News roundup - Monday, 4 November, until 3pm

Exports in September up 13%, imports up 4% y/y

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported EUR 5.3 billion worth of goods in September, 12.8% more than in September 2023, while imports reached EUR 5.7 billion, up 3.9% year-on-year, the Statistics Office reported. Data for September shows a pronounced, 24% increase in exports with non-EU countries. Excluding re-exports, exports to non-EU countries were up by 7.1% to EUR 888.2 million. In the first three quarters of the year, exports were up by 11% and imports by 13.5%.

Pirc Musar congratulates Sandu on her re-election

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar congratulated her Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu on her re-election. Underlining the friendship that the two have been cultivating since Pirc Musar's election, the Slovenian president said she looked forward to further cooperation. "Over the last two years, I have greatly appreciated the friendship that has blossomed between us, rooted in our shared values and hopes for a stronger, united Europe," Pirc Musar wrote on X. The presidents met on several occasions in the past two years, with Pirc Musar visiting Chisinau a year ago.

Minister Han starts working visit to Shanghai

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Matjaž Han started a three-day working visit to Shanghai accompanied by a business delegation. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen business ties between Slovenia and China, seek new opportunities, and present the Slovenian business and investment environment, the ministry said. The Slovenian business environment and investment opportunities will be presented at a business and investment conference hosted by the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, the Spirit agency, the Slovenian Embassy in Beijing and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

SDS says situation in public education alarming

LJUBLJANA - The deputy group of the opposition Democrats (SDS) requested an emergency session of the parliamentary Education Committee, calling on the government to improve the quality of teaching, teacher training and pay, SDS MP Alenka Helbl said. The SDS believes the situation in public education is alarming, arguing that the government has not been successful in addressing the issues, and recalling the resignation of Darjo Felda as education minister in September. Helbl also stressed that primary and secondary schools are still waiting for a curriculum overhaul, while vocational schools are in need of a functional dual system for the teachers who also work in their respective industries.

Regulated fuel prices down on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The prices of fuel sold outside Slovenia's motorway network will decrease on Tuesday. The price of regular petrol will drop by 2.4 cents to EUR 1.486 a litre and the price of diesel will be one cent lower at EUR 1.518 a litre. Heating oil will also be cheaper, down 1.2 cents to EUR 1.115 a litre. The prices will be in effect until 18 November, the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry said as it announced the biweekly price change.

Celje hospital launches cardiac surgery department

CELJE - The Celje General Hospital has joined UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor as the third Slovenian hospital with a cardiac surgery department. Led by Tomislav Klokočovnik, the surgical team plans to perform 100 open-heart surgeries a year and 50 by the end of this year, with the first one scheduled this weekend. The open-heart surgery programme will be carried out by hospital staff in collaboration with external specialists. The hospital has recruited staff who have previous experience with such procedures at other institutions. The cardiac surgery programme in Celje will serve the whole country, especially the neighbouring regions of Dolenjska, Koroška, Posavje and Zasavje, meaning around 350,000 people.

Marijana Brecelj wins film acting lifetime achievement award

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Directors' Guild picked film and theatre actress Marijana Brecelj as the winner of this year's Bert Award for lifetime achievement in film acting. "Brecelj possesses a strong presence. If we were casting right now, we could list her lovely characteristics at length: vibrant, sunny, lucid, cheerful, warm, strong, sincere, witty, modern," the guild wrote. Brecelj, 78, who belongs to a generation that has experienced various phases of Slovenian cinema, flourished mostly when creative relationships in film became more relaxed, bringing an unforced, realistic approach to her performances.

Festival promoting tolerance kicks off at Mini Teater

LJUBLJANA - The 10th House of Tolerance, a festival promoting diversity and tolerance, will get under way in Ljubljana's Mini Teater in the evening. Organised by the theatre and the Ljubljana Jewish Cultural Centre, the international festival will feature film screenings, theatre performances and an exhibition. The opening film will be The Books He Didn't Burn, a documentary by Claus Bredenbrock and Jascha Hannover which delves into the remains of Adolf Hitler's private library and shows the influence racist and anti-Semitic thinkers and writers have had on far-right extremists until this day.