STA, 1 January 2021 - Slovenian pensioners are looking at higher pensions in the new year, as a pension rise, expected to stand at some 4%, is to be introduced in February after one-off bonuses for low-income pensioners are paid in January.

Under the latest Covid relief package, adopted in late December, pensioners with pensions under EUR 732 a month will receive one-off bonus of either EUR 130, 230 or 300 by the end of January.

Solidarity allowance, totalling EUR 150, will be also paid out to the disabled and war veterans by the end of March.

In line with the relevant law, pensions will be indexed in February, when the adjusted amount will be paid out, the ZPIZ public pension and disability fund has said, adding that the January adjustment will also be made.

It is still up in the air whether there will be a pension rise to fully eliminate the shortfall that pensioners suffered as a result of austerity measures during the financial crisis.

The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) has proposed a 3.5% pension rise to compensate for this, but even if such indexation takes place, the amount is open to question. The last unscheduled indexation occurred in December 2020 with the indexing rate at 2%.

The annual pension bonus will be paid with June pensions and will range from EUR 140 to EUR 450. Those with pensions of up to EUR 570 will receive the highest amount.

Disability allowance bonuses will meanwhile stand between EUR 140 and EUR 250. People with disabilities who receive the disability allowance of up to EUR 805 will get the highest sum.

In 2022, persons with disabilities will benefit from stepped-up social inclusion activities starting from 30 June. Moreover, attendance allowance will increase by 2.5% in March.

There will be some new rules for retirement in 2022. For men, the pension for 40 years of pensionable service will be calculated at 61.5% of the pensionable age, an increase of two percentage points compared to 2021.

Moreover, the age required to be eligible for a widow's pension will be 58, an increase of half a year compared to 2021.

The new year will also see the start of implementation of the long-term care act that will enter into effect on 18 January.

The ZZZS health insurance institute will be kept busy in 2022 as the statutory provider of compulsory long-term care insurance. The institution must be ready for the new duties by the end of the year at the latest.

The benefits provided by the act will be gradually phased in by 2024, starting with the right to long-term institutional care and to a caregiver on 1 January 2023.

The new system will be financed from the budget for the first two years, whereas in 2025 a special law on compulsory long-term care insurance is planned to be enacted.

STA, 31 December 2021 - Maribor will not host the Golden Fox event of the women's Alpine Ski World Cup circuit for the third year running due to a lack of snow amid mild weather. The two-day event featuring slalom and giant slalom races has again been moved west to Kranjska Gora.

The organisers of the 58th Golden Fox told the press in Maribor on Friday that the World Cup races would be held on 8 and 9 January in the Kranjska Gora resort, which annually host the men's Alpine Ski World Cup races as part of the Vitranc Cup.

The decision of the International Ski Federation (FIS) comes after it was announced on Thursday that the Golden Fox will not be held on the slopes of Pohorje above Slovenia's second largest city due to insufficient snow cover.

FIS snow controller Markus Mayr expectedly said that the "situation is such that I cannot confirm the competition in Maribor ... due to the whole package of snow conditions, temperature, weather and forecast. This is why I have to cancel it."

Mayr, the director for technical events of the women's Alpine Ski World Cup, said that the "organisers have really put up an effort and gave their best in the given weather situation", adding that "this does not mean we are giving up hope in Maribor."

The event moves for the third time in a row to Kranjska Gora in north-western Slovenia, where it was held this January and in February 2020.

As for future Golden Fox events in Maribor, there is perhaps a silver lining as an alternative piste is being built at a higher altitude. "This will be an excellent new piste, which will add a new quality to recreational and competitive skiing," Mayr said.

Srečko Vilar, the secretary general of the Golden Fox organising committee, said that "this is not easy for us, the weather has not given us a break. We needed a few cold nights more, but we didn't get them. We accept this decision with sadness."

The Podkoren piste in Kranjska Gora will also host on 12 and 13 March two giant slalom events of the World Cup ahead of the 2021/2022 season finale in France's Courchevel/Meribel on 16-20 March.

STA, 31 December 2021 - As the Slovenian EU presidency is about to end, Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Friday he considered the six-month stint a success. The project has been both a great challenge and tremendous opportunity, and a number of important steps have been achieved, he said.

The year that is drawing to a close has been special, as Slovenia celebrated 30 years of independence and was at the helm of the Council of the EU for the second time since joining the bloc, the prime minister said.

Above all, the presidency has been an opportunity for the country to show and prove to itself, as well as to others, that it has "the ideas, know-how and ambition to actively contribute to shaping Europe's present and future", he said in an address published by the Slovenian presidency on its website.

"We find that we have seized this opportunity. The presidency project has been a success," he said, adding that despite Covid-19 most of the planned events, including those at the highest level, had taken place in-person. "The organisation of the events was of a high standard and the guests left Slovenia with a positive impression," he added.

Janša pointed out that during the Slovenian presidency there had been numerous and significant steps achieved. "The priorities we set at the start of the presidency have proved to be well-thought-out, while we have also had to respond to many unforeseen crisis situations," he said.

The prime minister also noted that the presidency had been a team project. "We have proved that together we can do it," he told his colleagues, thanking them all for their efforts.

"May your pride and confidence in the successful completion of the project be a guiding light for the further development of our homeland and for Slovenia's sovereign position in the European Union and the world," he said.

Slovenia is wrapping up its second EU presidency today with France taking over tomorrow, on New Year's Day.

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STA, 1 January 2021 - Slovenia will spend much of 2022 in campaign mode as voters will head to the polls three times in what has been described as a super election year. A general election is scheduled in spring, in April at the earliest, followed by presidential and local elections in autumn.

Crowded field for general election

There has been a flurry of activity in the final months of 2021 as parties staked out their positions by adopting election manifestos. The centre field in particular is crowded as parties attempt to distance themselves from the more radical positions of the ruling Democrats (SDS) and Left on either end of the political spectrum to appeal to moderate voters.

Alliances are being built left and right, some as a counterweight to the long dominant SDS, others in order for parties to have a better shot at achieving 4% at the general election, the threshold to enter the National Assembly.

Four parliamentary centre-left opposition parties - LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB - signed a pact on post-election cooperation in September. They plan to contest the campaign individually, whereupon the best-performing party would nominate the prime minister-designate.

There have been mounting calls for the four to also forge a closer pre-election coalition, with some analysts arguing that this was the only way to defeat Prime Minister Janez Janša's SDS and potentially deflect challenges by up-and-coming alliances.

One such forthcoming alliance, called Connect Slovenia, features parties including Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek's Concretely and the party of former Maribor mayor Franc Kangler. They are in talks several smaller local lists to broaden their appeal.

Two green parties are also on the horizon, an attempt to capitalise on the increasing importance of green policies and finally bring green back into the mainstream, from which it has been absent for more than two decades. One was formed by Jure Leben, a former environment minister, the other was announced by two prominent green activists, Uroš Macerl and Urška Zgojznik.

Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič, meanwhile, has announced he will form a liberal democratic party and has entered into talks with several prominent mayors. The party is expected to be formally established soon.

One major unknown for now is the trajectory of Robert Golob, the ousted CEO of energy trader Gen-I. Early polls show he currently enjoys significant support, but it remains unclear whether he will enter the election with a party or join an existing group. He has been coy so far, saying that he would get politically active through a broad movement.

Another party that early polls indicate might have a shot as well is Our Land, created by Aleksandra Pivec, a former agriculture minister who was swept away by an expenses scandal.

Presidential election wide open

The presidential election, to be held in autumn, will be wide open since Borut Pahor, the incumbent, is term limited and will not contest the election.

Parliamentary parties remain tight-lipped about potential candidates as they focus on the general election, and it remains unclear whether some parties will join forces or field their own candidates at least in the first round of voting.

The name most often mentioned by the media as a serious contender is Ljudmila Novak, the MEP for the Christian democratic New Slovenia (NSi), who has overtaken Pahor in popularity rankings this year. She has not made any announcements yet and it is not certain that she would even be considered by her own party given significant differences with the party's young leadership.

Local elections scheduled for 20 November

Local elections have a fixed date on the third Sunday of November but for all intents and purposes campaigning has already started as municipalities traditionally ramp up local investments in the final year before ballots are cast.

The local votes rarely reflect political realities at the national level as many candidates in Slovenia's 212 municipalities are elected from local lists without a firm party affiliation, or from smaller parties that are not represented in parliament. In the last election, the People's Party (SLS) ended with the largest number of mayors despite being absent from national politics since 2014.

One major factor affecting local ballots will be how many mayors decide to enter the general election. MPs are prohibited by law from serving as mayors and whoever is elected to parliament must give up their mayoral office.

National Council finishing its five-year term

Elections to the National Council, the upper chamber of parliament, are typically below the radar since councillors are elected indirectly by interest groups representing employers, trade unions, farmers, craftspersons, non-commercial activities and, most notably, local communities.

The National Council does not have the kind of powers that upper chambers have in true bicameral systems, but during its current term it has shown it can strongly affect politics nevertheless with its veto powers.

While it wielded the veto liberally during the term of the previous government, it was more accommodating to the current government in pre-emptively giving up veto powers when the National Assembly passed any of the ten Covid relief bills, so that the legislation could take effect immediately.

The reason its veto power has mattered more is that both the present and the previous government were minority governments in a hung parliament, making it very difficult to muster the absolute majority that is required in a re-vote.

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STA, 31 December 2021 - Housing prices have risen rapidly since the market rebound in March with soaring demand underpinned by low interest rates and the availability of credit. The Surveying and Mapping Authority (GURS) says that price growth is not expected to taper off until the supply of new housing outstrips demand.

Prices of residential property have risen sharply this year and by the third quarter they were up by 12.9% at the annual level, according to Statistics Office data.

Prices of second-hand flats in multi-apartment buildings rose by around 8% in the first half of this year from the end of last year. This marks the highest six-month price growth since the 2008 housing market crisis, GURS notes in its report on the Slovenian real estate market.

The record growth was driven by the prices of flats in multi-apartment buildings in the largest cities, with the exception of Ljubljana. In Koper, Kranj, Celje and Maribor, prices thus jumped by 10%-12%.

In Ljubljana, which remains the most expensive city, prices rose by 6% in the first half of this year, reaching new record highs: the median price of a second-hand apartment on Ljubljana was EUR 3,250 per square metre.

The acceleration in residential property price growth is also reflected in the residential property price overvaluation indicators, Slovenia's central bank Banka Slovenije noted in its report on the performance of banks for December.

"Most of the overvaluation indicators already reflect a overvaluation of property prices of around 10% relative to the dynamics of other macroeconomic indicators," the central bank wrote.

Although nominal prices have already surpassed the 2008 peak, real prices are still around 10 percentage points behind.

The rapid price growth has been driven by strong demand, underpinned by low interest rates, readily available credit, and limited supply of new-build properties, according to GURS.

They added that low interest rates were encouraging both purchases of property for own use and investment purchases.

Rising prices are also increasingly affected by rising land prices, and indirectly by rising construction costs due to the global increase in transport and building material prices.

In the first half of 2021, GURS recorded 20% more sales of land for the construction of residential buildings than in the second half of last year, and 90% more than in the first half of last year.

"The accelerated growth in demand for land for the construction of residential buildings points to a strong demand for the construction of apartments for subsequent sale on the market and the construction of family houses for own use," they explained.

The number of transactions involving land for the construction of residential houses even exceeded the number of sales of residential houses themselves in the first half of the year.

The central bank also notes that household lending has picked up since the first quarter of this year with the year-on-year growth in housing loans reaching 8.1% in October.

In its macroeconomic outlook for December, the central bank notes that the gap between supply and demand was particularly pronounced, especially in larger cities. It therefore expects residential property investments to strengthen.

"We estimate that stronger demand will continue to be one of the key drivers of housing construction and development, given the buoyant labour market and favourable credit conditions," they wrote.

Similarly, GURS notes that the supply of new housing is still lagging behind demand practically everywhere in Slovenia, despite the fact that more new residential properties are coming to market.

"The growth in housing prices is not expected to stop until the supply of new housing outstrips demand, and the time required to sell new housing becomes significantly extended, or inventories of unsold housing start to build up," they said.

"So far, despite record prices, most of the newly built residential properties in the biggest cities and popular tourist destinations are still being sold before they are even built," according to GURS.

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Omicron estimated to represent 40% of all coronavirus cases in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Omicron variant is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of coronavirus in Slovenia and experts estimate it already accounts for 40% of all cases. Last week, omicron represented a few percent of all cases that were positive in PCR tests. Among tests performed on Wednesday, 40% were omicron, said Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of the infectious diseases department at the UKC Ljubljana. The National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food confirmed 981 omicron cases with PCR tests and 93 with gene sequencing by yesterday; by today the figures rose to 1,170 and 248, respectively.

Epidemiologists oppose mandatory Covid vaccination for now

LJUBLJANA - The college of epidemiologists at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has unanimously endorsed the position that they cannot support the introduction of mandatory vaccination for now, citing an absence of legal basis and questions about implementation. The epidemiologists said it was likely that mandatory vaccination would end up being "dead ink on paper" given the absence of an implementing plan that would set down administrative procedures, and action in the event individuals decline to be vaccinated.

50% weekly rise in new coronavirus cases recorded

LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases in Slovenia increased by more than 50% on a weekly basis as 1,704 cases were recorded on Wednesday, the National Institute of Public Health said. The test positivity rate was up by more than two percentage points on the day before to 33.4%. The number of active cases increased by 367 to 16,895. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people was up by 17 to 798. Hospitalisations were up by two to 574 today, with 186 patients being in intensive care, or four fewer than yesterday. Seven Covid-19 patients died.

Janša indicates new coronavirus restrictions likely

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša told public broadcaster TV Slovenija as he gave an end-of-the-year interview on Wednesday evening that Slovenia was "very likely in for days and weeks with the highest numbers of infections", which also entails difficult weeks when some freedoms will very likely have to be sacrificed again. He was not very specific about the prospect of mandatory vaccination against Covid-19, noting that the Constitutional Court had annulled several coronavirus measures. As for state borrowing to finance the many anti-coronavirus measures, Janša said the money had been distributed to people and businesses.

Opposition against mandatory vaccination in current situation

LJUBLJANA - Marjan Šarec, the head of the LMŠ, Social Democrats (SD) vice-president Andreja Katič, Left coordinator Luka Mesec, Alenka Bratušek of the SAB, Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) head Ljubo Jasnič and Zmago Jelinčič, the president of the National Party (SNS) appeared in a end-of-year talk at the public broadcaster TV Slovenija on Wednesday evening to discuss several issues. Most of them were against mandatory vaccination against Covid-19, citing great distrust of the people towards the authorities and misinformation that causes fear in some people.

Annual inflation in Slovenia at 4.9% this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded an annual inflation at a 4.9% rate this year, compared to a 1.1% deflation last year, the Statistics Office reported. Contributing the most (1.3 percentage points) to the annual inflation rate in 2021 were the more expensive petroleum products - the price of diesel fuel was up by 34.5% and of petrol by 31.8%. The prices of food increased on average by 4% to contribute 0.6 of a percentage point to the annual inflation, while half a percentage point was contributed by the higher prices of heating (+70.9%). On a monthly basis, the consumer price index remained unchanged.

General government deficit at 2.5% of GDP in third quarter

LJUBLJANA - As a result of the government's measures against the Covid-19 epidemic, Slovenia's public finances continued to run a deficit in the third quarter of this year, although it decreased significantly compared to the first two quarters, amounting to EUR 339 million, or 2.5% of GDP, the Statistics Office said. Total general government revenue amounted to EUR 5.7 billion in the third quarter, which was 7.9% higher than in the third quarter of last year. Total expenditure amounted to EUR 6.03 billion, an increase of 8.5%.

Budget with EUR 2.5bn deficit at the end of November

LJUBLJANA - The state budget revenue reached EUR 10.06 billion in the first eleven months of the year, or 20.5% more than in the same period last year. Expenditure was up by 14.8% to EUR 12.6 billion, with the deficit amounting to EUR 2.54 billion, slightly lower than last year at that time. What contributed to the lower deficit was the significant growth in revenue, the Finance Ministry said, noting the growth in revenue from personal income tax, corporate income tax, VAT and funds received from the EU.

SBI TOP benchmark up nearly 40% this year

LJUBLJANA - The SBI TOP, the benchmark index on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, added 39.8% this year compared to a 2.8% loss incurred last year. The market capitalisation of all traded instruments rose by 7.6% to EUR 44 billion, stock exchange operator Ljubljanska Borza said. NLB bank was the standout performer among the blue chips, adding more than 66% in a year. Energy group Petrol was up by 56% and insurer Sava Re added by more than 50%. Krka was up by 29%.

Port of Koper surpasses annual transshipment record

KOPER - The container terminal of the port of Koper has surpassed its annual record for container transshipment, which stood at 988,501 container units. Port operator Luka Koper said it would have transshipped 996,000 containers by the end of the year, a significant milestone given the impact of the pandemic on global logistics flows. With further investments in increasing capacity, the Koper port will remain the largest container terminal in the Adriatic Sea, said chairman Boštjan Napast.

Higher network charges to cause electricity price rise

LJUBLJANA - Network charges for the distribution of electricity will increase by 14.16% as of new year, which will bring about an annual price increase of EUR 22.52 for the average household, the Energy Agency said. An average industrial consumer with annual consumption of 50 MWh will see the annual cost increase by EUR 468.85, while an industrial consumer with annual consumption of two GWh will pay an extra EUR 3,407.05 a year. The transmission system network charge will remain unchanged.

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STA, 24 December 2021 - The Slovenian Medical Association has urged the authorities to impose mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 in order to return the healthcare system to normal.

"We believe it is urgent to protect all patients and give them access to medical services that they had prior to the epidemic," the association said on Friday.

It said individual freedom was circumscribed with the freedom of others. "The unvaccinated are a threat to vaccinated yet immunologically frail individuals, which is not ethical. The medical science offers vaccination as the only successful measure."

Vaccination may not offer full-proof protection, but most vaccinated individuals have mild symptoms, which makes it possible to treat more patients with other illnesses, said the voluntary society of doctors and dentists that boasts over 4,000 members.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said as he commented on the call that he was happy that discussions had been launched in recent days on mandatory vaccination and the recovered-vaccinated (PC) rule and the future status of the unvaccinated people.

Speaking at a press conference dedicated to a vaccination campaign, Poklukar said society would have to take a position on this, and that it would need to be as united as possible in this regard.

In addition to medical professionals, which would say, for instance, what vaccination rate is needed, professionals in other fields such as sociology and law would also have their say in determining the methods for how to achieve this.

The minister noted that the neighbouring countries were already making decisions that certain segments of society must meet the PC condition, adding that this was not only a matter for the health minister but "for all of us."

Over 76,500 jabbed during Vaccination Days

STA, 24 December 2021 - More than 76,000 shots of coronavirus vaccines were delivered during the Vaccination Days, a special campaign between 19 and 23 December during which some vaccination centres were open around the clock. The vast majority were booster shots.

Nearly 5,000 received their first shot, almost 7,500 the second shot and 64,000 got booster shots, Health Minister Janez Poklukar told the press on Friday.

Data by the tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik indicates that vaccination was more than double the usual rate during the campaign.

According to Poklukar, the vaccinations are estimated to have saved 2,000 people from being hospitalised and prevented 500 ICU admissions and 300 deaths.

"The goal of the campaign was to raise the vaccination rate and protect hospitals from caseload in the coming days and weeks, when the omicron variant will become prevalent," he said.