News roundup - Thursday, 29 February, until 3pm

Think tank downgrades GDP growth forecast for 2024 to 2.4%

LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) downgraded Slovenia's economic growth forecast for this year by 0.4 points to 2.4%. The government think tank kept the projection for 2025 unchanged at 2.5%, while forecasting 2.6% growth in 2026. Inflation is expected to subside for most of this year before increasing a bit again. IMAD expects growth to be positively affected by a further increase in investment, an easing of inflationary pressure and a recovery in foreign demand, although the latter has been a bit slower than forecast last September.

Annual inflation rate slightly up to 3.4% in February

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate stood at 3.4% in February, up from 3.3% in January, as prices increased by 0.8% at the monthly level. The annual rate is considerably below that from a year ago when inflation hit 9.3%, Statistics Office figures show. Compared to last February, services were 5.1% and goods 2.6% more expensive. The two biggest contributors to the annual rate in February were higher prices in healthcare (+10.9%) and in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (+4.7%). The harmonised index of consumer prices remained the same as in January, at 3.4%.

Survey unemployment rate decreases to 3.3% in January

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate stood at 3.3% in January, down by 0.1 percentage points from the month before and 0.3 points year-on-year, shows data released by the Statistics Office. It is the lowest rate since January 2010, when the office started recording survey unemployment. Some 34,000 people aged 15 to 74 were jobless in January, 53% of whom were men and 47% women. The unemployment rate was at 3.1% for men and at 3.4% for women.

RTV Slovenija management board pick not endorsed

LJUBLJANA - The council of RTV Slovenija did not endorse chairman Zvezdan Martič's pick for a new management board member at Wednesday's session. Martič had nominated Tina Gruden Marucelj, the head of the HR department, as a person who knows the broadcaster inside and out. Councillors voted 10:1 against her appointment, with four abstentions, arguing that staffing is a major problem at the broadcaster and it is difficult to appoint someone who has played a major role in staffing policy. The council meanwhile did confirm the annual report for 2023, when the public broadcaster posted a EUR 7 million loss.

Brussels to decide on Mercator's takeover of Engrotuš

LJUBLJANA - Mercator will have to ask the European Commission to approve its takeover of Engrotuš, another Slovenian retailer, after the Slovenian regulator, the Competition Protection Agency (AVK), rejected its concentration application, according to a report by business news portal Forbes Slovenija. The reason for the AVK's decision is the fact that "the concentration reaches the EU proportions", AVK director Andrej Matvoz explained.

Exhibition on Vienna social-housing model opens in Celje

CELJE - An exhibition on Vienna's unique approach to social housing is opening at the Celje Museum of Recent History, to run until 14 April. The Vienna Model of Social Flats exhibition has been set up in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum Ljubljana and the Wiener Wohnen organisation, which is run by the city of Vienna. It is dedicated to 100 years of the successful model that guarantees affordable flats, with some 60% of the Viennese living in city-owned or subsidised flats.