News roundup - Thursday, 14 November, until 3pm

Slovenia's GDP growth in Q3 accelerates to 1.4%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP growth accelerated to 1.4% in real terms in the third quarter of the year compared to the same quarter last year, after the economy grew at 0.7% in quarter two, considerably below the Q1 figure of 2.1%, the Statistics Office (SURS) said. Annual growth in January-September also reached 1.4%. While domestic expenditure dropped 0.4% year-on-year in Q3, mainly due to a major 13.6% drop in capital gross formation, foreign trade added 1.9 percentage points to the growth. The Bank of Slovenia said growth continues to be constrained by cyclical cooling in construction and weak investment. The think tank IMAD said that export data were slightly above expectations.

Commission turns down president's C-bank governor nominee

LJUBLJANA - The Privileges and Credentials Commission did not approve Anton Rop, the president's nominee for central bank governor. The final decision will be made by the National Assembly in a secret vote at a plenary that starts on Monday, so the outcome is not yet certain. The commission members did not discuss the nomination, merely took the vote, with the only aye coming from the Hungarian minority's MP Ferenc Horvath, while nine MPs voted against the former finance- and prime minister. The result comes as no surprise, after it became clear that the coalition had decided to stick with Saša Jazbec, a Finance Ministry state secretary, for governor.

Govt extends electricity price caps for the next four months

LJUBLJANA - The government extended the electricity price caps for the next four months, Prime Minister Robert Golob said after the cabinet session. This is to prevent electricity bills from rising in the winter following the introduction of a new system of electricity network charges in October. An emergency bill is planned for companies. The prime minister said that coalition MPs would endorse all the proposals and would help implement them to prevent unwarranted price hikes.

Krka reports revenue and profit growth for Jan-Sep

NOVO MESTO - The pharmaceutical group Krka generated EUR 1.43 billion in revenue in the first nine months of the year, an increase of 7% over the same period in 2023, the group's unaudited interim report shows. The group reports a profit of EUR 281 million, which was 19% more year-on-year. The group increased its investment funds by 13% to EUR 91.70 million over last year's first nine months. The report cites CEO Jože Colarič as telling the supervisory board on Wednesday that the group increased sales in five of its six sales regions, in most of its key markets, and in all product and service groups. East Europe remains Krka's largest regional market.

Judicial Council calls threats against judges very dangerous

LJUBLJANA - The Judicial Council called recent threats against judges on X and an arson attack on the house of a judge in Brežice extremely dangerous, adding that such actions undermine the foundations of the rule of law. The council expects all other institutions to treat this with all seriousness and as a priority, it wrote in a statement it adopted at a session on Wednesday. The Slovenian Bar Association, the State Attorney's Office and Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina also condemned the incidents.

SDS not leaving EPP, Janša says in face of speculation

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party (SDS), will not be leaving the European People's Party (EPP), the SDS leader Janez Janša told Radio Ognjišče on Wednesday in the wake of speculation that started after EPP MEPs endorsed Slovenia's commissioner candidate despite adamant opposition from the SDS last week.

Dnevnik: Alleged member of Islamic State enters not-guilty plea

LJUBLJANA - The Specialised State Prosecutor's Office has charged Rashid Aziz, who was arrested in Slovenia, of terrorism due to his alleged participation in the terrorist organisation Islamic State in Iraq in 2016, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. Aziz entered a not-guilty plea at a pre-trial hearing at the Ljubljana District Court. The hearing was held in mid-October. Participation in a terrorist criminal organisation or group carries a sentence of up to eight years in prison.

Report: Chief defendant in major prostitution case gets 1 year 10 months in prison

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court sentenced Mladen Bilić, the chief defendant in a major prostitution case, to one year and ten months in prison, the newspaper Delo reported. Bilić entered into a plea deal with the prosecution and will stay in house arrest until the judgement becomes final. He will also have to pay a fine of EUR 6,000.

Survey shows most Slovenians support investment in climate adaptation

LJUBLJANA - While Slovenians rank climate change as the fourth most pressing issue facing the country, 89% agree that investing in climate adaptation today is essential to avoid higher long-term costs, survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB) has shown. Among Slovenians surveyed, 91% recognise the need to adapt to climate change, which is three percentage points below the EU average. However, only 43%, seven percentage points lower than the EU average, said climate adaptation needs to be prioritised, the EIB reported.