Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 1-7 November

FRIDAY, 1 November

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Slovenia opened its embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the third Slovenian diplomatic post in Africa with a resident ambassador, as Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon paid a visit to the country. The embassy marks a new milestone in Slovenian-Ethiopian relations, Fajon said as she inaugurated the embassy along with her Ethiopian counterpart Gedion Timotheos and Ambassador Kristina Ratej.

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of top Slovenian officials headed by President Nataša Pirc Musar laid a wreath at a monument in Ljubljana's Congress Square which honours the victims of all wars and post-war summary executions. Pirc Musar, referring to summary executions after WWII, said it was time for Slovenia to "close this chapter".

SATURDAY, 2 November

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met at the headquarters of the African Union with Deputy Chairperson of African Union Commission Monique Nsanzabaganwa to note the importance of cooperation between the African Union and the EU in peace efforts, security, climate change and respect for human rights. Fajon also visited the UN Women Ethiopia Country Office and the Don Bosco Foundation.

ROGAŠKA SLATINA - The Steklarna Rogaška glassworks recorded EUR 1.5 million in net profit last year to bounce back from a EUR 5.6 million loss in 2022. Net sales revenue was up 12% year-on-year to EUR 53.6 million, shows the annual report of the company owned by the Finnish group Fiskars.

SUNDAY, 3 November

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon visited Somalia as the first Slovenian representative to do so. Holding talks with Somalia's Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, she discussed the situation in the country and broader region, and international peacekeeping missions. She finds these missions to be essential in efforts to build stability in Somalia.

MONDAY, 4 November

ABU DHABI, UAE - President Nataša Pirc Musar concluded the first visit by a Slovenian president to the United Arab Emirates by meeting her counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss business cooperation, the workings of the UN and the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (GZS) and the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum to establish a Slovenian-Arab business council.

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia strongly condemned North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on 31 October, which violated a number of resolutions, Ambassador Samuel Žbogar said at a meeting of the UN Security Council, convened by seven UN Security Council members, including Slovenia. Žbogar expressed concern that North Korea was increasingly disregarding rules and resolutions and urged bringing North Korea to the negotiating table.

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.In the first three quarters of the year, exports were up by 11% and imports by 13.5%.

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.

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. The SDS believes the situation in public education is alarming, arguing that the government has not been successful in addressing the issues.

TUESDAY, 5 November

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) announced a motion to oust Finance Minister Klemen Boštjanič, accusing him of negligence in office, mismanagement of public funds, misleading the public in the courts palace affair, and abuse of power. Boštjančič denied the allegations and the coalition parties said the ouster motion came as no surprise. Prime Minister Robert Golob said Boštjančič had his full trust.

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob hosted Antonio Costa, president-elect of the European Council, who will take up the post in December, to discuss the Council's working methods and exchange views on EU enlargement, the situation in the Western Balkans and Ukraine and other topics that will be discussed at the Council's meetings until the end of the year.

SHANGHAI, China - Economy Minister Matjaž Han paid a three-day working visit to Shanghai, accompanied by a business delegation, with presentations of the Slovenian business and investment environment, economy, tourism and opportunities for foreign investors being in the foreground. Han also attended the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE).

NAIROBI, Kenya - As part of her visit to Kenya, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon called for greater economic cooperation between Slovenia and Kenya, especially in renewable energy sources, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, tourism and beekeeping. Slovenia plans to cover Kenya diplomatically from the recently opened embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

LJUBLJANA - Lojze Peterle, Slovenia's first prime minister and a prominent, long-time member of New Slovenia (NSi), has left the party. The NSi regretted his decision. Meanwhile, Peterle told the STA he no longer felt at home in the party, which he believes has stopped fostering the climate that helped the party's predecessor SKD convince voters in the past.

WEDNESDAY, 5 November

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar, Prime Minister Robert Golob, National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and party leaders extended their congratulations to Republican Donald Trump for his victory in the US presidential election. Pirc Musar, Golob and Fajon highlighted cooperation, while Klakočar Zupančič expressed the hope that Trump's decisions will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the crises in the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world.

MINNEAPOLIS/PHOENIX, US - Two members of Congress of Slovenian descent were re-elected in the US elections. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat of Slovenian descent, has been re-elected for her fourth term as senator from Minnesota and far-right Republican Paul Gosar from Arizona has been re-elected to the House of Representatives.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee approved the changes to the Critical Infrastructure Act which transpose into Slovenia's legislation an EU directive to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure. The amendments aim to increase the number of critical infrastructure sectors from eight to eleven to strengthen security, said Defence Ministry State Secretary Damir Črnčec.

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy Committee approved the changes to the Local Election Act seeking to implement the June 2020 decision of the Constitutional Court regarding access to legal remedy in case of electoral disputes, said Public Administration Ministry State Secretary Jure Trbič. The changes also aim to make the organisation of local elections more simple and transparent.

LJUBLJANA - A case of a five-year-old boy Urban Miroševič, who has a congenital CTNNB1 gene mutation and whose mother initiated research to develop a therapy for treating the disorder and a high-profile fund-raising campaign to finance the project, has prompted the state to draft legislative changes that will allow the funding for the final stages of research of treatment for rare children's diseases.
        
THURSDAY, 6 November

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia's candidate for EU commissioner for enlargement Marta Kos received the green light from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Renew, the political group she belongs to, told the STA. During the presentation she said a bigger and reformed EU was a strategic imperative and deemed support for Ukraine as an absolute priority. She also faced accusations of having been a collaborator of the Yugoslav secret police, which she denied several times.

LJUBLJANA - The European Investment Bank (EIB) sees great potential for further investments in Slovenia in areas such as transport, energy infrastructure and support to business, EIB president Nadia Calvino said after meeting Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič. The EIB is willing to support the government in the construction of 20,000 affordable and non-profit flats, Calvino said.

LJUBLJANA - The group around Slovenia's largest bank NLB posted a net profit of EUR 427.5 million in the first nine months of the year, up 10% from the same period last year, mainly as a result of favourable economic conditions and high interest rates. Its income before impairments and provisions reached EUR 500.3 million, up 14% from the same nine months in 2023. Net revenue from interest increased by 15% from the same period last year.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will not have a senior representative at the World Leaders Climate Action Summit as part of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, which will take place at the beginning of next week. Contrary to the initial plans, PM Robert Golob will not attend the summit due to other commitments, his office confirmed for the STA.

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar has allegedly caused upset at the prime minister's office by inviting her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit Slovenia without consulting the government beforehand in an episode that comes amid recurring media reports about bad blood between her and PM Robert Golob.

LJUBLJANA - The Emonika commercial hub in the future Ljubljana Passenger Centre is expected to come to life in 2027, investor Mendota Invest said as the project was presented. The commercial hub will include retail space, two hotels, business premises and apartments and is currently the largest private real estate project in the country.