News roundup - Monday, 27 January
Ljubljana, 27 January - Below is a roundup of major events on Monday, 27 January:
Pirc Musar calls for absolute respect for ICC arrest warrants
OSWIECIM, Poland - President Nataša Pirc Musar attended a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, noting on the sidelines that numerous Slovenians suffered and died there. She called for respecting the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants against those accused of war crimes after the Polish government told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that despite the arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC he would not be arrested if he attends the ceremony. "There can and must be no special circumstances, no exceptions to the arrest of this or that person accused of war crimes," Pirc Musar said.
FM says Trump's Palestine displacement proposal unacceptable
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia does not agree with forced displacement of the Palestinian nation, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said following a statement by US President Donald Trump that Palestinians should leave Gaza and that he would like to "clean out" the entire strip. She believes this could amount to grave violations of international humanitarian law. The EU must take a firm stance against this, she said. Slovenia recognised Palestine last year, she noted, adding that Palestinians had the right to their territory.
Fajon says visits to Lebanon and Syria expression of support
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said that her upcoming visits to Syria and Lebanon would be an expression of support for the changes in the countries. Regarding Lebanon, where a new president and a new prime minister took over in mid-January after two years of political deadlock, Fajon said that the international presence in the country was "exceptionally important" at this moment. Fajon announced she would be visiting the two countries a week ago but is yet to say when the visits would take place.
Slovenia still awaiting Serbia's explanation on expulsion of activist
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia plans to "act accordingly" but is still awaiting explanations after Serbia expelled a Slovenian activist who took part in an NGO workshop in Belgrade last week, FM Tanja Fajon said. Along with other countries whose citizens were expelled, Slovenia has demanded explanations from the Serbian Foreign Ministry but unlike Croatia, it has not lodged a formal protest. Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Fajon said she would inform the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas of the expulsion and that she had already talked to her Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg about it.
Golob fields MPs' questions to kick off plenary
LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob said in the National Assembly that a bill to introduce a new property tax will be drafted in the coming weeks based on many proposals various stakeholders have submitted to the tax blueprint the government adopted last month. The pension reform negotiations among social partners are under way and should be concluded by the end of February, so a draft reform could be discussed by the government as early as in March. Quizzed about the new electricity network charge system during questions time he said that the Energy Agency should change its methodology to calculate the network charge by November. In a clash with an opposition MP he also denied accusations of political appointments in state-owned and para-state companies.
Debate resumes on petition for memorial day for victims of communism
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions resumed a debate on a Slovenian petition for preservation of the memory of Slovenian victims of communism, drawn up by a historian and promoted by the Democratic Party (SDS). MEP Romana Tomc (EPP/SDS) called for the EU Parliament to urge the Slovenian government to condemn communist crimes. She proposed that the committee leave the petition open for further consideration, which it did, and that they send a special mission to Slovenia to take stock of the situation. MEP Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) sees the SDS's efforts as a political provocation aimed at deepening ideological divisions.
Regulated fuel prices at multi-month highs
LJUBLJANA - Fuel prices will rise significantly on Tuesday. Petrol will be 2.7 cents more expensive at EUR 1.55 per litre, an eight-month high, while the price of diesel will go up by 3.8 cents to EUR 1.619, the highest it has been since October 2023. Heating oil will likewise be 3.8 cents more expensive, costing EUR 1.218 per litre, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy said. The new prices for petrol and diesel apply only outside the motorway network.
Some schools cancel classes after bomb threats
LJUBLJANA - Almost 230 schools and kindergartens across Slovenia received bomb threats by email in the morning and at least 18 cancelled classes in what turned out to be a hoax as the police have assessed the threat as a low-risk security event. The schools received an AI generated message similar to the ones recorded in some other countries. Schools and kindergartens were advised to continue the educational process, and while in most schools students and staff returned to class after the initial scare, some sent kids home and expect to resume classes on Tuesday. A police investigation is ongoing.
Several events commemorate 80th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau with several commemorative events, including a ceremony to clean memorial stones or "stumbling stones" in Ljubljana and a special address in parliament. German Ambassador Sylvia Groneick told a ceremony in Ljubljana's Štefanova Street that remembering the victims of murderous racial fanaticism is a moral duty. Groneick was joined by Deputy British Ambassador Helen Teasdale, who noted that these stones serve as daily reminders of the people and families who lived at these addresses before their deportation. The ceremony was moreover attended by Foreign Ministry representative Marko Rakovec.
Velenje coal mine reopens two extraction sites
VELENJE - Following an accident which happened at the Velenje coal mine a week ago, killing three miners, the mine reopened two of the extraction sites, while the shaft where the accident happened will remain closed until further notice. No miners have resigned because of the accident, the mine operator wrote in a press release. "Despite all the measures taken, incidents and emergencies still happen in caves that cannot be predicted despite the newest technology because of the specifics of the work taking place 500 metres below surface. One such event was the tragic accident last Monday that we deeply regret," the operator said.
Study in Slovenia shows HPV vaccine to be highly effective
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian girls and women who have been vaccinated against HPV, a virus that causes cervical cancer, are far less likely to be diagnosed with precancerous conditions, even though the national vaccination rate remains low, a large new study in Slovenia has shown. The study looked at two cohorts, women in the first vaccine-targeted birth cohort (born between 1998 and 2001) and in the last cohort before vaccination was introduced (those born between 1994 and 1997). The researchers looked at high-grade lesions that are considered precancerous to find that the incidence thereof was 42% lower in girls and women who had been vaccinated. This is despite Slovenia having a very low HPV vaccination rate of around 50%.
Stakeholders in tourism expect further growth after record 2024
LJUBLJANA - The main stakeholders in tourism see last year as a success and are also optimistic about the prospects for this year. A slight increase in tourist arrivals and nights in Slovenia is expected even after the record year 2024, mainly owing to an expected further increase in the number of foreign guests, heard a press conference on the latest figures and trends held by representatives of the Economy Ministry and the Slovenian Tourist Board.
Business sentiment unchanged in January
LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia remained unchanged at -2.6 percentage points in January. At the annual level it rose by 0.4 points, show Statistics Office data. The indicators in services and manufacturing rose over the month before, by 0.3 and 0.1 points, respectively, while the construction industry indicator was flat. Consumer sentiment meanwhile deteriorated by 0.3 points and sentiment in retail was down 0.1 points.
Survey unemployment up slightly in December
LJUBLJANA - The survey unemployment rate in Slovenia stood at 5.2% in December, up 0.1 percentage points on the month before. Compared to a year ago, it was 1.8 points higher, the Statistics Office said. It is estimated that roughly 55,000 persons aged 15-74 were unemployed, of which 59% were men and 47% women. The monthly survey unemployment figures are modelled rather than based on actual labour force surveys, which is why they are less reliable than quarterly figures.
Iskra to build production plant in Bosnia, logistics centre in Serbia
KRANJ - The Slovenian privately-held electronics group Iskra has announced plans to build a new production facility in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a new logistics centre in Serbia this year. The financial details of the plans have not been disclosed. Iskra has said that it will build a new facility in Nova Topola in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It will span 12,000 m2, increasing the production capacity and creating new jobs. Iskra also plans to set up a new laboratory equipped with advanced testing devices at the Croatian electric cable manufacturer Elka, which the group acquired in May 2021.
Unique exhibition to present complexities of 20th century
LJUBLJANA/NOVA GORICA - One of the main events of the Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture will be a permanent exhibition on the complexities of 20th-century history. Housed in a former warehouse adjacent to the Nova Gorica railway station, it will shed light on the area's multiculturalism and troubled past, project director Kaja Širok has told the STA. Called the European Platform for Interpretation of the 20th Century (EPIC), the project is due to open in May to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
Events at unusual venues at Couch Festival
LJUBLJANA - People's living rooms and kitchens, art studios, galleries, care homes as well as public squares will host concerts and theatre and dance performances during the 10th edition of the Couch Festival from Monday to Saturday. Matija Solce, one of the festival's co-ordinators, says 145 groups from all over the world will perform a total of 267 events at 150 unconventional places. Half of the events will be held in Ljubljana and the rest elsewhere across the country. Some will also be held abroad.
POP TV poll: Govt rating down again
LJUBLJANA - Support for the government continues to drop, with fewer than 30% of respondents in the latest POP TV poll saying the cabinet is doing a good job, while nearly 55% believe it is doing a poor job. The opposition Democratic Party (SDS) remains at the top of the party ranking, followed by the senior and junior coalition partners, the Freedom Movement and the Social Democrats (SD), the only parliamentary party to gain ground, albeit minuscule.