STA, 17 March 2019 - Opposition Democrats (SDS) president Janez Janša has told the Croatian newspaper Jutarnji list that the Slovenia-Croatia border arbitration decision is legally binding but that it still allows for a bilateral agreement on a section of the border or its entirety. He also argued Hungary's Victor Orban "has a historically correct stance on migration".

Janša, whose SDS won the 2018 general election but was not able to form a government, said that the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia, two newly created states, is "one of the most specific situations in history".

He argued that "according to all realistic assessments", the international arbitration tribunal's June 2017 decision on the border "is in Croatia's favour and to the detriment of Slovenia".

"Still, Croatia is rejecting it and Slovenia is insisting on it," Janša said.

He said the SDS and "almost half of Slovenian voters" had rejected the arbitration agreement, "because we predicted things would evolve the way they did".

"I believe two wise governments could find a relatively elegant way out of this situation in the future," the former prime minister added.

Janša feels that some manoeuvring space exists that would allow Croatia to get a bilateral agreement and Slovenia a border that would make more sense than the one determined in arbitration.

On Slovenian politics and Europe

Commenting on the political situation in Slovenia, he said the minority government was fully dependent on "the extremist Left" and labelled the revised 2019 budget too wasteful.

As for the EU, he urged stabilisation and a greater voice for small member states like Croatia and Slovenia.

Janša expressed support to European People's Party (EPP) Manfred Weber as the EPP's spitzenkandidat, while arguing he preferred the EU development vision of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) head Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to that of "socialist and liberal" French President Emmanuel Macron.

Janša is convinced that the label of populism is being abused due to large coalitions at the German and European level that are looking "for some kind of third enemies", while adding nationalism can also present a problem.

Moreover, Janša believes that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who he feels should not be interfering in party politics, has started a conflict with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban within the EPP.

He highlighted the strong support for Fidesz in Hungary and argued that Orban "has a historically correct stance on migration".

As for a potential Fidesz exclusion from the EPP, Janša compared the gay rights efforts of EPP members from the north of Europe to Fidesz's policies. While the SDS is opposing LGBT adoption, it is not demanding that parties supporting it should be excluded from the EPP.

The EPP needs both the Christian socialists from Luxembourg and Hungary's Fidesz, since this is the only way for it to be strong and influential, Janša added, saying most serious EPP members expected a compromise solution and a fully preserved EPP.

All our stories on Slovenian politics can be found here

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Tuesday, 19 March 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Football
"Kek and Oblak together for Slovenia's rise": The Slovenian national football team are travelling today to Israel, where they will play their first qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2020 on Thursday. (front page, 19)

European Parliament
"Šarec does not want to go to Strasbourg": Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has decided not to address MEPs at a plenary session of the European Parliament next week, as Slovenia wants to participate in the possible continuation of the series of debates on the future of the EU after the May elections. (front page, 2)

Labour market
"Growth of employment slowing down": As the economy is slowly cooling down, the demand for new employees is also to slow down, according to projections by the Employers' Association of Slovenia. (front page, 3)

Shooting attack in Netherlands
"Netherlands no (longer) exception": The Netherlands is shocked by yesterday's shooting attack in Utrecht, in which three persons were killed and five wounded. Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis (37) has been labelled as the suspect. (front page, 4)

DNEVNIK

Protests in Serbia
"Vučić following footsteps of the notorious vožd": The Serbian authorities have not released the 18 persons apprehended and charged after they broke into the headquarters of the national broadcaster, as demanded by the protesters against President Aleksandar Vučić. (front page, 6, 14)

Education
"E-textbooks competing with Facebook, Instagram and YouTube": Experts believe that the introduction of e-content in schools should be well thought-through, as not all children have equal opportunities for e-learning, and some of them do not even have computers at home. (front page, 2)

FINANCE

Bank ownership
"Who is marching in Slovenian banks?": It sounds unbelievable, but it is Slovenian banks where the biggest changes in ownership are taking place in recent months, the paper says ahead of Wednesday's deadline for binding bids for Abanka, the country's third largest bank. (front page, 2-3)

Taxes
"Companies as flat-raters: what are pluses and minuses": The rules for companies who want to pay a flat tax are similar as for sole proprietors, but profit is taxed higher if the owner wants to pay it out. (front page, 4-5)

VEČER

Maribor airport
"It has everything but passengers": Večer journalists have spent a day at the Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport on a day without charter flights. The refurbished airport with the annual capacity of 600,000 passengers has everything but passengers. (front page, 10-11)

Football
"Dreams can come true with Oblak": head coach Matjaž Kek is taking the Slovenian national football team to Israel, where they will play their first qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2020 on Thursday. (front page, 23)

Banking crime
"Bankers must pay": The Maribor Higher Court has ruled that the former management of the defunct Probanka bank needs to pay EUR 1.5m in compensation to the bad bank in 15 days over a dodgy loan. (front page, 6)

STA, 18 March 2019 - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar, speaking to the press on the margin of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs session on Monday, believes a Brexit postponement until 23 May would be an option.

He is in favour of a Brexit postponement until 23 May at the latest, that is until the EU elections, provided that the British parliament backs the exit deal.

Cerar feels this could be the right way if the EU-27 is united on it and if it is very clear what both sides want to achieve, he told the press in Brussels.

"If extending the deadline brings more clarity without endangering the EU's unity and European institutions, then it would make sense and I'll support it."

Making sure EU institutions function normally means it is clear who takes part in them; in case of Brexit, UK representatives cannot be MEPs and cannot become commissioners, the minister explained.

He reiterated it was very important to make sure EU citizens, including Slovenian ones, enjoyed the same rights as now after Brexit, stressing he had been reassured today this would be the case.

However, as things stand now, the British parliament is hardly likely to back the exit deal it has rejected twice already.

It is also not very likely the next vote will take place on Tuesday as planned at the moment, since a rejected accord cannot be put to another vote without any changes.

An EU source meanwhile said today the EU-27 could decide on a UK postponement request as late as "an hour before midnight", or just before the scheduled exit date of 29 March.

All out stories on Brexit are here

March 18, 2019

After 1933 German ski Jumpers competed under their country's new flag. In 1938 Austria was annexed and Austrians such as Josef Bradl, the first person to have jumped over the 100 metre mark, also competed under the German Nazi flag and wore a swastika armband.

In 1941 five world records were achieved by Austrian and German jumpers in Planica, which is why the Wikipedia page on ski jumping world records looks like this:

You can also see swastikas on arm bands of at least two jumpers in the video below, which was filmed in Planica between the years 1936 and 1941.

Planica 1935 - 1941 from matjaz zbontar on Vimeo.

One month after the 1941 competition in Planica, Germany invaded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the ski jumps only returned to Planica in 1947.

You can find all our sotires on Planica here.

Open Kitchen is a focus and highlight of the week for many in downtown Ljubljana, bringing stalls selling hot food and cool drinks to the marketplace between the river and Cathedral each Friday, running from an early lunch to dinner. With the culinary event returning for another season at the end of this week, and set to appear at five other towns in Slovenia, we sent some questions to Lior Kochavy, the busy co-founder of the project, and he was kind enough to reply.

How long has Open Kitchen been running?

The first Odprta kuhna (or Open Kitchen) happened on Pogačarjev trg in Ljubljana in 2013, so we are just about to start our 7^th season on Friday, March 22. It is going to be pretty special as it turns out, because the opening will be the 150^th Odprta kuhna event in Ljubljana and our 200^th Odprta Kuhna event ever. You see, we also take Odprta kuhna on tour around Slovenia to Celje, Koper, Nova Gorica, Ptuj and Novo mesto, the latter being a new location this year. Our first event in Celje is scheduled for March 30, we go to Novo mesto on April 13, to Ptuj on April 20, to Nova Gorica on April 24 and to Koper on June 15.

How has it changed over the years?

In some ways a lot and in other way not at all. The concept and the standards – in terms of quality, creativity and innovation – have remained the same, but of course the event grew and continues to grow in all aspects.

When we first started there were not a lot of people who understood what we wanted to do. But luckily one those people who understood was the Mayor of Ljubljana. On the very first event we had around 20 stands and it was a disaster, as it started to rain three hours after we opened. But we carried on and today we co-operate with around 80 different restaurants. In Ljubljana around 50 stands are full every Friday (this is how many fit to Pogačarjev trg) and the variety of food and drinks on offer is fantastic.

Odprta kuhna became a fixture in Ljubljana's social life, this is where the weekend begins, but we also became an important tourist attraction. Readers of The Guardian chose Odprta kuhna as one of the best street-food markets in the world, and the BBC placed Ljubljana as the third on this year's Top 10 Destinations for foodies list. We also expanded beyond Ljubljana and added new locations – this year Novo Mesto, in 2017 Ptuj, a year before that Nova Gorica...

You also run Pivo & Burger fests – do you have any other special events?

Yes, besides Odprta kuhna and Pivo & Burger Fest, which will take place on Pogačarjev trg on April 6 and 7, we are launching a new event this year called Brina, Ljubljana gin festival. It will take place in beautiful Tivoli Park in and around Švicarija House, and it’ll be delicious! There is a number of excellent Slovenian gin distillers who will participate, and we’re talking top quality gin here. There will be speciality cocktail, tastings, food pairings, mixologists and gin connoisseurs from abroad, top chefs preparing amazing food, there will be music, art and good times, so Brina will definitely be one of the highlights of the season.

Is there anything new for this year?

Yes, at Odprta kuhna a number of new restaurants will participate – such as Gostilna Grabar, Hotel in restavracija Planinka, Gostišče Barbara, Pivnica Lajbah, Restavracija Evergreen, EK Bistro, El Patrón Tacos & Store, Fermen(s)tation, Pop's Place, Fejst™, TINK superfood café and La Ganache – and in April we will add a new stand, dedicated to natural, living wines.

In summer there will also be a special section of Odprta kuhna called Taste Slovenia where producers of Slovenian delicacies, tourist organisations from all over the country and producers of handmade kitchen and food related products such as wooden boards, ceramics and knives will present themselves as they did last year very successfully.

And of course we are very proud that some of the country's best chefs trust us and participate with us, such as legendary Janez Bratovž (JB Restavracija) and fantastic young chefs like Jorg Zupan (Atelje), Luka Košir (Gostišče Grič) and Mojmir Šiftar (Evergreen, named Young Talent of 2019 by Gault&Millau Slovenija).

Where can people learn about the dates?

We have a lovely website  where you can find out all about the dates  (and, fortunately, very few cancellations due to bad weather) and much more. Of course we are also very active on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Personally, what do you enjoy most about the Open Kitchen events?

The food, the people, the atmosphere, the socializing, the buzz... I could go on. Odprta kuhna brings joy to people, it is open to everyone and everyone can try something new, meet old and new friends, explore and simply have fun.

I am there every single event from early morning to late evening and I never get tired of it. All of the people who work there are like family to me, I stop by every single stand at every single event to chat, make sure everybody is happy and doing well. In Ljubljana, where we have events on Fridays, there is also this collective sigh of relief that the weekend is about to start and it is a vibe you can feel very distinctly, you can almost touch it.

Related: What's on in Ljubljana this Week

STA, 17 March 2019 - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec has said NATO is a bulwark of security in the Euro-Atlantic area and a cornerstone of Slovenian security, as he spoke to the STA ahead of Slovenia's 15th anniversary of NATO membership. "With limited funds we earmark for defence, it enables us to achieve more and do better."

"On its 70th anniversary, NATO is still a key common mechanism of guaranteeing security, freedom, democracy, the rule of law and development in the Euro-Atlantic area.

"It's primarily a bulwark of common values which are the basis of the social systems of its allies. All this is supported by a system of collective security," he says.

For Slovenia, it represents one of the basic elements of national security, believes Erjavec, who held the office of foreign minister before moving to defence.

"The alliance offers us the most suitable framework to pursue our national security interests, and a possibility of joint response to contemporary security challenges."

However, Slovenia must also assume a fair share of responsibilities, notes Erjavec, adding that if it was not a NATO member, it would have to invest much more in defence.

He says Slovenia has committed to spend more on defence not only because of NATO but foremost to have adequate capabilities for its own national security.

He notes the government has come up with an ambitious plan to raise defence spending in the coming years "aiming to meet this goal which was adopted jointly".

Looking back at the 15 years in NATO, Erjavec sees NATO's 2014 summit in Wales as one of the key events, bringing a "leap in understanding changes in security" and the related need to adjust to contemporary security challenges.

Noting NATO is working on a new military strategy, he says that "just like other allies, Slovenia will strengthen its defence capabilities and pursue the commitments to raise defence spending".

"We too will join the implementation of a boosted presence in the East, where we take part in a battlegroup in Latvia. Special efforts will also have to be made to boost the country's cybersecurity."

Over the past decade and a half, the main events in Slovenia have been the integration of the Slovenian army in NATO's military structure, which was completed in 2009.

This showed according to the minister that the army was capable of working together with other allies.

Another important event was two of its units (a nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological battalion and the Role-2 medical unit) becoming NATO-certified units, showing Slovenia can contribute its capabilities into the system of collective defence.

Erjavec also highlights the deployment of troops to Kosovo. "This has been the biggest contribution so far in the history of cooperation in international operations, and it puts us on a par with the most advanced armies."

The minister believes that in its 70-year history, NATO has proved "an incredibly strong alliance able to adjust and react to various threats and challenges despite sometimes different interests and stances of its sovereign members".

Commenting on tensions between European allies and the US under President Donald Trump, and on the EU's boosting its security and defence component, Erjavec says this does not "double efforts by NATO, which remains the basis of collective defence, but strengthens the European pillar within NATO".

The EU's efforts should not been seen as competition to NATO or the US. "The European security and defence efforts present a positive contribution to providing Euro-Atlantic security." says Erjavec, noting NATO and the EU are "natural partners" which share their common values and strategic interests in facing common challenges.

As for NATO's focus on Russia since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, the minister says "the alliance does not want a confrontation with Russia".

However, "it clearly and resolutely protects NATO's principles and democratic values, as well as peace, security and stability of all of its members", according to Erjavec.

All our stories on the military and Slovenia are here

STA, 15 March 2019 - The government adopted on Friday a bill addressing potential uncertainties and safeguarding the rights of Slovenian citizens in Great Britain and vice-versa in case of a no-deal Brexit.

The bill, which has been submitted to the National Assembly in fast-track procedure, aims to preserve rights related to social security, labour market access, cross-border services, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, family allowances and scholarships for the period until 31 December 2020.

A more long-term solution will be drawn up to tackle the period after 2020, the government Communication Office said.

It stressed that the reciprocity principle is envisaged for certain rights, meaning they will be secured for British citizens only if the same is done in Great Britain for Slovenian citizens.

The bill also envisages a transitional period after Brexit during which British citizens will be able to continue to legally reside in Slovenia on the basis of permits issued to them as EU citizens.

It will enable them to obtain residence permits of the kind that are being issued in the form of biometric IDs to citizens of third countries, while obtaining long-term residence status will also be possible.

Moreover, the bill regulates the tourist stay rights for British citizens for a duration of up to 90 days in case they arrive in Slovenia before the date of Britain's departure from the EU.

If British citizens do not have a valid residence registration certificate or a residence permit before Brexit and enter Slovenia after Brexit, their entry and residence will be regulated by the provisions of the foreigners act in place for citizens of countries that are not part of the European Economic Area.

All our stories on Brexit are here

STA, 15 March 2019 - The Slovenian housing market showed signs of a slowdown in 2018 after a recovery that started in 2015. The number of real estate deals was down by around 10% last year compared to 2017 and their total value by 5%. Prices however continued rising, in particular in the capital, shows the annual report of the Mapping and Surveying Authority (GURS).

While the number of deals decreased for all types of real estate, the contraction was the biggest for apartments, especially in Ljubljana and its surroundings.

GURS argues that the decrease, coming despite rising demand, is the result of a lack of new construction and of the strong price growth in the last three years.

Demand continued to be fuelled by favourable socio-economic circumstances - especially low interest rates, access to loans, economic growth, new jobs and rising wages - and is gradually also encouraging a new housing investment and construction cycle around the country.

The new cycle first began in Ljubljana and on the coast, where demand is also strongest, but it failed to keep up with demand last year. According to GURS, a noteworthy amount of new apartments can only be expected on the market from the second half of this year onwards.

While turnover decreased, prices continued rising. The prices of used apartments were up by 10% on average at the level of the entire country compared to 2017 and by 22% compared to 2015 when the market bottomed out.

Prices rose the most in the first half of 2018 and stagnated in the second half of the year before rising again slightly at the end.

The prices of houses, which have been rising more slowly than those of apartments after 2015, were up by 8% in 2018 but saw a downward trend in the second half of the year.

Despite strong growth in the past three years, apartment prices remain below the record figures of 2008. Ljubljana is an exception here, having experienced by far the highest growth.

The business property market saw turnover decrease by around 10%, while a slight contraction was also recorded for the building plots market despite strong demand - GURS highlighted a notable increase in prices as a reason.

Farmland experienced a marked drop in the number of deals after a record year in 2017 and prices decreased slightly. The number of deals in forest land was also down, but prices increased a little.

The full report, in Slovenian, can be found here, all our stories about real estate are here, while some examples of properties for sale in the country are here

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Monday, 18 March 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Protests in Serbia
"Serbia at crossroads: elections or chaos?": Protesters in Serbia demand that President Alenksandar Vučić resign over his autocrat rule and the overall economic situation in Serbia. Opposition representatives and masked men with a chainsaw broke into the headquarters of the national broadcaster, forcing the police to intervene. (front page, page 6)

Ski Jumping World Cup
"Flying Domen Prevc - a beautiful invitation for Planica": Slovenia's Domen Prevc won Sunday's ski flying World Cup event in Norway's Vikersund, taking care for a nice overture for the World Cup season finale in Slovenia's Planica between Thursday and Sunday. (front page, page 6)

Youth policies
"Rocky path to the world of adults": A number of Slovenian municipalities have been successful in their policies to secure housing for young couples and families, while in a majority of municipalities youth policy measures remain only written on paper. (front page, page 6)

DNEVNIK

Vox Populi poll
"Support for Šarec's government drops significantly": The popularity of the government, the largest coalition party Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has dropped in the latest Vox Populi poll. (front page, page 2-3)

Real estate market
"GURS values building land plots in Ljubljana at a few thousand": Some of the appraised values of building land plots in the records of the national Surveying and Mapping Authority (GURS) are up to hundred times lower than their actual market prices. (front page, page 2-3)

Alpine Ski World Cup
"Žan Kranjec shines once more at the end of season": Slovenia's Žan Kranjec had a nice finish to the Alpine Ski World Cup season with a third place in the last giant slalom race in Soldeu, Andorra. (front page, page 6)

FINANCE

Coalition-Left agreement
"What does agreement with the Left bring?": The text of the agreement between the minority coalition and the opposition Left has been agreed on, with the paper analysing what it brings in terms of the labour market, taxes, real estate and healthcare. (front page, page 2-4)

Judiciary
"How does the Supreme Court increase trust in judiciary? With EUR 350,000 for two websites and projects": Not only the government, but the Supreme Court too is wasting taxpayers' money with websites and projects it needs just like a "fish needs a bicycle". (front page, page 6-8)

Real estate deals
"Tone Rop, Marjan Rekar and Janez Zemljarič together into real estate": Former Prime Minister Tone Rop, the former director of the Slovenian chapter of the Yugoslav secret police Janez Zemljarič and the investment firm Esquilino Investicije have established a real estate company, which will be headed by Marjan Rekar, the former boss of the national railways operator Slovenske Železnice. (front page, page 6-8)

Real estate market
"How much prices of real estate increased last year?": The paper looks in what part of Ljubljana the prices of real estate increased the most and where in the capital they were the lowest last year. (front page, page 4)

VEČER

Ski Jumping World Cup
"Rejuvenated ahead of Planica": Domen Prevc won Sunday's ski flying World Cup event in Norway's Vikersund to add to the Slovenian team's win on Saturday. This is a nice nice overture for the World Cup season finale in Slovenia's Planica over the weekend. (front page, page 6)

Protests in Serbia
"Vučić under tremendous pressure": Mass protesters were held in Serbia over the weekend, with the protesters surrounding the Presidential Palace on Sunday, preventing President Alenksandar Vučić from leaving the building (front page, page 4)

Police
"Police are 1,500 people short": The police are aggressively advertising police schools and the police officer profession as the force is facing a shortage of staff, with some estimates putting it at around 1,500. (front page, page 2-3)

Diving
"World record in Pristan": Croatian Vitomir Maričić set a new world record in dynamic apnea without fins at the open national championships at the Pristan swimming centre in Maribor, swimming under water a total of 210.7 metres. (front page, 9)

STA, 17 March 2019 - Slovenia became a full member of NATO on 29 March 2004, accomplishing one of its strategic foreign policy goals. Fifteen years later, the alliance is considered the keystone of Slovenian and European security, although it is also a source of demands for a fairer distribution of obligations, especially in terms of defence funding.

Slovenia had been a part of the Non-Aligned movement in the era of former Yugoslavia, but when it became independent the country set out to become a member of all significant global as well as Euro-Atlantic organisations, in particular the EU and NATO.

It had had aspirations of being one of the first countries from the former Eastern bloc to be invited to join NATO, but to its chagrin, the alliance invited only Czechia, Hungary and Poland in 1999.

The invitation to begin accession talks was issued three years later at the Prague summit. According to the then foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel, the US decided to open the doors wider in part due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Popular support for NATO membership was weaker than support for the EU, as demonstrated during both accession referendums on 23 March 2003. While the EU membership was backed by almost 90% of voters, only 66% of them voted in favour of joining NATO.

Slovenia became a full member on 29 March 2004 along with Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia.

Despite expanding significantly since its inception, the alliance is still predicated on the principle of collective defence set down in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack against one member is an attack against all of them.

The Defence Ministry also points out that NATO established itself as a bastion of liberal democracy, human rights and shared Euro-Atlantic values. Being a member, Slovenia has thus solidified its position among stable democracies in Europe and in the world.

After the end of the Cold War, NATO transformed into a major player securing global peace and security, in particular through peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.

But it has also engaged in combat, most notably in Afghanistan, which involved NATO participating in state-building and combat operations against the Taliban for 13 years until it was formally ended in 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described Slovenia as a valued ally that contributes to collective security and defence in many ways. The other allies acknowledge an important role of Slovenia in operations, especially in the Kfor mission in Kosovo, with Slovenian soldiers receiving high praise for their achievement.

But being at the bottom of the defence spending rankings, Slovenia has been warned about its low contributions. Stoltenberg personally pointed that out during his visit to Ljubljana in October last year.

NATO leaders agreed at the Wales summit in 2014 to increase the share of defence expenditure to 2% of GDP in ten years, after it had shrunk due to the financial crisis. Slovenia is one of the seven allies that do not plan to meet this target by 2024; it expects to allocate only 1.5% of GDP for defence budget that year.

The structure of the Slovenian defence budget is an issue as well. All allies are supposed to dedicate at least 20% of the financing to defence modernisation, but in Slovenia this share is only 8.2%. This is largely because Slovenia allocates the highest share of defence budget to soldiers' pay - almost 72.5%.

When it comes to increasing defence spending, the minority government is in a bind since the opposition Left opposes higher spending. However, a "fairer distribution of obligations" does not only concern Slovenia but the whole Europe, since only seven members of the 29 members allocate 2% of GDP to defence.

Slovenia plans to celebrate its 15th anniversary with a ceremony in Brdo pri Kranju on 20 March, with former NATO Secretary General George Robertson as the guest of honour.