Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 22-28 November

FRIDAY, 22 November

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly rejected President Nataša Pirc Musar's nominee for central bank governor, Anton Rop, a former finance minister and prime minister. Only 24 MPs endorsed him in a secret ballot. Pirc Musar had picked him as the candidate best suited for the job, but the result of the vote was expected given that the coalition unanimously rejected him before the vote.

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob responded to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for leading Israeli and Hamas officials by saying that "Slovenia respects the decision of the ICC regarding arrest warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity and will fully comply with it". Former President Danilo Türk said it shows the life force of international criminal law.

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob accused the former management of the TEŠ thermal power station of criminality in pushing through the EUR 1.4 billion construction of unit 6, which is being prepared for a wind-down just a decade later, telling the STA that the entire region is now hostage to that erroneous decision. The government adopted an emergency bill on TEŠ less than a week later.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a reform bill on critical infrastructure aimed at enhancing the resilience of vital services in line with the latest EU rules. The existing legislation recognises eight critical infrastructure sectors while the reform bill expands the requirements to eleven.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly confirmed amendments that relax the rules for entering the net metering system for household solar installations. The system of net metering, favourable for household solar, expires at the end of this year regardless. But under the amendments, more installations that are already in the process of registering will qualify.

SATURDAY, 23 November

LJUBLJANA - After a public sector wage reform had been negotiated, PM Robert Golob told the STA he was optimistic about other reforms, labelling the wage reform as a "motivational victory" which "paves the way for other reforms". He sees the closure of talks on wage reform as a historic achievement.

LJUBLJANA - The office of President Nataša Pirc Musar denied any agreement with Prime Minister Robert Golob regarding taking over the majority of his international duties in the coming year, as stated by Golob in an interview with the STA. The office noted that Golob only asked for a meeting on this topic, which is yet to be held.

LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry said that Slovenia had not purchased weapons, ammunition or other military equipment from Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza as it responded to a report in Delo claiming that the Slovenian Armed Forces purchased EUR 57.5 million worth of gear from Israel in 2019-2023.

LJUBLJANA - Lesson Learned, a film about the Hungarian education system, won director Balint Szimler the Kingfisher Prize at the 35th Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe). The film portrays a strict school system with no room for concessions, a reason for which it was made without state support but with 19 co-producers.

SUNDAY, 24 November

BAKU, Azerbaijan - Slovenian Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer said it was crucial that COP29 ended in an agreement that proves the world can come together for common good, as he commented on the UN climate conference which ended after talks were prolonged and some feared could fail.

MONDAY, 25 November

LJUBLJANA - The Administrative Court determined that the commission vetting Senad Jušić for police commissioner provided no explanation about why or how it found he had eight years of experience in leading positions in the public sector, a key job requirement. While the opposition designated the appointment as unlawful as a result, the Interior Ministry said this was not the case and Jušić would stay on.

LISBON, Portugal - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon started a two-day visit to Portugal by meeting her counterpart Paulo Rangel. The pair discussed the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, with Fajon urging Rangel for his country to recognise Palestine as a necessary step on the way to a two-state solution.

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit accused the government and parliament of undermining its independence after its budget for 2025 was cut significantly compared to the original proposal and auditors were ignored in the recent public sector pay reform. The Finance Ministry said that if it becomes clear during the year that the court is lacking funds, a solution will be found.

LJUBLJANA - The National Council vetoed the bill implementing the budgets for 2025 and 2026 over nearly half a million euro reduction of its funding carried out without consultation. The lower chamber overode the veto in a revote on 28 November.

KOPER - Slovenia's men's national basketball team qualified for the Eurobasket 2025 after defeating Portugal in round four of the European Championship qualifier in front of the home crowd. The victory of 83:82 came on the heels of a painful defeat in Portugal three days earlier.

TUESDAY, 26 November

LJUBLJANA - A group of several hundred supporters of opposition leader Janez Janša gathered in front of the Celje District Court, where Janša is standing trial over a contentious land deal. Janša labelled this as a start of a rebellion against the "injustice system". The protest, which turned violent as several people attacked a RTV Slovenija car, was condemned by the government as undue pressure on the judiciary.

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ruled that the legislation barring single women and women in same-sex relationships from accessing assisted reproduction procedures is unconstitutional. The National Assembly must amend the law accordingly within one year; until then, the provisions will remain in force. The government coalition announced that they will move swiftly to implement the court's decision.

LJUBLJANA - Ksenija Klampfer, who served as labour minister in the centrist Marjan Šarec government in 2018-2020, will be nominated for the vacant post of digital transformation minister. "She's a person who knows the department and has already served as minister," Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon said.

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) completed its investigation into the use of the government car of former Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh which was reportedly caught using blue emergency light in Austria unlawfully. The KPK did not confirm the suspected undue influence.

ESTORIL, Portugal - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met with her Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. They discussed the situation in the Middle East and globally, emphasising the importance of dialogue. Fajon expressed concern about the Iranian nuclear programme and its alleged supplies of ballistic missiles to Russia.

STRASBOURG, France - The EU Commission approved Slovenia's medium-term fiscal-structural plan, which the government had to draft under new EU fiscal rules. It also announced that Slovenia's budget plan for 2025 is in line with the recommendations of the Council of the EU.

WEDNESDAY, 27 November

STRASBOURG, France - Marta Kos was appointed the new European commissioner for enlargement as the European Parliament confirmed the new Commission. She said this was a big sign of trust and that she felt tremendous responsibility, and announced she would travel to Kyiv in her capacity as commissioner on 30 November, a day before officially taking office.

LJUBLJANA - Trust, a new centrist party, was officially launched in Ljubljana, with the founding congress appointing the project's initiator, seasoned politician Karl Erjavec, party leader. He highlighted his extensive political experience, asserting that Slovenia needed knowledgeable leaders to help it navigate its current challenges.

LJUBLJANA - The junior coalition Left suspended the party membership of firebrand MP Miha Kordiš, saying he was destructive, publicly attacking other members of the deputy group, government ministers and the party. The move came after months of strife, with the party trying to get Kordiš excluded from all parliamentary bodies he sits on in February after he refused to resign as MP.

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Executives who gathered for the annual Business Summit organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) presented ten measures to ensure energy, food and cyber security. They propose electricity self-sufficiency, competitive prices for businesses, farmland protection and making IT a compulsory subject at schools.

LJUBLJANA - Former Prime Minister Janez Janša settled the EUR 30,260 in litigation costs he was ordered to pay to the Patria case prosecutor and judges he unsuccessfully sued for damages. To help raise the needed funds, Janša auctioned off some of his personal items.

THURSDAY, 28 November

LJUBLJANA - The Democratic Party (SDS) tabled a motion to dismiss National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič over alleged repeated abuse of parliamentary procedure, including putting the party's motion for a referendum on special pensions for artists on the agenda of the first upcoming session instead of waiting for 30 days. Klakočar Zupančič dismissed the charges and the coalition back her.

LJUBLJANA - New Slovenia (NSi), backed by the fellow opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and three unaffiliated MPs, filed an ouster motion against Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar, including over irregularities found by the Administrative Court in the appointment of Police Commissioner Senad Jušić. Meanwhile, the government took note of a report compiled by an independent council of top civil service officials which concluded decisions in Jušić's appointment were lawful.

LJUBLJANA - The Schengen zone and cooperation in the energy sector topped the agenda as Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon hosted her Austrian and Croatian counterparts, Alexander Schallenberg and Gordan Grlić-Radman for a meeting. After the meeting, Fajon said the current security situation did not allow the border checks on the internal Schengen borders to be removed.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly reaffirmed with an absolute majority changes to the Income Tax Act and the Value Added Tax Act after they were vetoed by the National Council, which objected to several measures, including lowering the threshold for taxing sole proprietors under the flat-rate expenses system, a new tax relief for highly skilled foreign workers, additional administrative burdens on businesses, and a higher tax on sugary drinks.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly overturned an upper chamber veto on the budget implementation bill for 2025 and 2026 after the government argued that the upper chamber would receive additional funding if need be after the National Council's budget was cut by means of an amendment passed by the lower chamber.

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a bill to reduce the Šoštanj coal-fired power station to serve as the provider of district heating for the Šalek Valley from the start of 2025 until the end of April 2027. This will enable the loss-making plant to avoid bankruptcy, while giving the valley that is phasing out coal more time to find an alternative source of heating.

LJUBLJANA - The government decided to set up a foreigners return management system in a project valued at EUR 2 million. The European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund will contribute 75% of the funds and Slovenia the remaining 25% or half a million euros.

TRIESTE, Italy - The Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ), one of the two umbrella organisations representing the Slovenian minority in Italy marked its 70 anniversary with a ceremony in Trieste. The SKGZ was established soon after the London Memorandum abolished the Free Territory of Trieste in October 1954, dividing it between Italy and the former Yugoslavia.