STA, 26 January 2019 - President Borut Pahor will pay an official visit to Serbia on Monday and Tuesday for talks with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić aimed at enhancing bilateral political relationship and diverse cooperation between the two nations. He will also speak in the Serbian National Assembly and attend a bilateral business forum.

Pahor will discuss topics like Serbia's progress in its efforts to join the EU, the situation in the region and other topical international issues related to migration, security and the future of the EU.

In addition to Vučić, the president will also meet National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojković, with the visit to parliament also including a meeting with representatives of all parliamentary parties and an address to the MPs.

Pahor will be accompanied by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Simona Leskovar and Economic Development and Technology Ministry State Secretary Eva Štravs Podlogarm and a business delegation.

The president's office said that the visit was an opportunity for Pahor to get acquainted with the political situation in Serbia and with the expectations for the country's progress in the accession talks with the EU.

Attention will also be devoted to the summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process in Albania in May.

Pahor irked Serbia last year by saying that Slovenia would try to get the EU countries which had not yet recognised Kosovo to do so. At the time he also said that the Kosovo issue was a major one that Serbia and Slovenia disagreed on.

Pahor had also said that Slovenia would support Kosovo provided it met the requirements such as complying with the agreement on the normalisation of relations with Serbia, forming an association of Serb municipalities in the north of Kosovo and ratifying the agreement on the border with Montenegro.

The president's office said that in addition to bilateral cooperation, the visit was also an opportunity to discuss the political situation in Serbia and the country's progress in its efforts to join the EU.

Serbia, which launched EU accession talks in January 2014, has opened 16 out of the 35 chapters. The main obstacle are the relations with Kosovo, as the country cannot conclude the negotiations without a comprehensive and binding agreement on the normalisation of the relations between Belgrade and Prishtina.

The relations between Serbia and Kosovo have been tense lately, as Kosovo introduced last November 100% excise duties on goods from Serbia and then established an official army. Kosovo is making abolition of the excise duties conditional on Serbia's recognition of Kosovo.

Serbia has also been facing mass anti-government protests, which are spreading across the country from Belgrade. The protesters demand Vučić step down, accusing him of autocratic rule. They also demand more media freedom.

The accompanying business delegation will feature around 100 representatives of companies interested in digitalisation of business and administration, the circular economy and tourism, according to the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (GZS).

The Slovenian-Serbian business forum will be held on Tuesday, to be addressed both by Pahor and Vučić. It will feature a debate on digitalisation of business and administration and bilateral meetings featuring more than 400 participants.

Serbia is Slovenia's 10th most important trading partner. Merchandise trade has been exceeding EUR 1bn for a number of years with Slovenia posting a substantial surplus. In 2017 the volume of trade topped EUR 1.3bn and in the first three quarters of 2018 Slovenia's exports rose by another 9% and imports by 26%.

Slovenia's direct investment in Serbia exceeds EUR 1bn, while Serbia's investment in Slovenia has already topped EUR 200m. The biggest Serbian investments in Slovenia are IT company Comtrade, fruit juice producer Fructal, hotels Kempinski and Intercontinental, Portorož Airport and the bank Gorenjska Banka.

This will be the fist visit by Pahor in Serbia since he was re-elected last November, coming after he met Vučić in June 2017 for his inauguration in Belgrade. Pahor's last official visit to Serbia was in 2014, which was also the first official visit by a Slovenian president in the country.

*Of the CBD variety.

Strains of marijuana that are high in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) remain illegal in Slovenia, if widely tolerated, and although medical marijuana is allowed it remains highly regulated. One part of the marijuana market does seem to be growing in the open here is that for low THC high CBD (cannabidiol) strains, which can be found in a growing number of products and outlets. Still, if you’re looking for some natural calm in downtown Ljubljana then things are not so easy. A few health food stores and pharmacies stock CBD products, but specialists are hard to find.

Blink, and you'll miss it. Between Reformator and Optika, opposite the umbrella store

It was thus with great interest that I came across a small store almost hidden on Trubarjeva cesta, a hole in the wall place that from the outside gave no clear indication of what it was selling. This is Sena Flora, a venture that was started late last year by two brothers with the aim of selling top quality CBD products online and in person. Always on the lookout for a story, I came away with the following…

What products do you sell, what are the ranges of CBD content, and how are each aimed at different users?

Currently we are selling CBD flowers (CBD <10%), CBD hash (CBD <20%), CBD crème, CBD chocolate, CBD oil 3% / 5% / 10%, CBD oil for pets, CBD paste 20% / 30%, and CBD crystals.

Our flowers and hash are aroma products. Their concentration of CBD is much higher than in regular strains, while the content of THC is in line with the legally allowed limit. People who buy it are amazed by the incredible smell. These products are all grown absolutely organic and without the use of pesticides.

CBD oil and paste is usually bought by people who are looking for a very effective supplement that supports the balance of their inner body. CBD has a multitude of positive effects according to a great number of medical studies.

Among customers who complain about skin related issues our CBD crème is definitely the top seller.

We also have a specific line of CBD oil for pets that ensures our doggies feel happy and peaceful.

Some of the products from the online store

Overall, what are the main benefits of CBD?

During research into the cannabinoids found in plants scientists discovered the human endocannabinoid system. This system is broadly spread throughout the human body and works in cooperation with a multitude of organs. So when cannabinoids are consumed they unfold effects in all those areas of the body. According to studies, this is also the reason why so many different health-related issues could be treated with CBD. Studies published in The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology noted CBD’s capability of relieving pain and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The authors also point out a number of other highly interesting effects: alleviation of cancer-related symptoms, reduction of acne, neuroprotection and benefits for heart health.

It is important to know, though, that CBD is still seen as a supplementary product in the EU.  Therefore, CBD is not a substitute for the medical treatment of health related issues.  

Are there any articles or books you’d recommend if people want to learn more about CBD?

A book we recommend is CBD - A Patient's Guide to Medicinal Cannabis. Healing without the High by Leonard Leinow et al. It is the most comprehensive publication on the science and therapeutic use of cannabinoids yet produced. It extensively covers the science of cannabinoid chemistry and the endocannabinoid system, and is supported by more than four hundred peer-reviewed research articles.

He really is a doctor

Related: Herbal medicine in Slovenia - a flower for every disease

Are you the first store like this in Ljubljana?

We opened in November 2018 and are the first store of this kind in the city. What makes us unique is that we have a doctor inside our store  – myself – who has spent a huge amount of time on the study of CBD and cannabinoids in general. I haven’t heard of any other cannabis store where that’s the case. People love that they can get professional advice related to CBD and do not have to rely on untrustworthy brochures or promotional material. The depth of his knowledge leaves a strong impression.

You’re a doctor and your brother is an economist and jurist, this seems like the ideal combination for such a store. How have your backgrounds informed your work here, and what new skills have you had to learn?

We certainly have to learn new skills every day. Every customer is different and has specific needs that we try to meet. Therefore, our priority is that each customer gets the most professional advice and, in the end, knows what product suits him or her best.

The way the store with looks, with the buds and hash on display, do you get any trouble from the police? Or confused shoppers?

There are many shoppers who cannot believe what we are selling and are completely surprised. Funnily enough, those usually become the most content customers. We haven’t had any trouble regarding the police, since our products fulfill all the legal requirements. The customers range from students to doctors, and is completely mixed. One day a policeman even came into our store to buy something, telling us that his mother is a complete fan of our CBD drops and crème. 

Do you use any of the products?

Yes, I am using CBD drops once in the morning and once in the evening. It has a positive effect on my metabolism and they let me get a perfect sleep.

If someone is new to the world of CBD, which item do you recommend?

CBD oil is certainly the most universal product, since it can be used by everyone. Besides I must recommend our CBD crème, too. Since it is completely organic you can be sure that the skin absorbs only natural substances, all coming from the fruitful earth in Slovenia.

You also have an online store – do you ship all over Slovenia?

Yes, our online store ships all over Slovenia, Croatia and Austria.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Our mission is to provide people with high-quality CBD Flowers and a wide variety of other products, all derived from Cannabis. Come visit us at Trubarjeva cesta 18, Ljubljana! We are looking forward to seeing you!

Mladina: Šarec facing first test as Janša wakes up

STA, 25 January 2019 - The left-leaning weekly Mladina says in its latest commentary that the European Parliament election will be the first serious test for Prime Minister Marjan Šarec as the Democrat (SDS) leader Janez Janša has come out from his hiding and started throwing "bombs", which include his attempt to portray Šarec and his government as an elite.

But in the commentary That Crazy Dance, editor-in-chief Grega Repovž notes that contrary to popular belief, Janša is not a great tactician at all.

"No. Janez Janša has no clue about political tactics - otherwise he would not be the most alienated politician, with whom no-one wants to cooperate. Everybody avoids him."

A detailed look at Janša's latest post on Facebook reveals that he has launched a pre-election attack on his main political opponent Šarec, who is leading all popularity lists, the commentary says, noting that the election campaign has already started.

The strategy is to present Šarec and the government as an elite. "Janša knows that he does not need to go after Šarec individually, he only needs to present the entire government as an elite."

When it comes to the impeachment motion filed against Šarec over the failure to implement the Constitutional Court decision on financing of private primary schools, Mladina says that the matter should be given a closer look.

"What private education we are talking about? Church education. What is therefore Janša's goal? It is to take away from Šarec the aura of a man who can sing Partisan songs and read at a liturgy."

This is a great advantage for Šarec, as he is reconciliation personified, which people like. Janša, on the other hand, wants to show that Šarec is not that, that he is actually a member of the elite, a first-class new man of the old forces.

"This is stupid, of course, but it has never been about truth and facts when it comes to Janša."

Related: All our posts about Janez Janša are here, while those about Marjan Šarec are here

Demokracija: Šarec believes he has supernatural powers

STA, 24 January 2019 - The right-leaning weekly Demokracija says in its latest commentary that judging by his behaviour and statements, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has started to believe that he is Janez Drnovšek reincarnated, but he is actually a socialist who is pretending to be a saviour with imagined supernatural powers.

Portraying him as a Janez Drnovšek or even more favourably are mostly the media inclined to the left, editor-in-chief Jože Biščak says under the headline Back to the Future.

"In a nutshell - Šarec is a superman, who will solve all problems of Slovenians with the help from the extremist Left. Just look what wonders the latest raise of the minimum wage does," he says in reference to the steep rise in Šarec's popularity.

"Because of the project which is being praised to the skies and which has raised the minimum wage by an unbelievable 29 euros, people to whom it is intended will pay a higher income tax and will get lower child benefits. You really have to have supernatural powers to achieve that."

But Biščak notes that when socialists wanted to determine prices and what people need and what not, shortages usually followed, which was "miraculously never felt by the elite of the saviours", but by common people.

"Every measure taken by any socialist government turned out to be detrimental. Socialism has never worked and has left only devastation and tens of millions of victims behind. You don't need supernatural powers for that, you need to be wicked and evil."

In socialism, the only way to convince people is to limit their freedom and make them poor, and this is what the Šarec government is doing. The socialist logic is that people always need socialist saviours with imagined supernatural powers, concludes the commentary.

All our posts in this series can be found here

https://www.total-slovenia-news.com/tag/mladina

STA, 24 January 2019 - Several people were arrested on Wednesday as police busted a well-organised prostitution ring as part of a search in a club in Nova Gorica, western Slovenia, the news portal 24ur.com reported. The suspects have made more than EUR 10m from the illegal business, the portal says, citing an unofficial source.

Drago Menegalija, the spokesperson for Slovenian criminal police, told the portal that the sting had been carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The police later reported that investigation was under way against 19 citizens of Slovenia and Romania and one company over the abuse of prostitution, exploitation and production and sale of drugs.

According to NBI deputy director David Antolovič, abuse of prostitution is the focus of the main part of the investigation.

Sex work is decriminalised in Slovenia, but not under conditions of exploitation or abuse

The investigation has established that a well-organised ring organised exploitation of prostitution under the pretext of running hotel, spa and massage business in a company incorporated especially for the purpose.

The ring is suspected to have exploited more than 100 women since August 2014, making several million euro in the process, Antolovič said.

The investigation continues with examination and analysis of the objects seized and interviews of the suspects.

Asked about indications of money laundering, Antolovič said that any investigation into acts generating proceeds would also look into whether part of them may have been invested into various activities or if attempts have been made to conceal their origin in any other way.

According to 24ur.com, the owners as well as employees of the club, which is said to have been engaged in prostitution for several years, are among the suspects.

The NBI, which investigates the gravest crimes, also carried out some house searches in the area of Maribor, north-east.

It is one of the largest cases of prostitution in Slovenia ever, said the police, which have conducted five personal searches, 10 vehicles searches, seven house searches and 16 searches of business premises.

Prostitution is decriminalised in Slovenia, which means those who practice it do not commit any crime. However, when sex workers are exploited or abused, this is crime, often linked to human trafficking.

Slovenia is a destination country in human trafficking, and the victims are most often exploited at night clubs or apartments rented by criminal rings, crime inspector Damijan Roškarič said.

He said that the perpetrators were most often Slovenian citizens, while the victims most often came from Serbia and Ukraine.

STA, 24 January 2019 - Slovenia will have to defend itself in front of the EU Court over its "violation of the inviolability of the archives of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the duty of sincere cooperation in the context of the seizure of ECB documents," the EU Commission announced on Thursday.

The case refers to a July 2016 police raid of the offices of Slovenia's central bank, a part of an investigation into the causes of the late-2013 bailout of the Slovenian banking system.

Since the Slovenian central bank is a part of the ECB system, some of the files seized pertained to the ECB, which is shielded from domestic law enforcement in member states by a special protocol to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

The Commission said today the Slovenian authorities had seized information that included ECB documents and hardware, whereby "the ECB had given no prior authorisation for the seizure of those items, and subsequent attempts by the ECB to resolve the matter amicably have been unsuccessful."

"The unilateral seizure by Slovenia of ECB documents in an investigation about matters under national law at the premises of the Bank of Slovenia constitutes a violation of the inviolability of the archives of the ECB," the Commission's press release reads.

Unofficial sources say that the case is being closely monitored in Brussels as it is an important precedent.

The European Commission is said to be wanting access to the seized documents and information about which documents have been seized, but the Slovenian authorities have failed to cooperate.

The Ministry of Justice said it would be able to respond to the Commission's decision once it received and examined the wording of the lawsuit, of which it had not been notified.

If the EU Court establishes that Slovenia has not fulfilled an obligation as stipulated by Article 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the government will take appropriate measures to implement the ruling, the ministry added.

The police raid in which the documents were seized targeted the management of the central bank and their role in the December 2013 bailout, which resulted among other things in the wiping out of holders of junior debt.

As a result of the investigation, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed at the end of December a criminal complaint on suspicion of abuse of office. Unofficially, it has been filed against all individuals who served as board members of the central bank at the time.

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Friday,  January 25, 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Koper-Divača railway
"Green light for second track": The government confirmed yesterday the investment plan for the new railway line between the port of Koper and Divača, with the project being estimated at EUR 1.2bn. Works on the route will start in February. (front page, 3)

Investigation in Banka Slovenije
"Brussels with lawsuit against Slovenia": The European Commission has decided to take Slovenia to the EU Court over the investigation in 2016 in the central bank Banka Slovenije in which files of the European Central Bank (ECB) were seized. (front page, 2)

Real estate projects
"Another luxury hotel growing in Ljubljana": Works on the Šumi development project in the centre of Ljubljana have started. It will include 96 luxury apartments, a commercial/business complex on the ground floor and a six-storey hotel. (front page, 8)

DNEVNIK

Standby bonuses trial
"Foreign dean and Finance Minister Dušan Mramor defending disputable bonuses": Former Finance Minister Dušan Mramor pleaded not guilty at the Ljubljana District Court to charges related to unwarranted stand-by bonuses paid out by the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics, where he was the dean. (front page, 4)

Koper-Divača railway
"Second track: EUR 1.194 billion and Hungary still in play": The investment plan for the new railway line between the port of Koper and Divača, confirmed by the government yesterday, answers the key questions about the project, including the price - EUR 1.194bn. (front page, 3)

FINANCE

Brexit
"Brexit could be a new Lehman Brothers": Egon Zakrajšek, a Slovenian economist working for the US Federal Reserve, told the paper that Brexit is full of unknowns and that a chaotic exit of the UK from the EU could cause a shock the world will need a lot of time to recover from. (front page, 4-5)

Public finance
"Growth of revenue so high that not even EUR 1.1bn of new expenditure threatens surplus": Presenting the supplementary budget for 2019, Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj said that this year's budget surplus will stand at 0.55% of GDP. (front page, 2-3)

Retail
"Who is buying shopping centres in Slovenia": As the Velenjka shopping centre in Velenje is getting a new owner, the paper says that more than 20 shopping centres in Slovenia have been sold in the last two years. (front page, 7)

Taxes
"National tourism at a test: FURS blocks Kanin": The Financial Administration (FURS) blocked on 15 January the accounts of Sončni Kanin, the operator of the Kanin ski resort, due to non-payment of social security contributions to employees. (front page, 6)

VEČER

Crisis at Culture Ministry
"Culture going to the dogs": The uncertain fate of Culture Minister Dejan Prešiček, who is facing bullying allegations, has opened up a debate on the state of Slovenian culture, which has been facing systemic issues for years. (front page, 4)

International Holocaust Remembrance Day
"Remember that it happened!": President Brut Pahor addressed the main International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, which took place last evening at the Sinagoga Maribor Centre of Jewish Cultural Heritage. (front page)

Crime
"Prostitution in a palace of pleasure": Police officers conducted searches in Nova Gorica and Maribor as they went after a suspected prostitution ring. A total of 19 Slovenian and Romanian citizens are being treated as suspects. (front page)

Football
"Kek starts with a draw": Matjaž Kek started his second stint as the head coach of the Slovenian national football team with a 2:2 draw with the Chinese U-25 team as part of a training camp in Spain. (front page, 22)

Last week we came across a photo, as seen here, and ended up learning more about the person behind it, Jerneja Fidler Pompe, or Neja, who runs Exploring Slovenia. This is a site that shares Neja’s love of the mountains in words and photographs, with support from her Instagram page. And in addition to introducing various walks, hikes and climbs in the region, Neja also runs tours enabling you to travel safely and see the best views, as found by experience locals and guides. Always curious and eager to learn more, we got in touch with Neja and asked her some questions, as follows.

How long have you been running Exploring Slovenia?

It’s been three years now. Three years ago, I had this idea to start blogging / vlogging about Slovenian mountains, climbed Mt. Storžič, created a video about the climb (as seen below), opened a channel on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and after a month also my blog and Instagram. That’s how it basically all began.

Why? Before following my heart into the mountains, I had been managing a blog and other social media channels for a well-established international IT business for years. I loved my job, I loved blogging, yet somewhat lost the passion for IT, so I decided to finally give something a go I’d always enjoyed.

If readers aren’t familiar with Exploring Slovenia, what does the website try and do, and what are three to five posts that you recommend?

In case you haven’t stumbled upon my blog Exploring Slovenia yet, let me give you a brief idea of what to expect.

Expect various outdoor ideas on what to do in Slovenia, particularly in the Alps, that range from beautiful family hikes, easy, moderate to demanding climbs in the mountains, tips on the best hikes with regard to the season, and, most of all, interesting adventures in the outstanding Slovenian backcountry.

To name a few, my favorite blog posts are the following:

Encircled by high mountains, this picturesque village offers a plethora of hiking trails: Bohinjska Bistrica as it lists quite a number of spectacular hiking ideas in Bohinj Valley, a beautiful glacial valley favored by tourists and locals alike.

Exploring a most beautiful Alpine valley of Slovenia - hiking, climbing and fly-fishing in Logar Valley for holiday ideas in Logar Valley, where I personally note one of the most genuine and memorable experiences in the Slovenian mountains.

When Velika Planina dresses in purple to help you explore an extraordinary wonder at a high-Alpine plateau close to Ljubljana, where every spring endless fields of purple crocuses flood the whole plateau, coloring it purple.

Beautiful Alpine Slovenia in a time-lapse video, where you can watch my 3-minute time-lapse video of the Slovenian mountains - a project that sums over a year-and-a-half worth of videos collected from over a hundred of trails.

Up to Triglav over its North Face and down to the Krma Valley where I take readers on a two-day adventure from one valley to another across Triglav. And of course, there are many more.

What has the experience of running the site taught you?

Probably the most important lesson I learned was to always produce excellent content. Not only in regard to providing the audience great stories, but also taking them through the places I talk about through breathtaking photos and videos. Plus, always to think of new, intriguing adventures not only for proven mountaineers, but also for average hikers that want to simply enjoy the spectacular landscapes Slovenia has to offer.

How important is Instagram to your work?

It’s nice to have it, since I do far more adventures than I have time to blog about. Therefore, most of my hikes are shown only on Instagram, with the very best and most interesting ones also on my blog. It’s a platform that can connect you with your audience in a more personal way, while it also allows you to grow your audience if you approach it the right way.

How long have you been offering tours?

I’ve been always happy to help my readers connect with a mountain guide if they needed one for a certain ascent in certain conditions, but I started offering tours myself last summer. The most popular is Triglav in all seasons and on all routes. It’s the highest mountain in Slovenia, and as such the most obvious choice either when you’re visiting the country for a week or you live there and haven’t found the courage to climb it yet on your own. Nevertheless, Triglav is indeed one of the most fascinating climbs in Slovenia and, must I say, never disappoints, not even those who’ve climbed it several times.

When is the best time of year to climb Triglav, if you’re not a regular climber, and when do you like to climb it?

The easiest time to climb Triglav is when there’s no snow on the way, meaning usually July – September. Even a little bit of snow brings extra hassle and the need to bring extra gear for snow conditions, especially when it’s combined with ice. I prefer climbing it in June, the end of September and October to avoid the crowds. I haven’t climbed it in serious winter conditions yet, when the steel cable is hidden underneath the snow, but I’d love to do that with the help of a mountain guide.

How do you feel about the way tourism is developing in Slovenia?

I love the fact that Slovenia is becoming more recognized in the world and more people are coming to see our wonderful country. In regard to service providers, particularly those working in mountaineering tourism, I like the fact that most of them are well-trained and internationally licensed mountain guides, thus assuring top-level safety and service.

How would you like tourism to develop in the future?

More boutique small groups with respect for our land who visit Slovenia to enjoy incredible landscape, good food, and rich culture, while on the other hand also receive a great service. While I love the fact that the Slovenian mountains are accessible to anyone with the desire to climb them, it would be nice to add more service to the mountain huts for the more demanding guests. I would also love to see more mountain huts open all year round, more options in the food menu, nicer bathrooms with a possibility to shower, heated rooms, etc., which could as well be offered as an extra service as long as it’s available.

Finally, away from hiking and “work”, can you recommend a few things to our readers.

Places: Anything hidden from the main tourist attractions. I really love the Logar Valley for its beautiful landscapes, rivers, waterfalls, and, most of all, welcoming people. While the most memorable experience for me was to fly over the Julian Alps in a hot-air balloon.

Food & drink: Organic herbal tea made of flowers picked in the mountains, roasted lamb and potatoes, beef and mushroom soup, apple strudel, chocolate štruklji (served in the mountain hut Kofce in the Karawanks).

Sports events: Marathon Franja, Goni Pony, and Juriš na Vršič

Books: Čefurji Raus (Vojnović), Alamut (Bartol)

Movies: Gremo mi po svoje and Houston, imamo problem.

Music: Siddharta – Ledena, Napalm 3, Sfinga, Narava; Lamai – Spet te slišim.

You can see more pictures and videos, read more adventures, and maybe even book a tour at Exploring Slovenia; and if you'd like to share your story with our readers, please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Birdlife.org is reporting what residents of the Zasavje Valley in central Slovenia already know, that for the past two months a flock of around five million bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla – Wikipedia) has been filling the skies, in a display ornithologists are calling a once-in-a-decade event. The sire describes the small yet multitudinous visitors as follows:

With its black head, orange breast and white belly, the small male brambling is a distinctive looking member of the finch family. This widespread, migratory species is a regular winter guest in Slovenia and is often seen in very large flocks of many thousands. But a flock numbering millions is a rare occurrence.

The last time a comparable flock was seen in Slovenia 2008/9, when a group of around two million was recorded around Trnovski forest, while you can see a video the current visitors in action below.

STA, 23 January 2019 - The public healthcare fund, the ZZZS (Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije), ended 2018 above plans, generating a surplus of EUR 32m on EUR 2.89bn in revenue, which was EUR 207m higher than the year before, mostly on the back of favourable trends in mandatory healthcare insurance revenue, show the ZZZS's preliminary data.

Revenue from mandatory health insurance at EUR 2.76bn accounted for 95.5% of total revenue and was EUR 3.7m above plans.

Meanwhile, expenditure, which topped EUR 2.86bn, increased by EUR 176m or 6.6% over 2017, the fund's finance and accounting director Daniela Dimić told the press on Wednesday.

The revenue was EUR 8.5m above plans, whereas expenditure was EUR 23.5m below plans.

The highest increase in spending was recorded in expenditure for treatments abroad, which rose by 18.2% to EUR 56.4m and was 6.5% above plans.

The surplus will be used for financing the ZZZS, while the fund used the favourable trends to increase the prices of healthcare services, which means the fund paid more to public healthcare providers, by 5% last year.

Nevertheless, most of the extra money last year was spent on expanding services, especially on measures to deal with problems in areas such as primary healthcare, said Marjan Sušelj, the head of the healthcare purse manager.

"We earmarked funds for 54 new GPs and paediatricians, but sadly we failed to get enough. In December, we were 19 short," he said.

Overall, the situation with waiting times has started to improve after two years of efforts. "Compared to April, we have 11% fewer patients, 17,341, in queues. The most daunting, unacceptably long wait times have shortened by 5.6% in the same period," Sušelj added.

Figures indicate that money is no longer the main obstacle in shortening wait times, instead it is the lack of capacities, especially at the primary level, he said.

Sušelj called for legislative changes in healthcare insurance, preferably by the end of this year or in the first half of 2020 at the latest, as "the system of programme planning, approving and agreeing is long and arduous".

January 24, 2018

The Ministry of Justice (Ministrstvo za pravosodje) is considering opening the Slovenian penal system to private investors. This is evident from the Ministry's recent call for bids to carry out a preliminary procedure and legally test the public-private partnership in building one and renovating another of Slovenian prisons.

Slovenia has already been punished at the European Court of Human Rights due to overcrowding and poor living conditions in its prisons, and is hence addressing the issue by solving two of its most pressing issues. The first is related to the male prison currently located at Povšetova street in Ljubljana, which is planned to be closed and the prisoners moved to Dobrunje, although this facility is yet to be built. The second is related to the female prison in Ig, which is in need of renovation and enlargement.

It seems that in order to address a lack of funding, the Ministry is now looking into the possibility of developing both projects to cooperation with private investors.