News

05 Apr 2022, 04:30 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 5 April 2022

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:

Janša likens Bucha killings to Katyn massacre

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša labelled the atrocities Russia is believed to have committed in Bucha, a city close to Kyiv, crimes against humanity, likening them to the 1940 execution of Poles in Katyn by the Soviet Union. "These are massive crimes against humanity," he said on Twitter yesterday, adding that the Russian army behaved "as a horde of KGB executioners at Katyn". In subsequent tweets he suggested that the West could have prevented the massacres by giving Ukraine and Georgia the prospect of NATO membership in 2008.

Ukraine, Bay in Piran in focus of Slovenia-Croatia-Italy meeting

ZAGREB, Croatia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his Croatian and Italian counterparts, Gordan Grlić Radman and Luigi Di Maio, in Croatia's Zaprešić to assess the ongoing trilateral cooperation in the north Adriatic and discussed proposals for further cooperation, which was put into words in a joint statement. The statement strongly condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supports Ukraine and its people. Logar and Di Maio urged adopting a new package of sanctions against Russia. Logar and Grlić Radman talked about an "agreement about an agreement" on fishing in the border Bay of Piran.

Minister: Slovenia could get third of its LNG from Krk this year

KRK, Croatia - Croatia is soon to publish an open call for booking the increased capacity of its LNG terminal on the island of Krk, 300 million cubic metres per year, and Slovenia is interested in leasing it, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said after he met Croatian Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić. The additional capacity would cover about a third of Slovenia's gas demand this year and significantly reduce the country's dependency on Russia's gas.

Painter Emerik Bernard dies aged 84

LJUBLJANA - Emerik Bernard, one of the most important Slovenian painters and representatives of late Slovenian modernism and postmodernism, died aged 84, the MMC news portal reported. Art historian Tomaž Brejc described his contribution to Slovenian art as the most visible and successful synthesis of the principles of modernism with the artistic inventions of postmodernism. Bernard received a number of awards, including the most prestigious national award, the Prešeren Prize for outstanding achievements in fine arts in 1997.

Janša congratulates Orban on re-election

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party, which secured the fourth consecutive win in Sunday's election. "It's good to have friends as neighbours," Janša wrote on Twitter. Janša and Orban are close political allies and Orban had endorsed Janša prior to the 2018 general election. Slovenia holds an election in three weeks.

Analyst says Orban has established "ideological hegemony"

LJUBLJANA - The result of Sunday's election in Hungary is certainly a surprise to all, including the ruling party. Fidesz has apparently managed to establish an "ideological hegemony" where the opposition finds it very hard to promote an alternative narrative of reality, historian and political analyst Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič commented on Hungary's election outcome for the STA. As for the outcom's possible impact on the upcoming election in Slovenia, he thinks opposition parties will benefit the most, because the result will act as an "incentive for exceptional mobilisation", having shown "they must not rest on laurels".

Pahor congratulates Vučić on re-election

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor congratulated Aleksandar Vučić on his re-election as Serbia's president in Sunday's election in a phone call. He wished Vučić success in performing his duties and they both noted the importance of mutual trust and a continuation of the excellent relationship between the two countries, Pahor's office said, adding they were keen to hold an informal meeting soon.

Analyst says election result in Serbia was expected

LJUBLJANA - The only news after Sunday's presidential and general elections in Serbia is the result of opposition parties, while everything else was known in advance, as all mechanism for election victory had been in the hands of President Aleksandar Vučić, Borut Šuklje, a former Slovenian diplomat, told the STA. "Everything is subordinated to one person" in Serbia with the government being practically non-existent, said Šuklje.

Watchdog finds PM in conflict of interest over BAMC appointment

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption found PM Janez Janša was in a conflict of interest by voting for the appointment of Franci Matoz, his long-time lawyer, for a top job at the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) in July 2021. Reacting on Twitter, Janša criticised the watchdog for failing to find flaws in Court of Audit President Tomaž Vesel's work for FIFA "for EUR 20,000 a month" or the "salaries and bonuses of EUR 45,000 per month" of former Gen-I chairman Robert Golob.

Freedom Movement one point ahead of SDS in RTV Slovenija poll

LJUBLJANA - The Freedom Movement has narrowly overtaken the ruling Democrats (SDS) in the latest opinion poll commissioned by the public broadcaster TV Slovenija from Mediana and is now one percentage point ahead. The party of Robert Golob gained 1.7 points since a month ago to 19.7% as PM Janez Janša's party added just 0.4 points to 18.7%. The Social Democrats (SD) in third polled at 8.2%, half a point up from March, and the fellow opposition party, the Left, improved by 0.8 points to 6.4%.

Minister Jaklitsch completes tour of Canada

VANCOUVER/TORONTO/OTTAWA, Canada - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch wrapped up a busy week-long tour of the Slovenian communities in Canada in Vancouver on Saturday, after stopping in Toronto and Ottawa. Apart from visiting Slovenian associations, she also met with businessmen of Slovenian descent and visited their companies. She thanked Canadian Slovenians for preserving Slovenian heritage and identity and for their contribution to Slovenia's international recognition 30 years ago.

Exports up by 19% y/y in February as imports surge by 50%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's merchandise exports were up by almost 19% year-on-year in January to EUR 36 billion, but exports surged by more than 50% to EUR 4.2 billion, the latest Statistics Office data shows. Exports to EU countries, which account for roughly two-thirds of Slovenia's overall trade, rose by 21%, whereas exports to third countries were up by a more modest 14.2% In the first two months, the trade deficit topped a billion euros.

Fortenova becomes sole owner of retailer Mercator

LJUBLJANA - Croatian group Fortenova has become the sole shareholder of Slovenia's largest retailer Mercator after squeezing out all remaining small shareholders, leading to a suspension of trading on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange pending a decision on delisting. Fortenova, which owned roughly 90% of Mercator prior to the squeeze-out, said that it had paid EUR 22.4 million for the outstanding shares. The transaction completes a process that began in 2014 with the purchase of Mercator by Croatian retailer Agrokor, said Fabris Peruško, CEO of Fortenova, the company that took over Agrokor's healthy assets when it went bankrupt.

Summit Leasing Slovenija expands to Croatian market

LJUBLJANA - Summit Leasing Slovenija obtained regulatory approval to complete its acquisition of Mercedes-Benz Leasing Croatia, which offers financing services for the purchase of cars, vans, trucks and buses of the Daimler Group on the Croatian market. The leasing arm of the NKBM bank acquired the Croatian leasing company based in Zagreb from Daimler Mobility, a company based in Stuttgart, which is a subsidiary of Daimler. The transaction was finalised on 1 April.

Coronavirus infections down further

LJUBLJANA - Another 802 new coronavirus infections were detected in Slovenia on Sunday as the downward trend continued. Health Ministry data shows 179 patients are in hospitals due to Covid, including 28 in intensive care. Four Covid patients died yesterday after no data was released for Saturday and Friday. The 7-day average of new cases dropped to 2,377 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people to 1,728.

Golfer Babnik third in first major of the season

LOS ANGELES, US - Slovenia's best professional golfer, 18-year-old Pia Babnik, set a new milestone by taking third place in the first major tournament of the season, the Chevron Championship in California, US. This is by far the best result any Slovenian golfer has ever achieved. Babnik finished the four-day tournament with a prize money of five million dollars at 11 under par to finish behind two Americans, Jennifer Kupcho (-14) and Jessica Korda (-12).

2Cellos mark 30 years of Slovenia, Croatia UN membership

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia and Croatia marked the 30th anniversary of their UN membership in New York on Sunday with a concert by world-renowned Slovenian-Croatian duo 2Cellos, who thus started their farewell world tour. The concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was also marked by expressions of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya attended the concert along with Slovenian and Croatian ambassadors to the UN, Boštjan Malovrh and Ivan Šimonović.

Putin's portrait filled with blood of Ukrainians projected on buildings

LJUBLJANA - A portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin filled with the blood of Ukrainians fighting for their country was projected onto several buildings, including government buildings, in the centre of Ljubljana on Monday evening, to draw attention to the Russian aggression of Ukraine. The project is the work of Russian-born conceptual artist Andrei Molodkin, who is based in France, and was executed in collaboration with the Slovenian art gallery Fotopub.

04 Apr 2022, 13:49 PM

Slovenian Catholic Church Apologises to Those Raped by Priests

STA, 3 April 2022 - Novo Mesto Bishop Andrej Saje, the head of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference, apologised on Sunday to the victims of sexual abuse by clergy on behalf of the Catholic Church in Slovenia, as he marked the day of prayer for such victims.

Listening and hearing, protecting and providing support, both in an emotional and spiritual sense, are key factors, he said in a statement shared on the Church's website.

"No victim is to blame for the evil that was done to them and should never have happened. The full responsibility lies with the perpetrator, and I advocate zero tolerance of any abuse. I express my compassion to the victims and their families," he said.

Saje said he was aware that statements and regulations cannot heal the wounds and pain of individuals, and that unless the perpetrators, or at least those who knew of the abuses, are held accountable, it will be difficult for the victims to live freely.

The Church has made important steps in the past in detecting and sanctioning the abuses, but the road to preventing unacceptable wrongdoing is long and challenging, he said, committing to specific measures to create a safe environment.

The Church will strive for changes to its structures so that they serve people first and foremost, the protection of the person's dignity and spiritual progress, he added.

Last October, the Slovenian Bishops' Conference decided that the day of prayer and reconciliation for sexual abuse victims in the Church and society will be marked every year on Passion Sunday, which is observed today. Believers have been urged to say a prayer for the victims during the Sunday mass and, if possible, light a candle to express solidarity with them.

The Catholic advocacy group for the victims Dovolj.je (It's Enough) has been noting that the Church still needs to do more. They recently called for the inception of a properly-funded independent commission to investigate cases of suspected sex abuse by clergy.

04 Apr 2022, 11:49 AM

Govt Plans Further Measures to Limit Electricity Prices

STA, 2 April 2022 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced that the government will continue to intervene as long as necessary to contain high electricity prices. The main problem, in his view, is the European formula to calculate electricity prices that takes into account gas prices, but the formula is about to change.

"Until the formula is changed and this has not stabilised prices, we will continue to intervene," Janša said on Friday evening at a public debate in Vrhnika that wrapped up the government's visit to the southern communities of central Slovenia.

Under a legislative package passed in late January to mitigate high energy prices, electricity bills have been cut for the cost of network fees for three months until the end of April. Government data shows the measure reduced the bills by almost 40%.

Janša promised the government would continue to intervene. "We will take funds to finance the gap from the surpluses generated because Slovenian power producers are charging higher prices for electricity. Considering these are mainly state-owned companies, we will reallocate these funds," he said.

The main reason for high electricity prices on the European market is the formula, which Slovenia sought to change last year during its presidency of the Council of the EU. After several countries called for change in February this year, the European Commission decided to draw up a new formula, which is expected to come into force in May or June, he said.

"Prices will then be lower on the European market. They will not be what they were before the shock due to the war in Ukraine and the spike in energy consumption driven by the post-pandemic recovery and more money in circulation," Janša added.

The three-month freeze on electricity network charges is being challenged at the Constitutional Court by an association of small shareholders who hold stakes in electricity distribution companies.

04 Apr 2022, 11:38 AM

Slovenia Among Worst in EU for PM 2.5 Exposure

STA, 1 April 2022 - Slovenia is among the five European countries with the highest recorded concentrations of the PM 2.5 fine particulate matter, shows the latest annual assessment of air quality by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The report includes the official data for 2020 and provisional data for 2021 on concentrations of key air pollutants measured at more than 4,500 measuring stations in 37 European countries.

The report says that 96% of the population of European cities was exposed in 2020 to concentrations of the PM 2.5 fine particulate matter that exceed the annual value of five micrograms per m3 recommended by of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The highest concentrations of PM 2.5 in EU member states were observed in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland and Slovenia.

In Slovenia, values between 11 and 17 micrograms of PM 2.5 particulates per m3 were measured at four measuring points - in Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje and Nova Gorica.

According to the EEA, the higher concentrations of particulate matter in these countries are mainly a result of burning of solid fuels such as coal and wood for heating in households and the use of fossil fuels in industrial production.

You can explore the data for cities around the EU here

04 Apr 2022, 10:23 AM

Over 55,000 Ukrainian Refugees Have Transited Slovenia, Some 5,800 Staying in Country

STA, 1 April 2022 - More than 55,000 refugees from Ukraine have so far transited Slovenia, mostly to get to their relatives and friends in Italy, Spain or France, while more than 5,800 have been accommodated in Slovenia, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said as he visited the refugee centre in Logatec as part of a government visit to Central Slovenia.

Less than a thousand refugees are staying in Slovenian accommodation centres, while the rest are in private accommodation or staying with their relatives or friends.

In the past week, 100-150 Ukrainian refugees have been arriving in Slovenia every day, the minister said, adding he had no information of a potential influx.

But it is true that some countries, including Poland, Hungary and Moldova, have been reporting of accepting fewer refugees.

Next to Logatec and Debeli Rtič, a third centre for Ukrainian refugees is now being set up near the Jelšane border crossing with Croatia. The facilities there have been provided by the Interior Ministry.

Hojs said some feared the accommodation centres would become a kind of new migrant centres, but he stressed they were intended exclusively for refugees from Ukraine, who are entitled to temporary protection. "These are not new migration centres."

The minister said he was happy that Slovenia had been relatively successful in its efforts to provide protection to Ukrainian refugees.

"Perhaps there have been some more delays in the issuing of decisions on temporary protection at administrative units but let me tell you that each refugee who has arrived in Slovenia after 24 February will be included in the system of temporary protection."

Concerns have been raised because administrative units have one month to decide on an application. Refugees must submit the application within three days since their arrival.

Although the process of obtaining temporary protection is significantly shorter than that for obtaining international protection, it can still last a month or more.

In line with a government decision adopted last week, a person who requests for temporary protection has the right to accommodation at an accommodation centre and to food there. All the other rights such as financial assistance, access to the labour market and education, come after their request is approved.

There are currently 299 refugees at the Logatec centre, including 125 children, who will start to go to school on Monday. They will be attending primary schools in Logatec, Horjul and Rovte. The latter has already delivered notebooks the children will need to the centre.

The capacities in Logatec have been expanded to be able to accept 350 refugees. Mostly mothers with children are staying in Logatec, and three men.

According to data from administrative units, 8,013 Ukrainian refugees have so far asked for temporary protection. So far, protection has been granted to 88 of them, no application has been rejected.

A total of 5,039 Ukrainian citizens have been registered in Slovenia today, while since the start of the Ukraine war, police have processed 15,081 Ukrainian citizens, most of whom only transited Slovenia.

04 Apr 2022, 03:59 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 4 April 2022

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:

Covid daily case count dips to one-month low

LJUBLJANA - Another 899 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Saturday, down 28% from the same day a week ago, as the coronavirus case count keeps falling. This is the lowest daily tally of infections since early March. The National Institute of Public Health estimates 36,740 people are actively infected in the country, down 613 from the estimate on the previous day.

Slovenian Catholic Church apologises to sex abuse victims

LJUBLJANA - Novo Mesto Bishop Andrej Saje, the head of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference, apologised to the victims of sexual abuse by clergy on behalf of the Catholic Church in Slovenia, as he marked the day of prayer for such victims. The Church has made important steps in the past in detecting and sanctioning the abuses, but the road to preventing unacceptable wrongdoing is long and challenging, he said.

NGO collects necessary signatures in favour of repeal of several laws in one day

LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute has already collected enough signatures to introduce a bill aimed at repealing several government-sponsored laws that the NGO finds harmful. The two-month nationwide campaign started on Wednesday and the minimum threshold of signatures, 5,000, was crossed already that day, said the NGO, which aims to get 60,000 signatures.

Last remaining member of anti-fascist organisation TIGR dies

LJUBLJANA/SEŽANA - Alojz Kralj, the last surviving member of the underground anti-fascist organisation TIGR, died on Saturday aged 101, said TIGR Primorska, an association promoting anti-Fascist values. Having written down his memoirs, he preserved many stories about the TIGR organisation. Established in 1927, TIGR is considered one of the first anti-fascist resistance movements in Europe.

Slovenj Gradec mayor voted best in all 12 urban municipalities

LJUBLJANA - The latest public opinion poll measuring how happy locals are with the work of their mayors in Slovenia's twelve urban municipalities sees Slovenj Gradec Mayor Tilen Klugler receiving the highest mark, followed by Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and Murska Sobota Mayor Aleksander Jevšek. The worst marks were given to Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič, Kranj Mayor Matjaž Rakovec and Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič.

03 Apr 2022, 04:44 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 3 April 2022

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:

Janša announces further measures to contain electricity prices

VRHNIKA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced the government would continue to intervene as long as necessary to contain high electricity prices. The main problem, in his view, is the European formula to calculate electricity prices that takes into account gas prices, but the formula is about to change. "Until the formula is changed and this has not stabilised prices, we will continue to intervene," Janša said on Friday evening at a public debate in Vrhnika that wrapped up the government's visit to the southern communities of central Slovenia.

No conclusions as MPs debate situation at RTV Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition failed to muster support on the parliamentary Culture Committee on Friday for a series of resolutions they proposed in response to what they see as political pressure on editorial independence and autonomy of the public broadcaster. The ruling coalition and other opposition parties as well as the leadership of RTV Slovenija denied allegations of political interference in the broadcaster. Before the session, the NGO Institute 8 March delivered 40,000 signatures in support of the weekly magazine-format shows Studio City and Tednik and the talk-show Tarča, which were removed from the programme for the duration of the election campaign.

NSi leader lauds party for efficiency

KAMNIK - Matej Tonin, the defence minister, praised his Christian democratic party for its efficiency in delivering on its promises as he addressed the annual get-together of New Slovenia (NSi) in his home town Kamnik. He urged voters to turn out at the polls on 24 April to say a decisive no to those "who will mainly take away from us". The decision should be simple: "On the one hand you have the efficient team of the NSi, and on the other you have a whole phalanx of parties that advocate revanchism, nationalisation and higher taxes."

UKC Ljubljana hospital to undergo EUR 37m renovation

LJUBLJANA - The main building of the UKC Ljubljana medical centre called Hospital will get a comprehensive renovation in an investment valued at EUR 37 million. The government included the project in the plan of development programmes for 2022-2025. A press release issued after the government's correspondence session said the funds for the renovation would be secured by the Health Ministry. The building will simultaneously also be upgraded to improve its energy efficiency.

Covid-19 remains in retreat

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 2,358 new coronavirus cases on Friday, almost a fifth fewer than a week ago as the decline continued for the ninth day running, data from the National Institute of Public Health shows. The 7-day average is now at 2,453, down by 76 from the day before, and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population declined by an additional 39 to 1,770. The authorities have not released hospital or fatality figures today.

ETI Elektroelement gets EUR 2.3m subsidy for automatisation

IZLAKE - ETI Elektroelement Izlake, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of fuses, switches and circuit breakers, has been approved a EUR 2.3 million subsidy for a EUR 15 million investment to automate and digitalise its production process. Speaking with the STA, ETI said they were planning a new package of automation and digitalisation over the next two years to expand production capacity and increase value added and sales by 2025.

02 Apr 2022, 10:27 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 25 - 31 March 2022

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

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

FRIDAY, 25 March
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša expressed regret about political clashes over things he said were unimportant in war as he commented on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of Hungary's attitude towards Ukraine. "It's largely about political rhetoric, Hungary has not blocked any sanctions or other serious measures so far," he said.
        KOPER/LENDAVA - Two candidates will bid for the seat designated for the Italian minority in the National Assembly and three to serve as the Hungarian minority MP in the 24 April election, including both incumbents. The Italian minority MP Felice Žiža will face off Maurizio Tremul, the long-serving head of the minority's umbrella organisation. Hungarian minority MP Ferenc Horvath will compete against Otto Močnek of the Hungarian consulate in Lendava and Mihael Kasaš, the head of the Lendava city administration.
        LJUBLJANA - The non-parliamentary parties Good State and Our Future announced they would contest the 24 April general election together. They filed a joint ticket along with two other political groups. The list of 78 candidates includes Violeta Tomić, currently an MP for the Left, and rapper Zlatko, an anti-masker.
        LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR/KOPER - Supporters of the Youth for Climate Justice movement gathered in Ljubljana, Maribor and Koper to let decision makers know before the April election that the planet must have priority over capital. They addressed a list of demands for a better future to mayors and to parties contesting the upcoming election.
        PLANICA, 25 March (STA) - Slovenian ski jumpers swept the podium in the first individual event of the World Cup season finale, as Žiga Jelar won the event ahead of Peter Prevc and Anže Lanišek. Timi Zajc was fourth to round off the complete domination of the home team in front of the capacity crowd at Planica.

SATURDAY, 26 March
LJUBLJANA - National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič gave a generally positive assessment of the parliament's work upon the end of the current four-year term, adding that any speaker should retain a neutral position. In an interview with the STA, he assessed that he had performed his role in line with professional standards.
PLANICA - Slovenia's Žiga Jelar, Peter Prevc, Timi Zajc and Anže Lanišek won the last Ski Jumping World Cup team event of the season in Planica before some 20,000 spectators. With 1,601.1 points, the team outperformed Norway by 24.2 points and third-placed Austria by 56.9.

SUNDAY, 27 March
        LJUBLJANA/KYIV, Ukraine - Slovenia's interim chargé d'affaires Boštjan Lesjak arrived in Kyiv after Slovenia decided to reopen its embassy there. Slovenia's Ambassador to Ukraine Tomaž Mencin continues with his work from Rzeszow, a town on the Polish-Ukrainian border where most other ambassadors are located.
        LJUBLJANA - Žito, a bread and pasta maker owned by Croatian food company Podravka, announced it planned to shut down two production locations in Slovenia, in Ljubljana and Novo Mesto, in a move it says will improve productivity and long-term profitability.
        PLANICA - Marius Lindvik of Norway won the last Ski Jumping World Cup event of the season, while Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan finished 8th to secure his overall win in the World Cup. Lindvik was followed by Yukiya Sato of Japan and Slovenia's Peter Prevc.

MONDAY, 28 March
        ZAGREB - PM Janez Janša and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković talked about cooperation in gas supply and the Krško nuclear power plant as they met in the Croatian capital. While Slovenia is interested in getting natural gas through the Krk LNG terminal, Croatia expressed an interest in investing in the expansion of Krško.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The EU's enlargement to its eastern neighbourhood dominated the opening session of the conference of EU parliamentary speakers with President Borut Pahor arguing the EU should reach a consensus on how to speed up accession talks while preserving safeguards in terms of fulfilment of criteria and rules.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Some 7,000 refugees from Ukraine have so far applied for temporary protection in Slovenia, Franc Kangler, a state secretary at the Interior Ministry, told reporters during a session of EU Home Affairs Council. Roughly 50,000 people from Ukraine have crossed Slovenia, most of them heading on to Italy, France and Spain.
        TRIESTE, Italy - A contract was signed in Trieste to formally transfer the ownership of National Hall, a building of great symbolic importance to the Slovenian minority in Italy, from the University of Trieste on to the minority. The ceremony was attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
        LJUBLJANA - The public broadcaster invited protest by deciding to treat the party of Aleksandra Pivec, the former agriculture minister, as a parliamentary party in election debates arguing it is a legal successor to the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), the party Pivec used to head. DeSUS protested against Our Land being declared their legal successor, while Robert Golob's Freedom Movement, which applied for the same status but was rejected, said it would boycott TV Slovenija debates.
        LJUBLJANA - Blaž Košorok was relieved of his duties as a state secretary at the Infrastructure Ministry with media reports tipping him as a serious contender to become CEO of GEN Energija, one of two major energy groups in the country. Košorok served as CEO of HSE, the state-owned holding running a series of power plants.
        LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije, the majority state-owned telecoms incumbent, has finalised an agreement to buy software developer Actual I.T. for EUR 20.6 million. The transaction is expected to be completed within six months.

TUESDAY, 29 March
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Health Minister Janez Poklukar said after a meeting of EU health ministers that Slovenia could accept more than 50 Ukrainian patients. For now, Slovenia has offered to admit four sick people from Ukraine. Poklukar also endorsed the proposal from Poland to establish a special mechanism for financing the treatment of Ukrainian patients.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The second day of the conference of EU parliamentary speakers focussed on the EU as a guarantor of stability, safety and prosperity in the region and beyond. The speakers stressed the importance of EU enlargement. Slovenian Speaker Igor Zorčič said the Russian aggression of Ukraine represented everything the EU had been fighting against.
        LJUBLJANA - Amnesty International said in its 2021 report on human rights that Slovenia's refugee legislation was too restrictive as access to asylum continues to be denied to potential asylum seekers irregularly entering the country. It also noted that media freedom had deteriorated, including through verbal attacks on journalists and the defunding of the STA, and that freedom of peaceful assembly had been restricted during the pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Huawei presented a legal opinion that it says shows the new bill on electronic communications, which parliament will vote on Thursday, has shortcomings which could lead to lawsuits at the EU court and disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
        IZOLA - It was revealed that Izola Mayor Danilo Markočič has been charged with abuse of office in a case that led to the resignation of Aleksandra Pivec as agriculture minister in the autumn of 2020. The charges concern a hotel bill that the municipality paid for Pivec and her sons during what was supposed to be an official function.
        LJUBLJANA - The Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) published a takeover bid for Mladinska Knjiga, Slovenia's largest publisher, offering EUR 8.90 per share or roughly EUR 5.35 million for the 48.77% stake it does not hold already.

WEDNESDAY, 30 March
        KRŠKO - Blaž Košorok, until a few days ago a state secretary at the Infrastructure Ministry, was appointed chairman of GEN Energija, a state-owned power company that manages Slovenia's half of the Krško nuclear power station. He succeeds Martin Novšak, who was dismissed just over a month ago.
        LJUBLJANA - The news portals 24ur and Necenzurirano reported that the state prosecution was looking into the licence fee that Telekom Slovenije, the state-owned telecoms operator, is paying to carry Nova24TV on suspicion that the fee was disproportionately high and constituted unlawful financing of the broadcaster.
        LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute, one of the NGOs that had initiated a referendum on changes to the waters act, started collecting signatures in support of a bill repealing government legislation they deem harmful. The centre-left opposition voiced support for the move, the coalition decried it as meddling in the election campaign.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's charge d'affaires at the embassy in Kyiv Boštjan Lesjak told TV Slovenija that he had to take down the Slovenian flag in front of the embassy because its similarity with the Russian flag could incite "undesired incidents". But the Slovenian Foreign Ministry told the STA the next day that after the Ukrainian security forces beefed up security, Lesjak again raised the Slovenian flag and now it was to stay there.
        LJUBLJANA - In the first two months of the year the Slovenian police handled 1,128 instances of illegal crossing of the border, almost double the figure in the same period last year. More than a third of the cases involved citizens of Afghanistan. police data showed.

THURSDAY, 31 March
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's general government deficit amounted to EUR 2.705 billion or 5.2% of GDP last year, or EUR 961 million less than in 2020. Gross general government debt reached 74.7% of GDP, decreasing by 5.1 percentage points in relative terms year-on-year while nominally increasing by EUR 1.435 billion, the Statistics Office said.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded an annual inflation rate of 5.4% in March, a significant drop from 6.9% in February, as a 30% decline in electricity prices shaved a full percentage point off the headline rate, the Statistics Office reported.
        LJUBLJANA - Matjaž Nemec, an MP for the opposition SocDems, said PM Janez Janša was jeopardising the 2009 border arbitration agreement between Slovenia and Croatia and abusing office as he engages in talks with Croatia on what was already agreed on. Nemec spoke to the press a day after a Croatia newspaper reported that Croatia and Slovenia had drawn up a pilot plan to solve the issue of fishing in the Bay of Piran.
        ABU DHABI, UAE - Potential for stronger economic cooperation and current international issues topped the agenda as National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič met with Saqr Ghobash, speaker of the the Federal National Council, at the outset of a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. The officials said about the war in Ukraine that "confrontation does not lead anywhere, peace is the only answer to conflicts".
        LJUBLJANA - The government capped the wholesale price of regular petrol and diesel two and a half weeks after regulating retail prices. The wholesale price has been set two cents below the retail price, a price the government said provided a margin that would make it possible for small retailers to secure fuel supplies.
        LJUBLJANA - The new management of the Radioactive Waste Management Agency reversed the decision by the previous management not to pick any of the three bids for the construction of a radwaste repository. The bids, two of which were originally disqualified and one deemed too high, will now be re-examined.
        VINICA - President Borut Pahor and UK Ambassador to Slovenia Tiffany Sadler marked Slovenia-UK Friendship Day in Gornji Suhor, a village in south-eastern Slovenia where a British bomber crashed in March 1945 while locals and Slovenian Partisans helped save some of the crew.
        LJUBLJANA - The government formally relieved of their duties the Slovenian ambassadors accredited to Belgium and Croatia, Rado Genorio and Vojislav Šuc, respectively, as their terms expire at the end of May. Petra Kežman was appointed Slovenia's new national coordinator for relations with the Union for the Mediterranean.
        LJUBLJANA - National motorway company DARS generated almost EUR 470 million in sales revenue in 2021, up from over EUR 398 million in 2020. The largest share of revenue - EUR 456 million - came from motorway tolls. Net profit almost doubled to EUR 112.7 million.
        LINZ, Austria - Slovenian artist Špela Petrič was named one of two recipients of the ArtScience Residencies which the Art Collection Deutsche Telekom awards in collaboration with Ars Electronica to artists working at the intersection of art and science.

02 Apr 2022, 10:24 AM

Meat Prices Rising Up To 30%

STA, 1 April 2022 - Slovenian meat processing companies large and small have raised prices of their product by up to 30%, or plan price hikes in the near future, as they attempt to offset the rising cost of inputs such as energy and transportation.

Celjske Mesnine has already raised prices of pork, beef and processed products by 30%, and the Maribor company Košaki raised theirs by 10-30%.

"Sharply rising prices of pigs and cattle have forced us to raise our prices," Marko Žerak, the owner of Košaki, told the STA.

Perutnina Ptuj, the country's largest producer of poultry, and Pivka Delamaris, a poultry and fish processing company, plan price hikes in the coming months.

The price rises are not fully spilling over into retail prices yet.

Urška Žolnir Jugovar, a spokeswoman for Celjske Mesnine, says companies are working with retailers to try to keep price rises to a minimum.

Similarly, Meso Kamnik said it was rising prices gradually to mitigate the impact on consumers.

"Producers are rising prices with a delay and at the minimum rate ... and retailers are adjusting their pricing policy with lower margins and discounts," the company said.

02 Apr 2022, 10:16 AM

268 Ukrainian Children Now at School in Slovenia, More to Starting to Next Week

STA, 1 April 2022 - Currently, 268 Ukrainian children are enrolled in 113 Slovenian schools. Next week, they will be joined by the children staying at the Logatec and Debeli Rtič refugee centres. According to Education Minister Simona Kustec, schools have shown a great deal of understanding and care in accepting the new students.

She thanked all head teachers, staff, children and their parents in Grosuplje today for "understanding how important it is to open the doors of schools to give children the opportunity to socialise in a safe and warm second home".

The Education Institute has drawn up additional guidelines regarding the inclusion of Ukrainian children to schools, which Kustec said would be forwarded to schools next week.

Next week, the number of Ukrainian children attending Slovenian schools is to raise to 366 as the children from the Logatec and Debeli Rtič facilities are enrolled in education as well. In Logatec, there are currently 125 children, some of whom will attend the primary school in Horjul due to limited capacities in Logatec.

Some schools are also full on the coast, so children from Debeli Rtič will go to the near-by Ankaran as well as Hrvatini primary schools.

Ukrainian children attend school all over the country, but most of them are in central Slovenia, Primorska in the south-west, and Podravska and Prekmurje in the north-east.

Currently, most children from Ukraine attend the primary school in Ormož, where many Slovenian companies cooperated with Ukrainians.

All Ukrainian children are entitled to a free school meal and free textbook rental.

At the beginning of the school year, 228 children from Ukraine were enrolled in Slovenian schools, as their parents already lived in Slovenia.

Currently, seven students attend four secondary schools in Slovenia.

Ukrainian children have also access to public music schools, which are currently attended by four Ukrainians. 42 Ukrainian children attend Slovenian kindergartens.

The University of Ljubljana, the country's largest, said in a press release that there are currently 38 Ukrainian students studying at their faculties.

For the 2022/2023 academic year, the university has received 150 applications for enrolment from Ukraine, with the greatest interest in the Faculty of Medicine.

Ukrainian students can also study at the University of Maribor.

02 Apr 2022, 04:09 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 2 April 2022

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:

Slovenia won't accept paying for gas in roubles, minister says

GROSUPLJE - Slovenia rejects paying for Russian gas supplies in roubles and it won't accept Russia's engaging in extortion, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said during a government visit to southern part of Central Slovenia. He stressed the EU was united in its rejection of paying for Russian gas in roubles as demanded by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He assessed the prospects for a diversification of gas supply as good while saying there were presently no reasons to limit energy use.

Most ministers, MPs standing in 24 April election

LJUBLJANA - More than 1,400 candidates for members of parliament have been fielded by 20 parties and groupings that have entered the election race. Ten of the 18 ministers and 80 of the 90 sitting MPs are on the ballot. Just over 44% of the candidates are women, according to preliminary data. Few MPs have opted not to stand again, among them five from the largest faction, the Democrats (SDS). One notable absence is Speaker Igor Zorčič, who defected from the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and formed his own party.

Slovenia to take part in Locked Shields cyber defence exercise

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will take part in the Locked Shields 2022 cyber defence and strategic decision-making exercise organised by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, from 19 April to 22 April. The main purpose of the exercise is to practice technical procedures to counter cyber attacks caused by simulated vulnerabilities of a private training network, says a release issued after the government endorsed the participation on Thursday.

GZS forecasts 3.7% growth this year

LJUBLJANA - Analysts at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) forecast for the Slovenian economy to expand by 3.7% this year, a rate that is to slow down to 3.2% in 2023. Inflation is to peak this year at 5.2% before falling to 3% next year. GZS says this year's economic outlook is relatively favourable for Slovenia despite the challenges posed by geopolitical risk in Eastern Europe. Unofficially, the government's forecaster IMAD has downgraded its forecast for this year from 4.7% to 4.2%.

Over 55,000 Ukrainian refugees have transited Slovenia, minister says

LOGATEC - More than 55,000 refugees from Ukraine have so far transited Slovenia, mostly to get to their relatives and friends in Italy, Spain or France, while more than 5,800 have been accommodated in Slovenia, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said as he visited the refugee centre in Logatec as part of a government visit to Central Slovenia. Less than 1,000 refugees are staying in Slovenian accommodation centres, and the rest in private accommodation or with their relatives or friends.

Parsifal poll shows gap between front-runners narrowing

LJUBLJANA - The gap between the Democrats (SDS) and the Freedom Movement appears to be narrowing, according to the latest iteration of the Parsifal poll conducted for Siol news portal. Whereas the SDS was almost nine points ahead a week ago, it now has a six-point advantage. While both parties lost ground, the SDS slipped by more than three points to 21.7%, whereas the Freedom Movement lost less than a point to 15.4%. The Social Democrats (SD) remained in third with 6.5%, down more than a point.

EU advocate says C-bank cannot finance bank bailout damages

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Juliane Kokott, an advocate general at the EU's court, issued a preliminary opinion at the request of the Slovenian Constitutional Court to find that the Slovenian central bank's financing compensation for bank shareholders and bondholders who lost their assets in the 2013 bailout would run afoul of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Under the 2019 law that is subject of review, Banka Slovenije has been setting profit aside into a special reserve fund intended for the compensation.

State to guarantee for up to EUR 392m in road investment loans

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee okayed a bill to secure state loan guarantees of up to EUR 392 million for national motorway company DARS to facilitate EUR 785 million investments into four expressway sections and an expansion of a part of the Ljubljana ring road. The planned investments include a section in the northern part of the emerging north-south expressway axis as well the first section in its southern part, and two legs of an expressway between Ptuj and Ormož in NE.

Presidents of EU supreme courts meet in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The board of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union held a session in Ljubljana, attended by presidents of supreme courts from five EU countries, including Slovenia's Damijan Florjančič. The meeting focussed on the importance of explaining the decisions of the supreme and other courts. Officials agreed the main topics this year will be AI in judiciary, respect for the rule of law and restoring people's trust in the legal system. The board was also received by President Borut Pahor.

Meat prices going up

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian meat processing companies, large and small, have raised prices of their product by up to 30%, or plan price hikes in the near future, as they attempt to offset the rising cost of inputs such as energy and transport. Celjske Mesnine has already raised prices of pork, beef and processed products by 30%, and the Maribor company Košaki raised theirs by 10-30%. Poultry company Perutnina Ptuj and Pivka Delamaris, a poultry and fish processing company, plan to raise prices in the coming months.

Largest dairy raising milk prices for farmers

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljanske Mlekarne, the country's largest dairy, announced on Thursday that it will pay more for milk to farmers in April and May, raising the price by 2.5 cents per kilogram each month. This comes after farmers stressed at talks last week that the average milk price for farmers in Slovenia was among the lowest in the EU, at 35.9 cents per kilo, and their trade union demanded that it immediately increased by 5 cents to 42 cents per kilo, the EU average.

Start of Ig prison construction this year

LJUBLJANA - Construction of a new prison for women in Ig on the outskirts of Ljubljana is expected to start this year and be completed in 2025. It is estimated to cost EUR 43 million, the Justice Ministry said in a release after Minister Marjan Dikaučič visited Ig prison as part of the government visit to southern Central Slovenia. The only penal facility for women in Slovenia, Ig Prison is currently located in an old castle. A new facility is designed to ensure adequate living and security conditions for all inmates, including mothers, juveniles and elderly convicts, and adequate working conditions for the staff. It will feature detention and closed wards, while the semi-open and open wards are planned as part of the reconstruction of the castle.

Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce gets new head

LJUBLJANA - Dagmar von Bohnstein took over as the new head of the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce. On the occasion, she pointed to the current challenges in Europe and importance of a strong international network and bilateral economic community to face them. Taking over from Gertrud Rantzen, who ended her 15-year stint at the end of March, Von Bohnstein said Slovenia had an exceptional geographic position and great potential as a link between the west and east of the EU.

Coronavirus keeps fizzling out

LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,373 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Thursday, 15% fewer than a week ago. Six patients with Covid-19 died, Health Ministry data shows. Hospital figures remain stable with a total of 191 patients treated for Covid-19 in hospitals this morning, including 35 in intensive care. According to the National Institute of Public Health, the 7-day average of new cases dropped to 2,529 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 to 1,809.

Slovenia among top five European countries in PM 2.5 exposure

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Slovenia is among the five European countries alongside Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Poland with the highest recorded concentrations of the PM 2.5 fine particulate matter, shows the latest annual assessment of air quality by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report includes the official data for 2020 and provisional data for 2021 on concentrations of key air pollutants measured at more than 4,500 measuring stations in 37 European countries.

OSCE office to assess election process in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will send a mission to assess the 24 April general election in Slovenia. Unlike its election observation missions, this one will not include long-term observers who would stay in the country or regions for a while, or short-term observers who would visit polling stations on election day. It will consist of several experts, who are expected to arrive in Slovenia on 12 April to examine the election process and preparations for election, the National Electoral Commission said.

Ljutomer judge harasser ordered psychiatric treatment

MARIBOR - Newspapers reported that the man who stalked Ljutomer judge Gorazd Tivadar and smashed the windscreen on his car in January would not be held criminally liable on the grounds of insanity defence. He has been ordered to undergo mandatory psychiatric treatment. The man was detained in January after stalking the judge for ten years. The prosecution initially argued there were no grounds for detention.

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