News roundup - Tuesday, 28 January
Ljubljana, 28 January - Below is a roundup of major events on Tuesday, 28 January:
Slovenia wants stable and democratic Serbia, official says
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia wants a stable and democratic Serbia that is a guarantor of peace in the Western Balkans, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marko Štucin said as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers, referring to anti-government protests in Serbia. Slovenia is following developments in Serbia with a "high degree of concern", he said before Serbia's Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned later in the day.
Law professor Sancin appointed judge at Strasbourg court
STRASBOURG, France - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE) appointed Vasilka Sancin, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Law, Slovenia's new judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Sancin, who was endorsed by 125 members of the assembly, will start her term on 30 May. She told the STA that the court had recognised the need for expertise in international human rights law and international law in the broader sense. She expects the main topics during her nine-year term will be climate change, development of new technologies, and AI.
Slovenia implements nearly all of UN human rights recommendations
GENEVA, Switzerland - With the exception of two recommendations, Slovenia has fully or partly implemented all of the 182 recommendations it received during the third universal periodic review of the UN Human Rights Council, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said at a fourth review meeting. The council's latest recommendations apply to hate speech and prison overcrowding. Fajon stressed the numerous human rights measures Slovenia adopted, such as those fighting hate speech, protecting economic and social rights and safeguarding minority and women's rights. A number of member countries lauded Slovenia's progress.
PETI to draw up resolution on victims of communism in Slovenia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions (PETI) has decided to draw up "a resolutoin on preserving the memory of the victims of post-WWII communist period in Slovenia", its chair Bogdan Rzonca, a MEP from the ECR group, announced. The decision comes a day after PETI completed a debate on a relevant Slovenian petition which was drawn up by historian Mitja Ferenc, one of Slovenia's main experts on mass post-WWII summary killings by communists, and promoted by the SDS. If the committee endorses the resolution once it is drafted, the European Parliament will discuss it and take a vote on it at a plenary session.
OZS opposes proposed property tax
LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) believes the government's guidelines for a new property tax are not fit for further discussion. Rejecting the government's argument that the new tax would help lower labour taxes, the OZS said this goal should be achieved in other ways, for instance by cutting public spending and curbing the grey economy. The chamber is however in favour of lowering the tax wedge. Its head Blaž Cvar said higher take-home pay would lead to more spending and more revenue from VAT.
Infrastructure minister pleased with post-flood reconstruction progress
ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said she was pleased with the progress in post-flood reconstruction on state transport infrastructure after she met mayors from the region of Koroška to discuss reconstruction projects. More projects are under way or completed than are waiting to begin, Bratušek said, adding that the aim of reconstruction was to improve resilience of infrastructure to climate change. The country was hit by severe floods in Augist 2023.
Retail sales revenue down slightly in 2024
LJUBLJANA - Retail sales revenue in Slovenia decreased by 0.6% in 2024 compared to 2023, show data from the Statistics Office. In December 2024, sales decreased compared to both November and December 2023, while sales in the motor vehicle sector were higher in all comparisons. In December 2024, retail sales revenue dropped by 2.3% compared to November. The food sector saw a decrease of 3.9%, motor fuel sales fell by 2.1%, and non-food sales were down by 1.2%.
NLB Skladi results in 2024 best so far
LJUBLJANA - NLB Skladi, an asset manager owned by the bank NLB, has assessed 2024 as its most successful year so far. Last year, EUR 395.4 million gross was invested in NLB Skladi's main fund and the total value of assets under its management exceeded EUR 3 billion. The market share in terms of assets under management reached 40.7%. Last year, when celebrating its 20th anniversary, NLB Skladi started an intensive international expansion, buying the Macedonian company Generali Investments Skopje and acquiring a 100% stake in the Serbian company Kombank Invest Beograd. Both acquired companies were renamed.
New details emerge about company spotlighted in just transition call
LJUBLJANA - New details have emerged about VonPharma SI, a seller of food supplements that received EUR 10 million in a financing call for the restructuring of coal regions, which led to the resignation of Spirit Slovenia director and triggered an audit. The company already received EUR 5.6 million in a 2022 call by Spirit Slovenia, but got only the first instalment before the rest of the financing was temporarily suspended, Forbes Slovenija reported. VonPharma SI also appears to be connected with Vital Ql, a company that received EUR 9.7 million in the coal regions restructuring call.
Medical Chamber warns against looser procedural safeguards for foreign staff
LJUBLJANA - The Medical Chamber voiced strong criticism of a government proposal aimed at speeding up the recognition of professional qualifications in healthcare for foreign candidates. The chamber warned that reducing procedural safeguards could undermine professional standards. The government's latest bill designed to shore up the public healthcare system includes the scrapping of the assessment of foreign qualifications by a three-member expert committee. The Health Ministry said the concerns are unfounded, stressing the safeguards preventing a drop in qualifications.
Panel agrees startup strategy ambitious, mindset change needed
BLED - The panellists at the Slovenian Startup Forum agreed that a national startup strategy that is to be adopted aims to create one of the best ecosystems for startups in Europe by 2030, which they labelled as an ambitious goal. Economy Ministry State Secretary Matevž Frangež said at the gathering of startup ecosystem and government representatives that the procedures for the adoption of the strategy could be launched soon. The strategy is to change of the definition of a startup, which will be companies based on an innovative product and an innovative business model.
Ljubljana utility plans EUR 100m project to reduce coal use to minimum
LJUBLJANA - Energetika Ljubljana, the city's power utility, said it had obtained a building permit needed in a project to replace coal-fired district heating with a biomass-fired system. The steam boiler to be used in the EUR 100 million project, which is expected to be completed by 2027, will reduce the use of coal in the capital to a minimum. The project will result in by far the biggest reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the country, said the utility's director Samo Lozej.
Govt urged to address systemic gaps in gene treatment for rare diseases
LJUBLJANA - The Viljem Julijan association, a charity involved in raising funds for gene therapies for children with rare diseases, issued a call to the government to implement a systemic solution for such cases. It proposes that new gene therapies approved in the US should automatically be given the same status as medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and covered by public funds in Slovenia.
EU funds boost funding call for community solar projects
LJUBLJANA - Investors in community solar projects can look forward to a funding call worth EUR 16.1 million after the Slovenian authorities approved EUR 11.9 million in EU funds to be added to the total volume of subsidies. The 2025-2027 open call is expected to be published on Friday.
European Capital of Culture to open with 14-hour spectacle
NOVA GORICA - The first cross-border European Capital of Culture will get under way on 8 February with a 14-hour series of events unfolding at five locations in Nova Gorica and Gorizia featuring more than 2,000 performers. The opening event of From Station to Station will set off at 10am with a parade from the railway station in Gorizia, Italy, before visiting locations on both sides of the border. Senior guests, including the presidents of Slovenia and Italy and EU commissioners, will meanwnile attend the 4pm ceremony in Europe Square in front of the Nova Gorica train station. This will be followed by highlights of major art events to be organised throughout the year at 6pm in the centre of Nova Gorica, and a party in bars, clubs and restaurants in both cities.
Project to promote use of Slovenian in Friuli Venezia Giulia
LJUBLJANA - A project is in the works to promote the use of Slovenian in restaurants and other businesses in Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia where the establishments will be given a label showing they also speak Slovenian. Their menus and signs will also be translated, the newspaper Delo said. The project, led by the Slovenian Research Institute (Slori) in Trieste, aims to promote the public use of Slovenian language in the hospitality sector and other services in the Italian region that is home to the Slovenian ethnic minority. So far, 20 restaurants and other businesses have joined the project, the majority from the Trieste area.
Two suspects arrested in Slovenia in Europe-wide sting against underground bankers
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Two suspects were arrested in Slovenia as part of a Europe-wide crackdown on 19 November 2024 targeting a criminal network of underground bankers led by two Ukrainian brothers, Europol said. The operation, which spanned several months, led to the arrest of 23 suspects, the seizure of EUR 35.7 million in cash, bank accounts and cryptocurrencies as well as 36 vehicles, real estate, watches and jewellery. The bulk of the arrests, 20, were made in Spain, one in France and two in Slovenia.