Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 17-23 March

FRIDAY, 17 March
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani committed to further cooperation between the two countries in the management of illegal migration, but also called for joint action at the EU level.
        LJUBLJANA - After establishing joint border patrols with Italy, Croatia and Hungary to prevent and detect illegal migration, the Slovenian police said it had recently also introduced joint patrols with Austria.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon welcomed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin as an important step towards punishing the perpetrators of war crimes and deliver justice.
        LJUBLJANA - The coalition majority on the joint session of the infrastructure and economy committees voted down a demand by the opposition that Slovenia vote against banning the sale of new internal combustion cars in the EU from 2035.
        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 in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants.
        LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit established significant irregularities in the payment of Covid-related bonuses for the government, secretariat-general of the government and four ministries under the Janez Janša government.
        LJUBLJANA - A body advising Prime Minister Robert Golob on the combat against hate speech held its maiden session. The body is headed by Nika Kovač, the director of the 8 March Institute, who has been assaulted physically and verbally over the work of the NGO.
        KRŠKO - The Krško Nuclear Power Plant completed a dry cask storage facility for spent fuel, a EUR 100 million project carried out as part of the plant's latest 10-year security upgrade.
        LJUBLJANA - Energy group Petrol generated a record EUR 9.5 billion in sales revenue last year, nearly double than 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.
        LJUBLJANA - Be My Voice, a documentary by Iranian-Swedish filmmaker Nahid Persson about Iranian women's fight against forced hijab wearing, won the Amnesty International Slovenia Human Rights Film Award at the 25th Documentary Film Festival.
        WITTENBERG, Germany - Memorial plaques honouring two Slovenian Reformation period greats were unveiled. Jurij Dalmatin translated the entire Bible and Adam Bohorič wrote the first Slovenian grammar book. Both were published in 1584 in Wittenberg.
        MARIBOR - A new gallery of contemporary art called Tkalka (Weaver) opened, focussing on up-and-coming artists. The first exhibition was of Slovenian artist Iva Ferlinc.

SATURDAY, 18 March
        LJUBLJANA - Darko Muženič was reinstated as director of the National Bureau of Investigation with full powers after being reappointed in an acting capacity in July 2022. He reached a settlement with the State Attorney's Office over his unlawful dismissal in May 2020.
        KLAGENFURT, Austria - Organisations representing the Slovenian minority in the Austrian state of Carinthia took issue with the new curriculum for bilingual primary schools under which more teaching time is reserved for German language classes than for Slovenian classes. They say the proposal violates the law on minority education in Carinthia.

SUNDAY, 19 March
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon welcomed the deal reached by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on how to implement an EU-sponsored agreement to normalise Serbia-Kosovo relations. The next day she promised Slovenia's support in putting the deal in practice.
        VIKERSUND, Norway - Slovenian ski jumper Ema Klinec set the world record of 226 metres, to win the first World Cup ski flying event for women and the Raw Air tournament covering three hills in Norway. The day before Klinec was the first to cross the 200-metre mark. Her compatriot Anže Lanišek placed third in the Raw Air tournament.
        LJUBLJANA - The prices of commercial property - offices, retail, industrial property and premises for services - increased in the three-year period between 2020 and 2022 in Slovenia, with the prices of retail and services premises increasing the most, by almost 25%. The median sales price for offices rose by 14% to EUR 1,044 in 2022, according to a report by the Surveying and Mapping Authority.

MONDAY, 20 March
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia did not join the initial group of 17 EU countries plus Norway that sealed a deal to give one million artillery shells to Ukraine, however Defence Minister Marjan Šarec, speaking after a session of the Foreign Affairs Council said it would join the joint procurement soon.
        LJUBLJANA - Answering MP questions, Prime Minister Robert Golob said a bill on the public health insurer ZZZS and a bill on digitalisation of healthcare were being discussed by the Strategic Council for Health. Public debate on both bills is scheduled to start by the end of the month.
        LJUBLJANA - Guidelines confirmed by the government last week and obtained by the STA show it would take a gradual approach in reforming the system of wages in the public sector. Some steps will not be completed until 2027, a timeline that trade unions say is problematic.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia pledged to donate another EUR 500,000 in humanitarian aid for the victims of February's devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria at a donor conference.
        WASHINGTON, US - The US State Department's 2022 human rights report highlighted several recurring issues in Slovenia, including overcrowded prisons and a lack of progress in the resolution of Holocaust-era claims. Special attention is paid to media freedom, including backsliding during the government of Janez Janša, hateful rhetoric at the time, and harassment of journalists.
        NOVA GORICA - Culture Minister Asta Vrečko met her Italian counterpart Gennaro Sangiuliano to discuss European Capital of Culture 2025, hosted by Slovenia's Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia. They agreed the countries will regard the undertaking as a national project.
        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 a day after the Swiss bank UBS announced its takeover of Credit Suisse.
        LJUBLJANA - Gen-I, Slovenia's largest electricity trader, reported its net profit falling by 58% to EUR 29.5 million in 2022 as sales revenue rose by more than a fifth to EUR 4.1 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - Rok Capl, acting director of Spirit Slovenia, said the national business development agency had been successful in attracting foreign investment 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.

TUESDAY, 21 March
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The current chair of the General Affairs Council, Swedish EU Affairs Minister Jessika Roswall, said the ministers welcomed an initiative for a conference in Slovenia in May to discuss justice cooperation, which would also facilitate cooperation in prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine. The initiative was also hailed by European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.
        LJUBLJANA/SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Law enforcement authorities in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted a series of house searches at dozens of locations as part of their investigation into a racket in which at least EUR 5 million was allegedly laundered through money transfers between the two countries using shell companies.
        VIENNA, Austria - The Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission signed a new bilateral agreement to exchange technical information and cooperate in research and training of experts, among other things. The agreement follows the first such deal signed in 1993.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - A report released by NATO shows that Slovenia allocated 1.26% of GDP for defence last year, which places the country at the tail end among NATO member states. However, Slovenia passed the target of 20% of defence budget spent on investments in equipment.
        LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) voiced its strong opposition against a potential rise in pension contributions paid by employers as the government's plans for a pension reform were discussed at a conference.
        LJUBLJANA - A survey conducted by Ninamedia for the newspaper Dnevnik showed more than 70% of respondents agree that pension reform is needed, but most oppose raising retirement age or length of pensionable service.
        LJUBLJANA - Janez Gorišek, a ski jumper and civil engineer who designed the giant hill in Planica in the 1960s together with his older brother Vlado and is considered a pioneer of ski flying, died aged 89. The giant hill in Planica was built in 1969 as the world's largest such facility.

WEDNESDAY, 22 March
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a resolution that sets out a plan for the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) by 2040 under which Slovenia is to spend 2% of GDP on defence by 2030, five years before the current deadline.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the SAF service act to lower the required level of education to join the military to primary education, provided the candidates finish secondary school during service. The measure is to help reach the goal to almost double the number of SAF members to 10,000 by 2040 as planned under the SAF development resolution.
        LJUBLJANA - A report by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) found that Slovenia satisfactorily implemented five of the 15 recommendations the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body made in 2017 for prevention of corruption and promotion of integrity in top government offices and in the police, but still lacked a government integrity plan and tools to monitor conflicts of interest.
        NEW YORK, US - President Nataša Pirc Musar said in her address at the UN Water Conference that "water is life, existence and peace", and described Slovenia as one of the most water-rich countries in Europe. She called for the post of a UN special envoy for water to be established.
        LJUBLJANA - Serbian Defence Minister Miloš Vučević and his Slovenian counterpart Marjan Šarec discussed topical security issues and cooperation, pointing to potential to expand bilateral defence and military cooperation to mountain warfare.
        LJUBLJANA - Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina met Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Taran to discuss the situation of refugees from Ukraine. The ombudsman expressed concern over the lengthy procedures to obtain temporary protection status at some administrative units.
        LJUBLJANA - Fides, the trade union of doctors and dentists, announced it would resume its strike frozen in January on 2 April, because the government postponed the agreed formation of a separate pay tier for the healthcare system from 1 April to 30 June.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly overrode the upper chamber's veto on the reintroduction of a rule under which retail businesses must give out a receipt for goods or services to customers, who have to accept it. The rule had been in force from January 2016 to January 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly changed the law on cross-border services striking out a provision on payment of lower pension contributions for certain posted workers to bring the legislation in line with EU rules.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the act on scientific research and innovation, which create an Agency for Research and Innovation in Science (ARIS) in place of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS).
        LJUBLJANA - MPs passed amendments to the digital inclusion act which the coalition argues tackle discriminatory distribution of digital vouchers for students and the elderly, and better identify vulnerable groups. The opposition finds the changes unnecessary as a new act is in the pipeline.
        DUBAI, UAE - A regional hub for advanced digital technologies to showcase and position Slovenian companies in the Middle East and North Africa region and in Asian markets opened at the Slovenian pavilion at Dubai Expo City, the site of the 2020 World Expo.
        LJUBLJANA - A foundation stone was laid for a EUR 100 million complex of offices called Vilharia by the Ljubljana central station. The developer, Slovak company Corwin, says it will be the most sustainable office building in Slovenia.

THURSDAY, 23 March
        LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Timur Eyvazov after the indictment against two alleged Russian spies who were apprehended in Slovenia in December became final. The ministry said it had expressed its protest in the strongest terms to the ambassador.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Robert Golob said nuclear technology must have its place in Europe's carbon-neutral future as he arrived for the summit of EU leaders. He also said that the EU proposal to exclude synthetic fuels from the 2035 petrol and diesel engine ban was acceptable for Slovenia.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Arriving for the EU summit, PM Robert Golob said Slovenia should take part in the production of ammunition, which should be equally divided across the EU. Golob sees it as beneficial that the EU is moving towards not only joint purchases but also joint production of ammunition.
        NEW YORK, US - On the margins of the UN Water Conference, President Nataša Pirc Musar and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said that Slovenia's bid for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council in 2024 and 2025 was going very well. They are both optimistic about the country's chances of success in the June election.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a framework for a revision of this year's budget to align it with the cabinet's restructuring at the beginning of this year. The projected expenditure is being reduced by EUR 600 million, mainly because less money will be needed for measures to mitigate high energy prices. The deficit is to be reduced from EUR 3.3 billion to EUR 2.7 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to purchase a mobile water sampling laboratory for an estimated 104,000 euros to donate it to Ukraine. Ukraine asked for such a lab in August 2022.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided for Slovenia to participate with France and Montenegro in a project to set up a regional cyber capacity centre for the Western Balkans in Montenegro.
        NEW YORK, US - Speaking to reporters while in New York, President Nataša Pirc Musar called for the suspension of a major sewerage project in Ljubljana and for dialogue among all stakeholders. Her comments come after the Greens, a non-parliamentary party, filed a criminal complaint over suspected environmental crime in the construction of C0 as the project is called.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court declared as unconstitutional articles in the laws on waters and plant protection products as well as parts of the regulation governing the Ljubljansko Polje groundwater catchment area. Until the situation is remedied, the use of pesticides is banned in the five-metre buffer zone around the local water intake areas.
        LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of 2TDK, the state-owned company managing the construction of the Divača-Koper rail track, replaced the management after the government called for explanations for the project's delays and cost increase. Matej Oset was named new director general in place of Pavle Hevka.
        LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed changes to the companies act that simplify the procedures for incorporating companies and subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies online. It also adopted changes to the law on the register of companies for the same purpose.
        LJUBLJANA - Electricity suppliers will get EUR 216.7 million and natural gas suppliers EUR 79.7 million in estimated compensation this year for having to sell energy at capped prices, the government announced. The government adopted the regulation providing for compensation in January.
        LJUBLJANA - The Labour Inspectorate filed criminal complaints in a case involving two temp agencies from Slovakia and retailer Engrotuš. A number of shelf fillers at Engrotuš reportedly worked massive overtime.
        ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Slovenia defeated Kazakhstan 2:1 to successfully open their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign after turning around a 0:1 half-time deficit.