News roundup - Wednesday, 31 January

Justice minister refuses to resign over court building purchase

LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan said that, while she takes responsibility for the purchase of an allegedly overpriced building for court premises in Ljubljana, she will not resign. She accused ministry employees and members of her party, the Social Democrats (SD), of colluding to make unlawful gains. The SD disavowed her and said Prime Minister Robert Golob should propose that she be dismissed. Golob indicated today he will not take a decision just yet. He said that considering the gravity of the accusations, he plans to continue discussing the case with those involved as long as necessary to learn all the details.

NSi wants referendum on reform energy bill

LJUBLJANA - New Slovenia (NSi) has requested a consultative referendum on the reform energy bill that is currently being discussed by parliament. The opposition party said the legislation would have such an impact on people's lives the voters should be given a say. The move means that the debate on the energy bill, which is currently in first reading, will be suspended until MPs have voted on the NSi referendum motion. This cannot happen earlier than 30 days after it the referendum motion has been tabled.

General government deficit widens to 3.6% of GDP in 2023

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's general government deficit widened to 3.6% of GDP in 2023 from 2.8% in the year before driven by higher outlays for energy subsidies and post-flood reconstruction, show preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry. Consolidated revenue of all four segments of the general government - national budget, local budgets, public pension insurance and public health insurance - rose by 7.4% to EUR 25 billion. Expenditure meanwhile rose by 9.7% to EUR 27.3 billion, with almost the entire deficit of EUR 2.3 billion being the result of the budget deficit.

Coalition eschews promises

LJUBLJANA - Coalition MPs and cabinet members met to evaluate the work carried out in the past year and make plans for this year. The work of the government will be more predictable this year, and better organised, but the specifics will not be presented to the public, Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister Luka Mesec said after the meeting. Prime Minister Rober Golob did not address the press.

Slovenia supports ICJ decisions, UNRWA

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia's representative to the UN Security Council Samuel Žbogar underlined at today's meeting on the Middle East following the recent decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in South Africa's lawsuit against Israel that Slovenia supports the court's decisions. He also reaffirmed support for the UNRWA.

Discussion on war in Gaza urges realistic expectations about ICJ role

LJUBLJANA - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a judicial and not a political organ, so expectations about what it could do in the case of the war in Gaza should be realistic, former President Danilo Türk told a panel. Cessation of fighting and peace treaties are a matter for nations engaged in war or conflict, he told the round table on the war in Gaza, as he commented on the fact that the court did not demand a ceasefire.

Slovenia to send 15 soldiers to Cyprus peacekeeping mission

LJUBLJANA - The government decided that up to 15 Slovenian troops will join the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP), with the possibility of rotation. The move comes a day after the UN Security Council extended the mission, including with Slovenia's vote, until 31 January 2025. The defence and foreign ministries were tasked with implementing the decision, while the government will also notify the parliamentary defence and foreign policy committees.

Šarec reaffirms support for Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Marjan Šarec reaffirmed Slovenia's support for Ukraine, telling an informal EU ministerial that Slovenia remained committed to helping Ukraine "as long as it takes". The EU's special financial and defence fund provides a firm framework and is the right approach to long-term and predictable support for Ukraine, he was quoted as saying by the Defence Ministry.

Justice Ministry not surprised by Slovenia's CPI drop

LJUBLJANA - Responding to Slovenia dropping a spot on the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Justice Ministry noted that the situation in and independence of the judiciary and prosecution service affect the prosecution of corruption, and considering the low pay in these branches, the drop is not unexpected. The ministry also said this was a perception index and not an objective estimate, adding that the CPI showed a global trend of independent justice systems weakening. It said it would continue its efforts to address the issue of pay of judges and prosecutor, who are currently holding protests.

Slovenian farmers urge PM Golob to outline their problems in Brussels

LJUBLJANA - Leading Slovenian organisations representing farmers have urged PM Robert Golob to outline their problems to EU officials as EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday. In this way they joined French farmers, whose woes will be tomorrow presented by French President Emanuel Macron amid a wave of farmer protests in several EU countries.

Govt changes legislation to allow contentious laptop distribution

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted changes to the Act on Promotion of Digital Inclusion which will allow the distribution of 13,000 laptops acquired last year in what the opposition believes was an opaque deal that has earned Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh an ouster motion. Stojmenova Duh said the changes would be fast-tracked through parliament so that computers would be available as part of a lending scheme in the spring.

Prosecutors accuse govt of ignoring them, plan to continue strike

LJUBLJANA - After suspending work for several hours on today, prosecutors said no one on the government side was involved in talks with them, which is why they plan to continue their strike but no sooner than after 14 days. Their struggle is not about higher pay but about a fair system, they added. The exact number of prosecutors who joined the strike is not known, but the decision to strike was supported by a vast majority of them - 180 out of a total of 208 prosecutors, said Barbara Prevolšek Rajić, the head of the strike committee.

Slovenia draws all 2014-2020 EU cohesion funds

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has drawn all available cohesion funds from the EU's 2014-2020 programming period, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development said. The country has so far tapped into 9% of cohesion funds available under the 2021-2027 programming period, which it has been implementing since the beginning of this year.

Slovenia welcomes agreement on clearer honey labelling

BRUSSELS, Belgium/Ljubljana - Slovenian Agriculture Minister Mateja Čalušić welcomed an agreement reached by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament on the European Commission's proposal on clearer honey mixture labelling, which was initiated by Slovenia. "The change is important for both the beekeeping sector and consumers, who must be transparently informed about the origin of honey, which sends out a clear message that there is no place for fakes on our shelves. Slovenia can thus be proud of the agreement," the minister said.

Survey unemployment rate remains at 4.2% in December

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2% at monthly level in December 2023, while going up by 0.7 points year-on-year, shows data released by the Statistics Office. The office estimates some 44,000 people aged 15 to 74 were out of a job in December, 54% of whom were men and 46% women. The unemployment rate stood at 4.2% for both men and women.

Tourism fair opens doors in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The traditional Alpe-Adria tourism fair was launched in Ljubljana, with Economy Minister Matjaž Han praising in his address the efforts of people working in the sector. To boost development, all players need to work together, while the government must provide a favourable business environment and investment funds, said Han. Running until Saturday, the fair features over 350 tourist providers from 13 countries: in addition to Slovenia, there are exhibitors from Austria, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Germany, France, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Nepal and Thailand.