News roundup - Monday, 17 July

Long-term care bill passed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a bill on long-term care to determine the scope of rights and services to be enjoyed by the elderly, and introduce a new contribution to finance the services, which will be paid by employers, employees and pensioners. The bill was passed in a 54:24 vote and will enter into force on 1 January 2024 to gradually phase in rights and obligations over the following two years. The most contentious issue is the 1% contribution rate to be levied on gross wages and net pensions starting from 1 July 2025, a reason why the opposition parties opposed the bill. The government estimates the cost of long-term care as determined under the law at EUR 960 million a year.

President Pirc Musar receives newly appointed ambassadors

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar held an informal reception at the Presidential Palace for the newly appointed Slovenian ambassadors as they are leaving abroad on their new missions. The president expressed confidence in Slovenian diplomacy and wished the new ambassadors to lead the embassies by example. This is the first line-up of ambassadors who are going abroad with the credentials signed by Pirc Musar, and the reception was the first event of its kind, as they will become a permanent practice during Pirc Musar's term. The 16 newly appointed ambassadors will assume their offices at the end of August or beginning of September in what the newspaper Delo has recently said is one of the largest line-up changes in the history of the Slovenian diplomatic service.

Slovenia keen to cooperate with Latin America in AI

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon arrived at a summit of EU and Latin American and Caribbean countries in Brussels, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the fields Slovenia would seek to enhance cooperation in with Latin America. Fajon, who is standing in for PM Robert Golob at the summit, said that AI, digitalisation and climate action will be among key priorities of Slovenia's non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2024 and 2025. Guyana and Ecuador from Latin America will also serve on the council.

Pahor says border arbitration never "poisoned" Slovenian-Croatian relations

LJUBLJANA - Responding to PM Robert Golob's statements made during a recent visit to Zagreb, Former President Borut Pahor wrote on Facebook that the border arbitration with Croatia never poisoned Slovenian-Croatian relations. On the contrary, it enabled excellent relations all round. The agreement not only enabled the border issue to be resolved peacefully and Croatia to join the EU, but also opened a new, friendly chapter in the relations between the two neighbours after 18 years of major and minor security incidents.

Assisted dying bill gets tabled in parliament

LJUBLJANA - The sponsors of a bill to legalise assisted dying filed the legislation to parliament after having collected the necessary signatures for this move. They count on the coalition's support, but the bill has been a target of much criticism in recent months. Among the opponents to the bill are the Medical Chamber, the Medical Ethics Commission, and the Slovenian Bishops' Conference. The senior coalition Freedom Movement intends to go through the proposal, hold a public discussion on the matter and take some time to clear up any potential dilemmas before making a decision, said deputy group head Borut Sajovic.

Slovenia stresses importance of ICC

LJUBLJANA - The establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) represents a significant advance in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes that threaten international peace, security and prosperity, the Foreign Ministry said as it marked the 25th anniversary of the ICC's Rome Statute. Having been adopted in 1998, the treaty established the ICC, which was a huge step towards international justice, the ministry said in a press release. Last week, the ministry's State Secretary Marko Štucin took part in an event in the Hague marking the 25th anniversary of the statute.

Higher Court quashes landmark decision against Austrian power utility Verbund

MARIBOR - A landmark 2022 ruling finding Austrian power utility Verbund liable for the damage caused in Slovenia by the swollen river Drava in 2012 has been quashed by the Maribor Higher Court. A local boating association, one of dozens of plaintiffs in the matter, has been ordered to pay EUR 105,000 in costs after suing for EUR 12,690 in compensation. A number of other plaintiffs, including municipalities, have also been rejected by Slovenian courts. The attorney representing them attributed the ruling to diverging evidence procedure standards at Slovenian courts, and announced further legal battle, if needed at the ECJ. She also urged the government to reimburse the plaintiffs for the court costs.

Govt green-lights deal with higher education union, but pay disparities still open

LJUBLJANA - While leaving pay disparities in higher education to be resolved as part of ongoing talks on the overhaul of the public sector pay system, the government okayed on Thursday a proposal for a deal addressing strike demands related to issues other than salaries. The agreement, reached with the Higher Education Trade Union away from the spotlight after two strikes held in May and June, deals with things like Saturday work, remote working, compensation for the use of own resources and trade union work, the Higher Education, Science and Innovation Ministry said today.

Bill on medication procurement by public pharmacies passed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed an emergency bill to deal with disruptions in the supply of pharmaceutical products due to stiff public procurement rules. The bill lifts until the end of 2024 pharmacies' obligation to simultaneously honour frequently irreconcilable laws governing public procurement, pharmacies and medications. The public procurement legislation stipulates public pharmacies may only have one, the cheapest, supplier, which is impossible, as full-range wholesalers do not supply all drugs at all times. Pharmacies thus need at least two suppliers of the same medication. The bill was passed in a 58:2 vote against calls for a systemic and long-term solution.

Slovenian prisons remain overcrowded

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's prisons remain overcrowded with the average occupancy rate at the moment at 110 prisoners per 100 available spots, the Justice Ministry said after receiving a report from the Prison Administration. The 2022 annual report shows the average occupancy rate last year was 106.8% and the average prison population increased by 9.2% 1,402 from 2021.

Petrol prices up on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - Regulated fuel prices will increase on Tuesday. Off the motorway network, regular petrol will be sold at EUR 1.456 a litre and diesel at EUR 1.504 a litre, up by 1.2 and 2.3 cents, respectively. Heating oil will cost EUR 1.081 a litre, up 2.1 cents, the Economy Ministry announced. The new prices will be in force until 31 July.

Vox Populi: Ratings for two biggest parties gradually going up

LJUBLJANA - The latest Vox Populi poll sees the approval ratings of the ruling Freedom Movement party and the largest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS), gradually increase compared to June. The Freedom Movement polled at 26%, up 0.9 points and the SDS in second gained 0.8 points to 20.9%. Some 24% of the respondents were undecided, down from nearly 26% in June. Almost 7% would not head to the polls if the general election were held now.

African swine fever measures introduced as disease nears Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The authorities declared the area along the south-eastern border with Croatia a high-risk area for African swine fever (ASF) as the disease is approaching Slovenia. The measures ordered include active search for dead wild boars and increased sampling and examinations for the disease in both domestic pigs and wild boars in the high-risk area covering eight hunting clubs and part of special purpose hunting grounds.

Salonit Anhovo to pay out EUR 10m in dividends and change name

ANHOVO - Cement maker Salonit Anhovo, owned by the Austrian Wietersdorfer Alpacem, will pay out EUR 10 million in dividends. The company is changing its name to Alpacem Cement Slovenija to follow industry trends, said board chairman Tomaž Vuk. The shareholders agreed to allocate EUR 10 million out of the EUR 43.3 million in distributable profit for dividends, at EUR 11.35 gross per share. The company operated successfully in 2022, Vuk said, adding that production increased by about a third.

Ever-changing forests in need of regulation change

BLED - Slovenian forests are facing natural disasters, climate change, and a different management than in the past. Changes to regulation are necessary to allow the forestry service to continue its work, said expert Andrej Avsenek, who for years led the regional unit of the Slovenia Forest Service in the richly-wooded north-west of the country. "We have two extreme categories of forest owners," he said. Owners of larger forests see an economic return from their land and work intensively with forests. On the other hand, there are many small owners that have no interest in forest management and often do not even know where their forests are located.