23 Jan 2022, 16:04 PM

Stores No Longer Obliged to Give Customers Paper Receipts

STA, 22 January 2022 - As of today, retail businesses are no longer obligated to give out a paper receipt unless a client explicitly asks for it. Until now, businesses selling goods or services had to give clients a receipt on paper, or in the electronic form if the client agreed with this option.

This is no longer required as the changes to the VAT act kicked in on Saturday, transposing four EU directives and also bringing some simplifications for businesses.

This does not mean the receipt does not have to be issued.

Retail establishments still have to issue a receipt, which will also be recorded for tax purposes, it is just that the receipt will not be automatically handed to the client, Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj explained in parliament in November.

The seller now tells the client the amount charged, issues the receipt and registers it for tax purposes, but does not give a hard copy to the client, the Tax Administration explained.

23 Jan 2022, 15:58 PM

Slovenia Reports 13,111 Positive PCR Tests on Saturday

STA, 23 January 2022 - A new daily record number of coronavirus infection cases was recorded in Slovenia on Saturday as 13,911 PCR tests were positive, with the positivity rate standing at 75.5%, the latest data from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) show. Total hospitalisations were up slightly, while as many as 18 people with Covid-19 died.

The record comes after similarly high daily numbers were also recorded on Tuesday (more than 12,000) and Wednesday (more than 10,000).

Radio Slovenija reported that the Saturday figures included the results of the samples taken on Thursday and Friday that had come back for Germany, as a certain number of samples are being sent there as Slovenia has reached full capacity.

According to unofficial information, there are certain delays in the reporting of results for samples sent abroad.

The STA is still waiting for comment on that from the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH) the Health Ministry.

Some community health centres record an increased number of calls from residents and there are significant delays in obtaining results of swabs from PCR testing by external laboratories.

NIJZ Milan Krek is not surprised by the record daily count. He told Radio Slovenija that the Omicron variant was extremely contagious and that it had many opportunities "given how people behave".

The 7-day average of confirmed infections was up by 1,125 to 10,557, and the two-week incidence per 100,000 population rose by 502 to 5,329.

According to the government, hospitalisations were up by seven to 608 today, while the number of patients in intensive care was down by one to 135.

The youngest hospitalised patient is 20 years old, and the youngest patient in intensive care is 32 years old.

A total of 18 people with Covid-19 died yesterday, which is the highest daily death toll since 18 December.

The estimated number of active infections was up by 10,557 to 112,517, according to the NIJZ.

Get all the latest data on COVID and Slovenia

23 Jan 2022, 05:29 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 23 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:

Four injured in hot air balloon accident near Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Four persons, of whom one Slovenian and three Belgian citizens, were injured in a hot air balloon accident on the Ljubljana Marshes around 10am this morning. The injured persons were taken to the UKC Ljubljana hospital, three of them with severe yet not life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined. Police spokesperson Tomaž Tomaževic said that upon landing, the basket hit the meadow. Grega Trček from the Barje Balloon Centre told the STA that strong winds were blowing upon landing and four persons fell out of the basket.

Almost 9,950 Covid infections confirmed on Friday

LJUBLJANA - 9,945 infections were confirmed in Slovenia for Friday, a daily rise of 5,479 and a weekly rise of 2,365, shows data from the Institute of Public Health, which estimates there are currently almost 102,000 active infections in the country. The 7-day average of confirmed infections is at 8,825 and the two-week incidence per 100,000 population at 4,827. Government data shows that 11 Covid patients died yesterday and that 601 patients were in hospital this morning.

Almost 70 kids with inflammatory syndrome treated since start of epidemic

LJUBLJANA - 69 children suffering from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children have been treated at Slovenia's only children's hospital since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in March 2020. Immunologist Tadej Avčin from the Ljubljana Paediatric Clinic says this makes the two-million nation a world leader per capita, saying this is a good indicator of how spread the coronavirus is in the general population. He said in an interview with N1 news portal that MIS-C has been the most frequent systemic immune disease his department has treated in the past two years, with an absolute record of 17 cases last December alone.

Shops no longer obligated to give clients paper receipts

LJUBLJANA - As of today, retail businesses are no longer obligated to automatically produce a paper receipt unless a client explicitly asks for it. Until now, businesses selling goods or services had to give clients a receipt on paper, or in the electronic form if the client agreed with this option. This is no longer required as the changes to the VAT act kicked in today, transposing four EU directives and also bringing some simplifications for businesses.

Austrian skier found dead in Mt Stol area

KRANJ - An Austrian skier who went missing on Friday while skiing off piste in the area of Mt Stol in the Karawanken mountain range in northern Slovenia was found dead this morning some 200 metres below the Stol ridge. He apparently fell in the ridge in his ski boots, and died on the spot, the Kranj Police Department said.

22 Jan 2022, 19:22 PM

Body of Austrian Skier Found in Mt Stol Area

STA, 22 January 2022 - An Austrian skier who went missing on Friday while skiing off piste in the area of Mt Stol in the Karawanken mountain range in northern Slovenia was found dead on Saturday morning, the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief says on its website.

The skier was found some 200 metres below the Stol ridge, in which he apparently fell in his ski boots, and died on the spot, the Kranj Police Department said.

The rescuers from Radovljica mounted a rescue operation on Stol's southern face yesterday and resumed it this morning. The rescue operation was also carried out on the Austrian sides of the border.

22 Jan 2022, 19:12 PM

Four Injured in Hot Air Balloon Accident Near Ljubljana

STA, 22 January - Four persons, of whom one Slovenian and three Belgian citizens, were injured in a hot air balloon accident in the area of the Ljubljana Marshes on Saturday morning, the Ljubljana Police Department said. The injured persons were taken to the UKC Ljubljana hospital, which said that their lives were not endangered.

The accident happen around 10am in the area between Škofljica and Ig on the outskirts of Ljubljana when the hot air balloon carrying six persons was landing and the basket hit the meadow, the police department's spokesperson Tomaž Tomaževic told the press.

The hot air balloon took off at the town of Bistra, some 10km south-west of Ljubljana, for an hour-long trip together with another balloon.

Both planned to land on the Ljubljana Marshes, and the second balloon, with three persons on board, landed safely, said Tomaževic.

Injured were a 55-year-old Belgian pilot, two women aged 28 and 54, and the only Slovenian on board, a 67-year old pilot assistant.

UKC Ljubljana said that three of them are heavily injured and were hospitalised, yet neither has life-threatening injuries.

Traumatologist Franc Štefanič told the press that one of the men had sustained the severest injuries, of the head and chest. The other two sustained injuries of the spine.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, and criminal police are continuing the investigation, said Tomaževic.

As Grega Trček from the Barje Balloon Centre told the STA earlier in the day, strong winds were blowing upon landing and four persons fell out of the balloon.

Several teams took part in the rescue effort, while fire fighters intervened to prevent a fire or explosion.

Tomaževic said that the Belgians had come to Slovenia today with all the necessary equipment to for a hot air balloon ride.

The worst hot air balloon accident in Slovenia happened in August 2012, also in the area of the Ljubljana Marshes, leaving six of the 32 people on board dead and several gravely injured, as the balloon caught fire upon landing in windy weather. The pilot was acquitted of all charges in 2018.

22 Jan 2022, 08:04 AM

Last Week in Slovenia: 14 - 20 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, 14 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Amendments to the income tax act and energy vouchers, along with measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic, will be the coalition's main priorities until the end of its term, coalition leaders said after a meeting. On income tax, PM Janez Janša said that the coalition might accept the opposition's referendum challenge after it sees whether it is possible to hold the vote on the day of the general election.
        LJUBLJANA - Appearing before the opposition-led parliamentary inquiry examining the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, PM Janez Janša discussed the verification of rapid antigen tests, payout of bonuses and legal basis for coronavirus measures, as well as the low vaccination rate, which he said was similar in all post-Communist countries.
        LJUBLJANA - The priorities of France's EU presidency were presented to the parliamentary committees for EU affairs and foreign policy, with Florence Ferrari, the French ambassador to Slovenia, thanking Slovenia for the work carried out during the last six months and praising the cooperation between the two countries during Slovenia's EU presidency.

SATURDAY, 15 January
        MUMBAI, India - Prime Minister Janez Janša told The Economic Times, an Indian newspaper, that Slovenia saw India as an "important global, indeed, strategic partner of Slovenia and the EU as a whole." He said the informal EU-India summit in May 2021 had "reinforced the EU-India strategic partnership, which is underpinned by the shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights."
        LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the former chairman of electricity trader Gen-I, told Večer it would be clear by the end of January if he would enter the election race and whether he would form a new party or have a go with one of the existing parties. He said he was in talks almost on a daily basis with representatives of various parties and movements.
        LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Marking the 30th anniversary of Germany's recognition of Slovenian independence, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that this jubilee in German-Slovenian relations was an incentive "to continue to advocate European interests and values consistently and to shape our future in the EU together and in a positive way".

SUNDAY, 16 January
LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - Croatian media reported that Slovenia and Croatia reached an agreement under which Slovenian fishers would be allowed to fish in the Gulf of Piran in the Croatian territorial waters as far south as Umag, and Croatian fishers in Slovenian waters as far north as Koper. Slovenia neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
MARIBOR - Authorities successfully neutralised an unexploded WWII aerial bomb that was found in Maribor earlier this week. A part of Slovenia's second largest city had to be evacuated until roughly 1:30pm when sirens marked the end of danger.

MONDAY, 17 January
        LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) and a new party that would be led by Robert Golob, the former CEO of energy company GEN-I, were neck-and-neck at 15.5% and 15.4%, respectively, in a Vox Populi survey Mediana carried out in the format of an exit poll for the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer.
        LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič highlighted the progress in the digitalisation of the justice system as he presented the achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency, while rating the presidency as a whole as "excellent" despite the delays in nominating Slovenia's European delegated prosecutors.
        LJUBLJANA - The challenges faced by Slovenian ethnic communities in neighbouring countries were discussed as the parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad met at the behest of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), which urged the government to draw up a new strategy of relations with Slovenians living outside of Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police recorded 10,067 attempts at illegal crossing of the border last year, down 31% on 2020, while asylum applications rose substantially, official police statistics show.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia spent almost EUR 31.5 million on setting up fences and on other costs related to the increased surveillance of its border with Croatia between November 2015 and the end of 2020, as 85.5 kilometres of razor wire fences were installed along the border, and are now gradually being replaced by hard fencing.
        VELENJE - The Velenje municipality, home to the country's only functioning coal mine, rejected the coal exit year 2033 as "unrealistic" and called for a more ambitious jobs strategy. The trade union of coal miners expressed disappointment, describing the decision as "political, unprofessional and ill-conceived".
        BRNIK - Jože Pučnik Airport Ljubljana saw a total of around 422,000 passengers last year, up 46.4% compared to 2020, according to data released by the airport's German operator Fraport, which operates the Slovenian airport through its subsidiary Fraport Slovenija.
        LJUBLJANA - The Financial Administration last year collected EUR 19.2 billion in taxes and other levies, 18% more than in 2020, and 9.3% more than in 2019.

TUESDAY, 18 January
        LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases reached an absolute record with as many as 12,286 coronavirus infections recorded since the start of the epidemic last year. Over 63% of PCR tests came back positive, as labs in the country became overwhelmed. Hospitalisations remain stable.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša revealed in an interview with the Indian broadcaster Doordarshan that Slovenia and Taiwan are working on "exchanging representatives" at the "same level that many EU countries already have". The Chinese Foreign Ministry described his statements as "dangerous", whereas the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry expressed "gratitude" for his "staunch support". Only a few days later, the Slovenian-Chinese Business Council reported that Slovenian companies in the Chinese market were already affected. The statement also triggered some strong reactions from the opposition while President Borut Pahor said Slovenia had consistently advocated a One-China principle, a principle the EU is also bound to.
        LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec reiterated his promise that the state would help the coal-mining regions through transition as he responded to misgivings aired by those dependent on the industry over the strategy to exit coal in 2033. Vrtovec said 2033 when Slovenia was to exit coal to generate power was an ambitious but also very realistic goal.
        LJUBLJANA - Marjan Divjak, who has served as director general of the Finance Ministry's treasury directorate since 2013, was forward by President Borut Pahor to succeed Primož Dolenc as one of four vice-governors of the Slovenian central bank.
        STRASBOURG, France - Roberta Metsola's election as European Parliament president was hailed by Slovenian MEPs from the ranks of her European family, the EPP, but also others as the Renew and S&D members expressed the expectation for her to represent the Parliament's common position on issues such as the right to abortion.
        LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek announced he would run in the general election on the slate of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), saying that the party provided political stability. NSi president Matej Tonin said the NSi was open to experts and people who want to implement its platform.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left opposes the idea floated by PM Janez Janša to hold a referendum on amendments to the income tax act along with the general election in April and is considering withdrawing its petition for such a referendum.
        LJUBLJANA - The Labour Committee rejected a proposal by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Left for an increase in the minimum wage beyond the 4.9% rise set by the labour minister for 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced orthopaedic surgeon Gregor Kavčič of the Novo Mesto hospital to three years in prison for accepting bribes from medical supplier Emporio Medical in exchange for having the company supply knee replacement products by Biomet to the Novo Mesto hospital. Kavčič plans to appeal.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport introduced a separate quota for the enrolment of Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship in universities in Slovenia. The separate quota had been advocated by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch, who welcomed the change.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will be fielding a total of 41 athletes at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. Based on the season so far, the women's and men's ski jumping teams are seen as having the best chance of winning an Olympic medal.

WEDNESDAY, 19 January
        LJUBLJANA - The EU integration of Western Balkan countries is important for the bloc's strategic position in the world. It is also an opportunity for Slovenian businesses, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told an event on the Balkans, noting Slovenian companies had a chance to take part in projects for which the European Commission set aside EUR 9 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - Due to a rising number of coronavirus infections in the country, Slovenia switched to a new quarantine regime, where employees in health, social affairs and education who were in contact with an infected person do not need to quarantine provided they test for coronavirus daily for a week and use a FFP2 face mask in the workplace. Similar rules apply for kindergarten children and students.
        LJUBLJANA - Overwhelmed with PCR test samples, the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food started sending part of them to Germany for analysis. From 3,000 to 4,000 samples are currently sent to the lab Eurofins, which processes them in 48 hours.
        STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament endorsed Jorg Kristijan Petrovič, Slovenia's candidate for the European Court of Auditors in an non-binding vote.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committed endorsed in a 7:6 vote a bill sponsored by the National Party (SNS) that seeks to shorten or limit "unreasonably long pre-trial and criminal proceedings in white-collar crime cases" and could result in ongoing cases becoming statute-barred. The amendments were confirmed by coalition MPs despite criticism from the parliament's legal service, upper chamber of parliament and even the Justice Ministry.
        LJUBLJANA - MP Violeta Tomić resigned from the opposition Left. The party's executive committee said it decided not to field Tomić in the Ljubljana-Center district, the Left's heartland, whereupon she declined an offer to run in another district. It also quoted a "partial loss of trust".
        LJUBLJANA - The Voice of the People, an initiative of over 1,800 individuals and 100 civil society organisations, presented a list of 138 demands that they wish political parties take a position on in the run-up to the election day. They see this as a contribution to political discourse and voter turnout.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Council vetoed amendments to the act on special rights for minorities in education which would set a higher Italian language standard for staff working in Slovenian-Italian bilingual kindergartens and schools. The near-unanimous vote came after councillors said it was wrong for administrative staff to be subjected to the same strict requirements regarding Italian language skills as teachers.
        LJUBLJANA - The non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) appointed Finance Ministry State Secretary Kristina Šteblaj an executive director of the bad bank. She will join Matej Pirc and Andrej Lazar on 1 February, and will serve as a BAMC executive director until the end of the year.

THURSDAY, 20 January
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor formally informed the National Electoral Commission (DVK) that he will sign a presidential decree for a general election on 9 February, setting Sunday, 24 April, as the election date.
        LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of the NLB bank appointed Hedvika Usenik, Antonio Argir and Andrej Lasič to the management board to expand it from three to six members. Their five-year terms will start after clearance from the banking regulator.
        LJUBLJANA - Ivan Simič, director general of Slovenia's Financial Administration, was appointed the chief of the supervisory board at Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), taking over on Friday.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to extend the administered pricing of heating oil through the regulation on the pricing of petroleum products that was introduced last year, under which the distributors' margin has been limited to a maximum of six cents per litre of heating oil.
        LJUBLJANA - The government's macroeconomic think thank IMAD presented its report on productivity in Slovenia which shows that there is progress, but it is not significant enough. Slovenia is lagging behind the top EU countries and is being caught up with by its rivals from Central and Eastern Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted its negotiating position for pay talks with medical doctors, estimated at EUR 111.57 million annually. The negotiating position says that the top pay bracket for doctors could rise by six brackets to the 63rd under the public sector pay system.
        NOVA GORICA - Former CEO of brewer Pivovarna Laško, Boško Šrot, and his family business Atka-Prima were ordered to pay EUR 13 million in damages to fruit drinks producer Fructal over several deals dating back to 2008 and 2009/

22 Jan 2022, 05:02 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 22 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:

Self-isolation cut to seven days from Monday

LJUBLJANA - The self-isolation time frame in Slovenia will be cut from at least ten to seven days from Monday, health officials said. This will apply to most of infected people, except for those with weakened immune systems or those with a severe Covid-19. A person may stop self-isolating provided they will not have fever or any other Covid symptoms 24 hours before the end of self-isolation and will test negative on the seventh day.

Thursday with nearly 9,900 confirmed coronavirus cases

LJUBLJANA - A total of 9,858 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Thursday, show fresh official figures. The estimated total of actively infected people is nearing 100,000, meaning almost 5% of the population is infected. Hospitalisations increased to 599 this morning, whereas the number of ICU cases dropped to 144. Another twelve people with Covid died.

Committee agrees with tweaks to health insurance act

LJUBLJANA - The Health Committee endorsed on Thursday amendments to the health insurance act that would cut the period of sick leave for which employees receive compensation from their employer from 30 to 20 working days. The proposal, tabled by the opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), received support of the coalition MPs. Meanwhile, the government does not support the changes.

Speaker Zorčič, Minister Tonin test positive for coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič has tested positive for coronavirus and is in self-isolation, the parliament said, while Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the president of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), also said on Twitter he has tested positive. Zorčič tested positive on Thursday and was thus among the 9,858 infections confirmed in Slovenia that day. Tonin meanwhile tweeted: "I am positive. Currently without any symptoms. Vaccination works. Take care of yourselves, stay healthy."

Pundits critical of Janša's statements about Taiwan, China

LJUBLJANA - Ana Bojinović Fenko, a professor of international relations, and Marta Kos, Slovenia's ex-ambassador to Germany and Switzerland, have criticised PM Janez Janša's recent statements about China and Taiwan, as they spoke to the STA about the country's new foreign policy strategy, which will be discussed in parliament next week. The centre-right opposition National Party (SNS), which often supports the current government's policies, meanwhile labelled Janša's statements as "a mistake".

Supreme State Prosecutor opposes proposed penal code changes

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme State Prosecutor's Office expressed opposition to proposed changes to the penal code that seek to shorten periods of limitation in white-collar crime cases, saying this was an ill-advised and unjustified interference in criminal law with no basis in statistical analyses of the duration of criminal proceedings. The NGO Institute 8th March also weighed in with its opinion, saying that it would launch the procedure to initiate a referendum on the matter if the changes were to be adopted.

Hojs attends two-day conference on migrations in Lithuania

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs concluded a two-day conference on migrations in Vilnius, which discussed the issues of using migrations for political gains and common measures to strengthen surveillance at the EU's external borders in light of increased migrations. Hojs said that modern surveillance systems and physical barriers should be used where necessary to improve border protection, as they have proven to be a useful measure in the past, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

Kangler denies allegations of interference in police work

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission investigating suspicion of political interference in the work of police interviewed Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Kangler, who denied during a four-hour session allegations about his unwarranted interfering in either the work of police or staffing decisions. He was heard after the inquiry adopted an interim report on 10 January, proposing that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and both state secretaries should resign.

Real estate fund Equinox to be listed on 31 January

LJUBLJANA - Equinox, a real estate fund created last year with the split of the real estate branch from the rest of the Group Union Hoteli, will be listed on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE) on 31 January. All existing shares of the company will be listed and their reference price will be published on 28 January. Equinox will be the first ever private real estate company on the LJSE.

Tourism Chamber calls for aid to tourism sector

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Tourism and Hospitality Chamber (TGZS) called for immediate additional support for the tourism sector due to the Covid crisis, urging the government to pay out the previously promised financial aid to companies with the biggest revenue losses. They have been waiting for this aid for ten months already, the TGZS said.

Ministers visit Slovenian minority in Croatia

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek and Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch met the members of the Slovenian community living in Croatia's Gorski Kotar region, discussing positive developments in the region. They also inspected the construction of the Gorski Kotar tourist-educational farm in the village of Prezid, planned as a multifunctional community centre where the the minority will pursue various activities.

Slovenian spas saw a rise in visitor numbers last year

CELJE - Slovenian spas recorded more visitors in 2021 than the year before, although not as many as in 2019. "2022 will also be exceptionally demanding for the entire tourism sector," the Association of Slovenian Natural Spas said. The 13 members of the association recorded 583,607 guests last year and over 2.2 million nights. The number of guests was up by 22.4% compared to 2020, while nights were up by 18.1%, with a majority of the guests being domestic ones, and only 100,690 or 17% coming from abroad.

Micro companies and SMEs receive EUR 30m for digitalisation

LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry and the Slovenian Enterprise Fund have awarded EUR 30 million to 311 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises for digital transformation of their business and production processes, the ministry said. A total of 668 companies, including 316 from the eastern cohesion region and 352 from the western region, applied to the P4D ReactEU call for applications that will be fully funded from the ReactEU mechanism. Companies with at least five employees received EUR 30,000-100,000 in grants with the state covering up to 60% of eligible costs of the project.

AmCham debate discusses challenges in economy

LJUBLJANA - The global economy, including Slovenia, is currently experiencing major changes, and to succeed in this tumultuous period, adaptation and cooperation will be key, said the participants of AmCham's business breakfast. The debate was attended by Foreign Minister Anže Logar, who highlighted Slovenia's size as an advantage.

Contemporary History Museum puts on outdoor exhibit on migration

LJUBLJANA - The National Museum of Contemporary History has set up an outdoor exhibition in front of its building in the Tivoli park, presenting the migration processes in Europe in the 20th century that have shaped the identities of millions of people. The exhibition reveals intimate stories of migrants and their descendants.

Consumer confidence unchanged in January

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's consumer confidence indicator remained the same on the monthly level in January, while it increased by five percentage points year-on-year, the Statistics Office said. Compared to January 2021, the consumer confidence indicator improved this month in all components except expectations about household finances.

ARSO releases climate change projections until 2100

LJUBLJANA - The country's Environment Agency (ARSO) has released an atlas of climate projections for Slovenia until the end of the 21st century to help stakeholders adapt to climate change. The new tool is intended for all those who are or will be involved in planning adjustments to the climate change in various areas, ARSO has said. Almost 2,250 graphic simulations for various meteorological, hydrological and agrometeorological variables are available at ARSO's website.

Ljubljana Castle visitor numbers up in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Castle, one of the most popular landmarks in Slovenia, was visited by over 460,000 tourists in 2021, of whom some 142,000 used the funicular. Both figures are higher than in the first coronavirus year 2020, but still significantly below the record year 2019 for the castle's operator. The number of visitors was 32% higher than in 2020 and the number of those who took the funicular by 45%, Ljubljanski Grad said. As many as 63% of the visitors came from abroad, mostly from Germany.

21 Jan 2022, 16:59 PM

Slovenia Cuts Self-Isolation to 7 Days from Monday

STA, 21 January 2022 - The self-isolation time frame will be cut from at least ten to seven days in Slovenia from Monday, health officials said on Friday. This will apply to most of infected people, provided they will not have fever or any other Covid symptoms 24 hours before the end of self-isolation and will test negative on the seventh day.

Self-isolation will be reduced for all people infected with coronavirus, except for those with weakened immune systems or those with a severe Covid-19 who are in need of hospital treatment, infectologist Janez Tomažič told a Covid press briefing.

If a person will have fever on the sixth day of self-isolation or show any other Covid symptoms, then the self-isolation period will be extended.

Moreover, self-isolation will end after seven days if the person's rapid test comes back negative on the seventh day. The test will have to be performed at an approved testing provider, meaning self-tests will not suffice.

If the rapid antigen test is positive on the seventh day, the person keeps self-isolating and does another test the following day until the tenth day, when self-isolation ends in line with the regime so far.

To ensure that the new protocol is extra safe, the person will have to avoid socialising as much as possible for another three days after they stopped self-isolating, and use FFP2 or surgical face masks.

The updated regime will kick in on Monday and will also apply to those who will have been self-isolating before that day, said Mateja Logar, the head of the government's Covid advisory group.

An agreement with rapid testing providers will soon be made to set time slots for those wanting to get tested to end their self-isolation after seven full days.

For asymptomatic infected people, the self-isolation period starts on the day of the positive PCR test, whereas in the case of people with symptoms and a PCR confirmed infection, the first day of symptoms marks the start, she added.

In accordance with the rules of the European Covid pass, the issuance of a QR code for those who have recovered from Covid is possible from the eleventh day after a positive PCR test, so from the eighth through the tenth day since testing positive, people will not have a valid QR code.

The proposal to reduce self-isolation time was given by experts at the Infectious Diseases Department at the UKC Ljubljana medical centre, and was later endorsed by the advisory group.

This comes after calls for shortening self-isolation by business representatives who have been noting Covid-related staff shortages amid the Omicron wave.

"We know that the Omicron variant is highly infectious and that people who have been vaccinated or who have had Covid-19 are less safe than they were from previous variants. This is why the number of isolations and quarantines is increasing rapidly, crippling healthcare, education, the economy, the entire society," Tomažič said.

"By taking a pragmatic approach to reducing the duration of isolation and quarantine, we're adapting to the wishes to keep society functioning, while at the same time acknowledging the additional risk of human-to-human transmission," he added.

Logar meanwhile reiterated the distinction between self-isolation and quarantine, explaining that the former was to separate people who are ill with a contagious disease from people who are not ill, whereas the latter was to separate and restrict the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become ill or not.

Despite the slightly milder Covid-19 in most people infected with Omicron, the huge increase in infections could lead to an increase in the number of patients in the coming weeks, Logar warned.

Moreover, the high number of self-isolations and quarantines in the younger population could lead to problems in the functioning of public services and critical infrastructure. The advisory group is therefore not yet considering relaxing measures.

So far, self-isolation time has been at least ten days depending on the course of the disease.

21 Jan 2022, 11:43 AM

Slovenia’s Lynx Population Now Thriving

STA, 20 January 2022 - The Slovenian lynx population appears to have come back from the brink of extinction and is now thriving thanks to animals that had been relocated from Romania and Slovakia to expand the heavily inbred population's gene pool.

There were at least 24 adult lynxes in the Dinaric part of Slovenia in 2020/2021, and an additional five in the Alps, where the animals were reintroduced last year, shows the latest report by Life Lynx, an EU-backed project.

Together with the animals in neighbouring Croatia, the border-spanning population now numbers 100 adults.

As part of the Life Lynx project, 13 animals have been relocated, four to Croatia and nine to Slovenia. Four more animals will be introduced this year.

All the relocated lynxes are GPS-collared so that researchers can monitor their movement.

Rok Černe, the head of the Life Lynx project, said four of the relocated lynxes had become an established part of the population, while three have not been sighted for a long time.

Researchers confirmed five litters of lynx kittens in Slovenia in 2020/2021.

Inbreeding is the biggest threat to the population and researchers are keeping a close eye on the genetics.

Analyses conducted so far indicate that the relocation of the wild cats has stopped the deterioration of the gene pool.

If the relocated animals continue to reproduce, the degree of inbreeding could soon drop to levels not seen since 1980, according to Biotechnical Faculty researcher Tomaž Skrbinšek.

The lynx population on the territory of present-day Slovenia was brought to extinction at the beginning of the 20th century, with hunters starting to think about repopulating the area with the species at the beginning of the 1970s.

In 1973, six lynxes were released in the woods near Kočevje in the south. The population rebounded in the subsequent years but became heavily inbred, hence the need for relocations from the Carpathian Mountains.

21 Jan 2022, 11:31 AM

Slovenian-Chinese Business Council Warns of Negative Effects from Janša’s Comments on Taiwan

STA, 20 January 2022 - After calling for stable political relations following PM Janez Janša's statements on closer ties with Taiwan, the Slovenian-Chinese Business Council (Slovensko-kitajski poslovni svet - 斯洛文尼亚-中国商会斯洛文尼亚-中国商会) said on Thursday that Slovenian companies in the Chinese market were already facing a response from Chinese partners, some of them terminating contracts and exiting the agreed investments.

The council told the STA that some companies had their purchase contracts cancelled, some had been notified that physical or online sale of products had been terminated, and some had seen their Chinese partner withdraw from business investments that had already been agreed.

Other companies have meanwhile followed the example of Lithuania, where the dispute with China has resulted in tightening of customs procedures with the largest economy in Asia, and are trying to divert its operations through other EU countries.

"International cooperation is mostly about the stability of the business environment, and as soon as it is shaken up, the economy feels the consequences," said the council, which is a part of Slovenia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).

In its first statement on Wednesday, the council stressed the importance of stable political relations and added that economic relations should remain non-politicised.

The council also told the STA today that Slovenia was an export-oriented economy, while China was one of its largest partners outside the EU. Anything that makes economic cooperation more difficult is not in the interest of the economy, it added.

"Although our products and services are of high quality and innovative, every change in political relations changes the dynamics of business," the council said, adding that political relations should be stable in order to ensure a stable business environment.

In an interview Janša gave on Monday to the Indian public service broadcaster Doordarshan, he said that Slovenia and Taiwan were "working on exchanging representatives", adding the representatives would not be at the level of embassies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China described his statements as "dangerous", whereas the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry expressed "gratitude" for his "staunch support".

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek noted the importance of economic interests, saying that China was one of the largest economic partners outside the EU and personal views "must take into account the economic reality."

The statements prompted three centre-left opposition parties to request an emergency session of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee today, as they believe these could have long-term consequences for relations with Asian countries.

Matjaž Nemec of the Social Democrats (SD) told the press the statements were "a self-initiative that could have consequences in international relations", which he believes is inconsistent with international treaties to which Slovenia was bound.

Presenting the call for a closed session, which has also been requested by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), Nemec said Janša's statements were a "strategic shift" in relation to the world's second largest economic power.

Andrej Rajh of the SAB assessed that Janša's statements were "inadmissible and arbitrary soloing that pursues exclusively partial interests of his own party to the detriment of Slovenia", noting that China was a major economic partner to Slovenia.

Nik Prebil of the LMŠ said that the gist of the problem with the "unwise" statements by Janša was that he was aggravating relations with foreign countries, in this case with the world power China, "over partial interests of the prime minister."

He added that it was the National Assembly that shaped, changed and adopted the foreign policy of Slovenia, and noted that Janša announcing the establishment of diplomatic missions with Taiwan had circumvented the National Assembly.

News

Editorial

Gourmet

Photo of the Month

Photo galleries and videos

Real Estate in Slovenia