STA, 13 December 2018 - Following a longer period of stable prices, several power and natural gas companies in Slovenia increased their prices this autumn in response to growing energy prices on foreign energy exchanges.

Wholesale energy prices on foreign markets have been growing for a while due to the economic and political situation and increasingly expensive CO₂ emission coupons.

Monitoring energy prices in Slovenia, the Consumers' Association (ZPS) said some half a dozen companies had increased electricity prices and a dozen of them increased natural gas prices.

The uniform electricity tariff rose by an average 15%, the higher tariff by 12% and the lower one by more than 17%, according to the consumer watchdog.

The prices of natural gas for end-users have increased somewhat less, by an average 10%, ZPS data shows.

The electricity bill for households receiving power from Elektro Primorska's subsidiary E3 has been higher by an average EUR 2.50 or 4.9% since September.

E3, which said the Slovenian electricity market had been "very dynamic" since mid-2017, previously increased the electricity price a year ago, while it sets it on an individual basis for large business customers.

Prices depend on neighbouring countries

The company told the STA that electricity prices in Slovenia were largely under the influence of price trends in the neighbouring countries.

The price of electricity on the Hungarian HUPX power exchange rose by slightly less than 30% in the January-October period, peaking at EUR 64.30 per megawatt hour in September, "which was also a record value in the last ten years", it said.

Elektro Maribor's Energija Plus increased its electricity prices in October, by an average 5.9% for business customers and by 6.6% for households.

The distributor said that since September 2017, the price of megawatt hour of electricity on the European EEX energy exchange to be supplied in 2019 and 2020 had grown from EUR 30 to EUR 60. "This year alone, it rose by more than 45%."

While Gen-I is not planning a rise for households, RWE has not yet taken the final decision, but said electricity prices had been constantly rising across Europe over the past 18 months.

CO₂ measures drive much of the increase in price

The company told the STA the prices on the German energy exchange had doubled to reach the highest level in five years, adding the main reason behind the trend was the changed rules governing trading in CO₂ emission certificates.

As for natural gas, Energija Plus said the prices had been rising since September 2017, with a megawatt hour of natural gas for supply in 2019 rising from EUR 17 to more than EUR 24 over the past year.

Petrol and diesel prices in Slovenia have also been affected by prices on foreign markets, with administered prices of regular petrol and diesel reaching in October the highest level since June 2015 and November 2014, respectively.

The same month, diesel was more expensive than regular. However, since then, the prices have been dropping to reach the levels from the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, a litre of heating oil has risen to reach an average EUR 0.965 in the third quarter of the year, up from an average EUR 0.768 in the same quarter in 2017.

STA, 13 December 2018 - Natural gas will be a major part of energy supply in Slovenia in the future and domestic production would greatly increase the reliability of supply, heard participants of a Thursday's event dedicated to energy.

Noting that natural gas plays a generally positive role in the EU's energy transition to meet climate goals, Jurij Vertačnik of the Ministry of Infrastructure said that establishing competitive domestic production would be positive for the country, which currently relies almost exclusively on gas imports.

It is however true that the required infrastructure will have to be adapted for other energy sources in the future, which entails certain technical as well as regulatory challenges, he acknowledged.

Petišovci gas well a missed opportunity

There is a gas well at the Petišovci field in the north-east of the country, but its potential is not utilised, said Miha Valentinčič, the head of Geoenergo, the Slovenian partner of UK's Ascent Resources which is exploring the gas field.

According to him, there has been a lot of intentional deception with regards to the project since 2011 that has slowed down the project.

"We're trying to conclude as soon as possible the procedures that are under way, including obtaining the necessary permits to maintain current production and to connect to the Slovenian network," he said.

Part of the gas pumped out at the Petišovci field is sold to local industrial partners and the rest to Croatian energy company INA, which built a connection to the nearby Zebanec gas field last year.

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The UK firm has been trying to get the permits for some time now and has been in conflict with the Slovenian authorities because of a review of the procedure to obtain the permit to use hydraulic stimulation at the Petišovci field.

According to Miloš Markič of the Geological Survey, low-volume and high-volume fracturing should be distinguished, with the former allowed in most countries and the latter prohibited in Europe due to the population density.

Below is a review of today’s news in Slovenia, summarised by the headlines in the daily newspapers for Friday, December 14, 2018, as prepared by the STA:

DELO

Electoral legislation
"Parliamentary seats to be filled with those more pleasing to the people": Constitutional Court judges gave MPs two years to change Slovenia's electoral legislation, more precisely the part determining the size of electoral districts, to make it in line with the Constitution. (front page, 2)

Magna Steyr
"People from Štajerska, Koroška and Prekmurje to Magna": The Magna Steyr paint shop in Hoče-Slivnica has started hiring. The company is receiving hundreds of applications for every job ad it publishes. (front page, 10)

Brexit
"Support to May in Brussels": British Prime Minister Theresa May was in Brussels yesterday to convince EU leaders to give additional assurances regarding the EU-UK Brexit agreement. (front page, 5-6)

DNEVNIK

Electoral legislation
"Constitutional Court judges pushed deactivation of political bomb into MPs' hands": The Constitutional Court announced that part of Slovenia's electoral legislation, the part determining the size of electoral districts, was in violation of the Constitution. Legislators now have two years to remedy the situation. (front page, 2, commentary 18)

Higher education
"Faculties reluctant to restrict enrolment for fear of funding": After the national commission for the high school-leaving matura exam warned of growing numbers of students taking the somewhat less demanding vocational matura exam and then additional exams to meet the conditions to go to university, some faculties have already made their enrolment conditions stricter. (front page, 3)

FINANCE

ECB meeting
"Draghi puts off monetary bazooka": European Central Bank announced the end of its 2.6 trillion-euro bond-buying scheme this month. What does this mean? (front page, 2-3)

Stock market
"Wages to go up by 6% this year": Among the blue chips on the Ljubljana Stock Market, energy company Petrol and logistics company Intereuropa recorded the biggest rise in the average gross pay. (front page, 4-5)

Real estate market
"Apartment - really only a dream that cannot come true?": Economist Marko Pahor analyses the situation on the real estate market. (front page, 7)

VEČER

Štajerska's Person of the Year
"You've picked Kek": Matjaž Kek, the new old head coach of the Slovenian national football team, was picked the person of the year in the Štajerska region. (front page, 2-3)

Strasbourg attack
"Like bombs on two legs": The paper analyses Tuesday's Strasbourg attack and compares it to other terrorist attacks in the past. (front page, 6-7)

Minimum wage
"Minimum wage at 667 euro net": In 2020, minimum wage will rise to 700 euro, MPs decided yesterday. (front page, 4)

STA, 13 December 2018 - Slovenian snowboarder Tim Mastnak opened the World Cup season with a win in the parallel slalom in Italy's Carezza on Thursday, beating Benjamin Karl of Austria convincingly in the finals.

The 27-year-old from Celje first defeated Darren Gardner of Canada in the round of 16, then Italian Aaron March in the quarter-finals and Sebastian Kislinger in the semi-finals.

In the finals, he was 0.73 seconds faster than the Austrian veteran Karl, who has won a total of 15 World Cup events.

"It's a perfect start to the season. It couldn't have been better," Mastnak described his second ever win the World Cup, with the first one coming in March in Scuol, Switzerland.

There’s perhaps no phrase more ripe for retirement in writing about Slovenia than “hidden gem”, especially when it comes to the places that are usually mentioned in travel articles introducing the sunny side of the Alps to a wider audience. Many of these simply detail already well-visited locations, like Ljubljana’s Old Town, Bled, Piran, Postojna, and so on, with many of the, eh, more obscure jewels remaining unpromoted.

Find out how to take this picture, here

And of course, this focus on a few places means that these get put on the must-do itineraries of many visitors – for what’s a two-day trip to Slovenia without kremšnita and a hike to that bench? – and this, if nothing else, creates some logistical problems with regard to parking, overcrowding and so on, not to mention “ruining” the places for some, including local residents with no direct interest in the tourist industry.

To this end the Slovenian Tourist Board, among others, has been working to promote some of the less-trafficked locations in the country, aiming to spread the prosperity that can come with travel and tourism, extend the stays of visitors (which are still, on average, less than two days), and show more of what makes the young nation such a pleasant one, and perhaps encourage more folk to relocate or invest here.

One organisation that’s also working in this regard is the national broadcaster Radio SI, which just announced the winners of its hidden gems competition. The final list, obtained after a selection of options was put to a vote, draws more attention to 18 tourist packages and products that aim to show off the diversity and wealth of Slovenia’s of natural and cultural heritage, from historic sites to gourmet experiences, hiking tours to craft beer adventures.

The list of 18 recommendations is presented below, with a link to the main webpage at the end, while simply clicking on the name will tell you more about each offer.

1: Laško craft beer experience

2: Gourmet over Mura

3: Tastes of Pohorje

4: Winter Weekend in Jezersko

5: Exploring the history, scenery and taste of Brežice

6: Hard coal and fragile glass in the Zasavje region

7: Delights of Count Blagaj’s land

8: Underground adventures in Geopark Karavanke

9: Exploring Tolmin and the remnants of the Isonzo Front

10: Mediterranean flavours of Slovenian Istria

11: The Brown Bear Kingdom

12: Hidden treasures of Slovenj Gradec and Mislinja Valley

13: Idrija Adventure

14: Charming Slovenia Herbal glamping resort

15: Among the Herdsmen on Velika planina

16: The Valley of Kolpa’s green beauty

17: Green Adventures in the Vipava Valley

18: Getaway to the Red Planet (the Karst and Terran wine)

The full story on Radio SI can be found here

STA, 13 December 2018 - The government raised on Thursday the daily allowance for self-employed artists on sick leave from 20 euro in 2018 to 21 euro, or 630 euro for 30 days, in 2019.

The government issued a decree setting the sick leave allowance for next year based on the law on the implementation of public interest in culture, the umbrella law for arts and culture.

The allowance is part of efforts by the Culture Ministry to improve freelancers' working conditions and financial standing, the Government Communication Office said in a press release after the government's weekly session.

NGOs representing freelance artists have been warning that more than half of self-employed artists do not earn the minimum wage, currently at 638 euro net.

Meanwhile, the poverty threshold in Slovenia was set at 636 euro a month in 2017, slightly up from the previous years.

Today's increase comes after the daily sick leave allowance stood at 20 euro in the 2014-2018 period, which translated into 600 euro for 30 days of sick leave.

The NGOs have been pointing out this is below the minimum wage, but under Slovenian law, sick leave compensation for the loss of income is set at 80% of the salary.

In determining the amount of the sick leave allowance, the government took into account the available budgetary funds and the poverty threshold.

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS) has pulled together some data and made a few observations ahead of International Migrants Day on December 18.

The headline figure is that one in eight residents of Slovenia is an immigrant, with up to 250,000 (12.1% of the population) people being foreign-born, although just over half of these (137,000) now have Slovenian citizenship. Moreover, some of these individuals were born as Slovenian citizens (i.e. born to Slovenian parents abroad), while others became so by naturalisation. In addition, not all foreign citizens in Slovenia are classed as immigrants, as among the roughly 122,000 residents of the country with foreign citizenship about 8,600 (7%) were born in Slovenia, and so not immigrants.

In terms of country of origin, most immigrants, 86%, are from other members of the former Yugoslavia, followed by Germany (7,300), Italy (4,100) and the Russian Federation (3,000). The most common non-European countries of birth are China (1,000), the United States (800), and Argentina and Canada (400 each).

The number of immigrants is rising, and has been for decades. A census in 1948 found that just 5.5% of those living in Slovenia were born outside its borders. In 2002 this figure was 8.5%, and in 2018 it had risen to 12.1%. Overall, there are slightly more foreign men than foreign women in Slovenia (57% vs 43%), although this is mainly due to the greater imbalance seen in the 2000s, when roughly two men came to Slovenia for every woman. The figures for recent arrivals are much more balanced.

Finally, SURS notes that the average immigrant to Slovenia is a man with upper secondary education, citizen of Slovenia, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aged almost 49 years who first immigrated to Slovenia in the 1990s.

You can learn more about the data by visiting SURS here, where you’ll find many other links and figures of interest about the country.

Related: The places where foreigners live in Slovenia and where they come from

STA, 12 December 2018 - Rihemberk Castle, a monument of national importance in the west of Slovenia, is to be renovated with the help of the Restaura project, which aims at encouraging private investment into public historical cities and buildings in Central Europe.

The castle opened to the public in June 2017, and was visited by some 8,400 people in some 100 days before being closed again.

The municipality of Nova Gorica would like to turn it into a tourist site accessible to a broad audience and a kind of development centre for the area.

Restaura project manager at the municipality Nataša Kolenc told the STA the castle should also present its story and premises in an innovative and creative manner.

When the municipality became the owner of the castle in 2014, renovation costs were estimated at EUR 8-10m.

Since it did not have the needed money nor was it possible to obtain funds from the EU's 2014-2020 budget, an opportunity opened up with Restaura, she said.

Neva Makuc from the Milko Kos History Institute explained that several Central European countries were faced with a lack of public funds to renovate cultural heritage sites.

Restaura, which started in 2016 and is to end in May 2019, encourages private investment into public historical buildings through a public-private partnership.

With a budget of around EUR 2.1m, it is part of the Central Europe 2014-2020 programme and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

But Restaura does not provide funds for direct investments into the castle, it only facilitates that funds are secured from other sources.

Nova Gorica has some EUR 205,000 at disposal as part of Restaura for three years, of which some 31,000 comes from the municipal budget.

So far, all relevant documents for Rihemberk have been collected and studied and ideas discussed with stakeholders from the village of Branik, where the castle is situated.

Technical plans and documents needed for a public-private partnership are also in the making, while an option to host start-ups will also be checked.

The castle is currently in a state of "a secured construction site" with restoration works designed in the period from the 1960s to 1980s not completed yet.

Restaura brings together partners from Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia and Poland, with the Polish city of Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki the lead partner.

STA, 12 December 2018 - The University of Ljubljana joined on Wednesday the European Eutopia university alliance bringing together the University of Paris-Seine, the University of Warwick, the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, the University Pompeu Fabra and the University of Göteborg.

This is the first consortium of universities in the EU and it is being coordinated by the University of Ljubljana. Chancellor Igor Papič expressed gratitude that the Ljubljana University got the honour of heading the alliance.

Papič said that cooperation efforts of alliance partners will result in creative ideas for the future of university networks in Europe, according to a press release from the university.

The six universities which share a joint vision and have combined their strengths give momentum to Eutopia, according to Paris-Seine University President Francois Gemient.

He expressed confidence that the partners are capable of connecting different parts of Europe, businesses and address educational challenges.

The universities participating in the programme cover a wide geographical area and have a great responsibility to encourage good quality research and education and can gain a lot from cooperation, said Göteborg University Chancellor Eva Wiberg.

Jaume Casals, the chancellor of the University Pompeu Fabra believes Eutopia will also serve as a toolkit useful in the production of innovative European universities in the 21st century.

Below is a review of today’s news in Slovenia, summarised by the headlines in the daily newspapers for Thursday, December 13, 2018, as prepared by the STA:

DELO

British prime minister
"Nine lives of the British prime minister": The fate of British Prime Minister Theresa May and the UK's orderly exit from the EU hung by a shred yesterday when a vote of confidence in the prime minister was held. But she survived. (front page, 3)

Koper
"Koper from fairytale to reality": Boris Popovič cannot seem to accept the fact that he is no longer the mayor of Koper and leave the office. He is pushing for a recount and a fresh election. (front page, 7)

Real estate market
"Why are the prices of flats skyrocketing?": Although the demand for new flats is high, there are not many transactions because the prices are sky high. (front page, 16)

DNEVNIK

Election legislation
"Will electoral districts have to be abolished?": The Constitutional Court will announce today its decision related to a request for a review of legislation that determines electoral districts - small units within the five electoral units - for general elections. (front page, 2)

Appointments
"Slovenia: After woman was put in charge of the army, now a woman at the helm of police": Tatjana Bobnar, who was appointed police commissioner with full powers on Tuesday, assumed office at a ceremony on Wednesday. (front page)

Education
"Vocational matura as an unlawful shortcut to university": The national commission for the high school-leaving matura exam is warning about growing numbers of students taking the somewhat less demanding vocational matura exam and then additional exams to meet the conditions to go to university. It argues this practice is unfair and unlawful. (front page, 3)

FINANCE

ECB meeting
"Will the tap for cheap money be closed somewhat today?": Analysts expect ECB boss Mario Draghi to be very careful about the ECB's monetary policy, because any sharp measures could jeopardise the eurozone's economic growth. (front page, 2-3)

AS-Primus
"Who forged documents, who covered it up and what did Log-Dragomer municipality find out?": The paper brings new details in the story about the Cerknica-based builder AS-Primus, which owes more than a million euro to its subcontractors. (front page, 6-7)

Cinkarna Celje
"Next year revenue should stay level, profit to drop": The chemical company Cinkarna Celje, the star of the Ljubljana Stock Market, seems to be in for a challenging period. (front page, 10-11)

VEČER

Culture
"Culture for everyone?": More than two-thirds of the money that the state allocates to culture remains in central Slovenia and Ljubljana, where a quarter of Slovenians live. (front page, 16-17)

Strasbourg terrorist attack
"Anger and sorrow in Strasbourg": After a year of peace, France was again the target of a terrorist attack. But this time the attack did not happen in Paris or Nice but in the small town of Strasbourg. (front page, 2-3)

Climate talks
"No breakthrough in climate talks": Despite the many calls and rallies, the talks in Poland's Katovice will not help implement the Paris climate agreement. (front page, 7)