News roundup - Friday, 10 February, until 3 pm

Fajon and Carinthia governor condemn FPÖ's anti-Slovenian post

LJUBLJANA/KLAGENFURT, Austria - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Carinthia Governor Peter Kaiser condemned the anti-Slovenian message posted on social media by the youth wing of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ). Fajon called for urgent action, and Kaiser pledged to do everything possible to ensure the successful coexistence of the German- and Slovenian-speaking communities. Concern over the post was also expressed by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon and Slovenian parties.

Risk of poverty in Slovenia slightly higher in 2022

LJUBLJANA - The rate of risk of poverty in Slovenia was at 12.1% in 2022, which is 0.4 percentage points higher than in 2021. Around 252,000 people lived below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which was EUR 827 per month for a one-person household. Social exclusion was a risk for 13.3% of Slovenians. The yearly at-risk-of-poverty threshold was EUR 9,927 for a one-person household, compared to EUR 9,249 in 2021 (or EUR 771 per month), shows preliminary data by the Statistics Office.

Household financial situation slightly worse in 2022

LJUBLJANA - Households had a harder time making ends meet in 2022. The share of households that experienced little or very little financial difficulty dropped to 24%, down by four percentage points compared to 2021, the Statistics Office data shows. Vacation remained as affordable as in 2021, while heating and housing-related costs became a bit more burdensome.

Financial Administration staff suspend strike

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Customs Officers suspended the planned strike of Financial Administration (FURS) employees scheduled to start on Monday to at least until until 22 April to await the results of talks on the public sector pay reform. Dušan Pečnik, the head of the trade union, told the STA that their demands nevertheless remained unchanged. If the trade union is not satisfied with the outcome of talks, it will resume their strike activities.

Industrial output up by 1.7% last year

LJUBLJANA - Industrial output in Slovenia was up by 1.7% last December on a monthly basis, mostly due to a significant increase in output in the supply of energy, gas and steam. Industrial output in the whole of 2022 was also up by 1.7% year-on-year in what was a significant slowdown in growth compared to 2021 when it exceeded 10%, the Statistics Office reported. Owing to rising inflation, sales revenue in industry was 18.1% higher last year than in 2021.

Court says Swiss franc loan cases judged on case-by-case basis

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court said its recent judgement in favour of Swiss franc loan borrowers did not change case law. Like in this case all the future decisions of the Supreme Court in such cases will be made on a case-by-case basis, the court said, echoing the banks' position. The case in question differed from previous such cases, as it marked the first time that it was ascertained that the bank had failed to adequately explain the currency risk to the borrowers.

Slovenian film on sign language wins Indian film festival

LJUBLJANA - A Slovenian documentary made in cooperation with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clubs Association of Slovenia (ZDGNS) won Best International Film at the 8th Indian International Deaf Film Festival 2023 in Chennai. The film, titled 62.a - From Prohibition to the Constitution, tackles the deaf community's efforts for the right to use sign language to be recognised in the constitution.

Retrosex starts at Kinodvor to celebrate erotic cinema

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana's cinema Kinodvor is paying tribute to its former status as an adult movie theatre with the 10th iteration of its Retrosex erotic film programme. Previously known as Kinosloga, the cinema is celebrating not only its predecessor but also the history of adult cinema. The programme will continue on Valentine's Day.

Aleš Šteger wins Germany's ITB 2023 travel book award

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian author Aleš Šteger received one of the ITB 2023 awards for his book Gebrauchsanweisung fur Slowenien (User Manual for Slovenia), a special travel guide for German-speaking foreigners visiting his country. The book, which won in the category 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair Guest of Honour, is part of a popular German travel book series.