News roundup - Friday, 25 October, until 3pm

Major cyberattack on University of Maribor reportedly involves ransomware

MARIBOR - Following confirmation of a severe cyberattack on the University of Maribor on Thursday, reports now suggest that ransomware is involved. The extensive breach has likely encrypted all data, including backups, though the attackers' demands remain unclear. Citing unnamed cyber security experts, the daily paper Delo reports that the scale of the breach exceeds that of the recent cyberattack on the state-owned power group HSE, which was resolved within days.

Energy Minister Kumer feels he still has PM's full trust

LJUBLJANA - Environment, Climate, and Energy Minister Bojan Kumer dismissed speculation that Prime Minister Robert Golob could lose confidence in him amid controversy around the cancelled referendum on the NEK 2 nuclear project. He also assured the press that his ministry is committed to providing comprehensive information and downplayed the delay in the release of a relevant study.

Govt does not think doctors will leave public system en masse

LJUBLJANA - Responding to a survey showing about one in six doctors intends to leave the public system if forthcoming legislation bans dual practice as currently planned, the Health Ministry said it does not believe doctors will leave in such great numbers. Such warnings stem out of a fear of change, Jasna Humar, director general of the Health Ministry's Directorate General for Healthcare, told the STA. "In reality the private market in Slovenia is still poorly developed. I don't see how all these doctors could work and make a living in private practice," she said.

Govt plans revenue-neutral property taxation

LJUBLJANA - Coalition partners will debate guidelines for a reform of property taxation early next year. The underlying plan is revenue neutrality - reducing the taxation of labour and increasing the taxation of property, Prime Minister Robert Golob told parliament. The new tax must be fair and neutral. "This means that taxation of wages will be reduced by the same amount as taxation of property is increased," according to Golob.

Golob tells MPs Slovenia well prepared for possible crisis

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob said that Slovenia is well prepared for a possible economic crisis as the government has been making sure that systematic investments are made in innovation and diversification of risks, as he took questions from MPs. He stressed that the number of announced new jobs in industry exceeds the announced lay-offs.

Business chamber opposed to TEŠ emergency bill

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) rejected a proposed emergency law on the loss-making Šoštanj coal-fired power plant (TEŠ) as unacceptable. It claims it represents a high risk for the local economy and reliability of the electricity system. GZS director general Vesna Nahtihal said that replacement sources of electricity are not defined in the bill, posing a risk to the reliability of the entire electricity system.

Podgoršek elected new head of agriculture and forestry chamber

LJUBLJANA - The newly elected members of the council of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS) elected former Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek the new KGZS president. Podgoršek will take over on 2 November from Roman Žveglič, who did not run for another term. Podgoršek, who chairs the forum for agriculture and rural areas of the opposition Democrats (SDS), defeated young mountain farmer Žiga Kršinar.

Slovenia announces EUR 1 million in aid for Lebanon

PARIS, France - Slovenia announced an additional EUR 1 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon at the International Conference in Support of Lebanon's People and Sovereignty, hosted by France on Thursday, said the Foreign Ministry, adding that Slovenia calls for an immediate ceasefire and respect for international law. The conference raised more than EUR 740 million for humanitarian aid and nearly EUR 185 million in support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Business sentiment deteriorates again

LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia has decreased for the second consecutive month in October, according to data released by the Statistics Office. The index is at -4.1 percentage points, 2.2 points lower than in September but still 1.2 points higher than in October 2023. The office wrote that the sentiment indicator was negatively impacted by four out of five indicators: in services (by 0.8 p.p.), in manufacturing (by 0.5 p.p.), in retail trade (by 0.4 p.p.) and among consumers (by 0.1 p.p.). The construction confidence indicator had no impact.

Steady growth in tourism figures continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded steady growth in tourism numbers in the first nine months of the year. Arrivals rose by 5.3% to 5.5 million and overnight stays by 3.8% to 14.1 million, the latest Statistics Office data show. The number of foreign tourists rose by 7.2% year-on-year to 4.3 million, with the number of domestic guests dropping by 1% to 1.2 million.

Flights to fewer destinations available from Ljubljana in winter

BRNIK - Passengers will have 16 scheduled routes operated by 14 airlines available from Ljubljana Airport this winter. While this is fewer than the 18 destinations last winter, there will be more flights to Munich and Zurich, major hubs for Slovenian travellers. The winter schedule starts on 27 November and lasts until 29 March.

Celje and Ljubljana clubs bounce back in UEFA Conference League

CELJE/LJUBLJANA - After suffering defeats in their UEFA Conference League openers at the start of the month, national football champions Celje as well as Olimpija Ljubljana both won their second group games at home on Thursday. Celje beat Istanbul Basaksehir 5:1 (3:0) and Olimpija Lask from Austria's Linz 2:0 (1:0).