FRIDAY, 4 February
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected the appointment of Marjan Divjak as vice-governor of the central bank. The Democrats (SDS) proposed that the vote be postponed, but their motion was rejected and the vote went ahead with 44 voting in favour and 40 against in a secret ballot, short of the required super majority.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted a bill on electronic communications, put forward by the government to transpose EU law, unfit for further reading. The bill would bar high-risk vendors from the market in a provision directed against Chinese Huawei. While not mentioning the vendor specifically, the bill would ban providers from using the equipment of high-risk suppliers if they are labelled by such by the government based on the opinion of the National Security Council.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly failed to overturn the upper chamber's veto on a bill raising the required level of Italian language proficiency for staff at Italian-language schools and kindergartens. While the coalition voted in favour, the centre-left opposition voted against.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left announced it will withdraw its motion for a referendum on the income tax act after the government indicated the referendum could be held on the same day as the general election. The amendments will probably be passed during this government's term and the Left will strive to win the election and then "correct the law," Left leader Luka Mesec said.
        LJUBLJANA - The Finance Ministry unveiled a new draft law on cryptocurrency taxation. It proposes a 10% taxation rate and a general tax exemption on up to EUR 10,000 of redeemed cryptocurrency per year. The proposed solutions would apply to all natural persons who pay taxes in Slovenia, but not to legal persons and individuals that hold cryptocurrencies as a business asset.
        DOBROVO - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek held talks with his Italian counterpart Stefano Patuanelli. They discussed plans for the joint promotion of Slovenian and Italian wines from the border-spanning region, especially the Rebula white wine, known in Italy as Ribolla.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports rose by 19.8% year-on-year to EUR 39.4 billion in 2021 and imports increased by 30.8% to EUR 42 billion, the Statistics Office reported. A trade deficit of EUR 2.6 billion was recorded, the highest in the last ten years.
        
SATURDAY, 5 February
        BEIJING - Slovenian ski jumpers Urša Bogataj and Nika Križnar made history at the Winter Olympics. Bogataj won gold and Križnar won bronze in the women's normal hill individual event, the first time that more than one Slovenian athlete made the Olympic podium in the same event.
        CARDIFF, UK - Ema Kozin, the best Slovenian female boxer, lost to American Claressa Shields in Cardiff, UK in a fight for the world champion title in a number of categories in the female middleweight class. This is Kozin's first defeat of her professional fighting career.

SUNDAY, 6 February
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia reiterated its support for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU's taxonomy of sustainable energy sources. The Finance Ministry said nuclear energy will be needed to maintain low-carbon energy production in the long run, not only during the transition period.
        BEIJING, China - Slovenian ski jumper Peter Prevc finished fourth in the men's normal hill individual event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. He was half a point short to clinch what could have been his third Olympic medal after the two he won at Sochi 2014.

MONDAY, 7 February
        VATICAN CITY, Vatican - President Borut Pahor met Pope Francis during an official visit to the Vatican to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Slovenia and the Holy See. The pair noted the importance of dialogue and discussed the situation in the Western Balkans, the Ukraine crisis, as well as bilateral cooperation.
        ROME - President Borut Pahor held talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella. EU issues topped the agenda. The talks focused on peace and stability in the EU's eastern neighbourhood, the need to coordinate post-pandemic economic recovery policies, and the need for debates on the common European future to be more ambitious.
        LJUBLJANA - Freedom Movement, the party of Robert Golob, led the field in a poll commissioned by RTV Slovenija, ahead of the ruling Democrats (SDS). One out of five respondents said they would vote for Freedom Movement, an increase of 6.8 percentage points from January. The SDS gained three points to 15%.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation ran at 5.8% in January, the highest since August 2008, picking up pace from 4.9% reported at the end of last year mostly due to costlier fuels and energy. Consumer prices rose by 0.4% from December.
        BEIJING, China - Slovenian ski jumpers Nika Križnar, Urša Bogataj, Timi Zajc and Peter Prevc won the gold medal in the mixed team normal hill event at the Winter Olympics to make history as the first nation to win the event in its Olympic premiere in Beijing.
        CLERMONT FERRAND, France - Animation filmmaker Špela Čadež received a Special Mention at this year's Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival for her animated short Steakhouse in what is the tenth international award for the film.

TUESDAY, 8 February
        DUBAI, UAE - Foreign Minister Anže Logar held talks with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as he started a tour of Gulf countries. The ministers confirmed excellent bilateral ties, which have been deepened since Slovenia opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2018, and discussed opportunities for stronger cooperation.
        STRASBOURG, France - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek welcomed an initiative for a new business model for low-carbon farming that is based on the actual sequestration of carbon and involves the option of evaluating that on the market. Podgoršek told his counterparts at an informal meeting that the initiative was an opportunity for extra income for farmers and foresters.
        BEIJING - Slovenian snowboarders won two medals at the Olympic parallel giant slalom. Tim Mastnak got silver in the men's category as one of the medal favourites, while Gloria Kotnik won bronze in the women's competition, a feat few had expected prior to the Olympic Games.

WEDNESDAY, 9 February
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor formally called the general election in Slovenia for 24 April, announcing that he would give the mandate to form the government to the person with sufficient support in the new parliament after the election.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša self-tested positive for coronavirus. He posted a photo of a positive test result on Twitter, saying he had all the symptoms typical of Covid-19, although mild.
        DOHA, Qatar - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to speak about economic cooperation and regional and global issues, including energy. Logar also took the opportunity to talk about Slovenia's candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
        ZAGORJE OB SAVI - The new green party Vesna held its founding congress, at which environmentalists Urša Zgojznik and Uroš Macerl were elected its co-presidents. The former said the goal was to enter the parliament and demand that programmes in the fields of environment, economy, agriculture, youth policy and democracy be implemented.
        LJUBLJANA - The current robust economic growth is blurring a worsening of Slovenia's public finances, the Fiscal Council said in its latest assessment of the country's public finances. It estimated that the structural measures taken during the Covid epidemic which are unrelated to it will affect the public finances by reducing GDP by 2.2% a year.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's competition watchdog found Renault Nissan Slovenija and four car dealerships had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour for over ten years in the repair and maintenance of Renault vehicles. One of the companies admitted its involvement and provided further evidence in exchange for a milder sentence.

THURSDAY, 10 February
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a bill to encourage digital inclusion. The centrepiece of the EUR 31 million project is a scheme of EUR 150 digital vouchers that secondary school kids, students and adults over 55 will be able to use to attend various digital literacy courses or buy digital devices.
        LJUBLJANA - The European Commission downgraded Slovenia's growth forecast for this year by 0.4 percentage points from its autumn forecast to 3.8%, projecting a more moderate growth rate of 3.6% in 2023. This compares to the 4% growth forecast for the euro area this year and 2.7% in 2023.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output expanded by 10.2% in 2021 on the back of strong performance in manufacturing, the latest Statistics Office data shows. Industrial revenue increased by over 15% and the value of stocks by almost 5%.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's job market saw a record 22,900 vacancies in the final quarter of 2021 as the number of occupied posts hit 792,100, another all-time high, shows fresh data from the Statistics Office. The job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter was 2.8%.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Six out of the eight Slovenian MEPs addressed a letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to express regret over a statement of hers that they say conveys an "untrue and repeatedly criticised position of the former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano" regarding the foibe massacres during and after WWII.
        RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and several other cabinet members as he wrapped up his tour of the Gulf. Economic cooperation was in the focus, as was Slovenia's bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Top court stays pay ceiling rise for doctors

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has 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. The increase by six wage brackets until the end of 2022, included in the Covid-19 package passed at the end of last year, angered other groups of public sector trade employees, whose unions are now demanding higher wages as well.

Some 7,500 Covid cases confirmed on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 7,514 people tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, the lowest daily figure since mid-January, not taking into account weekends or public holidays, show fresh official data. The seven-day average of daily cases decreased by almost 600 to 8,626 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people dropped by some 440 to 7,701. The government reported that hospitalisations were up by 15 to 545 today, including 116 people in intensive care units, five fewer than yesterday. Ten people died yesterday. The government will consult with health experts next Tuesday on when and how to adjust coronavirus restrictions now that the Omicron-driven wave has peaked and the epidemiological curve is rapidly declining.

Croatian owner reportedly selling four Portorož hotels

PORTOROŽ - Croatian businessman Darko Ostoja is allegedly selling four hotels in Portorož, Slovenia's best known seaside resort, that he acquired in 2014. According to a report Delo, a Slovenian insurance group has indicated interest in buying the hotels. Ostoja, one of the wealthiest Croatians, bought the four-hotel Metropol Resort in 2014 from Hoteli Bernardin, the hotel chain that is part of the tourism group Sava, for EUR 24.5 million but is now looking to sell for much more, writes Delo.

Most announced resignations at Steklarna Hrastnik withdrawn

HRASTNIK - Most of workers at glassworks Steklarna Hrastnik who announced their resignations on Monday have changed their mind, the company told STA. The management is pleased that out of over 40 workers who had intended to resign around 30 have decided otherwise. However, the company does not want to employ all of them any more. The management added it would continue to build on the constructive social dialogue and open, clear and frank communication within the company.

Govt touring Primorsko-Notranjska region

POSTOJNA - The government visited the Primorsko-Notranjska region to discuss a number of topics, including infrastructure. Mayors from the six municipalities forming the region south-west of Ljubljana have told the STA that they would like to focus on road and railway improvements. The region was last paid a visit by the government in June 2015, just over a year after it was severely hit by sleet.

Group around economist Damijan launches election platform

LJUBLJANA - Economist Jože P. Damijan, the author of the idea for the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), has been joined by a group of 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 realise in collaboration with existing political players.

New movement emerges opposing Covid restrictions

MARIBOR - A new movement has been set up in Maribor that will strive to abolish Covid restrictions on all levels of society and for normal functioning of education and healthcare. If necessary, the movement will turn into a party and stand in the upcoming general election, said its founders. According to Gaber Marolt, coordinator of the Movement of the Free and Well Informed (Gibanje Svobodni in Ozaveščeni Slovenije - SOS), the country's fight against the epidemic is "completely misguided" and the restrictive measures "are causing nothing but harm".

Equality ombudsman finds victimisation in case of civil servant

LJUBLJANA - The equality ombudsman has found that a civil servant who received a dismissal warning has been victimised, meaning she has experienced negative consequences after attempting to eliminate discrimination. The ombudsman sai this was the first case of victimisation it had dealth with. The procedure to establish whether this form of discrimination has indeed taken place was initiated by the civil servant, who is the president of a cultural organisation of an ethnic community in Slovenia.

IPI sees signs of Hungarian media model spreading in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The International Press Institute has a 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, which it says is important in light of Slovenia's upcoming general election. The report, available at https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/hu.pdf, was written in collaboration with independent investigative reporters and leans heavily on Slovenian investigative journalism portals.

Minister calls for efforts for gender equality in research

LJUBLJANA/POSTOJNA - Efforts to ensure equal rights and opportunities for both men and women in research and innovation should be made on the national, European and global levels, said Education, Science and Sport Minister Simona Kustec on Friday, International Day of Women and Girls in Science. She stressed the role that Slovenian female researchers play in research and development.

Peroci's fairy tales revived a century after her birth

LJUBLJANA - A collection of the best known fairy tales by Ela Peroci (1922-2001) will be published by Mladinska Knjiga to mark the 100th anniversary of birth of one of most popular Slovenian children's authors. The book entitled Med Pravljice (Into Fairy Tales) will feature nine stories and some legendary illustrations. According to Mladinska Knjiga, Peroci in a way created an original version of a modern fairy tale after WWII, drawing from children's world and intertwining it with imagination.

Dončić erupts for career-high 51 points, 28 in first quarter

DALLAS, US - Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić scored 51 points, his career-high, as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. He erupted already at the start of the game, scoring 28 points in the first quarter alone in what is the record of this NBA season. The 22-year-old also had nine rebounds and six assists, and hit seven three-pointers in the first quarter to make it to 28 points, breaking the previous record for this season, 25 points, which had been set by Stephen Curry.

Ski jumpers, basketball team, Lampič, Ozmec win top sports prizes

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 are the recipients of the 2021 Bloudek Prizes, the highest national awards for current and lifetime achievements in sports. "In difficult times, good examples and inspiring actions are even more important than usual," said Viktor Grošelj, chairman of the Bloudek Prizes board at the 57th awards ceremony.

Ljubljana declared European Best Destination 2022

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana has been declared European Best Destination 2022 out of over 400 destinations. It is being recommended to those who love nature, city break, foodies, culture lovers, Instagrammers, lovers and families. 92% of the votes for Ljubljana came from other countries, mostly from the US, Italy, Germany, Austria and Croatia. More than 528,000 people from 182 countries voted, with 75,642 picking Ljubljana as their favourite.

Govt adopts systemic bill to promote digital literacy

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a bill to encourage digital inclusion. The centrepiece is a scheme of EUR 150 digital vouchers that secondary school kids, students and adults over 55 will be able to use to attend various digital literacy courses or buy digital devices. Over EUR 31 million has been earmarked for subsidising the courses and digital devices purchases in 2022, said Minister for Digital Transformation Mark Boris Andrijanič, who described the bill as the biggest digital literacy project in the country.

EU Commission downgrades Slovenia's growth forecast

LJUBLJANA - The European Commission downgraded Slovenia's growth forecast for this year by 0.4 percentage points from its autumn forecast to 3.8%, projecting a more moderate growth rate of 3.6% in 2023. This compares to the 4% growth forecast for the euro area this year and 2.7%in 2023. The focus of the Commission's latest forecast is again on high inflation. in Slovenia it is forecast to run at 3.7% this year and at 2.1% next year.

Industrial output up 10% in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output expanded by 10.2% in 2021 on the back of strong performance in manufacturing, the latest Statistics Office data shows. Industrial revenue increased by over 15% and the value of stocks by almost 5%. Manufacturing saw a 11.7% growth as mining and electricity, gas and steam supply contracted by 6.5% and 4.4%, respectively. In December 2021, industrial output increased by 1.1% over November, in what was the fifth consecutive monthly increase.

Slovenia reports all-time high job numbers for Q4 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's job market saw a record 22,900 vacancies in the final quarter of 2021 as the number of occupied posts hit 792,100, another all-time high, shows fresh data from the Statistics Office. The job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter was 2.8%, flat with the quarter before, but up by 1.2 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2020. Vacancies in the hospitality sector increased five-fold.

Omicron wave keeps receding

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 12,137 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, which compares to more than 16,500 cases reported a week ago. Both the seven-day average of daily cases and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people thus dropped, to 9,220 and 8,143, respectively. Another 19 fatalities among patients with 19-Covid were reported, while hospitalisations of those sick with Covid as their main condition dropped to 530, which includes 121 in intensive care.

Hojs rejects allegations of political interference in police

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs rejected all allegations of political interference in police as he testified in front of a parliamentary inquiry commission investigating alleged political pressure on the police. He denied any involvement in police staffing beyond the nomination of police commissioners, rejected the idea that some senior staff had been reassigned to a task force just to sideline them, and denied having been involved in any decisions concerning the investigation into the purchasing of PPE.

Slovenian MEPs regret Metsola's statement on foibe

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Six out of the eight Slovenian MEPs addressed a letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to express regret over a statement of hers that they say conveys an "untrue and repeatedly criticised position of the former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano" regarding the foibe massacres during and after WWII. The letter was signed by Milan Brglez, Tanja Fajon (both S&D/SD), Klemen Grošelj and Irena Joveva (both Renew/LMŠ), Franc Bogovič (EPP/SLS) and Ljudmila Novak (EPP/NSi).

Bilateral cooperation in focus of Logar's talks in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and several other cabinet members as he wrapped up his tour of the Gulf. Economic cooperation was in the focus, as was Slovenia's bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The ministers confirmed an interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that the completion of procedures for several bilateral agreements could contribute to that.

Centre-left challenges migrant laws at Constitutional Court

LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition filed for a constitutional review and repeal of parts of legislation on foreigners and international protection which they say have tightened already strict laws on immigration and migration. They propose the contentious articles to be stayed pending the court's final decision. Passed in March 2021, the contentious amendments allow suspension of prescribed asylum procedures in the event a complex migration crisis.

Despite crisis, STA kept level of output, finished in the black

LJUBLJANA - The STA lost practically no subscribers in 2021, its output remained at the level of 2020 and it finished the year with a profit, despite being left without government co-funding for 300 days last year, STA director general Igor Kadunc and editor-in-chief Aljoša Rehar said. The agency increased revenue to EUR 4.3 million, including with the help of a fund-raising campaign and a 2.4% rise in revenue from commercial services, and posted a gross profit of around EUR 170,000.

Waste manager Saubermacher looking to grow by takeover

LJUBLJANA - Saubermacher Slovenija intends to take over the waste management company company Publikus and has notified the competition watchdog of the intention. The takeover would solidify the company's position as a market leader in central Slovenia. Saubermacher Slovenija is one of the largest privately-owned waste management company in Slovenia and one of the largest ones overall in the country in terms of revenue.

Medical app developer Mediately raises EUR 7.2m to expand in Europe

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian start-up Mediately has raised EUR 7.2 million in Series A funding to expand its mobile app for doctors to the largest markets in Europe. The app facilitates access to medical knowledge for doctors by simplifying an adapting complex and extensive medical content. Mediately has raised the funds to expand from the eight markets in Europe in which it is currently present.

New director of Spirit agency appointed

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Rok Capl acting director of the investment promotion agency Spirit Slovenia effective on 12 February after the previous director, Tomaž Kostanjevec, stepped down. According to his Linkedin profile, Capl currently works in the management of the spa company Thermana Laško and was previously a director at another spa company, Terme Čatež.