News roundup - Thursday, 7 March, until 3pm

President urges Security Council to end killing in Gaza

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar appealed to the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. In the face of mass crimes against civilian population the right to veto no longer holds legitimacy, the president said. The international community has failed "the test of humanitarianism and humanity", she said, adding that the Security Council needs to send a clear message to Israel that the developments in Gaza and the West Bank are in breach of the UN Charter. Dead, injured, sick and starving children are not a matter of politics and national interests, alliances and self-defence, the president warned. "This is simply a crime and denial of any sort of humanity."

Insurance group Sava's net profit in 2023 up 38% to EUR 65m

LJUBLJANA - The insurance group Sava increased its turnover in 2023 by 14% to EUR 910.1 million and its net profit by 38% to EUR 64.7 million. All the 2023 targets have been achieved, the core company Sava Re said in an unaudited report. Having posted EUR 79.6 million in pre-tax profit, the group exceeded the plans due to good business diversification despite a more modest performance in the wake of extreme weather events last year, including the massive floods in August. Growth was mainly driven by gross property insurance premiums, which grew by 20% in the Slovenian market and by 22% in foreign markets.

Cinkarna Celje's net profit down 87% to EUR 5.5m

CELJE - The chemical company Cinkarna Celje posted a EUR 5.5 million net profit in 2023, down 87% over 2022. Sales revenue was at EUR 176.5 million, a drop of 22%, the company said. With sales volumes and prices down, the management considers the results to be in line with forecasts. The drop in turnover was mainly a result of lower sales volumes and, to a lesser extent, lower average selling prices of titanium dioxide pigment, which is the company's main product, said its unaudited 2023 annual report.

Brežice shooter arrested

BREŽICE - The police apprehended the man who barricaded himself into his house in the town of Brežice after having fired shots in front of the local pharmacy, and later at police officers. The Novo Mesto Police Department said morning that the intervention ended at around 2:30am and that nobody had been injured. The incident involved a 62-year-old man, allegedly a retired police officer. Wednesday afternoon, he entered a pharmacy close to his home and forced out all other customers, after which he exited as well and fired two or three shots into the air, witnesses reported. After that he locked himself into his house and refused to surrender.

Slovenia confirms withdrawal from Energy Charter Treaty

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia was among the EU member states that confirmed the EU's withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty, while the talks on updating the treaty for those members that want to remain parties to the treaty are ongoing. Slovenia will officially withdraw from the treaty in October. The withdrawal was confirmed in Brussels by the EU ministers in charge of competitiveness, including Slovenia's Matjaž Han, after it was endorsed on Wednesday by the deputies of the member states' permanent representatives to the EU. The matter will now be debated by the European Parliament, after which the Council of the European Union will have to give the final stamp of approval for the withdrawal.

Rally in Jesenice raises awareness of child sexual abuse

JESENICE - The emerging organisation White Flower organised on Wednesday a rally against child sexual abuse in Jesenice, after the town in northeastern Slovenia was recently shocked by a case of a former headmaster who sexually abused the child of his then partner. The rally advocated certain procedural changes in the processing of such cases and noted the importance of awareness. A study from 2019 shows that 9.5% of women and 2.6% of men experienced some form of sexual abuse before they turned 18, the rally organisers said, adding that nearly 25,000 children in Slovenia were sexually abused.

New, costlier open call for train terminal upgrade published

LJUBLJANA - Another call for bids has been published to find a contractor for a major upgrade of the train terminal in what is the central part of the Ljubljana Passenger Centre project. Both bids in the first open call were rejected for being too high, but the new one estimates the upgrade to be costlier than before. The Infrastructure Agency published the initial call in November, having estimated the project at EUR 136.6 million excluding VAT, or EUR 166.7 million including tax After the open call fell through, the agency's estimate without tax is now higher by roughly 20%, standing at EUR 173.3 million.

Koper to get centre of competence for olive growing

KOPER - The Koper Science and Research Centre (ZRS Koper) has obtained a building permit for a Centre of Competence for Mediterranean Cultures, which will focus on olive growing and other forms of Mediterranean agriculture. It will be located near the coastal town of Škofije on the coast, and is planned to be completed in 2026. The ZRS Koper said that the new complex will provide adequate premises for the Institute of Oliveculture, its laboratory, and all accredited activities, while also housing the recently established Institute of Viticulture and Wine Production.

Agriculture needs long-term policy, debate hears

LJUBLJANA- Agriculture has reached a point where it needs a clear and long-term vision, agreed the participants in a debate on the green future of European agriculture, hosted by Vesna, a non-parliamentary green party Wednesday evening. Good, environmentally-friendly farming practices should be supported, they said. Slovenian hill farms will not survive without society's support, said head of the Association of Hill and Mountain Farmers Irena Orešnik. "The survival of these farms is based on the love for farming, which we cannot count on in the next generation," she said. Head of the Agriculture and Forestry Chamber Roman Žveglič said that in 50 years there will be no more professional farmers.

Slovenian minority opposed to schools closing

KLAGENFURT, Austria - The National Council of Carinthian Slovenians (NSKS) expressed opposition to a recent decision by the Austrian authorities to shut down two small bilingual schools in Mali Šentvid/Klein St. Veit and in Šentilj/St. Egyden in Carinthia due to low enrolment. The NSKS said it does not accept the decision and that small schools are "an educationally valuable introduction to school life". While unable to organise large events, small schools pose interesting challenges for parents and teachers, benefit children and help strengthen rural areas, the NKSK said.

Less waste collected in 2023

LJUBLJANA - In 2023 more than 11.8 million tons of waste were collected, which is 4% less than the year before. More bulky waste was collected at the annual level than ever before, largely due to the August floods, the Statistics Office said. Construction waste accounted for the majority of all waste at 82% or nearly 9.8 million tons. Just over one million tons of municipal waste were collected, down 3%. The share of waste collected separately increased by six percentage points to 77.3%. The amount of bulky waste more than doubled to 85,000 tons, largely due to the August floods.