29 Jan 2022, 13:29 PM

Last Week in Slovenia: 21 - 27 January, 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, 21 January
        LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič and Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced testing positive for coronavirus.
        LJUBLJANA - Ana Bojinović Fenko, a professor of international relations, and Marta Kos, Slovenia's ex-ambassador to Germany and Switzerland, criticised PM Janez Janša's statements on China and Taiwan, as they spoke to the STA about the country's new foreign policy strategy before it hit parliamentary benches.
        VILNIUS, Lithuania - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs concluded his participation in a two-day conference on migrations where he argued modern surveillance systems and physical barriers should be used where necessary to improve border protection.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Kangler denied allegations about his unwarranted interfering in the police work and staffing as he was interviewed by the parliamentary inquiry into suspected political interference in the police.
        GORSKI KOTAR, Croatia - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek and Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch met the members of the Slovenian community living in Croatia's Gorski Kotar area, discussing positive developments.
        LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry and the Slovenian Enterprise Fund awarded EUR 30 million to 311 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises for digital transformation of their business and production processes. The money will come from ReactEU mechanism.
        LJUBLJANA - The Environment Agency released an atlas of climate projections for Slovenia until the end of the 21st century to help stakeholders adapt to climate change. It features 2,250 graphic simulations for various meteorological, hydrological and agrometeorological variables.

SATURDAY, 22 January
        LJUBLJANA - One Slovenian and three Belgian citizens were injured in a hot air balloon accident, as they fell out of the basket when it hit the ground on the Ljubljana Marshes. The injured were taken to hospital, three of them with severe yet not life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.
        LJUBLJANA - As many as 69 children suffering from multisystem inflammatory syndrome have been treated at Slovenia's only children's hospital since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in March 2020 in what Ljubljana Paediatric Clinic doctor Tadej Avčin told N1 news portal made the two-million nation a world leader per capita.
        LJUBLJANA - Law entered into force under which retail businesses are no longer required to issue a paper receipt to the customers unless the latter ask for it.

SUNDAY, 23 January
        TRIESTE, Italy - SKGZ, an umbrella organisation of the Slovenian minority in Italy, expressed its gratitude to Italian President Sergio Mattarella for his role in national politics and relations with Slovenia as his term came to a close.
        LJUBLJANA - A poll released by commercial POP TV showed the ruling Democrats (SDS) five percentage points ahead of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) despite losing about a percentage point in a month to 16.3%. The Left trails in third at 7.6%.
        POSTOJNA - A bear attacked a 63-year-old man in the Postojna area during a hunting drive. He was left with a broken arm, rib injuries and several wounds on his back. As the bear attacked in defence of her two cubs, the Hunters' Association decided against proposing she be put down, but said Slovenia's 1,000-plus bear population was too large.
        TITISEE-NEUSTADT, Germany - Anže Lanišek placed second for the second consecutive day in the Ski Jumping World Cup event in the third podium finish for the 25-year-old in a row this season to climb to the 5th in the overall World Cup rankings.

MONDAY, 24 January
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Anže Logar came out of the meeting of EU foreign ministers by calling for an all-out effort for a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine dispute. The Foreign Ministry said Slovenia was not planning to reduce its diplomatic staff numbers in Kyiv for the time being and was coordinating all activities with other EU countries.
        LJUBLJANA - The self-isolation period for most persons infected with Covid-19 was cut from at least ten to seven days provided they test negative on the 7th day and have not had fever or any other symptoms for 24 hours.
        LJUBLJANA - Energy trader GEN-I generated a record net profit of EUR 71 million last year on EUR 3.4 billion in revenue, according to figures presented by Robert Golob, the former CEO. The profit was up more than fourfold and revenue rose by 50%.
        MARIBOR - Marles Hiše Maribor announced Invera Equity Partners, a Dutch private equity fund manager, acquiring 58.2% stake in the company to consolidate its position as the leading manufacturer of prefabricated wooden buildings in Slovenia and make it a major player in Central Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Public Administration picked Telemach as the provider of mobile telephony services, cell phones, and data transfer for the Slovenian public administration in 2022-2025 in a deal worth around EUR 6.6 million. Telekom Slovenije and A1 Slovenija reportedly submitted too costly bids.

TUESDAY, 25 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša highlighted Slovenia's good relations with all of its neighbours as they hosted the annual reception for the diplomatic corps, which was attended by some 85 diplomats. Pahor also put in his word for sincere ties with Russia and China.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia placed 41st among 180 countries in Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perception Index, its poorest showing since 2013, having slipped six spots and losing three points. The Justice Ministry said the ranking did not necessarily reflect the actual situation in the country.
        ZAGREB, Croatia - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met his Croatian counterpart Davor Božinović for talks focusing on Croatia's accession to the Schengen passport-free zone, which Slovenia supports, and bilateral cooperation, mainly in preventing illegal migration.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed a record of 17,491 new coronavirus cases as the daily tally increased by 40% on the same day a week before amid climbing hospitalisations but decline in ICU cases. With 14 more deaths, the death toll rose to 6,268.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into the government's response to Covid-19 interviewed former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, who said in some cases the government could have acted better in dealing with the first two waves of the epidemic. He was critical of communication with the public, and of closure of schools while the economy kept running.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian tourism saw visitor numbers rise by 31% to over 4 million as visitor nights increased by 22% to 11.3 million in 2021. Both figures are still far behind the records of 2019. Domestic visitors accounted for 2.2 million of arrivals, which was largely attributed to tourism vouchers.
        LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry announced it will provide a total of EUR 640.7 million in development incentives this year to raise productivity through green and digital transition and even regional development. EUR 479.2 million will be in grants.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Employment Service recorded a significant rise in applications for the employment of foreigners in 2021. It received a total of 52,281 applications, the most since the current system was put in place in 2015.
        STRASBOURG, France - The European Court of Human Rights' annual report showed the number of applications brought against Slovenia rising by 30% in 2021 to 234. Violations of the human rights convention were found in two judgments against the country.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Civil Aviation Agency recorded 17 infringements related to flying unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, in 2021 with fines worth a combined EUR 10,900 issued in nine cases. This was the first year that new European legislation regulating drones was fully effective.

WEDNESDAY, 26 January
        LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the former CEO of energy trader Gen-I, was elected the leader of the non-parliamentary green party formerly known as Z.Dej but renamed Movement Freedom to challenge PM Janez Janša in the April election. Janša dismissed his bid as an "exam resit by Zoran Janković", a reference to the Ljubljana mayor's failure to form the government after his party, which also included Golob, won the 2011 election.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee got acquainted with the country's new foreign policy strategy, with Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan saying most of the changes were made because the international environment had changed. The opposition expressed some reservations, in particular about Slovenia no longer being referred to as a core EU member state.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan dismissed fears that the prime minister's recent statements on Taiwan may adversely affect the country's bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2024-2025, telling the Foreign Policy Committee the bid would be a good opportunity for Slovenia to show its advocacy of respect for human rights, international law and borders, for peace and stability.
        LJUBLJANA - Supreme Court judge Branko Masleša showed his diploma and bar exam certificate after being called on to do so by the Judicial Council amid allegations by some media questioning his qualification. In a detailed explanation he criticised the body for falling for politically-motivated imputation in some media, thus doing the harm to the judiciary as a whole.
        BREŽICE - The government visited the eastern Posavje region, home to Slovenia's sole nuclear power plant, with PM Janez Janša noting challenges in the energy sector as the top priority, but also the role of other efforts, including tourism development.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments sponsored by the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) to reduce the cost of sick pay on the employer and self-employed at the expense of the public healthcare fund as fellow centre-left opposition parties voted against.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted down the opposition Left's motion to call a referendum on the government's purchase of Boxer armoured personnel vehicles from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, which means the National Assembly can now ratify an agreement for Slovenia to purchase 45 such vehicles.
        CELJE - Maksimilijan Matjaž, the Bishop of Celje, founded an office to admit complaints by the victims of sexual abuse committed by the clergy and other members of religious life in line with instructions made by Pope Francis in an apostolic letter in May 2019. The news came a day after Dovolj.je (It's Enough), a Catholic advocacy for abuse victims, urged appointing an independent commission of individuals of high moral integrity to investigate and crack down on this type of crime as soon as possible.
        LJUBLJANA - Marjan Divjak, the nominee for vice-governor at Slovenia's central bank, held a presentation at the Presidential Palace saying the regulator should actively participate in monetary policy-making in the eurozone, highlighting elevated inflation and climate change as the biggest future challenges.
        LJUBLJANA - The Manager Association picked Igor Mervič the Manager of the Year for transforming retailer Spar Slovenija from a company with four stores into the country's second largest retailer during his 28 years as director general. Mervič led Spar Slovenija between 1992 and the end of 2020. He is now a member of its supervisory board, and an adviser at the Spar multinational.

THURSDAY, 27 January
        LJUBLJANA - The OECD has urged Slovenia to encourage people to work longer and to reform its pensions system to make it financially sustainable while preserving pensioners' living standards, as it issued a new report based on a a two-year analysis of the country's pension system which ran in 2020-2021.
        LUXEMBOURG - The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) expressed concern about proposed changes of the penal code which it said could affect the effectiveness of the EPPO. The changes, disavowed by the majority of the parties since they were confirmed by the Justice Committee, would give prosecutors less time to investigate before cases became statute-barred.
        NOVO MESTO - Drug maker Krka saw a record EUR 1.57 billion in sales revenue in 2021 as net profit rose by 5% to EUR 304.7 million. This year Krka plans sales at EUR 1.61 billion and net profit at EUR 300 million, with EUR 130 million to go for investment.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission backed Marjan Divjak to be appointed a vice-governor at Slovenia's central bank. The single issue raised against him was his role in the NKBM bank IPO and sale.
        LJUBLJANA - The government once again decided against appointing Lidija Tičar Padar as acting director of the Public Research Agency (ARRS). Instead, it replaced at four members of the agency's management board.
        LJUBLJANA - The investment promotion agency SPIRIT Slovenija presented the FDI Awards to the dairy Ljubljanske Mlekarne, the ICT company Comtrade and the paper mill Papirnica Vevče. Foreign investment in Slovenia rose by 2.4% last year.
        LJUBLJANA/LENDAVA - Slovenia joined observation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a number of events, including with the National Assembly being illuminated as part of the #WeRemember campaign. The main ceremony was the evening before in Lendava with President Borut Pahor calling for the preservation of peace, security, tolerance and coexistence.

29 Jan 2022, 10:31 AM

Slovenia & “Taipei” to Open Economic & Cultural Representative Offices

STA, 28 January 2022 - Foreign Minister Anže Logar has told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee that Slovenia and Taipei intend to open mutual economic and cultural representative offices, the committee's chair Monika Gregorčič told the press after the session on Friday.

Gregorčič, an MP for the coalition Concretely party, said that Logar had told the MPs that a Slovenian economic and cultural representative office will be opened in Taipei and Taipei's reciprocal office in Slovenia. "It will be named Taipei," she stressed.

Opposition SocDem MP Matjaž Nemec said that the committee had reached a consensus on the two offices.

The committee also unanimously endorsed resolutions that Slovenia remains committed to the one-China policy, Gregorčič added.

"This message is undisputable, it comes from all political players and from the parliamentary committee in charge of this matter," said Nemec.

He believes that in this sense, Prime Minister Janez Janša is alone in his moves and in relation to China and Taiwan.

Today's session was held after Janša said in an interview with an Indian broadcaster that Slovenia was in talks with Taiwan on a mutual exchange of representative offices of the kind other EU countries had in Taiwan. He also criticised China's crackdown on Lithuania, prompting a harsh rebuke from China.

The committee also discussed an agreement Slovenia and Croatia have allegedly reached on the fishing regime in the Bay of Piran, as reported by Croatian media.

The committee urged the Foreign Ministry to continue implementing the border arbitration decision from 2017.

Nemec said that it remained unclear whether a potential fisheries agreement would affect the border arbitration award.

Minister Logar, on the other hand, only said when leaving the session that the "discussion was constructive".

"I didn't feel any major politicisation, which is good when dealing with important topics."

In a statement before the session, he said he could not present anything new to the committee about Slovenia's relations with Croatia or the fishing regime.

29 Jan 2022, 04:14 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 29 January 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:

No change in China position as Slovenia, Taipei to open representative offices

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee that Slovenia and Taipei intend to open mutual economic and cultural representative offices, the committee's chair Monika Gregorčič told the press after the session. This does not mean that Slovenia's position on one-China has changed. Logar said as he headed into the session called because of PM Janez Janša's recent statements on Taiwan that there had been "no divergence from our position".

Govt acquainted with Slovenia's rule of law report

LJUBLJANA - The government got acquainted on Thursday with responses to the European Commission's questionnaire which is part of preparations for the next EU's Rule of Law Report. Although these are confidential, N1 news portal obtained the draft document, saying it contains value judgements reflecting the views of the ruling SDS as it problematises some judges' appointments. The government authorised the Foreign Ministry to forward the document to Brussels, which should happen in the coming days.

Lenarčič hopes forces in favour of EU values win election

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Janez Lenarčič, Slovenia's European commissioner, expressed the hope that forces which are sincerely in favour of fundamental EU values such as the rule of law win the Slovenian general election in April, as he warned against a return to one-party rule of the kind Slovenia had experienced in the past. The EU is more than just a single market, it is a union of values and it is not possible for every member state to have its own view on the rule of law based on its traditional values or historical experiences, he said in an interview with Slovenian correspondents in Brussels.

Health and social care unions call strike for 16 February

LJUBLJANA - Trade unions representing staff in health and social care announced a strike starting on 16 February citing the government's failure to resume talks to resolve the remaining pay disparities as agreed. The unions demand for talks to start immediately and for norms and standards in healthcare and social care to be adopted in agreement with the 2018 strike demands. They are angered because the government adopted negotiating positions for talks with doctors but not with them.

Over 16,500 coronavirus cases on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 16,571 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the second highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic, after an all-time high on Tuesday. Seven more Covid-19 patients died, as the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 increased by 11 to 719. ICU cases were up by nine to 134, government data show. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people increased by 458 to 7,272.

Committee wants vetting of judges with Yugoslav bar exam

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committee asked the Judicial Council to conduct an analysis of whether judges who had passed the bar exam in former Yugoslav republics qualify for the job. Another resolution asks the government, Supreme Court and Judicial Council to draw up legislation that will ensure the transparency of the judiciary, shorten procedures, and provide appropriate oversight. The session had been called by the coalition SDS and NSi and the opposition SNS, which framed the debate as an attempt to restore people's trust in the judiciary and safeguard its independence, while the centre-left opposition walked out.

Police bust international tobacco-smuggling ring

MARIBOR/CELJE/LJUBLJANA - An international criminal ring that illegally manufactured tobacco products in Slovenia and smuggled them across the EU has been dismantled by the Slovenian police and the Financial Administration (FURS), in cooperation with French security authorities and Europol. More than 38 tonnes of tobacco, machinery and other materials for illicit production were seized in total, a joint statement by the police and the FURS said.

Retail revenue up almost 19% last year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian retailers recorded a surge in business last year as revenue in retail in real terms was up 18.9% from 2020 and up 6.9% compared to 2019. The Statistics Office reported the largest rise, by almost 33%, was recorded by shops specialised in sale of motor fuels. Retail sales of non-food products went up by 17.4% and retail sales of food by 7.3%. Retail revenue in December was up 44.2% year-on-year, and up 24.8% compared to December 2019.

Survey unemployment rate slightly down in December

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's ILO-compatible survey unemployment rate stood at 4.6% in December last year, down by 0.1 percentage point on November and 0.7 percentage point year-on-year. The Statistics Office estimates there were some 49,000 unemployed people aged 15-74 in Slovenia in December. Men accounted for roughly 60% of this estimate and women 40%. The unemployment rate was 5% among men and 4.2% among women.

Hisense Europe to hire up to 400 new workers

VELENJE - The Hisense Europe Group, which includes the Velenje-based maker of household appliances and TV sets Gorenje, is looking for new employees to respond to new orders. Hisense wants to hire between 250 and 400 new staff, alongside an additional 60 technologists, machinists, goods handlers and engineers. The company said it would recruit staff abroad if it could not find them in Slovenia, and offer them free Slovenian language courses.

UniCredit Slovenia posts lower 2021 profit

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian subsidiary of UniCredit, the Italian banking group, saw its net profit drop by 54% last year to EUR 6 million despite slightly higher revenue, show figures released by the parent company. The Italian group is present in Slovenia with the bank UniCredit Banka Slovenije, leasing company UniCredit Leasing and real estate manager UCTAM Upravljanje. The group's consolidated revenue in Slovenia rose by 2% last year to EUR 72 million.

Unior net sales up to EUR 169 million last year

ZREČE - The state-owned tool maker and automotive supplier Unior saw its net sales go up by 22% in 2021 to EUR 169 million. This year Unior Group consolidated net sales are expected to reach EUR 272 million, an increase of 13.6% compared to the 2021 sales estimate, according to the report released by the Zreče-based company on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

RTV Slovenija gets new supervisory board

LJUBLJANA - A new supervisory board of RTV Slovenija held its maiden session, electing as chief supervisor Borut Rončević, a board member appointed by the government. The new team will supervise the broadcaster's business operations until 2026. The eleven-member board features five members appointed by parliament, four by the government and two by RTV Slovenija staff. The latter two are expected to be elected shortly.

Slovenian ski jumpers win mixed event

WILLINGEN, Germany - Slovenia won the mixed team event at the ski jumping World Cup in Willignen, Germany the first such event ever to be held on a large hill and the last try-out before the Olympic debut of this format. Ema Klinec, Cene Prevc, Urša Bogataj and Anže Lanišek scored 862.6 points to best Austria by 62.9 points. Norway in third were 83.1 points adrift. The result places the mixed team squarely among the favourites at the Beijing Olympics, which start next week.

28 Jan 2022, 13:55 PM

Ljubljana Winter Festival Opens Today, Bringing Classical Music Until 5 February

STA, 28 January 2022 - The 5th Winter Festival, the special winter edition of Ljubljana Festival, is getting under way tonight with a concert featuring three Baroque masterpieces by Bach, Ferrandini and Handel, performed by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

The festival, which makes the wait for popular summertime concerts of Ljubljana Festival shorter, will deliver eight events through 5 February.

Tonight's performance, conducted by Bart Van Reyn, one of Belgium's leading new generation conductors, will mark not only the start of Winter Festival but also the end of the 7th festival of Baroque music held by the Slovenian Philharmonic.

Reyn, for whom this is not the first time to be cooperating with the Slovenian Philharmonic, has hand-picked the soloists who will perform tonight - sopranos Julie Doyle and Griet De Geyter, from the UK and Belgium, respectively, and mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj from Slovenia.

5th Winter Festival from Festival Ljubljana on Vimeo.

Another three concerts will be hosted by Slovenia's largest arts centre, Cankarjev Dom, where star pianist Maria Joao Pires from Portugal will perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, the first concerto he composed. She will be accompanied by the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra, led by Brazilian conductor Ricardo Castro.

Opera fans have another treat in store as Joseph Calleja, a Maltese-born tenor, will interpret works by French composers as well as present his take on great lyric and veristic tenor roles. He will be accompanied by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra that will be conducted by Italy's Gianluca Marciano.

The Knights' Hall at the Križanke venue will host four performances, mainly piano recitals, including by the Italian virtuoso duo of Sergio Marchegiani and Marco Schiavo.

The festival will come to a close with another masterpiece, Mozart's Requiem, performed by the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra, the Ljubljana Glasbena Matica choir and soloists, and conducted by France's Yan Pascal Tortelier.

See the programme and get tickets on the website

28 Jan 2022, 11:02 AM

Feature: Uncertainty Over Result of April’s Election Likely to Last Until Polling Day

STA, 27 January 2022 - With public opinion polls being watched with increasing attention ahead of the April general election in Slovenia, pollsters say most voters make their final choice in the last month, even last week ahead of the election day where swing voters will have main say.

Talking with the STA, Andraž Zorko of Valicon and Nikola Damjanić of Ninamedia say the Slovenian electorate on the whole is as a rule tilted slightly left of centre and can generally be divided into three parts.

One part is engaged, decided voters, part are conscious citizens who turn out regularly at the polls but opt based on political developments each time, while a third group do not follow politics and as a rule do not vote.

It is hard to predict the proportion of swing voters but Matej Makarovič of Parsifal believes their share right now is sufficient for the outcome to remain open until election day.

There are two types of swing voters, swinging between parties and blocs. "The voters who see opposition to [PM] Janez Janša as the key reference point know exactly which bloc they will vote for, but they may be unsure about the concrete party in that bloc till the end."

The last week ahead of the election day will be the most decisive period. This is when polls typically give some general picture of what the result could realistically be.

The political arena is in a state of flux at the moment with new players making their entry such as Robert Golob and Speaker Igor Zorčič each with their own party and a new green party to be founded in February by two high-profile environmental activists.

Mediana's director Janja Božič Marolt says data and results of recent elections show new parties and faces appeal to voters, but it is hard to measure their mark in polls at the moment, in particular if the parties are not yet fully operational and it is not clear yet who their candidates will be.

"If polling attention is drawn to such parties this will be unintentionally at least partly suggestive and the parties' showing will be overrated. If they are not listed and respondents are let respond completely spontaneously, they won't even think of those parties, which will underestimate their result," says Makarovič.

In one such instance Zorko believes that the showings of the Connect Slovenia, an alliance of parties including Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek's Concretely and the party of former Maribor mayor Franc Kangler, and Our Land, founded by former Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec, are underrated.

The emerging green party Vesna may also spring a surprise in the election with Zorko drawing parallels to the situation in Austria and Germany where green parties are in government.

Asked what the biggest draw for the voters is, whether personalities, manifestos or vote buying policies, Božič Marolt says experience shows Slovenians tend to become more alert to policies advocated by parties in their platforms when election time draws closer.

Zorko finds headlines, images and populist public appearances rank prominently in the instant consumer society. It thus did not come as a surprise to him when new parties with high-profile figureheads did well in recent elections.

Damjanić says new faces are seen as hope for change although Makarovič notes that "every new face so far has managed to disappoint most of their supporters".

One important factor in this election will be alliances, in particularly given the large number of parties. Zorko sees the centre-right having a competitive advantage there with Connect Slovenia setting out early enough to build an alliance and individual parties in that movement not targeting the same group of voters.

The situation is quite different on the other side of the political spectrum where most parties are vying for the same voters.

He finds the KUL alliance of four centre-left parliamentary parties ill-fated being that it made its bid too early on, and that it comprises the same parties that formed the coalition in 2018 that failed to hold on to power until the end of the term. The centre-left bloc will thus need to consolidate to be able to be a match for the centre-right.

Damjanić sees potential in alliances as well, noting that the centre-left voters who used to vote for Liberal Democracy, Zares and Positive Slovenia are looking for something new.

He does not expect any drastic surprise in the election, but he does believe one interesting development to watch for will be the involvement of civil society movements that could draw younger voters to the polling stations. He says the turnout could be higher than in the 2018 election (52.64%).

28 Jan 2022, 10:55 AM

Slovenia Confirms First Case of New Omicron Subvariant

STA, 27 January 2022 - Slovenia has confirmed its first case of the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the national lab chief told reporters on Thursday, noting it was not yet clear whether the new strain was more contagious than the original one.

Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, the head of the National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH), said the BA.2 subvariant was confirmed in a person from Podravje, in the north-east of the country.

The official said that as yet unofficial data suggests two further cases of BA.2 had been confirmed by the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine.

The BA.1 has been the prevailing lineage in the current Omicron-driven wave of coronavirus. The new variant replaced Delta in a matter of weeks and now it is present in 95% of the samples which test positive in PCR testing.

Žohar Čretnik said there was not yet conclusive data on the difference in virulence between the two subvariants of Omicron.

"We're obviously concerned as each new variant entails a risk that needs to be evaluated as we go along, and of course we don't want a sixth wave of the epidemic that would be even worse than the fifth," she said.

The UK Health Security Agency detected more than 400 cases of the new subvariant in the first ten days of January, noting that the fresh strain had also been detected in about 40 other countries, including India, Denmark and Sweden where most of the new cases are of this subvariant.

The highly infectious Omicron variant has been driving up new cases in Slovenia with more than 14,000 recorded on Wednesday after an all-time high of close to 17,500 the day before.

Despite regular testing, infections are increasingly making their way into non-Covid hospital wards. Under a new protocol, infected patients will no longer need to be moved to Covid wards but can be isolated in their rooms.

Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of the UKC Ljubljana Department of Infectious Diseases, told reporters those patients were still being taken to get treatment and diagnostic procedures which involves disinfection and airing of premises while all staff needs to wear full personal protective equipment.

Hospitals will have the discretion to organise themselves the best way they can. Along with an increasing demand for more Covid beds, another major problem is increasing staff absenteeism due to infections, quarantine, childcare and burnout.

Robert Carotta, the coordinator for Covid hospital beds, said the Covid bed capacity would be increased depending on the situation.

Of the 583 patients treated at non-ICU units of Covid wards 58% are being treated for Covid as their prime condition, which compares to 80% of such patients in early January.

The government's Covid spokesperson Maja Bratuša announced that due to the changed situation data would be released on which patients are being treated for Covid and which are at hospitals with Covid but treated for other conditions.

Due to the difficult situation hospitals are already cancelling elective treatments.

28 Jan 2022, 08:42 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday 28 January, 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:

OECD calls on Slovenia to reform pension system

LJUBLJANA - The OECD has urged Slovenia to encourage people to work longer and to reform its pensions system to make it financially sustainable while preserving pensioners' living standards, as it issued a new report based on a a two-year analysis of the country's pension system which ran in 2020-2021. Without reforms, pension expenditure will significantly rise in the coming three decades, Mark Pearson from the OECD said. Labour Ministry State Secretary Mateja Ribič said the analysis came at the right time as the country was in the midst of laying the groundwork for modernising the system.

EPPO expresses concern about proposed penal code changes

LUXEMBOURG - The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) expressed concern about proposed changes of the penal code which it said could affect the effectiveness of the EPPO. The changes, disavowed by the majority of the parties since they were confirmed by the Justice Committee, would give prosecutors less time to investigate before cases became statute-barred. "If the changes were adopted as proposed, prosecutors would have drastically less time to investigate the vast majority of crimes under the EPPO's jurisdiction," the EPPO said.

New Omicron subvariant confirmed in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has confirmed its first case of the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the national lab chief told reporters, noting it was not yet clear whether the new strain was more contagious than the original one. The national lab now analyses PCR samples in 20 hours on average. What is also new amid the Omicron-driven wave of infections is a protocol under which infected patients in non-Covid hospital wards will no longer need to be moved to Covid wards but can be isolated in their rooms.

More than 14,000 Covid cases logged for Wednesday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 14,206 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday after a record of almost 17,500 cases were confirmed the day before, show fresh official figures. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital stood at 708 this morning, up by 38 on the day before, whereas the total of ICU cases decreased slightly - by two to 125. Another 14 patients died, according to government data.

Krka's net profit up 5% to almost EUR 305m in 2021

NOVO MESTO - Drug maker Krka reported a group net profit of EUR 304.7 million for 2021, a rise of 5% year-on-year, on the back of sales revenue that rose by 2% to a record EUR 1.57 billion. CEO Jože Colarič said that Krka saw record sales in all of its regions, except Western Europe, with profitability at a high level. For this year, Krka plans sales at EUR 1.61 billion and net profit at EUR 300 million, with EUR 130 million to go for investment.

C-bank nominee clears first hurdle in parliament

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission backed Marjan Divjak to be appointed a vice-governor at Slovenia's central bank. The single issue raised against the nominee was his role in the NKBM bank IPO and sale. The commission voted 10 votes in his favour and four against. Divjak needs to win at least 46 votes in the 90-member National Assembly to get appointed.

FDI awards go to Ljubljana dairy, Comtrade and Vevče paper mill

LJUBLJANA - The investment promotion agency Spirit Slovenija presented its awards for foreign investors that achieved exceptional results in the past year and contributed to the development of the country's economy. The FDI Award Slovenia accolades went to the dairy Ljubljanske Mlekarne, the ICT company Comtrade and the paper mill Papirnica Vevče. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek noted last year the volume of foreign investments in Slovenia had increased by 2.4% despite the pandemic.

Four members of Public Research Agency's board replaced

LJUBLJANA - The government once again decided against appointing Lidija Tičar Padar as acting director of the Public Research Agency (ARRS). Instead, it replaced at four members of the agency's management board. The move comes after several science stakeholders accused the government of political staffing and said its actions jeopardised the agency's work.

Holocaust victims being remembered in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The facade of the National Assembly will be lit up tonight in memory of the six million Jews who were killed by the Nazis and their supporters during WWII as Slovenia joins observation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Holocaust victims are being honoured with several events this week. The main ceremony was held in Lendava on Wednesday where President Borut Pahor called for the preservation of peace, security, tolerance and coexistence.

Finance Ministry gets new state secretary

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Irena Drmaž as Finance Ministry state secretary on Thursday after her predecessor Kristina Šteblaj stepped down to join the Bank Assets Management Company as an executive director. Drmaž previously worked as director-general at the ministry's Budget Directorate. The government also decided Janez Mravljak will continue to lead the Recovery and Resilience Office as acting director.

Automotive supplier Dani AFC rehiring

SLOVENJ GRADEC - Dani AFC, the Italian-owned supplier of leather cuts for high-end car seats, is rehiring after being forced to lay off staff last year due to disruption in car industry supplies. Jožef Horvat, director of the Slovenj Gradec company, has told the STA they will need more than 70 workers due to a sudden spike in orders from Audi and Volkswagen. Between 25 and 30 have already been given a job, including former employees.

NKBM issues EUR 300m bond

MARIBOR - The NKBM bank completed its first issue of a non-preferred senior bonds on the international market in the nominal amount of EUR 300 million and maturity of three years, with the possibility of recall after two years. The bank said that the bonds, which have yield of 1.875%, have been listed on the Euro MTF market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

State forestry company posts record profit

KOČEVJE - SiDG, the state-owned forest management company, posted a net profit of EUR 14 million for last year, up 87% on the year before and 83% above plans. Revenue rose by about a quarter to EUR 71 million and the EBITDA margin rose to 27% from 19% last year, the company said.

Man gets 23 years for attempted murder of ex-partner, daughter

LJUBLJANA - The Celje Higher Court has upheld the sentencing of a man who attempted to murder his former partner and their daughter with tranquillisers concealed in doughnuts to 23 years in prison. The sentence imposed by the Celje District Court last June is now final, the daily newspapers reported. What contributed to such a high sentence is him having a previous criminal record of violent offences, including an attempted murder.

27 Jan 2022, 16:38 PM

Witnesses Refuse to Cooperate with Inquiry into SDS Financing

STA, 27 January 2022 - Rok Snežič, a tax adviser with alleged links to Prime Minister Janez Janša, would not answer questions as he appeared before the parliamentary inquiry into alleged unlawful financing of Janša's Democratic Party (SDS) on Thursday. Nor did his wife Klavdija Snežič, formerly the largest shareholder of Nova24TV.

Rok Snežič told the inquiry from the outset that he would either decline to answer questions or respond by saying he did not remember, and then went on to explain he was not a public office holder and was not obliged to answer to the inquiry as it was not a court.

He would neither confirm nor deny his socialising with Janša on the ground that he did not remember. He said he was not under obligation to explain his relationship with his acquaintances or friends when asked about his links to Dijana Đuđić and other persons allegedly involved in contentious financial transactions.

Snežič served a sentence for tax evasion in the past, at the same prison that Janša was incarcerated in prior to the 2014 election before his sentence in the Patria defence bribery cases was quashed by the Constitutional Court.

Asked about Klemen Nicoletti, an owner of Majbert Pharm, the company picked by the state in late 2020 to supply roughly EUR 1 million worth of rapid tests for mass coronavirus screening, Snežič said he had nothing to do with "Instagram boys" and could not be their friend as he did not have an Instagram account.

He also claimed not remembering when asked about his advertising agency's dealings with the state-owned companies HSE, TEŠ and Pošta Slovenije.

He said he had been nicknamed tax evasion doctor because such was the subject of his doctoral thesis. He repeatedly urged the inquiry to present material evidence on his alleged business dealings.

Klavdija Snežič, who was accompanied by her legal counsel, invoked a provision allowing witnesses in parliamentary inquiry to decline answering questions if that could harm them or their relatives.

MPs inquired about her role as a former largest shareholder of Nova24TV, a media outlet with ties to the SDS. Jani Möderndorfer, an MP for the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), said she borrowed the money to buy the shares in cash from entrepreneurs Dražen Kuča.

The latter has failed for the third time to respond to an invitation for an interview, thus Möderndorfer proposed he be subpoenaed, which was endorsed.

Damjan Damjanovič, a former director of Nova24tv, also failed to appear for the interview, citing poor health.

The inquiry is looking into alleged money laundering at the NKBM bank by foreign citizens and their affiliates and alleged illegal financing of the SDS and suspected dealings of media publishers owned by the party prior to the 2018 election.

27 Jan 2022, 11:34 AM

Man Who Tried to Kill Ex-Partner, Daughter with Poisoned Doughnuts Gets 23 Yrs in Jail

STA, 27 January 2022 - The Celje Higher Court has upheld the sentencing of a man who attempted to murder his former partner and their daughter with tranquillisers concealed in doughnuts to 23 years in prison. The sentence imposed by the Celje District Court last June is now final, the daily newspapers reported on Thursday.

Luka Vlaović was given the combined sentence for two attempted murders in a vicious and insidious way, and for threatening the ex-partner's father.

He was given a 13-year sentence for the attempted murder of the former partner, a 12-year sentence for the attempted murder of the daughter, and a three-month sentence for the threats, which were combined into a 23-year prison sentence.

The case emerged in early January 2021, as it was revealed that Vlaović tried to poison his former partner and their daughter, who was six years old at the time, with doughnuts laced with Lorazepam.

The man was spending time with the daughter on the day of the incident as scheduled, but failed to bring her back to her mother at the arranged hour.

When his former partner called him to announce that she was coming to pick up the child, he told her to enter his apartment as they were making doughnuts. When she came in, he offered her and the daughter the doughnuts containing the tranquilliser.

The mother and daughter fell ill as they were driving home, so they called their relatives and sought medical assistance. It was determined in hospital that they had been poisoned.

During the trial, the prosecution somewhat modified the indictment to accuse Vlaović of attempting the murders out of revenge, as the former partner had submitted a proposal to court that his contacts with the daughter be supervised, which he could not accept.

The court also heard a pharmacology expert, who testified that the former partner had consumed at least 20 Lorazepam pills in the doughnuts and the daughter consumed at least six to eight pills.

The expert said that the pills reached full effect in an hour to two after consumption, and that they had definitely had an effect on the partner's ability to drive a vehicle.

Reporting the upholding of the sentence, the newspapers Delo, Dnevnik, Večer and Slovenske Novice said today that the Celje Higher Court had rejected all appeals by Vlaović's defence and by Vlaović himself, who has not admitted guilt.

The defendant had told investigators that the substance that caused the poisoning was a medication intended for his use.

According to the media, what contributed to such a high sentence is Vlaović having a previous criminal record of violent offences, including an attempted murder.

27 Jan 2022, 11:31 AM

Slovenia Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day

STA, 27 January 2022 - The facade of the National Assembly will be lit up tonight in memory of the six million Jews who were killed by the Nazis and their supporters during Second World War as Slovenia joins observation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Holocaust victims are being honoured with several events this week. The main ceremony was held in Lendava on Wednesday with President Borut Pahor calling in his keynote address for the preservation of peace, security, tolerance and coexistence.

In order to do this, both individuals and communities at home and in the international community need to promote the culture of remembrance, dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes, the president added.

Pahor said that people should do everything in their power for reason to prevail, for things to calm down and for diplomacy to gain power so that problems around the world are solved and that the current and future generations are spared from conflict.

Before the ceremony, a delegation featuring Pahor and Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela laid a wreath at the Jewish cemetery in Dolga Vas in the north-east of the country.

The president then visited Erika Fürst, a Jew from the Slovenian region of Prekmurje and a Holocaust survivor, with whom Pahor attended many remembrance ceremonies in recent years, and wished her a lot of health and vitality.

The National Assembly has joined the #WeRemember Campaign, initiated by World Jewish Congress in partnership with UNESCO, where people worldwide are asked to spread the message through various avenues, including social media.

The campaign, which has been running throughout the week, includes the illumination of notable monuments, coupled with the projection of moving messages in public places.

"It's our duty and the only promise for a better tomorrow to foster memory of the Holocaust victims and to cherish living together in peace with everyone, including those different from us," Speaker Igor Zorčič has said on the occasion.

"Only by preserving the memory of the past horrors and injustices and by fostering universal human values and human rights can we prevent such a tragedy from ever repeating. It is thus important and necessary to do what we can to support the efforts addressed by the #WeRemember campaign," Zorčič added.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is being observed since 2006 to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, in 1945.

From Slovenia more than 2,300 people were deported to the camp and more than 1,300 perished there. Of those deported, 350 were Jews and at least 78 were Roma.

The Slovenian Jewish community was all but annihilated during WWII, out of around 1,500 Jews in 1939 only some 200 Slovenian Jews survived the war.

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