Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 2-8 February

FRIDAY, 2 February

LJUBLJANA - I was revealed that the Foreign Ministry has drafted a non-paper on Gaza that outlines how Slovenia's experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo could be leveraged to resolve the crisis in Gaza. It discusses the possibility of a United Nations Security Council resolution as a legal basis for the international community's involvement and a high-level conference on Gaza.

BRUSSELS, Bellgium - Slovenia's Tanja Fajon said the country was committed to strengthening cooperation between the EU and the Indo-Pacific region and Southeast Asia because as she participated in debates as the EU foreign ministers in an EU-Indo-Pacific ministerial forum and a meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

LJUBLJANA - After the scandal erupted over a controversial purchase of a dilapidated building in Ljubljana that was to house several courts, the officials involved in the case have been receiving threats, media reported. Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan also received threats and was granted police protection.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported EUR 54.9 billion worth of goods in 2023, up by 4.4% compared to 2022. The import of goods reached EUR 57 billion, up by 0.6% from 2022. The external trade deficit amounted to EUR 2.1 billion, putting the export-import ratio to 96.4%.

LJUBLJANA - After police carried out a number of house searches last week, including at Ljubljana's Town Hall and Mayor Zoran Janković's home, the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office said it is investigating 19 individuals suspected of systemic corruption regarding acquisition of building permits and abuse of the municipality's funds.

SUNDAY, 4 February

WILLINGEN, Germany - Slovenia's best ski jumper Nika Prevc continued her podium streak on Sunday by placing second behind Silje Opseth of Norway in Willingen. She also extended her lead in the overall World Cup standings ahead of Yuki Ito, who finished third.

MONDAY, 5 February

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia hosted a UNESCO-sponsored conference on artificial intelligence bringing together over 600 representatives of governments, international organisations, academic and research institutions, NGOs and businesses from 67 countries. Eight tech companies pledged to build more ethical AI in line with UNESCO recommendations and signed an agreement to this effect.

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob met UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay to discuss the Slovenia-UNESCO cooperation, also advocating close cooperation within the UN Security Council, especially during the month when Slovenia will chair it.

ROME, Italy - Marko Štucin, a state secretary at the Foreign Ministry, outlined a Slovenian-German proposal for a more effective enlargement process, as he took part in a meeting of the group of the Friends of the Western Balkans in Rome. He also met Deputy Italian Foreign Minster Edmondo Cirielli to discuss bilateral relations.

LJUBLJANA - The government commission for concealed mass graves declared 2024 a year of remembrance of the victims of the Huda Jama post-WWII grave, which was discovered in 2009 and contained the remains of 1,400-plus victims of summary killings.

TUESDAY, 6 February

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob said he would accept Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan's resignation over the ministry's purchase of a building in Ljubljana, after the minister met Golob evening and offered her resignation. Golob said the two of them agreed Švarc Pipan would present her findings regarding the purchase.

LJUBLJANA - Secretary general of the junior coalition Social Democrats (SD) Klemen Žibert stepped down after Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan accused him of meddling in the ministry's operations in connection to the controversial purchase of a building meant to house several courts in Ljubljana.

LJUBLJANA - The deputy group of the Left, one of the junior coalition parties, proposed that one of its most prominent MPs, Miha Kordiš, be excluded from all parliamentary working bodies for misconduct, specifically because he pressured fellow MPs to hire a specific aide. It expects him to leave the deputy group on short notice as well.

LJUBLJANA - The US will provide technical advisory and consulting services to Slovenia as part of Project Phoenix, a programme for coal-to-nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) conversion, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy said, adding that Slovenia would look into the possibility of using the SMR technology.

LJUBLJANA - The executive committee of the opposition Democrats (SDS) put together a list of candidates for the upcoming European Parliament election, nominating MEP Romana Tomc as the lead candidate, while SDS's other MEP, Milan Zver, is second on the list that contains several SDS heavyweights.

STRASBOURG, France - Slovenian MEPs Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) and Irena Joveva (Renew/Svoboda) joined a group of politicians who addressed an open letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), protesting its decision to allow Israel to take part in this year's Eurovision song contest. Nemec said the context of war in Gaza should play an important role for the EBU.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's ski jumping champion Peter Prevc decided to end what has been one of the most successful careers in the history of the sport after this season. The 31-year-old is bidding farewell after 15 World Cup seasons.

WEDNESDAY, 7 February

LJUBLJANA - After a two-week go-slow in January, one-hour rallies were held at Slovenian courts in what judges said was a protest in support of the rule of law and against the government's failure to implement a Constitutional Court decision on judges' salaries.

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for Oversight of Public Finances discussed the Justice Ministry's controversial purchase of a building in Ljubljana. It proposed that the deal be audited by the Court of Audit and by the budget inspection sector of the Finance Ministry to determine whether there way any wrongdoing.

LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry presented a draft National Culture Programme for 2024-2031 and an action plan for 2024-2027. Both documents see culture as a public good at the core of a society of solidarity and sustainability, Culture Minister Asta Vrečko said. The documents aim to improve working conditions, reduce precarious work and advocate for accessibility in culture.

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije shareholders approved the management's proposal to pay out EUR 40.29 million in dividend for 2022, or EUR 6.20 gross per share. This is virtually the entire 2022 distributable profit, which the national telco opted not to pay out last year to avoid repayment of state aid it received during the energy crisis.

LJUBLJANA - The top national accolades for lifetime achievement in culture and arts were conferred to poet Erika Vour, and ballet dancer, choreographer and director Henrik Neubauer, at the annual ceremony on the eve of Culture Day. The chair of the Prešeren Fund management board, Jožef Muhovič, said artists with their imagination are capable of illuminating the essence of things, so "the rest of us can follow this reflection".

THURSDAY, 2 February

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - President Nataša Pirc Musar underlined Slovenia's continued support for Bosnia-Herzegovina's path to the EU membership as she started a two-day visit in Sarajevo. At a meeting with the members of the Bosnian presidency, Pirc Musar reiterated that the EU must be honest about the integration process, and that it was up to the countries of the region to implement the necessary reforms within the set deadlines.

PARIS, France - Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president Aleksander Čeferin announced after the UEFA Congress in Paris, were changes to the statute were confirmed extending the term of UEFA head, that he will not run for another term at the 2027 congress. Addressing the press after the congress, he said he had made the decision not to run again about six months ago.