News roundup - Tuesday, 10 September

EU Commission presentation postponed due to Slovenia's candidate change

BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen postponed the presentation of the new European Commission, planned for tomorrow, to 17 September, as Slovenia has not yet concluded the process of appointing its commissioner candidate yet, the Commission's chief spokesperson Eric Mamer said, adding that the Commission had been informed the Slovenian parliament will take a vote on the new candidate, Marta Kos, on Friday.

Amendments passed to accelerate post-flood reconstruction

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly confirmed in a cross-partisan 68:0 vote amendments to the law on post-flood reconstruction designed to accelerate efforts to repair homes and infrastructure in areas hit by the August 2023 floods. The bill addresses the challenges that have emerged in practice since the original law was passed last year, said Finance Ministry State Secretary Gordana Pipan.

Parliamentary inquiry changes passed in revote

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed in a 51:22 revote amendments to the act governing parliamentary inquiry designed to safeguard persons that are the subject of investigation, a bill that the opposition has decried as an attempt to hamstring inquiries. The key provision of the amendments is that the Constitutional Court may be asked to examine the constitutionality of the parliamentary decision initiating an inquiry.

National Assembly confirms renaming of Primorska holiday

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly renamed the Return of Primorska to the Motherland Day, a public holiday that is not a work-free day, the Incorporation of Primorska into the Motherland Day. The coalition MPs who sponsored the proposal argued that this is in order to better reflect the historical facts, while the opposition was against the change.

SDS to call session on EU commissioner bid on one condition

LJUBLJANA - The procedure to appoint Marta Kos Slovenia's new EU commissioner candidate is off to a rocky start, as Democrat (SDS) MP Franc Breznik, chair of the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee, said that he would only convene a committee session on Friday if he received explanations about the reasons for the previous candidate's withdrawal by Thursday.

Slovenia's spending on education below OECD average

PARIS, France - Slovenia's spending on education as a share of GDP lags behind the OECD average, according to the latest Education at a Glance, the annual OECD publication on the state of education. Slovenia scores well in general, although there are pockets of underperformance. Slovenia spent 4.6% of GDP in 2021, the latest year included in the report, whereas the OECD average is 4.9% of GDP.

Slovenian language section opens at European School Brussels

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A Slovenian language section opened at the European School Brussels I this month, which was marked with a special ceremony today. Slovenian Education Minister Darjo Felda said this was a big gain and the school's director David Tran spoke of a historic moment. The Slovenian section opened at one of the four European Schools in Brussels after years of efforts. This year it will operate at the pre-school level, but later also at the primary and secondary levels.

Industrial output up 0.3% in July year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output increased by 0.3% in July year-on-year and total turnover in industry was up by 0.8%, the country's Statistics Office reported. In manufacturing, industrial output in July increased by 1.2%, while in mining and quarrying and in the electricity, gas and steam supply it decreased by 7.5% and 2.9% year-on-year, respectively.

Novartis, Krka and Lek among top ten innovators

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) hosted Innovation Day to confer the national innovation awards as sustainability was in focus. The list of top ten innovators includes steel maker SIJ Acroni, pharma companies Novartis, Krka and Lek, and the German-owned Sartorius BIA Separations. The Special Innovation Challenge Award went to fashion designer Martina Marolt for her brand of women's sustainable modular clothing By Martis.

Slovenian competition watchdog looking into food delivery services market

LJUBLJANA - The Competition Protection Agency (AVK) told the STA that it was looking into the market of online food delivery services as part of a market survey, denying a report by the news portal Necenzurirano that it was investigating the food delivery service platform Wolt. The agency said that certain circumstances on the market, including rigid prices, indicated that competition may be limited or distorted. The study was commissioned in late April, when food delivery service Glovo announced it would leave Slovenia, which it then did in May.

Conference in Portorož discussing future of nuclear energy

PORTOROŽ - Some 230 leading nuclear experts from 27 countries are in Portorož this week for Nuclear Energy for New Europe conference, discussing research, development and deployment of nuclear technologies, science-industry cooperation, and the importance and role of nuclear energy for a reliable and predictable supply of low-carbon electricity and heat. After the opening on Monday, Greenpeace staged a protest, warning that all issues related to the planned construction of a second reactor of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant must be resolved before the autumn referendum about a new generator.

Price of regular petrol down by 1.1 cents

LJUBLJANA - The price of regular petrol sold at service stations outside the Slovenian motorway network fell by 1.1 cents to EUR 1.475 per litre, while the prices of diesel and heating oil remained unchanged at EUR 1.519 and EUR 1.125, respectively. The new prices will apply until 23 September.

Anti-graft watchdog, business reps call for stronger integrity

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) and several business associations called on the state and society in general to strengthen integrity. They advocate for fair cooperation between businesses and the state by means of transparent transactions, leading by example, assuming responsibility and penalising violations.

Catholic-run drug rehab programme faces serious allegations

LJUBLJANA - An investigative journalist had earlier pointed to a number of alleged irregularities in a drug rehab programme run by a Catholic organisation, such as suspected human trafficking, abuse, psychological pressure and almost complete absence from work of employees funded by the government, but the organisation running the programme now rejected the allegations.

Sacral heritage of Slovenian protestants in US finds new home in Prekmurje

MURSKA SOBOTA - Sacral but also some secular items Slovenian expats kept at their protestant church in Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, US, have been put on display at the Evangelical Lutheran Centre in Murska Sobota after being transferred to Slovenia because the community was forced to sell St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church last year. The initiative to bring the items to Slovenia was given by Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Leon Novak.

Slovenia beat Kazakhstan 3:0 to remain unbeaten in Nations League

LJUBLJANA - Following a 1:1 draw with Austria in their UEFA Nations League Group B3 opener last Friday, the Slovenia national men's football team beat Kazakhstan 3:0 on the wings of a hat-trick by striker Benjamin Šeško in Ljubljana's Stožice Stadium Monday evening.

Paralympians greeted as heroes

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Paralympic team received a hero's welcome in Ljubljana, having brought two medals home from Paris. The team members, including medallists - shooter Franček Gorazd Tiršek, who won gold in the air rifle standing position, and archers Živa Lavrinc and Dejan Fabčič, who won bronze in the mixed team recurve, were received by President Nataša Pirc Musar, among others.