News roundup - Friday, 17 January

Fajon in Kyiv for Ukraine-SE Europe ministerial

KYIV, Ukraine - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv to attend a Ukraine-Southeast Europe ministerial. She offered Ukraine support in efforts to implement reforms that are needed for the country's EU accession. Fajon met the host, her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, at a bilateral meeting, where she stressed Slovenia's support for Ukraine and reiterated the commitment to sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country within its internationally recognised borders. She and other participants of the meeting met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, PM Denys Shmyhal and Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

Slovenia calls for just peace in Ukraine

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia called for a just peace in Ukraine as the UN Security Council convened for a briefing on Ukraine on Thursday to receive an update on the latest developments. Ambassador Samuel Žbogar said there could be no lasting peace without respect for the fundamental principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Steelworks SIJ to take on 1.5b investment in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - SIJ, the Slovenian steel group, has signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government on a EUR 1.5 billion investment. While the investment will be largely funded by Saudi Arabia, the Finance Ministry said that this would be the largest single Slovenian investment abroad. It did not, however, specify how much SIJ will contribute to a joint venture with the Saudi partner WAHAJ. Other companies of the Slovenian automotive industry's initiative for green mobility Mission GREMO are expected to follow in SIJ's footsteps in the future.

Report: Serbia puts forward career diplomat for ambassador to Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - More than a year after Serbia's candidate for ambassador Zoran Đorđević was rejected by Slovenia because of alleged security and intelligence concerns, Serbia decided to put forward career diplomat Ivo Vojvodić for the post, the newspaper Delo reported. The procedure for obtaining the government consent is still under way but when it is obtained, Slovenia will put forward Slobodan Šešum as its ambassador to Serbia, Delo also said.

Deputy groups tight-lipped about favourites for governor, ombudsman

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar started a series of meetings to consult deputy groups about candidates for the posts of central bank governor and human rights ombudsman. Deputy group leaders remained tight-lipped about their favourites, saying that they would wait for Pirc Musar to nominate them before commenting. Judging from first statements, it will be harder to muster 60 votes or two-thirds majority for ombudsman appointment in parliament than 46 secret ballots for governor.

ESS confirms short-time work scheme, clashes over minimum wage

LJUBLJANA - The Economic and Social Council (ESS) confirmed unanimously a bill to set up a permanent short-time work scheme that would be activated in various potential crises to prevent layoffs. Social partners had the most divided opinions when it came to minimum wage indexation, with trade unions and employers failing to see eye to eye, while they agreed that a property tax blueprint is not yet ready for further consideration.

Freedom Movement submits proposal to introduce preferential vote

LJUBLJANA - The Freedom Movement MPs tabled a proposal to amend the constitution to introduce preferential voting in general elections. It is their duty to follow the will expressed by the voters in the relevant referendum, they said. The proposal is expected to fail, since the coalition does not have the 60 required MP votes to amend the constitution, and New Slovenia (NSi) refuses to contribute signatures.

Constitutional Commission says process to protect cash as legal tender can begin

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Constitutional Commission approved the start of a process to amend the constitution by enshrining the right to cash as legal tender. The will of more than 56,000 citizens, who submitted signatures in support of the motion, cannot be ignored, the commission said, stressing the right to choice. The petition was tabled in parliament in November 2023 by the anti-digitalisation group PovezaniSmo.

Petrol planning uptick in results and careful adaptation in 2025

LJUBLJANA - The group around energy trader Petrol plans to generate EUR 6.1 billion in revenue, EUR 339 million in EBITDA, and EUR 177.8 million in net profit in 2025, increases that will be coupled with "careful adaptation to challenging conditions and a commitment to achieving long-term goals". EUR 150 million is earmarked for net investments this year, with over half allocated to energy transition projects such as renewables, mobility solutions, and digitalisation.

Junior coalition partners against higher defence spending

LJUBLJANA - Both junior coalition parties expressed opposition to the push for NATO members to increase the defence spending benchmark from the current 2% of GDP to over 3%. The Social Democrats (SD) said that such an amount would be too high, while the Left wondered whether participating in NATO still makes sense in the first place.

Military welcomes cutting-edge VR and MR simulators

CERKLJE OB KRKI - The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) took delivery of cutting-edge virtual and mixed reality simulators developed by the Defence Ministry together with the aviation technology and precision mechanics company AFormX. They will be used for training of aircraft pilots, including for tactical flying.

Military aircrews flew out to help 682 times in 2024

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian military aviation played a key role last year in saving lives and property in Slovenia and abroad, the Defence Ministry said, adding that aircrews of the Slovenian Armed Forces flew out to help 682 times, mostly providing air medical services. Slovenian military aircraft flew a total of 830 hours last year, transferred 665 people and dropped almost a million litres of water on fire sites.

Defence Committee takes note of 2023 defence investment report

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee took note of a report on the investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2023, with Defence Minister Borut Sajovic noting the purchase of a C-27J Spartan tactical military aircraft and light four-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Sajovic said that the C-27J Spartan was the first key investment in 2023, for which EUR 630,000 was spent that year.

Inquiry commission questions owner and editor of pozareport portal

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission probing into allegedly unlawful financing of political parties interviewed Bojan Požar, journalist and editor of pozareport news site, to learn who has financed his company Lanaka Media through advertising. According to the daily Dnevnik, the company has generated EUR 1.45 million in profit since 2022. The commission made several accusations, but Požar denied all of them.

Association of health institutions welcomes dual practice ban

LJUBLJANA - The Association of Health Institutions welcomed the changes to the Health Services Act which prohibit healthcare staff employed at public organisations from also working for private providers. The measure is in line with non-compete agreements in other sectors, head of the association Tatjana Jevševar told the STA.

Farmers call for thorough investigation into irregularities at poultry farm

LJUBLJANA - The Farmers' Trade Union is calling for a thorough investigation into the alleged abhorrent conditions at a poultry farm, which were made public last week. If the footage of the poultry farm depicts the actual situation, that is a hard blow for poultry farmers adhering to EU livestock farming standards, the union wrote in a press release. The union condemned the disregard for animal welfare and violations of food safety regulations.

Late journalist and Senator Dimitrij Volčič honoured in Gorizia

GORIZIA, Italy - The Italian city of Gorizia will honour Dimitrij Volčič (1931-2021), a journalist, senator and MEP of Slovenian descent, by naming a renovated platform in a public park after him, Primorski Dnevnik, a Slovenian minority newspaper from Trieste, reported. A plaque with his name will be unveiled next week. In 1997, Volčič was elected to the Italian Senate, where he played a decisive role in passing a law to safeguard the rights of Slovenians in Italy.