08 Jan 2022, 04:15 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 8 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:

Over 4,000 coronavirus cases second time this week

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 4,069 coronavirus cases for Thursday, the third straight day that the tally more than doubled from the same day a week ago and the second time this week that the daily count topped 4,000. The government reported nine more Covid deaths with hospitalisations dropping to 547 ICU cases to 155. According to Matjaž Leskovar from the Jožef Stefan Institute, the epidemic is progressing increasingly fast and could peak in the last week of January. Hospitalisation are meanwhile expected to culminate in the first week of February, when numbers from the peak of the fourth wave of the epidemic could be reached.

Govt cuts quarantine, validity of tests, restricts public transport

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed at a correspondence session several changes to the decree on temporary measures aimed at preventing the spreading of Covid to cut the duration of quarantine and validly of tests, and cut the number of passengers in public transport in line with the guidelines from the National Institute of Public Health. The changes will enter into force on Monday, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said.

Businesses urge for respect of public health measures

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Business representatives agreed that public health guidelines must be respected to make sure the corporate sector can operate normally, as they met government representatives for talks that came amidst what looks set to be the worst wave of Covid so far. "This is the only way to avoid a spontaneous lockdown due to the sheer number of infections and quarantining," Health Minister Janez Poklukar said after last night's talks. Business reps contended, urging for vaccination.

Tonin flies from Italy to Slovenia aboard US aircraft, part of opposition unhappy

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin was invited to the Aviano air base in Italy in November, and flew aboard an F16 fighter aircraft from there to Poček, Slovenia's main military training area, to briefly take part in a military exercise, the 24ur.com news portal reported. Two opposition parties are rather critical of his move. Tonin was hosted by General Jason Bailey, the commander of the US air base in Aviano in northern Italy, who also piloted the multi-role fighter aircraft.

Slovenia sticks by its support of nuclear in EU taxonomy

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec doubled down on Slovenia's support for making nuclear energy a part of the EU's taxonomy of sustainable energy sources, telling the press that nuclear was crucial to Slovenia's and EU efforts to carry out the green transition. "As a nuclear country, Slovenia supports the inclusion of nuclear energy and natural gas in the EU taxonomy," he said during a presentation of the achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency.

Doctors oppose proposed waste incineration regulation

LJUBLJANA - Doctors trusted with monitoring, warning and raising awareness of the health risks of a contaminated environment are against a government proposal for a regulation on waste incineration. The regulation should set emission limit values as low as possible, they told reporters, warning that waste incineration should be a last resort. The draft regulation put forward by the Environment Ministry envisages concessions for four incinerator operators for a period of the next 30 years.

Union proposes recourse for warnings before termination

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Slovenian Police (SPS) tabled a bill backed by over 7,000 voter signatures to give employees better protection when they receive a warning before termination, a system they say would protect workers against abuse of this disciplinary sanction. In the autumn the union noted cases of such warnings being issued to a police officer who took a photo with anti-government protester and officers who removed members of a neo-Nazi group from anti-government protests.

Agriculture minister happy with Slovenian EU presidency

LJUBLJANA - Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek has assessed that Slovenia achieved most of the set goals in agriculture during its six-month stint as the EU presiding country. He singled out as one of the biggest achievements the Council's formal adoption of the new common agricultural policy (CAP) for 2023-2027.

Pahor talks course of Conference on the Future of Europe

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor met the head and members of the parliamentary delegation dedicated to the plenary sessions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The participants exchanged assessments of the conference so far and their expectations for its conclusions, the president's office said.

Slovenian EU presidency's environmental efforts judged as poor

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in 2021 was a disappointment as regards promoting the EU's green transition, according to the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which said that Slovenia was less advanced in this area compared to fellow presidency trio countries Germany and Portugal. Before each EU presidency, the EEB, a European network of around 160 environmental citizens' organisations based in more than 35 countries, draws up a list of ten green challenges for the member state holding the presidency.

90th Friday protest against RTV Slovenija's subjugation

LJUBLJANA - Friday protesters against government policies gathered for the 90th time in Ljubljana's Republic Square tonight, this time around to highlight the political subjugation of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and other Slovenian media. Jaša Jenull, one of their main figures, urged citizens to turn out at the April general election en masse.

New cycling paths to link Nova Gorica and Gorizia

NOVA GORICA/GORIZIA, Italy - The construction of new cycling paths started in Gorizia, with the aim of linking the cross-border area around the cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy and the adjacent Soča River valley, as part of the Cross-border park of Isonzo-Soča project. "This project is an important signal about the kind of city we want to be. We want to live in a conurbation where clean and green mobility is at the forefront," Nova Gorica Mayor Miklavič told rthe ceremony on the occasion.

Most popular Slovenian weekly newspaper turns 60

LJUBLJANA - Exactly 60 years have passed since the first issue of Nedeljski Dnevnik, the most popular Slovenian weekly newspaper. "All those decades it has been an indispensable part of families. Its topics have always found their way to the people and readers repaid it with loyalty," Nedeljski Dnevnik journalist Tomaž Bukovec wrote on the occasion. In the 1970s the paper had the highest per capita circulation in the world.

Spate of stabbings and violence in Celje area

CELJE - A series of stabbings has taken place in the Celje area this week with the police reporting of four cases of stabbings plus an attack with scissors in a secondary school since 1 January, in addition to three suspected domestic violence offences. After a 35-year-old man seriously injured a 38-year-old with a knife after an escalation of an accidental argument on 1 January, a similar incident unfolded between two residents of a care home with two more cases of attempted homicide on Thursday.

07 Jan 2022, 14:04 PM

Work Starts on Cycling Paths Linking Nova Gorica, Gorizia

STA, 7 January 2022 - The construction of new cycling paths has started on Friday in Gorizia, with the aim of linking the cross-border area around the cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy and the adjacent Soča River valley, as part of the Cross-border park of Isonzo-Soča project.

The event upon the start of construction was attended by the mayors of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, Rodolfo Ziberna and Klemen Miklavič, along with the president of the European grouping of territorial cooperation - EGTC GO, Paolo Petiziol.

"This project is an important signal about the kind of city we want to be. We want to live in a conurbation where clean and green mobility is at the forefront," said Miklavič.

He added that this kind of cross-border cooperation has become regular practice in the conurbation of Nova Gorica and Gorizia. "We are becoming a single urban territory, so the area needs to be jointly managed, which also includes infrastructure."

The construction of cycling paths is included in the last two stages of the cross-border park of Isonzo-Soča project, financed through the initiative INTERREG V-A Italy - Slovenia 2014-2020.

The third and the fourth stage of the project will provide for a 14-kilometre network of cycling and walking routes, connecting the two cities and rural areas around them along the Slovenia-Italy border.

The project aims to link existing cycling routes and provide better access to the area along the Soča River across the municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba, while promoting sustainable mobility.

The project is worth EUR 5 million in total, with just under EUR 2 million allocated for its third and fourth stages. Around 85% of the funding will be provided by the European Fund, with the rest coming from Italy's region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

07 Jan 2022, 11:52 AM

Jožef Stefan Institute Team Make Spin Liquid Breakthrough

STA, 5 January 2022 - A group of physicists at the Jožef Stefan Institute confirmed the spin liquid state even at absolute zero temperatures, as first predicted by Swiss physicist G.H. Wannier in 1950, but his wish for experimental confirmation has remained unfulfilled until now. The achievement was published in the Nature Materials journal.

Spin liquids are a special magnetic state of matter. They are the magnetic analogue of the liquid state of matter, in that the magnetic moments (spins) are disordered, but at the same time already strongly correlated.

Swiss physicist Gregory Hugh Wannier first predicted in 1950 that the spin liquid state can be present even at absolute zero temperature. This has now been confirmed by Slovenian scientists.

The project involved physicists from the Jožef Stefan Institute - Tina Arh, Matej Pregelj and Andrej Zorko, together with colleagues from the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics and other research institutions in India, the UK, France and the USA.

The key to their breakthrough was the study of a magnetically unexplored compound, using a wide range of complementary experimental techniques, the Jožef Stefan Institute said.

Andrej Zorko explained for the STA that the team was studying the magnetic properties of a certain crystal, neodymium heptatantalate, and added that from a magnetic point of view, it is possible to draw analogies with states of matter.

The magnetic moments (spins) at sufficiently low temperatures can typically arrange like building blocks in the solid state of matter, while at high temperatures, they will each point in their own direction, like in the gaseous state of matter.

Spin liquids are somewhere in between, they are the magnetic analogue of the liquid state of matter, Zorko said. "That the spins in a spin liquid do not arrange themselves in the same direction, even at absolute zero, is like water never turning into a crystal or solid matter when cooled."

Beyond the scientific aspect, this discovery could be potentially important in the light of modern quantum technologies, as spin liquids are considered to be one of the most promising platforms for storing information in quantum computing, Zorko concluded.

You can find the paper here

07 Jan 2022, 11:44 AM

Outbreak of Stabbings and Violence in Celje Area

STA, 7 January 2022 - A series of stabbings has taken place in the area around Celje in less than a week with the police handling four cases of stabbings plus an attack with scissors in a secondary school since 1 January, in addition to three suspected domestic violence offences.

The first incident took place on a footpath by the railway in Celje on Saturday, 1 January, as an accidental argument between two men escalated into a fight.

A 35-year-old man stabbed a 38-year-old man with a knife and seriously injured him. The incident was treated by the police as attempted homicide.

Another homicide attempt took place during the night between 2 and 3 January in a retirement home in Celje, as a 64-year-old resident attacked another resident with a knife and seriously injured him.

An incident in one of the secondary schools in Celje followed on 5 January, where a first-year student caused minor abrasions to his teacher.

According to unofficial information, the student allegedly stabbed the teacher with a pair of blunt-tipped scissors after she failed him during an oral examination in mathematics.

The Celje police then announced today that two more cases of attempted homicide were currently under investigation.

The first one happened in the village of Prebold near Celje, where a 45-year-old man stabbed a 44-year-old man on Thursday. The police have already detained the suspect and three other people overnight.

The Celje police were then notified of another stabbing at half past three in the morning, as a 37-year-old man, originally from the area around Laško, allegedly stabbed a 45-year-old woman with a knife in Celje and seriously injured her.

07 Jan 2022, 04:25 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Friday, 7 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:

Over 3,800 new cases added to Slovenia's Covid count

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,829 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday, an increase of 124% on the same day a week ago, as hospital data remained broadly stable and five Covid-19 patients died, government data shows. The PCR test positivity rate stood at 38%. Mateja Logar, the government's chief Covid-19 adviser, told Planet TV yesterday 230-250 ICU cases would be the threshold where the Covid-19 advisers would start talking about a potential lockdown. The number of ICU patients was 161 this morning.

Strategic Compass seen as biggest presidency achievement in defence

LJUBLJANA - The first draft of the Strategic Compass, a new concept of EU security and defence, is seen by the government as the biggest achievement of the Slovenian EU presidency in defence policy alongside efforts to bolster cooperation between the EU and NATO. Slovenia had played an important role in the consensus-seeking and had actively contributed to the draft, Uroš Lampret, state secretary at the Defence Ministry, told the press.

Quarantine guidance for health staff changed to cope with shortages

LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) issued new quarantine guidance to allow the healthcare system cope with staff shortages amid the Omicron-driven spread of infections. Given shortages, the personnel who have been in contact with an infected person are not required to self-isolate if they do not show symptoms. The NIJZ issued a three-tiered set of recommendations for organisation of work at healthcare institutions, depending on the availability of healthcare staff.

Exceptions from quarantine at home expanded, quarantine shortened

LJUBLJANA - The government expanded exceptions from quarantine at home after a high-risk contact with a person infected with Covid-19 to persons who have gotten a booster shot, who got Covid fewer than 45 days ago or who have recovered from Covid and have been fully vaccinated. Quarantine has meanwhile been shortened from ten to seven days. The changes to the relevant decree, which will start to apply on 10 January, were adopted based on a proposal from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Coalition proposes new pension rise system

LJUBLJANA - The coalition filed an amendment to the proposed legislative changes with which the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) wishes to raise pensions by 3.5%. In line with the amendment, only pensions granted by the end of 2010 would increase by 3.5%, while those granted in 2011 would go up by 1.7% and all others by 1%. Also raised by 1% would be minimum pensions, guaranteed pension and the minimum disability pension. The additional pension raise proposed by the coalition would be implemented on 1 January.

Power utility GEN posts record profits

LJUBLJANA - The GEN energy group is estimated to have generated a record net profit of EUR 80 million last year, around 25% more than the year before, with turnover up 36% to EUR 3 billion. The group highlighted its reliability despite market difficulties and its vision for decarbonisation, which includes a second nuclear power plant unit. Vision 3+1 is the key to decarbonising Slovenia's energy sector, envisaging nuclear, hydro and solar energy as primary sources (3) and gas as a backup source (+1), the power utility said.

Govt adopts strategy for digital transformation of economy

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a strategy for digital transformation of the economy for the 2021-2030 period, which is one of the reform measures under the recovery and resilience plan. The basic goal of the strategy is to be among the top five countries in the use of advanced digital technologies according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) of the European Commission by the end of the first two years and among the top three countries by the end of the period.

UPU deputy director: Slovenia's postal service meeting challenges

LJUBLJANA - Marjan Osvald, the Slovenian who has this year taken over as deputy director general of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), underscores the importance of public infrastructure but also the need for national operators to adapt to the rapidly changing market, something that he has told the STA in an interview Pošta Slovenije has already done. The Slovenian postal operator is one of the most advanced in dealing with the decline in letters volume and is seen as a model in the region, he said.

Dnevnik: Courts bill draft envisages abolition of local courts

LJUBLJANA - The Justice Ministry has prepared a working draft of a courts bill which would abolish local courts and establish two district courts in Ljubljana by 2024. The proposal also envisages a specialised criminal court and a different method of appointing the president of the Supreme Court, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. The draft was forwarded to the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council and the Slovenian Judges' Association at the end of last year.

Civil servants to fill up at MOL pumps as a rule

LJUBLJANA - The Public Administration Ministry has picked Hungary's MOL as the priority supplier of fuel for service vehicles used by the government, urban municipalities and other institutions in a deal the news portal Necenzurirano says is valued at over EUR 25 million. As an exception public employees will also be able to fill up at Petrol and OMV. The ministry confirmed that MOL had been picked as the cheaper bidder, but did not disclose the sums.

Slovenia becomes innovative EU environment for circular economy

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has become the first innovative environment in the EU to work towards a systemic transition to circular economy in line with the Deep Demonstrations methodology, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning said. Deep Demonstrations is a model of systemic transition to circular, regenerative, carbon-free economy which was developed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Climate-KIC, Europe's largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate innovation to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Slovenia's Expo pavilion to host three business delegations

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian pavilion at the Dubai Expo will host three business delegations in January, coming from the fields of logistics, travel, connectivity and mobility, and sustainable development and timber. The delegations will include a number of representatives of Slovenian companies, local communities and state institutions, and are to hold a number of events, including business conferences and various formal and informal meetings with potential partners.

Slovenian scientist elected president of Sigma Xi

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian scientist and engineer Marija Strojnik has been elected president of the Scientific Research Honor Society, Sigma Xi. She will start her three-year term on 1 July, says on the website of Sigma Xi. A distinguished professor at the Optical Research Center in León, Mexico, Strojnik has been a member of Sigma Xi since 1987. She is best known for developing an autonomous system for optical navigation based on CCD technology, currently used in commercial aircraft and numerous spacecraft.

UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin becomes Delo's Person of 2021

LJUBLJANA - UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin was declared the newspaper Delo's Person of the Year for 2021 for "suppressing in a swift action the plan of the richest clubs to establish a super-league and thus destroy the European model of sport". He united and inspired Europe and its most visible politicians, while his fight for common people was supported by all institutions in Brussels. His work is also visible outside football, Delo added.

06 Jan 2022, 20:58 PM

Slovenia's COVID Quarantine Rules Relaxed

STA, 6 January 2022 - The government has expanded exceptions from quarantine at home after a high-risk contact with a person infected with Covid-19 to persons who have gotten a booster shot, who got Covid fewer than 45 days ago or who have recovered from Covid and have been fully vaccinated. Quarantine has meanwhile been shortened from ten to seven days.

The changes to the relevant decree, which will start to apply on 10 January, were adopted at a correspondence session on Thursday based on a proposal from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

A person will not be sent to quarantine at home after a high-risk contact after they have received a booster shot of either the Biontech/Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine for Covid-19.

Also exempted from quarantine at home in these cases are persons who have recovered from Covid-19, which they prove with a positive PCR test older than ten days, and who have received two shots of the Biontech/Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Covishield or Covaxin vaccines or a combination of these vaccines.

This also applies for persons who have received one shot of the Janssen vaccine.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar meanwhile told the press in Brdo pri Kranju after the government's meeting with business representatives that NIJZ epidemiologists had proposed quarantine after a high-risk contact be shortened from ten to seven days.

The government has not put this in the decree as, according to Poklukar, "this follows from recommendations from epidemiologists and will start to be implemented next Monday under this protocol".

The minister added that NIJZ representatives would present an expert basis for this decision on Friday.

It has been proposed that quarantine would conclude without PCR testing, with Poklukar noting on Wednesday that almost 95% of infections showed within that period, which was why quarantine could be concluded without additional testing.

06 Jan 2022, 15:50 PM

Online App Introduced for Upravna Enota Appointments

STA, 6 January 2022 - The Public Administration Ministry has developed in cooperation with administrative units a new system for making an appointment for administrative services. The service allows clients to choose their appointments via a call centre or through an online app, and it is currently available at three administrative units.

The system is currently operating for Ljubljana, Logatec and Litija

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik explained at a press conference on Thursday that the Covid-19 epidemic has necessitated adjustments also in the organisation of work in public administration.

To protect the health of clients and employees during the epidemic, many administrative units have introduced a system of obligatory prior appointments for their services, while they also extended working hours and reinforced staffing.

The minister said that clients reacted positively to the changes recently introduced at administrative units, including the web service that allows them to check the expected waiting times at each administrative unit.

"Clients want faster processing at administrative units, which are already overloaded," said Koritnik. That's why, in recent months, the ministry has developed a system for online appointments.

According to the minister, this new system will simplify procedures for clients, saving them time, while it will also be a welcome simplification for employees at administrative units.

When making an online appointment in the system, clients can select a preferred date and the location of the service, and enter additional requirements (such as the presence of an interpreter) in the notes section.

Aleksander Vojičić from the ministry's administrative units service explained that the system works on two levels, as an online appointments service and as a call centre.

Both levels are currently available at administrative units in Ljubljana, Logatec and Litija, and up to 20 more administrative units are expected to implement the online appointment system in the coming months, said Koritnik.

The Public Administration Ministry carried out a public procurement procedure worth EUR 345,000 for the service, which will be provided by the consulting and marketing company Ortus Inc.

06 Jan 2022, 11:49 AM

UniCredit 6th Bank in Slovenia to Introduce Fee for High Deposits

STA, 6 January 2022 - UniCredit Banka Slovenija will join the five banks in Slovenia that have already introduced a fee on high deposits for individuals. The bank announced on Thursday that it will introduce it for all physical persons whose deposits exceed EUR 100,000.

The first to introduce the fee in April 2021 were market leader NLB and SKB, which were followed by NKBM, Addiko Bank, and Delavska Hranilnica.

The five banks' total assets represent over 60% of Slovenia's banking market.

At all these banks, deposits of over EUR 100,000 are subject to the charge, which at most of the banks stands at 0.04%.

Eurozone banks increasingly opted for this measure last year due to extremely low interest rates and high liquidity, after first imposing it on legal persons.

06 Jan 2022, 11:44 AM

The Economist Ranks Slovenia 2nd Among 23 OECD Nations in Dealing with Pandemic

STA, 5 January 2022 - Slovenia ranked second among 23 selected member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in terms of how well it has coped with the economic aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, according to a ranking by The Economist, the UK weekly.

Analysts at the British economic liberal weekly used five criteria for the rankings, comparing values in the last quarter of 2019 and in the third quarter of 2021, or the period for which the latest data were available.

The five criteria were real GDP growth, real growth in household disposable income, growth in share prices according to the most relevant stock market index, growth in fixed investment and growth in net public debt as a share of GDP.

Slovenia recorded a 1.2% real GDP growth, a 10.1% real growth in household disposable income, a 33% growth in share prices, a 6.8% growth in fixed investment and a 7.4% growth in net public debt as a share of GDP.

According to the Economist, the Slovenian economy has done 2nd best during the pandemic?

I'm curious about how & why.

It's quite a terrific achievement if the numbers are correct ? #Slovenia https://t.co/h7TFDZJLxt pic.twitter.com/uXl3OTCYUk
— Aleksej Kulikov (@alekseykulikov_) January 4, 2022

The top spot in the rankings was claimed by Denmark, followed by Slovenia in second and Sweden, Norway and Chile rounding off the top five. Meanwhile, the last five places in the rankings were taken by Austria, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Spain.

The Finance Ministry noted that The Economist ranked Slovenia among the Covid-19 pandemic winners. "The efficacy of the government policies is also being confirmed by the stability of Slovenia's credit ratings during the pandemic," it said.

The opposition Social Democrats (SD) meanwhile responded by saying that Slovenia was not among the winners of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it had had too many victims and had posted economic results that could not be bragged about.

The party took issue with The Economist noting a 7.4% growth in net public debt as a share of GDP for Slovenia, saying that this was not accurate. "The real figure is growth of the share of debt in GDP that is double of that, i.e. 14%."

If it was true that the government has more fiscal space than it has, it would now officially declare an epidemic, implement measures to mitigate inflation of energy prices, reduce VAT and introduce energy vouchers," the party said.

The SD added that "none of this is being implemented, and instead we only have selective measures for pre-election purposes and for selected groups."

06 Jan 2022, 04:40 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, January 6 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:

Seven-week high in Covid cases reported

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 4,068 coronavirus infections that are picked up through testing on Tuesday, the highest daily case count since mid-November, as the Omicron variant fuels another wave of infections. The 7-day average of daily cases topped 2,000 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people exceeded 1,000, show fresh official data. Hospitalisations rose slightly, but ICU cases kept falling.

Minister urges organisational changes to cope with Omicron

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar urged those in charge of critical infrastructure, companies and the rest of society to organise work and other processes in a way to minimise contacts among people so as to prevent certain activities from grounding to a halt at one point due to Omicron infections and quarantines. He announced the quarantine would be cut from 10 to 7 days on epidemiologists' guidance.

Minister promises schools to remain open despite Covid spread

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec does not expect schools to switch to distance learning in the wake of rapidly rising Covid infections. "If need be, only individual schools would switch to distance learning," she told the press, adding that health experts would be asked to propose tightening Covid measures before proposing closing schools.

Pahor not to attend Olympics opening due to pandemic

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor announced he would not attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on 4 February due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pahor received Chinese Ambassador to Ljubljana Wang Shunqin to hand him a letter informing Chinese President Xi Jinping of his decision. In the letter he expresses the hope that after the health crisis calms down he and Xi Jinping would meet sometime this year.

Slovenia issues EUR 1.75 billion in bonds

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia issued EUR 1.25 billion in four-year bonds and half a billion euro worth of 40-year bonds. The yield on the 4-year bond is negative at -0.241%. "This means the budget will get EUR 12.3 million," the Finance Ministry announced, adding: "It also proves the government polices are effective and successful". The yield on the 40-year bond is 1.183%, which the ministry said proved the sovereign's excellent position in the capital markets.

Minimum wage to rise by 4.9%

LJUBLJANA - The statutory minimum wage in Slovenia is to increase by 4.9% to EUR 1,074 gross as of 1 January, reflecting the increase in inflation last year. Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj decided the minimum wage for 2022 would be adjusted in equal amount to the rise in consumer prices in the past year after a second round of talks with social partners. Unions deem the rise too low and employers too high.

Slovenia's jobless total down 24.4% y/y in December

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia had nearly a quarter fewer jobless persons in December year-on-year, as the usual seasonal increase did not materialise towards the end of the year, show the latest data by the Employment Service. At 65,969, the jobless total reached the lowest level since before the economic crisis in late-2008.

Slovenia ranked 2nd among 23 OECD countries in coping with Covid crisis

LONDON, UK - The Economist ranked Slovenia second among 23 selected member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in terms of how well it has coped with the economic aspects of the Covid-19 crisis. Analysts at the UK weekly used criteria such as growth in GDP, debt, investment and household disposable income, comparing values the last quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2021, or the latest available data.

Education, culture ministers present presidency achievements

LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti presented the key achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency, with Kustec noting the achievements in the field of the European Research Area and the adoption of the European model of sport. Simoniti noted the decisions in support of the European audiovisual sector.

Court of Audit rejects UKOM's initiative over STA audit

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit rejected the initiative by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to expand the audit into the STA public service to the 2018-2021 period and not just the 2019-mid-2022 period, and to check compliance with EU regulations, UKOM said. The court said audits were being conducted based on a plan of work set by the court's president for each year.

High energy prices force food company into suspension

PIVKA - Slovenian companies have been sounding the alarm over high electricity prices for months, warning that production may become unviable for energy-intensive industries. One company, the fish processing firm Delamaris, has decided to suspend production for a week to weather the price spike.

Vanja Lombar new general manager of Geoplin

LJUBLJANA - Vanja Lombar, who has previously served as director of fuel retailer OMV Slovenija, has been named the general manager of Geoplin, the country's largest natural gas trader. Effective on 3 January, Lombar succeeds Boštjan Napast, who left the company at the end of last year for the top job at state-owned port operator Luka Koper. Geoplin is in majority ownership of energy group Petrol.

Alternative to plastic developed with help of Slovenian know-how

LJUBLJANA - A Slovenian-led project has developed a sustainable alternative to solve the problem of disposable plastic by creating a new material made from recycled plastic and fibres from discarded newsprint, which has been named ceplafib. The project coordinated by the Toolmaking Development Centre of Slovenia - TECOS also involves Slovenian motorhome manufacturer Adria Mobil and the plastic recycling company Omaplast, as well as Spain's Aitiip, Finland's Ecopulp and Poland's ITB.

Student attacks teacher at Celje secondary school

CELJE - A first-year student at a secondary school in Celje caused minor injuries to his teacher, as he allegedly stabbed her with a pair of blunt-tipped scissors after the teacher failed him during an oral examination in mathematics, according to unofficial information. The teacher, who sustained minor abrasions, was examined at the emergency room, said the Celje Police Directorate.

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