News roundup - Tuesday, 11 June

Golob announces EUR 2.5m in aid to Palestinians

AMMAN, Jordan - Slovenia will provide an additional EUR 2.5 million in aid to the Palestinians through various UN programmes, PM Robert Golob announced on the sidelines of an international conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Jordan. Despite the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on Gaza, Golob said that immediate action was needed because the humanitarian situation in Gaza was catastrophic. One million will be allocated to the UNRWA, one million to the World Food Programme, and EUR 500,000 to Slovenian development cooperation and humanitarian aid providers.

Slovenia and Morocco to open embassies in 2025

RABAT, Morocco - Slovenia and Morocco will open embassies in Rabat and Ljubljana in 2025, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita announced during Fajon's visit. The ministers advocated for a stronger economic cooperation and in the fight against illegal migrations and human trafficking and a new boost to economic cooperation in areas of shared interest, especially those including sectors with high added value, said Fajon.

Slovenia plans EUR 5m in additional aid to Ukraine

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will donate EUR 5 million in humanitarian and development aid to Ukraine this year. the government decided. The money will be channelled through a variety of instruments including the International Red Cross, the OECD, and various institutions performing development and humanitarian programmes in the country.

Slovenia welcomes US-backed Gaza ceasefire resolution

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob welcomed the US-sponsored resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza that the UN Security Council endorsed on Monday. Slovenia, which voted in favour of the resolution, is proud of its contribution to the adoption of the proposal, he said late on Monday evening, adding that the resolution gave hope for peace. The Foreign Ministry also welcomed the development.

Electoral commission finds only minor irregularities

LJUBLJANA - The National Electoral Commission (DVK) refuted claims that it counted the ballots after Sunday's election and referendums too slowly or that there were record numbers of invalid ballots in the EU election. "No one is at fault, except perhaps for those who decided to hold four referendums alongside the EU elections," DVK president Peter Golob said. The DVK however reported finding two forged ballots at one polling station and one extra ballot at another.

Freedom Movement happy with election result

LJUBLJANA - Head of the deputy group of the ruling Freedom Movement Borut Sajovic is happy with how many votes the party got at Sunday's EU election, the party's activities and its result. The Freedom Movement has won two MEP seats and "left-leaning parties won more individual votes by Slovenians than the centre-right, which won more seats," he said.

Left leader says party in a good place after EU election

LJUBLJANA - The Left is in a good place to continue working after the EU elections, even though it did not make it to the European Parliament, according to party leader Asta Vrečko. The coalition got "an absolute confirmation" in Sunday's referendums and centre-left parties enjoy public support. "This shows that our work in the government and among the people is recognised and has stable support," said Vrečko.

Slovenia's increase in EU election turnout second only to Hungary's

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia, where the EU election was coupled with three referendum votes, was among the countries with the highest increase in voter turnout in this year's EU vote compared to 2019, the 12 percentage point surge to 41.4% coming second only to Hungary's 15-point climb to some 59%. The improved turnout among at least 14 member states was hailed on Monday at a press conference by European Parliament spokesperson Jaume Duch.

Opposition motion to help fishermen voted down

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy Committee rejected a legislative motion tabled by the Democrats (SDS) under which fines that Slovenian fishermen get from Croatia for fishing in the Bay of Piran would be paid by the government. Coalition MPs said the proposal was not suitable because it would imply that Slovenia recognises Croatian jurisdiction in waters awarded to it by a border arbitration tribunal. The government is already drawing up its own proposal.

SDS, Freedom Movement gain ground in latest poll

LJUBLJANA - The latest monthly poll conducted by Mediana for Delo before the EU election suggests the Democrats (SDS) would win in a parliamentary election with 24.3% of the vote, up by one point. The Freedom Movement polled at 19.5%, up two points. The Social Democrats (SD) added half a point to 5.4%, the left slipped slightly to 4.6%, and the New Slovenia (NSi) lost two points to at 3.6%.

Central bank upgrades Slovenia's growth for 2024 to 2.5%

LJUBLJANA - The Bank of Slovenia upgraded its GDP forecast for Slovenia for this year to 2.5% from 2.2% last December. In 2025, growth is to pick up by 0.3 of a percentage point to 2.6%. Inflation for this year has been downgraded by 0.6 point to 2.4%, while it is projected to hit 3% next year, down 0.1 of a point from December. "We expect economic growth in Slovenia to strengthen later in the year. It will reach a long-term average of 2.8% in 2026," vice-governor Tina Žumer said.

Slovenian finally included in Apple's operating system

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian iPhone users will soon be able to use their smartphones in Slovenian, as US tech giant Apple has announced that their iOS 18 operating system will also run in the Slovenian language as of this autumn, according to two Slovenian portals. "Apple is the first major corporation to comply with the requirements of the amended law on the public use of Slovenian. We expect that other developers will soon follow suit and that all devices will finally be able to speak Slovenian," the Culture Ministry wrote.

Ex-minister says environmental concerns brushed aside in Ljubljana sewerage project

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into suspected abuse of office in the construction of the C0 sewerage pipeline around Ljubljana heard former Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak confirm allegations of irregularities in the EUR 135 million project. He said economic criteria had been prioritised over environmental concerns. C0 "is a typical example of a project that was forced and can actually lead to an environment disaster," he said.

Parliamentary commission meets with govt, minority reps to discuss business ties

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Slovenian Abroad met with Slovenians from around the globe to discuss the role of economic cooperation with Slovenian ethnic communities abroad. The session brought together commission members, government officials and ethnic Slovenians from all four neighbouring countries and others parts of the world. They recommended that the government further deepen economic ties with Slovenians abroad.

Alternative culture centre in Maribor celebrates 30 years

MARIBOR - Pekarna, an alternative culture centre operating in an old army barracks in Maribor, celebrated its 30th anniversary on Monday with its users stressing the importance of this unique cultural venue. "Since 1994, the site of the former military bakery has been a place of creation and cooperation for many," they said as they criticised the city authorities' attitude towards alternative culture.

Grossmann fest marking 20 years of vivid film imagination in small town

LJUTOMER - The 20th Grossmann Festival of Fantastic Film and Wine kicked off. Despite its modest budget, this hugely popular festival has defied the odds, thriving on unwavering commitment of its volunteers and riding the crest of the surging popularity of genre movies. The jubilee edition of the festival in this small town in the north-east of the country will run until 15 June to bring 31 feature-length films and 37 shorts from 21 countries.

Security beefed up at Brežice school due to violent Roma teenager

BREŽICE - Security has been beefed up in and around a primary school in the Brežice municipality after a 14-year-old Roma boy came into a classroom on Monday morning and hit one of the students and then pushed him, so that he fell and got injured. "Students, parents and staff are shocked and concerned by this incident. I hope the situation returns to normal as soon as possible," head teacher Anja Zevnik said.

Fire at paper mill Paloma causes EUR 5m damage

ŠENTILJ - The paper mill Paloma in northeast Slovenia caught fire on Monday, which caused the company EUR 5 million in damage according to a police estimate. The fire broke out on the roof of a building where paper specimens are stored during a storm around 6pm and was put out around 11pm. Valentina Ošlovnik, commander of Civil Protection in Šentilj municipality, said that the roof and two floors of the building were destroyed.