News roundup - Friday, 26 January

Slovenia welcomes ICJ decision on Israel

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia welcomes the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the IJC announced its decision earlier in the day. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon expects the decision to be implemented without delay. "The court underlined the importance of international law by allowing the procedure brought by South Africa against Israel to continue ... and ordered Israel to protect the civilian population in Gaza. This is a clear message to Israel that it must stop the killing of civilians in Gaza at once," she said in the press release.

Slovenia bans arms exports to Israel

LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry confirmed for the STA a media report that Slovenia refused to allow arms exports to Israel in the light of the war in Gaza. A Slovenian company was denied an export licence based on the defence law, which stipulates such refusal when exports would escalate or allow conflicts in the country that is the end-user of the exported arms. The ministry acted the same in the case of Ukraine. Citing unofficial information, the weekly Mladina reported that the Foreign Ministry was believed to have refused to allow arms exports to Israel in December, but did not provide any details.

Second group of refugees arrives in Slovenia as part of permanent resettlement project

LJUBLJANA - A total of 27 citizens of Afghanistan, mostly families, arrived in Slovenia on Thursday as part of a permanent resettlement project after the first group of 23 Syrian citizens came on 14 December 2023. Slovenia has committed to accepting 50 refugees. The refugees will be accommodated in the facilities of the government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants.

Slovenia's CERN membership pushed back, task force to visit in February

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's full-fledged membership in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which was planned for July 2024, is getting pushed back to 2025. In February, a task force will visit Slovenia to assess its readiness for full membership, the Higher Education, Science and Innovation Ministry told the STA. The ministry also said that CERN is being realistic in saying the original date is unattainable because of its internal processes, which take more time.

Legal basis submitted for decade-old referendum legislation overhaul

LJUBLJANA - The MPs of the ruling coalition filed a bill to overhaul the referendum legislation that was enshrined in the Constitution in 2013. The changes, which were applied to the eight popular votes held since then without a legislative basis, include the "rejective referendum" model requiring a rejection quorum. The proposal comes as many as ten years after the deadline for a legislative framework based on the changes to the Constitution expired.

No end in sight in doctors' strike

LJUBLJANA - As the doctors' strike nears the end of second week, the government and the Fides union are still far from reaching an agreement. According to the union, many doctors are no longer wiling to work overtime, which may cause further problems as the strike progresses. Today the two sides did not even meet, as the government held talks with healthcare unions about a planned pay tier for the entire healthcare sector, while Fides wanted to continue separate talks on its strike demands and invited the government side for a meeting. Fides interpreted the government's failure to show up at the meeting as withdrawal from the talks.

Administrative unit clerks going on strike again

LJUBLJANA - Staff at 41 out of the country's 58 administrative units will go on strike next week fighting for higher pay and more staff. Of the 41 units, clerks at 26 units will be on strike between Monday and Wednesday, while the rest will only stage a one-day strike. Administrative units are the most poorly paid system in the state administration, Frančišek Verk, head of the Trade Union of State Bodies, said earlier this week. At the start of their careers, clerks' salaries are four brackets below the minimum wage. This is a second strike by administrative unit clerks in just over two months, but this one will be significantly bigger.

Care homes in focus of parliamentary debate

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly discussed the situation at care homes today, with the opposition accusing the government of inaction, and the government asserting it had adopted a number of measures to improve conditions for care home residents and personnel. The session was called at the request of the Democrats (SDS) in the aftermath of two much publicised examples of violence against care home residents, and complaints by care homes that they can no longer cope due to staff shortages.

Revamped riding hall inaugurated at Lipica

LIPICA - A renovated riding hall was inaugurated at the Lipica Stud Farm following a EUR 3 million investment, fully covered by the Economy Ministry, which is drafting a new bill to manage this piece of cultural heritage. State Secretary Matevž Frangež said the riding hall marked half-way through an extensive investment cycle that started years ago with renovations of the centre of the property, the manor and most of the stables. By 2030, when the farm celebrates its 450th anniversary, the ministry wants it to be in top condition.

Slovenia and other ex-Yu countries agree to relaunch exhibition in Auschwitz

PARIS, France - Following years-long negotiations, Slovenia and other countries of the former Yugoslavia signed a funding agreement in Paris on Thursday to relaunch their joint exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Culture Minister Asta Vrečko underlined the importance of such remembrance. Nearly 20,000 Yugoslavs were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, including more than 2,300 Slovenians, of which more than half died there.

Slovenia commemorating Holocaust victims

MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - With the International Holocaust Remembrance Day observed on 27 January, a series of memorial events, including lectures, exhibitions, and film screenings, are taking place this week. The main ceremony will be held in Ljubljana on Sunday with Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon as the keynote speaker. "On this day we honour all victims of Nazism and Fascism that suffered in German, Italian, Hungarian and Ustasha concentration camps," said the organisers, the ZZB NOB Slovenije - the country's umbrella organisation of WWII veterans. More than 60,000 Slovenians were imprisoned in concentration camps during WWII and more than 12,000 were killed.

Maribor mayor and city council going to court in clash over control

MARIBOR - A continuing dispute between Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič and the city council over who gets to control the holding company in charge of the city's main utilities has escalated to a point where the mayor is suing the council. This comes after the city council, in which Arsenovič has neither a coalition nor a majority, decided in October last year to strip Arsenovič of the power of deciding in Public Holding Maribor on behalf of the municipality.

Ljubljana Castle renovation completed after half a century

LJUBLJANA - The lengthy renovation of Ljubljana Castle that spanned more than 50 years is finally complete after the castle opened on Thursday its last renovated room, known as the Kazemate, which will serve as a multi-purpose venue. The Kazemate is the largest room in the castle, measuring 31 metres in length. In the late Middle Ages, it served as a passage to the courtyard. Later, when the castle became a penitentiary, the Kazemate was a large sleeping area for prisoners. In the early 20th century, the room served as a carpentry workshop.

Covid not a major threat at present

LJUBLJANA - While Slovenian hospitals are full of patients with respiratory diseases, Covid-19 is not currently the main cause of hospitalisation. Instead, the country is in the midst of a flu and RSV surge, indicate statements by senior health officials. Wastewater tracking, due to the absence of systematic testing the best proxy for gauging Covid prevalence, shows that incidence peaked in early December and has since dropped substantially.

Major fire breaks out in industrial area in Škofja Loka

ŠKOFJA LOKA - A major fire that broke out in an industrial zone in Škofja Loka, some 20km nortwest of Ljubljana, shortly before 2pm has been contained with the help of some 130 firefighters and more than 20 fire engines. While nobody was injured, material damage will be huge, and it will take quite some more time to put it out, Škofja Loka's chief firefighter Tomaž Ažbe told the STA in the evening. The fire broke out in the former industrial area of the textile company Gorenjska Predilnica, spreading through the roof to various nearby businesses. This is the second fire in the area in three days, after a barn just outside Škofja Loka caught fire on Wednesday.

Slovenia settle for sixth place at Eurohandball

COLOGNE, Germany - Slovenia finished sixth at the European Men's Handball Championship after narrowly losing to Hungary 22:23 (13:12). This is on a par with the result from twelve years ago, while the national team's best results were second place in 2004 and fourth in 2020. At what is the 14th European Handball Championship for Slovenia, the national handball team has won five and lost three games.

Dončić makes All-Star starter roster

ATLANTA, US - Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić has made the starter roster for the NBA All-Star game that will take place on 18 February in Indianapolis. This is his fifth appearance in the west pool and the fourth time he made starting five, Dallas Morning News reported, adding that the Dallas Mavericks superstar received the most fan votes among Western Conference guards, while both the media and players ranked him second behind Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.