News roundup - Wednesday, 26 June

Senior officials welcome Rutte's appointment for NATO sec-gen

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob, President Nataša Pirc Musar and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon welcomed the appointment of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for NATO secretary general. Golob said he was looking forward to working with him and make "the Alliance even stronger", and Pirc Musar said "with your experience and dedication to strengthen collective security and partnerships, NATO will remain strong and efficient as ever." Fajon said that "NATO, a defensive alliance and transatlantic security forum based on common values, remains in capable hands in this challenging times."

Internal audit questions financing of court building purchase

LJUBLJANA - The purchase of a building in Ljubljana meant to house several courts led to the resignation of the justice minister earlier this year and triggered a police investigation. Now, a leaked internal ministry audit has raised questions about the role of the prime minister, the finance minister and the former justice minister, 24ur.com reported. They dispute the findings, and the Justice Ministry said the report would be made public only after the auditor has provided additional explanations.

Govt starts procedure to name Vesel EU commissioner candidate

LJUBLJANA - The government initiated at Wednesday's session the procedure to name the former president of the Court of Audit Tomaž Vesel Slovenia's candidate for European Commissioner, the prime minister's office told the STA. The government has not yet forwarded its proposal to the National Assembly but should do so in the coming weeks.

Fajon and Marsudi call for end of war in Gaza

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi called for the end of the war in Gaza as they met in Ljubljana. Marsudi praised Slovenia's role and attitude when it comes to resolving the conflict in the Middle East, while Fajon announced that Slovenia would open an honorary consulate in Jakarta. Marsudi praised the attitude and role of Slovenia when it comes to resolving the conflict in Gaza and welcomed its recent recognition of Palestine.

Slovenian Armed Forces launch air bridge to Kosovo via new Spartan aircraft

PRISHTINA, Kosovo - The Slovenian Armed Forces marked a milestone on Sunday with the first official flight of their C-27J Spartan transport aircraft. The landing in Prishtina inaugurated an air bridge to Kosovo, which will facilitate the transport of troops and equipment. In the future, the aircraft will also be used for managing natural disasters and fighting fires.

Žbogar alerts to increasing breaches of children's rights

NEW YORK, US - The latest report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres found a record number of breaches of children's rights, said Slovenia's representative on the UN Security Council Samuel Žbogar at the annuak open discussion by the UN Security Council on children in armed conflicts. Schools and hospitals have to be protected from attacks, he said, also noting the importance of unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid to areas where children are endangered by conflicts.

Joveva elected a vice-president of Renew

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva has been elected one of the eight vice-presidents of the liberal political group Renew in the next European Parliament. She pledged to perform her new duties with full dedication to the common good of all EU citizens. Slovenia will continue to have two members in the Renew group in the next European Parliament as Joveva is joined by Defence Minister Marjan Šarec.

S&D MEP Nemec will not endorse von der Leyen

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) said that he would not support Ursula von der Leyen for another term as European Commission president, after this was agreed by the three largest groups in European Parliament, including S&D, the day before. He believes she failed to address a number of challenges "in the right way". He pointed to the war in Gaza as well as cooperation with the radical right.

Farmers' co-ops warn about dire situation of local producers

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture cooperatives warned about an alarming situation under which local producers of vegetables continue to suffer due to increasing costs, retailers' low purchase prices and third-market imports. They called for state aid and legislative changes that would make selling below cost a prohibited practice.

Minister announces financial aid to wheat farmers

LJUBLJANA - After recent complaints by wheat farmers that crop prices were too low, Agriculture Minister Mateja Čalušić announced at a session of the Agriculture Council that wheat farmers would receive financial aid to cover part of the loss of income. According to the Agriculture Ministry, this will be done by reallocations withing the budget.

RTV calls for licence fee to be partly adjusted to inflation

LJUBLJANA - The RTV Slovenija council adopted an appeal to the government calling for a partial adjustment of the licence fee to inflation. The council believes the existing financing system, which was supposed to ensure the stability of the public broadcaster, has become a source of destabilisation in the last 12 years. The government has maintained that the idea of a more fundamental change in funding is one of the reasons why it has not yet adjusted the fee.

Charities distributing 30,000 tonnes of food provided by EU programme for 2024-2026

LJUBLJANA - The charities picked for the distribution in 2024-2026 of food on the basis of the EU's ESF+ programme addressing material deprivation and Labour Minister Luka Mesec addressed the press to express their commitment to fight poverty, but also concern over the large need for aid despite Slovenia doing comparatively well. The latest ESF+ programme will distribute 30,000 tonnes of food, with over 7,000 volunteers at over 400 distribution points to be involved.

Poklukar tells Salzburg Forum flexibility needed in approach to migration

VIENNA, Austria - Attending a ministerial of the Salzburg Forum in Vienna, Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar stressed the commitment to the recently adopted European Migration and Asylum Pact, highlighting the importance of rapid response and flexibility in addressing potential legal and other gaps, the ministry said. At the two-day meeting that began on Tuesday, Salzburg Forum ministers adopted a joint statement focusing on common activities in migration and internal security.

Slovenia receives EUR 7m for motorway renovation

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has received EUR 6.97 million from the Connecting Europe Facility for the improvement of road infrastructure. The money will be used to reconstruct the Devin viaduct on the A1 motorway near Slovenske Konjice and bridges across the Pivka River near Postojna on the same motorway. The European Commission allocated the money to Slovenia as part of the Sirius project on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), the Infrastructure Ministry announced.

Russian energy giant sells Pohorje hotel to Metalka Commerce

MARIBOR - The Russian energy giant Gazprom has recently sold Hotel Habakuk, situated at the foot of the Pohorje range near Maribor to the Ljubljana-based company Metalka Commerce, which owns the Vinag wine cellar in Maribor, the newspaper Večer reported. The new manager, the German-owned company Artana, has pledged to maintain the high level of quality the partly renovated facility, the only 4-star superior hotel in the Maribor area, provides. It was the last remaining hotel owned by Terme Maribor, a Gazprom-owned company that used to be the largest accommodation provider in the Maribor area.

Additional EUR 3m allocated to 2025 European Culture Capital

NOVA GORICA - Culture Minister Asta Vrečko and Nova Gorica Mayor Samo Turel signed an agreement under which an additional EUR 3 million will be allocated to the institute running the Slovenian part of the 2025 European Capital of Culture project, which will be hosted jointly by Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia. The additional funds will enable the majority of the projects outlined in Slovenia's application to be implemented, said Mija Lorbek, the head of the GO! 2025 institute.

Cultural association of emigrants celebrates 70th birthday

LJUBLJANA - The main cultural association of Slovenian post-WWII emigrants, the Slovenian Cultural Action (SKA), is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and Slovenska Matica, the cornerstone of the nation's cultural and scientific development, helped mark the occasion, stressing the importance of emigrants' culture-promoting efforts. SKA was founded in Buenos Aires in February 1954 and has been committed to efforts to preserve the identity of Slovenian communities worldwide.

Eight drug trafficking suspects released from detention

LJUBLJANA - An indictment involving dozens suspected of being members of a drug cartel was filed nearly two years ago but the case has been stalled, leaving the Ljubljana District Court no choice but to release eight defendants from detention, Večer and Slovenske Novice reported. The massive case involved 57 defendants at first, of whom 20 pleaded guilty during last year's pre-trial hearings and were convicted.