News roundup - Thursday, 11 April

Slovenia will vote for Palestine's UN membership

LJUBLJANA - The UN Security Council will vote next week on a resolution on Palestine's UN membership, and Slovenia will support it together with France and Malta, Vojko Volk, a state secretary in the prime minister's office, told the press after a government session. "Slovenia ... will raise its hand in support of this decision, in which it sincerely believes," said Volk, adding that Palestine belongs in the UN and its voice should be heard there.

Slovenia hit by another DDoS cyberattack but situation manageable

LJUBLJANA - Vojko Volk, a state secretary for national and international security in the prime minister's office, confirmed that Slovenia is a target of another distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Access to some websites remains blocked, including to that of the central bank, but the situation is manageable, he said after the government session. Volk also said that Prime Minister Robert Golob announced more funds for cybersecurity.

Police under scrutiny over handling of school shooting threat

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar ordered a review of police work regarding a shooting threat at Slovenian schools, which was made in an online comment last week and made schools beef up security and upset the general public this week. The review will also check whether the police's communication about the threat was conducted professionally and lawfully, the Interior Ministry said.

Slovenia welcomes endorsement of EU migration pact

LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry said that Slovenia welcomes Wednesday's endorsement of the Pact on Migration and Asylum by the European Parliament. After years of negotiations, the pact is an important step towards forming a migration and asylum policy in the EU, the ministry told the STA. The ministry noted that the pact must still be confirmed by the Council of the European Union. The changes are expected to take effect in the spring of 2026.

Žbogar says Russia violating intl humanitarian law every day in Ukraine

NEW YORK, US - The attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which Russia is trampling on every day, and systematically destroying Ukraine's cultural heritage, Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Security Council Samuel Žbogar said during a Council debate on the situation in Ukraine. While Russia is rightly concerned about the destruction across Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinians, it is demonstrating a completely different standard in Ukraine, he added.

Slovenia regrets Russia's veto of North Korea resolution

NEW YORK; US - Slovenia expressed deep regret over Russia's veto of the draft resolution on the extension of the mandate of the panel of experts which monitors the implementation of sanctions against North Korea, Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Boštjan Malovrh said during a debate in the UN General Assembly. "Countries like Slovenia rely heavily on independent and professional assessments of the implementation of sanctions. This allows us to understand the techniques used to evade sanctions," Malovrh said.

Nearly 7,000 people in Brežice sign petition against asylum centre

LJUBLJANA/OBREŽJE - A group campaigning against a government plan to establish an asylum centre at the Obrežje border crossing with Croatia presented the government with a petition signed by nearly 7,000 people. Unless the government listens to them, they will take the matter to court.

Slovenia to sign Artemis Accords on norms in outer space

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will sign the Artemis Accords, an international agreement on the civil exploration and peaceful use of the Moon, Mars, and other planets, announced the Government Communication Office. "The Artemis programme offers many new opportunities for the industry and scientific research in Slovenia," said the Economy Ministry, adding that cooperation of all ministries and the support of Slovenia's Embassy in Washington are key.

New rules on solar panels entering into force

LJUBLJANA - New rules on solar panels that envisage obligatory installation of panels in certain cases will enter into force on Saturday. The rules are being introduced with a government decree endorsed on 28 March which makes solar power plants compulsory for all new buildings with roof area of more than 1,000 square metres. These are mainly commercial buildings and public infrastructure, not residential buildings. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that many questions remain open, including regarding the pressure on the distribution network and exceptions to the new rules.

Top court annuls disputed changes to agriculture chamber law

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has annulled the part of the changes to the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry Act that specify who cannot run for members of certain bodies of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry, announced the National Council, which has petitioned the court to review the changes. The court said that the changes run against the article of the constitution stipulating that "all persons shall be equal before the law". The changes had been filed last year by the ruling Freedom Movement MPs, headlined by Mateja Čalušić, who now serves as agriculture minister.

Prosecution dismisses suspicion of perjury against former police chief

LJUBLJANA - The Specialised State Prosecutor's Office dismissed on Wednesday a report of suspected perjury that the General Police Administration issued against former acting Police Commissioner Boštjan Lindav. Lindav, who recently retired, considers the report proof of another attempt to discredit him. Lindav, who was replaced as police chief in February 2023, backed former Interior Minister Tatjana Bobnar in her claims that PM Robert Golob had exerted undue pressure on staffing in the police force, and he also challenged the appointment of his successor Senad Jušić.

Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik appointed new STA director

LJUBLJANA - Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik was appointed new STA director in an unanimous decision of the press agency's supervisory board. She will start her term on 18 July, when her term as information commissioner expires. Prelesnik is a law graduate and has served as deputy information commissioner in 2005-2008 and as the secretary general of the National Assembly in 2008-2014. She will be replacing Igor Kadunc, who resigned as director in March citing personal reasons. He will bid farewell in mid-May after around two and a half years on the job.

Four Slovenians convicted of involvement in fraud against BBC

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced four Slovenians to jail for their involvement in an email scam that defrauded the British national broadcaster BBC of EUR 336,000, the newspapers Dnevnik, Delo and Slovenske Novice reported. The sentences range from three years and two months in prison to an imprisonment of one year, whereas the fines for their involvement in the fraud and money laundering scheme range from EUR 3,500 to EUR 1,000. A fifth Slovenian suspect has been acquitted.

Presidents of neighbouring countries to visit Slovenia on 22 April

LJUBLJANA - As part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the EU, the presidents of the neighbouring countries will visit Slovenia on 22 April. Gathering for the first time since 2011, the presidents of all Slovenia's neighbours will meet at the Brdo pri Kranju estate at the invitation of President Nataša Pirc Musar. She will host her Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, Austria's Alexander Van der Bellen, Croatia's Zoran Milanović and Hungary's Tamas Sulyok.

Minister orders review of Jesenice station upgrade

LJUBLJANA/JESENICE - Due to cost increase concerns, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek called on the Infrastructure Agency to carry out a review of the planned upgrade of the Jesenice railway station as soon as possible. The cost of the project first increased from a ballpark figure in the region of EUR 80 million to EUR 137 million, but once bidders submitted their bids, it became clear it could rise even further.

Minister welcomes new honey labelling rules

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Mateja Čalušić welcomed the new rules for clearer honey labelling that the European Parliament passed on Wednesday, after the initiative to revise the honey directive was given by Slovenia following a proposal from Slovenian beekeepers. Čalušić thanked Slovenian beekeepers for the initiative and added that the new rules are an important step in the fight against adulterated honey. Boštjan Noč, the head of the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association, said that "this is one of the biggest victories for the protection of consumers and beekeepers."

Business wants fast-tracked work permit procedures for third country nationals

LJUBLJANA - Arguing that procedures for obtaining work permits for foreigners in Slovenia remain too long, the Chamber of Craft and Small Business urged the Labour Ministry for across-the-board application of the fast-track procedure introduced for flood-relief efforts following the August 2023 floods. Speaking of "trust-based recruitment", the OZS reiterated that the shortage of workers is a major problem for the Slovenian economy, which is why many companies are forced to employ workers from India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other countries outside Europe.

Number of active population up, share down

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia had an active population of around 989,000 in 2023, which is 0.3% more than in 2022 and the highest figure in the last decade. However, the share of active population dropped by 0.2 points to 56.4%, data from the Statistics Office shows. The number of employed persons stayed level, that of self-employed grew by 3.4%, and 9% fewer were jobless.

EU Commission registers Slovenian-led pro-choice campaign

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission has registered a Slovenian-coordinated European Citizens' Initiative, My Voice, My Choice, coordinated by the NGO 8 March Institute, which aims to campaign for accessible and safe abortion for women across Europe. The initiative organisers now have six months to start collecting signatures in support of the cause. They need to collect one million signatures from at least seven EU member states. They hope to achieve the goal before the EU elections in June.