News roundup - Thursday, 6 July, until 3pm

Govt and judges reach pay agreement

LJUBLJANA - The government has reached a pay agreement with the judges, a move that means judges will be the first professional group to be moved onto a new salary scale planned under the public sector pay reform. The lowest salary for a judge, will reportedly be EUR 4,400 gross, while the highest paid positions, those of the presidents of constitutional and supreme courts, would be 24 brackets higher. Judges also get a compensation for exclusivity amounting to 10% of basic salary.

Drug maker Krka's group net profit down 28% in Jan-Jun

NOVO MESTO - The group around drug company Krka reported an estimated net profit of EUR 170 million for the first half of 2023, a 28% year-on-year decrease that the company attributed to high foreign exchange gains in 2022. Revenue grew by 7% to EUR 920 million and operating profit (EBIT) by 9% to a six-month company record of EUR 236 million. "The gap between the 2023 in 2022 net financial result is wide but is expected to close by the end of the year," it said.

Price shock neutralisation partially successful last year

LJUBLJANA - The state neutralised energy price shocks for households last year, but prices for business rose substantially, shows an analysis by the National Energy Agency. The average annual electricity bill for households would have been EUR 794 in the absence of price intervention but was actually at EUR 617, just slightly higher than in 2021. Electricity for business users meanwhile averaged EUR 178 per MWh, which is an increase of more than 80% on the year before.

Mathematical physicist first Slovenian with two ERC advanced grants

LJUBLJANA - Mathematical physicist Tomaž Prosen, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Mathematics and Physics has won his second European Research Council(ERC) advanced grant for research in mathematical statistical physics. In the project Quantum Ergodicity: Stability and Transitions (QUEST) Prosen will research the robustness of quantum chaos and quantum ergodicity for outside disruptions. As Prosen said, this is basic research in the field of mathematical statistical physics.

Govt adopts dementia management strategy

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a strategy on dementia management until 2030, which envisages includes the creation of a national dementia centre and a register to compile social security, healthcare and other data relevant in managing the disease. The strategy, drafted by experts on the topic, "was extremely positively received" in public debate from both the professionals in the field and the general public, Health Ministry State Secretary Tadej Ostrc said.

Vipotnik leaving Maribor for Bordeaux in near record deal

MARIBOR - The leading scorer of the Slovenian football league last year Žan Vipotnik is leaving Maribor to continue his career in Bordeaux. The six-time French champions, currently playing in the second division, unofficially paid around EUR 3 million for the 21-year-old national team striker in a possible record deal for players from the Slovenian league. Maribor have secured the right to a percentage of the fee tied to Vipotnik's next transfer.

Top contemporary art on show in Slovenia's oldest city

PTUJ - Some of the top local and foreign contemporary artists will have their works displayed in Ptuj as Slovenia's oldest city hosts the 21st edition of its Art Stays festival this weekend. The main exhibition will open on Friday evening at City Gallery, featuring Maribor artist and filmmaker Nika Autor, along with several other artists, including Italian photographers Gabriele Basilico and English "walking artist" Hamish Fulton.