News roundup - Monday, 16 September

President pays working visit to Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - As part of her visit to the Netherlands, President Nataša Pirc Musar met International Criminal Court (ICC) president Tomoko Akane and ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and attended a conference on data protection. "Slovenia has always advocated for a complete and unconditional respect for international law and human rights and has been an advocate of all international courts and tribunals," said Pirc Musar. She also meet Europol and Eurojust senior officials, as well as King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and PM Dick Schoof.

EU Commission okays Slovenia's request for EUR 257m in recovery funds

BRUSSELS, France - Slovenia is to get EUR 257.7 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility by the end of 2024, said the national recovery and resilience office as the European Commission approved the country's third claim for the EU facility designed for post-Covid recovery. Slovenia filed the third claim on 28 June, asking for a net total of EUR 257.7 million, including the advance payments it received in 2021.

Draft bill limiting dual practice in public consultation

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry sent into public consultation changes to the Health Services Act that limit dual practice for health professionals. Doctors from public institutions will be able to work for private providers only under certain conditions, while they will be encouraged to work more for their employer. The main goal is to regulate the relations between healthcare services providers within and outside the public network, the ministry said as it unveiled the changes. Granting of concessions will also be overhauled, day hospitals introduced, and the management of public institutions improved.

Govt adopts bill to improve quality in healthcare

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a bill laying down efforts to ensure quality in healthcare and reduce risks for patients. The main aim is to establish the conditions to provide a system to ensure quality for all healthcare providers and to provide appropriate upgrades of this system. If passed, the bill will set up a public agency committed to improving healthcare quality as well as a council dedicated to this issue at the ministry.

Govt adopts bill to end financial discrimination for cancer survivors

LJUBLJANA - The government signed off on a "right to be forgotten" bill that deals with cancer survivors' right to resume a normal lifestyle without encountering financial discrimination based on their past diagnosis. The proposal also applies to people living with hepatitis C or HIV, and ensures that they are treated under the same conditions as individuals who have never had or contracted these diseases or viruses when applying for life or credit insurance or when seeking a loan to buy property.

MPs call for good solutions for just transition of Šalek Valley

LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Committee discussed risks of restructuring the Šoštanj thermal power plant (TEŠ) and the adjacent Velenje coal mine alongside the related issue of heating of the Šalek Valley in the north of the country. The plans to turn TEŠ into a heat provider for the valley while closing the mine were outlined by Energy Minister Bojan Kumer, who said that without government taking action, TEŠ is at risk of going into receivership next year. The MPs called for well-thought-out solutions, while criticism of past political decisions could also be heard.

Cannabis legislation to be drafted by end of year

BLED - Legislation on growing and processing cannabis for medicinal use and growing and possessing cannabis for personal use should be drafted by the end of the year, Metka Paragi, a public health state secretary at the prime minister's office, announced at the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) on Friday. Slovenia held a referendum on cannabis alongside the EU elections in June. 66.71% of the voters were in favour of legalisation of cannabis for medical use and 51.57% in favour of also legalising it for personal use.

Renaming of Primorska holiday vetoed

LJUBLJANA - The upper chamber of parliament vetoed the legislation to rename the Return of Primorska to the Motherland Day, a public holiday, the Incorporation of Primorska into the Motherland Day. The coalition MPs who sponsored the name change, passed in a 51:22 vote last week, argued that this is in order to better reflect the historical facts. An absolute majority of 46 votes is needed to pass the bill after the veto.

A lot of interest in ombudsman's office

LJUBLJANA - As the five-year term of the Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina is ending in February, three individuals have already announced their plan to run for the post, apart from Svetina also sociology researcher Simona Zavratnik and human rights NGO head Katarina Bervar Sternad. The media have meanwhile reported that Advocate of the Principle of Equality Miha Lobnik would also run for ombudsman. The call for applications was posted in late August and is open until 14 October. The ombudsman is elected by parliament upon proposal from the country's president.

Croatian retailer Studenac to keep Kea's name, employees

LJUBLJANA - The Croatian retailer Studenac presented its plans after it acquired the Slovenian supermarket chain Kea, saying that this will be an excellent starting point for further expansion in Slovenia. While the value of the deal was not revealed, Andrija Topić from Studenac said Kea shops will keep their name, employees and suppliers. Kea is a family business with just over 250 employees and 31 shops, mostly in the Celje and Savinja region but also in Maribor, Prekmurje and Kras and the Primorsko-Notranjska region. Last year it posted almost EUR 50 million in revenue.

Some 55% would not want to have Roma neighbours, poll shows

LJUBLJANA - A Vox Populi survey commissioned by the newspaper Dnevnik suggests that roughly half of Slovenians think Roma-related issues are not well regulated. Most also believe the state does not fulfil its obligations towards the Roma community. At the same time, some 55% would not want to have Roma people as their neighbours. The newspaper decided to focus its latest Vox Populi on Roma-related questions due to incidents involving Roma in the southeast in recent months and calls for measures to increase security and improve Roma integration.

Voter approval rating in Dnevnik poll lowest since May

LJUBLJANA - The voter approval rating for the Robert Golob government has fallen to its lowest since May in the Vox Populi poll commissioned by the newspaper Dnevnik. Only a third (32.6%) of those questioned see the government's job as successful. Almost two-thirds of those questioned (63%) are unhappy with the government's job, which is the second highest proportion in Vox Populi polls since the start of the government's term in June 2022. The remaining 4.4% were undecided.

Draft higher education bill outlined

LJUBLJANA - Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Igor Papič outlined a draft higher education bill to the Higher Education Council, a government advisory body, stressing that one of its main changes is a different financing system. Annual funding for higher education is to gradually increase from the current 0.6% of GDP to 1.5%. Higher education institutions will receive six-year financing contracts instead of the current four-year ones, which Papič believes will increase their autonomy. The bill will go into further harmonisation and is expected it to be passed in parliament at the start of 2025.

Tadej Pogačar wins Montreal Grand Prix

MONTREAL, Canada - Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar, the reigning Tour de France champion, won the Montreal Grand Prix on Sunday, his last race before the World Championships in Zurich. The UAE Team Emirates rider left his rivals in the dust on the climb on the penultimate lap of the 18-lap race in and around Montreal, putting in time all the way to the finish. He crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) to bag his 22nd victory of the year and his first since taking the Tour de France in July.

Researcher Jerala wins ERC funds for a second project

LJUBLJANA - Roman Jerala, a researcher at the National Chemistry Institute, has won his second European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant for established researchers in the life sciences earlier this month. His EUR 2.5 million, five-year project aims to develop new ways of regulating proteins that might be used for therapeutic purposes, including in cancer immunotherapy.

Slovenia to promote sustainable tourism to US

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has joined forces with Croatia and Austria for a tourism promotional campaign in the US. The campaign launching in the next few days is geared at American travellers with higher purchasing power looking for sustainable travel experiences with a touch of modern luxury, the Slovenian Tourism Board (STO) said. Dubbed The Alps. Adriatic. Amazing., the campaign includes digital advertising on the Conde Nast Traveller online portal, which is expected to reach 12 million views, and promotion on the social media channels of Conde Nast Traveller's publishing house.

Ministry to co-fund project tackling most complex research challenges

LJUBLJANA - The University of Nova Gorica signed last week a contract with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on co-funding a EUR 10 million project aimed at developing cutting-edge machine learning applications to take on some of the toughest challenges in data science, space research, medicine, linguistics and climate research. The university is the coordinator of the SMASH project, which features four partners and 35 associated partners and is co-financed by Horizon Europe.

European Mobility Week to paint transport green

LJUBLJANA - Many Slovenian cities and towns will be hosting events promoting sustainable transport options to mark European Mobility Week under this year's slogan Shared Public Spaces. The aim is to make urban life safer and more liveable. The events will focus on efforts to provide valuable public spaces, including pedestrian areas, bike lanes and green areas, and reduce car traffic, pollution and noise. Excessive use of cars remains one of the key development challenges, the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry said ahead of European Mobility Week.