News roundup - Tuesday, 25 February

SDS announces motion of no confidence in Golob government

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democratic Party (SDS) announced a motion of no confidence in the Robert Golob government following the prime minister's failure to apologise for his claim regarding an SDS-spearheaded 2012 change in the calculation of pensions. The motion, the SDS's second in less than three years, follows Monday's ouster motion against National Assembly Vice President Nataša Sukič, who also refused to apologise for her claim that the SDS, whose head Janez Janša addressed a recent pensioner-focused anti-government rally, had lowered the pension base rate. The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) expressed support for the motion, while coalition parties see it as a start of election campaign.

Slovenia abstains in Ukraine vote, argues peace should be based on UN Charter

NEW YORK, US - Slovenia was among the five UN Security Council members that abstained in Monday's 10:0 vote in favour of the US-proposed resolution calling for a swift end to hostilities and a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia. Slovenia hopes that work could now begin on a resolution that will reflect the views of the countries from the region. "Slovenia firmly believes that peace must be based on the UN Charter, including sovereign equality and territorial integrity," the Slovenian mission to the UN said in its first response.

Slovenia says Gaza belongs to its residents

NEW YORK, US - As the UN Security Council held a session on the situation in the Middle East, Slovenia's Ambassador Samuel Žbogar stressed that Gaza belongs to its residents and expressed concerns over the proposals for their relocation. "Palestinians must determine their own future," Žbogar said, expressing concern over the continued violence in the West Bank. He restated Slovenia's support for the two-state solution.

Commission for National Communities endorses media bill

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for National Communities unanimously endorsed the part of the new media bill that concerns the Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities in Slovenia. The commission proposed to the government to provide more budgetary funds for the digital content of the ethnic minorities' media outlets. It also tasked the government with examining possibilities to change the status of the Hungarian minority's only print media, the weekly Nepujsag.

Progress in talks on ombudsman candidate as coalition backs Bervar Sternad

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar wrapped up a third round of talks with deputy group leaders on several appointments, including a candidate for human rights ombudsman. Katarina Bervar Sternad now enjoys the coalition's support in a development welcomed by Pirc Musar as progress, but there is still a way to go to achieve the needed two-thirds majority. The opposition parties meanwhile said that they would present their views once the president nominated the candidates.

Cyber incidents up 7% in 2024

LJUBLJANA - The national cybersecurity response centre SI-Cert handled 4,587 cyber incidents last year, a 7% increase compared to the previous year. Crypto investment scams again stood out in terms of volume and financial losses, while attackers continued shifting their focus to mobile devices. SI-Cert addressed 1,583 cases of victims being lured to fake websites or phishing and 97 cryptocurrency investment scams, shows the 2024 cybersecurity report, which includes police data. SI-Cert warned of rising critical device vulnerabilities, which can lead to data theft, ransomware attacks, operational disruptions, or compromised devices being weaponised to conceal criminal activity.

NSi tables legislative changes to address Roma problems

LJUBLJANA - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) tabled last week a package of legislative proposals addressing Roma problems, NSi MP and vice-president Vida Čadonič Špelič announced. The changes include driver licence and welfare limitations. The National Assembly rejected similar proposals by NSi in autumn, while the government is working on a set of changes of its own.

OZS calls for delay in long-term care contribution collection

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) urged a one year delay to the start of collecting the long-term care contribution, which should begin in July. The conditions for the collection have not been met yet and it is not clear how the act on long-term care will be implemented, OZS president Blaž Cvar said.

Slovenian, Hungarian minorities want more funds for projects

SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary - The Slovenian minority in Hungary and the Hungarian minority in Slovenia would like to get more funds from the Slovenian-Hungarian development fund Muraba for their projects, minority representatives said on Monday as the fund's programme board met for its first session this year. The funds provided by the fund, which was set up by the Slovenian and Hungarian governments in 2021, are capped at EUR 25 million in five years. The representatives said they expected more funds than planned to be allocated, arguing that their projects were estimated at tens of millions of euros.

Ballet dancer Milko Šparemblek dies

ZAGREB, Croatia - Milko Šparemblek, a ballet choreographer of world renown, has died aged 96. He received Slovenia's top lifetime achievement award for artists, the Prešeren Prize, in 2020. His original stylistic expression was said to be so singular that it could not be defined by any dance-theoretical or dance-historical label. He put on stage more than 150 ballet, opera and theatrical productions for 45 theatres worldwide, while also collaborating in TV shows and art films. He died in Zagreb after spending most of his career in Paris.

Artistic take on Africa issues at Jakopič Gallery

LJUBLJANA - The Jakopič Gallery in Ljubljana launched an exhibition of photographs by Ethiopian artist Aida Muluneh. She uses African symbols, patterns and vibrant colours to explore issues such as water scarcity, gender equality, hunger and the consequences of war, while reimagining the visual language of Africa. The exhibition On the Edge of Past Future, produced by Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, presents the artist's most prominent series in the past decade, including The Water Life (2018), which illuminates the impact of water scarcity on women in rural Ethiopia through powerful portraits.

Finest finds from Emonika site on show at City Museum

LJUBLJANA - The finest and most interesting finds discovered in ancient Roman graves during archaeological excavations at the building site of Emonika, the commercial complex of the future Ljubljana Passenger Centre, have been put on display at the Ljubljana City Museum. A total of 228 graves were discovered at the site during excavations in the spring and summer 2024, with the finds dating from 1st to 4th centuries.

Caged bear to be moved to sanctuary in Austria

LJUBLJANA - After years of efforts for several caged bears in Slovenia to be moved to a sanctuary, the owner of one of the bears has agreed for the bear to be moved to the Arbesbach sanctuary in Austria. The bear named Felix was born in 1991 and spent his life in Kočevje in a small concrete enclosure next to a busy road. Two more bears remain in captivity in Slovenia. Keeping wild animals in captivity has been illegal in Slovenia since 2004 but the bears that were in captivity before the legislation entered into force are exempt from the rule.