News roundup - Friday, 7 February

Slovenia critical of US sanctions against ICC

LJUBLJANA - Condemning the sanctions imposed by the US against the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Nataša Pirc Musar said that they constituted a complete denial of history and they ignored law as a foundation of international relations. She also expressed support for the initiative of the Rome Statute signatories to defend the ICC and its employees. PM Robert Golob and the Foreign Ministry regretted the decision of the US. "Slovenia will continue to be an unwavering supporter of the independence of this central international criminal justice institution," Golob said.

Report says Turkish partner withdraws from Koper-Divača rail track, company running project denies this

LJUBLJANA - Yapi Merkezi, one of the two Turkish partners building a 27km rail track between Divača and Koper in consortium with the Slovenian company Kolektor CPG has withdrawn from the project, the news portal Necenzurirano reported, adding that a new annex is expected to be signed, raising the price of the EUR 1.1 billion project by some EUR 20 million. The company managing the construction of the new railway, 2TDK, denied the report, adding that the cost of the project remained in the scope of the amended investment plan.

Commission throws out constitutional amendments on top court

LJUBLJANA - The government-sponsored constitutional amendments concerning the work of the Constitutional Court fell short of the required two-thirds majority support of the parliamentary Constitutional Commission at what was the first session of the body dedicated to the amendments following the appointment of an expert group nearly a year ago. The amendments concern articles 160 through 162 which, among other things, would give discretionary power to the court in choosing the matters it would take on. Moreover, the changes would transfer some of the Constitutional Courts's powers onto other courts.

Business club says new taxes threat to competitive edge

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Business Club (SBC) warned against new taxes planned by the government, saying they would make matters even worse for businesses and lower the purchasing power of households. It accused the government of having lost the sense of the importance of entrepreneurship and the corporate sector. The SBC pointed to the planned property tax, saying its rate would be one of the highest in Europe. While this is just a proposal for now, the long-term care contribution has become a fact and companies, employees and pensioners will have to start paying it in July, it noted.

Kavač Clan prosecutor files charges against police officials over protection

LJUBLJANA - TV Slovenija reported, citing unofficial sources, that prosecutor Mateja Gončin, who has exposed a number of issues at the Security and Protection Centre, a special police unit in charge of protecting senior officials, has filed criminal charges against former Police Commissioner Senad Jušić and former heads of the centre. Gončin, who is a prosecutor is a large trial against members of the Slovenian cell of the criminal ring known as the Kavač Clan and has been under police protection, told the STA that she had filed charges relating to irregularities in how she was protected.

Ministry rejects sole bid for two medevac choppers

LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry announced it has rejected the only bid received in the public call for the purchase and maintenance of two new medical service helicopters, made by Leonardo and valued at EUR 30.74 million, having established that the submitted financial collateral does not comply with its requirements. The helicopters have thus not been ordered. The call had been under fire from part of the public, and also from the opposition New Slovenia (NSi), which claimed that the helicopters would be part of the police helicopter fleet and alleged the suspicion of favouritism.

Ministry rejects telcos' criticism of media bill

LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry rejected criticism of the new media bill that was recently voiced by telecoms operators. It says the bill, which is in parliamentary procedure, does not envisage copyright compensation for telecoms operators. The Agency for Communication Networks and Services will not have free hands in granting special status to media, it added.

Culture expands our horizons, minister says

LJUBLJANA - In her message ahead of Culture Day, observed on 8 February, Culture Minister Asta Vrečko wrote that "culture expands the borders of our world", builds community and encourages openness and solidarity. Culture should be borderless, Vrečko said, tying her message to the slogan of the 2025 Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture, which will open on Saturday. Culture is the foundation of dialogue, connectedness and the search for answers to today's challenges, she added.

Trade unions spotlight precarious work in culture

LJUBLJANA - The trade union confederation of cultural workers Glosa-Zasuk said in its message ahead of Culture Day that in Slovenia, art is becoming a hobby of the rich, while others are left with generic, imported mass culture. It stressed the importance of unions for culture and highlighted the difficult situation regarding precarious employment in the sector.

Report shows improvement in Slovenia's energy efficiency

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's energy efficiency index has improved by 36% from 2000 to 2022, ranking 14th among the 27 EU countries, researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS) have found as part of the European ODYSSEE-MURE project. Households have contributed the most to the improvement. "Slovenia has been working actively on improving energy efficiency in recent years," the Environment Ministry said, noting that the efforts are key to meeting a number of challenges.

Jernej Barbič wins SciTech Oscar for 3D software in animation

LOS ANGELES, US - Slovenia's Jernej Barbič has won a SciTech Oscar for Ziva VFX, a software that simulates realistic movements under the skin in character animation. Since 2016, Ziva VFX has been used in more than 60 films, including Hollywood blockbusters. The University of Southern California where Barbič works as a professor of computer science wrote on X that the award was a huge win for cinematic innovation. It described the software as a tool that gives CGI characters muscles, fat and skin that move just like human tissue.

Exhibition on Slovenian women in concentration camps opens in Maribor

MARIBOR - A documentary exhibition on Slovenian women in concentration camps opened at the Maribor Synagogue as part of a memorial ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During WWII, around 21,000 people were deported from present-day Slovenia to German concentration camps, of which around a quarter were women. The exhibition was first put on display last year at the National Museum of Contemporary History in Ljubljana, but its latest iteration has seen some changes.

Slovenia makes Virtuoso list of top luxury experiences for 2025

LJUBLJANA - Virtuoso, the leading global network specialising in luxury and experiential travel, has picked Slovenia as one of nine must-have experiences of luxury travel for 2025. Virtuoso's 2025 Luxe Report describes Slovenia as a "rising European gem" and an "adventure lover's playground". The list is based on inputs from more than 2,200 travel advisors across 48 countries who identify top trends in luxury tourism.