News roundup - Tuesday, 4 June

Slovenia recognises independent Palestine

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly recognised an independent Palestine in a unanimous vote, capping a turbulent day of strategising in parliament that saw partisan recriminations about abuse of parliamentary procedure concerning an opposition referendum motion and a subsequent reinterpretation of the rules of procedure that allowed the coalition to bypass a 30-day delay in voting due to the referendum motion. The centre-right opposition boycotted the vote. Senior Slovenian officials welcomed the move.

Slovenians in Bosnia will not be able to cast EU vote at embassy

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Slovenians living in Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be able to cast their votes in the upcoming EU elections at the Slovenian Embassy in Sarajevo after the Bosnian government turned down Slovenia's relevant request for a second time on Monday due to the country's support for the UN Srebrenica genocide resolution. The ministers from the Republika Srpska entity voted against, just as they did the first time around last week.

Armenian parliament president visits Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - As part of his visit to Slovenia, President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with Slovenian counterpart Urška Klakočar Zupančič to discuss cooperation and the tense security situation in South Caucasus. Simonyan's visit comes at a time when Armenia and Slovenia are celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the countries.

SDS urge voters not to vote early in EU election

LJUBLJANA - Head of the opposition Democrats (SDS) Janez Janša called on voters not to vote early in EU election, except in cases when it is absolutely not possible for them to vote on Sunday, as he questioned the security of ballots. He also raised the issue of several electoral districts having been merged for early voting in certain places, and said SDS will also present its concerns to international observers. The electoral commission said it would ensure maximum security.

Miljenko Jergović wins Vilenica Prize

LJUBLJANA - Miljenko Jergović, a Bosnian-born Croatian author, is the winner of the 2024 Vilenica Prize for Central European literature, given out by the Slovenian Writers' Association for outstanding achievements in literature and essay writing. He will receive it at the end of the Vilenica International Literary Festival, taking place between 2 and 7 September in Ljubljana and the region of Kras.

Floods, landslides reported in NE

GORNJA RADGONA/RADENCI - The storms that hit Slovenia on Monday have caused flooding and landslides in the northeast. Some 100 houses were flooded in Boračeva in the Radenci municipality and several landslides were triggered in the Gornja Radgona area. In Črešnjevci one family had to be evacuated due to a looming landslide. Heavy storms with strong winds and hail were reported also in the Celje, Maribor, Murska Sobota and Ptuj areas.

Slovenia's exports up 49% in April, imports up 34%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's merchandise exports rose by 48.8% in April year-on-year, while imports increased by 33.8%. Trade with non-EU countries increased sharply, mainly due to a high growth in reexports in trade with Switzerland, Statistics Office data shows. Slovenian companies exported EUR 5.85 billion of goods in April, including EUR 2.68 billion to EU member states and EUR 3.17 billion to other countries. Export to EU member states grew by 9.1% year-on-year, while export to non-EU countries increased by 114.7%.

Insurance industry robust and stable, agency says

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian insurance industry manages over ten billion euros in assets and last year it once again proved its resilience and adaptability to challenging conditions, the Agency for Insurance Supervision (AZN) said, pointing to the many challenges ahead, including the macroeconomic situation, geopolitical tensions, and climate change.

Insurer Triglav allocates EUR 39.8m out of EUR 87.8m for dividends

LJUBLJANA - Shareholders of Zavarovalnica Triglav, led by state assets custodian SSH and public pension fund manager ZPIZ, approved the management's proposal that has the country's largest insurer allocating EUR 39.8 million or EUR 1.75 gross per share for dividends. New supervisory board members Rok Ponikvar and Barbara Nose were also appointed.

New EUR 1m facility launched at IJS in pursuit of fusion energy

LJUBLJANA - The Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS) officially launched on Monday a new facility at its TRIGA nuclear research reactor meant to advance fusion energy technology. The aim is to study how and why intense radiation occurs during the cooling of fusion reactors so as to enable a safer environment for research and improved reactor performance.

Data centre with supercomputer to be built in Maribor

MARIBOR - A state-of-the-art data centre with a supercomputer will be built in Maribor. DEM, the state-owned company operating hydro power stations on the Drava river, has sold part of the land at its headquarters to the state for this purpose. The government sees this EUR 100 million project that is slated to be completed in 2026 as an opportunity for further development of Slovenia's computing and data capacities.

NGEN to build EUR 50m battery facility in Germany

ŽIROVNICA - NGEN, a Slovenian company specialising in large-scale battery storage, said it had recently signed a contract with German state-owned gas giant Uniper to build a storage facility on the site of the Heyden power station in Petershagen. The 50 MW/100 MWh battery, worth nearly EUR 50 million, is scheduled to go into operation in 2025. NGEN has thus started entering the German market while it also plans new projects in Poland, Italy, Portugal and Croatia supported by own funds.

Composer's award goes to Ambrož Čopi

LJUBLJANA - Composer Ambrož Čopi won the Kozina Award given out by the Slovenian Composers' Association. The award honours his comprehensive vocal opus, considered a significant contribution to Slovenian vocal music. Despite leaning on tradition, Čopi's work is marked by his distinctive aesthetic and his sense for different dimensions of poetry, the judging panel said.

First Slovenian tour operator to be listed on stock market

LJUBLJANA - Relax, a Slovenian tour operator, will enter standard trading on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange on Thursday, 6 June, as 125,195 shares with the symbol RELR will be listed at the reference price of EUR 105 a piece, the Ljubljana Stock Exchange said. Relax, which will be the first Slovenian tour operator to be listed, is headquartered in Dravograd and has since its beginnings in the early 1990s developed into a leading tour organiser in the country.

Court orders receivership for T-2 contractor Gratel

LJUBLJANA - Receivership for Gratel, the fibre-optic network contractor of telecommunications operator T-2, was launched by the Ljubljana District Court upon the proposal of Slovenia Sovereign Holding. The latter holds at least EUR 10.8 million in claims towards Gratel and also filed a receivership proposal for T-2 in April. Both companies are controlled by the businessman Jurij Krč.

HSE begins siting for floating solar plant in Šoštanj

ŠOŠTANJ - The national power utility HSE has presented its plans for Slovenia's first floating solar plant, opening an info point on Monday n Šoštanj, where the plant is to be located. The plant is to span half the available area of the Družmirje Lake and is expected to produce around 140 GWh of electricity annually with a peak power of up to 140 MW.

Slovenia beat Armenia 2:1 in Euro warm-up match

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian men's football team defeated Armenia 2:1 in its penultimate warm-up match ahead of the 2024 Euro in Germany. Slovenia scored in the 11th minute trough Jan Mlakar and managed to keep the lead until the end of the first half. Varazdat Haroyan who evened the score to 1:1 in the 56th with a header, while the veteran Josip Iličić brought the win for Slovenia with a goal in the 63rd minute.

13 persons charged in extensive drug sting

CELJE - The Celje police concluded an extensive illicit drugs investigation last week, charging 13 Slovenian citizens aged 28 to 51 with unlawful production of and trade in illicit drugs, Aleš Slapnik from the Celje criminal investigation unit said. The suspects are looking at between five and 15 years in prison.