News roundup - Monday, 18 November

Olena Zelenska paying two-day visit to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, arrived in Slovenia for a two-day visit at the invitation of Aleš Musar, the spouse of Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar. The main purpose of the visit is to present Ukraine's needs regarding humanitarian aid to war victims. Zelenska, who is accompanied by Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, will meet Musar and Pirc Musar, the president's office said. The Ukrainian delegation will also be received by PM Robert Golob.

Fajon advocates for just, lasting peace in Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, who is attending a ministerial meeting in Brussels, said that it was the EU's duty to continue supporting Ukraine as she called for efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace there. She expressed concern over the support that third countries are providing to Russia, the Foreign Ministry wrote on X. The EU needs to do more to achieve a just and lasting peace which will be based on the UN Charter, Fajon wrote, adding that supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles could have the opposite effect.

Slovenia willing to consider cutting ties with Israel, FM says

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia is willing to consider the proposal by EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell to suspend dialogue with Israel, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said at a session of EU foreign ministers. However, given the discussion at today's session, she does not expect member states to reach a consensus on the issue. The minister once again called for stricter sanctions against radical Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Slovenia expresses support for UN work in Gaza, Lebanon

NEW YORK, US - Immediate ceasefire is the only way to restore hope in Gaza, Foreign Ministry State Secretary said as he addressed the UN Security Council, expressing Slovenia's unequivocal support for the UN, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. The brutality in Gaza has no comparison in recent history, Štucin said. The ten non-permanent members of the Security Council have drafted a resolution calling for an end to fighting and release of hostages. The resolution enjoys the support of four permanent members, while the US's support remains uncertain.

PM says gas will be cheaper in the future

LJUBLJANA - The price of natural gas in Slovenia will be going down, PM Robert Golob said during questions time in parliament two days after the Russian gas company Gazprom cut off supply to Austria. Austria gets 80% of its gas from Russia, while nearly 70% of gas imported by Slovenia came from Austria last year. However, the government relaunched supply from Algeria at the start of the energy crisis, noted Golob.

PM expresses full commitment to work with authorities

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob dismissed reproaches he was failing to cooperate with institutions preventing and investigating criminal acts regarding his alleged meddling in the police force. He said he will respond to any summons and he will also testify before the corruption watchdog in December. Golob was reportedly meant to be interviewed by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption already in October, while he declined an invitation of the parliamentary commission for the oversight of intelligence and security services.

Pahor honoured with German SocDem award

ERFURT, Germany - Slovenia's former President Borut Pahor received the Wilhelm Bock Award for his exceptional commitment to social and democratic engagement in Central and Eastern Europe. The award, named after German social democrat Bock, was presented to him in Gotha near Erfurt by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). The ceremony took place at the historic Gothaer Tivoli, the site where Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) were founded in 1875.

Mercator withdraws from purchase of Engrotuš

LJUBLJANA - Mercator, Slovenia's largest retailer, owned by Croatian group Fortenova, withdrew on Friday from the purchase of Engrotuš, which operates Tuš retail shops. The reason seems to be that a year since signing the contract on 15 Novembver 2023, Mercator has not yet received the regulator's clearance after the regulator referred the company's application to the European Commission, which then sent it back to Ljubljana. There was a one year exclusivity period set in the contract. Mercator said on Monday that since the key conditions from the contract will unfortunately not be fulfilled, "we decided to withdraw".

Mercator closing shops of hardware arm Mercator Tehnika

LJUBLJANA - Retailer Mercator announced the closure of the remaining brick and mortar outlets of its hardware arm Mercator Tehnika by the end of this year as it is further focusing on the core activity. It noted that given the highly competitive environment, especially in food retail, focusing all processes on the core activity is the foundation of its further development. The decision was made on the basis of the market trends, with an increasing number of purchases being made online. All 439 employees will be offered new jobs within the group, Mercator said.

Former ally accuses Logar of pursuit of self-interest

LJUBLJANA - Anže Logar, the leader of the newly founded Democrats, was accused by his former ally Dejan Kaloh of exiting Slovenia's largest opposition party, the SDS, to form his own out of "sick desire" for power and in pursuit of self-interest. Kaloh, one of the three MPs to quit the Democratic Party (SDS) in October, had been expected to join Logar and Eva Irgl at the new party, but was absent from the founding congress on Saturday. Logar denied the allegations, saying: "This letter is further proof of our incompatibility, of how we see politics differently."

Green party urges govt not to withdraw new network charge system

LJUBLJANA - The non-parliamentary green party Vesna is concerned about the government's reluctance to stick with a new system of electricity network charges, arguing it not only inhibits but also undermines efforts for a long-term sustainable and equitable energy system. The new system kicked in on 1 October, but last week PM Robert Golob said the coalition partners will propose that the parliamentary Infrastructure Committee call on the Energy Agency to suspend it until a precise analysis of its effects on the corporate sector and households is conducted. The committee was in session today.

French Navy's patrol boat makes a stop in Koper

KOPER - The Commandant Bouan, the French Navy's high-seas patrol boat, has made a stop at the port of Koper as part of French-Slovenian defence cooperation. Slovenian Maj-Gen Dobran Božič said this cooperation was excellent and noted that the French Navy had been a mentor of the Slovenian Navy. Božič, advisor in the defence minister's cabinet, said there were times when the importance of the navy was neglected, but today it is clear it is important for every country individually and for the EU as well, because it is a strong navy that guarantees sovereignty of a country.

Illegal border crossings in Jan-Oct down over 18%

LJUBLJANA - Nearly 41,400 illegal border crossings were recorded by Slovenian police in the first ten months of the year, which compares to over 50,600 during the same period last year. Syrians accounted for the majority of the migrants (over 14,100), followed by Afghans. Data released by the police also shows that nearly 40,000 migrants said they would request asylum, some 9,000 fewer than in the same period last year. Ultimately, only 4,700 requested asylum in Slovenia. The police have also arrested 468 people smugglers so far this year, of whom eight Slovenian citizens.

NGOs call for fossil fuel subsidies to be abolished

LJUBLJANA - Environmental NGOs called on the government to include a commitment to gradually remove subsidies for fossil fuels into the climate bill in the final stages of its drafting. The relevant provision was already included in the first draft of the bill but has been removed from the latest draft. The NGOs highlighted Slovenia's international commitments and stressed the negative impact of fossil fuels on public finances and health.

Irregularities found with intercity bus transport providers

LJUBLJANA - The public company that manages the new system of intercity bus transportation, which was introduced on 1 September, established numerous violations by the concessionaires, in particular by the two largest operators, the N1 web portal reported. The providers Arriva and Nomago have been fined after the Public Passenger Transport Management Company (DUJPP) introduced internal control in September based on complaints by passengers targeting new timetables for intercity bus transport.

Support for govt drops further in Vox Populi poll

LJUBLJANA - Public support for Robert Golob's government has dropped further, with only 28.4% of those polled rating its performance as successful, down from 31.9% last month, according to the latest Vox Populi poll, published by the newspaper Dnevnik. The share of those who consider the government unsuccessful has risen to 67.4%, up by more than 3 points. These results, obtained by Ninamedia between 11 and 13 October from 700 recipients, are among the poorest since the change in power in mid-2022, barring February and March this year, when over 70% labelled the government's work as unsuccessful.

Nova24TV poll: Strong support for SDS, low for govt

LJUBLJANA - An opinion poll published by the conservative media outlet Nova24TV shows that only 29.1% support the government, while 61.8% do not, which compares to 34.4% and 59.9%, respectively, in November 2023. The opposition Democratic Party (SDS) would receive 25.8% support if elections were held this Sunday, while the ruling Freedom Movement would secure 12.7%, down from 28.5% and 17.1%, respectively. The survey was carried out by the agency Parsifal in 11-14 November among 704 adults.

Price of regular petrol down, diesel up on Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - The price of regular petrol sold at service stations outside the Slovenian motorway network will drop by 0.4 cents to EUR 1.482 per litre on Tuesday, while the price of diesel will increase by 2.4 cents to EUR 1.542 per litre. Heating oil will be 2.2 cents dearer at EUR 1.137 per litre. The prices will be in effect until 2 December, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy said as it announced the price changes.

More than EUR 130m in post-flood aid paid out to businesses

LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry issued a new set of decisions to disburse nearly EUR 7.4 million in aid to 159 businesses that were affected by last year's disastrous floods. In total, businesses have received EUR 133.2 million in post-flood aid. The ministry also issued decisions to 12 businesses to return some EUR 53,700 total. So far, it has issued 48 such decisions in total.

Police bust eleven paedophiles

LJUBLJANA - Police have busted a number of paedophiles as part of a massive international criminal investigation. A total of eleven adult Slovenian citizens are suspected of distributing and obtaining footages of sexual abuse of children on various online networks. Eight underage victims have been identified, but none of them are Slovenian children, Robert Tekavec, head of the unit for juvenile crimes at the General Police Administration, told the press. So far, there are no indications of any connections among the suspects.

Media: TikToker gets two years for possession of pornographic material

NOVA GORICA - The Nova Gorica District Court has sentenced TikToker Irenej Bizjak to two years in prison for possession of pornographic material and for urging young girls to send him explicit photos. The court also extended his custody, media reported. Bizjak, who went by the name of Vegan on TikTok, had made contact with underage girls on TikTok as well as on other social media, urging them to send him explicit photos of themselves.

Roma households with illegal water connections cut off in Novo Mesto

NOVO MESTO - The Novo Mesto public utility disconnected over a dozen illegal water connections in the Roma settlement of Žabjak in the southeast of the country. Komunala said about a quarter of the Roma are paying their water bills and it would not be fair to them if we the utility did not take action against illegal connections. Žabjak was connected to the public water supply in 2019 and 2020, with Komunala connecting 77 buildings.

Slovenian short film wins main award in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The Sea in Between (Morje Med Nama), a short film by Slovenian director Lun Sevnik has won the main award at the Stockholm Film Festival. The film follows a disgruntled teenager helping his father with the family business who one day gets stuck on a small boat with an older tourist. As the boy anxiously waits for his father to return with the daily catch, the tourist starts making lewd suggestions. Commenting on the award, Sevnik said it felt good when someone noticed a film that had required a lot of work and energy.

Slovenian hay-fed meat now included in EU register of traditional foods

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission approved the entry of Slovenian meat produced using a traditional farming method combining hay feeding and grazing, called "hay meat" into the traditional specialities guaranteed register. This unique form of meat production is deeply rooted in the Slovenian agricultural tradition and is one of the oldest forms of meat production. Other Slovenian products on the list are the Potica and Prekmurska Gibanica cakes, Belokranjska Pogača bread, and Idrijski Žlikrofi dumplings.