News roundup - Wednesday, 3 January

Prosecutors join judges in tomorrow's token strike

LJUBLJANA - Prosecutors announced that they will join judges in suspending work for an hour on 4 January to express their protest at the government's failure to implement by 3 January a Constitutional Court ruling to align the salaries of judges, to which the prosecutors' pay is pegged, with those of the most senior officials in the other two branches of government. The Association of State Prosecutors said they will also follow judges in alerting EU and other institutions of the government's inaction. Prime Minister Robert Golob reiterated in response that an agreement on a pay reform could not be implemented for the judiciary without implementing it for the entire public sector. He is convinced the talks on the reform will be concluded in the coming months.

Slovenia issuing 10-year eurobond

LJUBLJANA - It was reported that Slovenia was issuing a new, 10-year eurobond today, with the business newspaper Finance saying that its target value according to Bloomberg Terminal data is EUR 1.5 billion. Book demand reached EUR 6.8 billion. The spread over the midpoint of the 10-year interest rate swap is 0.58 points, which at today's exchange rate means that the required yield is around 3.1%, reports Finance. The Finance Ministry said yesterday that what is first bond issue this year is subject to market conditions.

Slovenia rejects Israeli ministers' calls for resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia rejects the recent statements by members of the Israeli government proposing mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry's post on X added that "any displacement of the Palestinian population from Gaza is contrary to international law and endangers even further the prospects for a viable two-state solution". Slovenia reiterated its call for the respect of international law and international humanitarian law and for the protection of the civilian population in Gaza.

Supreme Court upholds ruling over Janša's insulting tweet

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal in a case in which opposition SDS leader Janez Janša was found guilty of insulting two journalists by calling them "washed up prostitutes" in a 2016 tweet. The court held that Janša did not sufficiently explain why he appealed on a point of law, adding that concrete reasons and explanations must be listed if the court was to rule on the matter. The ruling is now final effective in May 2022.

NSi threatens with referendum over phasing out of popular heating sources

LJUBLJANA - New Slovenia (NSi) announced it would set in motion proceedings for a referendum if the government pushes ahead with provisions of a reform energy bill that target high-carbon sources of heating. The opposition party sees the measures as excessive, saying hundreds of thousands of people will be impacted. Moreover, while NGOs have been critical of the government over its plans for a new nuclear reactor in Krško, the NSi is dismayed at nuclear energy only being mentioned once in the framework of the changes to energy legislation.

Regulated fuel prices to go up on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - Regulated prices of fuel off Slovenia's motorway network will be higher as of Thursday, as excise duties remain unchanged. Regular petrol will be sold at EUR 1.393 a litre, up 1.4 cents, and diesel at EUR 1.430 a litre, up 1.2 cents. The price of heating oil will also go up, by 1.2 cents to EUR 1.082 a litre. The new prices will be in place until 15 January.

Ski jumper Prevc takes another victory, tops overall ranking

VILLACH, Austria - Slovenian ski jumper Nika Prevc continued her winning streak by dominating the FIS World Cup individual competition on the normal hill in Villach, Austria, and climbing to the top of the overall rankings. Prevc won ahead of runner-up Eva Pinkelnig of Austria. This is her second victory in less than a week, during which she has also won the prestigious Two Nights Tour.