News roundup - Tuesday, 24 September

Golob and Guterres discuss Slovenia's job at UN Security Council

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the general debate of world leaders in New York on Monday with Golob's office reporting that Guterres thanked Slovenia for its consistent foreign policy, in particular on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Golob also appeared as the keynote speaker at an event organised by the charity Save the Children and co-sponsored by Slovenia, Belgium and Jordan.

Golob at UN: You sometimes feel like Don Quixote

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob finds the most important task of the UN and the Security Council is to reach a ceasefire in all conflicts and ensure an uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. Talking with the STA in New York, Golob said you sometimes felt like Don Quixote. "If we mustered this political will, it would produce results, end the suffering immediately and give hope." He also expressed support for security council reform.

Slovenia summons Israeli ambassador over Lebanon attacks

NEW YORK, US - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry has summoned Israeli Ambassador Zeev Boker for talks over the Israeli attacks in Lebanon that have claimed over 500 lives, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said. Fajon did not specify when the talks would take place, but sources at the Foreign Ministry say Boker is expected at the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. Israel does not have an embassy in Slovenia and Boker is a non-resident ambassador.

Fajon hosts Green Group, meets Middle East FMs

NEW YORK US - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon hosted a ministerial meeting of the Green Group on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future on Monday to discuss climate and environmental challenges, fair green transition and the protection of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. She also held several meetings discussing the growing tensions in the Middle East, among them a meeting with her counterparts from Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates ahead of chairing an informal meeting of Security Council members with Arab League members on Thursday.

NSi alerts EU to "erosion" of parliamentary democracy

LJUBLJANA - New Slovenia (NSi) addressed a letter to the European Parliament to alert it to the "erosion of parliamentary democracy in Slovenia". The smaller of the two opposition parties argues that the rules of procedure are being violated to undermine the opposition's oversight role and protect PM Robert Golob and his Freedom Movement. NSi asked European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to send a fact-finding mission to Slovenia.

Govt, unions hammer out deal on nearly all public sector pay reform issues

LJUBLJANA - After more than ten hours of talks, the government and the public sector trade unions announced that they had succeeded to come to solutions on nearly all points of a public sector pay bill. Unions will go over the document today and expectedly sign it tomorrow. No details were revealed, but government and union representatives all expressed satisfaction with the headway they had made. The government is expected to adopt the bill on Thursday.

Price caps on electricity will likely not be extended in 2025

LJUBLJANA - The Environment, Climate, and Energy Ministry announced that it does not plan to extend the current price caps on electricity beyond the new year, as the electricity prices on wholesale markets have stabilised. Slovenia introduced price regulation for electricity in September 2022 in response to the sharp rise in energy prices caused by the global energy crisis, which was exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry is meanwhile considering delaying the reintroduction of the renewable energy contribution.

New reporting requirements for companies confirmed

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed amendments to the Auditing Act that bring new reporting requirements for companies regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in line with EU rules. Under the changes, large as well as small and medium-sized companies which have issued securities that are traded on capital markets will have to append ESG reports to their financials as well. The law also specifies what ESG reports must contain and governs auditors' commitments, according to Finance Ministry State Secretary Nikolina Prah.

MPs pass new aviation bill

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a new aviation bill in a 50:1 vote to upgrade and replace the existing civil aviation legislation, while also expanding it with regulation of military and police aviation. The new law updates and expands the provisions about the Civil Aviation Agency and is compatible with EU and international standards, and recommendations of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek told the MPs.

Doctors warn about consequences of dual practice restrictions

LJUBLJANA - The planned strict line between public and private healthcare, if implemented, will result in doctors who provide the most complex services leaving the public system and going private, several top doctors warned at a news conference. Some wards in dermatology, plastic surgery, maxillofacial and oral surgery, or some other dental fields could even close down, they said, adding that the complex care of the most demanding patients who need it most will suffer.

KGZS pushes for state intervention to safeguard agricultural land

LJUBLJANA The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS) urged the state to stop the continuing conversion of vast areas of prime agricultural land into building plots. Arable land and permanent crops owned by the state should be given the status of permanently protected agricultural land, prohibiting any construction, the chamber said. KGZS president Roman Žveglič told the press today that agricultural land in Slovenia was halved between 1971 and 2011.

Ten-year euro bond issue expanded by EUR 750 million

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia expanded on the international capital markets the ten-year euro bond due on 10 March 2034 for a second time, this time by EUR 750 million. Slovenia has thus borrowed a total of EUR 2.75 billion with the RS93 notes whose coupon rate is set at 3%. The Finance Ministry noted the large demand from investors, which exceeded EUR 3 billion, adding that more than a third of the investors come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland and slightly more than a quarter from the UK. Most of the investors are banks.

Contractor for central part of Ljubljana Passenger Centre selected

LJUBLJANA - The national Infrastructure Agency said it had selected the contractor to build the central part of the emerging Ljubljana Passenger Centre. The consortium of Slovenian construction companies led by SŽ-ŽGP will build it for EUR 243.9 million, VAT included, or EUR 199.9 million, VAT excluded.

Govt secures EUR 50m for sports infrastructure in 2024-2025

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport has secured EUR 50.3 million for the co-financing of municipal sports infrastructure this year and next. A total of 141 projects worth EUR 176 million will be co-financed. The investments include 77 outdoor facilities and 64 buildings, either renovations or new builds, ranging from sports halls to pools, ice rinks and stadiums. Several investments are worth in excess of EUR 10 million each.

University in spotlight over building purchase

LJUBLJANA/KOPER - The University of Primorska has come under fire after reportedly overpaying for a building on the coast where it wants to build a dorm, in a transaction that mirrors the recent controversial purchase of a building in Ljubljana meant to house several courts. Necenzurirano, an investigative portal, has reported that the university had paid EUR 6.1 million for 3,000 square metres, about EUR 3,000 per square metre, in a building in which it had already bought a floor for EUR 1,500 per square metre just a year ago.

Scholar warns escalating tensions in Middle East step closer to regional war

LJUBLJANA - The escalating tensions in the Middle East signal a step closer to a regional war, researcher Faris Kočan told the STA in light of the intensifying violence between Israel and Hezbollah. He warned that each new hotspot targeting Iranian proxy militias brings Tehran closer to direct involvement in the conflict. "It was only a matter of time before Israel's military and political leadership expanded its military targets," commented Kočan, a researcher at the Centre for International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana.

September business sentiment down over August, up y/y

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia has decreased somewhat in September after an uptick in August, according to data released by the Statistics Office. The index is at -2.2 percentage points, which is 0.5 points lower than in August but still 2.6 points higher than in September 2023. The index remains on the level of the 2010-2020 average, used for comparison purposes.

Rental crisis in Slovenia continues to worsen, report shows

LJUBLJANA - The persistently deteriorating state of the rental housing market in Slovenia was highlighted in a comprehensive report that was presented by a group of NGOs. Price growth has for years been substantially exceeding EU averages, with average wages rarely sufficing for standard housing and discrimination becoming ubiquitous. Published on the Rental SOS website, the report shows that while the average pay in Slovenia has risen by 32% in 2018-2023, property prices went up by 60%, which has further increased demand for rental housing.

Economic inequality increases carbon inequality, study shows

LJUBLJANA - Increasing economic inequality results in decreasing public assets and greater carbon inequality both in the world and Slovenia, with a handful of the richest - the polluter elite - being responsible for the majority of CO2 emissions, shows a study presented by the environmental NGO Umanotera. Looking into how capital dictates social development, the study shows that income and especially wealth inequality in Slovenia have widened significantly, and so have carbon inequalities and environmental impacts.

Film inspired by Facebook-streamed violence hits cinemas

LJUBLJANA - Janez Burger's award-winning Observing, a psychological thriller exploring violence in contemporary society and on social media, is out on general release at Cineplexx Rudnik in Ljubljana. It was inspired by an event in 2017 when two men in their 20s beat another young man to death in Slovenia while streaming it on Facebook.