News roundup - Monday, 4 March

Minister says border checks to stay due to illegal migration

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar said that lifting the temporary checks on the border with Croatia was out of the question for the time being, as the number of illegal crossings had significantly increased in the past two months. This is also the reason for the plan to establish two asylum centres close to the border with Croatia, he said on the sidelines of a session of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Slovenia introduced what were said to be temporary checks on the borders with Croatia and Hungary last October, after Italy did the same on the border with Slovenia. Both Slovenia and Italy cited an increased threat of terrorism in Europe as the reason. Both countries have recently extended the measure until June.

Local communities oppose asylum centres on border with Croatia

BREŽICE/SREDIŠČE OB DRAVI - The municipalities of Brežice and Središče ob Dravi oppose the government's plan to establish asylum centres at two border crossings located in the two municipalities. The cabinet endorsed this solution last week, with both mayors telling the STA that it had not been discussed with the local communities. Both think the locations are not suitable to house migrants. Speaking in Brussels, Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar said opposition from the local communities was expected, as "no one wants asylum centres" but "they have to be established somewhere". The premises in Ljubljana and Logatec are overcrowded due to an increase in migrant arrivals last year.

Fides to bring constitutional challenge of new strike rules

LJUBLJANA - The doctors' trade union Fides decided to ask the Constitutional Court to review the government's decree which expands the scope of services doctors are obliged to provide during a strike. Fides believes the decree, which entered into force on 1 March, is unconstitutional as it interferes with the right to strike. Health Minister Valentina Prevolnik Rupel said the decree remains in force until the court's decision, while she also announced an emergency bill that will involve the same measures as the decree does. The government could discuss it as early as Thursday.

PM to demand report on prices of major infrastructure projects

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob will demand a report on several major rail projects whose price has risen considerably compared to original estimates. "Once we have the report, I'll gladly share it with everyone, including the public. It's not acceptable that an upgrade estimated to be cheap suddenly becomes more expensive," he said as he answered a question by opposition Democrat (SDS) MP Zvone Černač, who wondered how it is possible that several major infrastructure projects were becoming more expensive.

NSi wants referendum on cultural rights of ex-Yugoslav communities

LJUBLJANA - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) lodged a request for a referendum on a bill on cultural rights of ex-Yugoslav communities in Slovenia that was drafted by the coalition Left and is on the agenda of the ongoing plenary. The bill would among other things provide state funding for primary and secondary school students of ex-Yugoslav background to learn the languages of their communities. The move comes after the parliament recently rejected the NSi's bill under which foreign pupils struggling with Slovenian would attend preparatory Slovenian language classes before starting school.

Survey: Ruling party lost two-thirds of its voters

LJUBLJANA - Almost two years after the general election, all parliamentary parties enjoy less public support than back then, shows the Slovenian Public Opinion survey, carried out by the Faculty of Social Sciences. The ruling Freedom Movement has lost the most - two-thirds of its voters, and undecided voters represent the largest share, more than a third. Commenting on the survey for Delo, Dejan Verčič, a professor at the faculty, said the large share of the undecided shows voters are not only disappointed by unfulfilled promises of reform but also by healthcare and the government "ruling by decrees". He thinks this leaves the room for "new faces" and "not-so-new faces", while the EU elections could serve as catalyst for the established parties and a great opportunity for new players.

Survey shows firefighters trusted most, reporting on politics biased

LJUBLJANA - The 2023/24 Slovenian Public Opinion survey shows firefighters and Civil Protection are the institutions Slovenians trust the most, while they least trust the church, government and the National Assembly. 55% believe corruption is widely spread, abortion and same-sex marriages are acceptable for 76% and 53%, respectively, and euthanasia for 63.5%. More than 53% agree or strongly agree with the claim that media reporting on politics in Slovenia is biased. The respondents are the least proud of the functioning of democracy in Slovenia and Slovenia's political influence on a global scale.

Building permit issued for new commercial hub in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - Mendota Invest, which operates on behalf of the Hungarian bank OTP, obtained the final building permit for the construction of the commercial section of the future Ljubljana Passenger Centre. The commercial hub will include retail space, two hotels, business premises and apartments. The construction is due to start this month, the investor said.

Minister Kumer at Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting

BAKU, Azerbaijan - Slovenian Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer took part in a ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku on Friday, where he stressed that the corridor is a key mechanism to ensure the EU's energy supply. Kumer also urged, his ministry said on Monday, faster decarbonisation efforts and transition to cleaner energy sources. He met Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov to discuss efforts to step up bilateral cooperation.

Foreign minister released from hospital

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon was released from the UKC Ljubljana hospital on Monday after she was treated for a kidney infection, the foreign ministry told the STA. Her condition has improved but she will stay on sick leave for at least two more days. Fajon was admitted to hospital on suspicion of a kidney infection a week ago after she returned from New York.

Commercial real estate prices up 10% in 2023 while no. of transactions plummet

LJUBLJANA - The prices of commercial property (offices, industrial property, premises for services) grew by 10% in 2023 over 2022 although the number of concluded transactions fell significantly. The number of rent deals rose by 30%, in particular for industrial and services real estate, while rents in general were up by about 3%. "Although the number of concluded commercial real estate transactions in Slovenia has been declining over the last two years, this does not mean there could be a crisis in the commercial real estate market on the scale of what we witnessed during the recession after 2008," GURS said in its 2023 report.

Caritas Maribor notices poverty increase, warehouses almost empty

MARIBOR - Representatives of Caritas Maribor, one of the key charities in Slovenia's second largest city, addressed the press to highlight a pressing need for additional aid in the face of an increase in poverty and simultaneous delay in EU aid and by now nearly a halving of the amount of food it suffices for. In total, Caritas Maribor helped 16,850 individuals last year, 7% fewer than in 2022, which Caritas attributes to the drop in the amount of food the organisation is able to secure via EU sources.

Slovenian community in US buys historic church

NEW YORK, US - The Slovenian community in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has bought the Slovenian-founded St. Joseph's church from the Catholic Diocese of Allentown. This is a step toward keeping the building that has served not only as a religious but also a social centre for the community. Efforts against closing the church started in 2008, when the diocese decided to shut down the church alongside a number of others in the face of dwindling numbers of believers.

All Onaplus nominees named winners

LJUBLJANA - The women's magazine Onaplus has chosen all ten nominees as the winners of its Ona 365 award, arguing all of them pushed the limits of what is possible with their work in the last year. The award went to actress Alenka Marinič, International Criminal Court judge Beti Hohler, ZSSS trade union leader Lidija Jerkin, two Prešeren Fund Prize laureates, actress Jana Zupančič and poet Miljana Cunta, ski jumper Nika Prevc, entrepreneur Mirjana Duler, architect Manca Ahlin, Rada Zergol, member and long-time president of the Trieste-based Partisan Choir Pinko Tomažič, and doctor and cave rescuer Tina Bizjak.

Italian festival honours Slovenian film director Metod Pevec

BERGAMO, Italy - Slovenian director Metod Pevec will be presented at the 42nd Bergamo Film Meeting between 9 and 17 March. A retrospective of his films will be screened alongside works by two other European directors in the special segment Europe, Now!, dedicated to contemporary European cinema. The festival will also feature meetings with all three directors in focus - in addition to Pevec, the retrospective segment will feature Danish filmmaker Frederikke Aspöck and Swedish auteur Lukas Moodysson.