News roundup - Friday, 20 September, until 3pm

Ministry denies bullying proceedings against Kos

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry, a former employer of Slovenia's EU commissioner candidate Marta Kos, rejected claims that internal proceedings based on workplace bullying allegations had been brought against her in the past. This came in the aftermath of media reports and the opposition Democrats' (SDS) accusations of workplace bullying targetting the former Slovenian ambassador to Switzerland and Germany.

Fajon thinks Slovenia seen as trusted chair of UN Security Council

NEW YORK, US - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon told the STA in an interview that Slovenia was mostly seen as a trustworthy chair of the UN Security Council. She said Slovenia "strives to address all crises, all hotspots with the same consistency". A non-permanent member of the Council for the 2024-2025 period, Slovenia is in charge of the rotating presidency of the top UN body this month.

Ministry mulling another law change to ease prison overcrowding

LJUBLJANA - The Justice Ministry is considering amending the Criminal Code after stiffer penalties for migrant smugglers introduced in 2020 have led to a surge in incarcerations and worsened prison overcrowding. "This is not about perpetrators not being punished, but fact is that sentences for certain criminal acts are now out of balance compared to other criminal acts," Justice Minister Andreja Katič said as she visited the Radeče juvenile hall.

GZS critical of last draft National Energy and Climate Plan

LJUBLJANA - The board of the Chamber of Commerce (GZS) and Industry criticised the latest version of the draft changes to the National Energy and Climate Plan, saying it would raise electricity prices and network charges, while missing funding for the green transition of businesses. It said that the latest version of the draft plan would cause an "uncompetitive business environment, which will impoverish the Slovenian economy much like can be witnessed in Germany and cause energy poverty for households".

Ex-banker and ex-publisher get over three years in prison each

MARIBOR - The Maribor District Court sentenced former chairman of the NKBM bank Matjaž Kovačič to three years and nine months in prison for abuse of office, also giving him a EUR 16,000 fine, while former magazine publisher Matej Raščan received three years and five months for aiding and abetting. Kovačič was found guilty of abuse of office in granting an inadequately secured bank loan of EUR 7.5 million to Raščan's company Monera in 2008 to finance the purchase of part of the publishing company Delo Revije.

Slovenia humanitarian aid arrives in St Vincent and the Grenadines

LJUBLJANA - The Caribbean country of St Vincent and the Grenadines received Slovenian humanitarian aid in the past week after having been hit by the devastating hurricane Beryl in July. The Slovenian Caritas, a partner of the Foreign Ministry in international humanitarian aid, supplied personal hygiene sets and solar lamps to 250 of the worst-hit households.

Consumer confidence down again

LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence in Slovenia continued to deteriorate in September after an uptick the month before. The index was 4 percentage points lower than in August and 5 points under a years-long average, yet 5 points better than a year ago, the Statistics Office said. Above all, the index was dragged down by consumers' pessimism about the country's economic outlook, which dropped by 11 points.

Average pay up by 0.5% m/m

LJUBLJANA - Average gross pay in Slovenia reached EUR 2,379.38 in July, while average net pay was at EUR 1,508.84, both increasing by 0.5% nominally and 0.6% in real terms, the Statistics Office said. In the private sector, average gross pay was up 1.2%, while in the public sector it decreased by 0.7%. The highest average pay was paid out in the financial and insurance sector (EUR 3,374.04 gross and EUR 2,048.43 net) and the lowest in hospitality (EUR 1,731.35 gross and EUR 1,132.60 net).

Slovenia part of EU project to monitor pyrotechnics

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia, along five more EU member states and Norway, has taken part in a European market oversight project for pyrotechnic products under the Prosafe association. The project, which began in May 2022, concluded after 26 months and has led to the removal of 17 dangerous items from the EU market. An improvement was noticed in inspections in Slovenia.

Slovenian puppeteers from Austria's Carinthia taking over Maribor

MARIBOR - About 60 puppeteers from Rosental, Jauntal, and Gailtal in the Austrian region of Carinthia will demonstrate their art in Maribor until Saturday to mark the 50-anniversary of Slovenian puppeteering in Carinthia. The festival, held as part of the annual Carinthian Cultural Days, is the credit of the Maribor Puppet Theatre, the Slovenian Cultural Association from Klagenfurt, the Club of Carinthian Slovenians in Maribor, and several groups of Slovenian puppeteers from Carinthia.