News roundup - Monday, 20 March, until 3pm

Fajon says implementation of Kosovo-Serbia deal key

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon commented on the deal reached by Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić by saying Serbia and Kosovo should be helped in these efforts, and vowing Slovenia's support. "The agreement ... serves as a kind of a basis, but now it depends on implementation regarding the establishment of the community of Serb municipalities or some kind of normalisation of relations," said Fajon, who already welcomed the deal on Sunday.

Golob rejects alleged govt cronyism in business

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob rejected allegations from the opposition that he appoints his acquaintances to managerial positions in state-owned companies as he took questions from the floor in parliament. Unlike during the previous government, knowledge and experience is required, not a party membership card, he said about the appointments at Slovenian Sovereign Holding, power utility HSE, and power distributor Gen-I. "Anyone with 15 or more years of experience ... is very qualified to take over a company," he said.

Banka Slovenije says European and Slovenian banking systems stable

LJUBLJANA - Banka Slovenije sought to reassure the public of the stability of the European and Slovenian banking systems, the turmoil in the US and Swiss banking systems notwithstanding. "The euro area banking sector is resilient, with a strong capital and liquidity position," the Slovenian central bank told STA after the Swiss bank UBS announced its takeover of Credit Suisse and after the collapse of two regional US banks, SVB and Signature.

Equality ombudsman urges strategy to fight racism

LJUBLJANA - On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the equality ombudsman urged the government to enhance efforts to raise awareness about the negative consequences of racism in Slovenian society and to produce a strategic plan to fight racism with a view to reducing the number of cases of discrimination. The government is working on a national strategy on gender equality and one against anti-Semitism, while the Advocate of the Principle of Equality also urged strategies on gender equality and on the equality of LGBTIQ persons.

Spirit successful in attracting FDI

LJUBLJANA - Spirit Slovenia, the national business development agency, has been around in its current form for ten years. One of its main tasks is to attract foreign direct investment. Its acting director Rok Capl told the STA the agency was successful in that last year despite a challenging international environment. The value of new confirmed greenfield investment and expansion is estimated at EUR 460 million and should create more than 1,100 jobs.

Mobile data roaming figures record high at the end of 2022

LJUBLJANA - The number of mobile network users in Slovenia rose to 2.675 million in the final quarter of last year, 3% more than in the same period a year ago. Mobile data roaming was up by 44% to a record-breaking 94 million gigabytes, while the number of phone calls dropped by 3%, shows fresh data from the Statistics Office (SURS). In the last quarter of 2022, the biggest rise was recorded in the segment of business subscribers, at 4%.

Francophone Film Festival opens in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The 11th Francophone Film Festival is opening in Ljubljana in the evening to coincide with International Francophonie Day. The screening of the film La Ligne will be followed by an online talk with its Swiss director Ursula Meier. The Swiss-French-Belgian co-production challenges stereotypes about violence perpetrated by women. Three more French-language films will be screened until the end of the week in Ljubljana, and two in Škofja Loka as part of the Month of European Film in April.

Serbian authors in focus at Ljubljana City Library

LJUBLJANA - Serbian art and culture will be taking centre stage this week at the Ljubljana City Library with guest appearances by prominent Serbian authors and a varied accompanying programme highlighting long-standing relationship between the two nations. The opening event at the Oton Župančič Library will see the library's director Teja Zorko and Serbian ambassador to Slovenia Zorana Vlatković address the audience, followed by a discussion with the ambassador, accompanied by music and dance.

Štuhec and Kranjec keep Slovenian skiing fans proud

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Alpine ski racers kept their contact to the world's best in the past season, however almost exclusively due to Ilka Štuhec in the women's World Cup and Žan Kranjec in the men's competitions. Štuhec, the downhill World Champion from 2017 and 2019, finished second in the final overall downhill standings, and Kranjec was third in the overall giant slalom rankings. He is the first male Slovenian Alpine ski racer to manage such a feat in 23 years.