News roundup - Thursday, 13 February, until 3pm

Exemption from RES contribution for households extended

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a decree by which household electricity consumers will be fully exempt from paying the contribution to support renewable energy production at least until July. The decree also eliminates the negative consequences of the new network charge system on certain seasonal consumers. The decree actually extends the exemption for household consumers for the payment of the contribution to support electricity production from high-efficiency cogeneration and renewable energy sources, which was set to expire at the end of February.

Energy Agency also under pressure from electricity distributors

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's electricity distributors called on the Energy Agency to increase financial resources for grid investments, warning that rising financing and operational costs threaten essential green transition upgrades. The agency has yet to take a stance on the proposal, which could result in higher grid fees despite efforts to reign them in.

Government appoints acting director of Spirit agency

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Rok Capl as the director of the investment promotion agency Spirit and appointed Tamara Zajec Balažič acting director. Capl offered his resignation last month over the selection of EU funds recipients under an open call for the restructuring of coal regions. It came in the wake of media reports casting suspicion on the selection of recipients in the call promoting restructuring investment in the Zasavje and Savinja-Šalek regions.

Education development funding to be tied to GDP

LJUBLJANA - The government discussed the changes to the Organisation and Financing of Education Act, which would gradually increase funding for development of education from 0.25% of GDP or EUR 187 to 0.5% of GDP in 2036, and change the appointment process for head teachers and limit the powers of school councils.

EUR 2.4m for municipalities with Italian, Hungarian minorities

LJUBLJANA - The municipalities populated by members of the Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities will receive a total of EUR 2.37 million in 2025 to finance bilingual projects and implementation of constitutional rights of the two minorities, the government decided. Under the law, municipalities with the Italian or Hungarian ethnic minority are entitled to 0.15% of total municipal expenditure every year, the Government Office for National Minorities said after the government session.

Prison staff protest against overcrowdedness, low pay, understaffing

LJUBLJANA/DOB - Prison guards staged a one-hour protest urging the government to immediately address severe overcrowdedness at prisons, low pay and a severe shortage of staff. Justice Minister Andreja Katič said she regretted the protest, adding that she understood it. Zoran remic, the boss of Dob prison, the largest in the country, expressed support, saying it was an urgent cry for help. The situation at Dob is "truly unbearable", he said. "For instance, the maximum security ward is at 136% capacity today, while some other wards are at up to 175% capacity."

Govt declares 2026 year of modernist poet Kosovel

LJUBLJANA - The government declared 2026 the Year of Srečko Kosovel (1904-1926), commemorating the 100th anniversary of the renowned poet's passing. The initiative, first proposed by the city of Sežana, received backing from the Writers' Association and has been recognised by the Ministry of Culture as a key national cultural project. Kosovel remains one of the most influential figures in Slovenian modernist poetry. Despite his untimely death at the age of 22, he left behind a vast and powerful literary legacy that marked 20th-century Slovenian literature.