Logar says EU presidency boosted to Slovenian diplomats' reputation

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar took stock of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, saying it had improved the Slovenian diplomatic service's reputation, status and reach in the world. The successful presidency also augurs well for Slovenia's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, he told reporters. "We have certainly raised our profile, which means it will be easier to approach international partners with whom we have not yet had close ties so far," he said.

French ambassador lauds Slovenia's EU presidency job

LJUBLJANA - As France prepares to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU from Slovenia, French Ambassador Florence Ferrari told the STA Slovenia had done a good job at the helm of the EU where she pointed to the deal on the minimum wage and the harmonisation of acts on digital markets and services. "Also thanks to Slovenia, France's presidency will be able to start on a good basis," she said. She also described the relationship between Slovenia and France as very good.

Internal issues aside, Slovenia's EU presidency a success

BRUSSELS, Belgium - During its six-month EU presidency, Slovenia successfully led the process of adopting European legislation, but that has been somewhat overshadowed by concern from Brussels about the rule of law in Slovenia, particularly the government's attitude towards the media and its failure to appoint the European delegated prosecutors. Sabina Lange, senior lecturer at the European Institute of Public Administration, listed several achievements, telling the STA Slovenian diplomats did their best.

Defence minister visits troops in Kosovo

PRISHTINA/PEĆ, Kosovo - Defence Minister Matej Tonin visited members of the Slovenian Armed Forces serving in the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo in what is a traditional end-of-year tour, and met with his Kosovo counterpart Armend Mehaj. In the meeting Tonin noted how the draft Strategic Compass, a document laying out the foundations for shared security arrangements in the EU, "addresses the accession of Western Balkans to the EU". Slovenia has been part of the KFOR mission since 2000.

Calls for unity mark independence anniversary ceremonies

LJUBLJANA - Calls for unity marked the ceremonies held ahead of the 26 December Independence and Unity Day. Both Prime Minister Janez Janša, who addressed the national ceremony, and parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič, who addressed MPs, said the strength of Slovenians was in their unity. A similar message was also conveyed by Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore. Addressing the national ceremony, Janša stressed that Slovenia's independence had been an innovation. The price for its success was small because of unity and the size of the country, he said.

Calls for changes as Slovenian Constitution turns thirty

LJUBLJANA - As the Slovenian Constitution turns thirty, practitioners of constitutional law say it has stood the test of time but many believe it may be time for certain changes. For years the most often voiced complaint has been that it opens the door too wide to the Constitutional Court, which has resulted in a very high caseload for the judges. Prominent judges have also listed reform of the electoral system, changes to the appointment of ministers and the upper chamber of parliament.

Another Covid relief package backed as opposition obstructs committee session

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee backed the 10th coronavirus relief bill while part of the opposition obstructed the session over the manner in which it was chaired and over provisions the parliament's legal service criticised. Navigating through some 90 amendments, it backed one to increase pay for doctors and dentists. The coalition tabled the amendment to move doctors and dentists from the 57th pay bracket in the public pay system to up to the 63rd until the end of 2022.

Accetto sees attacks on judiciary as highly damaging

LJUBLJANA - Matej Accetto, the new president of the Constitutional Court, condemned attacks by holders of political power on the judiciary as highly damaging, telling the STA in an interview that this undermined the rule of law in the country. Asked what he could do as court president to counter that, Accetto said the judiciary was the weakest branch of power in such situations because "it wields neither the purse strings nor the sabre of monopoly on physical force, all it's got is the judge's pen".

President underlines calls for dialogue in annual report

LJUBLJANA - In an annual report outlining his activities in 2021, President Borut Pahor highlighted his calls for dialogue and mutual respect. He also said that he had wanted Slovenia's politicians to come together and fight the epidemic, but with little success. The past year was most significantly marked by the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence and the ongoing epidemic of Covid-19, the report said.

Outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations banned, restrictions introduced for events

LJUBLJANA - The government has introduced new restrictions around gatherings and reduced the validity of tests, but it also paved the way for New Year's Eve celebrations for those who are tested, regardless of vaccination status. Under a decree adopted today and set to take effect on Friday, there will be no outdoor celebrations on New Year's Eve. Parties will however be allowed at indoor venues, as the bar curfew was lifted just for that night. All guests will have to produce a test no older than twelve hours.

Government approves 2023-2027 CAP strategic plan

LJUBLJANA - The government approved the strategic plan for the 2023-2027 common agricultural policy (CAP), which according to the relevant ministry brings a fairer distribution of funds, in particular to small and medium-sized farms and young farmers, while also improving biodiversity. The 750-page document, which will now be sent to the European Commission, defines the implementation of the new CAP that is also more ambitious from the aspect of environmental protection.

Coronavirus case count keeps falling

LJUBLJANA - Another 1,124 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday, down 16.5% from the same day a week ago as well as 2.5% fewer than the day before to push the 7-day average down to 1,114, and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people to 791. Ten more Covid-19 patients died, while the number of those in hospitals dropped to 624, including 203 in intensive care, shows government data.

Chancellors' Conference supports military education reform

MARIBOR - The Slovenian Chancellors' Conference supported the Slovenian Armed Forces in its bid to provide personnel with higher education and efforts to implement military education, saying the universities would amend their study programmes to accommodate future officers at their exiting faculties. The response comes after two coalition parties proposed amending the higher education act to allow for a new higher education institution for military education to be established.

Slovenian ombudsman elected to IOI Board of Directors

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's ombudsman Peter Svetina was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) on Thursday, with 39 votes in favour and none against. One of his priorities in his new role will be an increase of activities at the international level, the ombudsman's office said. "Being elected as one of the regional directors for Europe at the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) is a great honour and recognition - not only for my work and the work of my colleagues, but also for Slovenia," said Svetina.

Top court stays challenged provisions on staffing in police

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has stayed the implementation of the recently adopted provisions of an act regulating police work related to termination of contracts, following a request for constitutional review filed by the SPS police trade union. The SPS said on Facebook, as it announced the decision of the Constitutional Court, that it would provide more information after examining the decision in detail.

SID Bank takes out loan from EIB to finance municipalities

LJUBLJANA - The state-owned SID Bank signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to take out a EUR 50 million loan. The funds will be added to the EUR 50 million that the development bank had borrowed from the Council of Europe Development Bank to finance infrastructural, energy efficiency and environmental projects of municipalities. SID Bank has been offering a similar loan facility to municipalities since 2016 but a new scheme was needed as the current expires at the end of the year.

Mercator decides to buy out small shareholders, who will sue

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of the retailer Mercator, which is 90% owned by the Croatian group Fortenova, decided today to buy out small shareholders at EUR 36 per share. An association of small shareholders, which had proposed EUR 204.33 per share, announced a lawsuit and a review in court regarding the appropriate amount of severance. Mercator has been part of the Croatian group since April, when its shares were transferred from the bankrupt conglomerate Agrokor, which had acquired the largest Slovenian retailer in 2014.

Consumer confidence, business sentiment up in December

LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence and business sentiment improved in December, the former driven by expectations regarding the state of the economy in the next twelve months and the latter by robust manufacturing, the Statistics Office said. Consumer confidence rose by three percentage points, ending a five-month negative streak as business sentiment improved by 1.9 percentage points.

Prices of residential property with highest y/y increase in Q3

LJUBLJANA - The prices of residential property increased by 2.8% in the third quarter of the year on a quarterly basis, and by 12.9% year-on-year, which is the highest price increase on an annual basis so far, the Statistics Office announced on Thursday. After dropping in the second quarter of 2021, the prices of new residential property rose again, by 3.3%. The prices of new apartments were up by 4.3% and the prices of houses increased by 0.6% after a significant drop in the second quarter.

Live nativity scene in Postojna Cave returns

POSTOJNA - After a two-year break, the Postojna Cave will once again host a live nativity scene, with between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors expected to come and see the daily shows performed between 25 and 30 December. This year, around 100 performers will re-enact the Christmas nativity story, with 16 biblical scenes to be staged along the entire length of the five-kilometre path through the cave, marked by rich costume design and video projections.

Maribor finally getting bicycle sharing

MARIBOR - Slovenia's second largest city of Maribor will finally get a bicycle sharing system in spring. Twenty automated docking stations with 200 bicycles are planned in the first phase, with more to be added later. The project is a new step towards changing mobility patterns in the city. "If we are opening the city to pedestrians, they have to be given car-free access," Mayor Saša Arsenovič told the press after signing a deal with Europlakat, which also operates identical system in Ljubljana.