STA, 5 April 2019 - The weekly Mladina revealed that the Hungarian embassy had protested with the Foreign Ministry asking it to intervene over a Mladina cover portraying Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán as a Nazi. The news prompted condemnation from journalists and a joint session of the parliamentary culture and foreign policy committees is to be held to discuss the issue.

The ministry confirmed it had received a verbal diplomatic note from the embassy protesting a "politically irresponsible cover of Mladina" from 22 March and asking the ministry for "assistance in preventing similar incidents in the future".

The cover shows cartoons of the Slovenian Democrats (SDS) head Janez Janša, SDS deputy Branko Grims and SDS MEP Milan Zver snuggling with the towering Orban, who performs the Nazi salute in front of a Hungarian flag with the Slovenian coat of arms.

The note says that the "cover violates the principles of freedom of the press and expression and that the acts such as the publication of the cover harm the otherwise excellent bilateral cooperation of our countries".

The ministry answered by saying it "consistently respects the principle of freedom of the press and expression and that it neither encroaches upon editorial policy of the Slovenian media, nor assesses it."

The weekly said that the note followed a letter sent to Mladina by Ambassador Edit Szilágyiné Bátorfi, in which she said that Mladina did not strive for friendship between the two nations and that its articles did not reflect facts.

Also writing about the cover this week was Orbán's spokesman Zoltán Kovács, who said he was "not surprised by the historically confused and unprofessional stance of Mladina", which he labelled the "former mouthpiece of the Communist Party".

The weekly attributes Hungary's reaction to the cartoon going viral last week in the public, with "almost all of the remaining independent Hungarian media reporting on it".

The embassy's note was condemned by the Slovenian Journalist Association (DNS), which said the embassy wanted the ministry to "encroach upon the editorial autonomy of a media outlet", and that it was "proof of the seriousness of the situation in the so-called democratic Europe."

The association said that the embassy's comments were not only completely unacceptable, but also an "unheard-of expression of a conception of complete control and disciplining of the media by the authorities".

"At the same time, the note is another concrete example of how the government of an officially democratic country, a member of the EU and NATO, perceives the role of the media in society," the DNS added.

A joint session of the parliamentary culture and foreign policy committees is to be held to discuss the note.

The session was requested by coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy Gregor Perič, who welcomed the "determined response by the ministry", labelling the Hungarian embassy's request as "completely unacceptable".

"It points to a huge departure of the Hungarian authorities from freedom of the press as it is generally understood by the majority in the joint European family," added the member of the EU Affairs Committee.

The chair of the Foreign Policy Committee, Matjaž Nemec of the coalition Social Democrats (SD), welcomed the initiative and said he expected the joint session to be called within the shortest possible time.

"Such inadmissible (non-)diplomatic pressure should be opposed in the most determined manner possible," Nemec said, adding that freedom of the press was one of the fundamental values of Slovenian society.

The chair of the parliamentary Culture Committee, Violeta Tomić of the Left, also supports the idea of the joint session. She said that in Hungary critical and free media had virtually disappeared under Orbán.

Mladina said that many tenured diplomats said they had never seen such a note. Roman Kirn, the former foreign policy advisor to the prime minister, said "such notes are unusual for countries where freedom of the press is respected."

The weekly said Hungary's influence on Slovenian politics was not negligible. "The largest Slovenian parliamentary party, the SDS, is today the biggest debtor to Orban, whose regime controls a part of internal affairs in Slovenia."

"We had the opportunity to learn this during the debate within the European People's Party (EPP) on the expulsion of Orban's Fidesz from the group: the Slovenian representatives defended him the most," added Mladina, which also dedicated today's editorial to the issue.

In the commentary, editor-in-chief Grega Repovž said the protest note was "not very diplomatic, but unusually sharp," and added that the response from the ministry was a response "of a serious country - cold and not allowing any debate."

Referring to Hungary, Repovž said that the entire Europe was dealing with "a country which dares to demand from another country's government to act against journalists", labelling it a serious security threat to the entire region.

He went on to say that Hungary was a "country which does not hide that it tries to encroach upon the autonomy of the Slovenian state with capital and all other ways."

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President suggests new law to address army readiness issue

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces' state of readiness for peacetime action is satisfactory, but their capacity for wartime action remains unsatisfactory for the fifth straight year. Receiving the army readiness report, President Borut Pahor said the army was undertaking all the tasks under the defence act, but it was having problems providing capabilities for higher-intensity operations. The key issue affecting the readiness assessment both for peacetime and wartime or crisis action is a shortage of staff, equipment and armament. He proposed adopting a systemic law to fund national security.

Cerar says Slovenia takes commitments to NATO very seriously

WASHINGTON, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said after the conclusion of the NATO ministerial in Washington marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance that NATO was certainly an exceptionally strong alliance in which Slovenia was in very good company and was taking its commitments very seriously. Cerar said that "PM Marjan Šarec has promised that we will increase defence spending to 1.1% of GDP and I believe that the government is capable of doing it with an additional effort."

Hungary's call for govt meddling in media freedom met with protest

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry confirmed it had received a verbal diplomatic note from the Hungarian embassy protesting a cover in the weekly Mladina portraying Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán performing the Nazi salute. The ministry told the embassy that it did not interfere in the editorial policy of the Slovenian media. The Slovenian Journalist Association (DNS) condemned Hungary's move in the strongest terms, speaking of an "unheard-of expression of a conception of complete control and disciplining of the media by the authorities". A joint session of the Slovenian parliamentary culture and foreign policy committees has been announced in response to the development.

Court of Audit to review Oshkosh defence deal

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee endorsed the contract between the government and the US administration to buy 4x4 Oshkosh light APCs, having found it had been concluded in line with the law. But it also agreed with yesterday's decision by the Public Finance Oversight Commission for the Court of Audit to review the deal. The government is buying 38 4x4 Oshkosh light combat tactical all-terrain vehicles from the US for around EUR 32m, having signed the contract late last year.

Army's force commander dismissed over Poček incident

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec dismissed the army's force commander, Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc, at the proposal of the chief of the general staff, Major-General Alenka Ermenc. Until his replacement is appointed Brigadier Milan Žurman will be in charge, the ministry said. One of the reasons for the dismissal was last week's incident at the Poček training area, when shooting with heavy weapons late at night upset the local community.

Šarec seeks to reassure public over healthcare crisis

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec sought to reassure the public over simmering discontent among doctors last night by saying that people would not be left without their GPs. Šarec said that the situation in healthcare was not "as bad and black as being portrayed", but admitted many improvements were needed. Commenting after GPs started to give notices in protest at what they say are excessive number of patients that they are obligated to take, he said improvements cannot come over night and "will not be achieved by means of threats but rather by means of dialogue and well-directed finances".

Bullmann announces fight against extremism ahead of EU election

LJUBLJANA - Udo Bullmann, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, announced a fight against far-right extremism and populism, which are spreading throughout Europe, as he addressed the press in Ljubljana. He also commented on the recent revelation that the Croatian Intelligence Agency (SOA) was behind the wire tapping of Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the Slovenian-Croatian border arbitration. He finds it worrying that something like that is happening between two EU member states. He said other European leaders should not look away but urge the respecting of the rule of law.

Slovenia could benefit from EU funds for military mobility

LJUBLJANA - European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc has presented plans to enhance military mobility in the EU, noting EUR 6.5bn would be allocated to adapt transport infrastructure to military needs. The participants of today's conference on military mobility agreed this was an opportunity for Slovenia to upgrade its infrastructure. Bulc, Slovenia's member of the Commission, said military mobility was a new topic in the EU as the bloc was gearing towards a fully-fledged Defence Union by 2025.

Gorenje announces sale of Serbian subsidiary Gorenje Tiki

VELENJE - The Velenje-based household appliances maker Gorenje has announced it will publish in the coming weeks a call for bids for its Serbian subsidiary Gorenje Tiki, which produces small water heaters. The Chinese-owned company also intends to sell the Tiki brand along with the subsidiary. The company said the sale, already attempted last year before the takeover by Hisense, was part of the strategy of selling non-core assets and focusing on Gorenje's principal activity. Gorenje Tiki employs 30 people in Slovenia and 520 in Serbia.

Adria still looking for strategic partner after Sukhoi deal fails, boss says

BRNIK - The boss of the 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 EUR 10m 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 as SCAC did not deliver when the payment deadline was due in end February.

Slovenia to launch its first nanosatellite this summer

MARIBOR - The University of Maribor and the company SAB-LS signed a contract in Maribor on the launch of the first Slovenian nanosatellite into orbit. Trisat is to fly into space on a light European Vega rocket that is to be launched from French Guiana in August. Trisat has been developed at the Maribor Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in cooperation with the Slovenian company Skylabs. Trisat, weighing only 4.4 kilos, is capable of taking multispectral images of Earth in short-wave infrared spectrum with a camera unlike any other in space at the moment.

Slovenian companies expected on Amazon this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian companies will soon be able to do business on Amazon Europe, as the US tech company gets technically adjusted to include Slovenia among supported countries in the second half of the year, the Slovenian Economy Ministry said. Last year the ministry worked intensively with Amazon to enable Slovenian firms to do business on Amazon Europe's e-commerce platform as soon as possible.

Suspect dead in apparent bus hijack

LJUBLJANA - A 48-year-old man hijacked a bus in Ljubljana last night, but died after losing consciousness while he was being arrested by the police despite attempts at resuscitating him, the police said. The driver and the passengers have not been injured in the incident. The hijacker had a history of violent criminal acts and had suffered from a psychiatric disorder, according to officials.

Writers for Peace urges EU countries to show solidarity

BLED - The PEN International Writers for Peace Committee held a meeting at the 51st International Writers' Meeting in Bled and called for upholding the principle of solidarity, particularly in light of the European migrant crisis. This year marked the first time the committee's president is not Slovenian. The committee was established at Slovenia's initiative in 1984 and had been headed by Slovenian writers until this year, when calls for a more democratic appointment procedure led to a nationally diverse group of candidates. The members selected Emmanuelle Pierrat, the president of French PEN, to lead the committee.

China to host two Slovenian exhibitions

LJUBLJANA - The National Museum of Slovenia will present two exhibitions on Slovenian heritage and creativity in China this month in an effort to promote cultural cooperation between the two countries. The museum will put on the exhibitions in two Chinese cities; objects portraying Slovenia's past will be exhibited at the Silk Road international alliance of art museums meeting at the National Museum of China in Beijing, while artefacts showcasing Slovenia's creativity and ancient finds will be displayed at the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xi'an.

International Roma Day celebrated in Maribor

MARIBOR - The International Roma Day was celebrated in Maribor with an event featuring the Roma music, dance, and recitals. Parliament Speaker Dejan Židan addressed visitors, saying that the occasion was an opportunity for the Roma community to raise awareness about their unique culture. He also pointed out that the event was a chance to warn against the ongoing and prevalent discrimination against the Roma, stressing their perseverance and the significance of cultural diversity.

STA, 5 April 219 - Slovenian companies will soon be able to do business on Amazon Europe, as the US tech company gets technically adjusted to include Slovenia among supported countries in the second half of the year, the Slovenian Ministry of Economic Development and Technology said on Friday.

Last year the ministry worked intensively with Amazon to enable Slovenian firms to do business on Amazon Europe's e-commerce platform as soon as possible.

At their last meeting in Brussels at the end of 2018 Amazon presented its reservations, but following further coordination a solution was found.

The ministry stressed it was aware of how important this commerce channel is for Slovenian firms, so it had pushed for a solution to be found as soon as possible.

It noted that Amazon had already launched the necessary investment to adjust technically to include Slovenia.

Amazon expects all solutions should be in place in the third quarter of this year, the ministry also said.

Regular readers of Mladina, the left-leaning review whose editorials we summarise each weekend (along with those of the right-leaning Demokracija, and – on occasion – Reporter) may have noticed the arresting advertisements that appear on page 3, and yet which don’t seem to promote any company or product.

Theme Ecological Disasters. Author: Studio Marketing; Petja Montanez, Matej Kodrič

Theme: Genetic engineering. Author: Studio 360, Agencija Tovarna vizij, Vladan Srdić, Dragan Arrigler

Theme: Greed. Author: AV Studio

Theme: AIDS. Author: Studio Marketing; Janez Čadež, Radovan Arnold, Jerneja Trbuha Kukec

Theme: Greed. Author: SOZD

The page, known as Proglas and edited by Viva Videnovic for almost two decades, has been a feature of the magazine since 1997. It was introduced to provide a platform for Slovenian creatives to use the tools of their trade to engage in social commentary, enabling them to demonstrate their ingenuity and wit to a degree that’s not always possible with regular advertising.

Theme: Extremism. Author: Yin + Young

Theme: EU. Author: New Moment Ljubljana

Theme: Loneliness. Author: Pristop

Theme: Child abuse. Author: Mediamix; Toni Tomašek, Miha Bevc, Aleksandar Jordačevič

Theme: Success. Author: Yin + Young

In exchange for working pro bono, Mladina gives the contributors total freedom to create whatever they want, as long as it addresses that month’s theme. These have included all the pressing or passing social issues of the day, such as AIDS, mental health, over-consumption, social media, feminism, genetic engineering, economic imperialism, ecological catastrophes, fascism, tourism, sexual harassment, the precariat and so on.

"Enjoy drinking water" Theme: Water. Author: Blaž Razpotnik

(How much a space the size of a page of Mladina - 291mm x 215mmwould cost in Ljubljana). Theme: Apartments. Author: Pristop

Theme: Greed. Author: Studio 360, VladanSrdić

"Star Wars" Theme: War. Author: Yin + Young, Domen Husu, Samo Muhič, Marin Bulog, Jure Ljubeljšek

What you see in this story are thus just a few of the more than 1,000 works that have been published over the years. If you’d like to see more of Proglas, and what the Slovenian advertising industry is capable of when allowed to do what it wants, then follow the related page on Facebook, or see the whole archive on Mladina.

STA, 5 April 2019 - The man who hijacked a bus in Ljubljana last night before dying after being restrained by the police, had a history of violent criminal acts and had suffered from a psychiatric disorder, according to officials.

Addressing a press conference in Ljubljana on Friday, Stojan Belšak, the head of the organised crime division of the Ljubljana Police Department, said the cause of the man's death was not clear yet and would be established in a postmortem.

The man, identified as a 49-year-old from Kranj, boarded a bus No 6B headed for Dolgi Most in the south-west of Ljubljana shortly before 9 PM last night.

Threatening the driver with a screwdriver, he forced him to divert the bus in the direction of the Ljubljana ring road, threatening to kill him and the passengers on the bus.

To alert the police, the driver drove through a red light, switching on the indicators and waving his hand. One of the passengers also managed to call the police.

Noticing the signs, a police patrol followed the bus, intercepting it before it drove onto the Ljubljana ring road, Belšak said, praising the driver's reaction.

In the meantime, the police received several calls from citizens reporting that a man in a bus was threatening the driver with a screwdriver.

After the police stopped the bus, the suspect attempted to flee the scene, and when he lashed at the two police officers, the pair used a pepper spray and managed to handcuff him, said Belšak.

Once they managed to control the suspects, other police patrols arrived at the scene and they all started taking witness statements, during which time the suspect started to show signs of health problems and a loss of consciousness.

Seeing his condition, the police removed the handcuffs and started to resuscitate him, calling an ambulance. The suspect died after the paramedics arrived.

The Ljubljana UKC hospital confirmed on its Twitter account that the paramedics, having arrived at the scene, resumed resuscitation procedures started by the police, but that after 45 minutes of unsuccessful attempts the man was pronounced dead.

The suspect is the same man who barricaded himself at the Kranj office of the Agency for Public Legal Records (AJPES) last year. He had been hospitalised in the past for psychiatric problems.

Belšak said this time as well the man appeared to be confused, with a diminished capacity, "which could be a result of substance abuse", but this cannot be ascertained until a postmortem is conducted.

Before the incident at the Ljubljana bus the police received a similar report from the driver of a coach en route from Ljubljana to Kranj.

The driver told them that there was a man on the coach who kept "mentioning special police on the phone before he pulled out a screwdriver, wielding it". He got off at the first stop in Ljubljana, leaving behind a backpack, based on whose content the police established that it was the one and the same man.

Police Commissioner Tatjana Bobnar has already appointed a special fact finding commission to look into exact circumstances of the incident, something that is a routine procedure in cases of death during arrest procedures.

STA, 5 April 2019 - A 48-year-old man hijacked a bus in Ljubljana last night, but died after losing consciousness while he was being arrested by the police despite attempts at resuscitating him, the police said.

According to media reports, the driver and the passengers have not been injured in the incident.

An updated version of this story can be found here

Citing the boss of the Ljubljana public transportation company LPP, Peter Horvat, the newspaper Delo reported that shortly before 9 PM last night a man boarded a bus No 6B headed for Dolgi Most in the south-west of Ljubljana.

Threatening with a screwdriver, he forced the driver to divert the bus in the direction of the Ljubljana ring road. He threatened to kill him.

The driver drove through a red light on purpose to alert the police. One of the passengers also managed to call the police.

The police confirmed the incident, identifying the man as a 48-year-old Kranj resident.

They said that several police patrol cars intervened, managing to stop the bus in Barjanska Street before it entered the Ljubljana ring road.

Applying coercive measures, they managed to get the man out of the bus and handcuffed him. During the procedure he started losing his consciousness.

Despite being given emergency aid by the police and subsequent attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him, he died on the spot.

More information will follow at a press conference at the Ljubljana Police Department at 11 AM today.

The news web site Siol cited a man claiming to be the father of the female passenger who called the police. He described the suspect as a fair haired man wearing dark clothes.

Entering at the Drama bus stop, he pulled out a screwdriver two stops later threatening the driver and demanding of him to drive the bus to the Barje service station.

The man talking to Siol also said that the suspect threatened to kill everyone on the bus claiming he had a gun, but it later turned out he did not have one. He says there six passengers on the bus at the time.

The traffic information centre reported that the south section of the Ljubljana ring road was closed at the Ljubljana Centre slip road.

STA, 4 April 2019 - Slovenia recorded the biggest drop in the number of road casualties among all EU member states, with the number decreasing by 13% compared to 2017 and by 34% compared to 2010, European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc noted on Thursday as she presented the latest EU transport statistics.

The number of road casualties in Slovenia dropping below 100 for the first time last year is encouraging data, said Bulc, adding that Slovenia's statistics were specific, as many accidents happen due to driving in the wrong direction.

The positive trend has not continued this year, unfortunately, with as many as 26 persons in Slovenia being killed on the roads in the first three months, compared to 14 in the same period last year.

While recording the biggest drop in the number of casualties in the whole EU last year, Slovenia is still far behind the leading countries in terms of the number of casualties per million people, recording a ratio of 44.

The most successful EU country in this respect is the United Kingdom with 28 casualties per million people, followed by Denmark (30). Faring the worst are Romania with 96 and Bulgaria 88 casualties per million people.

With 49 casualties per million people, European roads are the safest in the world, but 25,100 casualties is a horrific number and no one should be satisfied with it, said the Slovenian commissioner.

This is 1% less than in 2017 and 21% less than in 2010, Bulc said, adding that safety-related measures should be stepped up for the EU to reach the set goals in road transport.

STA, 4 April 2019 - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec expressed concern on Thursday over the news that the Croatian Intelligence Agency (SOA) was behind the wire-tapping of Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the border arbitration. "If this is the modus operandi in the EU we are concerned," the PM said after today's government session.

Šarec said the head of the Slovenian national intelligence agency SOVA had presented the situation in this case and in the Balkans to cabinet members behind closed doors today.

"I will not go into detail because these are matters of the system of national security and the intelligence agency and it is not wise to talk too much," he said, adding though that what they had heard was worrying.

"On the one hand we are happy because the intelligence agency is doing a good job, but on the other we are concerned if this is the modus operandi within the EU and if this is how countries which are supposed to be friendly treat each other."

News portal 24ur.com reported on Wednesday that the SOA was the one who wire tapped the phone calls between Jernej Sekolec and agent Simona Drenik, who were not allowed to communicate with each other, in July 2015.

After the recordings of the conversations were leaked, Croatia declared the process irrevocably tainted.

Even though Sekolec and Drenik resigned and the tribunal decided the breach was not so grave as to derail the process, Croatia declared it would not accept the arbitration award.

So far it had been speculated that German or US intelligence services were behind the wire-tapping.

The prime minister stressed that the arbitration process was now concluded and that solving the border issue through arbitration had been a condition for Slovenia's support to Croatia's EU membership.

"This is why what we heard today did not give us optimism regarding our neighbourly relations," he said, adding that Slovenia would continue to act in the European spirit.

The Croatian side rejected today any involvement of its intelligence services, with Foreign Ministry State Secretary for European Affairs Andreja Metelko Zgombić telling the press she did "not know where the Slovenian prime minister got such information from".

She said Croatia had not been able to determine how the story about the collusion on the Slovenian side had arrived to Croatia media.

Meanwhile, Slovenian Defence Minister Karl Erjavec, who was foreign minister at the time of the wire-tapping scandal, told the press today he was happy that it was finally clear who had conducted the wire-tapping.

"Obviously this was the job of Croatian secret services for a reason, because the Croatian leadership obviously thought the arbitration award would not be favourable for Croatia, that Slovenia will be given free access to high seas and more than half of the Piran Bay. Obviously they wanted to discredit the procedure," he said.

He added that Croatia had also picked the perfect timing to release the recordings, when he was on a private trip abroad with his wife.

Erjavec refused to speculate whether the revelation that the SOA wire tapped the Slovenian officials would in any way help Slovenia's efforts for the implementation of the arbitration award.

The report on wiretapping to Sekolec and Drenik will be discussed by the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission next Wednesday. The commission will also debate the situation in the Western Balkans and an increase in illegal migration.

Slovenia launched proceedings against Croatia over its non-implementation of the arbitration award before the EU's Court of Justice in the mid-March 2018. It argues that Croatia infringes EU law by refusing to implement the June 2017 award of the arbitration tribunal.

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This summary is provided by the STA

 Šarec concerned by Croatia wire tapping revelations

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec expressed concern over the news that the Croatian Intelligence Agency was behind the wire tapping of Slovenia's arbitrator and agent in the border arbitration, which was the reason for Croatia to withdraw from arbitration. "If this is the modus operandi in the EU we are concerned," Šarec said after the government was briefed on the developments by the head of the Slovenian intelligence agency SOVA. Šarec would not go into detail, but said that what they heard was worrying. The Croatian side denied any involvement.

Cerar: Slovenia supports enhancement of NATO's deterrent stance

WASHINGTON, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is in Washington for a special session of NATO foreign ministers, which included two working meetings and a working lunch. Cerar stressed that Slovenia supported all decisions which enhanced the defensive and deterrent stance of NATO, the Foreign Ministry said. At the same time, Slovenia supports enhanced dialogue between NATO and Russia, which is necessary in the given circumstances, he said, adding that "we must not forget about NATO partners in the region, in particular Georgia and Ukraine."

Govt reviews draft National Reform Programme

LJUBLJANA- The government was acquainted with the draft National Reform Programme for 2019 and 2020. The final version of the document, which refers to planned tweaks to the tax and pension systems, is expected to be endorsed by the cabinet next week before being sent to Brussels by 15 April. The government said the main goal of its economic policies remained stimulating the economy's competitiveness and productivity. This would be done through tax restructuring and pension reform measures raising the retirement age for those not yet completing 40 years of service.

Decree adopted to grant concession for Koper rail expansion

LJUBLJANA - The government issued a decree which will serve as the basis to conclude a concession contract with the state-owned TDK2 company for the construction and management of the EUR 1bn project to build a second rail track connecting the city port of Koper and Divača. The concession will be awarded for 45 years. Most importantly, the decree provides that 2TDK will carry the risks, except in exceptional cases when the state will assume them up to the limit set in the decree.

National Council debate stresses need to keep NATO in good shape

LJUBLJANA - The need to keep NATO in good shape through greater engagement by Europe and Slovenia as US support is no longer self-evident was highlighted as the National Council hosted the latest in a series of panels marking the 70th anniversary of NATO and 15 years of Slovenia's membership. Janez Janša, the leader of the Democrats (SDS) and former PM and defence minister, argued that Slovenia could an hardly contribute to joint security if it was incapable of defending itself, and former Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said Slovenia's involvement was almost invisible.

Slovenia to hire up to 90 doctors from third countries

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Aleš Šabeder signed a decree on Wednesday that allows hiring up to 90 doctors from non-EU countries this year in order to deal with an acute shortage of general practitioners in Slovenia. Up to 55 placements are for GPs. Šabeder also told two TV stations last night that the ministry was proposing speciality training for 49 trainee doctors this year. He promised further measures to follow soon to implement the workload standards and norms agreed with doctors.

Committee discusses possibility to shut down bad bank

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee discussed the idea to close down the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) this year instead of in 2020 as planned . The Finance Ministry said it was not considering this option, also because BAMC had not yet sold 75% of the liabilities it had taken over. The bad bank's acting CEO Matej Pirc said that speculation about an early wind-down had been affecting the fluctuation of BAMC employees lately.

PM gets new top foreign policy aide

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed career diplomat Tadeja Forštner Perklič as the new state secretary at the Prime Minister's Office in charge of foreign policy. She will take on the job on 8 April, replacing Roman Kirn, who resigned at the end of last month. Media reported Kirn stepped down due to differences with State Secretary Igor Mally, who was one of those who advised Šarec not to address the European Parliament before the EU election.

Slovenia to open consulate in Katowice

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to open a Slovenian consulate in Katowice which will be headed by honorary consul Tomasz Zjawiony, considered a respected entrepreneur with extensive connections in the south of Poland. The consulate, which will cover the Silesian and Lesser Poland voivodeships, will make it easer to actively follow developments in various fields of economic and social life in the region and seek out business opportunities and activities that can deepen cooperation.

No major punishment for soldiers involved in ammunition theft

LJUBLJANA - The three army members suspected of being responsible for the theft of ammunition from a Slovenian army truck in Germany in October 2018 have been all but cleared in the disciplinary procedure opened against them. Two of them have reportedly been cleared of charges of careless handling of the army property. The procedure against the pair's superior officer concluded a while ago, without any major consequences for his job.

BKS Bank subsidiary reports record profit for 2018

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian subsidiary of the Austrian BKS Bank announced it had generated a record-breaking profit of EUR 6.4m in 2018, a 60% increase compared to 2017, becoming the major brokerage in Slovenia. "Taking over two brokerage businesses boosted the bank's growth," said BKS Bank board member Alexander Novak. BKS has been active in Slovenia since 2004, doing business as a universal bank since 2010. The bank has eight branch offices all the major Slovenian cities.

Milan Kundera to be decorated by Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Czech-French writer Milan Kundera will receive one of Slovenia's highest state decorations for raising his voice for Slovenia's independence and for outstanding contribution to understanding turbulent times in Europe. He will be given the Golden Order of Merit, which is bestowed on Slovenian or foreign citizens for outstanding merit in civilian, diplomatic or military areas. The initiative to decorate Kundera was given by France-based Slovenian philosopher and photographer Evgan Bavčar.

PEN meeting explores "the other" and reading among the young

BLED - The power of literature to tackle prejudice and the need to inspire young people to read and write so as to equip them with a moral compass were highlighted as the two central panel debates were held at the 51st International Writers' Meeting in Bled. Tone Peršak, a former Slovenian culture minister, wondered what clout literature had in promoting good today, as the number of readers is constantly declining. He feels that even if everything being written now was extremely positive, literature would not even come close to offsetting the intolerance and hate being spread on social networks.

Filmmaker Štiglic honoured with centenary celebrations

LJUBLJANA - A series of events is being launched to pay tribute to the director of the first Slovenian feature film, France Štiglic (1919-1993), who is considered one of the finest Slovenian film directors to date. Štiglic directed 15 feature films, including the first sound feature - On Our Own Land (1948), many short and documentary films, and several TV series. His Valley of Peace (1956), an anti-war classic, earned John Kitzmiller best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1957.

Dončić's rookie stats second only to NBA great Oscar Robertson

DALLAS, US - With his Dallas Mavericks having four games left to play in the regular season of the NBA, Slovenian sensation Luka Dončić has secured averages of at least 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game, which makes him only the second rookie to reach those benchmarks in the history of the league along with the great Oscar Robertson. The 20-year-old, who is a leading candidate for the NBA Rookie of the Year award along with Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, currently averages 21.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Novo Mesto boasts successful recycling project

NOVO MESTO - Novo Mesto launched a project of recycling drinks cartons three years ago, which has proved that circular economy works in a local community, that it can be efficient and sustainable. By systematically recycling milk and juice cartons, the community has helped preserve 22 areas of forest and prevented 68 tonnes of CO2 emissions. With a combined population of 65,000, the eight municipalities from the Novo Mesto area participating in the project produce 220 tonnes of waste drinks cartons a year.

April 4, 2019

This week’s collection of Slovenian memes (jazjaz, in slang) can’t hide the fact that the average age of a Slovenian meme fan is somewhere below 18. Which might actually be useful to a learner of the language, as not only are memes a simple and fun learning material, but might also help you realise how some things never change.

1. Add a teabag 2. Pour in boiling water 3. Wait till it cools 4. Forget you prepared tea