STA, 5 January 2022 - Education Minister Simona Kustec is aware that with Covid infections rapidly rising in the country, the situation at the end of this week or the start of next will be hard, but she does not expect schools to switch to distance learning.

The Education Ministry's stance is that instruction should take place at schools in person in a safe manner, and she hopes that strictly adhering to protective measures will result in schools and kindergartens being able to proceed with in-person education, Kustec told the press in Ljubljana on Wednesday.

She said that medical experts will be asked to propose tightening anti-coronavirus measures before proposing closing schools.

"We are aware that difficult days are coming and that some schools could have problems due to their staff falling ill with Covid or having to quarantine. If need be, only individual schools would switch to distance learning."

Kustec said that the ministry was following the situation very closely, and was constantly in contact with the National Institute of Public Health.

She also said that around 1% of the school population did not come to school as their parents opposed rapid testing or mask wearing in classroom. As for grading these children, she said they cannot be graded at the moment because they do not come to the classroom.

Kustec commented on the Advocate of the Principle of Equality's finding that the ministry had violated a ban on discrimination by not awarding a special-needs student an assistant for the period of home schooling while she had had one while in classroom.

The minister regretted this had happened, saying the case concerned "a very difficult individual story". She added that similar cases should be addressed in a humane manner to find optimal solutions, saying she could comment in more detail only once she receives a report she asked for.

Kustec meanwhile declined to answer a question about her future political career or whether should she stand in the general election in the spring, saying she would limit herself to topical issues at the news conference that was dedicated to achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency.

STA, 5 January 2022 - 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.

Data released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) show the 7-day average increased by 311 to 2,058, and the 14-day incidence currently stands at 1,086, up by 133.

Hospitalisations increased by 11 to 542 on the previous day. A total of 160 Covid patients needed critical care this morning, down by two, shows the government's coronavirus dashboard. Another six people with Covid died.

A total of 23,041 people are estimated to be actively infected, up by some 2,800 compared to yesterday's estimate.

The test positivity rate stood at about 38% yesterday, up by some seven percentage points week-on-week, as the number of new daily cases more than doubled compared to Tuesday a week ago

See the latest data here

STA, 5 January 2021 - 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.

Delamaris shifted collective leave from the last week of December to the first week of January, a move that Janez Rebec, the chairman of the parent company Pivka-Delamaris, says is a direct consequence of high electricity prices.

"Electricity has become drastically more expensive, going from EUR 70 per MWh to EUR 400 per MWh in December," he told the STA. "This took everyone by surprise." The price has since dropped and Rebec said it was now two and a half times what it had been.

Rebec told Delo newspaper that most food processing companies were in a similar position and would be forced to raise prices just to survive. He expects the company will shift higher prices onto consumers as of March.

The news comes amidst warnings by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the high electricity prices are untenable. It said in late December that forward prices for 2022 had exceeded 2021 levels by up to a factor of six.

The organisation has called on the government to take action, but Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek recently said that there was little scope for action save for a ban on the export of electricity, a comment that earned him sharp criticism from energy experts.

Commentators have pointed out that the government has several tools at its disposal, in particular reductions on the VAT rate and excise duties.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Daily coronavirus count hits six-week high

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,393 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Monday, the highest daily count since 22 November as the Omicron-driven outbreak accelerates. According to the National Institute of Public Health, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is now at 953, up by 85 from the previous day. Meanwhile, hospitalisations were down by 17 to 531 today, or by eleven to 162 in intensive care. Eight Covid-19 patients died.

Medical Ethics Committee urges considering vaccination mandate for high-risk groups

LJUBLJANA - The National Medical Ethics Committee joined a growing chorus of medical associations calling for Slovenia to consider imposing mandatory vaccination on vulnerable and high-risk groups of population, and, given new strains of the virus, possibly introducing a general vaccination mandate. It particularly points to the spread of transmissions among the elderly, which it blames on insufficient vaccination rates and the anti-vaccination sentiment.

Police trade union to file charges against police commissioner

LJUBLJANA - The Police Trade Union of Slovenia (PSS), one of Slovenia's two police trade unions with a membership of roughly 5,000, the bulk of the national police force, plans to file charges against Police Commissioner Anton Olaj over alleged violations of trade union rights and the right to participation in management. The union accuses Olaj of attempts to censor internal documents that the union distributes on the police intranet. Olaj rejects the accusations.

Slovenia's exports last November up 24% year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported EUR 3.7 billion worth of goods in November 2021, while imports amounted to EUR 4.2 billion, with the former increasing by 24.1% compared to November 2020, and the latter going up by 25.6%, the Statistics Office said. In the first eleven months of 2021, Slovenia exported EUR 36.3 billion worth of goods, 19.3% more year-on-year, and imported EUR 38.1 billion worth of goods, an increase of 30% year-on-year.

Car sales in Slovenia up 3% in 2021

LJUBLJANA - A total of 63,675 new cars and vans were registered in Slovenia last year, a 3.18% rise over 2020, when car sales plummeted by more than 25% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, show the figures released by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (TZS). While the number of new increased by a mere 0.58% to nearly 53,990, the number of new vans registered rose by almost 21% to nearly 9,690.

Slovenian tech company partners with London hospitals

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian software company Better has signed a contract with five London hospital districts that are part of the OneLondon health data-sharing system to use Better's digital health platform. The three-year contract is worth GBP 3.1 million or about EUR 3.7 million and comes with the possibility of a two-year extension. "Our platform will play a key role in continuing the process of digitising healthcare," Better's founder and CEO Tomaž Gornik said.

Club of independent mayors in the making

LJUBLJANA - Mayor of Kočevje Vladimir Prebilič has launched an initiative to form a club of independent mayors in a bid to increase their influence on local government policy, announcing the founding meeting of the new club for next Monday in Šentjur. Prebilič has sent the initiative to all mayors who were elected as independent candidates or ran without direct support from parties at the last local elections in 2018. There are 136 such mayors among the country's 212. The club plans no forays into politics at the national level for now.

Ljubljana temporarily without air connection with Brussels

BRNIK - The Slovenian capital will have no flight connection to Brussels between 10 January and 28 February as Brussels Airlines is suspending flights on this route at the end of Slovenia's six-month EU presidency. Wizz Air will suspend the Ljubljana-Brussels connection between 7 January and 11 March, according to web portal Ex-yuaviation. Brussels Airlines, which returned to Ljubljana airport just before the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, currently flies to Brussels four times a week. Wizz Air offers flights to Charleroi airport once a week.

Cankar's canon published in English for first time

KRANJ - The dramatic canon of Ivan Cankar, considered to be Slovenia's greatest playwright, has been translated into English for the first time to allow the West to discover a literary genius often compared to the likes of Henrik Ibsen. Devised by the Prešeren Theatre of Kranj in collaboration with the Crane Creations Theatre Company from Canada, the project Cankar Goes West aims to present to foreign audiences what is a major part of Slovenia's literary and dramatic canon.

New director takes over at Slovenia's leading theatre

LJUBLJANA - Dramaturgist Vesna Jurca Tadel took over as acting director of SNG Drama Ljubljana, Slovenia's leading theatre company, succeeding Igor Samobor, who stepped down in November after eight years on the job. Jurca Tadel, a dramaturgist, critic and translator who has worked at the Culture Ministry since 1995, has been appointed as acting director by Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti for a period of up to one year. A call for applications to fill the post of director will be published in the meantime.

STA, 4 January 2021 - Dramaturgist Vesna Jurca Tadel is taking over as acting director of SNG Drama Ljubljana, Slovenia's leading theatre company, on Tuesday. She succeeds Igor Samobor, who stepped down in November after eight years on the job.

Jurca Tadel, a dramaturgist, critic and translator who has worked at the Culture Ministry since 1995, has been appointed as acting director by Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti for a period of up to one year.

A call for applications to fill the post of director will be published in the meantime, the Culture Ministry has told the STA.

Jurca Tadel has a degree in dramaturgy and worked at multiple Slovenian theatres between 1985 and 1994. After a brief spell with the publisher Cankarjeva Založba, she joined the Culture Ministry in 1995. Most recently she headed the arts division of the ministry's Creativity Directorate.

She is planning to decide on her priorities based on the paperwork handed over to her by Samobor, who cited the Culture Ministry's foot-dragging over the theatre's renovation as the reason for his resignation in November, a claim the ministry has denied.

Jurca Tadel has also been on the judging panel of the Kresnik Prize for best novel for several years and in 2007 headed the judges of the Maribor Theatre Festival, the biggest such event in Slovenia.

STA, 4 January 2022 - The dramatic canon of Ivan Cankar, considered to be Slovenia's greatest playwright, has been translated into English for the first time to allow the West to discover a literary genius often compared to the likes of Henrik Ibsen.

Devised by the Prešeren Theatre of Kranj in collaboration with the Crane Creations Theatre Company from Canada, the project Cankar Goes West aims to present to foreign audiences what is a major part of Slovenia's literary and dramatic canon.

In his plays Cankar (1876-1918) explores topics such as political corruption and greed, morals and the quest for truth, employing complex characters.

Cankar's dramatic oeuvre has been translated into English by Michael Biggins, Rawley Grau, Jason and Alenka Blake, Tina Mahkota and Tom Priestly, who sought to preserve his style and language.

The plays Romantic Souls, Jakob Ruda, Lackeys, King of Betajnovi, Beautiful Vida, Depravity in St. Florian Valley and For the Good of the Nation have come out in physical and digital forms. Also planned is a collector's luxury edition of 400 hardback copies.

Paperbacks and e-books will also be available at Amazon, the Prešeren Theatre has told the STA, expressing the hope that Cankar's plays will soon be put on stage abroad.

Launched at the 51st Week of Slovenian Drama festival last year, the project Cankar Goes West was supported by the Slovenian Culture Ministry and the EU as part of the Creative Europe programme.

The plays are accompanied by a timeline of historical events that influenced Cankar (1876-1918) and his work and those leading to Slovenia's independence. They are accompanied by photographs of various productions of his plays at Slovenian theatres.

The translation and publication of the books mark only the start of what the Kranj theatre says is a long-term project aimed at stimulating foreign theatres to produce Cankar's plays.

As part of the project's ongoing promotion, Cankar's plays were read on stage in London late last year with further readings planned at theatres elsewhere.

STA, 4 January 2022 - The Slovenian capital will have no flight connection to Brussels between 10 January and 28 February as Brussels Airlines is suspending flights on this route at the end of Slovenia's six-month EU presidency. Wizz Air will also suspend the Ljubljana-Brussels connection between 7 January and 11 March, according to web portal Exyuaviation.

Brussels Airlines, which returned to Ljubljana airport just before the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, currently flies to Brussels four times a week.

The low-budget airline Wizz Air meanwhile offers flights to Charleroi airport once a week.

Ljubljana airport, managed by Fraport Slovenija, offers flights to 15 destinations by 13 airlines.

Apart from Brussels Airlines and Wizz Air, which flies to London's Luton three times a week, Aeroflot flies to Moscow five times a week, Air France offers nine flights to Paris, Air Montenegro takes passengers to Podgorica twice a week, and Air Serbia flies to Belgrade nine times a week and to Niš two times a week.

Easyjet has three flights a week to London's Gatwick, Flydubai flies to Dubai three times a week, LOT Polish Airlines connects Ljubljana and Warsaw with six flights a week, Lufthansa has 13 flights to Frankurt, Swiss International Airlines four to Zurich, Transavia four to Amsterdam and Turkish Airlines five to Istanbul.

In the summer season, several connections that have been suspended due to Covid are to be restored, including Transavia France's flights to Paris's Orly, Finnair's to Helsinki, Lufthansa's to Munich, British Airways' to London Heathrow, Easyjet's to London Luton, Iberia's to Madrid, Windrose's to Kiev and Israir's to Tel Aviv.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Minister says all Covid measures on the table due to Omicron

LJUBLJANA - Due to enhanced spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, all Covid measures are on the table and will be discussed this week, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said, adding that the best solutions for the health system and society in general would be sought. If the measures are not socially acceptable, they do not serve their purpose. Asked whether obligatory vaccination may be introduced and the recovered-tested-vaccinated rule changed to recovered-vaccinated, Poklukar said he was waiting for guidelines from experts.

Over 1,000 coronavirus infections detected on Sunday

LJUBLJANA - The epidemiological curve continues to rise in Slovenia, with the number of new infections confirmed on Sunday amounting to 1,008, up by over 40% on the week before. More than 44% of all PCR tests were positive. Data provided by the government show that 548 Covid patients are currently in hospital, 15 more than yesterday, including 173 in intensive care, the same as yesterday. Eleven patients died.

Poklukar identifies agreement on HERA as key EU presidency achievement

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar took stock of the achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency in his brief, identifying the political agreement on the new European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as one of the biggest achievements. He also listed the search for innovative solutions for more resilient health systems, improving accessibility and availability of medicines, stepping up the combat against cancer and boosting the EU's global role.

Damijan Dolinar takes over at SID Bank

LJUBLJANA - SID Bank, Slovenia's development and export bank, has a new management board as the term of the board headed by Sibil Svilan expired at the end of 2021. Taking over at the fully state-owned bank on 1 January was Damijan Dolinar, with Stanka Šarc Majdič joining him as a board member. A third member is expected to be appointed soon as Gašpar Ogris Martič withdrawn his bid before the beginning of the term.

State budget with record amount of revenue in December 2021

LJUBLJANA - The state budget recorded revenue of EUR 1.1 billion in December last year, the highest since general government revenue started to be recorded, show the preliminary estimates by the Finance Ministry. Expenditure meanwhile amounted to EUR 1.67 billion, with deficit standing at EUR 572 million. State budget revenue in December 2021 was 14.7% higher than in December 2019, and 51.1% higher than in December 2020.

Investments in Slovenian army to top EUR 100m this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will allocate more than EUR 100 million for defence investments this year. In line with the act on investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2021-2026, modernisation and staffing consolidation remain the key projects. Most of the funds will go for armoured vehicles and a transport aircraft, and the reconstruction and adaptation of military infrastructure around the country.

Staff put forward bill to overhaul RTV Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - Four prominent long-serving members of staff at RTV Slovenija have drawn up a bill in which they propose transforming the public broadcaster into a fully independent public broadcasting service overseen by a board of trustees. They believe a consensus has been reached in public on the need to reform media legislation, but say this should not be in the hands of those who hold political power or interest groups and lobbies.

Šimundža leaving Mura for Bulgarian champions Ludogorets

LJUBLJANA - After coaching Mura to the title of national champions, Ante Šimundža has left the football club from Murska Sobota to continue his career in the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. This makes him only a second Slovenian to coach a major European club after Luka Elsner, who manages Belgium's Standard Liège. According to the Ludogorets Razgrad website, Šimundža's assistants in the club will be Slovenian Damjan Ošlaj and Croatian Luka Bašić.

2022 dedicated to greats Plečnik and Tartini

LJUBLJANA - The government decided at the end of December that 2022 will be dedicated to Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) after declaring it the year of Piran-born Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) earlier in the month, to mark the two greats' birth anniversaries, the 150th and 330th, respectively.

Army helicopter crews aided more than 600 people in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian army helicopter crews clocked up 633 interventions in 2021 to airlift 644 injured or sick people, carry incubators and drop roughly 110,00 litres of water on fires, government data shows. The 151st Rotary Wing Squadron of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) assisted in 196 mountain rescue operations and seven firefighting campaigns, responded to 410 medical emergencies and carried incubators 20 times for a total of 711 flight hours. Defence Ministry data shows that the total number of SAF helicopter interventions was higher only in 2019 and 2018, at 733 and 654, respectively.

Ljubljana stock market in the green

LJUBLJANA - Stock brokers closed deals worth EUR 1.09 million on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, as the SBI TOP index of blue chips gained 0.65% on the first trading day in 2022. While accounting for the bulk of daily volume, pharma company Krka was the only one to record a drop (-1.27%). Tool maker Unior gained the most, almost 4%.

STA, 3 January 2021 - Due to enhanced spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus all Covid measures are on the table and will be discussed this week, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press on Monday, adding that the best solutions for the health system and society in general would be sought. 

If the measures are not socially acceptable they do not serve their purpose, Poklukar said.

He noted that a rise in the number of quarantine orders was expected in the coming days due to the quick spread of Omicron, which could hinder work processes not only in healthcare but in other areas as well.

Since data show that the average Omicron's incubation period is 2.5 days, the minister asked epidemiologists whether the quarantine could be cut from ten to five days if the person tests negative for coronavirus.

The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) told the STA the epidemiologists had discussed the matter last Friday, agreeing that cutting the quarantine short would not make sense at this point, as Delta is still the predominant variant.

But talks on this will probably continue this week, the NIJZ said.

Poklukar also expects the rules on quarantine to probably change because of Omicron in the coming days and weeks.

As for the quarantine for children, who cannot receive booster shots yet and can thus not avoid quarantine, Poklukar said he had held informal talks with the NIJZ regarding this, but for now the rules remain the same.

Although different information about the new variant is coming from other countries, including that Omicron causes fewer hospitalisations than Delta, Poklukar warns that hospital capacities are not as occupied in many countries due to higher vaccination rates, while in Slovenia 173 Covid patients were in intensive care this morning, two-thirds of the fourth-wave peak.

Although Covid vaccines offer slightly lower protection against Omicron, the minister stressed that vaccination was still sensible.

Latest research shows that cell immunity remains also after vaccination with viral vector vaccines, so the rise in hospitalisations may not be as big as it initially seemed, he said.

Asked whether obligatory vaccination may be introduced and the recovered-tested-vaccinated rule changed to recovered-vaccinated, Poklukar said he was waiting for guidelines from experts.

"When we receive guidance, we will discuss their implementation with other segments of the society," he said.

The college of epidemiologists at the NIJZ unanimously decided last week that they cannot support the introduction of mandatory vaccination for now, citing an absence of legal basis and questions about implementation.

Under the communicable diseases act, the health minister could put vaccination against Covid into the list of obligatory vaccinations at the proposal from the NIJZ.

The NIJZ stresses the importance of testing and the availability of free self-testing kits for the entire population.

STA, 3 January - Prime Minister Janez Janša has managed to subjugate several media this term, most notably the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, and the consequences of that were on display last week when the broadcaster interviewed first him and then the opposition, Reporter magazine says in Monday's commentary The Mollycoddling of Janez Janša.

"While Lidija Hren 'butchered' the presidents of parties, the prime minister was having a friendly chat with Jože Možina. Janša probably cannot remember ever having such a fanning interviewer and we have not seen him so smiling and relaxed on TV Slovenija for a long time," the paper says.

"Televised debates start in a few months and Janša is certain to participate in a few. Will he once again answer Možina's questions, or will they have the courage to 'plant' someone like Hren? ... If anyone, the prime minister deserves a nagging interviewer, not mollycoddling that is an affront to the viewers."

Reporter mentions another media development in the making, alleged plans by the state-owned Telekom Slovenija to boot the biggest commercial channels, POP TV and Kanal A, from its TV offering, a move it says would be "drastic but not unprecedented" given that Telekom already removed a package of sports channels offered by a rival provider a few years ago.

"Wrath by sports fanatics had undoubtedly led many to cancel their subscriptions, but that was a hit Telekom was able to take. The most watched Slovenian television going dark would make many more people irate."

"Whatever you may think about POP TV or Kanal A content, their cumulative reach is so large its exclusion would constitute yet another attempt by Janša at subjugating the media. The viewers would not just grumble and then concede to the new situation," the paper says.