Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 13-19 January

FRIDAY, 13 January
        SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon started her tour of the Western Balkans in Bosnia and Herzegovina by meeting her counterpart Bisera Turković and the country's collective presidency. She promised the country Slovenia's continued support in its bid to join the EU but also urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to make every effort to strengthen the rule of law.
        LJUBLJANA - The Heineken-owned brewer Pivovarna Laško Union announced it had sold the soft drinks brands Sola and Zala to the Slovenian company Nika Bev, which is owned by Croatian Stanić Beverages. The value of the deal was not announced. The move follows after the company moved beer production from Ljubljana, leaving only Sola and Zala production there. Out of 120 staff at the Ljubljana location, 50 are to be offered jobs in Laško.
        LJUBLJANA - In the wake of announcements of pay rises for judges, prosecutors, doctors, and kindergarten assistant teachers, further groups came forward with the same demand, including trade unions representing police and professional firefighters. They threaten industrial action if their demands are not met.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia opened a consulate in Naples, which will be headed by Jacopo Fronzoni as honorary consul. Its task will be to help further develop economic, cultural and scientific relations between Slovenia and Italy.
        ROME, Italy - The Italian press agency Ansa reported that the Pontifical Gregorian University ended its cooperation with Slovenian Jesuit priest Marko Rupnik in the wake of accusations that he sexually and emotionally abused nuns. Rupnik has not been lecturing at the Rome-based Jesuit-run university since 2020, but he did supervise PhD students.
        LJUBLJANA - A Ljubljana Faculty of Arts-led study on sexual harassment in academia showed examples of sexual violence are being identified with increasing frequency and systemic solutions are needed. Education Minister Igor Papič announced the findings would serve as the basis for a rulebook to deal with reported cases of sexual violence.

SUNDAY, 15 January
        PODGORICA, Montenegro - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met Montenegro's President Milo Đukanović, parliamentary Speaker Danijela Đurović and Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, calling on the country to appoint Constitutional Court judges to ensure respect for citizens' fundamental rights and the stability of institutions.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia allocated EUR 351 million to environmental protection in 2021, down 14.7% on the year before, with the largest share (EUR 122 million or 34.7%) going for the protection of air and climate, according to the Statistics Office.
        NOVO MESTO - The Peugeot 308 was awarded the Slovenian Car of 2023 title. The Opel Astra ranked second and the Toyota Corolla Cross third. Last year, the title went to the Toyota Yaris Cross.

MONDAY, 16 January
        KRŠKO - The Krško nuclear power station (NEK) received an environmental permit, a key condition for the extension of its life span by another 20 years, to 2043. The permit, issued by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, concludes the environmental impact assessment procedure conducted at the NEK after the plant was upgraded during last year's scheduled maintenance.
        PRISHTINA, Kosovo - During her first official visit to Kosovo, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon vowed Slovenia's further support for the country's efforts to join the EU and NATO. She announced stepping up Slovenia's presence in KFOR and EULEX and urged normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations.
        LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Customs Officers announced staff at the Financial Administration would go on strike on 13 February unless their demands for higher pay and additional bonuses are met.
        LJUBLJANA - Economists Matej Lahovnik and Davorin Kračun, who heads the Fiscal Council, warned the rise in the minimum wage and more and more pay rise demands in the public sector were putting an increasing strain on public finances. Both fear the budget deficit could get out of control. The Finance Ministry said the pay rises agreed were within the EUR 611 million pay deal agreed with public sector unions in October 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry hosted a debate on a draft 2040 resolution on long-term development of the Slovenian Armed Forces, which is to replace the one adopted last year. Under the document, Slovenia is to meet 2% of GDP defence spending target by 2030.
        LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar, PM Robert Golob and National Council President Marko Lotrič took part in a discussion on animal rights hosted by National Assembly Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič to call for an improved protection of farm animals and pets.
        LJUBLJANA - The proportion of those who are unhappy with the government's job (47.3%) exceeded the share of supporters (46.1%) for the first time since the Robert Golob cabinet took office on 1 June in the latest Vox Populi poll.
        FRANKFURT, Germany - Fraport, the German owner of the operator of Ljubljana airport, reported the airport served 970,152 passengers in 2022, double the figure from 2021, but still 43.6% below the pre-pandemic 2019.

TUESDAY, 17 January
        LJUBLJANA - At a session of the parliamentary Commission for Public Finance Oversight, the Bank Association urged the central bank to ease lending conditions, which have rendered much of the population ineligible for a housing loan, in particularly after the rise in the minimum wage lifted the bar for creditworthiness. The central bank argued risks were high and the measures appropriate.
        LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar and Foreign Minister Fanja Fajon separately received a group of ambassadors accredited to the UN, who are in Slovenia for an international conference on humanitarian law. Pirc Musar discussed the role of multilateralism and the UN in addressing global challenges with the ambassadors from Nigeria, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Santa Lucia and Costa Rica, while Fajon outlined Slovenia's foreign policy priorities.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police presented the details of an extensive two-year investigation in which they dismantled an international drug cartel that was involved in manufacturing and trafficking of illicit drugs and weapons smuggling with the help of the Austrian law enforcement authorities. Charges were filed against 49 individuals.
        ZAGORJE OB SAVI - The Zasavje Regional Development Agency successfully bid in a H2Regions.eu call to set up two major facilities for the production of green hydrogen with the help of free advice from UK energy consultancy Element Energy.
        MARIBOR - The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Maribor hosted representatives of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and academia to discuss cooperation in the exploration of space. The next day the potential for cooperation was also discussed at the Slovenian-Italian business forum and in a meeting between Economy Minister Matjaž Han and ASI president Giorgio Saccoccia.
        LJUBLJANA - The price of regular petrol sold off motorways rose by 1.2 cents to EUR 1.288 per litre and diesel remained unchanged at EUR 1.483 under a biweekly government pricing model.
        LJUBLJANA - Fallen trees caused a train to derail on the Ljubljana-Metlika track near Novo Mesto. The national railway company said five out of seven passengers sustained light injuries.

WEDNESDAY, 18 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The ruling coalition met do discuss plans for a health reform, reviewing a 120-page analysis of the situation in the public health system. They decided to meet again in two weeks to discuss other reforms, and then sign an annex to the coalition agreement specifying when the reforms will be implemented.
        LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar launched a series of meetings with parliamentary parties by meeting Prime Minister Robert Golob as the leader of the Freedom Movement and the party's deputy group leader Borut Sajovic. They discussed strategic topics that the president believes require broad consensus such as healthcare and potential constitutional amendments to reform the electoral system, and appointments of judges, ministers and other officials.
        LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry announced a new migration strategy that will be supported by an integration strategy, as Slovenia is facing a shortage of workforce. The document is expected to be ready for adoption in the first quarter of the year. Amendments to the foreigners act are in the pipeline to facilitate employment of foreigners.
        LJUBLJANA - Several public sector trade unions called on the government to come up with a solution to pay challenges, eliminate pay disparities among various groups, and preserve the public sector pay system, threatening to hold a protest rally for decent pay on 24 February.
        LJUBLJANA - The Union of Pensioners' Associations (ZDUS) called for pensions to be raised by at least 7.1% in February instead of the planned 4.9% to adjust them to inflation.
        LJUBLJANA - A survey commissioned by Advantage Austria Ljubljana, the trade promotion organisation of the Austrian Economic Chamber, found that Austrian investors still feel Slovenia offers good investment opportunities, despite red tape, high taxes, and lack of skilled workers.
        LJUBLJANA - After shutting off and dimming lights at some motorway sections nearly three months ago to save energy, motorway company DARS decided to switch the lights back on, finding the risks outweigh the benefits.
        KRAKOW, Poland - Slovenia opened the main round of the World Men's Handball Championship with a convincing 38:21 win against Iran to stay in play for the quarter-finals of the tournament. They only lost to France 31:35 in the preliminary round.

THURSDAY, 19 January
        LJUBLJANA - The news portal 24ur.com reported that the majority of the defendants in the Balkan Warrior drug trafficking case, including chief defendant Dragan Tošić pleaded guilty in what is the third trial in the case. The prosecution is seeking sentences equal to the time already spent in prison.
        LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar received the leaders of the opposition Democrats and New Slovenia for separate talks that focused on health reform but also touched on constitutional changes and other current challenges.
        LJUBLJANA - The upper chamber of parliament and 13 business and agriculture organisations petitioned the Constitutional Court to review changes to the income tax act that reverse key parts of a tax reform adopted under the previous government. This is a second such application after the one filed by the the opposition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi).
        LJUBLJANA - Vladimir Orlić, the speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, met his counterpart Urška Klakočar Zupančič and President Nataša Pirc Musar during an official visit. Klakočar Zupančič expressed support for Serbia's EU accession bid and both speakers described bilateral relations as excellent, in particular economic cooperation.
        LJUBLJANA - The government merged the Museum of Slovenian Independence, set up by the previous government, with the National Museum of Contemporary History to create a new institution. The move comes despite opposition from some right-leaning groups.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary committee on Slovenians abroad called on the government to improve support for the promotion of the Slovenian language and identity among the Slovenian communities in the neighbouring countries, which are facing a shortage of teachers and dwindling interest to learn the language.
        LJUBLJANA - The trade union of nurses SDZNS announced a protest rally for 22 February to demand higher pay, not ruling out a strike if necessary to step up the pressure. Higher wages were also demanded by local and public administration staff.
        LJUBLJANA - State Secretary Marko Koprivc from the Government Office for Development and EU Cohesion Policy said the Savinjsko-Saleška region, which is to abandon coal by 2033, should get the first funds for just transition in March. Over EUR 250 million will be available.