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Left leadership gets vote of confidence, mandate for coalition talks

LJUBLJANA - The council of the Left on Friday endorsed the party's executive committee, headed by coordinator Luka Mesec, after the committee put their mandate for a vote of confidence, and the party leadership was given the mandate for talks with the Freedom Movement to enter a coalition headed by Robert Golob. Mesec told the press on Saturday he would meet the leaders of the potential coalition partners, the Freedom Movement and the Social Democrats (SD), on Tuesday. He added that he expected "concrete steps towards a new government".

Coronavirus case count down 9% week-on-week on Friday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 948 new cases of coronavirus were reported for Friday, down by 9% on the week before, as the Covid situation in Slovenia remains stable, the latest Health Ministry data show. The overall number of patients in ordinary Covid wards declined by one to 76, while the number of ICU increased by one to 12. No Covid patient died yesterday. Slovenia's 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 population is down by 16 of 619.

Türk attends first meeting of UN High-Level Advisory Board

NEW YORK, US - Former Slovenian President Danilo Türk attended the first meeting of the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism in New York. He told the STA on the occasion that the UN had perhaps never been in such a difficult situation as today, in particular due to the Russian attack on Ukraine. "The multilateral system is falling apart and Secretary General Guterres is trying to preserve it and give it some new content," Türk told the STA.

Belimed sees increase in demand as Covid 19 pandemic subsides

GROSUPLJE - Belimed, a subsidiary of a Swiss maker of washing-disinfecting machines and sterilization equipment used in medicine, has seen a boost in demand as medical procedures got back on track. The company generated 1.2 million in net profit in 2021 on sales of EUR 41 million. Currently employing 243 people, the company projects a 15% increase in the headcount in the near future. Their biggest market is the USA, followed by Europe, China and Japan.

Judoka Pogačnik wins European bronze in women's 70kg

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Slovenian judoka Anka Pogačnik won the bronze medal in the women's 70kg category at the European Judo Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, her first medal in major competitions. In the decisive fight, she defeated Hilde Jager of the Netherlands after three penalties. The 30-year-old Slovenian lost in the quarter-finals to Sanne van Dijke of the Netherlands, the bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's world championships.

Festival of roses kicking off in Nova Gorica

MOVA GORICA - The 17th Festival of Roses will started today in Nova Gorica. Running until 22 May, it will offer visitors a number of events related to roses, which have become one of the main symbols of the city and the wider area. Visitors will be able to stroll through rose parks and the garden of Bourbon roses at Kostanjevica Hill, as well as attend workshops, exhibitions and a number of concerts, or enjoy the town's many delicacies.

Pop-up concerts to mark International Jazz Day

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia marked International Jazz Day on Saturday with a series of street performances and live concerts by jazz musicians that will be a welcome change after two years of Covid-19. In addition to Ljubljana, events will be or have already been held in several other towns as well. The cultural organisation Imago Sloveniae, the main organiser, also invited jazz musicians country-wide to perform for random passers-by from their windows.

Campsite near Pivka rated Slovenia's most popular by camping.info

BERLIN, Germany - Camping Plana & Bar 66 near Pivka has been rated the most popular Slovenian campsite and the 82nd most popular in Europe by the users of the Berlin-based portal camping.info. Along with Plana & Bar 66, one of the 110 Camping.info Award 2022 winners, Center Kekec at the foot of the Maribor Pohorje hills and Šobec, not far from Bled, have been voted best Slovenian campsites.

Slovenian gets prison in France for stealing Cessna in Italy

ROME, Italy - A court in the French town of Aix-en-Provence has sentenced a Slovenian citizen to three years and six months in prison for stealing a Cessna aircraft from an airfield in the Italian resort of Novi Ligure in March and flying it to France, the Italian media reported. The 33-year-old stole a Cessna 172 from the E.Mossi airfield north of Genoa in north-western Italy, and flew it across the coastal region of Liguria and the French Riviera.

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

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FRIDAY, 22 April
        LJUBLJANA - It was revealed that Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, who stepped down days before, had been in talks to sell a house to KŽK, the company which paid the hotel bill that triggered his resignation and which stood to benefit from his influence on the Farmland Fund.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received individuals from Ukraine who took refuge from the war in their country in Slovenia. He lauded the courage of Ukrainians in standing up to the Russian aggression.
        WASHINGTON, US - Boštjan Vasle, the governor of Slovenia's central bank, warned of lower-than initially expected economic growth and higher inflation as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said EU members were most likely to suffer.
        KOPER - The supervisory board of Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's sole seaport, confirmed a draft investment plan worth EUR 248 million through 2030 designed to increase the capacity of the container terminal to 1.75 million units per year from a million at present.
        
SUNDAY, 24 April
        LJUBLJANA - Newcomer Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won the general election in a landslide, capturing 34.5% of the vote and an unprecedented 41 seats in the 90-member legislature. PM Janez Janša's SDS performed worse than in 2018 at 23.5% but got more seats, 27, because only three other parties made it to parliament. The results pave the way for a new centre-left coalition. Turnout exceeded 70%, the highest since 2000, highlighting the scope of Golob's win.

MONDAY, 25 April
        LJUBLJANA - Freedom Movement president Robert Golob announced that coalition talks would start within days. He said he planned to reach out not just to the SD and Left but also to the liberal LMŠ and SAB, which did not make the 4% threshold to enter parliament, in a move signalling he plans to consolidate the liberal bloc.
        LJUBLJANA - Near-final results showed 36 women were elected to the 90-seat National Assembly, which translates into 40% of all MPs, the highest since Slovenia gained independence. The largest number come from the Freedom Movement, more than half of whose MPs are women.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being elected the president of France for a second term. Both were confident Slovenia and France would continue with their good cooperation.
        LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute filed to parliament some 10,000 signatures in support of its bill aimed at repealing several government-sponsored laws the NGO finds harmful. Election winner Robert Golob voiced support for the bill and said it would be one of the first items on the new parliament's agenda.
        LJUBLJANA - Neuroradiologist Zoran Milošević was found guilty of accepting EUR 101,300 in gifts and of money laundering in a case involving the purchase of brain aneurysm closure coils. He was sentenced to three years in prison and fined EUR 50,000.
        ŠKOFJA LOKA - One of Slovenia's most prolific painters France Slana was reported having died at age 95. He was most known for his oil paintings and watercolours, but also for his prints, painted ceramics and tapestries.

TUESDAY, 26 April
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor met with election winner Robert Golob to tell him he would "fully cooperate" in efforts to make sure Slovenia gets a new government soon. He plans to nominate the prime minister-designate around 23 May, which would pave the way for the appointment of the new government in early June.
        LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the most likely candidate for PM-designate, told TV Slovenija there was no need for Croatian politicians to feel uneasy about Slovenia-Croatia relations or open issues after the election. He reiterated that the border arbitration award was the cornerstone for any talks.
        LJUBLJANA - The purchase of 45 Boxer armoured vehicles that Slovenia plans to acquire through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) will cost EUR 343 million including tax, the Defence Ministry revealed hours after the Constitutional Court upheld a ban on a referendum on the matter. The ministry had previously said it would start price negotiations once the treaty with OCCAR enters into force.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša alleged in a series of Twitter posts that Robert Golob, the winner of the general election, was pro-Russian, by virtue of associating himself with people Janša claims are pro-Russian.
        ZAGREB, Croatia - President Borut Pahor held working talks with Croatian President Zoran Milanović. The discussion focused on the next Brdo-Brijuni Process, which will be held in Slovenia later this year.
        BERLIN, Germany - Slovenia supports Ukraine in its battle against Russia's aggression and is willing to provide military and humanitarian assistance, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said as he attended a meeting of a 40-country contact group for Ukraine at Ramstein airbase.
        LJUBLJANA - Jernej Pikalo stepped down as one of the four vice-presidents of the Social Democrats (SD) over what he labelled a poor election result for the party. He wants to encourage a discussion on what went wrong and how to proceed.
        LJUBLJANA/KOPER - Three Slovenian researchers received the prestigious European Research Council grants. Astrophysicist Maruša Bradač got EUR 2.1 million for research into the early history of the universe, mathematician Franc Forstnerič EUR 1.6 million for work on holomorphic partial differential relations, and historian Borut Klabjan EUR 2.5 million for exploration of the history of cross-border practices in the Alps-Adriatic.
        WASHINGTON - Slovenia honoured American Slovenians Mark Ryavec and Stephen Antalics with the Medal of Merit for their efforts for the US to recognise independent Slovenia. They received the medals on behalf of President Borut Pahor from Slovenian Ambassador to the US Tone Kajzer.
        ŽUŽEMBERK - A 13-year-old student sustained light injuries when a shot was inadvertently fired from a pistol in a primary school in Žužemberk. The accident was the result of careless handling of the weapon brought to school by a 14-year-old student.

WEDNESDAY, 27 April
        NEW DELHI, India - Paying a visit to India, Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue to discuss several issues, including bilateral cooperation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
        STRASBOURG, France - The latest report by 15 media freedom partner organisations to the Council of Europe's Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists warned about the 2021 situation in Slovenia, noting assaults against journalists, the financial draining of the STA and the misuse of state funds to promote pro-government propaganda.

THURSDAY, 28 April
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted and forwarded to the European Commission the Stability Programme and the National Reform Programme for 2022. Citing the recent general election and major uncertainty in light of the Ukraine war, it did not provide any new measures in the plans, opting instead for a no policy change scenario and deciding to leave these to the incoming cabinet.
        LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development downgraded its growth projection for Slovenia for this year from 4.7% in the autumn forecast to 4.2% in the spring forecast, expecting growth to slow down to 3% next year and to 2.8% in 2024 on the back of uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine.
        BERLIN, Germany - President Borut Pahor held working talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and exchange views on the situation in the Western Balkans. They expressed their deep concern about the flagrant violation of the international order by Russia in Ukraine.
        LJUBLJANA - The government extended the validity of reduced excise duties on electricity, motor fuels, heating oil and natural gas for heating for three more months until 31 July. However, it did not take action to extent fuel price caps beyond their expiry at the end of April.
        LJUBLJANA - The government proposed that the terms of five ambassadors - to Slovakia, Denmark, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Egypt - end in the summer and asked President Borut Pahor to consider the proposal.
        LJUBLJANA - The government raised the funds allocated for the purchase of relocatable communication and information systems for the Slovenian Armed Forces from EUR 12.8 million to EUR 30.4 million. The Defence Ministry said the initial value was based on a rough estimate.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - It was confirmed that Matjaž Nemec, a SocDem vice president and MP, was slated to fill the European Parliament seat to be vacated by the party's head Tanja Fajon as she starts her term in the Slovenian National Assembly.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) was reported to have launched an independent inquiry into the appointment of Tomaž Kokot, an SDS politician who became director general of postal operator Pošta Slovenije several months ago amid allegations of political staffing.
        LJUBLJANA - 2TDK, the state-run company managing the construction of the new railway track between the port city of Koper and the Divača junction inland, discarded the sole bid for the construction of rail and tunnel systems on the track because it was too expensive.

30 April Last Day of Cap on Petrol, Diesel Prices

STA, 29 April 2022 - The government has decided not the extend the cap on the price of regular petrol and diesel introduced in March, saying on Friday that the petroleum products market had stabilised. This means the price, both retail and wholesale, will be freely formed on the market again as of 1 May.

The government responded on 14 March to the rising prices of petroleum products by setting maximum retail prices at service stations at EUR 1.503 for a litre of regular petrol and at 1.541 for diesel.

On 31 March, it also capped the wholesale price. Wholesalers have been allowed to charge EUR 1.483 per litre of petrol and EUR 1.521 per litre of diesel, a price the government said provided a margin that would make it possible for small retailers to secure fuel supplies.

The Economy Ministry said today that the goal of protecting consumers had been achieved and that the market had stabilised in the meantime, with Slovenia currently experiencing no disruptions or instability in the supply of motor fuels.

Although the market will be determining the prices again, the ministry expects prices to remain within the EU and eurozone average.

On the other hand, the government did extend by three months on Thursday reduced excise duties on energy products, including electricity, heating oil and natural gas, in addition to motor fuels.

The reduced excise duties, which are part of measures to mitigate the impact of the energy price hike on the population and businesses, will thus remain in force until 31 July.

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:

Cap on petrol prices lifted as of 1 May

LJUBLJANA - The government decided not the extend the cap on the price of regular petrol and diesel introduced in March, saying that the petroleum products market had stabilised. This means the price, both retail and wholesale, will be freely formed on the market again as of 1 May. The Economy Ministry said that the goal of protecting consumers had been achieved and that the market had stabilised.

Annual inflation accelerates to 6.9% in April

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation accelerated to 6.9% in April, up 1.5 percentage points from March and level with the rate in February. Data from the Statistics Office shows a surge in prices of petroleum products contributed 1.5 percentage points to the headline rate, as much as a 9.2% increase in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. Contained by administrative measures, electricity prices dropped by 21.6% to reduce the annual inflation rate by 0.8 points.

Ministry defends Boxer specs after criticism about equipment

LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry said that the 45 Boxer armoured vehicles Slovenia is buying through OCCAR satisfy all technical demands as it responded Friday to a report alleging that equipment had been pared down to hit a low enough price point. Only "less important technical requirements" were dropped in negotiations for the purchase of the vehicles, it said.

Slovenia to send additional material aid to Ukraine

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will send Ukraine material assistance in the form of IP phones, computers, petrol generators, antennas and cables, the government decided. The estimated value of the aid, including transport, is nearly EUR 180,000. The project will be carried out through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Trade union urges quality and secure jobs for youth

LJUBLJANA - The youth trade union Mladi Plus expects the forthcoming government to adopt a regulatory framework for platform work, address precarious work arrangements among the young and step up the prosecution of labour rights violations. It also wants social dialogue and the inclusion of the young into policy making. Addressing reporters ahead of Labour Day, the union's representatives pointed to the growing proportion of the long-term unemployed among the young.

NIJZ head sees plans for his dismissal as political pressure

LJUBLJANA - The head of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Milan Krek, finds the announcement of his potential dismissal by the likeliest PM-designate Robert Golob as a form of unacceptable political interference. He told the STA he did not intend to offer his resignation after the new government is sworn in. Krek has been widely criticised for botching the response to the pandemic and pandering to the government while ignoring experts.

Hungarian foreign minister visits Lendava

LENDAVA - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto paid a visit to Lendava, eastern Slovenia, for talks with the MP for the Hungarian minority and the mayor of the bilingual city. Ferenc Horvath was re-elected MP on Sunday and Szijjarto congratulated him saying Hungary was very satisfied with the work he was doing. He said Hungary would continue to work for the preservation of strong cross-border ties.

Terme Čatež rebounds after Covid slump

ČATEŽ OB SAVI - Terme Čatež, one of Slovenia's largest tourism companies, returned to black in 2021. Sales revenue rose by more than a third to EUR 25.2 million and net profit stood at EUR 5.5 million after a EUR 4 million loss the year before. The number of nights rose by over a quarter to almost 538,000, shows the company's annual report.

Survey unemployment rate continues to drop

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's ILO-compatible survey unemployment rate dropped to 4% in March, down by 0.1 percentage point on February and 1.1 percentage point lower year-on-year. The Statistics Office estimates there were some 41,000 unemployed people in Slovenia last month. Half the unemployed aged 15-74 in March were men with their unemployment rate at 3.7%, lower than 4.4% among women.

Minister Andrijanič makes WEF 2022 Class of Young Global Leaders

GENEVA, Switzerland - Digital Transformation Minister Mark Boris Andrijanič has made the 2022 Class of Young Global Leaders announced by the World Economic Forum (WEF), an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation. Joining 109 other leaders aged 30-40, he is listed in the category of promising public figures. "It is an honour to be the first Slovenian to join this inspiring community in more than 10 years," Andrijanič said on Twitter.

Podobnik to withdraw as SLS head

LJUBLJANA - The president of the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS) Marjan Podobnik announced on Friday he would not stand for another them at the helm of the party at the autumn congress after its failed comeback attempt in Sunday's general election. He will however try to make the party "younger and fresher," he announced on Twitter.

New mystery thriller TV series to premiere on TV Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - A new Slovenian TV series tailor-made for fans of TV dramas imbued with a sense of mystery and thriller will premiere on TV Slovenija on Sunday evening. The 8-episode series Trigrad is set in a fictional remote village of the same name in the mountainous area in north-western Slovenia. Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Sonja Prosenc, it stars Marko Mandić, one of Slovenia's most renowned actors, along with Katarina Stegnar and Suzana Krevh.

Some 1,250 new Covid cases on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reported 1,251 new coronavirus infections for Thursday as hospitalisations decreased. The 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population has declined by five to 635, but the 7-day average of new cases climbed by 15 to 870. The total of patients hospitalised for Covid-19 as their primary condition dropped to 88 and another four patients died, Health Ministry data shows.

STA, 28 April 2022 - The government has extended the validity of reduced excise duties on electricity, motor fuels, heating oil and natural gas for heating for three more months until 31 July.

The reduced excise duties on energy products first kicked in on 1 February as part of a package of measures to mitigate the impact of energy price hikes on the population and businesses.

The government later also capped the retail and wholesale prices of regular petrol and diesel fuel. It has recently also extended the cap on the prices of heating oil by another month.

Announcing a new extension of the reduced excise duties after the cabinet session on Thursday, the Finance Ministry said it was trying to help the population and businesses cope with the high oil prices by fiscal policy measures as well.

The reduced excise duties are 35.9 cents per litre of petrol, 33 cents per litre of diesel, 7.875 cents per litre of heating oil and 85.5 cents per megawatt hour of natural gas for heating.

Unless the government extends by the end of this month administered prices of most motor fuels, these are expected to go up next week.

Estimates by the newspaper Finance show petrol prices could exceed EUR 1.60 a litre on 1 May unless the government extends the price cap. Diesel could cost EUR 1.82 a litre, taking into account reduced excise.

As of February the excise duty on electricity was reduced from EUR 3.05 per MWh to EUR 1.525 per MWh for small consumers and from EUR 1.80 to EUR 0.90 per MWh for large consumers (over 10.000 MWh per year).

The reduced duty has been extended by three months, while the temporary freeze on network charges remains in force until the end of April.

Asked about a potential extension or new measures to mitigate price hikes beyond the planned periods, the Infrastructure Ministry has not provided an answer.

At the beginning of April, Prime Minister Janez Janša said the government would continue to intervene as long as necessary to contain high electricity prices, until these are reduced through a change in the European formula for the calculation of electricity prices. The funds were to come from state-owned power producers.

STA, 29 April 2022 - It is full steam ahead for the summer train on the Koroška route. The train will run from Maribor to Bleiburg in Austria and offer transport to passengers and their bicycles. Its first trip is scheduled for 1 May and the train will operate each Saturday from 11 June to 27 August.

As in previous years, the train will make two trips daily, giving passengers sufficient options to arrange their trips, Aleš Rupreht of the Koroška Regional Development Agency told the STA.

"The route will serve the cyclists as they make their way along the Drava Cycling Route and the route running along the Mislinja Valley," he stressed.

When public transport was suspended in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and countries closed borders, more people started to cycle as a form of recreation, and the number is still growing, Rupreht said.

"We saw a decline in foreign guests, but the number of Slovenian cyclists offset that. The figures are better than expected. The bike train, running only on Saturdays and bank holidays, saw some 200 cyclists and over 700 other passengers last year," he noted.

Rupreht hopes that as tourism recovers and the Covid-19 situation stabilises, the number of cyclists will rise this season.

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:

Govt adopts European semester docs, leaves things open for new cabinet

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted and forwarded to the European Commission the Stability Programme and the National Reform Programme for 2022. Citing the recent general election and major uncertainty in light of the Ukraine war, it inserted no new measures in the plans, deciding to leave these to the incoming cabinet. The Stability Programme, which was adopted with a delay, only includes a scenario of unchanged policies. The National Reform Programme features an overview of key measures, reforms and investment plans adopted in the recent period.

IMAD projects 4.2% growth for Slovenia this year

LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) downgraded its growth projection for Slovenia for this year from 4.7% in the autumn forecast to 4.2% in the spring forecast, expecting growth to slow down to 3% next year and to 2.8% in 2024 on the back of uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine, high energy prices and disrupted supply chains. The government was supposed to sign off the forecast, which is a basis for government budgeting, a month ago, but it waited until today, after the general election.

Pahor talks Ukraine war, W Balkans situation with Steinmeier

BERLIN, Germany - President Borut Pahor held working talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and exchange views on the situation in the Western Balkans. They spoke about Russia's aggression against Ukraine and expressed their deep concern about this flagrant violation of the international order. They agreed that the situation should provide an additional inspiration for Europe to take a step forward in its deepening cooperation, said Pahor.

Reduced excise on energy products extended by end of July

LJUBLJANA - The government extended the validity of reduced excise duties on electricity, motor fuels, heating oil and natural gas for heating for three more months until 31 July. The reduced excise duties on energy products first kicked in on 1 February as part of a package of measures to mitigate the impact of energy price hikes on the population and businesses. Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the government will extend administered prices of petrol and diesel fuel beyond the end of this month.

Motion to end terms of several ambassadors

LJUBLJANA - The government proposes that the terms of five ambassadors - to Slovakia, Denmark, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Egypt - end in the summer. It is now up to President Borut Pahor to consider the proposal. The centre-left opposition has raised issues with certain appointments affiliated with the outgoing government. By the end of August, some fifteen ambassadors are expected to leave for new posts.

Govt more than doubles funds for army's ICT system

LJUBLJANA - The government raised the funds allocated for the purchase of relocatable communication and information systems for the Slovenian Armed Forces from EUR 12.8 million to EUR 30.4 million, VAT included. A press release issued by the Defence Ministry said the initial value was based on a rough estimate, which had to be adjusted based on investment documentation and market research.

SD vice president Nemec to replace Fajon in European Parliament

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Matjaž Nemec, a SocDem vice president and MP, is to fill the European Parliament seat to be vacated by the party's head Tanja Fajon as she starts her term in the Slovenian National Assembly, which was entrusted to her at last Sunday's general election. Nemec came in third among the party's candidates in the 2019 European Parliament election. Fajon and Milan Brglez ended up going to Brussels.

SSH looking into appointment of postal operator boss

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) is reported to have launched an independent inquiry into the appointment of Tomaž Kokot, who became full-fledged director general of postal operator Pošta Slovenije several months ago amid allegations of political staffing. The newspaper Delo and portal Necenzurirano reported law firm Ulčar & Partnerji was commissioned to look into relevant procedures to establish whether they were carried out professionally and in line with the law and the company's rules.

Sole bid for Koper-Divača track tunnel systems rejected

LJUBLJANA - 2TDK, the state-run company managing the construction of the new railway track between the port city of Koper and the Divača junction inland, discarded the sole bid for the construction of rail and tunnel systems on the track because it was too expensive. The value of the contract subject to the tender was capped at EUR 142.2 million, VAT excluded, while the sole bid estimated the cost at EUR 198.54 million, which means it was more than EUR 50 million above the limit value.

Only 279 new Covid-19 cases on bank holiday

LJUBLJANA - Another 279 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday, a bank holiday, as the 7-day average of new cases dropped to 855 and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population dropped to 640. The number of patients treated in hospitals for Covid-19 remained level at 99 but the number of those requiring intensive care dropped by two from yesterday to 12, as one patient died, according to the Health Ministry.

Three Slovenian cities picked for EU climate-neutral project

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Eight Slovenian cities applied for the European Commission's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities 2030 Mission, and three of them, Ljubljana, Kranj and Velenje, have been chosen to participate in the 100-city project, which
will receive EUR 360 million in 2022-2023 through the Horizon Europe programme.

Ljubljana club fail to make EuroCup semis

LJUBLJANA - Cedevita Olimpija ended its winning streak in the EuroCup Basketball competition by losing to Frutti Extra Bursaspor of Turkey 83:85 to the disappointment of the capacity crowd in Ljubljana's Stožice Arena on Wednesday evening. The home team had a 14-point deficit at half-time but got a chance to win in the final two minutes as Yogi Ferrell scored two three-pointers and three free throws as well as doing a lay up. Jacob Pullen then scored a three-pointer a tenth of a second after the buzzer sound.

STA, 28 April 2022 - Eight Slovenian cities applied for the European Commission's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities 2030 Mission, and three of them, Ljubljana, Kranj and Velenje, have been chosen to participate in the project, featuring in total 100 cities.

Ajdovščina, Izola, Maribor, Nova Gorica and Ormož also applied from Slovenia but they were not chosen. Due to the high level of interest - 377 cities wanted to participate - support would also be offered to those that were not selected.

In addition to cities from the EU, the Commission has selected 12 more cities from the countries linked to the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation project.

The project will receive EUR 360 million in 2022-2023 through the Horizon Europe programme. Promoting alternative fuel vehicles, public transport, car sharing and green roofs, it will encourage the participants to become climate neutral by 2030.

The Commission finds it important to encourage the cities to work together to help others become climate neutral by 2050 given the significant carbon footprint of urban areas.

Learn more about the project

STA, 28 April 2022 - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) has downgraded its growth forecast for Slovenia for this year from 4.7% to 4.2%. The new figures were disclosed by Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj on Thursday after the government eventually got acquainted with the IMAD's spring forecast.

The government's economic forecaster had drawn up its latest outlook a month ago but the outgoing government had decided not to get formally acquainted with the document ahead of the 24 April general election.

IMAD expects growth to slow down to around 3% over the next two years. Presenting the forecast, IMAD director Maja Bednaš said they had expected a slow-down due to rising energy prices and disruption in supply chains before the war in Ukraine, which, however, only further increased those pressures.

The forecast had thus been drawn up against the backdrop of substantial uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine, with another factor being a reduced scope of measures in support of post-pandemic recovery.

This year's growth is expected to rely substantially on domestic spending, where the growth in private consumption is expected to slow down, partly as a result of higher inflation. Consumption of services is to grow in particular in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions.

IMAD expects investment growth to remain at high rates as well as growth in exports, which is to slow down due to the impact of the war in Ukraine and its fallout on merchandise exports.

The country's GDP growth is expected to slow down to 3% next year and down further to 2.8% in 2024.

According to Bendaš, the biggest risks to the forecast are linked to the developments in the war in Ukraine and energy prices with a further negative risk still posed by Covid-19 and increasingly by supply chains.

Russia and Ukraine represent about 3% of Slovenian exports, which Bendaš said was not a substantial exposure, but she noted greater exposure of the pharmaceutical, chemical and electricity equipment industries.

Inflation is expected to remain high; this year it is expected to run at 6.4% before falling to 3.2% in 2023 and 2.3% in 2024.

Employment is expected to increase by 1.7% this year as the number of registered unemployed is to drop to roughly 61,000 at the end of the year.

A further improvement in the labour market is expected over the next two years, "but less intensely than this year given the slightly lower growth in economic activity and demographic trends that are reducing the size of the working-age population," said the IMAD director.

At a government press conference earlier today, Minister Šircelj talked about why the government had delayed signing off the IMAD forecast. "Looking back at a few reports, they all put the economic growth rate lower than the actual rate," he said. IMAD forecast 6.1% growth for 2021 in the autumn, but the actual rate according to initial estimates by the Statistics Office was 8.1%.

"For me as finance minister it's important that such a forecast is as accurate as possible [...] Firstly, it expresses either optimism or pessimism, in this case pessimism, and secondly, such data can actually lead to the government or the ministry making wrong decisions," said Šircelj.

In late March IMAD commented on the delay by saying that given all the available data, information and assumptions, its forecast was realistic and there were "no substantive or technical reasons for a correction".

The International Monetary Fund has forecast for the Slovenian economy in light of the war in Ukraine and its fallout on the global markets to expand by 3.7% this year, down 0.9 points from its previous forecast, and by 3% next year, down 0.6 points.

The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expects the country's GDP to grow by 3.7% this year and by 3.2% in 2023.

STA, 27 April 2022 - Paying a visit to India, Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2022 forum in New Delhi to discuss several issues, including the war in Ukraine and cooperation between Slovenia and India.

Logar and Jaishankar lauded cooperation between the Bled Strategic Forum and Indian organisation ORF, which holds the annual Raisina Dialogue. They also touched upon cooperation between the two countries on a multilateral level, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Talking about the war in Ukraine, Logar stressed the need to respect the universal values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and noted the EU's strong and united response to the developments.

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Minister @AnzeLog begins his visit to #India by meeting with Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar. They called for continued cooperation between @raisinadialogue and the @BledStratForum and went on to discuss current geopolitical topics, including the war in #Ukraine ??. pic.twitter.com/STtBxKqZUL

— MFA Slovenia (@MZZRS) April 25, 2022

The ministers discussed the consequences of the war on Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the areas of security and energy.

Logar started a three-day visit to India on Monday during which he also attended a concert marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and India, where he stressed that the two countries had significantly strengthened their relations over the past two years.

After the concert, he met with Slovenia's honorary consuls in India, with whom he discussed the opportunities that the Indian market presents for Slovenian companies.

He was also a panellist at a round-table debate on the relation between security and economic interests in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, where he argued against the use of double standards when it comes to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. "Only a strong response from the international community will send a clear signal to other autocrats around the world," he noted.

Moreover, Logar was received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Attending Raisina Dialogue 2022, he held a number of other bilateral talks in addition to the meeting with Jaishankar.

On the sidelines of the forum, Logar held bilateral talks with Madagascar's Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, and Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, deputy foreign minister of Ghana. He discussed with them multilateral issues, development cooperation and preparations for this year's Africa Day, the ministry said in a press release.