News roundup - Thursday, 24 October

Public sector pay reform passed into law

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly adopted the most far-reaching reform of the pay system for public sector workers in 15 years. Valued at EUR 1.4 billion, it involves higher pay for both the lowest and top earners and regular adjustments for inflation. The changes, affecting around 190,000 workers, were passed in a 45:3 vote. A few additional documents are still needed to bring the reform into force, which will be phased in in three years, starting in 2025.

Rok Čeferin elected Constitutional Court president

LJUBLJANA - Judge Rok Čeferin has been elected president of the Constitutional Court for a three-year term. He will take office on 16 December, when the term of the current president Matej Accetto ends. Čeferin, a member of a prominent family of lawyers and brother of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, started his nine-year term on the court in September 2019, serving as a vice-president since 2021. The judges elect the president among their own ranks. The court did not specify how the voting unfolded.

Andrej Ribič appointed CEO of motorway operator DARS

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of the national motorway operator DARS appointed management board Andrej Ribič as CEO for a five-year term, which he will assume on 7 November. He succeeds David Skornšek, who took over as acting CEO last November after Valentin Hajdinjak resigned following media revelations of alleged irregularities. Ribič was not selected in a public call, as the supervisors decided to make personal invitations. POP TV reported that only Ribič had been proposed as a candidate and that the selection procedure was allegedly being investigated by the corruption watchdog.

Referendum on Krško 2 officially cancelled

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly backed in a nearly unanimous vote a motion to cancel the nuclear expansion referendum scheduled for 24 November in the aftermath of media reports about controversies related to the project and the referendum. Deputy groups agreed that it would be irresponsible to hold the referendum in the current situation, and the coalition and opposition blame each other for the twist. Miha Lamut from the ruling Freedom Movement said the decision on energy future must be based on an inclusive and transparent procedure of drafting legislation and energy policies.

Ministry declassifies calculations suggesting N-plant costliest energy scenario

LJUBLJANA - Amid accusations that a truly informed debate was stifled before the now cancelled referendum on a new nuclear reactor in Krško, the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry declassified a study indicating that phasing out nuclear energy would be Slovenia's cheapest option. The analysis by the director of the national grid operator ELES, commissioned by the ministry in June, shows the nuclear scenario is the cheapest when not factoring in operational and maintenance costs. However, with all costs considered, the scenario without nuclear energy after 2043 emerges as the most cost-effective.

Govt rejects criticism over unrealistic budget planning

LJUBLJANA - The government rejected criticism voiced by the Fiscal Council that the 2025 and 2026 draft national budgets, which are currently being debated in parliament, envisage unrealistically high expenditure. It said that just like every year the plans were made based on the latest economic forecasts by the IMAD think tank, on the country's legal and other obligations and priorities, and the forecasts by those planning the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the EU Cohesion Policy and other EU funds.

MEP Šarec appointed rapporteur for Montenegro

STRASBOURG, France - Slovenian MEP Marjan Šarec (Renew/Freedom) has become the European Parliament's rapporteur for Montenegro. He will be in charge of monitoring the country's progress in EU integration and report on it annually while collaborating with all key stakeholders. Šarec pointed out that Montenegro's EU accession is of strategic importance, contributing to political, economic and security benefits for both sides. He stressed that enlargement must stay high on the EU agenda.

Mesec acquitted of Snežič defamation

LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Luka Mesec has been acquitted of defamation, a charge brought against him by tax consultant Rok Snežič. Snežič brought the lawsuit over Mesec's assertion in March 2022 that Snežič was a criminal and that he made staffing decisions in the previous government led by Janez Janša. The court held that both are public persons, whereby the defendant's freedom of expression outweighs Snežič's right to privacy. Snežič said he would appeal.

OZS calls for aid for companies affected by orders drop

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia (OZS) discussed the situation in companies associated with the automotive industry, which has been affected by dropping orders. Since orders have been dropping in other industries as well, the OZS will propose the government take immediate action. It proposes subsidies for workers on furlough or part-time work, freezing or restructuring loans and incentives aimed at restructuring of businesses. It also presented a survey in which 94% of its members that are directly or indirectly related to the automotive industry reported a drop in orders.

Janša hints at behind-the-scenes scenario for early election

LJUBLJANA - Opposition leader Janez Janša believes a scenario is in the making to oust the Freedom Movement from power and weaken his Democratic Party (SDS) and to hold an early election in 2025. In his post on X published on Wednesday, he attributes the scenario to two former politicians, ex-President Milan Kučan and Gregor Golobič, a senior member of the once powerful LibDems. Responding to the post, the coalition parties dismissed the scenario, attributing it to reasons such as the SDS losing its strategic edge, and noting that they command a comfortable majority in parliament.

Slovenia vows continued support on United Nations Day

LJUBLJANA - In statements marking United Nations Day, senior officials pledged for Slovenia to continue to support the organisation. Prime Minister Robert Golob said Slovenia will remain an adamant advocate of multilateralism and a rule-based order that ensures the respect for human rights, and avoids war and conflict. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon called for a stronger and respected UN as the most important international peacekeeping organisation in the world. She believes, however, that reform is necessary.

Slovenia points to impact of wars in Gaza and Lebanon on Syria

NEW YORK, US - The wars in Gaza and Lebanon have a direct negative impact on the situation in Syria, Slovenian diplomat Ondina Blokar Drobič said a UN Security Council meeting on Syria as she reiterated Slovenia's call for a cessation of hostilities throughout the region. She said tens of thousands of Syrians are fleeing their homes or shelters again, while thousands of children, women and men are crossing into Syria on foot and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. "We should be under no illusion that Syrians are voluntarily and deliberately choosing to return to Syria."

Slovenia calls for greater women participation in peace processes

NEW YORK, US - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Melita Gabrič took part in a UN Security Council open debate on women, peace and security to note that Slovenia is concerned about the lack of progress in the implementation of the relevant UN agenda. She called for greater participation of women in peace processes. Slovenia calls for specific measures to be taken to increase the full participation of women in all aspects and all phases of peace, Gabrič said.

Scope of political party financing inquiry expanded

LJUBLJANA - Parliament has expanded its inquiry into the financing of political parties ahead of the last general election to entities owned or managed in 2020-2022 by senior members of the Janez Janša government. The SDS's campaigning on Facebook and the government's attempt to sell a state-owned tourism firm to Hungarians will also be looked into, the inquiry commission's chair Tamara Vonta of the ruling Freedom Movement told the National Assembly.

State officials commemorate Slovenian victims of fascismt

BASOVIZZA/TRIESTE, Italy - National Council President Marko Lotrič and Culture Minister Asta Vrečko paid respects to the Slovenian victims of fascism in Basovizza and to those at the former concentration camp Risiera di San Sabba. Laying wreaths at the sites, Lotrič said the world is witnessing violence again today which shows how important it is to learn from history. The Slovenian delegation also visited the grave of Boris Pahor, the leading author of the Slovenian ethnic community in Italy, and one of the few Slovenian authors in Italy who remained active after the Second World War.

Turbine maker Litostroj Power changes hands

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana-based hydro turbine manufacturer Litostroj Power Slovenija will change ownership after the Czech DK Holding Investments (DKHI) agreed to sell its stake in Energo Pro Industries to the Czech industrial group Wikov Industry. Wikov Industry agreed to acquire the industrial part of Energo-Pro Industries with subsidiaries Litostroj Power Slovenia, Litostroj Engineering, Czech Republic, Litostroj Hydro, Canada and Litostroj US to expand into the supply of renewable energy equipment.

University of Maribor hamstrung by cyberattack

MARIBOR - The University of Maribor suffered a serious cyberattack yesterday evening that has affected e-services for students and staff, including email. All services requiring a digital identify are currently unavailable. The university did not reveal exactly what kind of attack this was. It is now trying to restore its computer systems in collaboration with competent authorities and IT experts.

Water Convention parties pledge to make joint adaptation strategies

LJUBLJANA - The parties to the UN Waters Convention meeting agreed to strive for common adaptation strategies in transboundary river basins to make adaptation to climate change more effective. As part of the debate, which featured high representatives of the parties to the convention, a number of agreements have been made, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning said. They agreed that the growing momentum of the Water Convention, with nine new members and more than 20 countries in the accession process, can be a powerful drive for progress towards achieving the UN 2030 Agenda goals.

China's Dongfeng opens first showroom in Slovenia

PRESERJE - Chinese car maker Dongfeng has opened its first sales and technical centre in Slovenia. Located near Preserje, some 10 kilometres southwest of Ljubljana, the new centre is operated by importer Plan-net Avto. Four electric and three petrol models are currently available. Dongfeng expects to sell some 800 cars this year, but then a doubling or even a tripling in sales is expected over the course of the next five years, Xie Qian, the general manager of Dongfeng EU regional headquarters, told Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Mijatović gets another term as football association president

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Delegates of the Slovenian Football Federation (NZS) elected incumbent president Radenko Mijatović for another four-year term. Mijatović ran unopposed for what will be his third consecutive term as the NZS boss, the position he assumed almost eight years ago, succeeding Aleksandar Čeferin after he was elected president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The sixty-year-old said after being re-elected that "we have done a good job and we are rightfully proud of the achievements and results in recent years."

UAE Team Emirates extends Pogačar for another three years

ABU DHABI, UAE - Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar has extended his contract with UAE Team Emirates beyond the end of 2027 for another three years, the team announced on its website. "I am extremely proud to be extending my time here at UAE Team Emirates. This team has been my home now the last five years and I truly can't imagine myself anywhere else," Pogačar said. While the financial details are not known, media report that the 26-year-old had been making around EUR 6 million a year before the extension.

Works through which Maksim Gaspari helped create Slovenian identity put on show

LJUBLJANA - Artist Maksim Gaspari (1883-1980) was interested in how Slovenians lived and made a number of works which became instrumental in creating Slovenian national identity. Gaspari is credited with promoting the image of traditional customs, clothes, dances, beekeeping, and even Father Frost, which he created based on a Soviet model in the 1950s. The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum launched today an exhibition of 120 of his paintings, drawings, postcards and other items related to Slovenian ethnographic heritage.

Synagogue in Lendava showcasing Jewish books

LENDAVA - The Lendava Synagogue put on show 22 books of the Jewish community in Prekmurje, northeast, which was practically wiped out during WWII. Visitors will get a chance to see various prayer books, copies of the Hebrew Bible and textbooks for teaching Hebrew and proper prayer. The books come from a collection of nearly 100 Jewish books kept at the Murska Sobota Regional and Study Library. They belonged to the Jews in the region of Prekmurje before WWII, mainly to members of the Neolog Jewish community, Boris Hajdinjak, one of the four authors of the exhibition, told the STA ahead of the opening.