Slovenia is observing Culture Day on Friday, a bank holiday dedicated to artists and their work. While virtually every town will hold at least a small ceremony, President Borut Pahor will honour writer Florjan Lipuš, a member of the Slovenian minority in Austria, with the Golden Order of Service for his contribution to literature.

Florjan Lipuš, an acclaimed writer living in the Austrian province of Carinthia, was honoured on Friday by President Borut Pahor with the Golden Order of Service for his contribution to Slovenian literature and for providing a new and fresh view of what it means to be Slovenian.

The Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry has rejected an NGO's appeal of the environmental permit for a new car paint shop built by Magna Steyr on the outskirts of Maribor. Nonetheless, the start of the test run, scheduled for next week, will be delayed because the NGO plans to take the case to the Administrative Court.

There has been a gradual reduction in spending on culture in the last several years, before the culture budget rebounded this year. Total per capita state expenditure was 235 euro in 2010, but dropped to 199 euro by 2017. Additionally, an average citizen spent 192 euro per year on culture, Statistics Office figures show.