News roundup - Wednesday, 31 May

Presidential runner-up Logar forms Cooperation Platform

LJUBLJANA - Opposition SDS MP Anže Logar launched a new association called the Cooperation Platform that is to discuss challenges key to Slovenia's future and promote the culture of dialogue. Eleven other well-known public figures, who have been affiliated with both the conservative and the liberal blocs, are the founding members. SDS head Janez Janša welcomed the platform as having potential for boosting cooperation, while PM Robert Golob said that all Logar's actions reflected the policy of the SDS.

Govt okays boosting of capabilities in medium-term defence programme

LJUBLJANA - The government approved the medium-term defence programme for 2023-2028, which prioritises the development of military capabilities and an increase in the number of Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) personnel on missions abroad. The programme, adopted based on the resolution on the long-term development of the SAF until 2040, also envisages the consolidation of the cyber domain as an operational domain of the Defence Ministry, the Government Communication Office said.

Slovenia not to deploy more troops to Kosovo

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces will not deploy additional troops to Kosovo, the Defence Ministry told the STA after NATO announced it would deploy 700 more troops to the country after at least 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured in clashes with Serb protesters in northern Kosovo. Just over 90 SAF members are deployed in the Kosovo Force, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Slovenian soldiers were not directly involved in Monday's clashes.

Govt happy with achievements after year in power, opposition critical

LJUBLJANA - The leaders of the three coalition parties held a press conference to mark the government's one-year anniversary with Prime Minister Robert Golob stressing that the cabinet had fulfilled its top promise to make Slovenia "a normal country again". The parliamentary opposition, meanwhile, spoke of a year of missed opportunities. The government can show no achievements, but those it highlights are simply a result of the good foundations laid by the previous government, the Democrats (SDS) head Janez Janša said.

Slovenia to issue bonds in the US, Japan

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is in talks to issue a bond in the US, possibly before summer, and is considering borrowing in Japan in the autumn and potentially in China later on, Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič revealed at the regional ReGreen conference. The ministry is considering sustainability bonds as well. The conference, organised by the Bloomberg Adria portal, heard that Slovenia is running late in renewable energy projects.

Slovenia's inflation drops to 8.4% in May

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate dropped to 8.4% in May, a full percentage point lower than in April and the lowest since May last year. Having increased by nearly 15% in a year, food prices remain the main driver of inflation, whereas fuel prices have dropped by more than 24%, the latest Statistics Office figures show. At the monthly level, inflation was at 1.1% as prices rose across the board. The biggest increases were recorded in the segments heat (+8.4%) and waste collection (+5.2%), but tobacco, holiday packages and food had the biggest impact overall.

Govt to monitor food chain prices

LJUBLJANA - The government will impose monitoring of prices in the food supply chain for six months starting from 1 July, as food prices in Slovenia continue to rise fast, at rates higher than elsewhere in the eurozone. The Economy Ministry issued a decree imposing mandatory reporting of data on the prices of agricultural and food products for six months starting on 1 July.

Govt dismisses head of Office for National Minorities

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Stanko Baluh, the long-term director of the government Office for National Minorities, and appointed Janez Doltar acting head until a director is appointed for a full terms. It also confirmed amendments to the law on special rights of the Italian and Hungarian minorities in education, which will allow children with special needs to be included in a special educational programme regardless of their municipality of residence.

Pensioner rally calls for "preserving RTV's plurality"

LJUBLJANA - The fifth rally of pensioners was marked by demands for higher pensions and calls for "plurality to be preserved at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija". Some RTV journalists said protesters threatened them in front of RTV building. The RTV teams of journalists, trade unions and the works council strongly condemned the incident and called on the RTV management to protect employees and publicly condemn the incident.

Insurance group Sava net profit up 144%

LJUBLJANA - Insurance Group Sava reported a net profit of EUR 20.1 million for the first quarter, a 144% increase on the year before, as business volume rose by nearly a tenth to EUR 260.2 million. Business growth was driven by increased non-life insurance premiums in the EU market, which were up +14.2%, and reinsurance services, which increased by +12.1%. Overall insurance revenue stood at EUR 153.2 million, an increase of 12%.

ReCatalyst wins Startup of the Year Award

LJUBLJANA - ReCatalyst, a company which has developed a next-generation hydrogen fuel cell catalyst, was declared the winner of this year's Startup of the Year Award at a ceremony on Tuesday. The company's innovative solution helps significantly reduce production costs while also being more environmentally friendly and contributing to decarbonisation. As the hydrogen technology market is growing rapidly, ReCatalyst holds great potential, the organizers said.

Termination of Lek's antibiotic production in Prevalje final

PREVALJE - Lek, the Slovenian subsidiary of pharma company Novartis, confirmed on Wednesday the discontinuation of antibiotic production at its facility in Prevalje. Some of the approximately 200 employees will be relocated to nearby Slovenj Gradec, with talks with social partners starting immediately. Lek announced in 2019 that it was aborting plans to expand production in Prevalje and in 2022 it said that production would be terminated by the end of this year.

Unior makes new attempt to sell its tourism arm

ZREČE - Unior, the state-owned tool maker and automotive supplier, is looking for financial advisers to sell its tourism division Unitur, Serbian subsidiary Unior Components and stake in Štore Steel. This is a new attempt to offload Unitur, the manager of the Terme Zreče spa and Rogla ski resort, after the previous attempt was abandoned in April 2022 amid the uncertainty in the tourism industry brought on by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

PM's office to rent business jet

LJUBLJANA - The prime minister's office has carried out a call to rent a business jet for Prime Minister Robert Golob for individual flights in the next two years or until the price cap of EUR 120,000 is reached, the business newspaper Finance reported on Tuesday. Aviation services are to be leased only when the government-owned Falcon jet is unavailable. Two bids were submitted, one by Janez Let, an aviation and security services company, and another by Flycom, an aviation and communication services company.

Anti-graft case involving ex agro minister in hands of prosecution

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) said that it had found elements of a crime in relation to the payment of a hotel bill for former Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek. It handed the case to the prosecution. In April last year, Podgoršek resigned as minister in the previous government in the face of confirmed media reports that he did not pay for a EUR 800 weekend stay at an upscale hotel in Bohinj in January 2022.

Aleksander Mervar taking over at helm of Energy Chamber

LJUBLJANA - Aleksander Mervar, director of the national grid operator Eles, was elected new president of the Energy Chamber for a four-year term at the May elections. Assuming office next week he will replace the long-serving president Marjan Eberlinc. In his response after the election, he noted that the energy sector had never before faced such challenges. He plans to focus on green transition and intersectoral cooperation, he said as quoted by the chamber.

Employers forecast additional hiring for the second half of this year

LJUBLJANA - Employers in Slovenia are predicting a 2.7% increase in the number of employees for the second half of this year, with an estimated 36,700 new jobs on the horizon. More than half expect difficulties in finding suitable staff, much like was the case in the past six months, shows a survey by the Employment Service. Conducted in the spring and involving 3,146 employers from across the country, the survey indicates the most promising employment prospects are in the construction sector, hospitality, real estate, and various other business segments.

Annual Adriatic Strike military exercise kicks off

LJUBLJANA - The 11th international Adriatic Strike military exercise kicked off on Monday, bringing together some 800 members of armed forces from 29 allied and partner countries, the Defence Ministry said. Supported by military aviation, training will be provided in the next two-weeks for joint fire controllers, who have played an important role in firefighting the extensive wildfires fires in the Kras region last summer.

Ana Likar wins OHO Group Award

LJUBLJANA - Intermedia artist Ana Likar has won the 2023 OHO Group Award for up-and-coming Slovenian visual artists for her project titled Delala Je Neurja (She Raised Tempests), which highlights different interpretations of witchcraft and reflects on feminist discourse. Likar's work aims to set up a space for preserving the memory of the suppressed and their rebellions, the jury said. The award, handed out by the P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E organisation, comes together with a two-month residency in New York and a solo exhibition in Ljubljana.

Rogaška Slatina to host sports film festival

ROGAŠKA SLATINA - The second International Sports Film Festival in Slovenia (ISFF Slovenia) will be held in the spa town of Rogaška Slatina in eastern Slovenia between 14 and 17 June. The programme will feature 30 films, talks with Slovenian Olympians and other top athletes, and sports activities. In cooperation with the Slovenian Olympic Committee, the festival will hold a mini Olympics competition on 17 June, and another highlight will be an international Baseball5 tournament.