News roundup - Friday, 29 March

Fajon says recognition of Palestine coming soon if fighting continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia, in agreement with at least three other EU member states, is ready recognise Palestine in a relatively short time if it is not possible to reach the first objective, which is a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, a normalisation of the situation and the start of talks on a two-state solution, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said. The prime ministers of Slovenia, Spain, Ireland and Malta adopted a joint statement last week, expressing their readiness to recognise Palestine.

Russian hackers take responsibility for cyberattack on Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A Russian cybercriminal group known as Cyber Army Russia Reborn has taken responsibility for a recent spate of cyberattacks on the websites of several government bodies and the public broadcaster. In a video message, the group implicitly acknowledged that the attacks were motivated by Slovenia's support of Ukraine. It said that Russians and Slovenians "need not hate each other" given the shared heritages of both countries.

Krško slated for maintenance shutdown on 1 April

KRŠKO - Krško, Slovenia's only nuclear power station, will be shut down for a scheduled maintenance for a month starting on 1 April. The works, complete with refuelling, will cost around EUR 100 million. The shutdown will mark the completion of the 33rd fuel cycle since the power station's launch and this will be the first scheduled maintenance since the plant's operating permit was extended by 20 years last year, chairman Gorazd Pfeifer said.

Committee okays expansion of doctors' duties during strike

LJUBLJANA - The Health Committee approved changes to the Medical Services Act which expand the range of services doctors must provide during strikes. The legislation was put to parliament after the government adopted in late February a decree with the same content. Since doctors protested against the decree and even challenged it at the Constitutional Court, it decided on 20 March to adopt legislative amendments.

SDS distances itself from Voice of Europe

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS), whose members have given interviews for the Voice of Europe, a website that has been shut down as a Russian-backed propaganda tool, told the STA that their officials had advocated pro-Ukrainian views and received no pay. SDS head Janez Janša, his former chief-of-staff Peter Šuhel, and MEP Milan Zver have given interviews for the portal. The opposition party stressed that Janša talked about Western support being crucial for Ukraine and warned that aid to Ukraine should be more extensive.

Geoplin chief executive dismissed

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of Slovenia's largest gas supplier Geoplin dismissed on Friday chief executive Matija Bitenc. Simon Urbancl remains director after taking this post on October 2023. This will guarantee the continuity of leadership, Geoplin said in a press release. The company did not explain the reasons behind the dismissal, but Finance reported earlier this week that this would happen because the Petrol management had demanded that Bitenc be replaced.

Mixed reactions to new nuclear strategy

LJUBLJANA - The draft resolution on the long-term peaceful use of nuclear energy in Slovenia, which the government adopted on Thursday, has been met with mix responses. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) sees it as a step in the right direction and a positive message to Slovenian business since this can ensure a stable and reliable supply. Greenpeace warned that some key questions about a second nuclear power station remain unanswered.

Annual inflation rate up again in March, to 3.6%

LJUBLJANA - Annual inflation rate in Slovenia increased slightly in March, reaching 3.6%. Compared to February, prices were up by 0.2%, mostly due to changes in seasonal collections of apparel and shoes, which added 0.5 percentage points to the headline inflation rate, the Statistics Office said.

General govt deficit at 2.5%, debt at 69.2% of GDP last year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's general government deficit amounted to EUR 1.587 billion or 2.5% of GDP last year, which is EUR 114 million or 0.5 percentage points less than in 2022, the Statistics Office said. Despite increasing in nominal terms, general government debt decreased in terms of GDP share, amounting to EUR 43.67 billion or 69.2% of GDP.

Food price watch project terminated

LJUBLJANA - The food price watch project, put in place to keep inflation in check, has been terminated. Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Eva Knez has met with the retailers that were involved in the project. Based on the data by the Statistics Office, which shows inflation is slowing down, they made a joint decision to end the project, the ministry said.

Disposable income up 9% y/y in final quarter, savings rate climbs above 15%

LJUBLJANA - The gross disposable income of Slovenian households was 9% higher in the fourth quarter of 2023 year-on-year, while consumption grew by 6.2%, as favourable labour market conditions continued. The gross household savings rate reached 15.1% last year, according to a preliminary estimate by the Statistics Office.

Three-year quarterly growth of commercial property prices ends

LJUBLJANA - The prices of commercial real estate dropped by 4.2% in the final quarter of 2023 on a quarterly basis to end a three-year period of continuous growth of prices. The prices meanwhile increased only slightly on an annual level, the Statistics Office said.

Survey unemployment down again in February

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate stood at 3.1% in February, down by 0.1 percentage points from the month before and by 0.5 percentage points year-on-year, Statistics Office data shows. This is the lowest rate so far on record. The office estimates some 33,000 people aged 15 to 74 were jobless in January, 53% of whom were men and 47% women.

Slovenia celebrating General Rudolf Maister

KAMNIK/MARIBOR - A number of events are taking place as Slovenia celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of General Rudolf Maister (1874-1934), who established the first Slovenian army in 1918 and captured territory around Maribor to set what would become Slovenia's northern border. Among other things, President Nataša Pirc Musar laid a wreath in Maister's home town of Kamnik.

Unexploded WWII aerial bomb unearthed in Maribor

MARIBOR - A 250-kg unexploded areal bomb from the Second World War was found on Thursday as part of earthmoving work in Ledina Street in the southeastern Maribor borough of Tezno. The area of the find has been secured, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration said, adding that the bomb would be deactivated on 7 April.

Woman of God documentary picked for Toronto's Hot Docs

TORONTO, Canada - Maja Prettner's Woman of God (Duhovnica), a documentary film that received glowing reviews at the 2023 Festival of Slovenian Film, has been selected for the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, scheduled in Toronto from 25 April to 5 May, the Slovenian Film Centre said.