News roundup - Thursday, 3 October

Committee gives green light to defence minister nominee

LJUBLJANA - The Defence Committee approved Borut Sajovic as the nominee for defence minister with nine votes in favour and six against. In his presentation Sajovic said his priorities would be the modernisation of the armed forces, additional equipment with the focus on dual use and upgrading the civil protection and rescue system. The nominee said that also important are innovations, knowledge, development and cooperation with businesses. The committee notably asked him about the process of the purchase of 8x8 AMVs, to which he responded that Slovenia was trying to fulfil the commitment given to NATO.

Parliamentary body endorses education minister candidate

LJUBLJANA - The Committee for Education, Science and Youth endorsed in a 8:5 vote Vinko Logaj as nominee for education minister, after Logaj stressed in his presentation the need to raise the reputation of and trust in teachers and schools. His first move would be to set up dialogue with all stakeholders in the education system. Two of his priorities would be to modernise kindergarten and school curricula and the pay system. The National Assembly will vote on the candidate on Monday.

Left urges govt to stop military support to Ukraine

LJUBLJANA - Worried by the European Parliament resolution eliminating any restrictions on the use of weapons for targeting sites within Russian territory by Ukraine and the threats issued in response by Vladimir Putin, the Left called on the government to halt all forms of military support to Ukraine. Continued military support to Ukraine could lead to an intensification and potential escalation of the conflict, MP Nataša Sukič said.

Number of flood-damaged buildings to be demolished lower than planned

LJUBLJANA - Although the government initially said that 343 buildings damaged by the floods and landslides that hit Slovenia in August 2023 will have to be demolished, the final figure has been set at 258. The government added the last 128 buildings to the list today, Deputy PM Matej Arčon told the press. The owners will be compensated or will be able to choose substitute real estate. A total of 200 buildings have been appraised, and the rest should be by the end of the month, Arčon said, adding that most of the owners were opting for compensation and will buy their new home themselves.

Golob would like a woman to head central bank

MARIBOR - PM Robert Golob said that he would like a woman to head the Slovenian central bank after the term of Governor Boštjan Vasle expires in January, as he spoke to the press on the sidelines of a visit to the UKC Maribor hospital. "I would like for a lady to perhaps take this post after a long time or for the first time actually", he said. According to the unofficial information obtained by the STA, Finance Ministry State Secretary Saša Jazbec is the only woman among the seven candidates who responded to the call for applications by President Nataša Pirc Musar, who will make the pick.

Prison administration wants activation of measures against overcrowding

LJUBLJANA - The Prison Administration called on the government to declare a prison emergency due to overcrowding, including the option of releasing prisoners early. This would be in line with recent law changes that allow the government to issue such decrees in the event of an adverse security situation. Currently Slovenian prisons are at 140% capacity and there are 3.5 prisoners per prison officer, which means that the criteria prescribed by law for an adverse security situation are already met, it said.

Review shows cost estimate for Jesenice railway station upgrade too low

LJUBLJANA - State investors planning a Jesenice railway station upgrade have assessed the cost of the project too low, shows a review of the planned project by the Austrian company IKK. The review thus recommends that government agencies enter direct talks with the bidders to prevent the final price from further rising. It highlights the fact that the project is not just a train station upgrade but an overhaul of a major railway hub.

Govt raises pension fund's expenditure limit by EUR 100m

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to raise the upper limit of expenditure of the public pension and disability insurance fund ZPIZ for 2024 by EUR 100 million to EUR 7.9 billion, arguing that this is primarily due to the higher indexation of pensions and other benefits. The raise is also due to a slightly larger number of pensioners and other beneficiaries of benefits from the fund. The regular indexation of pensions in February amounted to 8.8%, which was the largest increase since July 1992, when it amounted to 15.7%, according to the ZPIZ.

Committee rejects new criminal act of assault on healthcare worker

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committee rejected a proposed change to the criminal code that would make attacking healthcare workers a specific crime. The New Slovenia (NSi) MP Franc Medic was the only one to support the proposal, nine coalition MPs voted against and the Democrats MPs left the session in protest and abstained from the vote. The main argument against was that the changes would create differences between citizens or between professions, which was echoed by legal experts and the Justice Ministry.

Govt approves EUR 9.15m damage estimate for July storms

LJUBLJANA - The government approved the estimate of damage caused by the storms on 3 and 7 July this year in northern and eastern Slovenia. The direct damage is assessed at EUR 9.15 million, most on civil engineering structures and watercourses. Damage to civil engineering structures has been estimated at EUR 6.06 million and damage to watercourses at EUR 1.93 million. The total damage assessment surpassed the 0.3 per mille of the state budget's planned revenue for 2024, thus meeting the threshold for the use of budget funds in line with the Disaster Relief Act.

Govt okays construction of new education centre for blind and partially sighted

LJUBLJANA - The government confirmed plans for a revamping and expansion of the Centre for Education, Rehabilitation, Inclusion and Counselling for the Blind and Partially Sighted (IRIS) with a new building. The EUR 24.1 million project is expected to be completed in 2027, with the start of construction scheduled for 2026. The government said the aim of the investment is to provide safe and appropriate facilities for high-quality educational and rehabilitation activities.

Slovenia expresses continued support to missions in Somalia

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia's Deputy Ambassador Ondina Blokar Drobič expressed at a session of the UN Security Council Slovenia's support for the continued humanitarian aid and the missions of the UN and the African Union in Somalia, which will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council in January. Blokar Drobič expressed support for the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). She called on Ethiopia and Somalia to reduce tensions and she stressed the challenge of climate change and extreme weather events.

Pro-Palestine protest held in Ljubljana, more events to follow

LJUBLJANA - A protest against the Israeli violence in Palestine was held in Ljubljana to open a series of events to mark the anniversary of the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The Movement for the Rights of Palestinians called on the government to introduce sanctions against Israel, and advocated for a "military embargo against Israel, sanctions, suspension of diplomatic relations, peace, justice and a free Palestine". On Saturday a three-day peace march will begin in Ljubljana, stopping in Ilirska Bistrica on Sunday and ending on Monday in Rijeka in Croatia.

Slovenian MEPs to serve as vice-chairs of two delegations

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian MEP Romana Tomc (EPP/SDS) was elected to serve as the first vice-chair of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Canada. This comes after Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) was chosen on Monday as the second vice-chair of the delegation for relations with Palestine. "A great responsibility was entrusted to me ... especially in light of the worsening catastrophic situation in the Middle East. My priority remains the search for lasting solutions for peace in the region," Nemec was quoted as saying by his office.

Slovenian researchers win 1st prize for fusion innovation

LJUBLJANA - A team of researchers from the Jožef Stefan Institute have won first prize and EUR 50,000 at the Symposium for Fusion Technology in Dublin for the development of a novel material that has the potential to be deployed in a portion of fusion reactors where temperatures are highest. "This prize is a huge recognition of the work of our research group and the Slovenian Fusion Association. ... It puts us on the international fusion map," team leader Petra Januš Belec said.

Unemployment down in September

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's registered unemployment went down in September after two months of growth as the number of those without a job declined by 1.4% in September, to 43,874. This is 4.7% less than a year ago, show the latest Employment Service data. While the number of those newly registered as unemployed rose by 40.5% on the month before to 5,318, the number of whose who got a job nearly doubled to 4,005, with an additional 2,000 unregistered for other reasons.

Olimpija lose to Heidenheim in UEFA Conference League opener

HEIDENHEIM, Germany - Olimpija Ljubljana lost their opening match in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League on the road, conceding to FC Heidenheim 1:2 (0:1). The Slovenian teams in the UEFA Conference League have yet to score a single point as the national champions Celje opened their campaign yesterday with a 1:3 away defeat against Portugal's Vitoria Guimaraes. In the second round, Olimpija Ljubljana will host Lask from Austria's Linz on 24 October.