News roundup - Friday, 6 September

Tomaž Vesel withdraws as candidate for EU commissioner

LJUBLJANA - Tomaž Vesel, a former Court of Audit president, withdrew as Slovenia's candidate for EU commissioner, and the government will discuss a new candidate proposal on Monday, Golob's office said. Vesel told Golob that he withdrew because he and von der Leyen did not share the same concept of how the European Commission should work. However, media reports said that von der Leyen sent a harsh letter to Golob on Thursday, saying she was unhappy with Vesel's candidacy while still expecting Slovenia to pot forward a woman candidate as she seeks to have a gender-balanced Commission. She is also looking for strong political names, such as ex-ministers or diplomats.

Committee okays amendments to speed up post-flood reconstruction

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee unanimously endorsed amendments to the law on post-flood reconstruction whose aim is to accelerate efforts to remedy the situation after the August 2023 floods. The proposed bill aims to address the challenges that have emerged in practice during post-flood reconstruction efforts, Finance Ministry State Secretary Gordana Pipan told a committee session. For example, it seeks to extend the validity of the guarantee scheme for home renovation and home replacement loans until 31 December 2026.

Committee dismisses appeals to speed up post-flood reconstruction

LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Committee voted down on Thursday evening a motion calling on the government to speed up post-flood reconstruction, as opposition MPs accused the government of inefficiency and the coalition retorted that the opposition was cherry-picking the data. The SDS wanted to call on the government to speed up various administrative procedures, including zoning and the issuance of building permits, arguing that more than a year after the floods too little has been done. Both coalition MPs and government officials dismissed the claims saying that a lot had been done and more measures were coming.

Minister and Roma reps agree dialogue the only way forward

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar and Roma community representatives said that while trust between the majority population and the Roma community has been undermined, dialogue is the best way to address the open issues. Poklukar welcomed the Roma idea to set up a coordination body in the Roma community to coordinate agreed measures, as she hosted Jožek Horvat Muc and Darko Rudaš for a meeting. Horvat Muc, president of the Roma Community Council, said that Roma issues should be addressed systematically, that is regardless of who is in government.

Transfer of Makarovič's prize money not in line with law

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit established in its report released on Tuesday that the Culture Ministry's decision to transfer Prešeren Prize money to poet Svetlana Makarovič 23 years after she received the award but rejected it was not in line with public finances legislation's principles of efficiency and economy. Makarovič changed her mind in 2023 after a sex scandal involving the other Prešeren Prize winner from 2000, priest and mosaic maker Marko Rupnik, broke out, and demanded the money. She received nearly EUR 8,350 in June 2023, without interest. The audit showed that there is no legal basis for such delayed payments.

Velenje concerned by TEŠ emergency bill, invites PM to meeting

VELENJE - After the government announced to draft an emergency bill to keep the Šoštanj coal-fired power plant (TEŠ) afloat, locals at a meeting hosted by Velenje Mayor Peter Dermol on Thursday expressed concern about the bill and its effectiveness in ensuring social security and a just transition in the region, which is phasing out coal. The Velenje and Šoštanj city councils will meet on Wednesday and have invited PM Robert Golob and other government and business representatives to attend. The locals believe that for a just transition the legislation on Velenje coal mine closure and on the restructuring of the region have to be adopted first.

Suicide rate in Slovenia in decline

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's suicide rate, measured as the number of suicides per 100,000 people, dropped to 16.96 last year, the lowest in the last decade. The rate fluctuated in 2014-2023 but a declining trend has been recorded in recent years and the rate has stabilised in the last three years, show data released ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. "The data is certainly encouraging for further work on suicide prevention, which remains a task for the whole society and something that needs to be addressed throughout the year," psychologist Saška Roškar from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) said.

DARS management signs interim wage agreement with all trade unions

LJUBLJANA - The management of the national motorway company DARS signed an agreement on a pay raise with all three in-house trade unions, which is to avert strike. The details of the agreement were not presented and the negotiations on wages will continue in the coming months. The management said it had also been agreed that talks on all other union demands would also continue, but will have no financial effects until 1 January 2025. The development comes after one of the unions, SDD, staged a protest in June to express its discontent with pay raise talks that ended in a deal signed by the other two unions.

German MPs visit Slovenia to discuss economic cooperation

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the German parliament paid a visit to Slovenia this week to meet with Economy Minister Matjaž Han and the Slovenian parliamentary Economy Committee. In focus of the talks were the strengthening of European competitiveness and opportunities to improve bilateral trade relations. Strengthening European competitiveness is a shared priority for Germany and Slovenia, the German Embassy in Slovenia said on the occasion.

Slovenian-led research in biofabrication architecture wins EU funding

IZOLA - Anna Sandak, deputy director of the InnoRenew research institute and a University of Primorska professor, has secured funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) for her Remedy project, which seeks to develop engineered living materials and biofabrication processes for personalised, sustainable architecture. She has become the first scientist in Slovenia to receive funding as part of the EIC's Pathfinder programme, the Izola-based institute said in a press release. Remedy was chosen in the 2024 Pathfinder call, worth EUR 138 million in total, as one of the 45 projects winning funds among 1,110 applications.

Camping sites around Slovenia mostly happy with summer season

PIRAN - Campsite operators around Slovenia are mostly happy with the past summer season. Fewer guests than last year were recorded only on the coast in the early summer, while the Kolpa River in the southeast is becoming increasingly popular, although it retains its reputation of a quiet destination of sustainable tourism. On the coast, tourist numbers at camping sites were slightly lower in June and July year-on-year, but the August numbers should be comparable to last year.

Talent centre being launched in Murska Sobota

MURSKA SOBOTA - A plan to set up Talent Centre Slovenia, an incubator for career guidance for young people and adults who want to adapt to new trends on the labour market, was agreed on Thursday in Murska Sobota, a town in the far northeast of the country which has traditionally struggled with high unemployment rates. The aim is to help address the challenge of finding skilled workers in the Pomurje region and beyond, wrote representatives of the local authorities after signing a letter of intent with the chambers of commerce and small business.

Ship with explosives for Israel allegedly en route to Koper

KOPER - The MV Kathrin, a cargo ship en route to the Slovenian port of Koper is allegedly carrying explosives intended for Israel, a pro-Palestinian group said. It is currently sailing north along the west coast of Africa and was denied entry into Namibia's main port in late August due to the explosives onboard. Documents seen by Windhoek Observer, Namibia's largest newspaper, state that the ship is carrying 60 tonnes of TNT and eight crates of RDS, substances used as explosives. Slovenian Maritime Authority director Jadran Klinec told the STA that the ship had not submitted a notification about arriving in Koper.

Primož Roglič regains overall lead at Vuelta after stage win

VITORIA, Spain - Slovenian cycling ace Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) reclaimed the Vuelta a Espana's red jersey from Australia's Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R), putting one minute and 54 seconds into him. Roglič, 34, is back in the overall lead after winning stage 19. This is his third stage win at this year's Spanish Grand Tour, and he seeks to stay in the lead and claim his fourth Vuelta title on Sunday, when the race ends.