News roundup - Monday, 1 July

Slovenia fall to Portugal in Euro round of 16 after penalties

FRANKFURT, Germany - Slovenia lost to Portugal in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 after a penalty shoot-out that followed a thriller overtime period in which Slovenia's goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved a penalty by the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa displayed stellar saves in the shoot-out and single-handedly defeated Slovenia by saving their first three attempts, while his team-mates scored three goals to seal Slovenia's fate.

Court of Audit report indicates court building purchase went through without preparation

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit has found that the Justice Ministry had not planned the controversial acquisition of a dilapidated building in Ljubljana meant to house a number of courts, nor did it have funds available. The draft report acquired by the STA suggests the ministry bought the building virtually without preparation. It says that the funds for the building had not been planned in either of the two supplementary budgets for 2023, even though legislative changes had been adopted in April under which the administrative and supreme courts would need new premises.

Golob and Portuguese counterpart discuss cooperation, MED9

FRANKFURT, Germany - PM Robert Golob met with his Portuguese counterpart Luis Montenegro ahead of the Slovenia-Portugal match in the round of 16 of Euro 2024, with Golob presenting to Montenegro the initiative for Slovenia to host the next meeting of the MED9 group of countries. In what is the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries after the Portuguese election in March, they also discussed bilateral relations and the main foreign policy topics.

Speaker expresses support for European perspective of Kosovo

PRISHTINA, Kosovo - National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič started her two-day visit to Prishtina where she met with her Kosovo counterpart Glauk Konjufca. Slovenia is supporting Kosovo's European perspective and it becoming a member of the Council of Europe, Klakočar Zupančič said. On Tuesday Klakočar Zupančič will visit the Kfor military base in Prishtina and meet with the Slovenian soldiers stationed there.

Latest strategy proposal for education boosts Slovenian language classes for immigrant children

LJUBLJANA - The Education Ministry unveiled the final proposal for the national education programme for 2023-2033, with the latest changes including the introduction of a dedicated Slovenian language teacher irrespective of how many immigrant children enrol in a school. Presently, schools with up to eight newly enrolled immigrant children cover starting Slovenian language classes with additional hours for existing teachers who primarily give other classes.

NGOs present initiative to improve Slovenian courses for immigrants

LJUBLJANA - Representatives of several NGOs presented an initiative and petition to improve integration procedures, especially Slovenian language courses for immigrants. The NGOs believe systemic change is needed to improve integration. According to NGOs Adra Slovenija, Intercultural Dialogue and KD Gmajna, nearly 250,000 migrants from 176 countries and many different language and cultural backgrounds had a permanent or temporary permit to reside in Slovenia last year.

Number of illegal migrants up 11% in Jan-May period

LJUBLJANA - The police intercepted 17,439 illegal migrants in the first five months of 2024, an 11% increase on the same period last year. The number of Syrian migrants went up from some 500 to more than 6,000, accounting for roughly one-third of the total number of cases. In addition to Syrians, other major groups of illegal migrants included Afghan and Moroccan citizens, their numbers standing at 2,356 and 1,590, respectively.

Foreign Ministry honours women in diplomacy

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian and foreign women diplomats discussed their jobs at a round table debate hosted by Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon ahead of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, observed on 24 June. The participants shared the view that the roles women play in politics, diplomacy and in various organisations were still very small compared to the men. The event followed the opening of a photo exhibition titled Influential Slovenian Women Without Makeup.

Top-up health insurance providers to get EUR 33.5m compensation

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry has approved some EUR 33.5 million in compensation to the three insurance companies that provided top-up health insurance before it was folded into the mandatory health insurance system at the end of 2023. Zavarovalnica Triglav said it would get just under EUR 11 million, while the Health Ministry later followed up by saying that Vzajemna had requested EUR 14.14 million and Generali EUR 8.36 million, and that both claims had been approved.

Krka faces proceedings over alleged breach of antitrust law

BRUSSELS, Belgium/NOVO MESTO - Pharma company Krka will have to defend itself again at the General Court of the EU for alleged breaches of antitrust law in the 2014 perindopril case. Last week, the Court of Justice of the EU upheld the European Commission's appeal and returned the case to the General Court of the EU for reconsideration, Krka said on Monday.

Sava Turizem posted record revenue in 2023

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest tourism company Sava Turizem generated a record EUR 119.9 million in revenue last year, up 12% over 2022. The growth in revenue was driven by the continued recovery in the sector, reflected in a 2% increase in overnight stays, as well as an increase in prices, the company said in its annual report.

Regulated fuel prices to go up on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The price of regular petrol sold outside the Slovenian motorway network will increase by 3.4 cents to EUR 1.479 per litre on Tuesday, while the price of diesel will go up by 5.2 cents to EUR 1.507 per litre. Heating oil will be 5.6 cents dearer at EUR 1,145 per litre. The new prices will be in place through 15 July, the government said.

Former consul general Jože Šušmelj dies

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian diplomat Jože Šušmelj, who also served as Yugoslav and later Slovenian consul general in Trieste, has died at the age of 85, Primorski Dnevnik reports. Prime Minister Robert Golob expressed his condolences on X and stressed Šušmelj's role in cross-border cooperation and efforts for the Slovenian minority in Italy.

Minority in Italy launches common brand

TRIESTE, Italy - The Slovenian minority in Italy has launched a brand called Slovenians in Italy as an attempt to recognise the community as a societal, cultural and linguistic element of the border area. The project, devised by two Slovenian umbrella organization in Italy, will promote the history, culture and economy, and consequently the reality of Slovenians in Italy, with a carved-out heart, a symbol that often appears in Slovenian cultural heritage.

Famous rapper accused of harassing minors

LJUBLJANA - A famous Slovenian rapper is suspected of sexually harassing minors, with at least one woman stepping forward with accusations in recent days after the charge was first levelled by a rival rapper. The accusation first came to light when the rapper Zlatko, the stage name of Zlatan Čordić, published a song last Thursday accusing Challe Salle, the stage name of 33-year-old Saša Petrovič, of having been violent against his partner and harassing minors.

Agricultural Institute launches first living lab

LJUBLJANA - The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia has founded its first living lab, an open innovation ecosystem in a real-life environment that aims to create a sustainable impact. The lab's main focus will be on organic and local species of buckwheat, wheat, potato and beans. It will serve as a connection between different participants, including researchers and companies in the agri-food sector, with its main purpose being sustainability and social integration.

Slovenian and Austrian towns step up cooperation

GORNJA RADGONA - The Slovenian border town of Gornja Radgona and Bad Radkersburg, a town that lies just across the national border with Austria, launched their joint European Association for Territorial Cooperation at a ceremony. The municipalities hope that their bid to strengthen cooperation will lead to new development projects co-funded by the EU.

Janja Garnbret wins lead event in Innsbruck

INNSBRUCK, Austria - Slovenia's Olympic champion Janja Garnbret won the women's lead event at an IFSC climbing World Cup competition in Innsbruck on Sunday. This is her second victory in the past few days since she already took first place in the recent bouldering event in the Austrian city.

Pogačar loses yellow jersey at Tour in sprint stage

TURIN, Italy - A day after winning the yellow jersey in the second stage of this year's Tour de France, Slovenia's top cyclist Tadej Pogačar took it off after a sprint stage ending in Turin. While the stage victory went to Biniam Girmay (Intermache-Wanty), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) took the lead in the general classification.