01 Dec 2021, 04:56 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 1 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:

Slovenia's GDP up 5% in third quarter

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP grew at an annual rate of 5% in the third quarter of 2021. Just like in the previous quarter, it was largely fuelled by household consumption, up by 9.3%, and gross capital formation, up 9.6%, the Statistics Office said. On the other hand, external trade balance had a negative impact on growth, as imports rose more than exports, by 19.9% and 10.6%, respectively.

Annual inflation accelerates to 4.6% in November

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate accelerated to 4.6% in November from 3% in the month before, the highest it has been since late 2008, on the back of higher prices of oil derivatives, which contributed 1.8 percentage points to the overall consumer price growth. At the monthly level prices were up by 0.7%, show the latest Statistics Office data. The only groups where prices dropped were telecommunications and health services.

Janša and Schallenberg discuss booster shots as Omicron spreads

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša spoke with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg via videoconference about the Covid-19 pandemic, including the new Omicron strain of coronavirus, to note the importance of booster vaccine shots. They assessed the epidemiological situation and exchanged information about measures aimed at managing Covid-19 and their effects. The Austrian chancellor wrote on Twitter that he and Janša had agreed on the importance of vaccination with a booster dose in view of the Omicron strain of coronavirus. They also discussed developments on the Belarusian-Polish border and the Western Balkans.

Young woman's death confirmed to be related to Janssen vaccine

LJUBLJANA - A commission appointed to examine the death of a 20-year-old woman after she was given the Janssen vaccine in September announced its unanimous assessment that the death was "definitely linked" to the vaccination. The investigation confirmed the vaccination led to the thrombotic thrombocytopenia in the woman. Upon suspending the use of the vaccine, the government made it available only on a person's specific demand accompanied by a written consent, which Health Minister Janez Poklukar said would be made into a new, permanent rule.

Almost 2,500 new cases confirmed as infections keep receding

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 2,482 new coronavirus cases for Monday as infections kept receding, with the daily count of newly confirmed infections dropping by over 900 from the same day a week ago, while the PCR test positivity rate remained a high 46.2%. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 decreased by 28 to 1,128, data released by the government show. The number of those treated in intensive care was 280 this morning, one fewer than yesterday. Covid-19 has claimed 16 more lives.

Economy minister calls for work from home

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek called on businesses to organise work from home wherever possible and to stick strictly to the Covid pass rule and other precautionary measures in what he says is the only way to avoid potential new restrictions. In his call, Počivalšek said Slovenia could not afford a shutdown or new harsh limits on economic activities. "We must do all in our power to avoid new restrictions on activities or lockdown," he said.

Testing guidelines issued for arrivals from southern Africa

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry issued guidelines on testing for persons who receive mandatory quarantine orders following their return to Slovenia from areas and countries with the new coronavirus variant Omicron. The ministry urged all testing providers to test those persons with PCR tests and to label their samples as arrivals coming from the areas. The latest guidelines also urge all persons in quarantine due to the risk of importing the new strain to take a PCR test as soon as quarantine is imposed, and then again on the fifth and tenth day.

Only one MP in favour of SAF development referendum on committee

LJUBLJANA - An initiative by the opposition Left to call a consultative referendum on a long-term programme for the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) was voted down by eight votes to one on the Defence Committee. While the Left opposes this key defence resolution, covering a period until 2035, arguing its lacking a social consensus and being misguided, Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret said the intention of the referendum run against national defence interests and Slovenia's international commitments and contrary to its strategic defence and security documents. The vote is not binding on the plenary.

President warns against politicisation of police

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony remembering the 1989 Operation North, a police campaign which prevented a Serbian nationalist rally in Ljubljana and is thus seen as one of the first steps in Slovenia towards the country eventually declaring independence. In his speech, Pahor warned against politicisation of police, noting that depoliticisation of police started at the time of Operation North and it was one of the milestone processes on the path to Slovenia's independence.

EU culture minsters call for support from media sector

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU culture ministers meeting under the chairmanship of Slovenia's Vasko Simoniti, noted the role of cultural heritage for sustainable development and the fight against climate change, in particular its contribution to social cohesion and jobs. They also called for measures to support the audiovisual and media sector, as Simoniti expressed concern over the continued impact of the pandemic on the European audiovisual and media industry.

Kustec calls adoption of European model of sport "historic"

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU ministers in charge of sport endorsed the European model of sport that calls for solidarity, open competition and accessibility of sport for all. Slovenian Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec said the adoption of the resolution was a "historic day for sport and the European Union". The ministers pledged to defend the European model of sport, especially its values such as "openness, solidarity, equality, transparency and human rights", she added.

Large fire breaks out in warehouse in Šentvid

LJUBLJANA - A fire broke out in a large warehouse in Vižmarje in the north-western Ljubljana borough of Šentvid during the night. The fire spread from pallets piled up next to the building inside the warehouse of several companies, including a tyre company, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief said. The fire has been mostly put out now but some parts of it are difficult to access, so the large-scale efforts will continue for a while, the Ljubljana Fire Brigade said. According to police reports, nobody was in the building at the time of the fire.

Deep 2020 loss for Slovenian energy sector

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian energy sector posted a net loss of EUR 277.5 million at the end of last year, compared to a EUR 303.6 million profit in the year before. This is the worst result since 2015, showed a report by the Energy Chamber. The performance of the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant (TEŠ) and its parent company, the power utility HSE, was the main cause of the loss. The year was also profoundly marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected mostly the sales of petroleum products.

Govt to help pig farmers with almost EUR 1.9m

LJUBLJANA - The government will help Slovenian pig farmers with EUR 1.87 million in financial aid, to be paid out on 23 December, to cope with falling prices of pork and pigs and rising prices of fodder, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said. The aim is to help over 580 farms whose main or only source of income is pig farming preserve their economic ability to continue with pig farming, UKOM said in a release. The government decided to provide the aid as part of the 2021-2024 national development projects to help out after purchase prices of pork and pigs started plummeting in the EU and Slovenia in June.

Number of households and families in Slovenia up

LJUBLJANA - The population in Slovenia increased by 59,000 in the decade between 2011 to 2021, with the number of households up by 46,000 and families by 20,000. Households have an average of 2.41 members, while families with children have an average of 1.56 children, according to the Statistics Office. Slovenia's population numbered 2,108,977 on 1 January 2021. The largest number of households were single-family, a total of 462,744 (54%), while one-person households accounted for 292,301 (34%).

30 Nov 2021, 14:19 PM

Large Warehouse Fire in Šentvid (Video)

STA, 30 November 2021 - A fire broke out in a large warehouse in Vižmarje in the north-western Ljubljana borough of Šentvid during the night. The fire spread from pallets piled up next to the building inside the warehouse of several companies, including a tyre company, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief said this morning.

According to police reports, nobody was in the building at the time of the fire.

The fire has been mostly put out now but some parts of it are difficult to access, so the efforts will continue for a while, the Ljubljana Fire Brigade said in a Facebook post.

More than 150 firefighters from the Ljubljana Brigade and several volunteer firefighting brigades have been fighting the fire and managed to prevent its spreading to the entire building and its office section.

Below, what appears to be the rough location of the fire, based on the video. Note the named firm may not be affected

The Ljubljana Police Administration said police, which had been informed of the fire little after 4am, secured the area and were gathering information.

The fire was large, so smoke spread to a wide area and locals have been advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed. Air quality measurements are being conducted but so far no toxins have been detected.

People are also urged not to obstruct emergency vehicles and not to go near the site.

Traffic has been obstructed in the Gorenjska motorway north-west of Ljubljana and in near-by streets. Railway transport towards the Gorenjska region has also been suspended. A substitute bus service has been organised, the national railway operator said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is yet to be launched.

30 Nov 2021, 12:41 PM

Report Confirms Young Woman's Death “Definitely Connected” to Janssen Vaccine

STA, 30 November 2021 - A commission appointed to examine the death of a 20-year-old woman following her vaccination with the Janssen vaccine in September has unanimously assessed that the death was "definitely connected" with the vaccination.

After being administered the vaccine, the patient developed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, the commission's member Zoran Simonovič told the press on Tuesday.

The investigation confirmed the vaccination led to the vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia in the woman, added Simonovič, head of Maribor's National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) unit.

The woman died due to brain haemorrhaging and blood clots in what was the second case of serious adverse effects concerning Covid vaccines in Slovenia.

The country then suspended the use of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine on 29 September and appointed the commission of medical experts to examine the case.

The commission studied the patient's medical records from the moment she was admitted to the emergency unit of the neurology clinic at UKC Ljubljana hospital until the end of her treatment at UKC Ljubljana.

It also studied the medical file obtained from the patient's GP, which however showed no condition that could signal problems after the vaccination, said Simonovič.

Unlike in several other countries where the Janssen vaccine is administered only to older patients, it was available to all adults in Slovenia bar pregnant women. A total of 120,000 Slovenians have been vaccinated with it.

The vaccine surged in popularity after the government decided those vaccinated with it qualified for the Covid pass as early as a day after receiving the shot. For all the other vaccines, the Covid pass took effect after the second dose.

Upon suspending its use, the government made the vaccine available only on a person's specific demand accompanied by a written consent, which Health Minister Janez Poklukar said today would be made into a new, permanent rule.

Asked by a journalist whether the country could stop or limit the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine, the other viral vector vaccine, he said the government would follow the expert opinion.

Bojana Beović, the head of the national advisory committee on immunisation, said several options were possible, with one being limited use of both vector vaccines upon explicit wish of an individual or counter-indications after vaccination with mRNK vaccines.

Another option is limiting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine this way, and completely banning Janssen, and the third option is full ban on the use of both vaccines. "This is a matter of agreement within the advisory committee," Beović said in a separate statement to the press.

Borut Štrukelj, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy, said that the woman had been vaccinated on 16 September with a dose with the serial number XE 393.

He said the vaccine is used in most European countries, Canada and the US, while US statistics have shown 1.2 persons per 100,000 - mostly women aged 30 to 37 - developed this adverse side effect.

Until 30 October, 16.3 million Janssen jabs were administered in Europe, and six deaths related to this vaccine beyond doubt were recorded, said Štrukelj.

30 Nov 2021, 10:52 AM

Slovenian Press Agency Joins New EU-Funded Newsroom With 15 Other Agencies

STA, 29 November 2021 - The Slovenian Press Agency (STA) is one of the 16 European press agencies that will join forces in a common European press centre whose creation was announced on Monday by the European Commission in a bid to strengthen the European media space. The pan-European Newsroom will be supported with EU funds.

This will be "the first ever pan-European newsroom space, which will allow journalists to report jointly on EU affairs and promote, let's say, a spirit of collaboration", European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said as he announced the new project at an event in Brussels on Monday.

The Commission will support the project with around EUR 1.76 million, which will be used, among other things, to finance training and set up a new multilingual website with selected texts on EU topics from participating news agencies, said the Commission.

The project is due to start in January, while the Newsroom is expected to become operational in mid-2022.

The STA's acting director Igor Kadunc welcomed the project. "We are pleased that the European Commission has recognised the importance of news agencies in providing and disseminating credible information in Europe and the world, and we are proud that the STA is participating in this project," he commented.

The project will be coordinated by the German news agency dpa. The other participating agencies are also AFP (France), ansa (Italy), AGERPRES (Romania), APA (Austria), ATA (Albania), Belga (Belgium), BTA (Bulgaria), HINA (Croatia), EFE and Europapress (Spain), TASR (Slovakia), FENA (Bosnia-Herzegovina), MIA (North Macedonia) and Tanjug (Serbia).

30 Nov 2021, 10:46 AM

New Statistics on Slovenian Households & Families

STA, 30 November 2021 - The population in Slovenia has increased by 59,000 in the decade between 2011 to 2021, with the number of households up by 46,000 and families by 20,000. Households have an average of 2.41 members, while families with children have an average of 1.56 children, according to the Statistics Office.

Slovenia's population numbered 2,108,977 on 1 January 2021, of which 859,782 (98%) lived in private households and 682 (2%) in group and special households - the largest number of those (16,000) were residents of homes for the elderly.

The largest number of households were single-family, a total of 462,744 (54%), while one-person households accounted for 292,301 (34%). In every 20th household, there was at least one person who is not considered a member of the family, according to the statistical definition.

Since 2011, the number of households has increased by 46,000 (6%) and by 35,000 (4%) in three years. There has been an increase in the number of two-person, one-person and large households (with six or more members), and a decrease in the number of households with three, four or five members.

One in seven people in Slovenia lived in a one-person household in 2021. Many of them were foreign nationals, with 43,848 male and 5,017 female one-person households. Most of the foreign nationals were men aged 21-27.

At the beginning of 2021, there were 587,448 families in Slovenia, 412,534 (70%) with children and 174,914 (30%) without. A total of 1,683,792 (80%) of the population lived in families - the number of families has increased by 20,000 since 2011 and by 10,000 in the last three years.

The most common family type were married couples with children - 202,458, accounting for almost 35% of all families, although the number of such families has been declining for more than three decades. The second most common family type (25%) were married couples without children.

The third most common type were single-parent families with children - 23% of all families and 33% of families with children, and the majority of such families were single mothers (80%).

The most significant increase in the last decade was seen in cohabiting families without children, who accounted for 5% of all families. There were also 255 same-sex partner families in Slovenia in 2021, 52 with children and 203 without.

Families had an average 1.10 children, up to 1.56 if only families with children are considered. The lowest number of children was recorded in the municipalities of Šalovci (1.36) and Lendava (1.39) in the north-east, and the highest in the municipalities of Gorenja Vas - Poljane (1.98), Železniki (1.84) and Horjul (1.83).

More on this data

30 Nov 2021, 04:25 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 30 November 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:

Pahor urges progress in Prishtina-Belgrade dialogue

PRISHTINA, Kosovo - President Borut Pahor called for headway in the Prishtina-Belgrade dialogue as he held talks with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and PM Albin Kurti. He endorsed Kosovo's efforts to join Euro-Atlantic organisations and urged the country to continue adopting and implementing reforms, while emphasising the need to implement the Kosovo-Serbia agreements reached so far and to look for a comprehensive solution in relations between the two countries. The talks in Prishtina came a day after Pahor held talks in Belgrade with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić focused on the EU accession prospects of the Western Balkans.

LIBE committee discusses report on Slovenia mission

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) discussed a report on a mission to Slovenia it completed in October. The debate saw a heated exchange between Slovenian MEP Romana Tomc, who said the mission had missed the mark, and chair Sophie in 't Veld, who dismissed the criticism and urged the EPP to cooperate constructively. The publicly released report expressed deep concern over the climate of hostility and deep polarisation in Slovenia, which it says undermines trust in and between public institutions.

Zorčič and Bečić on Montenegro's European prospects

LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin parliamentary Speaker Aleksa Bečić started a three-day visit to Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Igor Zorčič. The pair discussed primarily Montenegro's European prospects, with Zorčič saying that as the presiding EU country, Slovenia was committed to accelerating the EU enlargement process in cooperation with Western Balkan countries. He said Montenegro was an element of stability and a regional leader in terms of EU integration.

Kukovec clears last hurdle to becoming EU General Court judge

LJUBLJANA - Damjan Kukovec will soon become a judge at the EU General Court after Committee 255, which vets candidates for EU Court judges, endorsed his candidacy on Monday, President Borut Pahor announced on Twitter. Kukovec, a senior lecturer in law at Middlesex School of Law in London, was endorsed by the National Assembly in July and will join the second Slovenian judge at the court, Maja Brkan, who started her term in July.

Coalition NSi, SDS propose setting up school for officers

LJUBLJANA - The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) and Democratic Party (SDS) presented a bill last week to establish a higher education institution for military training. The school for officers would be part of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF), operating under the Centre of Military Schools. It would be classified as the first Bologna cycle institution providing interdisciplinary studies. These amendments would reduce the average age of officers on first duty from the current 28 to 23.

Slovenia setting up RescEU protective equipment stockpile

LJUBLJANA - The Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief will set up the RescEU stockpile of protective equipment on Wednesday. The first batch of face masks has been already received, and in 2022, the reserve is expected to provide supplies of protective masks, gloves, coats, aprons, goggles and visors. The first delivery to inaugurate the stockpile includes a million FFP2 masks and was received at the national logistics centre in Roje on Monday.

Coronavirus infections keep falling

LJUBLJANA - 1,034 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Sunday, roughly a quarter fewer than the same day a week ago. Hospital figures remained stable but 19 more patients died of Covid-19, government data shows. As of this morning 1,156 people are treated in hospitals for Covid-19, including 281 in intensive care. According to the National Institute of Public Health, the 7-day average of new cases dropped to 2,318 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 to 1,821.

EU ministers adopt recommendations for blended learning in response to pandemic

BRUSSELS, Belgium - In response to the coronavirus pandemic, EU education ministers adopted recommendations on blended learning approaches which combine school site and other physical environments away from the school as well as digital and non-digital learning tools. The recommendations feature short-term measures as a direct response to the health crisis, whereas the long-term measures are designed to strengthen the education systems for a more resilient Europe.

NGO draws up amendments to communicable diseases act

LJUBLJANA - The NGO Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy has drawn up amendments to the communicable diseases act in cooperation with experts after parts of the law were found in breach of the constitution and the National Assembly failed to amend them by the deadline imposed by the Constitutional Court. The NGO sent the proposal to all parliamentary factions. Noting the fourth wave of coronavirus, it said it was high time that an appropriate legal basis for Covid measures was in place.

Public broadcaster's content plan for 2022 confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The Programming Council of RTV Slovenija confirmed the public broadcaster's production plan for 2022, which had been met with criticism from the broadcaster's news staff because several news shows are being cancelled and some moved to the lower-rated second channel. In a secret ballot, 17 councillors voted in favour, two were against and five abstained. A special resolution was added to the plan allowing a three-month transitional period for a gradual roll-out of the changes and additional adjustments in collaboration with the news staff.

Photographers warn about "harmful effects" of UKOM-STA contract

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian photojournalists and photographers warned the photography provisions of the recently signed public service agreement between the STA and the Government Communication Office (UKOM) is detrimental and "could lead to a complete collapse of the visual content market", urging a different solution. The warnings refer to the portion of the agreement which makes photos part of the STA's public service, thus making them free. This would lead to a collapse of the Slovenian photojournalism market, as other photographers and photojournalists would not be able to sell their work.

Over 60% oppose government in POP TV poll

LJUBLJANA - The voter approval rating for the government fell further in the latest poll commissioned by the commercial broadcaster POP TV. The proportion of those who approve of the government's job fell by 1.1 of a percentage point from October to 28.3% as the percentage of those who disapprove rose by 0.2 points to 62.2% in November. The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead but have lost 2.5 percentage points to 16.1%, after they gained 3.6 points in October.

STA to join new European Newsroom with 16 news agencies

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Slovenian Press Agency (STA) is one of the 16 European press agencies that will join forces in a common European press centre whose creation was announced today by the European Commission in a bid to strengthen the European media space. The pan-European Newsroom will be supported with EUR 1.76 million in EU funds and coordinated by the German news agency dpa. The project is due to start in January, while the Newsroom is expected to become operational in mid-2022.

Portal launched to increase presence of women in media

LJUBLJANA - A portal called Ona Ve (She Knows) was launched to increase the share of women appearing in Slovenian media and at public events. Half of Slovenia's population are women but they feature in only 24% of media appearances, ex-journalist and ex-ambasador Marta Kos, the chair of the association behind the portal, said upon the launch. The portal features more than 110 women experts which media outlets or event organisers can contact when looking for experts to appear on their shows to have more gender balanced line-ups.

Heating costs highest in Maribor, lowest in Celje

LJUBLJANA - The rising prices of energy in wholesales markets are already affecting retail prices of distance heating in Slovenia, which rose by an average 38% to EUR 118 in November in a year-on-year comparison. It was the most expensive in the municipality of Maribor and the cheapest in Celje, shows a survey by the Energy Agency. The price of heating went up the most in municipalities where the main source of energy is gas or coal. The Energy Chamber meanwhile warned the state should be prudent when introducing measures for mitigating the negative effects of energy prices for either households or companies.

Telekom quitting electricity retail business

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije, the state-owned telecoms operator, will quit the electricity retail business as of New Year's, the second company to leave the retail market in the last few months amidst surging electricity prices. The company said the users must find new suppliers or switch to emergency supply provided by SODO, the distribution system operator, by 1 January. Telekom had a 2% share of the household market according to data by the Energy Agency and is the biggest supplier so far to call it quits. It entered the electricity retail market in 2016 and focused on households, offering bundles of telecoms services and electricity.

Printing sector to get higher wages

LJUBLJANA - Social partners signed an annex to the collective agreement for the graphical sector raising the lowest base pay in the sector as well as the compensation for meals during work time to mark 30 years since the signing of their collective agreement. The fourth annex was signed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and the Association of Employers (ZDS) on behalf of employers and the KSS Pergam trade union and the Trade Union of Graphical Activities on behalf of employees.

Slovenian culture, sports, cuisine celebrated in Brussels

LJUBLJANA - A number of cultural, sports and culinary events presenting Slovenia will be held in Brussels this week as the country's EU presidency draws to a close at the end of the year. The highlight will be the Slovenian festival at the Schuman Roundabout, where achievements of Slovenian athletes, scientists and artists will be presented until Wednesday. This evening's opening event was addressed by Education Minister Simona Kustec and European Education and Culture Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.

Handke translator wins German-Slovenian translation prize

LJUBLJANA - Amalija Maček received this year's Fabjan Hafner Prize for translation from German into Slovenian for her translation of Peter Handke's 1994 novel My Year in the No-Man's-Bay. The translation took several years and the result is a "masterful translation artwork" very much in tune with the original, the Goethe-Institut Ljubljana quoted the jury as saying on Monday. The prize includes a EUR 4,000 cash prize, a one-month residency in Berlin, and a reading of the work at the Musil Institute in Klagenfurt, Austria.

29 Nov 2021, 15:13 PM

Heating Costs Lowest in Celje, Highest in Maribor

STA, 29 November 2021 - The rising prices of energy in wholesale markets are already affecting retail prices of distance heating. In November, the costs of distance heating were up by 38% on average. It was the most expensive in Maribor and the cheapest in Celje, shows a survey by the Energy Agency [Agencija za energijo].

In nine Slovenian municipalities - Ljubljana, Maribor, Kranj, Celje, Slovenj Gradec, Velenje, Jesenice, Ravne na Koroškem and Trbovlje - the average retail price of heating for a typical household in a multi-apartment building with the average annual consumption of 6.21 megawatt hours rose by 38% to EUR 118 in November in year-on-year comparison, the agency says on its website.

The price of heating went up the most in municipalities where the main source of energy is gas or coal.

According to the agency, the rising price of heat from distribution systems, which are predominantly gas-fired, is mainly driven by new contract prices for this source of energy source and by monthly purchases of missing carbon dioxide emission allowances. Meanwhile, the price of heat from distribution systems whose primary fuel is coal is most affected by high prices for emission allowances.

In November, the biggest annual surge was recorded in Marbor and Jesenice (by 77%), and in Trbovlje (by 43%).

In Maribor, the retail price of heat also went up by 18% in monthly comparison. At EUR 173.54 per megawatt hour, it is the highest among all nine municipalities included in the survey. Jesenice follows with EUR 166.18, which remained flat compared to October.

In Jesenice, the authorities agreed last week to reduce the variable part of the price for November and December by EUR 15, while talks on other solutions are under way as well.

In Celje, the price remains stable and the lowest, at EUR 83.75 per megawatt hour. The agency says this is mainly because a significant share of heat is obtained from waste processing and wood biomass.

The Energy Chamber warns that the state must be prudent when introducing measures for mitigating the negative effects of energy prices both for households and companies. There must be no interfering with market mechanism, the chamber said after Friday's session of its managing board.

The measures for mitigating the effects of energy price hikes must be introduced as soon as possible, as operations of certain companies are already seriously in danger, the chamber said, noting that distance heating systems were under big financial pressure.

"Short-term measures to mitigate the energy market situation must be targeted and temporary and must not affect the functioning of the market as a whole and the long-term competitiveness and investment capital of energy companies, which is key to the green transition to a climate-neutral society," the chamber stressed.

At the same time, the measures should help maintain the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries, especially those that have already made significant efforts to improve energy efficiency.

The chamber believes the state could also use the Climate Change Fund to cover the extraordinary costs of large energy-intensive industrial consumers who have contracts with domestic electricity producers.

The chamber also stressed that the current situation was ideal for all stakeholders to focus on longer-term measures, which could include investing in sufficient capacity or building new power generation units, including nuclear power generation units, and in all available renewable energy sources, as well as in the energy recovery from waste.

29 Nov 2021, 13:25 PM

Brits in Slovenia Must Get New Biometric ID by 31 December Due to Loss of Rights with Brexit

STA, 29 November 2021 - The Foreign Ministry has called on all UK citizens and their family members residing in Slovenia to submit applications for a new biometric permit for temporary residence or exchange the existing one for a new biometric permit for permanent residence on time. The deadline is 31 December.

The current permits issued to UK citizens or their family members who are not EU citizens expire on 31 December as a result of Brexit.

The applications can be submitted at the administrative unit of their residence. The permits are issued in line with the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. More information is available at: https://www.gov.si/en/registries/projects/brexit/.

The agreement on the UK's withdrawal from the EU came into force on 1 February 2020. As of the day of its exit, the United Kingdom has become a third country, which means its citizens no longer enjoy the same conditions to reside in EU countries as before Brexit.

The Withdrawal Agreement envisages a transitional period for UK citizens residing in the EU to obtain residence permits. The deadline in Slovenia expires on 31 December 2021.

29 Nov 2021, 12:11 PM

Večer Laments Vicious Circle of Slovenia’s Rising Property Prices

STA, 29 November 2021 - The newspaper Večer writes about the "vicious circle" of soaring prices of residential properties in Slovenia in Monday's commentary, finding that for many home ownership is becoming out of reach.

The piece, headlined Vicious Circle [Rast cen nepremičnin: V začaranem krogu], notes that 94% of residential real estate in Slovenia is in private ownership, and now the question is how to buy a home given the soaring prices.

"After the latest hikes in real estate prices with up to over 8,000 euro (!) per square metre in Ljubljana, it is clear an ever smaller circle of people can afford a property [...]

"We have entered a vicious real estate circle that many do not see a way out of," writes the paper, noting that only this year prices in some locations have risen by 40% compared to 2015 and used flats cost almost as much as new ones.

The paper notes that young people buying their first home or families that would like to move on getting a child are pressed hardest. "If they do not have savings or have won a lottery, buying a roof over your head is all but mission impossible today."

It is no easier renting a flat considering the lack of rental housing. "For non-understandable reasons the state is holding back construction of rental housing that could in the future at least partly mitigate the raging of property market prices."

All our stories on real estate in Slovenia

29 Nov 2021, 11:56 AM

Basketball: Men’s Team Start World Cup With Wins Against Croatia, Sweden (Videos)

STA, 29 November 2021 - The Slovenian men's basketball team opened the qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup last week with wins against Croatia on the road and against Sweden at home to sit atop the qualifying Group C. The qualifying campaign continues in February 2022.

Slovenia, the fourth-placed team from the Tokyo Summer Olympics, first defeated Croatia in Zagreb 76:74 in a tough encounter that saw sharpshooter Klemen Prepelič as the top scorer for Slovenia with 16 points.

Prepelič followed this up with a 30-point effort against Sweden in front the home crowd in Bonifika Arena in Koper last evening to propel Slovenia to a 94:89 victory, with Jaka Blažič adding 23 points.

Slovenia's head coach Aleksander Sekulić said after the win against Sweden that it was a "good start of the qualifiers, and a great incentive for the future matches."

Prepelič said that it had been agreed with the teammates that "we must not miss the next major competition", referring to Slovenia missing out on the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup after winning the 2017 EuroBasket.

"We have a golden generation with Luka Dončić as the leader and we want to play with him again. We have a cohesive team in which each role is clearly defined," added the Valencia Basket player.

The next two-game slot will be played on in February 2022 as Finland host Slovenia on 25 February and Slovenia host Finland on 28 February.

The next FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place between 25 August and 10 September 2023, hosted by Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines and featuring 32 national teams, with Slovenia competing for the 12 slots reserved for European teams.

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