News roundup - Tuesday, 27 February, until 3 pm

Slovenia welcomes Hungary's endorsement of Sweden's NATO membership

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob welcomed the decision by the Hungarian parliament to ratify Sweden's membership in NATO, describing it as an important step towards an even more important and stronger alliance. The Foreign Ministry also welcomed the decision. It saying that Sweden's membership in NATO will strengthen the alliance and the security of its members.

Judicial reps praise Katič's experience, expect pay raise implementation

LJUBLJANA - Judicial organisations responded favourably to the nomination of Andreja Katič for justice minister, stressing she had already served in the past and should be able to secure a smooth transition. They expect respect for judicial independence and the addressing of the pay raise for judges and prosecutors as a matter of urgency. The Judges' Association wrote that Katič will honour the rule of law and push for the implementation of court rulings.

Prisons overcrowded as number of incarcerated foreigners increases

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian prisons have been overcrowded for years, but now they are virtually bursting at the seams, as the number of prisoners, especially foreigners caught smuggling migrants, has been increasing. The average prison occupancy rate tops 139%. The most crowded prison was the one in Ljubljana, where the occupancy rate is currently 201.48%.

Slovenia joining digital waste cleanup efforts

LJUBLJANA - The NGO Ecologists Without Borders invited everybody to join the Lets Clean up Slovenia's Digital Waste campaign aimed at "cleaning up unnecessary files, photos, apps and other data that are generated in the digital world, consume energy and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions". The idea behind the initiative is to reduce the digital and thereby carbon footprint.