having taken place a year ago. Pahor was also conferred the Tre Sigilli di Trieste, the city's highest honour.

SUNDAY, 11 July
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian voters overwhelmingly rejected the changes to the waters act in a referendum. More than 86% voted against and the statutory requirement that at least 20% of all voters must be against for a law to be rejected was satisfied as well. Turnout exceeded 46%, the highest in a referendum since 2007.
        TEHRAN, Iran/LJUBLJANA - The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Slovenia's Ambassador to Iran Kristina Radej over Prime Minister Janez Janša's call for an inquiry into a 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran at the Free Iran World Summit, an event hosted by the Iranian diaspora.

MONDAY, 12 July
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša nominated Mark Boris Andrijanič, the chair of the Strategic Council for Digitalisation and head of public policy for Central and Eastern Europe at Uber, to head the forthcoming Digital Transformation Office as a minister without portfolio.
        LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Slovenia over Prime Minister Janez Janša's recent statement about a 1988 massacre in Iran, to explain that Slovenia always advocates human rights and fundamental freedoms and that Slovenia's activities are never directed against any particular country.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Council, the upper chamber of parliament, vetoed the amendments to the communicable diseases act that the National Assembly passed the week before in order to replace provisions that had been struck down by the Constitutional Court.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - As part of the Slovenian EU presidency, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti opened an exhibition of contemporary Slovenian visual arts at the European Parliament, entitled We Live in Exciting Times. The minister opposed the initial concept of the show, but was pleased with the end result.
        LJUBLJANA - Trade unions called on the government to withdraw a legislative proposal that would eliminate employee representatives from management of the Health Insurance Institute (ZSSS), which collects and manages mandatory health insurance contributions.

TUESDAY, 13 July
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed in a 49:17 vote a resolution on climate strategy until 2050 under which Slovenia commits to become climate neutral in the coming 30 years. Before backing it, coalition MPs added a provision saying that Slovenia will use nuclear energy in the long term.
        PRAGUE, Czechia - President Borut Pahor called for a strong and effective Europe as he appeared as a speaker at the Prague European Summit, recalling the bloc's fundamental values such as rule of law that he said should be understood the same way.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected President Borut Pahor's nominee for Constitutional Court judge, Janez Kranjc. He received 45 votes in a secret ballot, one short of the required majority, as 43 MPs voted against and one ballot was invalid.
        LJUBLJANA - Damjan Kukovec, senior lecturer in law at Middlesex School of Law in London, was endorsed as a candidate for judge at the EU General Court, the National Assembly having voted 74:15 in his favour in a secret ballot.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly reappointed Irena Vodopivec Jean a vice-governor of the central bank. She will assume another six-year term after her current one ends on 6 October.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed in a 51:11 vote amendments to the service in the Slovenian Armed Forces act which aim to address long-standing labour issues and the specific rights and responsibilities of soldiers during service.
        LJUBLJANA - Jaroš Britovšek was appointed director general of the Defence Ministry's Intelligence and Security Service (OVS) for a full term by the government, having served as acting director since March.
        MURSKA SOBOTA - Mura, Slovenia's football champions, made it to the second round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League after crushing North Macedonia's Shkendija 5:0 to advance on an aggregate score of 6:0.

WEDNESDAY, 14 July
        LJUBLJANA - Senior officials issued appeals for personal responsibility to avert a new lockdown. The Covid-19 danger is still present, "but responsibility for your health and the health of your loved ones is entirely in your hands," Prime Minister Janez Janša said.
        LJUBLJANA - WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, President Borut Pahor and Health Minister Janez Poklukar stressed the importance of vaccination and warned of the rapid spread of the Delta variant in view of the resurgence of infections, as they visited the Ljubljana vaccination centre.
        LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition said they were considering mounting a fresh attempt to oust the Janez Janša government after failing with a vote of no confidence in February and an impeachment in May. This time, they will carry out the plan only if they are certain of their majority, SocDem leader Tanja Fajon said.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Association of Judges expressed concern and indignation after the National Assembly failed to endorse two candidates for supreme judges over their past decisions, a move that they say undermines judges' independence and fundamental principles of the rule of law.
        PAU, France - Slovenia's cycling star and yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogačar won the 17th stage of the Tour de France to increase his overall lead.

THURSDAY, 15 July
        LJUBLJANA - The ruling coalition voted to postpone the vote on the bill creating a new demographic fund and voted against amendments to the communicable diseases act in a revote after they were vetoed by the upper chamber. Announcing the move, PM Janez Janša said they did not want such an important topic as the demographic fund to be decided on in such a heated political situation, while he said the new communicable diseases act was no longer needed now that all deputy group leaders called for vaccination.
        KOSTANJEVICA NA KRKI - The presidents of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia, Borut Pahor, Alexander Van der Bellen and Zoran Milanović, urged stepping up vaccination against Covid-19 and threw their support behind the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, as they met for the 8th trilateral meeting. They also touched on the issue of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant.
        LJUBLJANA - Tighter rules for entering Slovenia took effect. The colour-coded list of countries was replaced with the requirement that passengers who wish to enter the country need to have a Covid certificate regardless of where they come from.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša announced that those who have been vaccinated against Covid, have recovered from it or have been tested would be allowed to have as few restrictions in public life as possible, while rapid tests will be no longer be free of charge from mid-August.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a coalition-sponsored bill to increase funds for private primary schools to implement two Constitutional Court rulings after several previous attempts to do so failed. The bill secures 100% state funding of private primary schools' obligatory curriculum, up from 85% now.
        LJUBLJANA - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak told an online debate the discussion on the Fit for 55 package should not just be about the goals but also about how to achieve these goals in the best, fairest and most responsible way to protect the competitiveness of the Slovenian and European economy.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs chaired an informal session of EU home affairs ministers, which he said showed that stances between EU members in talks on the EU pact on migration and asylum were still quite diverging but they showed political will for progress.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - European Commissioner Ylva Johansson expressed her disappointment because the issue of STA financing has still not been resolved, saying she got the impression after meeting Interior Minister Aleš Hojs back in April that the issue would soon be solved.
        DUBLIN, Ireland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney attended a ceremony to inaugurate the new premises of the Slovenian Embassy in Dublin with Logar calling the reopening of the embassy "an important milestone" in the efforts to further enhance political, economic, cultural and other ties between the two countries.
        KRANJ - The Kranj District Court handed down an eight-month suspended prison sentence with a probation period of five years to a 20-year-old from Kropa who planned a shooting spree in April, after he was found guilty of attempted trafficking in weapons. He said that he regretted his actions and apologized.
        PAU - Tadej Pogačar won a second stage at the Tour de France in as many days to increase his overall lead and secure the polka-dot jersey of best climber. He has all but secured the overall victory on Sunday, having a 5:45 minute lead ahead of the runner up, Dane Jonas Vingegaard.

17 Jul 2021, 10:32 AM

Delta Now Dominant Strain of Coronavirus in Slovenia

STA, 16 July 2021 - The delta strain of coronavirus has overtaken alpha as the dominant strain in Slovenia in just weeks. In the latest round of sequencing a full 89% of the samples were delta, show data released on Friday by the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food.

Delta, first detected in India, was first confirmed in sequencing five weeks ago and only last week it still accounted for a small though growing share of infections.

The surge in delta is largely the result of a huge outbreak among two groups of students who returned from a school trip to Spain in early July.

While the laboratory does not have information of which samples were from these specific students, it said 60% of the delta samples sequenced this week were among those aged 17 or 18. The regional breakdown of cases confirms that as well.

The alpha variant, first detected in the UK, was confirmed in under 7% of the samples sequenced this week.

17 Jul 2021, 09:19 AM

Changes to Fines for Speeding, Using Mobile Phones, & Other Traffic Laws

STA, 16 July 2021 - Fines for speeding offices are being reduced, while those for using a mobile phone while driving are being raised under amendments to the road traffic act passed by the National Assembly on Friday. The new law also regulates electric scooters.

The amendments introduce the possibility to turn right at a red light at crossroads with good visibility and elsewhere where this is possible. These crossroads are to be properly marked.

@Drzavnizbor sprejel znižanje kazni za prekoračitev hitrosti v cestnem prometu, dovoljeno vožnjo v desno ob rdeči luči na semaforju, zvišanje kazni ob uporabi mobilnega telefona med vožnjo ter pravila glede uporabe električnih skirojev.
Vse novosti Zakona dostopne ? pic.twitter.com/GLETORpLri
— Jernej Vrtovec (@JernejVrtovec) July 16, 2021

They set down conditions under which light motor vehicles such as electric wheelchairs, scooters and skateboards can be included in road traffic.

Those vehicles will have to be ridden on bicycle lanes or cycling paths, or where those are not available along the right edge of the roadway in settlements where the speed limit is 50 kilometres an hour.

The driver and passenger on electric scooters or skateboards will need to wear a helmet up to the age of 18.

Drivers overtaking cyclers, drivers of light motor vehicles or mopeds with speed capacity of up to 25 km/h will need to keep a 1.5 metre sideward distance from them.

The amendments also stiffen handling of drivers who ignore light or sound signals on priority vehicles and expand some powers of traffic wardens.

The amendments were passed by 46 votes to one.

17 Jul 2021, 09:10 AM

Tour de France: Mohorič Wins Stage 19, Pogačar Still in Lead (Video)

STA, 16 July 2021 - Slovenia's Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) won stage 19 of the Tour de France from Mourenx to Libourne on Friday after attacking 25km from finish, surging clear from a large breakaway group.

"During this stage I noticed I had good legs, but there was no real cooperation in the first breakaway group. I convinced them we have to keep high rhythm so that sprint teams could no longer control our breakaway," the 26-year-old Mohorič said after the race.

"When Nils Politt attacked, I was on the edge, saying to myself that if that is the hardest moment, I have to give it my best even if I end up on the side of the road. I did my best and when I looked back, there was nobody... I used all of my energy, but fortunately I managed to keep the lead ahead of the fellow chasers."

Mohorič's win of the 207km stage is his second at this year's Tour de France after he won the longest leg of 249 km on 2 July.

His is also the fifth stage win for Slovenia's riders at the world's No.1 cycling race this year, with the remaining three credited to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the defending champion, who is in the overall lead.

This is Mohorič's 14th win in professional cycling, of which two came at the other two major three-week races - the 2017 Vuelta and at Giro d'Italia in 2018.

Wearing the yellow jersey, Pogačar finished today more than 20 minutes behind the winner, but commands an almost six minute lead ahead of the runner-up Jonas Vingegaard (Dan/Jumbo-Visma).

Commenting on the development of Slovenian professional cycling in the light of Mohorič's win, Pogačar said: "This feels great. In Slovenia we always also wanted to succeed in cycling. We were good, now we are winning. It's really great."

17 Jul 2021, 05:01 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 17 July 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:

Mark Boris Andrijanič appointed digitalisation minister

LJUBLJANA - Mark Boris Andrijanič, a 38-year-old law graduate who has worked for Uber, was appointed minister without portfolio for digital transformation in a 45:44 vote in parliament after presenting his vision for digital Slovenia before the Home Affairs Committee earlier in the day. He pledged to work for digitalisation to become a national priority and a project uniting Slovenia's society and politics. His priority will be to implement as many of the first 40 solutions recently proposed by the Strategic Council for Digitalisation under his guide in the fields of public administration, health, education and business.

EU justice ministers meet in Sloveia, Reynders urges appointment of EU prosecutors

BRDO PRI KRANJU - EU justice ministers met for an informal meeting discussing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial proceedings, with Slovenian Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič saying the debate centred around the need to put in place safety mechanisms to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. "The prevailing opinion was that algorithms must in no way replace judges." Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said the European Commission's goal was to protect fundamental rights of European citizens, including in law enforcement and judiciary. Children-friendly judiciary and adequate treatment of juvenile offenders were also on the agenda, while Reynders made a rewed appeal for Slovenia to appoint European delegated prosecutors, indicating action unless the government acts very soon.

EU presidency expects solid results on health union package

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and its predecessors at the helm of the EU, Portugal and Germany, are working to finalise negotiations on three draft regulations that form the basis of the EU Health Union. The desire is to coordinate the regulations in trialogue with other EU institutions as soon as possible, Slovenian Health Minister Janez Poklukar said. The statement came after a high-level conference on implementing innovative solutions for resilient health systems that also featured the health ministers of Portugal and Germany, Marta Temida and Jens Spahn.

Tweaks to foreign policy strategy to be drafted by autumn

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry said it will draft a proposal to "refresh" Slovenia's foreign policy strategy by the autumn and send the document to the government. It made the announcement after the Strategic Council for Foreign Policy, chaired by Minister Anže Logar, met for a second session in its current line-up to resume a discussion to upgrade the country's foreign policy strategy it started in March. The discussion focussed on a changed security and international situation in Europe and the world, cybersecurity and digitalisation, and business diplomacy.

National Council vetoes audiovisual services act

LJUBLJANA - The upper chamber of parliament vetoed amendments to the audiovisual services act whose core provision is a 6% levy on content providers to finance a new fund for the production of domestic content. The veto comes after sharp criticism by content providers as well as the Association of Slovenian Journalists. The councillors argued that the 6% tax was "covert taxation of Slovenian publishers and providers" that put them at a disadvantage compared to foreign providers, who only collect revenue on the Slovenian market but do not invest in domestic production, a notion which Culture Ministry State Secretary Ignacija Fridl Jarc dismissed.

Opposition calls on govt to resign or seek confidence vote

LJUBLJANA - Centre-left opposition groups called on Thursday on the government to either resign or seek a confidence vote, describing its decision to backtrack on two major bills as yet another proof that it no longer had a majority. All opposition leaders also criticised the government's new policy on the epidemic - no more lockdowns and increasing reliance on Covid certificates for access to more and more services - even as some acknowledged the decision to avert lockdowns was correct. Marjan Šarec, the leader of the opposition LMŠ party, meanwhile told the weekly Mladina on Friday that an early election would be the only right solution if the government was brought down.

Analysts say coalition hitting brakes in wake of referendum defeat

LJUBLJANA - Analysts commenting on the latest developments in parliament agree the government has acted rationally by postponing decisions on two controversial pieces of legislation on Thursday, even if they disagree about how weakened the ruling coalition is after the defeat in Sunday's waters act referendum. The coalition has hit a brake, had a sober rethink and took a decision not to exhaust itself in battles of unequals that are unnecessary, Rok Čakš, a political analyst and editor of the portal Domovina, said. Aljaž Pengov Bitenc said the referendum weakened the coalition and its authority despite its attempts to have the talk of the referendum defeat off the agenda.

Indication of flattening as 64 Covid cases confirmed, delta strain dominant

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 64 new cases of coronavirus for Thursday in 1,684 PCR tests, the second day that infections dropped on a weekly basis. The test positivity rate remained broadly flat as well, at 3.8%, show the latest figures released by the National Institute of Public Health. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population rose by one to 33 and it is estimated that there are now 717 active cases in the country. Data released by the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food shows that the delta strain of coronavirus has overtaken alpha as the dominant strain in Slovenia in just weeks. In the latest round of sequencing a full 89% of the samples were delta. The surge is largely attributed to a huge outbreak among two groups of students who returned from a school trip to Spain in early July.

MPs pass changes to weapons act

LJUBLJANA - The parliament passed amendments to the weapons act that transpose the EU's firearms directive. Presenting the changes in parliament last week, Interior Ministry State Secretary Božo Predalič told the MPs the aim of the directive was to prevent terrorist attacks using firearms. The directive also deals with legal weapons that are not used in such attacks. Centre-left opposition finds some changes problematic, including an option of purchasing silencers.

New law reduces fines for speeding

LJUBLJANA - Fines for speeding offices are being reduced, while those for using a mobile phone while driving are being raised under amendments to the road traffic act passed by the National Assembly. The new law also regulates electric scooters, and introduce the possibility to turn right at a red light at crossroads with good visibility and elsewhere where this is possible. These crossroads are to be properly marked. The amendments were passed by 46 votes to one.

New vouchers redeemable from today

LJUBLJANA - A new batch of government-sponsored vouchers became available today to all Slovenian residents. Unlike the holiday-at-home vouchers issued last year, they can be used to pay for a variety of services and goods in tourism, hospitality, sports and culture, the sectors hit hardest by lockdowns. The vouchers are part of the government Covid-19 relief aid, and come in two amounts, at EUR 100 for adults and EUR 50 for those under 18. They are valued at EUR 192.2 million.

Mohorič wins his second stage at Tour de France

BORDEAUX, France - Slovenia's Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) won stage 19 of the Tour de France from Mourenx to Libourne after attacking 25km from finish, surging clear from a large breakaway group. The win of the 207km stage is his second at this year's Tour de France after he won the longest leg of 249 km on 2 July, and the fifth for Slovenia's riders at the world's No.1 cycling race this year. The remaining three are credited to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the defending champion, who remains in the overall lead.

16 Jul 2021, 15:33 PM

New COVID Vouchers Released Today – for Hotels, Restaurants, Concerts, Gyms, Ski Resorts & More

New COVID Vouchers Released Today – for Hotels, Restaurants, Concerts, Gyms, Ski Resorts & More

STA, 16 July 2021 - Starting from Friday, all Slovenian residents can benefit from a new batch of government-sponsored vouchers, which unlike the holiday-at-home vouchers issued last year, can be redeemed for a variety of services and goods, including textbooks for schoolchildren.

Learn how to check your vouchers at the end of this story

Part of the government Covid-19 relief aid, the vouchers come in two amounts, at EUR 100 for adults and EUR 50 for those under 18, and are thus valued at a total of EUR 192.2 million.

They can be used to pay for goods and services in tourism, hospitality, sports and culture, the sectors hit hardest by lockdowns. The first booking on the new voucher was made just after midnight and the first voucher was redeemed in Koper at 6:30am.

Presenting the details on Friday, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said the vouchers can be redeemed until the end of the year at tourism accommodation facilities, bars and restaurants, bookshops, museums and concerts, gyms and sport clubs, amusement parks and ski resorts.

Those who have not yet redeemed last year's vouchers, which can only be used for accommodation and breakfast, will be able to combine them with the new vouchers with the same provider.

Out of last year's EUR 365.8 million worth of vouchers (at EUR 200 and 50), the minister said 53% or about EUR 153.6 million worth have been booked or redeemed. The latter figure is lower because some have redeemed only part of their voucher.

The vouchers are part of the latest Covid-19 relief package, valued at EUR 243.5 million, with the bulk of measures aimed at tourism. "This is not the only aid for Slovenian tourism, which was hit hardest by the pandemic," said Počivalšek.

The industry was closed for much of last year and this, but has benefited from EUR 705 million worth of various support measures under the eight stimulus laws, or a total of more than one billion euro when other measures are included.

Počivalšek announced the ministry was working on a one-off extra aid for the most affected parts of tourism, which would benefit city hotels, travel agencies that bring visitors to Slovenia and the convention industry.

Check your balance by going to eDavki as a ‘natural person’, clicking on Vpogledi / Insights in the column on the left, the scrolling down to Vpogled v unovčene bone / Insight into redeemed vouchers. The site plays nicely with Google Translate, if needed.

16 Jul 2021, 14:21 PM

Major Live Concerts Return to Slovenia with the Restart Tour of Slovenian, Regional Artists (Videos)

STA, 16 July 2021 - The Restart tour, the biggest series of concert events in Slovenia, starts on Friday in front of the Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana after a year-long break from live concerts due to the epidemic. The organisers are planning 58 concerts with 26 different performers, held over a period of two months in ten cities and towns.

"The Restart tour will bring an explosive awakening of the music scene in our country. It is not just a matter of culture and entertainment, it's also about the feeling that the universe has not yet shrunk to just our living room," said Peter Lovšin, frontman of the punk rock band Pankrti.

The organisers have brought together some of the most prominent names from the Slovenian and former Yugoslav scenes. Among the performing artists will be Jan Plestenjak, Gibonni, DJ Umek, Parni Valjak, Senidah, Saša Avsenik, Tony Cetinski, Vlado Kreslin and many others. In addition to Ljubljana, concerts will take place in Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Koper, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ptuj and Lendava.

The tour was organised by the company Temma-X, which also developed a concept of safe socialising for the concerts. Thus, with the exception of Ptuj, the events will be held outdoors and the number of tickets will be limited according to capacity and current restrictions.

The company's CEO Peter Keček said: "It is our desire to help revive culture and social life after a break from concerts that lasted more than a year. It is time for recovery, time to bring vibrancy back to our cities, to bring life back to the streets and bring back the feeling that people can socialise again."

"We are still a long way from being carefree, but one of the first steps is surely to bring vibrancy, culture and music back among the people. In addition to the importance of recovering from the epidemic and achieving sufficient vaccination, it's time to bring the events back to the people," added Keček.

16 Jul 2021, 11:28 AM

Six Private Primary Schools Eligible for 100% State Funding

STA, 15 July 2021 - There are six private primary schools with state-certified curricula in Slovenia that are entitled to state funding. Under the new rules passed today, their obligatory programmes, such as regular classes including maths or physical education, will be fully funded by the state, up from currently 85%.

The state's annual cost per primary school pupil is now EUR 4,129 - EUR 3,328 in private and EUR 4,136 in public primary schools, government data shows.

The government estimates the new legislation will increase the overall spending on primary education by over EUR 500,000 a year.

The six schools entitled to 100% state funding for mandatory programmes are the Ljubljana Waldorf School, which has another four units around the country; the Maribor Waldorf School; the catholic Alojzij Šuštar Primary School in Ljubljana; the Montessori Institute in Ljubljana; the Montessori Primary School in Maribor; and the LILA Institute in Ljubljana.

The schools had 1,793 pupils in the 2020/21 school year, the bulk of whom went to the Waldorf schools (771), followed by the Alojzij Šuštarj Primary School (475).

The Montessori Institute in Ljubljana was the only other schools with more than 200 pupils, namely 205.

The six schools employed 303 staff, of whom 251 teachers or other experts, with the bulk working at the Waldorf School in Ljubljana and the Alojzij Šuštar Primary School.

There are several other private primary schools in Slovenia, which are however not publicly funded.

They are accredited abroad and teach in foreign languages, the government said as it replied a question from opposition National Party (SNS) MP Dušan Šiško.

Members of the Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities are meanwhile entitled to education in their respective language, so there are also eight bilingual schools.

16 Jul 2021, 11:16 AM

Free COVID Rapid Antigen Tests to End Mid-August, with Maximum Freedom for those Vaccinated, Recovered or Tested

STA, 15 July 2021 - Slovenia will enable those who have been vaccinated against Covid, have recovered from it or have been tested to have as few restrictions in public life as possible, while rapid tests will be no longer be free of charge from mid-August, PM Janez Janša said on Thursday as he urged vaccination together with the other coalition leaders.

Based on the European Commission's recommendation, the Health Ministry is drafting changes to a regulation to enable the three groups to have as few coronavirus-related restrictions in public life as possible.

Janša said the government had discussed the epidemiological situation in the country at today's session, including risks posed by new variants of the virus.

Now that there are enough vaccines and one can choose with which to be vaccinated, it is one's responsibility to protect themselves and also prevent lockdowns, he said.

Janša believes that "we have enough tools not to close public life again, limit movement, restrict certain businesses, especially not services".

Together with NSi leader Matej Tonin and SMC leader Zdravko Počivalšek, he urged joining forces "to achieve as high a vaccinated rate as possible".

Rapid antigen testing will no longer be free of charge, expectedly from mid-August on, while PCR testing will remain free, he said. PCR tests are free on referral from GP.

"We've so far spent EUR 60 million on testing," he said, wondering "whether we can ask those who have been vaccinated to pay for those who have not been when there is free vaccination available".

The prime minister also noted there was a trend in Europe not to have free testing anymore. Still, the government is not considering making vaccination mandatory.

Janša, Tonin and Počivalšek urged Slovenian residents to get vaccinated, invoking people's personal responsibility to get protected.

The three welcomed today's joint call of all deputy groups for vaccination to prevent a potential fourth wave of the epidemic in the autumn.

"I think it is a big deal which still came at the right time," Janša said.

16 Jul 2021, 04:50 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 16 July 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:

Vote on demographic fund, communicable diseases bills postponed

LJUBLJANA - The coalition voted to postpone the vote on the bill creating a new demographic fund designed to shore up the pension fund, and they also voted against amendments to the communicable diseases act in a revote after they were vetoed by the upper chamber. Announcing the move at a press conference with the other two coalition leaders, PM Janez Janša said they did not want such an important topic as the demographic fund to be decided on in such a heated political situation, while he said the new communicable diseases act was not needed now after all deputy group leaders called for vaccination. Commenting on the developments, Tanja Fajon, the leader of the opposition SocDems, said they showed the coalition no loner had a majority.

Trio of presidents urge stepping up vaccination, EU enlargement to W Balkans

KOSTANJEVICA NA KRKI - The presidents of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia, Borut Pahor, Alexander Van der Bellen and Zoran Milanović, urged stepping up vaccination against Covid-19 and threw their support behind the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, as they met in Kostanjevica na Krki in the south-east of Slovenia. They also discussed the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, with Van der Bellen saying Austria would closely monitor checks on the environmental sustainability needed to expand its life span, while it continued to be opposed to the second reactor but was aware that many EU countries depend on nuclear energy.

Parliament raises public funding of private primaries

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed in a 47:43 vote a coalition-sponsored bill to increase funds for private primary schools to implement two Constitutional Court rulings after several previous attempts to do so failed. The bill secures 100% state funding of private primary schools' obligatory curriculum, up from 85% now. The funding of optional curricula such as remedy classes would remain at 85%. Six private primaries with state-certified curricula are eligible for state funding.

Progress rather slow in migration pact talks, Hojs says

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs came out of an informal meeting of EU home affairs ministers at Brdo pri Kranju saying that stances between EU members in talks on the EU pact on migration and asylum were still quite diverging, although the meeting made a step forward. The ministers showed a political will for gradual progress in forming a common EU migration policy and they perhaps found a common ground regarding the regulation on the Eurodact fingerprint database that could bring results, Hojs said. European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson meanwhile said that the EU was not deadlocked in terms of the migration pact.

Fit for 55 debate must consider competitiveness aspect, minister says

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian EU presidency will aim to achieve "maximum progress" on Fit for 55, Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak told an online debate. Vizjak hopes the discussion will be not just about the goals but also about how to achieve these goals in the best, fairest and most responsible way to protect the competitiveness of the Slovenian and European economy. Importantly, the EU needs to bring global partners on board, it may not be left alone in the effort.

Vrtovec tells EU Parliament Europe should be more ambitious climate-wise

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said that when it came to Fit for 55 energy proposals, the Slovenian presidency will start with the revision of directives on renewables and energy efficiency. The minister told the the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy that the EU should be more ambitious in all areas to realise more ambitious 2030 climate targets and reach climate neutrality until 2050.

Johansson disappointed STA financing not solved

BRDO PRI KRANJU - European Commissioner Ylva Johansson expressed her disappointment because the issue of STA financing has still not been resolved, telling reporters after a meeting of EU home affairs ministers at Brdo estate, that got the impression after meeting Interior Minister Aleš Hojs back in April that the issue would soon be solved. She expects "the Slovenian government will solve this issue and pay the funds that they owe to the Slovenian Press Agency".

Logar reopens Slovenian embassy in Dublin

DUBLIN, Ireland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney attended a ceremony to inaugurate the new premises of the Slovenian Embassy in Dublin with Logar calling the reopening of the embassy "an important milestone" in the efforts to further enhance political, economic, cultural and other ties between the two countries. Slovenia closed its embassy in Ireland amid the financial crisis in 2012. Logar and Coveney discussed challenges of Slovenia's EU presidency an exchanged views on topical issues of European neighbourhood and elsewhere around the world.

No more free rapid testing soon, and no new lockdowns

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša announced that those who have been vaccinated against Covid, have recovered from it or have been tested would be allowed to have as few restrictions in public life as possible, while rapid tests will be no longer be free of charge from mid-August. Based on the European Commission's recommendation, the Health Ministry is drafting changes to a regulation to enable the three groups to have as few coronavirus-related restrictions in public life as possible. Janša and the other two coalition leaders said now that vaccines were freely available people had the responsibility to protect themselves and also prevent lockdowns.

Covid certificate mandatory for entering Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Significantly tighter rules for entering Slovenia took effect today, as the colour-coded lists of countries were replaced with the requirement that passengers who wish to enter the country need to have a Covid certificate regardless of where they come from. There are three sets of exemptions: passengers in transit and lorry drivers, owners of land on both sides of the border, and accompanied minors under 15.

Slovenia confirms 56 new cases of coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 56 new cases of coronavirus for Wednesday, the first week-on-week decrease in daily cases since 4 July. The positivity rate was 3.3%, show the latest data released by the National Institute of Public Health. A total of 1,691 PCR tests were performed along with nearly 20,000 rapid antigen tests. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is at 32, up slightly from the day before. The recent uptick in cases has not yet led to more hospitalisations.

EU court rules on working time of soldiers

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Soldiers (SVS) announced that the EU Court of Justice had ruled that the time a soldier spends at his working place or at a certain location even if not strictly working is treated as working hours under an EU directive, except in exceptional cases. The ruling came eleven years after the SVS started raising the issue and opened legal proceedings against the Defence Ministry.

Man who planned shooting spree gets suspended sentence

KRANJ - The Kranj District Court handed down an eight-month suspended prison sentence with a probation period of five years to a 20-year-old from Kropa who planned a shooting spree in April, after he was found guilty of attempted trafficking in weapons. He must undergo compulsory medical treatment but has been released from detention. The defendant admitted attempted trafficking in weapons or explosives. He said that he regretted his actions and apologized.

Tour de France: Pogačar wins stage 18 to don polka-dot jersey

PAU - Slovenia's cycling sensation, Tadej Pogačar won a second stage at the Tour de France in as many days to increase his overall lead and secure the polka-dot jersey of best climber. The defending champion was first through the finish line on the mountain stage from Pau to Luz Ardiden, ahead of Dane Jonas Vingegaard and Ecuador's Richardo Carapaz. He has all but secured the overall victory on Sunday, having a 5:45 minute lead ahead of Vingegaard in second.

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