News roundup - Tuesday, 13 February, until 3pm

Slovenia posts current account surplus in 2023

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded a current account surplus of EUR 2.8 billion in 2023, which is a substantial improvement on 2022 when it posted a deficit of EUR 600 million. Contributing the most of the balance of payments surplus was trade in goods, which moved from a deficit in 2022 to a surplus last year, the central bank said. Trade in goods posted a EUR 460 million in surplus last year, while it had a deficit of EUR 2.2 billion in 2022, the Bank of Slovenia says in its latest publication on Slovenia's economic relations with the world.

Foreign tourist-generated revenue at record EUR 3.24bn last year

LJUBLJANA - Revenue generated by foreign tourists in Slovenia last year exceeded EUR 3 billion for the first time ever, reaching EUR 3.24 billion, or 9% more than in 2022, shows data from the central bank. Before plummeting in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the figure reached EUR 2.84 billion in 2019, which means that last year the figure exceeded the numbers from the last pre-Covid year by 14%.

Left calls for action over Israel's genocide against Palestinians

LJUBLJANA - There is no more doubt that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, said MPs of the junior coalition Left party, Matej Tašner Vatovec and Nataša Sukič. The party believes that it is imperative that both Slovenia and the international community become more involved in preventing genocide in Gaza, so the MPs called on authorities to summon the Israeli ambassador for talks, join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel and impose sanctions against it.

Justice minister leaves SocDems

LJUBLJANA - Outgoing Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan, who has been in conflict with her party, the Social Democrats (SD), over the controversial purchase of a building in Ljubljana that was to house several courts, decided to quit the party on Monday after it turned out she was not invited to the SD's conference and meeting of its presidency. "The party leadership has not been communicating with me for two weeks," she wrote, adding she believed in social democracy but she no longer believed that the SD and its leadership did.

No rise in number of waiting patients amid strike, NIJZ says

LJUBLJANA - Even though a number of medical checks and procedures have been cancelled due to the doctors' strike, which was on its 30th day on Tuesday, statistics so far show no increase in the number of people waiting for health services. On the contrary, there has even been a slight drop in the number of waiting patients, as fewer appointments were cancelled during the strike than in the same period last year, National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) data shows.

Former head of Association of Slovenians in Hungary dies

SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary - Jože Hirnök, the founder and long-serving former head of the Association of Slovenians in Hungary, has died aged 66, the umbrella organisation of the Slovenian minority said on Facebook. Hirnök, who led the organisation from its founding in 1990 until 2019, is credited with significantly contributing to Slovenians in Hungary taking the first and crucial step towards creating their own organisation.

Three high-tech fairs opening doors in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Three specialised high-tech fairs are opening their doors at Ljubljana's main fairgrounds to run until Thursday. Ifam, Intronika and Robotics cover the areas of automation, electronics, communication and digitalisation. More than 70 exhibitors from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Italy, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia will present their products and services, according to the company ICM, which organises the fairs.

Slovenian jazz festival starting at Cankarjev Dom

LJUBLJANA - The tenth festival celebrating Slovenian jazz creativity is starting at Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana. Named after one of the best known Slovenian jazz songs from 1958 celebrating spring, Zvončki in Trobentice (Snowdrops and Primroses) will this year be extended to two days, and feature eight jazz bands, including one from Austria as part of cooperation with the Music Export Austria and the Austrian Cultural Forum.