News roundup - Wednesday, 15 January

Ljubljana, 15 January - Below is a roundup of major events on Wednesday, 15 January:

Police Commissioner Jušić steps down

LJUBLJANA - Police Commissioner Senad Jušić resigned some two months after the Administrative Court found that the procedure in which he was appointed was flawed. The move comes shortly before the National Assembly is set to discuss an ouster motion against Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar, with junior coalition partners indicating earlier this week that their support for the minister would depend on whether the commissioner would step down to allow a new appointment call. The coalition parties welcomed the resignation, while the two police unions expressed hope the move would restore stability in the force. PM Robert Golob said that Jušić had put the interests of the police ahead of his own ambitions, while opposition parties remained critical. The Democratic Party (SDS) said the resignation came at least a year too late, and New Slovenia (NSi) feels the situation in the management of police will not resolve as long as Poklukar is in office.

Criminal police head Petrič appointed acting police commissioner

LJUBLJANA - Following the resignation of Police Commissioner Senad Jušić, the government appointed Damjan Petrič, hitherto the head of the Criminal Police Directorate, as acting commissioner. Petrič will assume the post on Thursday for up to six months or until a permanent appointment is made. Petrič, born in 1969, is a seasoned police officer who has held various leadership roles within the force and brings extensive experience in general policing, management, decision-making, and organisational oversight. His appointment as the 19th Slovenian police commissioner marks the third leadership change in the police force under the government of Robert Golob.

EU Commission, ACER concerned by potential pressure on Energy Agency

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) confirmed to the STA that it wrote to the European Commission on Friday, informing it of potential political pressures on Slovenia's Energy Agency over its new grid charge system. ACER noted that it found that the methodology used in the new system followed its guidelines. The Commission expressed concerns in a letter to the country's Energy Directorate at the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry, stressing the regulator needs to be independent under EU law. Meanwhile, the ministry denied allegations of undue pressure on the agency and reaffirmed its commitment to respecting the agency's independence and adhering to legal frameworks.

Golob and Pirc Musar note key challenges at reception for diplomatic corps

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Prime Minister Robert Golob and President Nataša Pirc Musar addressed foreign diplomats at Brdo pri Kranju, highlighting the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and EU enlargement among the global challenges ahead. Pirc Musar took the opportunity to call for inclusive policies and a forward-looking vision for development. She said that as the world entered 2025, it carried the legacy of elections won by populists, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the climate crisis, and an increasingly stark divide between the rich and the poor.

Report: Sensitive medical documents found outside Celje hospital

CELJE - Medical records, surgery schedules and other sensitive medical documents were found in the trash outside the Celje hospital, the news portal Necenzurirano reported. Found outside the pathology and cytology departments, the documents contained information on patients visiting different departments of the hospital since autumn 2022. The information commissioner started an investigation, while the hospital has launched its own internal investigation. Preliminary findings indicate negligence and theft, the hospital said, adding that it reported the case to the authorities.

Pay regulation for freelance artists confirmed at committee

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee endorsed legislative changes that introduce minimum hourly rates for freelance artists when they collaborate with public cultural institutions and agencies. The proposed change to the Exercise of Public Interest in Culture Act adds a new article to clarify the conditions for comparable pay between self-employed cultural workers and public employees performing equivalent work. The committee also endorsed a new bill giving deserving artists special pension bonuses, which is headed for a revote after an upper chamber veto.

Divača-Koper track completion delayed by a few months

LJUBLJANA - The new rail track between Divača and Koper was originally supposed to be completed by the end of the year, but 2TDK, the state-owned company managing the project, announced that completion will be delayed by several months due to unforeseen issues such as the discoveries of karst caves. According to 2TDK, efforts are being made to reduce the delay by no more than a few months. "We expect the contractor to provide a detailed time plan within 14 days ... to make sure the track is operational in March 2026," it said.

Audit of distribution of Just Transition Funds ordered

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Matjaž Han ordered an audit of the selection of recipients of EU Just Transition Funds for the restructuring of Slovenia's two coal regions after Finance reported that some of the biggest recipients were small companies with just a handful of employees. Two pharmaceutical companies in the Savinja Šalek region stand out, according to a report on the portal Finance: VonPharma, which received EUR 10 million, and Vital QI, which got EUR 9.7 million. The ministry said that the open call funds had not been disbursed yet.

Pirate Party presses charges against Kumer over nuclear referendum

LJUBLJANA - The Pirate Party filed a criminal complaint against Environment, Climate and Energy Minister Bojan Kumer for the suspicion of abuse of office in relation to the National Assembly's cancellation of a consultative referendum on a new reactor at the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) last October. Kumer is also suspected of having committed the criminal act of dereliction of duty, the non-parliamentary party said. Speaking to the press in Ljubljana, its representatives said that the minister was believed to have made sure that the "key analysis commissioned for the referendum remains hidden from the public".

State secretary fined for not reporting assets in time

LJUBLJANA - Justice Ministry State Secretary Milan Brglez has been fined EUR 400 by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption for failing to declare his assets in time. The watchdog's decision became final on 18 December. The Justice Ministry told the newspaper Večer that Brglez had indeed missed the deadline but had since declared his assets and paid the fine.

Trade unions demand decent minimum wage

LJUBLJANA - Several trade unions, led by the Trade Union of Workers in Trade Sector, have sent an appeal to Labour Minister Luka Mesec, demanding a decent minimum wage. They call for the minimum wage to be adjusted not only to inflation, but also to the growth in average wages, or for it to be adjusted at the same percentage as pensions. The unions are concerned that the minimum wage will be adjusted only in line with the legal minimum this year.

Minority member new head of Friulian publishing association

TRIESTE, Italy - Martina Kafol, a member of the Slovenian minority who has long led ZTT, a Slovenian publisher in Trieste, Italy, has been named the chair of the Association of Publishers of Friuli Venezia Giulia region. An editor, translator, filmmaker and event organiser, Kafol was named chair in December, in what ZTT said was auspicious given that Slovenia's Nova Gorica and Italy's Gorizia jointly hold the title of European Capital of Culture this year. She is hoping for productive cooperation with the regional government.

Religious communities condemn new defamatory graffiti

LJUBLJANA/KOPER - Only days after the facade of the Maribor Synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti, defamatory graffiti appeared on the facade of the Koper Cathedral. Police are investigating the incident, which has been condemned by several religious communities. Translated into English, the graffiti says "Chetnik pussies," a reference to the WWII Chetnik movement in Serbia which selectively collaborated with the Axis powers throughout the war and was banned by the Communists after the war. Mufti Nevzet Porić, head of the Islamic community in Slovenia, harshly condemned the desecration of religious buildings in both Maribor and Koper.

Revoz puts out 4% more Renault cars last year than in 2023

NOVO MESTO - Revoz, the Novo Mesto-based assembly plant of the French car manufacturer Renault, put out slightly more than 63,000 vehicles last year, which is some 4% more than in 2023. This is, however, only a third of the production recorded only six years ago, when the plant operated in three shifts. The decline in production was reflected in the drop in the number of employees. While in 2018 Revoz had 3,115 full-time employees, the number dropped to 1,333 at the end of 2024.

Jančar's novel And Love Itself to be put on stage

MARIBOR - And Love Itself, a popular novel by Slovenian leading contemporary writer Drago Jančar, has been made into a play, and the joint production of the SNG Maribor theatre and the Cankarjev Dom centre will premiere in Maribor on Thursday. Set during WWII, the novel tells a monumental story about protecting love and dignity in a time of hate. The production will be staged in Ljubljana in February.

Slovenian extradited by Peru after 23 years on the run for attempted murder

LJUBLJANA - In December, the Peruvian authorities extradited to Slovenia Luka Furlan, who has been charged with an attempted murder in connection to a shootout in Nova Gorica and who has been on the run for 23 years, the newspapers Delo and Slovenske Novice reported. Furlan was arrested by the Peruvian police in February 2024 in Lima and extradited after all official procedures had been completed. Considered a flight risk, he remains in custody.

Škoda Superb named Slovenian Car of the Year

PIVKA - The Škoda Superb was named Slovenian Car of the Year 2025, according to Siol.net, one of the media outlets participating in the selection process. The winner was announced at the final event of the competition in Pivka, where the Škoda model beat the Dacia Duster, Peugeot 3008, Citroen C3, and Renault Symbioz. Almost 33,000 votes were cast. This is Škoda's first Slovenian Car of the Year title after 2021, when the Škoda Octavia claimed the honour.

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