STA, 15 April 2022 - Easter is the biggest holiday of Christianity but apart from religious ceremonies, it is mainly about traditions handed down for centuries that are still observed both by religious and non-religious people in Slovenia. This year it will be especially festive with in-person events returning after two years of Covid restrictions.

Stores will be closed on Monday, April 19th

Days immediately after Palm Sunday are spent cleaning up, tidying and decorating the home in preparation for Easter. Some will have started preparing dishes typical for this time of year, which have not changed much for centuries.

Good Friday is more of a quiet day as believers remember Jesus's suffering and death on the cross. It is the only day on the Catholic calendar that masses are not celebrated. The believers observe a strict fast.

Meanwhile, the smaller Protestant community, centred in the north-east of the country, will hold their main Easter service on Friday. The altar will be covered in black cloth with a thorn crown placed on top.

All Easter dishes need to be ready on Saturday to be taken for blessings in wicker baskets and many a home will be sprinkled with holy water and blessed with holy fire.

A typical Easter basket includes "pirhi", the elaborately decorated hard-boiled eggs, ham, horse radish, the potica cake, and selected local specialities.

These have not changed much since the times of the celebrated polymath Janez Vajkard Valvasor. In his 1689 Glory of the Duchy of Carniola he lists smoked ham, salted beef, hard-boiled eggs and a wreath-shaped cake weighing up to 17 kilos as the dishes that were taken to blessings at the time. He also describes regional variations of the basket.

Evangelical Bishop Leon Novak says their community does not bless Easter dishes. Instead, kids hunt for Easter Bunnies.

The culmination of Easter for the Catholic community will start with Easter vigils at churches on Saturday evening. Sunday morning will start with resurrection masses with Easter processions, accompanied by bell-ringing.

Anton Jamnik, the auxiliary bishop of Ljubljana, says that the rich and festive liturgy, involving a lot of symbolism, singing as well as silence, attracts more people than usual to churches.

This year will be the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that Easter ceremonies will be held in person. Moreover, churchgoers will no longer have to wear facemasks.

STA, 14 April - The Murska Sobota synagogue (Sinagoga Murska Sobota), which was demolished in 1954, has been revived in virtual form as part of the Interreg Danube project based on a few photos and incomplete plans for the building dating to 1908-1954. Using virtual reality headsets, visitors can now enter the synagogue or take a stroll around it.

The goal was to present this "extraordinary element of Jewish cultural heritage" to locals and visitors again, said
Brigita Perhavec and Daniel Ulčar from the Institute for Culture, Tourism and Sport, head of Pomurje Museum Metka Fujs and Art Rebel 9 CEO Matjaž Požlep as they presented the project.

The synagogue in Murska Sobota was the work of renowned Jewish architect Lipot Baumhorn, who designed 25 synagogues and Jewish temples, and was build in the Hungarian architectural style in 1908.

During the Second World War, when local Jews were taken to concentration camps, mostly Auschwitz, the town bought the building and decided to demolish it in 1954.

The decision was made because the building was in poor condition, so it could not be used, while the few dozen Jews who returned from concentration camps had no money to finance the renovation.

The virtual synagogue is part of the Rediscover project of exploring the hidden Jewish heritage of the Danube region within the Interreg Danube project, featuring partners from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Germany.

Apart from the virtual synagogue, the Murska Sobota Institute for Culture, Tourism and Sport also made records of tangible and intangible Jewish cultural heritage and organised various activities, including the Days of Jewish Culture in Murska Sobota, a Jewish trail, and an exhibition presenting Baumhorn's work and the Jewish community in Murska Sobota.

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Some 1,200 Ukrainians granted temporary protection so far

LJUBLJANA - A total of 18,415 Ukrainian refugees have been officially recorded in Slovenia so far, although 4,718 are registered presently as most only pass through the country. At present, 1,225 have temporary protection status. The data was presented to reporters by the head of the Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants Katarina Štrukelj, who said that some of the roughly 5,000 registered refugees were already returning home.

Carinthia's Governor apologises to Slovenian minority

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Marking the 80th anniversary of the first wave of persecution of Carinthian Slovenians, Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian region of Carinthia, apologised to the Carinthian Slovenians for the horrors they had to endure. "I apologise from the bottom of my heart to all persecuted Carinthian Slovenians who had to endure horrors. I also apologise to their families and the national community - to my Slovenian-speaking countrymen," he wrote in a statement published on Thursday.

Kranj-Jesenice rail upgrade inaugurated

RADOVLJICA - An upgrade of the rail track between Kranj and Jesenice, a key section that connects Slovenia's rail system to Austria, was officially inaugurated as the first project part-financed from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. The EUR 166 million project, which started a year and a half ago and will be completed in May, once all sound barriers have been installed, involved upgrades of track and other infrastructure and will allow higher train speeds. EUR 109.5 million came from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and EUR 37 million from the Climate Fund.

Divača-Koper rail project seen on track

DIVAČA - Construction work on the Divača-Koper rail track, a new link between the port of Koper and the Divača hub, is running smoothly and despite minor problems on individual sections and with worker permits, completion is expected within the deadline. Some 3,300 metres of the 37 kilometres of tunnels have already been bored, reporters were told as Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec visited the construction site. He said a fully functioning second track would be opened in 2026.

Plans for new hospital, long-term care home confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The government has confirmed plans to build a new general hospital in the north-western Gorenjska region, a project estimated at EUR 305 million, and a long-term care home worth almost EUR 27 million that is to be built in Ptuj in the east of the country. Both projects have been placed on the list of development programmes for 2022-2025, a designation which means priority treatment in financing and permitting. Four locations are under consideration for the Gorenjska hospital.

Covid figures down further

LJUBLJANA - The Covid situation in the country continues to improve, with all figures down or level. A total of 1,338 new infections were detected on Thursday, down 522 compared to a week ago, and 119 patients were in hospital for Covid this morning, including 17 in intensive care. Three more patients have died. The 7-day average of new cases has dropped to 1,463 and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population to 1,146.

Vučić to visit Slovenia on Monday

LJUBLJANA - At the invitation of President Borut Pahor, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will be on a working visit to Slovenia on Monday. The two presidents will meet for a dinner at Zemono Mansion in Vipava, south-west, to discuss topical issues in the region and Europe. The visit comes after Pahor congratulated Vučić at the beginning of the month on being re-elected the president of Serbia, the president's office said as it announced the visit.

Former Telekom CEO pleads not guilty in Ipko takeover trial

LJUBLJANA - Bojan Dremelj, the former CEO of Telekom Slovenije, pleaded not guilty at a pre-trial hearing in a case in which three defendants had been charged with abuse of office over Telekom's 2007 takeover of the Kosovo internet service provider Ipko. Ekrem Lluka, a Kosovo businessman suspected of having received millions in commission for withdrawing from a spectrum auction in favour of Telekom, likewise pleaded not guilty. A third defendant failed to appear in court.

Janša meets OZS and SBC employer organisations

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and some of the ministers from his Democrats (SDS) met with the leadership of the OZS chamber of small business, pledging further help and support to the small business sector. Janša highlighted a change in mentality as the key challenge in the coming period. "We need to change the education system, we need theory and practice to meet faster." He also visited the Slovenian Business Club (SBC).

SIJ shareholders to get almost EUR 22 dividend

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of SIJ steel group decided that EUR 21 million of last year's distributable profit will be allocated for dividends. Shareholders will thus receive a dividend of EUR 21.71 gross per share, according to a posting on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange. SIJ's 2021 distributable profit is EUR 108.8 million, with EUR 87.8 remaining undistributed.

Real estate fund Equinox with EUR 360,000 profit last year

LJUBLJANA - Equinox, a real estate fund created at the beginning of last May with the split of the real estate branch from the rest of the Group Union Hoteli, generated EUR 4.5 million in sales revenue and just under EUR 360,000 in net profit by the end of 2021, shows the audited annual report. The bulk of the revenue, just under EUR 4 million, was generated by rents from Equinox's portfolio that includes four hotels in Ljubljana - Grand Hotel Union, uHotel, Hotel Lev and The Fuzzy Log.

STA, 14 April 2022 - The low-cost carrier Transavia France, a member of Air France KLM group, launched twice-weekly flights between Paris Orly and Ljubljana on Thursday, joining Air France, which operates daily flights between Ljubljana and Charles de Gaulle.

Transavia France will fly Tuesdays and Thursdays with a Boeing 737-800. The first flight was almost fully booked.

Janez Krašnja, head of airline management, said the airport was glad to have two airlines operating flights to Paris.

"We sincerely hope that the epidemiological situation will make it possible to make this route a permanent feature," he said.

The arrival of Transavia France increases the number of airlines operating flights to Ljubljana to 15.

Krašnja said the number of tourists going through the Jože Pučnik Ljubljana Airport was increasing.

While flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv have been cancelled due to war, Turkish Airlines will increase the frequency to ten flights a week and FlyDubai plans to introduce daily flights to Dubai in the summer.

Last year the airport handled 420,000 passengers. This year the figure is planned to at least double absent new shake-ups due to Covid-19 or other crises.

STA, 14 April 2022 - Robert Golob, the leader of the Freedom Movement and an ex-energy company CEO, has revealed his income earned in 2020 and part of his employment contract as GEN-I chairman, after he was recently urged to do so by the interior minister in an election debate. He said that he had nothing to hide and that the data from the two documents matched.

The statement of the 2020 income issued by the Financial Administration (FURS) shows that Golob had just over EUR 433,000 in taxable income that year.

Another document he provided to journalists on Thursday shows that his annual salary as GEN-I chairman was slightly over EUR 438,000 gross, or just over EUR 214,000 net.

Golob failed to win another term as GEN-I boss in November, when he said that the move had been politically motivated, and eventually decided to enter politics.

Ever since he has lost the top job at the electricity retailer, his allegedly high salary has been making headlines, especially in right-wing media.

The segment of his job contract he presented today shows he had a monthly gross salary of EUR 11,950 apart from being entitled to a performance bonus of up to 15% of the salary and to an annual performance bonus.

Golob told the press that he had earned all his income in Slovenia, where he also pays taxes. "My assets have a known source and nothing is hidden, even less so somewhere abroad."

He did not disclose his income tax statement saying that he does not want to reveal data about his family members. Nevertheless, he is willing to show it for 2021 under the condition that he does not have to show the data about the family members.

Asked why he had not shown the FURS income statement before, he said he would not allow "the police minister to dictate which data he has to give to the media or anyone else".

This is in reference to Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who urged Golob in an election debate to disclose his income tax statement for 2020.

Hojs had argued that all the other party leaders had already send their income tax statements to public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. Asked by Golob how he knew that, Hojs said that the editors had told him.

Responding to Golob's move, Hojs said today that Golob was probably showing a statement from Gen-I, not his income tax returns. "This does not mean that this is all he earned. He should show the income tax return, just like everybody else."

STA, 14 April 2022 - Foreigners in Slovenia have problems because of lengthy procedures at administrative units (Upravne enote), warned participants of a round table debate hosted on Thursday by the Legal Network for Protection of Democracy, an NGO. The delays occur because of understaffed offices for foreigners, inefficient organisation, and the nature of administrative procedures.

The delays in administrative procedures involving foreigners in big cities, especially Ljubljana, go beyond what is reasonable and justifiable, said the participants.

Currently, 15,000 applications by foreigners are waiting to be processed at the Ljubljana administrative unit, which said that it would introduce special staffing measures to process them within six months.

Ukrainian refugees who have requested temporary protection have further increased the workload.

Different categories of foreigners are in a tough spot because of the lengthy procedures, including students (some 4,100 in Ljubljana and 15,000 in Maribor) as well as guest lecturers and researchers, the University in Ljubljana said.

Vice-chancellor for student affairs Ksenija Vidmar Horvat said the "system was completely out of control", as people were not notified of the phase their application was in, received false information, and the proceedings were lengthy. She reported of financial and emotional distress and the feelings of stigmatisation.

She warned that this damaged the university's reputation. "We at the university see them as our ambassadors. Sooner or later they will signal to their environment that things are not organised well here," she stressed.

Vice-chancellor for internationalisation and quality Boštjan Markoli echoed this, saying the problem was affecting the university's quality assessments and was causing it to drop in rankings and preference lists. Problems are emerging in winning and implementing projects with time restrictions, he said.

Matija Urankar from the Senica Law Firm said that many foreign investors had cancelled their projects amid administrative procedures because they were too slow and the staff unresponsive. He believes damage was being caused to Slovenia.

According to him, the general administrative procedure act is a big problem, because proceedings based on it are rigid. For example, foreigners must submit documents that do not even exist in their country, he illustrated.

Goran Lukić from Delavska Svetovalnica, an NGO specialising in the rights of migrant workers, said foreign workers waited months, even years for their applications to be processed. He said that in recent months there had been increased interest in employers in Germany, while Slovenia lacked labour force.

Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular service, admitted there were problems. "In Slovenia, a foreigner is directly and indirectly considered a security problem and is treated as such. They need to be read, their background checked. Clerks are told to do detailed investigation on them," he said.

State institutions should understand that the "situation as it is now cannot be solved". He proposes several changes, including processing of foreign parties in Slovenia rather than "sending them to be fingerprinted in Ankara". Another problem is an "unbalanced and meagre diplomatic network".

The head of the Trade Union of State Bodies, Frančišek Verk, who was in the audience, said that pay was low, state bodies understaffed and employees under pressure. He was critical of the politicians who he said had in the past ignored warnings that the situation would get worse.

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Defence spending planned to increase to EUR 983m by 2026

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted on Wednesday the medium-term defence programme for 2022-2026 under which defence spending will be increasing by an average of EUR 72 million on an annual basis to reach EUR 983 million by 2026. The programme plans progress in the development and modernisation of priority capabilities and restructuring of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the defence system.

Govt sets aside extra EUR 22m for Ukrainian refugee support

LJUBLJANA - With the activation of temporary protection for displaced persons in early March, the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants has taken on a new remit. The government thus provided the office with the additional funding of more than EUR 22 million for this year under a decision adopted at Wednesday's correspondence session.

Those who get Covid after 20 April unable to vote

LJUBLJANA - The National Electoral Commission confirmed that under current rules, voters who catch coronavirus after 20 April would not be able to vote in the 24 April general election. It did however reverse an earlier decision not to allow voting from Moscow on security grounds. An authorised representative of the Foreign Ministry will take the ballots and electoral rolls to the Russian capital and bring them back to Slovenia after the vote.

Golob reveals his income from 2020

LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the leader of the Freedom Movement, revealed his income earned in 2020 and part of his employment contract as GEN-I chairman, after he was recently urged to do so by the interior minister in an election debate. The statement of the 2020 income issued by the Financial Administration (FURS) shows that Golob had just over EUR 433,000 in taxable income that year.

Opposition accuses govt of covering up fiscal hole

LJUBLJANA - Two centre-left opposition parties, the SD and SAB, accused the government of failing to come up with general government documents for the coming period because it does not want to talk about a "huge hole" in public finances ahead of the election. They pointed to a EUR 750 million shortfall that she said resulted from a EUR 250 million deficit in the pension fund and a EUR 500 million budget shortfall as a result of new laws.

Twenty Ukrainian orphans to be relocated to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The government approved a plan under which twenty orphans from Ukraine will be relocated to Slovenia to shelter them from the danger of war. The orphans are from an orphanage in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, and will be accompanied to Slovenia by staff from the orphanage and children of the staff. They are expected to remain in Slovenia until the state of war in Ukraine ends.

Huda Jama post-WWII mass grave declared monument of national importance

LJUBLJANA - The government declared Barbara Rov, a coal mine where the remains of over 1,400 victims of post-WWII summary killings were discovered in March 2009, a monument of national importance. The victims were largely members of the military of the Independent State of Croatia, a Croatian Nazi-puppet state, of the Slovenian Domobranci militia, and civilians.

Consensus among parties on EU enlargement, not on NATO's

LJUBLJANA - Parties standing for seats in parliament in the 24 April election largely support the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, but are more reserved when it comes to NATO expansion. They all declare support for the rule of law in the EU and part of them favour deepening the bloc's integration but disagree whether Slovenia is part of the core EU. The parties also have very different ideas as to the areas the EU should deepen its integration.

Köleš Kiss elected to Hungarian parliament for third time

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Erika Köleš Kiss was elected as the Slovenian minority advocate in the Hungarian parliament for the third time in the recent parliamentary election in Hungary. Köleš Kiss represents Slovenians from the south-western region of Porabje. She hopes that the plans for the preservation and development of the Slovenian identity in Porabje region will be realised in the new term, with the economic development programme being in the forefront.

Overcrowded prisons still an issue in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The Prison Administration said that overcrowdedness was still an issue in Slovenian prisons as it responded to a recent Council of Europe (CoE) report which said that Slovenia has successfully addressed the issue. Slovenia's prisons are currently 104.7% full, whereas the CoE report said that in 2021 only 86% of prison capacities were full because the CoE data referred to 31 January 2021, when prisons were indeed less full due to Covid measures.

Transavia France launches Paris-Ljubljana flights

LJUBLJANA - The low-cost carrier Transavia France, a member of Air France KLM group, launched twice-weekly flights between Paris Orly and Ljubljana, joining Air France, which operates daily flights between Ljubljana and Charles de Gaulle. Transavia France will fly Tuesdays and Thursdays with a Boeing 737-800. The first flight was almost fully booked.

Businesses expect strategic R&D from new government

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian businesses expect that the new government will draw up a strategic development plan for a green transition in cooperation with experts and a clear and long-term development policy, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director Aleš Cantarutti said. He said R&D spending would have to more than double to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 if the green and digital transition is to be successful.

Covid figures keep improving

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's coronavirus case count as well as hospitalisations keep falling with 1,532 new cases reported for Wednesday, roughly a fourth fewer than the same day a week ago. However, seven patients with Covid-19 died, Health Ministry data shows. The National Institute of Public Health estimates 25,299 people are still actively infected, which compares to 32,703 a week ago.

New police helicopter enters service

BRNIK - A new police helicopter, an AgustaWestland AW169, entered service with the airborne police. It will be mainly deployed for search and rescue missions, and for medical transports. Worth almost EUR 14 million, the ten-seat helicopter, based out of Brnik airport, can reach a maximum altitude of 4,500 metres and a top speed of 300 km/h. Its maximum range is 800 kilometres.

Maribor flood protection project cancelled as locals disagree

MARIBOR - A portion of an EU-funded project involving the construction of flood protection in a flood-prone area along the Drava river just downstream from Maribor has been cancelled. The reason is locals disagreeing with the proposed solution by the end-February deadline. The project was to be concluded by the end of 2023 at the latest.

Visual artist Duba Sambolec wins Jakopič Prize

LJUBLJANA - Visual artist Duba Sambolec, 72, has been honoured with this year's Jakopič Prize, the top annual national award for lifetime achievement in fine arts and visual art. She will receive the prize at the awards ceremony held at the Museum of Modern Art tonight. She has created multimedia installations, art video and video performances, drawings, photographies and digital photocollage, while also researching sound.

NGO appeals for solidarity with regime-opposing Russian artists

LJUBLJANA - Asociacija, an association of freelance artists and NGOs, raised the issue of Russian artists, collectives and cultural organisations who are exposed to repression in their country for opposing the war in Ukraine, urging decision-makers to keep them in mind when taking measures and sanctions. While condemning the actions by Russian authorities against Ukraine and its own people, the association also condemned "demonisation of Russian culture".

Slovenia and Poland replace Russia as volley worlds hosts

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Poland will host the Volleyball Men's World Championship in late summer instead of Russia, the two countries' governments announced on Twitter. FIVB, the sport's governing body confirmed the news. Poland will be the main host, hosting two of the best-of-16 matches, two quarter-finals matches, both semi-finals, the finals and the match for bronze. Slovenia will host two preliminary groups.

Slovenia advance to elite group of Billie Jean King Cup

ANTALYA, Turkey - The Slovenian women's tennis team defeated Bulgaria 2:1 in the Europe/Africa Zone of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup to secure advancement to the elite, twelve-team Finals group, as part of which Slovenia will play the first matches this November. Slovenia achieved the goal that it came for in Turkey in the first four out of the five scheduled matches, defeating Georgia, Austria, Croatia and Bulgaria.

STA, 14 April 2022 - Slovenia's hotel capacities are almost fully booked for Easter and Labour Day holidays. Slovenians are still redeeming their tourist vouchers and visitors from nearby countries are starting to flock in as well. With major business events regaining momentum, the country is also seeing urban tourism gaining ground again.

The Sava Group, Slovenia's largest tourist accommodation provider, has seen bookings return to similar levels as those recorded in the pre-Covid year of 2019. Their capacities for the upcoming holidays are booked to up to 90%. Most of the guests coming to spend their holidays there are from Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Serbia. The company also hopes to see air traffic with countries further away from Slovenia get back on track as soon as possible.

As Covid restrictive measures are lifted, the coastal Primorska region is also regaining foreign guests, which previously made 75% of the region's tourism business. Easter holidays usually see an increase in foreign guests, whereas the majority of guests making reservations for Labour Day holidays are Slovenians.

The Kranjska Gora ski resort is recording a similar trend of Austrian, Italian and German guests. Some 75% of capacities have already been booked. They are seeing an upward trend of last-minute reservations and expect to see an influx of Slovenian guests as vouchers are about to expire, whereas visitors from the Benelux countries are cautious in making bookings due to the Ukrainian war.

Lake Bled resorts see the Easter holidays as an indicator of how the summer season will pan out. Currently, they are happy with the number of bookings, Bled Tourism representatives say, as they are also almost fully booked. Most of their guests are Croatian, Italian, Hungarian and German. Meanwhile, the nearby Bohinj lakeside resort is not as busy at only 60% capacities booked, but local tourism providers expect business will get back on track in the summer.

Urban tourism in Ljubljana and Maribor was one of the areas most hit during the pandemic. Now the situation is looking brighter, says the president of the Slovenian Hoteliers' Association and head of Ljubljana's Slon Hotel Gregor Jamnik. The last couple of weeks have seen some positive trends. Business tourism is back as companies lift travel bans for their employees. Slon has 80% of their capacities booked on Easter and 50% for Labour day.

"We are very glad that the headlines are not full of Covid anymore. Unfortunately, there is the war in Ukraine, but for now it is not affecting us as negatively as we feared," Jamnik said.

He is pleased by the return of British and American guests who have covered the loss of income due to the absence of the Russians. Asian tourists are also scarce in comparison to Europeans who are now travelling more regionally.

Jamnik is content with how the season is going, but concerned about the price hikes that are imminent if the tourism sector is to cover the rise of costs. "We are seeing our suppliers raising prices on a weekly basis," he added.

STA, 14 April 2022 - Parties standing for seats in parliament in the 24 April election largely support the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, but are more reserved when it comes to NATO expansion. They all declare support for the rule of law in the EU and part of them favour deepening the bloc's integration but disagree weather Slovenia is part of the core EU.

Unlike incumbent ruling coalition parties, which see Slovenia as part of the core Europe, most of the current centre-left opposition parties blame the government for removing Slovenia from that core, a process they say should be reversed, as some others, such as the Left or the National Party (SNS), say it has never been part of that core.

The parties have very different ideas as to the areas the EU should deepen its integration, with the SNS standing out in opposing any further integration or even enlargement of the EU or NATO and even arguing Slovenia should quit NATO.

The Freedom Movement advocates deepening European integration in various fields in a bid to increase the Europeans' prosperity. The party also supports stepping up the process to integrate Western Balkan countries and Eastern Europe into the EU. It advocates NATO's expansion to the partner countries and enhancing Slovenia's role in the alliance.

Likewise, EU and NATO enlargement is advocated by the ruling coalition parties. The Democrats (SDS) would have NATO invite democratic countries in the vicinity which want to join and which share the same values. The party believes the EU's integration should deepen in cyber security, healthcare, defence and military technology, humanitarian aid, migration and climate change.

Its coalition partner, New Slovenia (NSi) supports the EU's enlargement to Western Balkan countries and Ukraine when they meet the requirements, and NATO's enlargement on condition the countries meet the criteria and take a sovereign decision to join. They say decisions on the EU's foreign and security policy should be taken by qualified majority.

The Connecting Slovenia alliance, which also includes the ruling coalition party Concretely, supports all forms of cooperation between EU member states that enhance the bond among them. They see healthcare and development of the energy network and food security as areas where integration should be upgraded. They say enlargement to the Western Balkans is in the EU's geostrategic interest and believe NATO is pursuing a responsible enlargement policy.

The Left stands out among the four-centre left opposition parties as being staunchly opposed to NATO enlargement. The party would like to see the EU's integration to deepen over social and worker rights and tax policy, and the legal framework in support of solidarity and equality. They do not think EU enlargement should be an end in itself, but say the EU needs reform that is not based solely on the free movement of goods and capital.

The Social Democrats (SD) and Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) advocate a strong and united EU with the former advocating enhancing strategic autonomy in the common security and defence policy and the latter favouring the EU's phased confederal development and arguing the EU should distance itself from illiberal policies.

The two parties, along with their partner Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), support speeding up EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, with the SD and LMŠ also explicitly mentioning Ukraine and the SD noting the need for a clear timetable for the Western Balkans and a long-term European perspective for Ukraine. The parties also support NATO enlargement, but the LMŠ does not deem it realistic in the mid-term and the SD says it must be well thought-through.

The SAB is in favour of a common European security policy and a single European control of external border surveillance.

All the parties vocally supported the need to respect the rule of law, but the SNS and several conservative non-parliamentary parties oppose procedures taken against Hungary and Poland. The NSi called for building a new bridge of trust and dialogue between Western and Eastern Europe over the rule of law.

Our Land, the party of the former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, says they support EU values, but oppose political action taken against individual countries over their political beliefs. They say Poland was welcoming refugees from Ukraine just as the EU took action against the country.

The SNS made the same argument while going a step further by saying Hungary and Poland were not answerable to Brussels bureaucrats.

Judging by their answers to STA queries, perhaps the strongest advocates of a comprehensive deepening of integration and even federalisation of the EU, complete with a social and fiscal union, are the Pirate Party and the green party Vesna, both non-parliamentary parties.

STA, 13 April 2022 - The 70th Ljubljana Festival will bring over 80 classical music concerts, opera and ballet performances and more this summer. It will open with Summer Night - Power to Words, a tribute to Slovenian pop song lyrics from the 1960s in Congress Square on 21 June, and close with a Vienna Philharmonic concert at Cankarjev Dom on 8 September.

The Vienna Philharmonic will perform with Finnish conductor Esea-Pekka Salonen and Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder as the soloist.

Another highlight will be Verdi's Requiem, with conductor Karel Mark Chichon leading the orchestra and choir of the Slovenian Philharmonic on 3 June at Cankarjev Dom.

The concert will feature Bulgarian soprano Krasimira Stojanova, Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanča, Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov and Italian bas Riccardo Zanellato.

Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov will meanwhile give a concert at the end of August.

Approximately at the same time Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will be featured as part of the Spanish Night concert.

The London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform with Slovenian violinist Lana Trotovšek and Ukrainian viola player Maxim Rysanov as soloists.

One of the greatest classic pieces, Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust will be conducted by Charles Dutoit from Switzerland.

French pianist Helene Grimaud will appear as soloist with the Symphony Orchestra from Pittsburgh and conductor Manfred Honeck from Austria.

The Bejart Ballet Lausanne from Switzerland will give two shows in early July, to be followed by Wedding & Rite of Spring, a ballet by choreographer Edward Clug against the backdrop of Stravinski's music.

Apart from Clug's ballet, SNG Maribor will also appear with Bizet's Carmen opera with conductor John Svinghammar.

American actor John Malkovich will bring to Ljubljana The Music Critic, a theatre piece the festival's director Darko Brlek recommended saying: "You'll laugh to tears".

Appearing for the first time in Ljubljana will be the West-East Divan Orchestra with conductor Daniel Barenboim and Chinese Lang Lang as the soloist on piano.

The festival will also serve as the platform for his first appearance in Slovenia for Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez. He will sing accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of RTV Slovenija and Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv.

The festival will also feature among others the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, The West Side Story musical and concerts by Slovenian singer Vlado Kreslin and musical group Laibach.

Learn more at the official website, in English