News roundup - Friday, 27 September

Golob at UN General Assembly calls on Netanyahu to stop war

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob resolutely called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza as he addressed the 79th session of the UN General Assembly as part of the general debate. "I want to say this out loud and clear to the Israeli government. Stop the bloodshed, stop the suffering, bring the hostages home and end the occupation.... Mr Netanyahu, stop this war now!" he added, as he slammed his hand on the lectern.

Golob thinks precision weapons for Kyiv should not be ruled out

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob advised against hasty decisions regarding the use of long-range Western weapons by Ukraine on Russian soil, telling the German press agency dpa that all options should be discussed. "Saying in advance that some issues should be off the table is not normally the best tactic," he told dpa. "This is a difficult topic, but I think that at this stage all options should be discussed and then the options best suited for a given situation should be selected," he said.

Slovenia recognized in UN as honest broker, Golob says

NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Robert Golob says the country has been praised at the UN for playing the role of honest broker and for upholding international standards. "Unlike the majority of Western European countries, which have been accused of double standards, everyone, from the superpowers to the smallest countries, recognize us as honest brokers because we always have the same standards on international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter," he said on Thursday.

Krško 2 referendum likely on 24 November

LJUBLJANA - A consultative referendum at which voters will decide on the construction of a new unit at the Krško nuclear power station is likely to be held on 24 November, show documents submitted to parliament ahead of next week's Infrastructure Committee session. While it has long been clear that a referendum will be held in autumn, this is the first time that an exact date has appeared on official documents.

CERN council says Slovenia is prepared for full membership

LJUBLJANA - The council of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has given Slovenia a positive assessment of its preparedness for full CERN membership, tasking CERN director general Fabiola Gianotti to negotiate further steps. The council based its decision on a report by a group of experts who visited Slovenia at the start of 2024, the Higher Education Ministry said. Slovenia could join CERN in 2025.

Slovenia joins D9+ group of digital frontrunners

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has been accepted into the D9+ group of digital frontrunners in the EU, the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced, saying that the membership will allow the country to participate even more actively in drafting EU digital policy. The membership is a confirmation of Slovenia's dedication to the goals of the Digital Decade and support for digital innovation, contributing to Europe's resilience and competitive edge, outgoing Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh was quoted as saying in the press release.

Ex Adria Mobil CEO gets suspended four-year prison sentence

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court has handed a suspended four-year prison sentence to the former director of the caravan maker Adria Mobil, Sonja Gole, over a 2011 loan agreement between her and the company. Gole will also pay a fine of EUR 135,000, Žurnal24 reported. Gole and three co-defendants all pleased guilty and received suspended sentences.

Slovenia's deficit at 2.3% of GDP in Q2, public debt below 70% of GDP

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's public finances improved slightly in the second quarter of the year. The deficit of the general government stood at 2.3% of GDP, down from 2.6% a year ago. General government debt was down 0.4 points to 69.6% of GDP, the latest Statistics Office figures show.

Survey unemployment stays at record low in August

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment stood at an estimated 3.3% in August, a record low that is unchanged compared to July and 0.4 percentage points below the rate a year ago. The Statistics Office estimates that around 34,000 people aged 15 to 74 were jobless in August.