News roundup - Friday, 17 March

Fajon and Tajani commit to continue joint efforts against illegal migration

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani committed to further cooperation between the two counties in the management of illegal migrations. They told the press after a meeting they were in agreement about the need for the issue to be addressed at the level of the EU. "We are also looking at ways for Italy, Slovenia and Croatia to jointly secure the external Schengen border," Fajon said. Tajani said their existing efforts would need to be supplemented by actions at the level of the entire EU.

Joint border patrols introduced also with Austria

LJUBLJANA - After establishing joint border patrols with Italy, Croatia and Hungary to prevent and detect illegal migration, the Slovenian police recently also introduced joint patrols with Austria, the General Police Administration said. The mixed units started patrolling the border area last week. In addition to the patrols, which are expected to work until the end of April, stricter border checks will also be introduced.

Slovenia welcomes ICC's decision to prosecute Putin

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon welcomed the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both said on Twitter that Slovenia was one of the 43 countries that gave the initiative to start the prosecution. Golob said that the ICC's legal prosecution is an important step towards punishing the perpetrators of war crimes and deliver justice.

Opposition's demand Slovenia vote against ban on internal combustion cars rejected

LJUBLJANA - A demand by the opposition that Slovenia vote against banning the sale of new internal combustion cars in the EU in 2035 was rejected by MPs. At a joint session of the infrastructure and economy committees on Friday, SDS MPs described the proposed ban as premature and risky given the high prices of electric cars and lack of charging infrastructure. Coalition members said there were some legitimate concerns about the ban but nevertheless endorsed it for the sake of the climate.

Slovenia pledges EUR 80,000 for Venezuelan refugees

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia pledged to donate EUR 80,000 over two years for Venezuelan refugees staying in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru at the International Conference on Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants. Foreign Ministry State Secretary Samuel Žbogar stressed the importance of solidarity in long crises such as the crisis in Venezuela, the Foreign Ministry said. The money will be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Irregularities found in payment of Covid bonuses

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit has established significant irregularities as it reviewed the payment of Covid-related bonuses for the government, secretariat-general of the government and four ministries in the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. The decision says that the government, which at the time was headed by Janez Janša, had failed to uniformly regulate the payment of bonuses allowance for work in hazardous conditions and for additional burdens during the epidemic.

Advisory body on hate speech prevention starts work

LJUBLJANA - A body advising Prime Minister Robert Golob on the combat against hate speech had its maiden session. Golob said the idea was to address hate speech so that it can be prevented and, if necessary, penalised. "We have finally arrived at the point when all stakeholders have been connected," he said. The council will be headed by Nika Kovač, the director of the 8 March Institute, who has been assaulted physically and verbally over the work of the NGO.

Nuclear plant launching dry cask storage system

KRŠKO - The Krško Nuclear Power Plant completed a dry cask storage facility for spent fuel, a EUR 100 million project completed as part of the plant's latest 10-year security upgrade. Initially, 300 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel will be transferred from the wet storage pool to dry storage. The new facility will last for at least the next 100 years, and spent fuel will be stored there after five years of cooling in the dedicated pool.

Petrol group's net loss in 2022 corrected down to EUR 2.7m

LJUBLJANA - Energy group Petrol last year generated a record EUR 9.5 billion in sales revenue, or 91% more than in the year before, while posting a net loss of EUR 2.7 million, significantly less than the EUR 12.1 million reported in a preliminary estimate in January. Petrol said the year-on-year revenue growth was a result of the "high volumes of fuels and petroleum products sold due to the low prices" and the takeover of the Croatian fuel retailer Crodux.

Dani AFC to lay off more than third of staff

SLOVENJ GRADEC - Dani AFC, the Italian-owned supplier of leather for high-end car seats, plans to fire about 75 of its 200 employees. The Slovenj Gradec-based company has seen the staff numbers fluctuate in recent years. According to CEO Jožef Horvat, the automotive industry continues to be affected by the difficult conditions in the energy markets, which intensify as the war in Ukraine continues. Consequently, the trend of declining orders continues at Dani AFC.

Neurosurgeon Bošnjak receives warning before dismissal

LJUBLJANA - Neurosurgeon Marko Bošnjak, who recently resigned as head of neurology at UKC Ljubljana following a report he had charged an extra fee to a patient, has received a warning before termination, the hospital's director general Marko Jug said on Thursday. If further allegations turn out to be true, the hospital will demand his resignation.

Maribor gets crisis centre for kids under six

MARIBOR - A centre sheltering kids aged under six opened near Maribor as the second centre where such young children are placed for up to three weeks if they are victims of domestic violence or have been left without parental care for other reasons. All children under six have so far been accommodated in Grosuplje, 20km southeast of Ljubljana. Social Affairs Minister Luka Mesec said the new centre was urgently needed.

Equality ombudsman calls for shelters for disabled, male victims of violence

LJUBLJANA - The equality ombudsman has noted as part of the public consultation on the new national programme on the prevention of domestic violence that shelters and other similar accommodation facilities should also include rooms for persons with disabilities and for men. The 2023-2028 resolution on the national programme for the prevention of domestic violence and violence against women is being drafted by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Be My Voice on Iranian women wins main award at docu film fest

LJUBLJANA - Be My Voice, a documentary about Iranian women's fight against forced hijab wearing, has won the Amnesty International Slovenia Human Rights Film Award at the 25th Festival of Documentary Film. Directed by Iranian-Swedish Nahid Persson, the film brings a story about Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist who had to flee to the US, from where she now leads a fight of Iranian women's for rights on social media.

Reformers Dalmatin and Bohorič honoured with plaques in Germany

WITTENBERG, Germany Two memorial plaques were unveiled in Wittenberg honouring two Slovenian greats from the Reformation period who provided a basis for the Slovenian written language. Jurij Dalmatin translated the entire Bible and Adam Bohorič wrote the first Slovenian grammar book. Both were published in 1584 in Wittenberg. Addressing the ceremony, National Assembly Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič said it was in Wittenberg that they put Slovenian on a par with the languages of large nations.

New gallery dedicated to up-and-coming artists opening in Maribor

MARIBOR - A new gallery of contemporary art will in Maribor today to put younger generations of artists on centre stage. Slovenian artist Iva Ferlinc will be the first to exhibit at the new venue, called Tkalka. Situated in the city centre, Tkalka or Weaver, as the name of the gallery would be translated into English, is expected to hold up to six exhibitions per year.

Empathy in focus of Slovenian artist performance in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany - Slovenian artist Jaša will present the next instalment of his project The Monuments at Berlin's Kühlhaus today with a site-specific intervention and a performance piece. This will be the seventh out of 17 events in the project that started at the end of 2021. Jaša will explore the relations between different media, emphasizing the element of the performing body and presence in dialogue with space as a material and metaphorical element.