News roundup - Wednesday, 20 March

Pirc Musar and Duda reiterate support for Ukraine, talk cooperation

BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Nataša Pirc Musar and her Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine as long as necessary as Duda arrived for an official two-day visit to Slovenia. Pirc Musar highlighted the need for military assistance, while Duda suggested increasing defence spending by NATO members to 3% of GDP due to the growing Russian threat. He also met PM Robert Golob and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, with Ukraine in focus of both meetings.

Foreign minister announces security agreement with Ukraine

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon announced at a session of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee that Slovenia is drafting a bilateral agreement with Ukraine on cooperation in security, similar to the agreements that Ukraine has concluded with several countries.

Tanja Fajon will not run for another term as SocDem head

LJUBLJANA - Tanja Fajon, the president of the Social Democrats (SD), announced she would not be running for another term as the head of the coalition party at the April congress. The foreign minister in the Robert Golob government will head the SD until the new leadership is elected, presumably at the congress. The Coalition partners - the Freedom Movement and the Left - do not expect any changes in terms of cooperation.

Parliamentary body calls for several reports on Golob's company

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for Oversight of Public Finances resumed its discussion on the business relationship between the prime minister's company Star Solar and the national electricity exchange Borzen. It urged the Financial Administration to check Star Solar's operations in detail and the government to submit a report. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption was urged to treat the case as a priority. The National Council also decided to open an investigation into Star Solar and Gen-I, a company formerly led by Golob.

Govt to subsidise wind turbine construction

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to offer subsidies to municipalities for the construction of wind turbines, aiming to increase the use of wind energy in Slovenia. The municipalities will be eligible for a lump-sum payment of EUR 200,000 per megawatt. Only wind farms with capacity more than 1 MW will be eligible for funding, which the municipalities will receive after a construction permit is obtained.

Govt adopts bill expanding range of services doctors must provide during strike

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted changes to the Medical Services Act expanding the range of services doctors must provide during strikes. The bill largely follows a recent government decree that has expanded the range of medical services during strikes, but the doctors' trade union has challenged it at the Constitutional Court.

SDS would ban gender identity education for minors

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) proposed to the National Assembly to amend the Criminal Code to ban educational content for minors that "promotes or depicts deviation from the self-identity corresponding to the sex at birth, sex changes or homosexuality". The amendments would improve the safety of children, SDS MPs said.

Report: Slovenian Mahle subsidiary to lay off 170 workers

ŠEMPETER PRI GORICI - The Šempeter pri Gorici-based company Mahle Electric Drives Slovenija, which is part of the German group Mahle and which employs some 1,800 people in Slovenia, will cut its workforce by 170 this year as part of production optimisation and moving of part of production to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the web portal 24ur reported.

Unions call for industrial relations forum to be restored

LJUBLJANA - Seven trade union confederations called for a revival of dialogue within the Economic and Social Council (ESS), the main industrial relations forum, and for equal treatment of social partners in an open letter to Prime Minister Robert Golob on Tuesday. If they receive no response, they announce "workers' activation".

Laško Union brewery to get new CEO on 1 May

LJUBLJANA - Pivovarna Laško Union, the largest brewery in Slovenia, will get a new CEO on 1 May, as Marta Bulhak will succeed Zooullis Mina, who has been at the helm of the company since March 2018 and is now retiring. The incoming CEO of the Ljubljana-based group has held various positions at Heineken for 27 years, said Pivovarna Laško Union, which is part of the Heineken group.

Oldest millet found in Slovenia more than 3,000 years old

RAVNE NA KOROŠKEM - The oldest grains of millet found in Slovenia date back to between 1300 to 1200 BC and were discovered in Ravne na Koroškem in the north-eastern Koroška region. The millet is kept at the Archaeology Institute, which hopes to mount an exhibition in the future.

Lynx population saved from extinction thanks to Life Lynx project

LJUBLJANA - In the nearly seven years of the Life Lynx project, the lynx population in Slovenia has been saved from extinction, as a small population of some 20 adult animals mated among themselves. The lynx population now numbers around 50 adult animals, which bodes well for the future of the species in the Slovenian Alps and the Dinaric Alps.

Docu about rape in Bosnia wins AI Slovenia Award

LJUBLJANA - Silence of Reason, a documentary about rapes in the Bosnian War in the early 1990s, directed by Macedonian Kumjana Novakova, won the award for the best film about human rights given out by Amnesty International Slovenia at the end of the 26th Festival of Documentary Film.

Murska Sobota wins most development-oriented municipality award

LJUBLJANA - Murska Sobota won the 13th Golden Rock Award for the most development-oriented municipality on Tuesday. It earned the accolade for what the organisers say was comprehensive renovation of the city centre, one of the most ambitious examples of revitalisation in Slovenia.

Pogačar dominates 2nd mountain stage in Catalonia, extends overall lead

BARCELONA, Spain - Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) also won the royal stage of the Volta a Catalunya to extend his overall lead after three of seven stages. On the route from Sant Joan de les Abadesses to Port Aine (176.7 km), the 25-year-old outpaced his rivals on the final climb, soloing to the summit finish to secure his second stage win in two days.