07 Dec 2021, 13:50 PM

EU Prosecutor Expects Slovenian Staff Will Be “Very Busy” Investigating Misuse of Funds

STA, 7 December - One should wait for a more detailed analysis of the situation in Slovenia regarding the prosecution of crimes against the EU's financial interests, the bloc's chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi has told the STA. However, given the statistics so far, she has zero doubts that the country's European delegated prosecutors (EDP) will be "very busy".

Slovenia's two delegated prosecutors Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir assumed their offices on 1 December, hence the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has been launched in the country after a months-long delay in the appointment procedure.

It is too early to give any assessment of the current situation, but the EU's chief prosecutor told the STA on Monday that she had no doubts the office will launch investigations in Slovenia.

As concrete investigations get under way, it will become clear how the police and other law enforcement authorities work and how ready they are to cooperate with the EPPO.

The EU's recovery fund will bring more money, "more flexibility, less rules", meaning higher risks to see more crimes against the EU's budget, she said, noting that the level of detection of such crimes should be stepped up. Slovenia is not alone when it comes to having a detection system that should be improved.

Slovenia's State Prosecutor General Drago Šketa told Monday's joint press conference with Kovesi that there are 20-30 investigations currently open in the country. The cases will now be transferred to the EPPO office in Ljubljana.

On top of these investigations, delegated prosecutors Frank Eler and Oštir will also help out their colleagues in other EPPO member states in cross-border investigations involving Slovenia. "They will be very busy," Kovesi said.

Commenting on the delay in appointing the Slovenian delegated prosecutors, the EPPO head said: "It was a huge problem because we couldn't investigate cases from Slovenia." This also affected the cross-border investigations, she added.

"This was a big problem in the entire architecture put in place by the EU to protect the European money because it was a gap in the EPPO zone."

Kovesi reiterated what she already said at the online press conference on the occasion of her visit to Slovenia - that the appointment of Frank Eler and Oštir is final.

"According to the EPPO regulation, no member state can dismiss European delegated prosecutors because they would like to appoint different ones. They are appointed for five years. This is the end of the story."

Commenting on the government-sponsored changes to the public prosecution legislation that would enable the government to recall delegated prosecutors and give it a greater say in their appointment procedure, Kovesi insisted that "no national legislation can contradict the EPPO regulation".

"The EPPO regulation and EU legislation have priority over any national law; this is the rule." If there is a provision that is in breach of the regulation, the EPPO informs the European Commission of this. They already did this in relation to some provisions in other member states, she said.

The terms of delegated prosecutors are renewable and the EPPO college can appoint them for another five years, she added.

The regulation does not set down how the EPPO members should nominate their EDP candidates, and the methods vary according to the participating countries, but all their justice ministers were urged to make sure the procedures are transparent and based on an open call, including Slovenia's former Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič.

So far, Kovesi has not had an official meeting with the country's current Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič.

Asked about reasons for not meeting him today, she said: "I did not ask for a meeting, I came here to talk with the prosecutors about the problems we have in the EPPO and challenges. I don't have anything to discuss with the minister of justice at this moment. Maybe in the future we will have something to discuss."

She also highlighted the points made at the news conference about the importance of judicial independence, noting that any attempts against judiciary are an attempt against the rule of law.

If there are attempts to undermine the independence of prosecutors, they should stand up, she said, adding that "they are not alone" as the EPPO is also an independent body. "If you are not independent, you cannot be efficient," she said.

07 Dec 2021, 10:59 AM

CORRECTED: Slovenia Estimated to Lose 7.5% of GDP to Corruption Each Year

An earlier version of this story used the incorrect figure of 13.5% of GDP - the correct figure is 7.5%

STA, 6 December 2021 - Some estimates suggest that Slovenia could be losing up to EUR 3.5 billion a year due to corruption, Robert Šumi, the head of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (Komisija za preprečevanje korupcije - KPK), said ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day. If these funds were allocated to help the poor, nobody in Slovenia would live in poverty, he illustrated.

If corruption were successfully prevented, everyone could enjoy a higher quality of life, have better access to medical and social services, quality education and jobs, and the country would develop faster at all levels, Šumi told the press on Monday.

The estimated EUR 3.5 billion annually lost to corruption in Slovenia amounts to 7.5% of the country's GDP.

If there were no corruption, each individual could annually receive an additional EUR 1,660 from the state, or every pensioner could receive an additional EUR 460 a month.

More than 20,000 non-profit apartments could be built or the state could subsidise warm meals for primary and secondary students in the next 24 years, Šumi said, stressing that this was why it was important for every individual to be active in preventing corruption.

He said the commission's main goal was to prevent corruption, while many people wrongly believe it should also prosecute perpetrators and punish them. The country has law enforcement for that, he explained.

"Our job is to create the conditions where corruption will no longer pay, where the danger of being reported will be bigger that the gain from corruption," he said.

However, without the support of a wide range of stakeholders, the commission cannot hope for a breakthrough.

Šumi underlined the importance of integrity of top state officials and their closest associates, as well as all public sector employees.

In the face of the upcoming triple election next year, he urged everyone who wishes to be active in politics to start implementing the existing rules, which Šumi believes are exemplary.

The commission also called for the transposing of the EU directive protecting whistleblowers to Slovenian legislation as soon as possible to help create an environment where reporting corruption and other irregularities would be easier and safer.

This year's International Anti-Corruption Day under the auspices of the UN is being held under the motto Your Right, Your Role, Say No to Corruption.

07 Dec 2021, 10:47 AM

European Chief Prosecutor Notes Pressure on Slovenian Prosecutors

STA, 6 December 2021 - Paying a visit to Ljubljana, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi said on Monday that no one could dismiss European delegated prosecutors without the consent of the EU's chief prosecutor. She drew attention to pressure on Slovenian prosecutors, telling them: "Stay vigilant, speak up, you are not alone."

Slovenia's two delegated prosecutors Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir have been appointed for fully-fledged five-year terms, starting with 1 December, she highlighted at an online news conference.

She said that for the first six months since the European Public Prosecutor's Office's (EPPO) launch, "Slovenia was a member of the EPPO zone only on paper". "This delay did not only affect possible criminal investigations in Slovenia, but also all the cross-border investigations the EPPO initiated in other participating member states involving Slovenia."

The EPPO head warned about pressure on Slovenia's judiciary, stressing the importance of an independent judicial branch. "Only an independent judiciary can enforce the law equally for everybody," she said.

"I was very impressed by the courage and determination of Slovenian judges and prosecutors, including our new colleagues, to safeguard judicial independence." She also urged her colleagues in Slovenia to "stay vigilant, speak up", telling them they were not alone in these efforts.

"I was not born yesterday. I have experienced all sorts of attacks, intimidation and tricks to reduce the independence of judiciary," Kovesi said, noting that judicial independence can be chipped away through small steps such as funding cuts and legislative changes.

EPPO prosecutors are "independent from any national authorities, but they are in the same boat as national prosecutors". Whatever affects the latter also has an impact on the former, she added, referring to such changes or cuts.

The Slovenian government has recently proposed changes to public prosecution legislation that would enable it to recall delegated prosecutors and give it a greater say in their appointment procedure.

Kovesi said that any changes in the national legislation that affect the EPPO would be monitored by the office and the European Commission would be notified if the changes go against the EPPO regulations. A procedure may then be launched against the country in question.

She underlined, however, that EPPO prosecutors are appointed by the EPPO college, and without the consent of the EU's chief prosecutor no one can dismiss them.

The national authorities have started to transfer to the EPPO all the on-going investigations falling under its remit. So far, some 2,500 criminal reports have been processed and more than 500 criminal investigations have been launched for an estimated damage of some EUR 5 billion to the EU budget, she told the press.

According to Slovenia's State Prosecutor General Drago Šketa, there are 20-30 investigations currently open in the country.

Kovesi is happy that the EPPO office in Ljubljana has been finally launched, noting that the office is not a foreign institution. Delegated prosecutors have the same powers as their national counterparts and they bring their cases to trial in front of national courts, she added.

Šketa also welcomed the fact that the EPPO is now operational in Slovenia. "I'm convinced that the work of this new European institution will have extremely positive effects in the long term. State borders should not be a bigger obstacle for prosecution authorities than for offenders," he told the press conference.

Responding to the government's public prosecution bill, State Prosecutorial Council head Tamara Gregorčič again stressed the importance of prosecutors' independence.

The council strongly opposes the proposed changes which would interfere with the constitutionally guaranteed independence of public prosecutors and allow pressure to be exerted on their appointments or work, she reiterated.

07 Dec 2021, 05:02 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 7 December 2021

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:

Kovesi notes pressure on Slovenian prosecutors

LJUBLJANA - European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi said as she visited Ljubljana no one could dismiss European delegated prosecutors without the consent of the EU's chief prosecutor. Slovenia's two delegated prosecutors Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir have been appointed for fully-fledged five-year terms, starting with 1 December, she highlighted at an online news conference. This is in reference to the government proposing changes that would enable it to recall delegated prosecutors and give it a greater say in their appointment. She warned about pressure on Slovenia's judiciary, stressing the importance of an independent judicial branch.

Recover-vaccinated rule for state administration quashed by top court

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has found the government's regulation imposing Covid-19 recovery or vaccination mandate (PC) on state administration employees at work place in disagreement with the constitution for not being aligned with the relevant law. The new rule was to come into effect on 1 October, but was suspended by the court a day earlier after it had been challenged by several groups of state administration employees, including police trade union PSS, which hailed the court's decision as a victory for the rule of law. Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said the decision did not mean the measure would be disproportionate or not useful, adding that some common solutions will have to be found now quickly.

Triple murderer sentenced to life in prison

PTUJ - Silvo Drevenšek, who has pleaded guilty to murdering his former spouse and her parents in front of his four-year-old son on Christmas Eve 2020, was sentenced to life in prison, the first time a Slovenian court has handed down this sentence since it was reintroduced to the criminal code in 2008. The Ptuj District Court thus upheld the proposal of the prosecution, which argued that Drevenšek had killed three people out of revenge after the partner left him and demanded a division of common assets.

Slovenia estimated to lose up to EUR 3.5bn to corruption annually

LJUBLJANA - Some estimates suggest Slovenia could be losing up to EUR 3.5 billion a year due to corruption, which amounts to 13.5% of its GDP, Robert Šumi, the head of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, said ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day. If these funds were allocated to help the poor, nobody in Slovenia would live in poverty, he illustrated. He underlined the importance of integrity of top state officials, their closest associates, and all public sector employees.

GZS comes up with aid proposals for energy-intensive companies

LJUBLJANA - The economy is held hostage by higher energy costs, which makes development and investment funds its victims, said the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) as it presented its proposals for a state aid scheme to help companies, especially energy-intensive ones. The GZS believes its proposals would mitigate the impact and help the companies get through this situation, and it expects the government to take action as soon as possible. "We count on dialogue and communication to build on this scheme," GZS head Aleš Cantarutti told the press.

Labour minister happy with EU deal on minimum wage (adds)

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU's Employment and Social Policy Council reached agreement on a minimum wages directive which is aimed at securing fair pay. Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj, who chaired the session, said he was happy such an important agreement had been reached after intensive talks. "Decent and fair pay must be guaranteed for the work that is done. This a matter of basic respect for people and their work," he said.

Slovenia reports 775 coronavirus cases for Sunday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 775 new coronavirus cases for Sunday, the lowest daily count since 24 October and down a quarter from a week ago. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population fell to 1,361, down by 29. There were 1,050 Covid patients in hospital this morning, up by 16 from yesterday in what is a typical weekend dynamic. The number of patients in intensive care declined by three to 268, and 16 patients died.

New parties have potential to reshuffle cards, survey shows

LJUBLJANA - New parties and alliances could upend the ratings of established parties, according to a new poll by Mediana carried by public broadcaster TV Slovenija. Offered a choice of established parties, respondents produced rankings broadly in line with other polls. But when offered new parties that have announced to contest the general election in spring, the ranking was significantly different as the rankings of the coalition SDS and NSi, and the opposition SD and LMŠ, declined.

RTV Slovenija gets new ombudsman

LJUBLJANA - Marica Uršič Zupan, a journalist for the regional newspaper Primorske Novice, was appointed ombudsman at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, an office concerned with processing complaints by viewers and listeners. She will start her five-year term on 18 January pending approval by the public broadcaster's general manager to succeed veteran RTV Slovenija journalist Ilinka Todorovski, who failed to receive enough votes for a second term.

Subsidy approved for Li-ion battery plant

LJUBLJANA - The government approved a EUR 9.8 million subsidy for a Li-ion battery plant that TAB, the Slovenian maker of starter and industrial batteries, plans to set up with its Chinese partner Haidi Energy Technology. The company has welcomed the decision as a major step towards the implementation of the project. TAB director Bogomir Auprih said production could be launched in the first half of 2023. He estimates 120 new hires will be needed initially and another 60 in the second phase of the project.

Bangladeshi migrant found dead in border area

KOPER - A 31-year-old citizen of Bangladesh has been found dead in the Dragonja valley in the border area between Slovenia and Croatia with initial information indicating hypothermia as the cause of death, the Koper Police Department reported. The police release said there had been no indications of foul play involved, but a post mortem had been ordered and the Embassy of Bangladesh has been notified.

06 Dec 2021, 16:56 PM

Slovenia’s Vaccination Mandate for State Admin Staff Ruled Unconstitutional

STA, 6 December 2021 - The Constitutional Court has found the government's regulation imposing Covid-19 recovery or vaccination mandate (PC) on state administration employees at workplace in contravention with the constitution for not being aligned with the relevant law. The court already stayed the regulation in late September.

The new rule was to come into effect starting from 1 October, but was suspended by the court after it had been challenged by several groups of state administration employees, including a police trade union.

It was at the initiative of the latter that the court now found that a PC mandate would be comparable to imposing mandatory vaccination as a condition for certain jobs or professions, something that the court said would have to be tackled in accordance with the communicable diseases act.

The government wanted to impose the new rule on employees in the state administration, including various government departments and affiliated bodies, inspection services, police force, armed forces and administrative units, rather than the whole public sector.

Although the relevant government regulation is no longer valid as it has since been replaced by another one, the court took a substantive decision on it.

It noted that the legal basis for mandatory vaccination were articles 22 and 25 in the communicable diseases act which prescribe various (mandatory) vaccinations, but that the government regulation was not aligned with the conditions set therein.

Hence, the court found that the contentious rule runs against article 120 of the constitution, which provides that administrative authorities perform their work independently within the framework and on the basis of the constitution and laws.

The court did not say whether the measure, had it been imposed based on appropriate legal basis, would be constitutionally acceptable from the aspects of proportionality and equality before the law.

The court made a point of saying its decision did not mean vaccination of employees as a condition to perform certain jobs or professions would be a disproportionate measure, but said such a measure would have to be prescribed based on the communicable diseases act.

The court also noted that the challenged rule could not be compared to the PC measure introduced in Austria as the Austrian legislator had passed a law in which it created explicit and specific legislative basis to impose such measures.

It also notes that the Austrian solution is different in that in Austria the PC rule was restricting mainly certain public life, while in Slovenia the PC rule was imposed by a regulation issued by the executive exclusively to determine access to workplace and even that only for employees in state bodies.

The court took its judgement by six votes against three. Judges Klemen Jaklič and Rok Svetlič submitted separate dissenting opinions and Špelca Mežnar, Katja Šugman Stubbs, Rok Čeferin, Rajko Knez and Marijan Pavčnik passed assenting positive opinions. Also voting against was Marko Šorli.

Both Svetlič and Jaklič argued the government measure sought to protect human life and health as a fundamental constitutional right with Jaklič saying that "formalism should not be set above human lives".

Jaklič also argues there are plenty of legal bases for the government to impose the PC measure, including the government act and the occupational safety and health act, while even in their absence the right to life and health guaranteed by the constitution is sufficient.

Čeferin rejected the allegation that the court had put legitimacy above protection of lives, saying that "no matter how daring legal acrobatics, they cannot lead to a conclusion that the government has complied with the legal basis to prescribe mandatory vaccination for employees in state bodies".

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik responded by saying the court's decision did not mean the measure would be disproportionate or not useful. He added: "We will have to find some common solutions and find them quickly." He is happy the court took a substantive decision, but he would be happier had it done it earlier.

The PSS trade union of police officers, which challenged the PC rule, hailed the court's decision as a victory for the rule of law on its Twitter profile.

The law firm representing the union, Pirc Musar & Lemut Strle, noted the court's making a point of the case being a major precedent-setting constitutional issue as similar issues could be raised concerning acts of similar nature.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Janez Janša re-twitted a post by judge Jaklič as well as one by economist Matej Lahovnik saying: "The difference between Austria and Slovenia is obvious and it is called Constitutional Court."

06 Dec 2021, 16:47 PM

31-Yr Old Bangladeshi Man Found Dead Near Croatian Border

STA, 6 December 2021 - A 31-year-old national of Bangladesh has been found dead in the Dragonja valley in the border area between Slovenia and Croatia with initial information indicating hypothermia as the cause of death, the Koper Police Department has reported.

The police release said there had been no indications of foul play involved, but a post-mortem had been ordered and the Embassy of Bangladesh has been notified.

The Koper-based newspaper Primorske Novice reports online that the migrant's body had been found lying in the grass on the Slovenian side of the border by a local on Saturday morning. Next to the body, lying by the road linking the Dragonja and Sečovlje border crossings, was the dead man's ID.

The report said the man likely died when crossing the border a day or two before his body was found.

06 Dec 2021, 12:16 PM

Fraport Slovenija’s New Boss Optimistic About Ljubljana Airport

STA, 5 December - Fraport Slovenija's new managing director Babett Stapel, who took over at the helm of the company operating Ljubljana's international airport in October, is optimistic about the airline industry and airport's future. She sees the industry's recovery, providing connectivity, and increasing staff numbers as key challenges post-pandemic.

The pandemic has hit the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport quite hard. It had 339,000 passengers in the first ten months, up from 282,000 in the same period 2020. The figure is expected to rise to 407,000 by the end of the year, which is 40% more than in 2020 but still 75% below 2019.

Growth has been partly fuelled by Slovenia's EU presidency, with Stapel telling the STA in an interview it was a nice surprise that despite the pandemic, a number of events were held in-person. The presidency has thus brought some 20,000 passengers.

The airport plans some 900,000 passengers in 2022, which is still 44% fewer than the 1.6 million it set itself as the basis, so Stapel expects full recovery only in 2025.

Although the new reality makes forecasts very hard to make, she remains optimistic for 2022, wishing the EU would unify measures and rules as soon as possible to make travel easier, which would benefit the entire air travel industry.

Cargo transport at Ljubljana airport has meanwhile increased by 12% this year compared to 2019 and by 21% compared to 2020. Since growth is expected to continue at one-dight rates until 2030, Fraport Slovenija is planning new investments in cargo infrastructure.

Stapel says that apart from the EUR 23 million invested in the new passenger terminal, which opened on 1 July, the company has invested another EUR 39.5 million in the infrastructure, equipment and IT since it started managing the airport in 2015.

She says it was strict cost cutting and strong ties with business partners to have enabled Fraport Slovenija to relatively successfully weather the coronacrisis.

Also thanks to EUR 5 million in state aid in compensation for the airport's closure for passenger transport in 2020, the company expects a positive EBITDA, while the bottom line will still be negative this year.

Further recovery of passenger air transport and ensuing connectivity is what she sees as the company's a key challenge for the future. She says close cooperation between the airport, air carriers, tourist industry and the state is of utmost importance.

In this respect, she expects the state subsidy scheme for airlines to ensure Slovenia's connectivity to be extended to this winter season and the next summer season.

As passenger numbers are expected to further grow, Fraport is also planning new hirings after having to lay off some staff last year. Around a fifth of those laid off will be hired, Stapel says, while new staff will also be sought, which she expects to be quite hard given the current situation in the labour market.

06 Dec 2021, 10:35 AM

Six Italian Military Doctors, Nurses Arrive in Slovenia

STA, 5 December 2021 - Six Italian military doctors and nurses arrived in Slovenia on Sunday to help the medical teams of the Slovenian Armed Force helping at Covid-19 hospitals. Another nine could not arrive due to the bad weather but will join them on Monday.

The Italians were welcomed at the barracks in the city of Kranj by Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Health Minister Janez Poklukar this afternoon.

That up to 30 Italian military staff would help Slovenia cope with the tense situation at hospitals was agreed by Tonin and his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini in Rome last month.

Today, two doctors and four male nurses, members of the Italian navy and air forces arrived, to be joined tomorrow by the nine police medical staff (carabinieri) whose flight was cancelled due to bad weather.

The 15 Italian medical professionals, of whom five doctors, are to help the Slovenian military teams at UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital.

Mixed teams are expected to feature one Italian doctor, two Italian nurses, one Slovenian nurse and two Slovenian military paramedics.

The military teams at another thee Slovenian hospitals, in Celje, Novo Mesto and Maribor, will remain unchanged.

In Celje and Novo Mesto, five members of the Slovenian Armed Forces are helping out, ten in Maribor and 15 at UKC Ljubljana.

One of them, nurse Alen Oderlap said they were doing their best to helo the civilian teams and patients. "There is a lot of work and every helping hand is welcome," he said.

Italian doctors Claudia Dedalo and Sandro Pricone said they already had some experience from Covid wards, while they see their Slovenian campaign as valuable experience and as an exchange of experience that could be valuable in other crises.

Minister Tonin is confident that the Italian team's know-how and experience will contribute to the mixed military teams to be effective and meet the expectations.

Minister Poklukar said the situation at Slovenian hospitals was still very difficult for medical staff, while response to any major natural disaster or accident would be impaired, which is why the help from Italy was so valuable.

Under the current agreement with Italy, the Italian medical staff will help in Slovenia until the end of the year.

Whether they continue into next year depends on the situation at hospitals and the epidemiological situation in Slovenia and neighbouring countries, Poklukar said.

Italian Ambassador to Slovenia Carlo Campanile said: "When Italy needed medical support, Slovenia was ready to help, and we have not forgotten it."

06 Dec 2021, 08:18 AM

Slovenia's Integration in International Trade 3rd Highest in EU

STA, 5 December 2021 - Slovenia's integration in international trade measured by the indicator of trade integration of goods was among the highest in the EU, placing the country third. Measured by the indicator of trade integration of services, Slovenia was roughly in the middle of EU member states, the Slovenian Statistics Office said this week.

Slovenia placed among the top eight in exports and nine in imports in terms of the share of exports and imports of goods and services in the GDP last year.

The countries with higher shares were Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland, Slovakia, Belgium, Hungary and the Netherlands.

The country's share of exports of goods and services amounted to 77.9% of GDP and the share of imports of goods and services to 68.7% of GDP.

Thus, as a result of the pandemic, the country's international trade and GDP were down as the values of exports and imports were 7.2% and 8.8% lower than in 2019.

As regards the share of direct investment, Slovenia continued to be at the bottom of EU member states.

FDI at the end of last year reached EUR 16.6 billion, up 2.4% compared to the end of 2019, amounting to 35.3% of the GDP value, which is 1.9% more than in 2019.

Slovenia's direct investment abroad reached EUR 7 billion, up 1.7%, amounting to 14.8% of the GDP value, which is 0.7% more than in 2019.

OECD data shows that as regards the share of inward FDI stock in GDP and the share of outward FDI stock in GDP, Slovenia continued to position itself among the last six EU member states, the statistics office added.

More on these statistics

06 Dec 2021, 04:18 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 6 December 2021

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:

Part of Italian military medical team arrives in Slovenia

KRANJ - Six Italian military doctors and nurses arrived in Slovenia to help the medical teams of the Slovenian Armed Force helping at Covid-19 hospitals. Another nine could not arrive due to the bad weather but will join them on Monday. The 15 Italian medical professionals, of whom five doctors, are to help at UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital. The Italians were welcomed at the barracks in Kranj by Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Health Minister Janez Poklukar. Under the current agreement, the Italian medical staff will help in Slovenia until the end of the year.

1,116 new infections recorded on Saturday, as epidemic gradually eases

LJUBLJANA - 1,116 new coronavirus infections were recorded in Slovenia on Saturday, down 24% from a week ago. The 7-day average of new cases dropped by 51 to 1,800 in a day and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population by 53 to 1,390. There are now 1,034 Covid-19 patients in hospitals, of whom 271 in intensive care, up 5 and 12 in a day, respectively. An estimated 29,311 people are said to be infected in the country. Thirteen patients died on Saturday, up 5 from Friday.

New Fraport Slovenija boss optimistic about Ljubljana airport's future

BRNIK - Fraport Slovenija's managing director Babett Stapel, who took over at the helm of the company operating Ljubljana's international airport in October, is optimistic about the airline industry and airport's future depite the pandemic, but she expect a full recovery only in 2025. While passenger numbers are growing, they are still expected to be 75% below the 2019 figure at the end of 2021. The company expects to finish 2021 with a positive EBITDA, while the bottom line will still be negative, despite a thriving cargo business.

Schwentner, Book of the Year awards given out at Book Fair

LJUBLJANA - The 37th Slovenian Book Fair, held online between 22 November and 5 December, formally closed on Saturday evening with an awards ceremony. Art editor at publisher Mladiska Knjiga Pavle Učakar received the Schwenter Award for his contribution to publishing during his almost 40-year career. Erica Johnson Debeljak's compelling book about widowhood received the Book of the Year Award. The book Devica, Kraljica, Vdova, Prasica (Virgo, Queen, Widow, Bitch) was selected by the fair's visitors in an online vote among seven books shortlisted by a jury.

Impossible Figures and Other Stories I wins Animateka's main prize

LJUBLJANA - The Jury Grand Prix of the 18th Animateka international animated film festival was conferred on Impossible Figures and Other Stories I by Polish director Marta Pajek as the festival ended on Saturday with the awards ceremony. The award is given to a film competing in the Eastern and Central European section. The festival's audience chose Babičino Seksualno Življenje (Granny's Sexual Life) by Slovenian director Urška Djukić and France's Emilie Pigeard as their favourite. Animateka featured 344 short animated films and seven feature films, and was held in-person, with some films also been available online.

Survey: Environment not factor in choosing means of transport

LJUBLJANA - A survey on Slovenia's energy efficiency (Reus) has shown that 25% of households are considering using public transport such as city bus or train more often, while only less than 5% are ready to increase use of public transport. "This means that a good quarter of all households has the potential to increase use of city buses or train. However, more than two thirds of households are not ready to increase use of public transport," said communication agency Informa Echo. However, environmental impact of transport is a key factor determining their choice of transport in only less than 10%.

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