News roundup - Friday, 10 May, until 3pm

Judges unhappy with govt pay proposal

LJUBLJANA - The Judicial Council dismissed the government's latest pay increase proposal as inadequate at a session on Thursday. In a statement released today, they said the draft bill did not meet the criteria set down by the Constitutional Court and did not guarantee pay equality between the three branches of government. It is also unsuitable in terms of timeline because the court had ordered that judges' pay be sorted out by January this year.

Voice of the People launching get-out-the-vote campaign

LJUBLJANA - The Voice of the People, the coalition of NGOs and civil initiatives that spearheaded anti-government protests in 2020-2022, is launching a get-out-the-vote campaign for EU election that aims to promote informed voter participation. It will also organise a public debate of the EU election candidates at the end of May. The upcoming election is the most important in the entire history of Slovenia, perhaps even the most important in the history of the EU, said the organisation's Jaša Jenull.

Public transport in Jesenice discontinued

JESENICE - Jesenice, a municipality in northwest Slovenia, will no longer have public transport as of 1 July after three open calls for bus transport over the past year have ended without a single bidder taking part. Locals and greens think more should be done to preserve a valuable service. The announcement was made in a Facebook post on Thursday, leading to dozens of angry comments by locals who said the absence of public buses would severely affect older persons and people with disabilities.

SIJ group's figures improve in Q1 after tough 2023

LJUBLJANA - The steel group SIJ generated EUR 286.6 million in sales revenue in the first quarter of the year, up 33% over the final quarter of 2023, and sold 93,400 tonnes of products, up 48%. EBITDA reached EUR 18.3 million and the group invested EUR 20.3 million. SIJ finished 2023 with a loss EUR 18.8 million.

Joker Out's Carpe Diem 2nd most played track in Slovenia in 2023

NOVO MESTO - The Slovenian 2023 Eurovision entry Carpe Diem by Joker Out, hugely popular in the wider region and beyond, was the second most played track on Slovenian radio stations last year, shows data presented by the IPF institute at a ceremony in Novo Mesto on Tuesday. The song came second only to Miley Cyrus's Flowers. The IPF, an organisation promoting the rights of recording artists, pointed out that no Slovenian contributions could be found among the most played tracks for many years.