Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 20 to 26 September

FRIDAY, 20 September

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia joined the majority of UN Security Council members in condemning a series of attacks in Lebanon using detonated electronic communication devices, expressing profound concern about the development and calling for maximum restraint by all actors in the region. "This unprecedented attack has resulted in civilian deaths and injuries ... and additionally destabilised the region," Slovenia's Ambassador Samuel Žbogar said.

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

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".

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. The case refers to a management buyout of publisher Delo Revije.

SATURDAY, 21 September

RIJEKA, Croatia - The Union of Slovenian Associations in Croatia elected Barbara Antolić Vupora its new president. Antolić Vupora, who succeeds Barbara Riman and with whose election the union is relocating from Rijeka to Zagreb, told the STA she will focus on greater involvement of young people and closer collaboration between associations.

SUNDAY, 22 September

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob addressed the UN Summit of the Future welcoming the Pact for the Future adopted by the world leaders as the two-day event kicked off. He also talked about water diplomacy and proposed a global partnership for water as humanity's most precious resource.

MONDAY, 23 September

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob highlighted the role of the energy sector in the fight against climate change and called for strong collective action at an event dubbed Financing the Tripling of Nuclear Energy, held on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly. Nuclear energy represents a secure, sustainable energy source for the future, said Golob.

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the general debate of world leaders in New York with Golob's office reporting that Guterres thanked Slovenia for its consistent foreign policy, in particular on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

LJUBLJANA - Despite a lack of quorum, the Public Finance Oversight Commission called on Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh to resign over the purchase of 13,000 laptops for underprivileged families. The minister, who faces a no-confidence vote, was absent, as were coalition MPs.

LJUBLJANA - The fifth call published by the Slovenian government to boost the country's air connectivity attracted no bidders, the Infrastructure Ministry said. The latest call was published in August. The previous calls produced new air links connecting Ljubljana to Luxembourg, Riga, Madrid and Copenhagen. The ministry is now working on a sixth call.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Council of the EU and the European Parliament's budget committee approved the disbursement of a total of EUR 428 million from the EU Solidarity Fund to Slovenia for reconstruction after the August 2023 floods. Before Slovenia can get the funds, the European Parliament needs to give the go-ahead at the plenary session.

TUESDAY, 24 September

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob assured Ukraine that Slovenia will stand by its side until peace is achieved as Slovenia chaired a torrid UN Security Council session marked by protests by Russia. Golob said European countries are united in condemnation of the aggression, whereas the Security Council "has failed the people of Ukraine."

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Zeev Boker for talks over the Israeli attacks in Lebanon that have claimed over 500 lives. In the meeting Slovenia called on Israel to implement immediate ceasefire and respect the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

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.

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.

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.

WEDNESDAY, 25 September

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minster Robert Golob urged the restoration of trust in the UN, particularly in the Security Council, as he oversaw a special open session of the council on global leadership held under Slovenia's presidency. He condemned the unacceptable fact that last year saw a record number of civilians, humanitarian workers, and journalists killed globally.

NEW YORK, US - FM Fajon backed Brazil's call for global governance reform as a courageous step forward as she attended on Wednesday a G20 ministerial which the Brazilian presidency opened to all UN members. Fajon said that the system must work for the benefit of humanity - to defend human rights, preserve peace and promote sustainable development.

NEW YORK, US - FM Tanja Fajon appealed to the UN Security Council to be united in its call for de-escalation and cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, a call that was not headed as the Council debated the situation in the aftermath of Israel's massive attacks on its northern neighbour. More violence will not bring more security, Fajon said.

NEW YORK, US - Slovenians no longer need a visa to travel to China, the Foreign Ministry said after Minister Tanja Fajon met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the session of the UN General Assembly. Fajon welcomed China's decision, adding that the countries also continued to boost their economic relations.

LJUBLJANA - After two years of public sector pay reform talks, the government and trade unions agreed to spread a pay increase over three years, from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2028. Unlike now, the lowest pay bracket will match the minimum wage, and there will be 67 pay brackets, each worth 3%, down form the current 4%. Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič said the reform was worth EUR 1.3 billion spread over four years.

LJUBLJANA - This year's Sovre Prize for best literary translation was awarded to Ana Barič Moder for her translation of the fourth and fifth novel in Edward St Aubyn's bestseller series Patrick Melrose, published by Mladinska Knjiga in 2023. The jury praised her work as "highly readable yet stylistically brave - just like the original."

THURSDAY, 26 September

LJUBLJANA - Beleaguered Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh tendered her resignation following media reports that her government car was caught using blue emergency lights in Austria unlawfully. Stojmenova Duh denied the allegation in the report, first run by the news portal N1, that her ministry tried to avoid paying the fine for the speeding offence, which she said they did not yet receive. PM Robert Golob accepted her resignation.

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob met Qatar Prime Minister Tamin bin Hamad al Thani to discuss bilateral relations, humanitarian projects in Gaza and ways of achieving a breakthrough in theMiddle East crisis. At the Wall Street Journal headquarters, Golob met journalist Evan Gershkovich, one of those who were exchanged in the recent swap of prisoners between the West and Russia in which Slovenia handed over two spies.

NEW YORK, US - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon chaired a closed-door Security Council session with the Arab League leaders, which she said agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, in both Gaza and Lebanon. She again expressed concern about the developments in the Middle East.

LJUBLJANA - The government decided for Slovenia to file an intervention in a Rohingya genocide case brought by Gambia against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice. In a case brought in 2019, Gambia alleges violations of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in a case concerning the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya minority by the Myanmar army.

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted the national budgets for 2025 and 2026, with Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič highlighting spending on the economy, healthcare, knowledge, innovation, housing and climate policy as the budget pillars. Funding is also being secured for the recently agreed pay rises in the public sector. The budget deficit is planned at 2.6% of GDP in 2025 and 1.6% in 2026.

LJUBLJANA - The government extended simplified rules to hire foreign workers by three months, that is until the end of the year. The extension applies to issuing and renewal of residence and work permits.

LJUBLJANA - MPs rejected a package of legislative proposals submitted by the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) amid escalating problems with members of the Roma community in the southeast of the country. While the NSi sought to curb school violence and misuse of welfare benefits, the coalition argued the measures were inadmissible and misguided.

LONDON, UK - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development downgraded its economic growth forecast for Slovenia for this year to 1.5% from 2.3%, in line with a recent forecast by the Slovenian central bank. It meanwhile kept its forecast for 2025 unchanged at 2.6%.

LJUBLJANA - Dušan Merc resigned as president of the Slovenian Writers' Association without giving reasons for the move. Merc has been heading the since 2019, now on third term. His predecessors, Aksinja Kermauner and Ivo Svetina, also ended their terms early.