21 Feb 2022, 10:08 AM

Over 550,000 Visitors to Slovenia’s Dubai Expo Pavilion

STA, 20 February 2021 - Slovenia's pavilion at Dubai Expo show has attracted more than 550,000 visitors, featuring almost 300 Slovenian businesses at more than 150 promotional events so far, according to SPIRIT Slovenija.

SPIRIT, the investment promotion agency that is responsible for the national Expo project, expects more visitors and business delegations yet with six more weeks to go to the end of the global event.

The Slovenian pavilion is currently hosting events focusing on food and agriculture, the ninth of a total of eleven thematic sections.

Until the end of the show, the national pavilion will welcome at least two more regional delegations, from Pomurje and SE Slovenia, a delegation of tourism companies and ten other business delegations.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Slovenia at Expo (@slovenia_at_expo)

The biggest number is expected to attend at the end of March for the major Expo investment meeting, organised by the UAE Ministry of Economy in a bid to establish a framework for global exchange of information on key principles of investment policy, strategy and practice for sustainable development to attain a smart and inclusive global growth.

Slovenia is being promoted at Expo under the slogan Green Smart Experience as a sustainable, modern, creative and forward-looking country that can offer a green environment, expertise, groundbreaking ideas and innovation.

The Expo show is running until the end of March.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Slovenia at Expo (@slovenia_at_expo)

21 Feb 2022, 10:01 AM

Olympics: Slovenia Second, Norway First, in Medals Per Capita

STA, 20 February 2022 - Slovenian athletes won seven medals at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which puts the country second only to Norway in medals per capita. Overall, Slovenia ranks 15th among all countries on the Olympic medal table.

Team Slovenia won two golds, three silvers and two bronze medals, four of which in ski jumping, two in snowboarding and one in alpine skiing.

Ski jumper Urša Bogataj took gold and Nika Križnar bronze in the women's individual event and they grabbed another gold in the mixed team event along with Peter Prevc and Timi Zajc, who went on to secure silver in the men's team event along with Lovro Kos and Cene Prevc.

Snowboarder Tim Mastnak won silver and his female counterpart Gloria Kotnik won bronze and alpine skier Žan Kranjec won silver in the giant slalom.

Slovenia thus secured a medal per each 296,991 residents.

#TeamSlovenia se iz Pekinga vrača s sedmimi kolajnami, kar je druga najboljša bera v zgodovini slovenskih nastopov na olimpijskih igrah!#imamoto #ifeelslovenia @SloveniaInfo @SloskiSZS pic.twitter.com/mA7N5kdEkE
— Team Slovenia (@TeamSlovenia) February 20, 2022

Norway ranks on top of medal-per-capita ranking with 37 medals, or one per 146,520 residents. Team Norway won 16 golds, eight silvers and 13 bronzes.

Austria is ranked third at one medal per 500,355 residents. Its athletes took home 18 medals.

A total of 2,871 athletes from 91 countries took part in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which closed today.

21 Feb 2022, 04:15 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 21 February 2022

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

EU answer to W Balkan issues, Pahor tells Munich conference

MUNICH, Germany - President Borut Pahor urged stepping up EU enlargement to the Western Balkans as he appeared in a panel debate at the Munich Security Conference, saying the EU was the only answer to the issues troubling the region. He identified the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the stalled Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue and Bulgaria's blocking North Macedonia's EU accession talks as three major issues at the moment. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said the key was to resolve issues in the region stemming from the past.

PM Janša appears in Italian documentary on foibe

ROME, Italy - Prime Minister Janez Janša and Cardinal Franc Rode featured as witnesses in a documentary on summary executions in the wake of Second World War that was aired on Rai 2, the second channel of the Italian public broadcaster, on Saturday night. The documentary, entitled Foibe ed esodi, i giorni dell'Odio (Foibe and Exodus, Days of Hatred) was made by journalist Andrea Romoli. Janko Petrovec, the Rome correspondent for the Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, who saw the film, described it as "an Italian view of the history of 20th century dictatorships in the North Adriatic".

Slovenia's daily coronavirus count at seven-week low

LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,267 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Saturday, the lowest daily tally in the Omicron-driven wave of infections. The count is the lowest recorded since 2 January. It is 40% below Friday's count and down by 47% from the figure reported a week ago. The number of patients in hospitals increased somewhat, which is typical at the weekend, and 19 more patients with confirmed infection died, government data shows. Most Covid restrictions will be lifted on Monday.

Slovenia second in medals per capita at Beijing Games

BEIJING, China - Slovenian athletes won seven medals at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which puts the country second only to Norway in medals per capita. Overall, Slovenia ranks 15th among all countries on the Olympic medal table. Team Slovenia won two golds, three silvers and two bronze medals, four of which in ski jumping, two in snowboarding and one in alpine skiing. On the last day of the Games Team Slovenia finished 7th in the mixed team parallel slalom after being eliminated by Austria, who went on to win gold.

High-school band wins Slovenia's Eurosong contest

LJUBLJANA - LPS or Last Pizza Slice, a band of five teenagers, will represent Slovenia at the 66th Eurovision song contest in Turin with the song 'Disko' (Disco) after winning the combined vote from the audience and judges on Saturday. LPS made it to the final of the national EMA contest as one of the four finalists of EMA Fresh, the competition for young up-and-coming talents. They will appear in the first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest in Turin on 10 May.

20 Feb 2022, 16:35 PM

LPS Win Slovenia's Song for Eurovision Contest with “Disko” (Video)

STA, 20 February 2022 - LPS or Last Pizza Slice, a band of five teenagers, will represent Slovenia at the 66th Eurovision song contest in Turin with the song 'Disko' (Disco) after winning the combined vote from the audience and judges last night.

LPS made it to the to the final of the national EMA contest as one of the four finalists of EMA Fresh, the competition for young up-and-coming talents.

They won the most points from the televoting after coming second in the votes of five juries, after the band Batista Cadillac and their song 'Mim Pravil' (Flouting Rules), which ended up second overall.

The votes of the five juries - representing groups including musicians, producers, radio and TV music editors and Eurosong fans - and televoting contributed 50% each to the final score.

The band appeared to be taken off their feet by the victory with the frontman Filip Vidušin describing the feat as their "dream come true". He said they were surprised they even made it to the EMA final.

They wrote the music and the lyrics for 'Disko' themselves. The song started off in a bossa nova rhythm, then they worked on the lyrics and came up with the title once they started improvising in disco rhythms, said Vidušin.

LPS was founded in December 2018 at a Celje secondary school. Apart from Vidušin as the singer, it comprises drummer Gašper Hlupič, guitarist Mark Semeja, Žiga Žvižej on the keyboard and Zala Velenšek, the only woman and at 17 the youngest member of the band, as the bass guitar, tenor and alto saxophone player.

Their repertoire is a mix of soul-pop, funk, blues, rock and jazz.

A total of 12 finalists featured at the EMA final.

LPS will appear in the first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest in Turin on 10 May. Ana Soklič, Slovenia's entrant last year, did not make it to the final.

20 Feb 2022, 10:13 AM

Slovenia’s COVID Restrictions on Shops, Services, Hospitality End Monday

STA, 20 February 2022 - Slovenia will lift Covid restrictions on shops, services and other businesses on Monday, including restrictions on opening hours of hospitality establishments and the ban on night clubs, under a decision taken by the government on Saturday.

The decision was taken as the government gave its go ahead to scrap the Covid pass mandate for all activities except for healthcare institutions, care homes and prisons from Monday. The cap on the number of customers in services is also being lifted.

Under restrictions imposed in early November last year, bars, cafes and restaurants have so far been allowed to serve customers at tables between 5am and 10pm provided they had a valid Covid pass. Night clubs have been closed.

In announcing the easing of measures on businesses, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said the government opted for a balanced approach to keep protecting the health of the most-at-risk groups while at the same time allowing life to resume as normal as possible and business to function efficiently.

"We have thus met the calls from the economy as far as the medical experts have allowed," said the minister, calling for everyone to continue to act responsibly. "The economy can function efficiently and intensively only if the employees are healthy," he added.

20 Feb 2022, 09:48 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 20 February 2022

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Covid pass abolished for most activities as of Monday

LJUBLJANA - Covid pass will no longer be required in Slovenia as of Monday, except in healthcare and social care institutions, and in prisons, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press after today's correspondence session of the government. Students at schools will no longer need to self test either, but face masks remain obligatory under the same conditions as so far.

Pahor hods several bilateral meetings in Munich

MUNICH, Germany - President Borut Pahor held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, focussing on the Ukraine crisis, including with his Finish and Montenegrin counterparts. Pahor and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö expressed concern over the security crisis in Ukraine. They agreed that the conflict should be solved in a peaceful way and through diplomacy. The talks with Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović focussed on the process of Montenegro's EU accession, which they agreed should be faster and more active.

Poll shows SDS strongly in the lead

LJUBLJANA - If election was held this Sunday, most respondents in a poll conducted by pollster Parsifal would vote for the ruling Democrats (SDS). The party's support rose by 3 percentage points to 22.9% in the past month. The Freedom Movement party headed by Robert Golob would come second, on 13.2% support, up by 2.8 percentage points. The opposition Social Democrats (SD) in third place saw their support rise by 1.1 percentage point to 7.6%.

Just over 3,700 new coronavirus infections recorded on Friday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,731 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Friday in 2,427 PCR and 86,503 rapid antigen tests, as the epidemic continues to wane. The National Institute of Public Health estimates there are still 88,410 active cases in the country, down 7,934 from the day before. Today, 495 Covid patients were in hospitals, down 15 from yesterday, including 97 in intensive care, down six from the day before, the government data show. Ten more patients with Covid died on Friday.

Slovenian artwork included in first space exhibition

NEW YORK, US - Slovenian artist Eva Petrič has contributed two miniature artworks to the first space exhibition at the International Space Station (ISS). Miniature works by 65 artists from around the world, including Petrič, will reach the ISS onboard am Antares rocket, which was scheduled to launch from Virginia today. Petrič contributed her Earthling Tattoo Seal in plexiglass and DBE - Message from Earth in a clay cube, a cooperation with designer Mateja Š. Dimic.

19 Feb 2022, 18:09 PM

Slovenia Drops COVID Pass for Most on Monday

STA, 19 February 2022 - Covid pass will no longer be required in Slovenia as of Monday, except in healthcare and social care institutions, and in prisons, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press after today's correspondence session of the government. Students at schools will no longer need to self test either.

In line with the latest government decisions, free self-tests and rapid antigen tests will thus no longer be available. The state will only cover for the costs of tests in activities where testing will still be required.

Students will no longer need to self test at schools, but face masks remain obligatory under the same conditions as so far.

Poklukar urged the citizens to continue to act responsibly despite easing of the measures.

This comes after the government last night decided to abolish the quarantine requirement after high-risk contact with an infected person, and the Covid pass for entry to Slovenia, effective today.

19 Feb 2022, 10:00 AM

COVID Pass, Quarantine No Longer Needed to Enter Slovenia

STA, 18 February 2022 - The government has decided passengers entering into Slovenia will no longer have to produce a Covid pass after having abolished the requirement that those in high-risk contact with an infected person no longer have to quarantine.

The decree enters into force one day after it has been published in the Official Gazette. It is not yet clear when the next Official Gazette will be published.

The Government Communications Office said Covid-19 was "no longer considered a quarantine disease" which is why there is no need for passengers to show proof of vaccination, reconvalescence or testing.

No further easing of restrictions yet

STA, 18 February 2022 - The government was expected to start easing coronavirus restrictions this week, but the only step it has decided to take is to waive the quarantine requirement for those in high-risk contact with an infected person effective on Saturday and end contact tracing.

"We will ease the restrictions gradually and thoughtfully," Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press after a cabinet session on Friday.

He said a new round of consultations with experts would be completed before the government reconvenes to take a decision, which he said would hopefully come "as soon as possible".

While he admitted the situation was rapidly improving, the minister said hospitalisations were still high and Slovenia had the second highest number of Covi9-19 patients per capita in the world.

At a meeting earlier this week, the government's medical advisers proposed the gradual abolition of the Covid pass for shops, banks, post offices and administrative units, and the abolition of quarantines in case of high-risk contacts as well as contact tracing.

19 Feb 2022, 09:46 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 11 - 17 February 2022

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 11 February
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed, pending its final decision, the implementation of a provision in the latest Covid relief law that raises the pay ceiling in the single public sector wage system only for the benefit of doctors and dentists and had angered other groups of public sector trade employees.
        LJUBLJANA - Economist Jože P. Damijan, the author of the idea for the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), was joined by more than two dozen former officials as well as businessmen, scientists and other professionals in launching a centre-left development agenda that they plan to implement in collaboration with existing political players.
        LJUBLJANA - The International Press Institute released a report on Hungarian investments in foreign media that suggests the Hungarian model of government control of the media is being transposed to Slovenia. It says this is important in light of Slovenia's upcoming general election.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The Slovenian women's ski jumping team, men's basketball team, cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič and former para athlete and sports official Peter Ozmec were declared the winners of the 2021 Bloudek Prizes, the highest national awards for current and lifetime achievements in sports.

SATURDAY, 12 February
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša said that Slovenia was monitoring with concern the concentration of the Russian troops on the border with Ukraine as he spoke on the phone with Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal to express support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and the right of every country to choose its alliance.
        FRANKOLOVO - President Borut Pahor called for a peaceful solution to the crisis in north-eastern Europe, saying that peace should be protected and everything should be done for dialogue to continue, as the addressed a memorial ceremony after laying a wreath at the monument to the Frankolovo victims.

SUNDAY, 13 February
BEIJING, China - Žan Kranjec won silver in the men's giant slalom in what was his first Olympic medal and the sixth for Slovenia at the Beijing Olympics. After placing 8th in the first run, he put on a dream-like second run as conditions were tough due to snowing, to improve on his 4th place from the 2018 Games.
LJUBLJANA - Nika Kovač, the founder and head of NGO the 8 March Institute, was named the Slovenian Woman of the Year 2021 by the women's magazine Jana and its readers. The NGO has been very vocal for several years now, warning of inequalities and the problems of the most vulnerable.

MONDAY, 14 February
        LISBON, Portugal - President Borut Pahor and his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called for a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis and urged for a faster EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, as they met at the outset of Pahor's two-day official visit to Portugal.
        VIENNA, Austria - Slovenia, a new member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), submitted a draft resolution calling on the international community to step up efforts to prevent the use of illicit drugs in particular among children and youth. The CND will debate the resolution at its 65th session in mid-March.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Social Democrats (SD) proposed scrapping the recovered, vaccinated, tested rule in all activities except health and social care, as well as abolishing mandatory quarantine for contacts of infected people. They believe people should be free to decide whether to wear masks and self-test or not.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) set out its platform for the 24 April general election with solidarity and green transition as one of the cornerstones with priorities such as stabilisation of public finances, restoration of the rule of law and improving the status of pensioners.
        LJUBLJANA - The steel group SIJ signed an agreement with a consortium of banks headed by NLB on a EUR 230 million syndicated loan with seven-year maturity to refinance existing loans, secure additional liquidity reserves for its long-term development, and finance investments into environmental efficiency.
        BEIJING, China - The Slovenian men's ski-jumping team, made up of Lovro Kos, Cene Prevc, Timi Zajc and Peter Prevc, won silver at the Olympics for Slovenia's seventh medal at the Beijing Games.

TUESDAY, 15 February
        LJUBLJANA - Health experts outlined a gradual easing of measures against the Covid-19 epidemic at a consultation with the government, proposing the abolition of the Covid pass for shops, banks, post offices and administrative units, and the abolition of quarantines in case of high-risk contacts.
        DUBAI, UAE - Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable development and food systems as Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek held talks with Emirati Environment and Climate Change Minister Mariam Bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri.
        LISBON, Portugal - President Borut Pahor was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Lisbon at a special ceremony, being honoured for his efforts to promote dialogue and his continued commitment to fundamental European values.
        LJUBLJANA - Aleksandra Pivec, the president of Our Land, announced that the party had collected more than 1,500 signatures of voters, so it officially entered the election race. She said the party's platform would mainly address vulnerable groups, adding that it was too early to speak about post-election alliances.
        LJUBLJANA - Cultural institutions and association addressed a letter to decision-makers to fully reopen cultural venues in Slovenia, and lift all coronavirus restrictions which govern organising and visiting cultural events by 21 February at the latest. The appeal was signed by 70 organisations.
        LJUBLJANA - The average gross pay in Slovenia rose by 6.1% in nominal terms in 2021 to EUR 1,970, the fastest pace in five years. The increase was almost equally driven by the public and private sectors, showed the latest Statistics Office figures.

WEDNESDAY, 16 February
        LJUBLJANA - Nurses, staff at social care institutions and pharmacies staged a one-day strike after failing to make meaningful progress at talks with the government either on a rise to tackle pay disparities or work standards. Some 50,000 staff were on strike and many non-urgent health services were suspended for the day.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia extended two bonds in the total amount of EUR 750 million, adding EUR 350 million to the bond due in March 2032 and EUR 400 million to the bond due in October 2050. The treasury also earmarked US$582.7 million and EUR 15 million for repurchase of dollar- and euro-denominated bonds due in 2023 and 2024.
        LJUBLJANA - The Left withdrew its motion for a consultative referendum on changes to the income tax act, as the government had indicated the referendum could be held on the same day as the general election. Left coordinator Luka Mesec said the party did not want to enable the government to build its election campaign on "promises of higher wages."
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's banking system generated an after-tax profit of EUR 527.3 million last year, an increase of 17.1% compared to the previous year. Pre-tax profit rose by about a fifth to stand at EUR 564.7 million, shows a report releases by the central bank.
        LJUBLJANA) - Pensioners will get 4.4% higher pensions at the end of the month in line with regular annual adjustment with wages and consumer prices. Back rise for January will be paid out as well. The adjustment will cost the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute EUR 268 million at the annual level.

THURSDAY, 17 February
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša expressed "full support for EU efforts for de-escalation" after EU leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine. He lauded the EU's unity on the issue, which he said would make it harder for Russian President Vladimir Putin to play his game. Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced Slovenia would help Ukraine with equipment such as mobile kitchens, heated tents and dual-use equipment, but no weapons.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is still among the NATO countries with the lowest defence spending. It ranks 25th in terms of efforts to have 2% of GDP allocated for defence and 26th when it comes to defence investments, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said after a NATO ministerial. This year, Slovenia will allocate 1.3% of GDP for defence and in 2023 and 2024 this will rise to 1.4% and 1.5%, respectively.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Matej Tonin said that Slovenian soldiers remained in Mali for now and continued training Mali troops, after France announced its troops would withdraw from the country. Tonin noted that a formal decision on the EU mission there had not yet been adopted yet.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor turned down a call by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) not to sign a decree appointing new ambassadors ahead of the general election. He said a postponement would be unjustified and harm the country's foreign policy interests in the international community.
        LJUBLJANA - The new US Ambassador to Slovenia Jamie L. Harpootlian presented her credentials to President Borut Pahor. She said her goal was to open avenues for working together and strengthening the countries' partnership.
        KOMENDA - Slovenian company PharmaHemp started building an EUR 11 million facility to produce and process hemp products in Komenda, north of Ljubljana, in what it said would bring together the broadest range of services in the field of hemp in Europe.

19 Feb 2022, 04:44 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 19 February 2022

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

News

Editorial

Gourmet

Photo of the Month

Photo galleries and videos

Real Estate in Slovenia