Latest News from Slovenia
Slovenian experts say no reasons to suspend vaccination with AstraZeneca
Ljubljana – The Covid-19 vaccination advisory group of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) has said that, for the time being, there are not reasons to suspend vaccination with any of the Covid-19 vaccines, with monitoring showing that they do not cause blood clots and, if they do, this happens very rarely.
NSi leader downplays fallout from MEP’s criticism
Ljubljana – Matej Tonin, the leader of the Christian democratic party New Slovenia (NSi), argued strong internal democracy in the party as he responded on Friday to scathing criticism expressed by the party’s former leader, MEP Ljudmila Novak.
Year into office, govt pledges to fight Covid on, implement coalition agreement
Brdo pri Kranju – Prime Minister Janez Janša pledged for the government to respond to a third wave of the coronavirus epidemic, which he said could realistically be expected, and implement key commitments in the coalition agreement, as he addressed reporters with the other coalition leaders a day before a year will have passed since his government assumed office.
Govt’s first year in office strongly marked by epidemic
Ljubljana – The government of Janez Janša took over a year ago, just as the coronavirus epidemic started. Analysts think the cabinet has failed in communication with the public during the epidemic, while businesses assess stimulus measures as mostly good. In foreign policy, the government has moved to strengthen ties with neighbouring countries.
7-day average of new infections falls below 700
Ljubljana – Slovenia saw another 770 people test positive for coronavirus on Thursday, to push the 7-day average of new cases to 689, data released by the government show. Eight patients with Covid-19 died.
Of the 5,222 PCR tests performed yesterday 14.7% came back positive. In addition, 25,447 rapid antigen tests were performed.
Democracy Digest: Media Freedom and Rule of Law in the Spotlight
Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova, who opened the debate, also expressed concern about developments in the three countries: she explicitly referred to Klubradio, Hungary's last independent station, which lost its broadcasting licence; to Poland's new tax on advertising, which could end up disproportionately hitting independent newspapers; and to "continuous attempts to undermine the sustai
Slovenia to get 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine fewer than planned
Ljubljana – A new shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Slovenia on Thursday, containing 14,400 shots, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) told the STA. However, in the next couple of weeks, 100,000 doses fewer than planned will be supplied, the NIJZ added.
Spanish FM announces support for Slovenia’s EU presidency
Ljubljana – Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya announced her country’s support for Slovenia’s presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year as she met Slovenian counterpart Anže Logar in Ljubljana on Thursday. The pair also talked about resilience of the EU and migrations, which are among the priorities of the presidency.
Govt adopts building energy efficiency improvement strategy
Ljubljana – The government adopted on Thursday a strategy for improvement of energy efficiency of buildings until 2050 that, among other things, defines decarbonisation approaches and policies of the National Housing Fund.
Italian group Safilo to close Ormož plant
Ormož – The Italian group Safilo announced on Thursday that it intends to shut down its eyewear production plant in Ormož in the north-east of Slovenia in June to adjust production capacities to meet changing demand. A total of 557 workers will lose their jobs, the group added.
Tourist farms suffered least in 2020
Ljubljana – Slovenia’s tourism sector took a significant hit last year due to the global pandemic, with nearly all providers seeing their figures plummet, as the number of tourists halved compared to 2019. The only exception were tourist farms, where the number of nights was roughly the same, data from the Statistics Office show.
Exhibition on Slovenian sport technology on show in Bistra
Bistra – An exhibition on Slovenian sport technology is on display at the Technical Museum of Slovenia (TMS) in Bistra, presenting until the end of the year a review of the creations by Slovenian makers of equipment for sports on land, in the air and water.
Companies Linked to Politicians Win Serbian Street-Light Contracts Again
Three companies that have links to people who are close to Serbian and Hungarian government politicians won yet more contracts in Serbia in 2020 to refurbish street lighting using LED lights.
SMC council to discuss future steps, Počivalšek leadership
Ljubljana – The council of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) is meeting today to discuss current affairs and the party’s future course of action. Unofficial information indicates party leader Zdravko Počivalšek’s role will also be discussed as some would like to see him replaced.
Jourova voices concern over media situation in Slovenia
Brussels – Addressing the EU Parliament plenary on Wednesday, EU Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova pointed to continuous attempts to undermine the sustainable funding and the independence of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). She also noted that frequent verbal attacks against journalists in the country were cause for concern.