News roundup - Friday, 14 February

First estimate puts Slovenia's GDP growth last year at 1.6%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's GDP increased by 1.6% in 2024, shows the initial estimate of the Statistics Office. Final consumption expenditure, comprised of household and government spending, contributed positively to GDP growth. It increased by 3.5%, owing above all to an 8.5% increase in government spending, while household consumption increased by 1.6%, the Statistics Office said. On the other hand, gross fixed capital formation and external trade had a negative impact, as the former decreased by 3.7% and and imports and exports dropped by 3.9% and 3.2%, respectively. Seasonally adjusted, GDP grew by 1.3%.

Attending Munich conference, FM calls on superpowers to serve people

MUNICH, Germany - FM Tanja Fajon said that superpowers should serve the world and its peoples and not impose domination as she took part in the Munich Security Conference. She believes Europe should stand together while facing security challenges. Security is not just about defence spending but also about the issue of a strong welfare state, she said as she stressed the importance of the rule of law, political dialogue and multilateralism. She is confident that Slovenia is an honest broker between superpowers at a time when the security situation around the world is intensifying.

Committee votes down changes legalising alcohol consumption in schools

LJUBLJANA - Following a heated debate, the parliamentary Health Committee voted down changes to the Restrictions on the Use of Alcohol Act drafted by the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) in an attempt to legalise the sale of alcohol at non-school events held on school premises. The changes were rejected with nine votes in favour and none against after opposition MPs accused committee chair Tamara Kozlovič, an MP for the senior coalition Freedom Movement, of violating the rules of procedure and left the session before the vote. SDS MP Žan Mahnič said that the party would file the changes again.

Supreme Prosecution Service has "no reason" to doubt police decisions over security protection

LJUBLJANA - State Prosecutor General Katarina Bergant responded to the controversy over the removal of the security detail of prosecutors in the Kavač Clan trial, saying that for the time being they had no reason to doubt the decision by the police to end physical protection. Mateja Gončin, one of the prosecutors in the trial has apparently justifiably warned of certain irregularities in the conduct by the police, Bergant said but added that the police alone had the responsibility to correct these irregularities.

EPP MEP visiting Slovenia to assess rule of law

LJUBLJANA - Spanish MEP Adrian Vazquez Lazara (EPP/PP) started his visit to Slovenia to assess the state of the rule of law at the invitation of MEP Matej Tonin (EPP/NSi). Exposed police practices and lowering the budget funds for the Court of Audit and National Council show that the rule of law in Slovenia is weakened, Tonin said as the two held a press conference in Ljubljana. During his visit to Slovenia Vazquez Lazara will meet National Council President Marko Lotrič, representatives of the Court of Audit and state prosecutors, as well as former acting police chief Boštjan Lindav.

Rop gets EUR 100,000 in damages after classified info acquittal

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court has, according to the newspaper Delo, upheld a first-instance court ruling which awarded former Prime Minister Anton Rop damages of around EUR 100,000, interest included. Rop sued the state after he was acquitted of the accusations of disclosing classified information to a journalist. A first-instance court decided last November that the state must pay him EUR 30,000 for non-pecuniary damage and EUR 60,611 for pecuniary damage.

Equinox's net profit up nearly a quarter last year

LJUBLJANA - Equinox, a real estate company whose portfolio includes four hotels in the centre of Ljubljana, saw its net sales revenue increase by 11.4% to EUR 8.67 million in 2024 from the year before and its net profit by 23% to 1.07 million. EBITDA increased by 4.9% to EUR 6.23 million, and funds from operations (FFO), the most widely monitored performance indicator for real estate firms, rose by 8.4% to EUR 6.98 million, which is EUR 3.89 per share. "We had a good year," chairman Peter Krivc said as he presented the 2024 results, adding that the company was financially very stable.

Boscarol reportedly buying Cimos facility in Senožeče

SENOŽEČE - Businessman and developer Ivo Boscarol is buying the production facility of the automotive industry supplier Cimos in Senožeče, southwest, one of the Koper-based group's three locations in Slovenia, Primorske Novice reported. The deal between the Cimos owner, the German financial fund Mutares, which has recently put the factory and the adjacent land up for sale at the opening price of EUR 4.2 million, and Boscarol, is reportedly just about to be finalised. The newspaper says that there had been quite a lot of interest in the facility and land, and that Boscarol's bid was by far the best.

Swiss-owned EV charging business in liquidation

LJUBLJANA - Landis+Gyr, the Swiss owner of a leading, Slovenian-based EV charging stations maker, said that the company, formerly named Etrel, was in liquidation. Earlier this week, Landis+Gyr said it would be winding down its EV charging infrastructure segment. Landis+Gyr said today that it had adopted the decision to discontinue its Slovenian subsidiary Landis+Gyr EV Solutions. The liquidation process was launched on Thursday, giving creditors 30 days to report their claims, according to a press release posted on the website of the agency for legal records AJPES.

Twenty-four airlines to fly to Ljubljana airport in summer season

BRNIK - As the summer season kicks off at Ljubljana airport on 30 March, passengers will have 24 airlines to pick from to fly to 26 destinations abroad, airport operator Fraport Slovenija said. The new airlines this season are KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and German budget carrier Eurowings. KLM will fly daily to Amsterdam, while Eurowings, which is part of Lufthansa, will fly to Düsseldorf, a German business hub, three times a week from mid-April.

Voice of the People protest calls on govt to fulfil promises

LJUBLJANA - The civil initiative Voice of the People staged a cycling protest against the ruling coalition, accusing them of fulfilling their promises and commitments too slowly. They believe not enough progress was made regarding the housing crisis, public healthcare and green transition. The coalition has fulfilled only 12 and broken 15 of the 122 commitments it gave when it started its term three years ago, they said. This was the first such protest since 2022, as cycling protests were staged throughout the entire term of the previous government in 2020-2022.

Police arrest members of foreign crime ring cashing out ATMs

MARIBOR - The Maribor police have arrested members of a foreign criminal group targetting cash machines in Slovenia after three men attempted to empty an ATM in Malečnik, a village on the outskirts of Maribor, early on 8 February. The Maribor Police Department told the press that the group was comprised of two Romanians and a Moldovan citizen. The investigation showed that the 26-year-old Romanian citizen was also involved in a similar ATM robbery in Koper in early December.

Research shows ancient Egyptian mummies smell of wood, spice

LJUBLJANA - Ancient Egyptian mummies analysed by researchers from Ljubljana and London have woody, spicy and sweet scent, shows the first systemic research into smells of mummified bodies where electronic and human noses were applied. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society this week. Apart from the smell of mummies the research also brings some new insights into mummification practices in ancient Egypt. It was conducted by Slovenian, UK and Polish researchers.

Slovenian researchers unveil secret love life of crickets

LJUBLJANA - A study published by Slovenian researchers has unveiled that crickets are not just musicians, but true masters of stunning courtship displays, showing that males put on an elaborate vibroacoustic display for females before mating, consisting of singing and dancing. The team at the National Institute of Biology, considered a pioneer and leader in the field of vibrational animal communication or biotremology, revealed that their love song consists not only of the sound produced by the characteristic wing rubbing or stridulation but also vibrational signals inaudible to the human ear.

Film by Slovenian director to open new competition section at Berlinale

LJUBLJANA - Little Trouble Girls by Urška Djukić, the director and screenwriter of the multi award-winning Granny's Sexual Life, will open the new official competitive section Perspectives at the Berlinale film festival tonight. Opening the competitive strand for fiction feature debuts, the film will have its world premiere in Berlin, while it will premiere in Slovenia on 3 March before hitting cinemas around the country.

Celje draw with APOEL, Olimpija lose to Borac in first leg

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina/CELJE - The Slovenian clubs in the UEFA Conference League knockout phase play-offs had a so-so first leg on Thursday as the national champions Celje played out a 2:2 draw with APOEL Nicosia at home, while Olimpija Ljubljana suffered a minimal defeat at the hands of the Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka on the road. The second leg of the knockout phase play-offs will be played next Thursday, with Celje travelling to Nicosia and Olimpija hosting Borac.