News roundup - Wednesday, 24 May, until 3pm

PM upbeat about budget deficit, opposition less so

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob was upbeat about the deficit reduction in the revised national budget for 2023 but the opposition warned that the expenditure remains record high, as the National Assembly opened a ten-hour debate on the document. Golob said the document proved the situation was even better than what the optimists expected last autumn. Not only is there no recession, and the energy crisis has successfully been brought under control, the deficit is decreasing, he said. The two opposition parties criticised the document over the high deficit and what they see as insufficient support for the economy.

Golob announces EUR 100m package for pensioners, EUR 700 minimum guaranteed pension

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob announced a EUR 100 million package of measures aiming to support pensioners, which is to include a guaranteed minimum pension of EUR 700 and a Christmas bonus for pensioners. Addressing the opening of the Days of Intergenerational Harmony, Golob announced an early pension adjustment of 1.8% in November "to fulfil the promise of having a minimum guaranteed pension of EUR 700 before the end of the year". Moreover, all widows' pensions will be aligned with the minimum guaranteed pension by January 1 at the latest. According to Golob, this measure will benefit around 10,000 individuals.

European Commission warns against delays in recovery and resilience plan

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission warned in its country report for Slovenia that the risk of delays in implementing Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan is increasing. Slovenia has been urged to strengthen its governance structure and ensure that decisions on announced reforms are adopted without delay. "The implementation of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan is underway, however with increasing risk of delays," the Commission wrote as part of the spring European Semester process.

Freedom House democracy report highlights Slovenia's progress

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Czechia have been highlighted in the 2023 Freedom House Nations in Transit report as examples of voters rejecting populist policies. Slovenia is one of the few countries in the NGO's report to see progress in democracy. Last year, the country saw the most significant deterioration in democracy, above all due to freedom of press violations and the undermining of judiciary under the previous government. Slovenia's democracy score was up from 5.71 points to 5.75 points.

After a year on strike, RTV journalists not backing down

LJUBLJANA - Marking a year since they started the ongoing strike, RTV Slovenija journalists participated in a public debate on Tuesday, noting that the strike demands are as topical as they were a year ago, and adding that they will persist until they reach their goals. They were critical of the fact that breaches of programme and professional standards have continued, as have the non-transparent staffing and uneconomical use of funds, while negotiations with the leadership have not brought the desired results.

AmCham event stresses importance of fast response to AI

LJUBLJANA - The development of artificial intelligence (AI) requires quick action and implementation of strategies in practice, agreed the participants of an AmCham business breakfast. Teachers will play an important role in integrating digital skills in school curriculums, they noted. The development of AI will deeply affect the job market, and AI will have the largest impact on jobs related to text creation as it will be used to optimise these services, the event also heard.

SNG Drama theatre returning to roots in upcoming season

LJUBLJANA - The SNG Drama Ljubljana theatre will stage ten new plays in the 2023/2024 season, the last before the old building will undergo renovation. Theatre director Vesna Jurca Tadel said they are going back to the roots, returning to powerful stories, strong characters and dialogues. On the main stage, the season will kick off with Antigone by Dominik Smole, directed by Janez Pipan, in September. Tadel noted that the text raises eternal moral issues, made only more topical by the current global events.

Protest as nutrias to be removed from Ljubljana Marshes

LJUBLJANA - The plan by the authorities to remove nutrias as an invasive alien species from the Ljubljana Marshes has provoked an angry response from a part of the public who are trying to stop the plan with a petition. Preparations for the complete removal of the fast growing population of the species from the landscape park have been under way since September when the Agriculture Ministry gave the go-ahead for the measure. However, a petition urging a stop to the nutria kill and applying sterilisation as an alternative measure has been signed by more than 19,000 people since last Friday.

Contract signed for Slovenian House at Paris Summer Olympics

PARIS, France - President of the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS) Franjo Bobinac has signed in Paris a contract on the lease of premises for the Slovenian House during the 2024 Summer Olympics. The premises are located in La Villette Park, which will be very well connected to the Olympic Village, the OKS announced. "We are returning to France next year, where in 2024 it will be exactly one hundred years since Leon Štukelj won the Olympic gold medal," Bobinac said, referring to the legendary Slovenian gymnast.

Slovenia paying tribute to natural history pioneer Scopoli

IDRIJA - Slovenia is marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, the pioneer of natural history in Slovenia, with a number of events. The municipality of Idrija, where Scopoli worked as physician for local mercury miners, has declared 2023 as the Scopoli Year. The events will reach their peak from 1 and 3 June in Idrija and the Museum of Natural History in Ljubljana and the Botanical Gardens in the capital, where busts of Scopoli will be unveiled.