The national intelligence agency SOVA has declined to give the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission information on the agency's staffing, requested in the wake of allegations that PM Marjan Šarec had intervened to secure a job to his female friend, because it is concerned the information would not be kept secret.

Slovenia and Austria launched on Wednesday a year of dialogue between neighbours, as part of which some 60 cultural, scientific, educational and other events are planned in the two Central European neighbours until the autumn of 2020.

Representatives of the government and Slovenian companies are visiting the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday as part of efforts by the government to boost the country's cooperation with this top research facility.

Bilateral ties and Schengen zone expansion topped the agenda as Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok met his Slovenian counterpart Miro Cerar in Ljubljana on Wednesday. The pair shared a view that bilateral relations were excellent and urged respect for international law and dedication to multilateralism.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel, the next president of the European Council, expressed optimism on Wednesday over the Brexit situation as Michel visited Slovenia. The pair believes the UK and the EU could reach an agreement.

After issuing a set of recommendations last November to warn against imprudent consumer lending practices, Banka Slovenije moved from recommendations to formal restrictions on Wednesday while also further stiffening conditions. "This is also to let the public know where the limits of healthy borrowing lie," Deputy Governor Primož Dolenc said.

The parliamentary foreign policy and EU affairs committees will hold a joint session behind closed doors this evening to discuss Slovenia's position on the expansion of the Schengen area. The session comes after reports that the European Commission is about to give Croatia the go-ahead to join the passport-free area.

Slovenian companies will have the chance to visit CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, in Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday, as part of efforts by the government to boost the country's cooperation with this top research facility.