News roundup - Wednesday, 13 November

Hate campaign against judges raises concern among officials

LJUBLJANA - Several politicians and senior officials, including President Nataša Pirc Musar, PM Robert Golob and the head of the Supreme Court, Miodrag Đorđević, condemned the recent posts on X threatening several judges and a prosecutor sued by opposition leader Janez Janša and revealing their home addresses. Moreover, the image of the former Supreme Court president was photo-shopped to include a gun shot wound. The Supreme Court said they were working to remove the hateful posts from X and would take legal action if necessary. The posts were published just days after an arson attack destroyed the home of a judge in Brežice.

Parliamentary commission decides against summoning PM over alleged police meddling

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission investigating alleged political meddling in the work of the police adopted an interim report that dismisses the heaviest allegation against PM Robert Golob along with the opposition's demand that he be interviewed. Its chair, Aleš Rezar of the ruling Freedom Movement party, said the commission found no credible motive for Golob to postpone the arrest of the Russian spies in 2022, with the argument he wanted to prevent the arrest from overshadowing an expected triple-referendum victory of his government - an accusation by the current government's first Interior Minister Tatjana Bobnar - not holding water. Meanwhile, the opposition was up in arms today over the development, and boycotted the session.

MPs discuss with foreign minister Gaza children asking for asylum

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon stressed that asking for asylum is a fundamental human right, as she fended off the opposition's criticism after three children from Gaza and their guardians filed for international protection on Sunday while being treated at the URI Soča rehabilitation hospital in Ljubljana. SDS MP Andrej Poglajen believes the request amounted to abuse of the right to asylum. He also asked the minister whether she could assure that "these people had in no way been involved in the campaigns of the terrorist group Hamas".

Telekom Slovenije profit up 17% to EUR 47m in first nine months y/y

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije, the majority state-owned telecoms incumbent, generated EUR 536.4 million in operating revenue in the first nine months of the year, which is 2% more than in the same period of 2023. Net revenue was up by 2% to EUR 530.8 million and net profit was up by 17% to EUR 46.6 million. The group said that revenue increased due to growth in the number of users and higher sales of IT goods and services. Revenue from financial services, eHealth, and insurance also increased.

New Erjavec-led centrist party, Trust, ready for launch

LJUBLJANA - Karl Erjavec, the former long-serving head of the Pensioners Party (DeSUS) who retired from politics in 2021, formally registered as the 200th signatory in support of the formation of a new political party, called Trust. The 64-year-old, who also served as foreign, defence and environment minister, said that the party wants to "address voters who are worried about Slovenia's future ... and primarily focus on development". The founding congress of what is the latest in a series of new centrist parties is scheduled for later this month.

Some 12% of Slovenians struggling to make ends meet

LJUBLJANA - At European level, 28% of people are struggling to make ends meet, compared to 37% globally, while in Slovenia, the figure stands at 12%, according to a survey by WIN, the global market and opinion research association, and Slovenia's pollster Mediana. In Slovenia, two-thirds of the population have already cut their costs (42%) or are considering this option (24%) in the coming period.

Gorizia's vote on Mussolini upsets Slovenian officials

LJUBLJANA - The decision of the council of the Italian city of Gorizia to vote against a proposal to strip fascist leader Benito Mussolini of the title of freeman of Gorizia, awarded in 1924, invited unease and condemnation in Slovenia, especially as Gorizia and Slovenia's Nova Gorica are gearing up to jointly become the European Capital of Culture in 2025. The Foreign Ministry condemned attempts to relativise historical facts and abuse them for political purposes, while MEP Matjaž Nemec urged Gorizia Mayor Ziberna to remove Mussolini from the list of the freemen of the city and to apologise to the communities on both sides of the border.

Palfinger planning EUR 70m worth investment in Ormož

ORMOŽ - The Austrian company Palfinger is planning an investment worth EUR 70 million in Ormož, northeast, which is to be completed in 2028, with a memorandum on the project involving a production facility for cranes and hoists, a training centre, a logistics centre and a coating plant being signed today. The government is to chip in up to 30%. Economy Minister Matjaž Han said the government will support the investment by co-funding up to 30% of its value, which is between EUR 15 and 20 million.

Cohesion ministry reallocating up to EUR 260m to economic development

LJUBLJANA - The Ministry for Cohesion and Regional Development announced changes to Slovenia's 2021-2027 European Cohesion Policy programme. The goal is to identify projects unlikely to be fully implemented on time and to reallocate up to EUR 260 million to economic development, in line with EU strategic priorities. One reason for the changes, is the EU's new STEP regulation, which promotes the reallocation of funds to support key technologies for greater EU technological independence, State Secretary Marko Koprivc said.

Pensioners against having to pay long-term care contribution

LJUBLJANA - ZDUS, the leading association of Slovenian pensioners, addressed the press to voice its displeasure with the Long-term Care Act, which introduces a 1% mandatory contribution as of July 2025. Pensioners will have to pay it from their net pensions, which they see as an intrusion into the national pension system, and they are even willing to take the case to the Constitutional Court. ZDUS president Zdenka Jan also said they would like the government to establish an office for the elderly, or at least an advocate for the elderly.

Ljubljana turning into city of cinema for 35th edition of LIFFE

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFE) got under way with a screening of Alain Guiraudie's Divine Mercy at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre. Now in its 35th edition, LIFFE will feature 91 full-length films and three sections of short films, presented across well-established festival categories. The festival's hallmark section, Perspectives, which focuses on first or second feature films by emerging directors, includes ten film, six of which by women directors.

NGOs call for more digital inclusion

LJUBLJANA - NGOs presented a shadow report on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the Digital Decade on digital skills and digital infrastructure. Simon Delakorda from the Institute for e-Participation said that there was no concrete official data on the impact of these measures, so a comprehensive evaluation would be needed. The report also argues that ethical and human rights considerations should be better integrated into digital literacy measures, and that governance of digital transformation policies needs to be improved.

Forum of Slavic Cultures celebrating 20th anniversary

BELGRADE/UŽICE, Serbia - The Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK), a Slovenia-based non-profit organisation that unites more than 300 million Slavs in 13 countries, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a two-day event in Serbia. The celebrations started with a meeting of the FSK editorial board at the National Library of Serbia and a meeting of the FSK programme board at the Museum of Yugoslavia. The Živa Award for Slavic museums and cultural and natural monuments and the Hundred Slavic Novels collection will be presented in Užice on Thursday.