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STA, 6 April 2019 - Around 10,000 trees were planted by more than 670 volunteers at several locations in Slovenia on Saturday as part of a campaign launched by the state-owned SiDG forestry company last year to help Slovenian forests recover from several disasters they were hit by in recent years.
This is the second year that 10,000 new tress were planted as part of the campaign and the organisers hope this will become an annual event. In October 2018, some 400 volunteers took part, so this year's turnout was a pleasant surprise.
School children, students, teachers, employees from several Slovenian companies and other volunteers planted spruce trees, larch, beech trees, cherries, pears and hazelnut trees in the forests around Kočevje, Ravnik pri Logatcu, Lovrenc na Pohorju, and Postojna.
Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Aleksandra Pivec joined the teem in Lovrenc. "Such campaigns are a good way to raise awareness of the importance of forests," she said.
The minister is particularly happy that many different institutions and generations joined the project. She would like forest owners to also help rejuvenate the forests.
"By rejuvenating the forests that have been damaged, we are helping forests to preserve their many roles which are crucial for our lives," said Zlatko Ficko, the head of the SiDG.
The most volunteers, 240, gathered in Kočevje. More than a hundred of them were scouts.
The Rejuvenate the Forests initiative 2019 has been backed by the Agriculture Ministry, the National Forest Service, the Nature Conservation Institute, the Association of the Slovenian Catholic Scouts and the Scout Association of Slovenia.
It is also a part of the annual Day For Change campaign organised today by the Slovenian Philanthropy, encouraging people to stand up against discrimination and become volunteers at least for a day.
Slovenian forests suffered substantial damage in recent years. In February 2014 they were hit by an ice storm, which led to a bark beetle epidemic, while windthrow struck at the end of 2017.
In the last five years, more than 16 million cubic metres of trees or 65% of Slovenian forests were damaged in natural disasters. Some 95% of the damaged forests will regenerate by itself, while in the remaining 5% of the areas tree planting will be required.
Since the 2014 ice storm, some 1.5 million tress were planted in 600 hectares of privately-owned and state forests. In state-owned forests, 850,000 trees will be planted this year.
STA, 6 April 2019 - Some 200 delegates gathered for the founding congress of the new far-right party in Ljubljana on Saturday. The first project of the Homeland League (Domovinska Liga), using the acronym DOM (home), will be standing in the EU election.
Bernard Brščič, a former senior aide to opposition Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša who works as an economist for power grid operator Eles, was elected president today.
Lucija Šikovec Ušaj, a lawyer who ran on the SDS ticket in the general election but later left the party because she thought it was too soft on migrations, was elected vice president.
Brščič told the press after the congress that DOM had no "uncles from behind the scenes". "This is not a project of Milan Kučan nor Janez Janša nor Vladimir Putin. It's an own-grown project that has emerged because the situation in the Slovenian political arena and in Europe is mature for the kind of platform DOM offers," he said.
The motto of the new party is Forward Slovenia. "We will always claim that the mission of the Slovenian state is to provide for the safety and well-being of Slovenian citizens. We also see the EU as a means to this end and not a goal, and we judge it by the way it contributes to the safety and well-being of Slovenian citizens."
"We claim that Slovenia is our homeland and we will not share it with anyone," said Brščič, a leading ideologue of the Slovenian alt-right.
The party, which was officially registered on 26 February, has already started collecting signatures of support for its candidacy in the upcoming EU election. The party's list of candidates will include Brščič and Šikovec Ušaj, but no other candidates have been revealed.
According to Brščič, DOM does not plan to join the European People's Party (EPP) but offer a new platform. The party is modelled on the Italian League and Fidesz in Hungary.
The party also elected an eight-member executive board and the secretary general today.
STA, 8 April 2019 - In the latest development in the controversial gas extraction project in Petišovci (NE), UK investor Ascent Resources has obtained the permit for a planned gas processing plant. However, according to Delo, things are not looking good for the investor in the separate permit procedure for hydraulic fracturing.
The decision by the Environment Agency (ARSO), which the paper says was issued on 28 March, comes after the original permit for the refinery, issued in 2015, had been successfully challenged by environmentalists.
However, key for the refinery, which would be allowed to process 280,000 cubic metres of natural gas and a tonne of oil per day, will be the ongoing environmental impact assessment determining whether the UK company can step up extraction via hydraulic fracturing.
The refinery permit is still subject to a potential appeal by Alpe Adria Green, but the NGO's president Vojko Bernard told Delo it would be hard to challenge it, since the investor has been insisting the refinery did not entail a stepping up of extraction via hydraulic fracturing or fracking.
ARSO made the decision that a separate permit procedure for hydraulic fracturing was necessary in March and is being challenged by Ascent Resources, which is also threatening to sue the government for damages.
Operating in a joint venture with Geoenergo, which is co-owned by the Slovenian state-controlled energy companies Petrol and Nafta Lendava, the UK company claims it has invested more than EUR 50m in the project so far. It holds 75% interest in the project, Geoenergo's concession for the Petišovce gas however expires in 2022.
All our stories on Ascent Resources can be found here
STA, 5 April 2019 - Physicist Jure Žalohar has combined a number of seismic studies to come up with a new way to potentially predict earthquakes in the future. His theory suggests earthquakes are not coincidental but are caused by synchronised processes in the Earth's crust.
Žalohar's theory was introduced in his book The Omega-Theory: A New Physics of Earthquakes, which was released in May 2018.
It is based on a number of studies conducted by seismology, geophysics, and maths experts in the past two decades and could prove effective if put into practice through an IT system.
Seismology or the study of earthquakes tried to forecast earthquakes in the 20th century by taking into account various precursors, such as animal behaviour, regional transformations of topography, changes in the speed of primary and secondary seismic waves, or radon gas emissions.
These efforts were only partially successful, with many studies focusing on possible causes for earthquakes, but none of them coming up with the exact way of predicting them.
In 1997, journal Science published an article saying that earthquakes could not be forecast. The bold claim did not discourage scientists from continuing their research.
They succeeded in developing two theories; the theory of the Earth's tectonic plate movement and the theory of the epicentre mechanism. The majority of earthquakes occur at or near the boundaries between tectonic plates.
Žalohar's Omega theory, which could be described as a rotation theory of earthquakes, is based on the already established phenomenon of the plates' splits tending to be parallel and intersecting.
According to Žalohar, the plates are "enormous omega cells", experiencing earthquake sequences stemming from parallel splits, with the famous golden ratio determining the number of those splits. Earthquakes are thus connected between themselves and affected by the Earth's rotation.
The Omega theory suggests that earth tremors are not coincidental but a result of "highly synchronised processes" in the Earth's crust, which indicates they could be predicted.
The software programme T-Tecto was created on the basis of the theory, currently providing only one model of earthquake forecasting which includes a 64-day prediction.
An IT centre that could build on that and further develop the method would require additional funding and special training for monitoring personnel, said Žalohar.
The ability to forecast earthquakes would also entail potential ethical issues in case it was not confined to authorised organisations.
All our stories about earthwuakes and Slovenia can be found here
STA, 5 April 2019 - The boss of Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways, Holger Kowarsch, has told the STA the failed deal with Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) to lease Russian planes would also have involved an around 10-million-euro capital injection. Adria is thus still looking for a strategic partner.
Kowarsch, general manager of the Slovenian company in German ownership which had some liquidity problems recently, said it had been Adria that exited the deal.
After preliminary contracts were signed, SCAC did not deliver when the payment deadline was due in end February, for which reason Adria quit the deal, he explained in an interview for the STA on Friday.
Earlier this week, Adria announced it would not expand its fleet with 15 Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 planes, as it had failed to agree on the terms of the long-term lease.
It said on Tuesday it doubted SCAC's interest in a fair and stable long-term partnership and was worried about its lack of a common vision of further strategic development.
Meanwhile, SCAC said in a release on Wednesday it had opted against entering the deal due to Adria's poor financial standing, in which way it avoided potential losses.
According to Kowarsch, Adria was in talks with SCAC for almost ten months, the Russians had access to all business information and carried out an extensive due diligence.
He also noted Adria had never denied it would post a loss for 2018, which he said will amount to a two-digit figure in terms of millions of euro.
Despite a planned recapitalisation of around 10 million euro, Kowarsch said it had not been agreed yet what stake SCAC would get in the Slovenian air carrier.
However, EU law limits the stake of investors from third countries in air carriers to 49%, he explained.
Kowarsch said Adria had been at first disappointed as it considered the Russian company a good opportunity for the air carrier.
But he also said that in recent meetings with Adria's partners in Europe and the US, he received information which put SCAC in a bad light as business partners.
"We need a partner we can rely on and with which we can find common ground on Adria Airways's future development," he said.
Adria's owners, among them German fund 4K Investments, believe Adria still needs a strategic partner, and is already in talks with potential investors, but Kowarsch said there was no hurry.
He noted that after it was supplied with four million euro at the end of 2018, Adria is fit in terms of capital so there is no need for a new capital injection.
This is why he does not expect any more problems with the Civil Aviation Agency, which periodically checks their financial standing and had ordered K4 Investments to recapitalise Adria last year.
Kowarsch also said that contrary to some media reports, the recapitalisation was carried out in cash.
While there were still some liquidity problems last winter, the prospects for the summer season are good so Adria expects a two-digit growth in passengers.
The plan for this year is to get out of the red, Kowarsch stressed.
Last year's loss is a result of several factors, among then damages Adria had to pay for cancelled flights and delays, dearer fuel, problems with staff and a slow introduction of Saab's 2000 planes.
Kowarsch stressed that despite all the problems, the safety of passengers on board Adria planes has never been at risk. He noted that negative publicity in some media outlets has caused the company quite some business damage.
Adria will most probably lease Canada's Bombardier's planes, Kowarsch announced, saying the 2020 summer season was now being planned so they would see what fleet they needed.
He also expects the number of passengers to rise in 2021, when Slovenia takes over the EU presidency for six months.
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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
This summary is provided by the STA
Slovenia imposes strictest trans fat ban
LJUBLJANA - Food sold in Slovenia must no longer contain more than two grammes of trans fat per 100 grammes of total fats in a product, as the country introduces what Slovenian nutritionists say is the strictest ban on trans fats in the world. The new set of rules kicking in as a one-year transitional period expired on 7 April, does not apply only to the food sold directly to consumers in shops and restaurants but also to wholesale, that is ingredients used in food production. Slovenian food producers and retailers say they have adapted to the change so they expect no problems when inspections come.
Šarec calls for respect among nations ahead of Roma Day
MURSKA SOBOTA - PM Marjan Šarec urged nations to live in coexistence and respect each other while preserving their identity, as he addressed the main International Roma Day ceremony in Slovenia on Saturday evening. The president of the Slovenian Roma Association, Jožek Horvat Muc, regretted the Roma were still discriminated against and expressed hope Slovenia's public and authorities would be willing to work with the association to improve their worst problems: housing, infrastructure, education and employment.
Slovenia's labour mobility below EU average
BRUSSELS, Belgium - A study by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) from Brussels has shown the mobility of Slovenian workers in 2017 was at 3%, or 0.8 percentage points below the EU average. The highest mobility rates, showing the percentage of EU workers working in another EU country, were recorded in Romania (19.7%), Lithuania (14.8%) and Croatia (13.9%), and lowest rates in Great Britain (1.1%) and Germany (1.0%).
Telekom Slovenija's market share keeps decreasing
LJUBLJANA State-owned telco Telekom Slovenije remained the leading mobile network provider in Slovenia in the last quarter of 2018 despite the steady decline of its market share in recent years. Telekom still holds an over 40% market share, and together with the operators A1 Slovenija and Telemach they control more than 90% of the market. In the last quarter of 2018, Telekom's share decreased to 42.55% from 43.7% in the third quarter of 2018. Its market share dropped below 50% in 2012, and has been mostly decreasing since then.
Fewer violations of workers' rights in recent years
LJUBLJANA - The number of cases of violation of basic workers' rights in Slovenia has fallen over the past three years. The development comes after oversight was enhanced and laws changed in the wake of a steep rise in violations of workers' rights after the end of the economic crisis. The number of these criminal acts increased after 2008, especially in 2014, when the police processed almost 5,760 cases, as opposed to only 104 in 2008 and almost 1,520 in 2018. These crimes are most widespread in construction, hospitality, transport and retail. The most frequent such crime is employers not paying mandatory social security contributions.
World champion Garnbret wins World Cup season opener
MEIRINGEN, Switzerland - Slovenia's Janja Garnbret, the world's leading sport climber, won the World Cup bouldering event on Saturday, in what is her 20th World Cup win. "I was rather frustrated on the first boulder, then I said to myself I should just enjoy the next three, and the race unfolded wonderfully," Garnbret said. Garnbret, 20, was crowned bouldering champion at the Climbing World Championships last September, also taking gold in combined and silver in lead. She is also the overall Climbing World Cup winner in the women's lead discipline, which the athlete also aims at in bouldering.
Bookmark this link and find the headlines in Slovenia each morning
Schedule of events in the week from 8 to 14 April, as prepared by the STA:
MONDAY, 8 April
KOČEVJE - Japanese robot manufacturer Yaskawa will inaugurate its robot factory in south Slovenia. The event will be addressed by PM Marjan Šarec and European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will take part in a session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council discussing Afghanistan, Venezuela and Eastern Partnership.
VIENNA, Austria - Interior Ministry State Secretary Sandi Čurin will take part in a two-day conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, organised by the OSCE.
PARIS, France - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Dobran Božič will meet OECD Deputy Secretary General Ulrik Knudsen to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence.
VIENNA, Austria - The heads of the lower and upper chambers of parliament, Dejan Židan and Alojz Kovšca, will take part in a two-day conference of speakers of EU parliaments.
LJUBLJANA - European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc will meet the leadership of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and its transport section.
MUMBAI, India - A delegation of Slovenian logistics companies will visit India; until 11 April.
LJUBLJANA - Government and public sector trade unions are to agree a timeline of talks in 2019.
LJUBLJANA - A new version of Parlameter, a tool tracking the work of the National Assembly, will be presented.
LJUBLJANA - The children's parliament will be in session with the debate focussing on education; President Borut Pahor to be in attendance.
KRANJ - The 49th Week of Slovenian Drama will come to a close with an awards ceremony.
TUESDAY, 9 April
LJUBLJANA - Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation Josep Borrell will make an official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Miro Cerar.
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Dobran Božič will take part in a session of the EU General Affairs Council discussing the rule of law and the EU's multi-year budget.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec will take part in Digital Day, an event focusing on digitalisation of agriculture and rural areas and digitalisation of cultural heritage.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Labour Ministry State Secretary Tilen Božič will take part in a conference on the future of work.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for National Minorities will debate the government's action plan to guarantee the rights of the Italian and Hungarian minorities.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee will debate the youth's appeal for climate fairness.
VIENNA, Austria - A memorial plaque to Slovenian beekeeper Anton Janša (1734-1773) will be unveiled.
LJUBLJANA - The National Electoral Commission will meet in preparations for the European parliamentary elections.
LJUBLJANA - The Education Ministry will host a public debate on the way forward in education.
LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry will hold a two-day conference on World Health Day.
LJUBLJANA - The two-day World Construction Forum will get under way.
CELJE - The International Industrial Fair will open with an address by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek; until 12 April.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release February foreign trade data.
MARIBOR - The start of a two-day conference on artificial intelligence in industry.
MILAN, Italy - Selected Slovenian designers and independent furniture makers will be featured at the Milan Design Week; until 14 April.
LJUBLJANA - New administered prices of top-selling fuels will kick in.
WEDNESDAY, 10 April
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Marjan Šarec will take part in a special EU summit on Brexit.
SPLIT, Croatia - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec will attend the international defence fair ASDA 19 at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart Damir Krstičević.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission will hear a report on wiretaps targeting the Slovenian arbiter and agent at the border arbitration tribunal in 2015.
BRDO PRI KRANJU - A national conference on the internationalisation of the Slovenian economy, to be attended by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Foreign Minister Miro Cerar.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will debate the National Assembly's international activities.
BLED - The Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce and the AI lab at the Jožef Stefan Institute will hold a Slovenian-German business day dedicated to artificial intelligence.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release industrial output figures for February.
ZAGREB, Croatia - Acclaimed slovenian composer Vinko Globokar will be featured at the Zagreb Music Biennale.
MARIBOR - A concert dedicated to the upcoming 80th birthday of composer Alojz Ajdič at SNG Maribor.
LJUBLJANA - Singer songwriter Zoran Predin will give a concert marking his 40th career anniversary.
THURSDAY, 11 April
DUBROVNIK, Croatia - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will take part in a two-day summit of the 16 Central and East European countries and China (16+1).
WARSAW, Poland - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will take part in a two-day ministerial of the Berlin Process, an initiative promoting the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee and the Commission for Slovenians Abroad will meet to debate political representation of the Slovenian minority in Italy.
LJUBLJANA - The British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce will host a conference on Brexit, with UK Trade Commissioner for Europe Andrew Mitchell in attendance.
LJUBLJANA - A weekly government session.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Privileges and Credentials Commission will debate Borut Smrdel's resignation as head of the National Review Commission.
LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and the SPIRIT agency will give out business excellency awards.
LJUBLJANA - A new production of the ballet Giselle, choreographed by Cuban ballet artist Howard Quintero Lopez, will open at Ljubljana SNG Opera and Ballet.
PORTOROŽ - The two-day Slovenian Advertising Festival will get under way.
FRIDAY, 12 April
WASHINGTON, US - Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj and central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle will make their maiden appearance at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank; until 14 April.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary EU Affairs Committee will debate the activities of Slovenian MPs and MEPs at a session called by the opposition Democrats (SDS).
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry probing into party financing will meet behind closed doors.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will discuss the shortage of GPs at the behest of the opposition New Slovenia (NSi).
CELJE - A pre-trail hearing for Uroš Rotnik, the former director of the Šoštanj coal-fired power station (TEŠ), and two co-defendants on charges of evidence suppression and false criminal complaint.
LJUBLJANA - The council of the European Democratic Party (EDP) will meet, to be followed by the European Parliament group's conference on social challenges in the EU.
MURSKA SOBOTA - The promotional centre of the Prekmurje region, Expano, will be launched.
MARIBOR - The Gallus - Maribor 2019 international competition of choirs; until 14 April.
PTUJ - The city will host a meeting to discuss its plans to bid for the 2025 European Capital of Culture.
NOVA GORICA - Aleksij Kobal will have an exhibition of his works launched at the Nova Gorica City Gallery.
LJUBLJANA - Singer songwriter Marko Brecelj will give a concert at Cankarjev Dom.
LJUBLJANA - Radio Študent, an alternative radio station, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a festival; until 13 April.
RADOVLJICA - The three-day Radovljica Chocolate Festival will get under way.
SATURDAY, 13 April
ŽALEC - The non-parliamentary Slovenian People's Party (SLS) will hold a congress.
CELJE - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) will present its list of candidates for the EU elections as it meets for its annual consultations.
SUNDAY, 14 April
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Christians will celebrate Palm Sunday.
April 7, 2019
Thanks to an initiative of Novo Mesto Utilities, half of the Lower Carniola’s state institutions are now equipped with toilet paper produced from recycled packages of locally consumed milk, juice and other liquids, reported Dnevnik last Thursday.
Three years ago Novo Mesto Utilities started a project to fully recycle such packaging, the first of the kind in the country. The KEMSO (aka Tetra Paks) packaging was send to Italy, where it was recycled into toilet paper and returned as such to Lower Carniola.
Picture: Novo Mesto Utilities
Although the story serves as a good example we can all learn from, it also illustrates the problem Slovenia is facing with regard to its underdeveloped recycling industry. What we do really well in Slovenia (as in most of other European countries) is divide waste into recyclables and non-recyclables and then export them to developing countries where the “good stuff” is actually recycled, while the rest is dumped in land pits, rivers and seas.
In 2017 China, who had until then been buying about 50% of Europe’s recyclable trash, put a ban on waste imports, which came into action in 2018. This meant a serious reality check for countries like Slovenia, who were completely relying on international markets to make their trash disappear. As the prices went down, such waste became too costly to transport and large amounts begun piling up at collection sites.
In October 2018, Jure Leben, then the new, now already former, environmental minister evaluated the situation as alarming not only in terms of being an environmental and sanitary emergency but also as a safety issue, since collection centres could no longer comply with fire and other precautions. Legislation was thus proposed to allow waste disposal to be financed by the government.
Photo: http://www.snaga.si
In line with the adopted EU strategy for reducing the use of plastic in everyday life, free plastic shopping bags were banned in Slovenia at the beginning of this year. According to the EU measures, disposable plastic cutlery, plates, straws and ear buds will also be banned by 2021. Other plastic waste, such as bottles will have to be recycled to the amount of 90% by the year 2025.
The second most common disposable items containing plastic, perhaps surprisingly, are cigarettes (in the filters) and lost fishing equipment, which account for 27% of all waste found on European beaches. The new rules say that these will need to be collected and, in the case of the fishing equipment, at least 15% recycled by the year 2025. It is the manufacturers of such products who will also have to cover the expenses for gathering the related waste.
Climbing, both sport and alpine, is one of those activities in which the little nation of Slovenia has an outsized presence, and this weekend saw the opening event of the season with regard to the former – the first bouldering competition of the IFSC 2019 Climbing Worldcup, held in Meiringen, Switzerland.
Taking first place for the women was Janja Garnbret, the Slovene teen said to be “the best climber in the world”, and an athlete whose progress it’s been a joy to follow over the last few years, as the sport gears up for it’s first appearance in the Olympics (Tokyo 2020). Garnbret took gold, followed by Akiyo Noguchi (Japan) and the UK’s Shauna Coxsey.
With regard to the men’s event, this was won by Japan’s Kokoro Fuji, followed by Jongwon Chon (Korea) and Tomoaki Takata (Japan). The highest ranked Slovene was Jernej Kruder, in 11th place.
You can follow all our sports climbing coverage here, while our stories on alpinism are here
Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
This summary is provided by the STA
Šarec says LMŠ introducing new line of thinking
TRBOVLJE - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec addressed the congress of his LMŠ party in Trbovlje, highlighting the party's growth and sovereignty. He said the Marjan Šarec List had introduced a new line of thinking. "We rely solely on hard work, will, energy and enthusiasm, and the awareness that we do not know it all," he said. Turning to the upcoming EU election, for which the party presented its list of candidates, Šarec said the LMŠ wanted a "Europe of solidarity, which will be efficient and led by competent people with a new line of thinking."
Bertoncelj calls for stimulative business environment in all of EU
BUCHAREST, Romania - EU finance ministers discussed mobility of the labour force within the bloc and the issue of brain drain, with Slovenia's Andrej Bertoncelj stressing the importance of encouraging business and wider social and institutional environments to help citizens realise their potential. According to the Slovenian Finance Ministry, the ministers agreed that the mobility of labour force within the EU remained a fundamental EU freedom but called for measures to prevent brain drain from certain countries.
New far-right party holds founding congress
LJUBLJANA - Some 200 delegates gathered for the founding congress of the new far-right party today. The first project of the Homeland League, using the acronym DOM (home), will be standing in the EU election. Bernard Brščič, a former senior aide to opposition Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša who works as an economist for power grid operator Eles, was elected president, while Lucija Šikovec Ušaj, a lawyer who ran on the SDS ticket in the general election but later left the party because she thought it was too soft on migrations, was elected vice president.
SDS take the lead in Parsifal poll, support to govt dropping
LJUBLJANA - A survey by the pollster Parsifal published by Nova24TV on Friday showed the opposition Democrats (SDS) taking the lead from the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ). The SDS polled at 18.9% and the LMŠ at 16.8%. The support to the government dropped by 15%. The junior coalition Social Democrats (SD) also saw a drop in support to 7.1%, while support to the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) and the Left remained level at 5% and 4.7%, respectively.
Štore Steel revenue up, profit down last year
ŠTORE - Štore Steel, one of the largest steel mills in the country, sold 153,000 tonnes of steel last year, and generated EUR 138.7m in sales revenue, up almost 14% from 2017. Profit was however down by EUR 200,000 to EUR 8.6m. According to CEO Jani Jurkošek, the lower profit is a result of higher labour costs and the corporate tax the company had to pay for 2017. Jurkošek told the STA he was happy with last year's results, noting that the car market had started cooling in September 2018.
All-community campaign calls for anti-discrimination action
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Philanthropy held its 10th annual Day For Change campaign, encouraging people to stand up against discrimination and become a volunteer at least for a day. Almost 170 events were held by more than 550 organisations and 9,000 volunteers, including hate speech prevention campaigns, awareness-rising events, inter-generational socialising, clean-up campaigns, swap shops, flash mobs, and sports events under the slogan Do Not Go With the Flow - Stand For Change!
10,000 trees planted to rejuvenate Slovenian forests
LJUBLJANA - Around 10,000 trees were planted by more than 670 volunteers at several locations in Slovenia as part of a campaign launched by the state-owned SiDG forestry company last year to help Slovenian forests recover from several disasters they were hit by in recent years. This is the second year that 10,000 new tress were planted as part of the campaign and the organisers hope this will become an annual event. In October 2018, some 400 volunteers took part, so this year's turnout was a pleasant surprise.
If you enjoy honest trash then check out the Kurja polt (Goosebumps) festival of genre film, 9–14 April, which takes place at Kinodvor and Kinoteka. This year’s theme is freaks, and the programme is packed with cheap sex and nasty thrills, with a selection of cult classics and classics in the making. Check out our write up and some of the trailers here. Another festival this week, albeit just Friday and Saturday, is Tresk – “the clash between music and record labels” – which you can read about here.
If you want to wake up to the big headlines in Slovenia then take a look at the new format of our daily morning news feature.
Something new we added recently that will delight or enrage you is our suggestions on how to spend from four to 48 hours in Ljubljana. Check it out here.
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (April 8 to 14, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and you can enhance your stay in the city and impress or annoy friends and companions by learning some obscure facts about the city here, and the Castle here.
As ever, clicking on the venue names in the list below should get you more details with regard to the time, price and location, as well as other events on at this place in whatever week you're here. Finally, if there's something you want to promote in a future edition of What's on in Ljubljana please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com or try and find me on Facebook.
- Cinemas and films
- Clubbing
- Live music
- Opera, theatre and dance
- Harm reduction and drug testing
- Things to do with children
- LGBT+ Ljubljana
- Ljubljana Castle
- Museums and galleries
- Other things to do in Ljubljana
- Daytrips
- Getting around & miscellaneous
Cinemas and films
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kids' movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, while non-English language movies for older viewers will have Slovenian subtitles. Parents should also pay attention to Kinobalon, which is Kinodvor's regular weekend series of film screenings and events for children, from babies on up, with special parent/child events, "first time in a cinema" screenings, and babysitting. Learn more about it here, and see the current schedule here.
As noted in the intro, this week Kinodvor and Kinoteka are hosting a festival of genre film, with more details and some trailers here.
Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station is showing, among other features, Loro, Vision, Leave No Trace, My Last Year as a Loser (a good Slovene film – I’ve seen it – with a lot filmed in downtown Ljubljana; it’s screened with English subtitles), Transit, Un couteau dans le coeur (in French, with English subtitles)
Kinoteka – This revival cinema isn’t far from Kinodvor, at the train station end of Miklošičeva, is showing Ilsa Harem Keeper Of The Oil Sheiks and Der Fan (German, with English subtitles). Yep, they’re both part of the genre film festival
Kino Bežigrad - This place is showing Dumbo and Shazam!, while starting on Thursday is a remake of Hellboy.
Kolosej - The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big titles, but note that there are far more movies than screens, so some of the older ones may only be playing once or twice a week. Click on the theatre name to see the actual times before making a date. Click on the theatre name to see the actual times before making a date. This week there are Pet Sematary, Shazam!, The Aspern Papers, 100 Dinge, Dumbo, Ne bom več luzerka, Storm Boy, Us, Creed II, Captain Marvel (2D and 3D), Colette, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Green Book, A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Escape Room, Alita: Battle Angel (2D and 3D), Qu'est-ce qu'on a encore fait au bon Dieu?, Mia et le lion blanc, Happy Death Day 2U, Instant Family, Replicas, Izbrisana, and a dubbed version of The Queen’s Corgi. New this week is Loro.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing, among other features, My Last Year as a Loser, Loro and Colette.
Clubbing
Compared to some European capitals it can seem that nightlife in Ljubljana ends rather early, especially along the river, but there are still bars that stay open late and clubs were you can dance until dawn, and perhaps the best place to stumble across something interesting is the legendary Metelkova. Be aware it's a grungy kind of place and not for all tastes, but also that there's considerable variety to found within the various clubs there, from death metal to electropop, gay cabaret to art noise. You can read "the rules" of the place here. And if you're curious about how the place started then read our story, and look at some pictures, about last year's 25th anniversary.
Channel Zero – Friday there’s an all-nighter (as most club events are) called Mami's Magic & Mo:Dem Teaser Party, a Mushroom Magic Lights affair, with the main DJ being Val Vashar.
Gala Hala – Friday there’s Balkan Campers Opening Party, with DJ Bayo (Jugofunk set), Mokoš (ex-Yu hip hop set) and Brat & Sestra (ex-Yu rock set) – sadly, no sets from this crew seen to be online. Saturday there’s Versus: Shekuza / Brtinzz, a techno event, a set below.
Klub Cirkus – Friday night it’s time to dress for the lights with BLACK MOON – UV Gathering, with the music being dance, future house, edm, house, r&b, hip hop, and trap. Saturday you can then enjoy El Fuego with latino flavored pop, r&b, dance, reggaeton, latin house, tropical, and island beats.
Klub K4 – Friday the klub 4 kool kids has 30K4 : Jane Fitz [Night Moves, Freerotation / UK], Jane Fitz (NIGHT MOVES, FREEROTATION / UK), Lara H., Fraku, Nulla, Maša, Nika (Rite of Passage), and Nikolaj (PHI), with visual support from VJ 5237. The night, a Saturday, it’s K4 Gibanica x Tresk, with Blaž (playing live), along with DJs Terranigma (Tigerbalm), Šuljo, and DVS (Tigerbalm, RŠ), and back again is VJ 5237.
Live music
Božidar – Friday evening there’s the Jazz klub Mezzoforte, Freestyle Karaoke & Jam Session.
Cankerjev dom – Tuesday evening, 20:00, the country’s main arts centre will see a concert by Mario Batković + Damir Avdić – sadly, no videos are available. The same evening, same time, in a different hall, there’s the Partisan Choir, celebrating it’s 75th anniversary with an event partisan and patriotic songs. Thursday, the 11th, Teresa Salgueiro – “the finest voice of Portugal and beyond” – is on stage. Friday it’s then the turn of the Dresden Philharmonic, with Beatrice Rana on the piano, playing Brahms.
Cvetličarna – Saturday you can see a true legend of the Slovenian music scene, with Vlado Kreslin and the Little Gods.
Kino Šiška – Thursday evening The Ills are on stage, the Slovakian champions of instrumental post-rock, shoegaze and prog. Saturday this venue is hosting the Tresk Festival, with details here. Sunday there’s a live show from Raul Midón.
Klub Gromka – Thursday, 11th, 20:00 to 02:00, there’s Noites do Brasil #2, an evening of Brazilian music with several acts on the bill, as organised by Sherzer Brigade. Friday things are very different with a packed programme of grindcore (and mincecore) coming from Aligrindtor, Decom-Posers, Dead Corcoras, and Morbid Creation.
Ljubljana Castle – This Friday there’s a Bob Dylan Tribute - The Complete Unknowns.
Orto Bar – Orto Fest continues with more hard rock and metal. Tuesday there’s Lumberjack, Wednesday it’s Demolition Group, Thursday come Avven with support from Tears of Kali, Friday DMP take the stage, as do, at a different time, The Stroj. Saturday the week ends with Bohem.
Slovenska filharmonija – There seems to be noting in town from the orchestra this week, as they're in Zagreb.
Opera, theatre and dance
Cankerjev dom - Thursday evening there’s a staging, in Slovene, of Martin Sherman’s Bent. Sunday the British comedian Eddie Izzard will be taking the stage.
Gledališče IGLU - IGLU Theatre – Saturday night this group is usually putting on an English improv show somewhere in town, but it’s generally promoted after this is written, so check the Facebook before putting on your shoes.
Kino Šiška – There’s a lot of dance out at this venue. On Monday there’s REAR WINDOW / Dancers Without Answers, Tuesday it’s Ana Kreitmeyer and Sonja Pregrad: Out There and In Here, with the same evening also seeing Maja Delak: Just For Today. Wednesday there’s David Somló: Mandala. There seem to be no videos to promote these shows.
Klub Gromka – Saturday evening you can go to Metelkova and enjoy Sindikat odklonskih entitet / the Syndicate of Outlandish Entities, with new comedy, performative humour, irony, satire, parody, and social commentary, in Slovenian
Mini Teater Ljubljana – The English schedule of varied performances for the month is here.
SNG Opera and Ballet - Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle will be performed here Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with choreography by the Cuban ballet artist Howard Quintero Lopez.
Pocket Teater Studio – The new play Border Love is playing here Friday and Saturday, 20:00 Note that the number of seats is very limited – just 24 – and thus you should make a reservation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 070 325 522. The price of ticket is 20€, and includes a shot of tequila.
Harm reduction and drug testing
Drogart is an organization that aims to minimise harm on the party scene, and offers drug-testing services and reports on their webpage. It’s in Slovene, but you can Google translate it or work things out yourself, and our story on the group is here. You can find the latest warnings on fake drugs and high strength pills and powders (in Slovene) here. However, be aware that all the usual drugs are illegal in Slovenia. CBD is legal, though, and this week we also added an interview with the guy behind Responsible Pot, which is getting CBD into the city’s cafés and bars.
Things to do with children
You can find our Top 12 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. If want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here, while our trip to the Museum of Illusions is documented here, and there’s always riverside walks, pizza and ice cream. With regard to the latter, take a look at our guide to six places that serve good ice cream in winter, and thus are serious about the dessert.
Mini Teater Ljubljana – The season sees a lot of puppet performances for children, in Slovene, at this theatre not far from Križanke. The English schedule for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - The puppet theatre near the Central Market and next to the Castle funicular has a full programme or shows, for children and adults, with the schedule here.
LGBT+ Ljubljana
If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here. If you're looking for more general links on "gay Slovenia", including a history of the scene and various projects, then you can find that here, while our stories about the community can be found here.
Cankerjev dom – A Slovenian version of Martin Sherman’s Bent will be staged here on Thursday evening.
Klub Monokel – This lesbian bar in Metelkova is open every Friday, and this week there’s an all-night techno event called Katarza, Noir, featuring two DJs with those names.
Klub Tiffany – And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays, while every Monday until June 2019 there's tango at 18:00. This week the events page seems to be missing.
Pritličje – This seems to be the only "always open" LGBT-friendly cafe / bar / events space in town, and perhaps the country, so it's a good thing it's such a good one, open from morning to night, and with fliers and posters letting you know what's happening outside the narrow confines of, say, a general interest online what's on... guide.
Screenshot from Google Maps, showing the location of the Castle vineyard
Ljubljana Castle
The city’s main attraction is said to be the top tourist draw in the country overall, and to my mind it earns a spot near the top just for the history and views. But beyond that the current owners, the City of Ljubljana, have laid out a varied, interesting and enjoyable programme of events, one that rewards regular revisits.
I try and get up there every Saturday morning to clear my head and move my feet on the trails, and never tire of that end of the hill. At the other end, where the Castle sits, there’s a lot more than fresh air on offer. There are guided tours, restaurants, a café, Castle museum, puppet museum, a Watchtower you can climb to the highest point in the city, art shows, dances, live music, movies under the stars, festival days and more – enough to reward multiple trips up the hill through the year. All of these activities and events can be found on the Castle website, while on TSN you can see “25 things to know about Ljubljana Castle” here, and “Ten Ways to Enjoy Ljubljana Castle” here.
Museums and galleries
Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum, and - as noted at the start
Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner
Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character, and it's also in a really nice part of town, Trnovo, just a short walk or cycle upriver. Read about our guided tour here.
Balassi Institute – The Hungarian culture centre has an exhibition entitled “Encounters in Visual Art” introduces works of selected visual artists, painters and sculptors, who define today's art scene in Hungary and Slovenia, as promoted with the image below. Free to enter, this venue is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here.
City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square an interesting permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, from prehistoric times to the present day, with many artefacts, models and so on that bring the story alive.You can read about my visit here.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
International Centre of Graphic Arts – Starting March 22 and running until May 19 is Photographic Images and Matter: Japanese Prints of the 1970s and Japan, Yugoslavia and the Biennial of Graphic Arts: Documents of Collaboration. One of the images promoting the show is shown below.
Kosuke Kimura: Present Situation – Existence A, colour and silkscreen, 1971.
MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe. Until May 19 there's Tendencies: Architecture and Urban Planning in Celje, 1955–1985.
Rafikun Nabi: Poet, 1980, print, 96.5 x 110 cm. Courtesy of the Contemporary Art Center of Montenegro. On display at the Metelova branch of the Moderna galerija
Moderna galerija – The main branch of this gallery, to be found near the entrance to Tivoli Park, has a good collection of modern art, as well a nice café in the basement. The museum's Metelkova branch also has a big new show, runing until at least September 2019, an the art of the Non-Aligned Movement, with an example shown above.
National Gallery – The country’s main gallery has “the best” of what’s on offer from the Middle Ages to non-contemporary modern visual arts, and is in a great location for exploring other areas, just by Tivoli Park and opposite the main branch of the Moderna galerija. You can read about our visit to the room containing sacred art from the Middle Ages here.
JL Flanner
The real Robba Fountain can be found in the entrance to the National Gallery - the one you see in the Old Town is a genuine fake, as seen below and reported here.
Photo: JL Flanner
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more. Meanwhile, the museum's Metelkova branch, located between one branch of the Moderna galerija and the Ethnographic Museum has some rooms on Church art, furniture and weapons, with the latter including more guns than you'll see anywhere else in town, and quite a thrill if coming from a nation where such objects are not household items.
Natural History Museum – On until the end of June 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum currently has a temporary show on Bees and Beekeeping, on until June 16 2019, as well two permanent exhibitions. One of these is called Between Nature and Culture, and has a great collection of objects from Slovenia and around the world, well worth the trip up to the third floor to see it (as recounted here). From April 18 until October 19 (2019) you can also see a show called Shamanism of the Peoples of Siberia, from the Russian Museum of Ethnography, Saint Petersburg. The place is located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova.
Union is "the Ljubljana beer", but now both it and Laško are owned by Heineken. There are many local brews on offer around town, though, if you want to explore IPAs, stouts, wheatbeers, sours and so on Photo: JL Flanner
Union Experience – The Ljubljana-based brewer has a museum showing the history of the company, with the ticket also including access to part of the factory and a few samples of the product. You can read about our visit here.
It's not a formal museum, but if you're interested in "Yugo-stalgia" then you'll enjoy a trip to Verba, a small, privately run space that's crammed with objects and pop culture items from the era, and is conveniently located at the start of one of the short walks to the castle. It's also a great place to take pictures, if you leave a donation, and you can read more about it here.
Verba. Photo: JL Flanner
Alternative Ljubljana isn't a museum or gallery, as such, but instead turns the city streets into a museum and gallery. Learn more about their tours of street art, history and LGBT Ljubljana here.
Photo: JL Flanner
Other things to do in Ljubljana
If you'd like to spend an evening painting with others, then take a look at Design with Wine, which organises painting parties on Trubarjeva cesta,
If you want to see some antiques, then check out the wonderful Antika Carniola, as discussed here. The man behind it, Jaka Prijatelj, has a fine eye for life on this street, as you can see on his Facebook account.
Photo: JL Flanner
If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.
And if you're bored with the Old Town, why not take a walk, cycle or boat ride to nearby Špica and enjoy the riverside life. Learn more about that here.
visitljubjana.si
maxpixel.net, public domain
Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted. If you're heading to the coast, check out our interview with a yoga teacher who offers breakfast sessions there, while if you're staying in town (or nearby) and want to try some "family yoga" then you can learn more about that here and maybe get your kids to calm down a moment or two.
Prefer to have someone else stretch you? The check out the totally legit massages you can get from Sense Wellness - either in one of their spas or in you home, office or hotel. (And - to repeat - these are legit and non-sexual in nature)
There are some golf courses near Ljubljana, but even ones further away are not far, as seen in our list of all the golf courses in Slovenia.
Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain
Daytrips
Most of Slovenia is only a few hours from Ljubljana, and you can easily visit Lake Bled, Lipica Stud Farm, Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, the coast and other locations, while if you'd like to take a photo of from that bench in Bled, then you can learn how to get there here. If you’re looking for something more ambitious, then check out our recent guide to the 17 members of the Association of Historical Towns of Slovenia
Photo: Google Image Search
Getting around & miscellaneous
If you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here, and if you want to use the bike share system, as useful for visitors as it is for residents, then you can learn more by clicking this. Visitors with reduced mobility will be pleased to find that downtown Ljubljana is generally rated as good with regard to accessibility, and that there’s a free, city-sponsored app called Ljubljana by Wheelchair highlighting cafés, attractions and so on with ramps, disabled bathrooms and Eurokey facilities, which you can read about and download here. Manual wheelchair users can also borrow, for free, an attachment that will motorise their equipment, as reported here.
Screenshot from a Twitter video
If you’re driving into town and don’t know where to part, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.
There aren't many places to eat after midnight, and most of them are by the train station, as reported here.
Want / need cigarettes but the stores have closed? Here's an incomplete list of bars downtown that will satisfy your craving for the demon weed. While if you’re having trouble with the ATMs then here’s a guide to the Slovene you’ll see on screen. If you get a hangover then find out where to get paracetamol (and prescription drugs) in Ljubljana here, while details on emergency birth control can be found here.
Ljubljana is a small and relatively safe city, but if need to contact the police then there’s a special number for foreigners, and that’s 113.
Photo: JL Flanner
