News roundup - Friday, 26 April, until 3pm

Opposition ask Constitutional Court to review two referendums

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) have initiated a constitutional review of two of the three referendums scheduled to take place alongside the 9 June EU election. They believe that the referendum on assisted dying violates the constitutional provision on the inviolability of human life. The cannabis use referendum is being challenged on procedural grounds. The court has been asked to suspend the referendum decrees until it has reached a final decision.

Contractor for key road to Koper port selected

LJUBLJANA - The national motorway company DARS has picked construction companies CPK and Kolektor CPG to build a long-awaited 11.4-kilometre Sermin road on the outskirts of Koper that will connect the Sermin junction - where vehicles leave the motorway to enter the expressway - with the port of Koper. The EUR 9.4 million project, just the latest in a series of investments designed to reduce traffic around Koper and improve transport connections with the port of Koper, is to be completed in 2026.

Serbian investor reportedly interested in Kanin ski resort

Ljubljana - Kanin, Slovenia's only true high-altitude ski resort, is reportedly being eyed by Trgovinsko preduzeće Ri-komerc Beograd. Delo reported that government officials had been contacted on behalf of the Serbian company by former Slovenian ski champion Bojan Križaj. Local officials - the resort is owned by the Bovec municipality - have not been contacted yet.

Permitted state incentives for R&D investment being raised

LJUBLJANA - The government has raised the ceiling values for state incentives for investment in research and development and innovation, adopting a decree earlier this week that brings national provisions on state aid in line with 2023 changes to EU rules. The new maximum incentive is EUR 55 million per company, up from EUR 40 million, as pertains to investment into predominately basic research.

Steklarna Rogaška to get EUR 15m for investment while layoffs continue

ROGAŠKA SLATINA - Fiskars, a Finnish group, announced on Thursday it would invest EUR 15 million in its Slovenian glassworks Steklarna Rogaška between 2024 and 2026 to modernise production and boost competitive edge, while also planning to cut up to 155 jobs. Last September, when Steklarna Rogaška had around 830 workers, Fiskars said it would lay off up to 140 workers. Since then, the number of workers has decreased to over 700.

Almost EUR 13 million secured for entrepreneurial training

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved a total of EUR 12.9 million from the European Regional Development Fund for 12 country-wide projects providing four-month training courses for individuals pursuing an entrepreneurial idea. The scheme is implement under the European Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027.

Unior profit down last year

ZREČE - Toolmaker Unior generated more than EUR 294 million in group sales revenue last year, 2.3% more than the year before. Net profit was down by half to EUR 4.9 million, shows the audited annual report. The company said it had felt the impact of the macroeconomic situation mostly indirectly, through order fluctuation, but also directly, through notably higher financing costs.

Survey unemployment down in March

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate stood at 3.1% in March, down by 0.1 percentage points from the month before and by 0.6 percentage points year-on-year, Statistics Office data shows. The office estimates some 32,000 people aged 15 to 74 were jobless in March, 53% of whom were men and 47% women.

Kočevje and Bucha sign twinning agreement

KOČEVJE - The town of Kočevje in south Slovenia and the Ukrainian city of Bucha signed a twinning agreement to boost connections and understanding between different communities and contribute to peace and cooperation at the global level, the Kočevje municipality said in a press release. The step comes after Kočevje and Bucha signed a cooperation agreement as part of the U-LEAD with Europe programme in October.