Slovenia

Slovenia has secured an exemption from a voluntary EU target under which member states have pledged to continue reducing natural gas consumption until March 2024, a move the authorities say is vital for the country.

Slovenia and Croatia agreed to sign a solidarity agreement on gas supply and enhance cooperation in response to a surge in illegal migration as the countries' prime ministers met in Slovenia on 28 March. The countries are also in favour of building a second unit at the jointly owned nuclear power plant.

The leader of Slovenia's largest opposition party, Janez Janša, revisited Kyiv on 27 March, a year after he visited the Ukrainian capital in his capacity as prime minister, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion. Slovenia's current Prime Minister Robert Golob is to visit Kyiv soon.

The number of countries participating in the European Defense Agency (EDA) coordinated munitions collective purchase project announced a week ago has reached 24.

Among them are 23 countries from the European Union and Norway. Bulgaria does not participate.

At the end of last week, five more countries joined the original 18 countries:

Some 600 volunteers of all ages joined foresters in five locations around Slovenia to plant roughly 6,000 saplings of trees as part of the annual reforestation campaign on 25 March.

Negotiations are taking place between Moscow and western countries to exchange the two suspected Russian spies detained in Slovenia for a person or people currently in jail in Russia, the Guardian reported from Ljubljana on 24 March, citing an unnamed source.

Prices of residential properties in Slovenia kept rising last year but the number of transactions fell, in particular in Ljubljana. Overall, prices rose by 11.3%, fresh statistics show.

The increase in home prices recorded in 2022 was the second most substantial in recent years and follows a 15.8% spike the year before.

The Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador after the indictment against two alleged Russian spies who were apprehended in Slovenia in December last year became final and the pair were remanded in custody.

Slovenia defeated Kazakhstan 2:1 in Astana on 23 March to successfully open their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign after turning around a 0:1 deficit at half-time.

Slovenia, currently 62nd team in the FIFA rankings, have never started any of their qualifying rounds with an away win before. This is also the first time for them to take on Kazakhstan, which rank 115th.

Retail businesses in Slovenia must again give out a receipt for goods or services to customers, who have to accept it after this was required only at the customer's request for more than a year.