News roundup - Wednesday, 17 May

Pirc Musar underlines importance of CoE at Reykjavik summit

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - The Council of Europe (CoE) may play an important role in establishing responsibility for international crime, and international cooperation will be key in this, President Nataša Pirc Musar said at the outset of the CoE summit in Reykjavik on Tuesday. Alongside Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Pirc Musar hosted a round table debate dedicated to the need to establish responsibility for atrocities in Ukraine. On the sidelines of the summit, she held several bilateral meetings. Today, she expressed support for a damage register for Ukraine, which Slovenia endorsed together with another 39 CoE members, the EU and three observer states: Canada, Japan and the US.

Day of remembrance for victims of communism cancelled

LJUBLJANA - Just hours before Slovenia was due to mark National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communism, the government revoked late on Tuesday a decree by its predecessors that created the memorial day with the argument that it was declared without a "public and expert debate". Former PM Janez Janša, under whose government the memorial day was declared, described the decision on Twitter as "one of the most abhorrent and disgraceful acts in the history of independent Slovenia" and an "insult to all those who have at least a shred of sympathy for fellow humans." Another opposition leader Matej Tonin feels this is not about being on the right side of history, it is about fundamental values and respect for the dead.

Appeal made for public register of communism victims

LJUBLJANA - Several civil initiatives made an appeal for the state to set up a public register of victims of communist violence, regretting the government's decision to cancel the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communism. The four associations campaigning for the recognition of the victims of reprisals by the Communists during and after the Second World War presented their appeal to Eva Irgl, the chair of the parliamentary Commission for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities, along with a list of 14,901 persons killed.

Golob says rule of law should allow for no abuses

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob commented on the news of a suspected abuse of office by former director of the Office for Money Laundering Prevention Damjan Žugelj over a massive investigation of bank accounts, saying that "there is and must be no room for such appalling abuses" in a democratic state under the rule of law. If the allegations are true, this is one of the biggest abuses of official institutions for partisan political purposes in the history of the country, with the aim of influencing the outcome of elections, Golob said.

Fajon says UN Security Council bid good for Slovenia's reputation

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's campaign for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council has put the country back on the map, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee. The international community remembers what Slovenia was like 20, 30 years ago, and now the country has raised its profile, she said. Fajon sees this as an investment in the future. "It's a national project. If we succeed, we can all be proud," she said.

Fajon says talks on EU decision-making starting next week

LJUBLJANA - An informal group of nine EU countries, including Slovenia, proposing that decisions on the EU foreign and security policies are reached with a qualified majority and no longer a consensus, will hold the first informal talks on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers next week, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said. Answering a question from Anže Logar, MP for the opposition Democrats (SDS), the minister said the initiative was still in its infancy.

Foreign Ministry to get EUR 6.2 million more in revised budget

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry will get EUR 6.2 million more in the revised budget for this year, the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee heard, and so the ministry will have EUR 142.7 million available this year in total. The increase comes due to additional aid for Ukraine worth EUR 5 million, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon told the MPs, adding this was aid to mitigate global effects of the war. EUR 2.5 million will go for humanitarian aid to be donated through international organisations, EUR 2 million for bilateral projects carried out by Slovenian partners and another half a million euros for renovation, medical equipment and other activities.

Han calls for equal treatment of Slovenian business in Bosnia

LJUBLJANA - Ways to boost economic cooperation between Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina topped the agenda as Economy Minister Matjaž Han met Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac in Ljubljana. Han put in his word for less red tape and equal treatment of Slovenian companies in Bosnia. The two ministers noted the rising volume of bilateral trade, which went up by 20% to over EUR 2 billion last year. Slovenia's direct investment in Bosnia topped EUR 532 million.

Parliamentary inquiry into political holds maiden session

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into alleged political meddling in the police and other independent state bodies held its first session behind closed doors. The opposition Democrats (SDS) accused the Robert Golob government of meddling in police, pointing to letters by former interior minister and acting police commissioner. The inquiry will look into whether members of the former and current governments have politically interfered in any pre-trial and other proceedings.

MOL cleared to take over OMV Slovenija

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission cleared Hungarian oil company MOL to acquire OMV Slovenija, the country's second largest network of service stations. The approval is conditional on MOL selling 39 service stations in Slovenia to the British Shell Group. Margrethe Vestager, the Commission's executive vice-president who is in charge of competition policy, said the divestment would allow consumers in Slovenia to continue to have access to fuel at competitive prices.

Committee okays automatic extension of mining rights by 30 months

LJUBLJANA - The relevant parliamentary committee confirmed an emergency bill under which the mining rights and concessions that expire in 2023 and 2024 would be automatically extended by 30 months. The reason is the backlog in administrative procedures for extension and adoption of relevant municipal spatial plans. Under the bill, which is being fast-tracked, the deadline for submitting an application for extension is least 12 months before the end of the period for which the concession contract was concluded.

Tibor Šimonka gets another terms as GZS president

LJUBLJANA - Tibor Šimonka, a senior vice-president of the steel group SIJ, was re-elected president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) for a four-year term. He said on the occasion that the Slovenian economy needed stable and predictable conditions to achieve good results. Šimonka won 61 out of the 94 votes cast by members of the GZS assembly. His bid was challenged by Robert Ljoljo, the chairman of the drug maker Lek and president of the Sandoz group for Slovenia.

Hedepy picked best startup at Podim conference

MARIBOR - Hedepy, a Czech company providing rapid access to online therapy in eleven markets, was picked as the best startup at the Podim international business conference in Maribor in a competition featuring 135 startups from 18 countries. What is one of the fastest growing platforms for mental health and well-being was selected by a jury of international investors from Europe's leading venture capital funds and experienced entrepreneurs. Economy Minister Matjaž Han said the conference boosted Slovenia's place on the European and global business map.

BTC group net profit up nearly 17% to EUR 7.6m in 2022

LJUBLJANA - The BTC group, the operator of Ljubljana's shopping and logistics hub BTC City, generated EUR 85.7 million in sales revenue last year, an 18.3% increase on the year before. Net profit rose by 16.9% to EUR 7.6 million, the company said. BTC spent EUR 18.9 million on investment last year, while EUR 10.6 million has been earmarked for this year.

MPs call on govt to address precarity

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Labour Committee called on the government in an unanimous vote to adopt by the end of the year a strategy to eliminate precarious forms of work and inappropriate practices in outsourcing of services. It was noted in the debate that state-owned companies should set an example in this field. In the discussion, representatives of trade unions and NGOs called for cases of outsourcing of services, especially in state-owned companies, to be eliminated or limited.

Sick leave absences up last year

LJUBLJANA - Most sick leave indicators increased in 2022 in annual comparison, according to a report by the National Institute of Public Health. On average more days were lost, more employees took sick leave than the year before and they were on sick leave more frequently than in 2021 but the average sick leave was shorter. Last year, 20,494,360 work days were lost due to sick leave of full-time workers and each employee on average spent 21.6 days on sick leave, which is 5.6% of the days in 2022.

Heavy rainfall triggers dozens of landslides, many danger to homes

ŠENTILJ/MARIBOR/PTUJ - After over a week of permanent rainfall, the heavy rain that hit the eastern half of Slovenia on Tuesday triggered dozens of landslides, many of which remain a danger to homes and infrastructure. The situation is worst around the town of Šentilj in the northeast, where the military arrived to help the local responders. 145 landslides were triggered, requiring the activation of 85 firefighting units, according to data from the public safety answering points system.

Auditors find no wrongdoing in NGO referendum campaign funding

LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute said that the Court of Audit found no irregularities in the funding of its clean water referendum campaign. The Court of Audit looked into the campaign after the youth branch of the Democrats (SDS) filed a complaint, alleging the NGO had received campaign funds from abroad. The Institute believes that the SDS youth wing had fabricated the allegations with the goal of discrediting the NGO and to quiet critical voices.

Child helpline survey indicates 20% of children face problems with peers, at home

LJUBLJANA - TOM Telefon, a child helpline, launched its annual awareness campaign on International Child Helpline Day. Last year, a survey among primary school children indicated that 20% had faced peer problems, 20% reported problems in the family and some 12% said they experienced mental health issues. The survey included over 190 schools across the country and was based on some 10,000 anonymous notes that were collected in last year's campaign.

Wild bee monitoring project finds new species

LJUBLJANA - A pilot research project monitoring wild bee population in Slovenia found one previously unrecorded species and detected 239 of the previously known 575 wild bee species living in Slovenia. Carried out by the National Institute of Biology, the pilot project lasted three years and was conducted in five areas, and over 100 species were detected in each area.

John McTiernan guest of honour at Grossmann film fest

ORMOŽ/LJUTOMER - Acclaimed US film-maker John McTiernan, who redefined the rules of action cinema in the 1980s and 1990s with hits such as Predator and Die Hard, will be the guest of honour at this year's Grossmann Festival of Fantastic Film and Wine in Slovenia in June. Along with the hugely successful Predator and Die Hard series of films, McTiernan is also known for The Hunt for Red October, Last Action Hero, and The Thomas Crown Affair.