MARIBOR

Bulgaria is set to enhance its support for organic agriculture, as outlined by Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Georgi Takhov during an international forum on "Organic Agriculture as a Foundation for Sustainable Farming in the Region" held in Maribor, Slovenia.

Alice and Žiga Erlač Shepherd, an English-Slovenian couple, will cycle from Maribor to Southampton and back to collect donations for cancer patients in Slovenia and England and to raise awareness about cancer and about the importance of expanding the registry of stem cell donors.

More than 2,400 young athletes from 48 countries have converged on Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, for the summer edition European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). Running between 23 and 29 July, the festival will see a rich accompanying programme. Entry to most venues will be free.

Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, will launch its first international primary school programme in September, joining Ljubljana in catering to the needs of internationally mobile families.

With less than two months to go until the opening of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Maribor, the Flame of Peace has arrived in Slovenia's second city marking the symbolic start of the biggest sporting event the city has ever seen.

Staff at all three public universities in Slovenia staged a strike on 30 May, demanding a fair pay system in higher education and respectful attitude from the government, and warning about what they see as harmful changes to the Higher Education Act.

After being forced to scale down production during the pandemic due to a slump in demand for airport buses, the Maribor-based commercial vehicle manufacturer TAM-Europe is back in business in global markets this year. It has recently supplied ten airport buses to Saudi Arabia.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on 31 March, his first to the war-torn country. Talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal focused on Slovenia's potential participation in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and the country's progress towards EU and NATO membership.

Six years ago a small Maribor-based family-run business Kokica brought the first gourmet popcorn to the Slovenian market. The popcorn in vibrant colours under the trademark Pokica now fills the shelves of Slovenian and Swiss stores, with plans to expand to Germany and one day to the US.

Young artists will take centre stage in a new gallery in Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, that opened on 17 March. The first exhibition, by Iva Ferlinc, is entitled Transitions.