STA, 12 May 2022 - There were a record 24,600 job vacancies in the first quarter of the year in Slovenia, up 6% from the fourth quarter last year and almost 50% more than in the same quarter in 2021, the Statistics Office (SURS) said on Thursday.

"The number of vacancies thus reached the highest level since this survey was launched in 2008. Vacancies grew from one quarter to another throughout 2021, continuing into the start of this year," SURS said.

Stronger demand for new workers was recorded in most sectors; compared to the fourth quarter last year, construction companies had almost 5,400 vacancies in the first quarter of this year, up 710, with 50% more jobs advertised in the IT sector.

Employers in other miscellaneous activities were meanwhile slightly more reserved to seeking new workers in quarter-one, with fewer than 1,800 jobs available, a drop of nearly 600.

The annual comparison for the entire country shows that demand for new labour increased by 49%, which translates into 8,100 more vacancies; the biggest rise was recorded in construction, which had 2,200 more vacancies.

"The annual comparison shows that this time there was more demand than a year ago in all sectors except mining and public administration," SURS wrote.

The vacancy rate meanwhile exceeded 3% for the first time in January-March, reaching a record 7.6% in construction, more than double the Slovenian average.

STA, 12 May 2022 - More than twenty people were injured in an explosion and fire that broke out at the chemical factory Melamin in Kočevje in southern Slovenia this morning. Two sustained severe burns and several persons are still missing. According to Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, the fire has now been put out and dangerous substances contained.

Locals are still being urged to remain indoors and not to approach the site, where the emergency intervention is running smoothly, according to the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.

Commander of the Kočevje fire brigade Leon Behin told the press that all firefighters from Kočevje, and the near-by Osilnica and Kostel had been activated, 150 in total. No firefighter has been injured.

Ekipa N1 je v Kočevju, kjer je zjutraj v kemični tovarni Melamin odjeknila močna eksplozija. Zrak je nasičen s črnim in gostim dimom. pic.twitter.com/aJz0LPSrtg

— N1 Slovenija (@n1slovenija) May 12, 2022

They managed to contain the fire and dangerous substances. Only an electric power station room is still on fire, because it cannot be approached, and this is what is still causing black smoke, said Mayor Vladimir Prebelič, adding that measurements of substances in the smoke were being conducted and were thought not to be dangerous.

Drinking water has not been contaminated, he said.

The ELME ecological lab with a mobile unit from the Jožef Stefan Institute has been activated along with Environment Agency and inspection services, which are also conducting measurements.

Behin said no toxic substances (bar in the smoke) had been released into the environment.

A military unit was also activated, decontamination activities are under way, and all relevant services in the country have been informed of the incident, he said.

"A more than serious event has occurred, but the situation is under control," he told the press.

Behin told Radio Slovenija earlier that all injured persons had been attended to and two persons with severe burns had been transported to the UKC Ljubljana hospital by helicopter.

The hospital said on Twitter it had activated a mass casualty incident protocol.

Web portal 24ur.com reports that four persons are still missing, as it is not clear whether they were in the facility at the time of the explosion, but they are not employees. Behin said that the search for them continued but that a certain container could not be accessed because of high temperatures.

He said the explosion had happened in a cistern and the fire had spread from there but its further spreading to other storage facilities of hazardous substances had been prevented. The investigation into the cause of the explosion is under way.

The Melamin building is badly damaged and the explosion also caused window cracks on near-by buildings.

The main road in Kočevje is still closed and all events planned in the town for today have been cancelled.

Melamin is classified as a facility of greater risk for the environment under environmental legislation. The company, which is one of the largest employers in the region, produces mostly resins for paints and varnishes for the wood, construction and textile industry.

At the end of 2021, the company employed just more than 190 people. In 2021, the company generated EUR 67.3 million in sales revenue, 41% more than the year before. Net profit was up by 26% to just under EUR 3.3 million.

Melamin owns two-thirds of SmartMelamine, which it founded in 2015 with a German company Ostthüringische Materialprüfgesellschaft für Textill und Kunststoffe, which specialises in production of highly resistant melamine fleece and is also based in Kočevje.

Given the number of injured, this is the worst industrial fire in Slovenia's recent history. As many as 17 industrial fires have been recorded since 1995, resulting mostly in material damage.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Coalition agreement, cabinet line-up finalised

LJUBLJANA - The partners in the incoming coalition finalised the coalition agreement and determined most of the candidates for cabinet posts in an expanded government that will have 19 ministers and one minister without portfolio. Tanja Fajon, the leader of the Social Democrats (SD), is the candidate for foreign minister, and Left leader Luka Mesec will be in charge of the new ministry of solidarity-based future. Both will serve as deputy prime ministers, a title that will also be conferred on orthopaedic surgeon Danijel Bešič Loredan, who is slated for the health portfolio.

Defence minister signs memorandum with OCCAR on Boxer carriers

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin signed a memorandum with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) that paves the way for the purchase of 45 armoured personnel carriers, just hours after he was authorised to do so and a day before the government is relegated to caretaker role. Presenting the new cabinet today, Left leader Luka Mesec said the new coalition was opposed to the purchase and Golob said a normal and good master would not cause damage to the country. He announced the use of all legal means available to "implement our view".

ECB's Lagarde suggests rate hike soon after asset purchases end

LJUBLJANA - European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde that the ECB could conduct the first interest rate hike within weeks after it ends purchases under the asset purchase programme early in the third quarter. "The first rate hike ... will take place some time after the end of net asset purchases. We have not yet precisely defined the notion of 'some time', but I have been very clear that this could mean a period of only a few weeks," she told a conference in Ljubljana marking the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's central bank.

In Sarajevo, Pahor repeats call to EU to give Bosnia candidate status ASAP

SARAJEVO - President Borut Pahor discussed the significance of political stability for economic and social development of Bosnia-Herzegovina in his address to the 11th Sarajevo Business Forum. He warned that the process of enlargement to the Western Balkans was too slow and appealed for Bosnia to be awarded candidate status as soon as possible. Pahor believes the country should be given candidate status without additional pre-conditions and in exchange Bosnia-Herzegovina should commit to adopt the needed reforms, which is vital for a secure and successful future of the country and the EU as a whole.

Upper chamber launching constitutional review of 2022 budget

LJUBLJANA - The National Council decided to ask the Constitutional Court to review this year's state budget and the law on its implementation. The court is urged to scrutinise segments of both documents relating to the financial plans of independent constitutional authorities, including the National Council and the Constitutional Court. By the end of the summer the Council will run out of funds to pay councillors' allowances, so it will be left with no choice but to ask the Finance Ministry for additional funding, citing the legal basis, National Council President Alojz Kovšca said.

NLB Group net profit more than tripled to EUR 231.5m in Q1

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest banking group, NLB, posted EUR 231.5 million in net profit in the first quarter of 2022, more than triple the figure recorded in the same period last year, on the back of the acquisition of the Slovenian subsidiary of Russia's Sberbank in March. The profit of the core company NLB dropped to nearly EUR 33 million.

Cinkarna Celje more than doubles net profit in Q1

CELJE - Chemical company Cinkarna Celje posted sales of EUR 66.4 million for the first quarter of this year, up 32% on the same period in 2021. Net profit more than doubled to EUR 15.6 million on the back of high prices, the company said. Operating profit (EBIT) surged by 106% to EUR 19.1 million and profit before income tax, depreciation and amortisation was up by almost 80% to EUR 22.4 million. EU markets account for more than three quarters of the sales, and this is where revenue grew at the fastest pace.

Covid hospitalisations, cases continue to decline

LJUBLJANA - The Covid pandemic remains in retreat in Slovenia, as new cases were down by nearly half week-on-week on Tuesday, to 666, while hospital figures continued to decline, the latest figures show. There were only 66 people in regular wards due to Covid-19 plus another seven in intensive care units this morning, down by nine and two, respectively, over yesterday. The number of active cases dropped by almost 500 to just over 10,000, with the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population at 477, down by 20.

Ukraine, Bosnia in focus as writers meet in Bled

BLED - The 54th annual International Writers' Meeting is getting under way in Bled today to focus on topics ranging from ethics to Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The writers will also call for humanity in a declaration. Organised by Slovenian PEN, the meeting is being held in hybrid form for the second year, which is to give authors from Africa a chance to take part. Some 90 delegates are expected to attend, a third of whom remotely.

Actor Ivo Ban honoured by Slovenian film directors

LJUBLJANA - Film, theatre and television actor Ivo Ban is the recipient of this year's Bert Award for lifetime achievement in film and television conferred by the Slovenian Directors' Guild. The jury said he was an actor whose face and voice had been "firmly and permanently anchored in the Slovenian cultural treasury and collective memory." It was noted that Ban, 72, had rung up an impressive list of 50 film roles and more than 20 television roles, which spoke about the actor being wanted by many directors. He will receive the award, which has been given out since 2014, at the Slovenian Cinematheque in Ljubljana on 17 May.

No final for Slovenia at Eurovision song contest

TURIN, Italy - Last Pizza Slice (LPS) did not make it past the semi-final of the Eurovision song contest, the second year in a row that the Slovenian entrant remained without the much coveted final. The high-school band from Celje performed Disko, an uplifting retro blend of pop and funk with sad lyrics about a painful breakup. "We're very grateful for the whole experience," singer Filip Vidušin said after the performance. Ten of the 17 countries featured in the first semi-final made the cut.

Power lines damaged in hot air balloon accident in Beltinci

BELTINCI - A hot air balloon accident took place near the town of Beltinci in north-eastern Slovenia on Tuesday as the gondola of the balloon hit power lines, cutting local electricity supply and causing an estimated EUR 11,000 in damage. No person was injured in the accident. A passenger reportedly had to jump out of the gondola, as instructed by the pilot, so that the balloon could be lifted again, gain some distance from the power lines and land safely. Police said the pilot was facing charges.

STA, 11 May 2022 - A hot air balloon accident took place near the town of Beltinci in north-eastern Slovenia on Tuesday as the gondola of the balloon hit power lines, cutting local electricity supply and causing an estimated EUR 11,000 in damage. No one was injured in the accident.

The accident happened in the later afternoon on Tuesday, as the hot air balloon hit power lines due to strong wind. There were three persons in the gondola, all of them unharmed, the Murska Sobota Police Department said.

One of the passengers reportedly had to jump out of the gondola, as instructed by the pilot, so that the balloon could be lifted again, gain some distance from the power lines and land safely.

The power lines were snapped during the collision, with part of the towns of Beltinci and Gančani being temporarily left without power.

The Murska Sobota Police Department said that the police would charge the pilot of the hot air balloon for endangering public traffic. While there were no injuries, material damage has been estimated at EUR 11,000.

STA, 11 May 2022 - Last Pizza Slice (LPS) did not make it past the semi-final of the Eurovision song contest, the second year in a row that the Slovenian entrant has remained without the much coveted final.

The high-school band from Celje, which was created in 2018, performed Disko, an uplifting retro blend of pop and funk but with sad lyrics about a painful breakup.

The standout feature of their performance was a giant disco ball, alluding to the name of the song, the Slovenian word for disco.

"We're very grateful for the whole experience," singer Filip Vidušin said after their performance. "We did what we wanted to do. We put on a show for Europe."

Ten of the 17 countries featured in the first semi-final made the cut.

STA, 10 May 2022 - The government has adopted a new seven-year strategy for tourism that envisages a moderate increase in accommodation capacity and quantitative indicators, and focuses on higher quality. The total tourism demand is expected to generate EUR 2.1 billion in added value in 2028, which would be a 59% increase compared to 2019.

The basic tourism development document for 2022-2028, adopted on Tuesday, responds to the "new circumstances and challenges faced by the tourism industry, while also developing and promoting key advantages of tourism", the government said.

It added that, in order to achieve the vision of green and boutique tourism with reduced carbon footprint and greater value for all, the Slovenian tourism sector was being strategically focused on developing and marketing balanced offerings.

The strategy is based on the offering of "sustainable boutique tourism of higher quality, based on the Slovenian natural and cultural identity, which is a generator of higher value."

The strategy aims at implementing a balanced growth scenario that envisages a moderate increase in accommodation capacity and quantitative indicators, and above all focuses on higher quality and added value and restructuring of offering.

The document sets five strategic goals - increasing the quality and value of offerings and extending them over the entire year, increasing the satisfaction of local residents, employees in tourism and guests, placing tourism as a generator of value and sustainable development, decarbonising and balancing tourism and ensuring competent and efficient management.

In order to achieve these goals, the strategy identifies policies and measures relating to investments and the business environment, public/common infrastructure and heritage, human resources for higher added value, sustainability, accessibility and sustainable mobility, destination management and tourism connectivity, and products and marketing.

There are also three horizontal policies that support the key strategic policies - digital transformation of tourism, legislative and financial regulation and an institutional framework and horizontal inter-ministerial policy coordination.

One of the main points of the previous, five-year strategy was consolidation of state assets in tourism as part of a holding that would be managed by Slovenian Sovereign Holding, financial and business restructuring and, eventually, privatisation.

These are investments in the tourism companies Istrabenz Turizem, Thermana, Sava Turizem, Hit Alpinea, Terme Olimia, Adria Turistično Podjetje and Unitur.

"The procedure has been suspended," the new strategy says, adding that the management, consolidation and privatisation plan for state-owned tourism companies needed to be adapted to the current situation, opportunities and new strategic goals.

The document proposes a concept of management and privatisation of these investments that would separate real estate ownership and professional management of tourism activities.

It also proposes that a real estate fund be established for this purpose, and that the process of management and privatisation of state investments in tourism be optimised with the aim of higher profitability and competitiveness.

The government expects positive financial effects, including added value generated by demand in basic tourism activities increasing by 43% from EUR 920 million in 2019 to EUR 1.31 billion by 2028, assuming an average annual growth rate of 8.9%.

Together with other activities indirectly related to tourism, the total tourist demand is expected to generate EUR 2.1 billion in added value in 2028, which is a 59% increase compared to 2019.

The government has estimated that in the entire period covered by the strategy, EUR 11.5 billion in added value is expected to be generated from all activities related to tourist demand.

Export of tourist travels are expected to increase from EUR 2.8 billion from 2019 to EUR 4 billion in 2028.

In order to achieve the objectives of the strategy in all areas, approximately EUR 1.54 billion of European and national funds would have to be invested in the seven years.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Govt reintroduces price caps on fuels

LJUBLJANA - The government reintroduced price caps on motor fuels, setting the maximum retail prices at EUR 1.560 a litre for regular petrol and EUR 1.668 a litre for diesel. Wholesale prices are capped at EUR 1.540 for regular and EUR 1.648 for diesel. New pricing will be valid from Wednesday. Fuel retailers whose business is damaged substantially as a result will be eligible for compensation, which could cost the state at least EUR 30 million a month. The government reimposed price caps after Robert Golob, the most plausible candidate for the new prime minister, announced yesterday his centre-left government would impose energy price regulation, targetting not just fuel but other energy sources as well.

Janša says Russia never de-Communised

KYIV, Ukraine - Prime Minister Janez Janša said the West remained oblivious to the fact that Russia never de-Communised, as he told Ukrainians in an address aired on Ukrainian national TV on Monday that Ukraine was the real heir of the victories of the Second World War. Janša said only one evil, national socialism or Nazism, had been defeated in the Second Word War in 1945, whereas the other evil, international socialism or Communism, was not.

Pahor in Croatia for Slovenian association anniversary ceremony

RIJEKA, Croatia - President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Union of Slovenian Associations in Croatia in Rijeka, noting the importance of the friendly relations between the countries and calling for the fastest possible entry of Croatia in the eurozone and the Schengen Area. Croatian President Zoran Milanović was scheduled to attend the ceremony as well and hold bilateral talks with Pahor, but he excused himself, citing unplanned obligations in Zagreb.

Recalls and appointments of several ambassadors take effect

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor's decrees recalling the current Slovenian ambassadors to Italy, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark and Slovakia and appointing new ambassadors to Copenhagen, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Bratislava, Brussels and Seoul became effective as they were published in the Official Gazette. Around 15 new ambassadors are expected to assume their posts by the end of August, including several who in the opinion of Robert Golob, the presumptive prime minister-designate, are too connected politically with the current government. He suggested the new government will replace them.

EUR 120m for investments in armed forces this year

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted the 2022 annual plan of investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces, under which the Defence Ministry will have EUR 120.55 million at its disposal to develop two key capabilities for national and collective defence as part of NATO; a battalion battle group and a special operations unit. The funding is higher than specified in the relevant act for 2021-2026 investments in the military, set at EUR 100 million annually, as the funds for last year were not fully spent.

Slovenia pledges EUR 150,000 aid for Syria

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia pledged to provide EUR 150,000 in humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Syria by 2024 at the donor conference organised by the EU for the country ravaged by war. The conference raised EUR 6.4 billion as donors sent a strong signal that the Syrian conflict was not been forgotten despite the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. Slovenia was represented at the conference by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Stanislav Raščan.

Constitutional Court again under huge burden in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Matej Accetto, president of the Constitutional Court, highlighted the high number of petitions for constitutional review as he presented the 2021 report. The court has successfully resolved 1,300 of them with 100 more to go. Accetto also expressed certain grievances the court has with the government over insufficient funding. The court has already exhausted its internal resource reserves and streamlined its procedures. A solution is hiring more advisors but this would also call for extra space.

LMŠ and SAB in favour of consolidation of centre-left

LJUBLJANA - As Freedom Movement leader Robert Golob, the presumptive prime minister-designate, announced his wish to create a strong liberal bloc, including by cooperating with the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), the two parties said that they were in favour of consolidation of the centre-left. Golob is seeking to merge his party with the LMŠ and SAB and plans to offer the leaders of both parties, Alenka Bratušek and Marjan Šarec, ministerial posts.

Protest over changes splitting TV Slovenija news programmes

LJUBLJANA - Journalists' trade unions urged withdrawal of changes planned to the statute of the Slovenian public broadcasting service under which TV news programme would be split into two separate production units, which staff see as an attempt to create separate pro-government and anti-government news programmes. The new statute was endorsed on Monday by the RTV Slovenija Programme Council. It is expected to be rubber-stamped by the supervisory board.

Fate of flagship TV show uncertain after departure of moderator

LJUBLJANA - The fate of a flagship current-affairs show on the national public broadcaster, Studio City, remains uncertain after RTV Slovenija refused to renew the contract with long-time leader Marcel Štefančič amidst accusations that it is conducting a politically-motivated purge. RTV Slovenija director general Andrej Grah Whatmough told the Programming Council on Monday that the leadership would conduct consultations until 23 May as to how to continue with the show without Štefančič.

Govt adopts regulation on waste incineration

LJUBLJANA - The government issued a regulation on waste incineration as a public service under which concessions for the service are to be issued for 30 years. The government did not say how many concessions will be granted, but a draft regulation published with the government documents envisages up to four incineration plans. In January, doctors raised concern over the draft regulation on waste incineration.

Eco Fund to pay out EUR 84m in loans and grants this year

LJUBLJANA - The Eco Fund will provide EUR 47 million in loans for environmental investments and EUR 37 million in incentive grants to reduce the use of energy this year, under the business and financial plan of this public fund endorsed by the government. The fund will also issue calls to award EUR 38 million in incentives from the Climate Fund to replace old boilers and for household electricity generation.

Government adopts new seven-year strategy for tourism

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a new seven-year strategy for tourism that envisages a moderate increase in accommodation capacity and quantitative indicators, and focuses on higher quality. The total tourism demand is expected to generate EUR 2.1 billion in added value in 2028, which would be a 59% increase compared to 2019. The plans to consolidate state assets in tourism under a new holding have been suspended.

Economist Damijan warns about stagflation

PORTOROŽ - Economist Jože Damijan praised the government's decision to regulate energy prices but subsidies for food producers will also have to be considered and investment kick-started. Addressing a financial conference in Portorož he said inflation had become a permanent feature and warned about the threat of stagflation. Marjan Divjak, head of the Finance Ministry's treasury directorate, stressed that Slovenia was committed to keep lowering its debt and was better off than before the 2008 financial crisis.

Experts note role of cybersecurity in companies, cities

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Companies as well as municipalities are targets of cyber attacks, and it is key they come up with a cybersecurity strategy, experts said at a conference on cybersecurity that was held in Brdo pri Kranju. Awareness raising and cooperation are also important, they added. Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced that his ministry would establish a cyber training ground, a platform where the public administration and economy will have the option to test the performance of their systems.

Slovenia's digitisation performance above CEE average, Microsoft says

LJUBLJANA - The Digital Futures Index designed by technology giant Microsoft to measure the level of digitalisation in 16 European countries puts Slovenia seventh in digital performance, slightly above the average for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Microsoft experts say Slovenia has a long way to go to accelerate its digital development.

New joint venture to set global standards in measuring industry

TRBOVLJE - Dewesoft, a Trbovlje-based maker of data acquisition systems, and HBK, a German company specialising in product physics, launched a joint ventured dubbed Blueberry to work on backbone standardization for the new generation of data acquisition systems. The company was incorporated in Trbovlje in March and will get investments of EUR 6 million over five years. In its first year of operation it plans to hire twenty engineers and generate revenue of EUR 600,000 this year.

Petrol's second wind farm in Croatia operational

KNIN, Croatia - The Slovenian energy company Petrol officially launched its second wind farm in Croatia. The Ljubač wind farm, situated near the town of Knin in south Croatia, had been on a trial run since last summer. Its nine turbines generate around 96 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year. The EUR 37 million wind farm is Petrol's second in Croatia; the first one opened in 2017 near the coastal town of Šibenik. The combined power of both wind farms can meet the needs of 45,000 households.

Slovenian museum director to take over as Zagreb City Museum head

LJUBLJANA - Aleksandra Berberih Slana, director of the National Liberation Museum in Maribor, is taking over as the head of the Zagreb City Museum on 20 June after 16 years on the job at the Maribor regional museum of recent history. She is also quitting as the chairman of the Slovenian Museum Association, having led it since 2015.

STA, 10 May 2022 -  The government reintroduced price caps on motor fuels on Tuesday, setting the maximum retail prices at EUR 1.560 a litre for regular petrol and EUR 1.668 a litre for diesel. Wholesale prices are capped at EUR 1.540 for regular and EUR 1.648 for diesel. The caps will come into effect on Wednesday.

A release issued after the cabinet's correspondence session said the government reintroduced temporary administrative pricing for the two most popular fuels in view of the well-founded expectations of further disruptions in the market of oil products and significant price volatility in response to the planned EU embargo on Russian oil imports.

The Economy Ministry also said the measure was aimed at stabilising the market and prices for the benefit of businesses and consumers.

The regulation imposing the caps requires of companies to continue to sell their goods regardless of the cap on whole- and retail-sale prices. They will thus be eligible for compensation for the damage, to be set by the government once the measure expires.

The maximum retail price was set on the basis of the latest seven-day average representative price of petroleum products for Slovenia as reported to the European Commission in the Weekly Oil Bulletin. The maximum wholesale prices are by two cents per litre below the retail price caps, which the government finds makes it possible to sell petroleum products to small traders.

The regulation on the price caps was published in the Official Gazette today and will come into effect tomorrow. It will be in force for three months, that is by 10 August.

The Economy Ministry gave an assessment of the fiscal impact of re-regulation of prices in the documents released by the government.

Three leading fuel retailers (Petrol operates 318 service stations, OMV 120 and MOL Slovenija 53 stations) estimate the financial damage to their business as a result of the cap on retail prices at about EUR 30 million a month, which does not include the damage in case of a cap on wholesale prices.

In case of price controls and retailer obligation to sell at regulated prices at the cost of substantial damage to business, the price control act provides for compensation. It could cost the state at least EUR 30 million a month, and prices had already been capped much lower from mid-March to the end of April.

The reintroduction of price caps had been hinted at by PM Janez Janša on Twitter earlier today after Robert Golob, the most plausible candidate for the new prime minister, announced yesterday his centre-left government would impose energy price regulation, targetting not just fuel but other energy sources as well.

The outgoing government imposed temporary caps on fuel prices on 14 March, capping the price of regular at the pump at EUR 1.503 and diesel at EUR 1.541 a litre. The measure expired at the end of April, and the government's decision not to extend it sent fuel prices soaring.

Regular sold at filling stations operated by Petrol and MOL Slovenija outside motorways today cost EUR 1.717 a litre, and diesel EUR 1.862 a litre. OMV Slovenija sells fuel at EUR 1.714 and diesel at EUR 1.856. Prices at service stations on motorways are even higher

STA 10 May 2022 - Prices of petroleum products increased again on Tuesday after surging on 1 May when the government lifted a 45-day price cap. The prices of regular petrol rose from 6.0 to 6.5 cents per litre, while diesel went up a bit less. Robert Golob, the most likely new PM-elect, has announced his government will re-introduce price regulation.

A litre of regular petrol outside motorways and expressways now costs EUR 1.717 at Petrol and MOL Slovenija filling stations and EUR 1.714 at OMV Slovenija's, which is around 6 cents more than on Monday. The price of regular along motorways is around EUR 1.78 at all three largest providers.

A litre of diesel cost just over EUR 1.85 on Monday outside motorways and expressways, while it is now at EUR 1.862 at Petrol and MOL Slovenija's stations and EUR 1.856 at OMV Slovenija. Along the motorways, diesel costs just over EUR 1.92.

Fuel prices surged when the price regulation was lifted, with regular petrol rising by about 8% and diesel by more than 20% on 1 May.

The Janez Janša government introduced a cap on energy prices in mid-March to mitigate the rising prices of energy on global markets.

When deciding against extending the cap at the end April, it said the markets had stabilised over the past month and a half.

Prices are thus expected to be further rising, especially in case of an embargo on Russian oil.

However, Freedom Movement leader Golob said on Monday the new government would introduce energy price regulation, targetting not just fuel but also other energy sources.

Asked whether prices would be just regulated or also subsidised, he said it was necessary to see what the situation in the world and in neighbouring countries will be.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) meanwhile urged the government "to temporarily regulate prices on the wholesale market and compensates oil traders".

"This would limit the uncontrolled fuel price rises and as a consequence curb the general rise in the prices of services and products," the GZS said in Tuesday's release.

The chamber argues that higher fuel prices have a major impact on the commercial transport sector, rising prices of transport services, which causes a spiral of price hikes in other sectors and making most goods and services more expensive.

A GZS analysis has shown the price of fuel represents as much as 30% of the cost of the price of transport, "which means many transport providers are forced to consider rising the price of transport services to remain profitable".

STA, 10 May 2022 - The fate of a flagship current-affairs show on the national public broadcaster, Studio City, remains uncertain after RTV Slovenija refused to renew the contract with long-time leader Marcel Štefančič amidst accusations that it is conducting a politically-motivated purge.

RTV Slovenija director general Andrej Grah Whatmough told the Programming Council on Monday that the leadership would conduct consultations until 23 May as to how to continue with the show without Štefančič.

Not only was Štefančič's contract not renewed, the entire team working on Studio City has told the editor-in-chief of news and current affairs at TV Slovenija, Jadranka Rebernik, that it would not take part in the new concept presented to them, Grah Whatmough said.

Several journalists were offered to anchor the show. Some immediately rejected the offer, and two declined due to what Grah Whatmough said were threats against them and their families. One of these two was Vida Petrovčič.

The announcement comes after weeks of upheaval at the national broadcaster under a new leadership that has been accused by the civil society and centre-left opposition of having adopted a pro-government line that does not befit an independent public institution.

Last week dozens of RTV Slovenija staff gathered in support of Štefančič when it was announced that his contract would not be renewed, ostensibly because he had made insulting remarks about RTV Slovenija employees at a public debate.

Commentators and politicians on the right have long accused Studio City, a show best known for its fast-paced anchor and in-your-face comment, of leftist bias.

The show was first cancelled for the duration of the one-month election campaign with the argument that its time slot would be given over to debates, which was indeed the case.

When it was slated to return, the leadership announced that it would not renew Štefančič's contract, which expired at the end of March, just days after he hosted the last Studio City.

The show was supposed to return on air yesterday. Instead, a journalist who recently transferred to RTV Slovenija moderated a recap of old Studio City shows.

In the meantime, Štefančič organised "Studio 9 May" at an alternative Ljubljana theatre that featured discussions with incoming prime minister Robert Golob and philosopher Slavoj Žižek.

As an expression of support for independent media, the show was livestreamed by major media outlets such as Delo, Dnevnik, Siol, N1 and STA. At its peak, about 20,000 viewers were tuned in, a remarkable achievement for livestreaming in Slovenia.