Latest News from Slovenia
Friday protesters note importance of fight for human rights
Ljubljana – The Friday protesters gathered last evening in Ljubljana’s Republic Square, dedicating this week’s protest to Human Rights Day to emphasise the importance of fight for their protection. They said that these were often violated precisely because of conscious acts and policies of the current authorities in Slovenia.
Croatia is ready for Schengen
Croatia meets the necessary conditions to implement all parts of the Schengen acquis.
This is the conclusion reached by the Council of the EU.
The report on the issue was adopted at today's Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels. This was announced by Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs, whose country holds the EU presidency.
Covid-19 tracker most searched Google entry in Slovenia in 2021
Ljubljana – Slovenians this year searched the web most often for information about the coronavirus, as shown by Google’s data on Slovenia’s most frequent searches in 2021. The data tracker website Covid-19 Sledilnik was the most searched entry, followed by the weather and Euro 2020, said the PR & Public Affairs Agency Grayling Slovenija.
Hojs says Croatia meets conditions for entering Schengen Area
Brussels – Coming out of a meeting of EU home affairs ministers, Slovenia’s Aleš Hojs said it had been agreed that Croatia meets the conditions for entering the Schengen Area, and that it was a key step towards a final decision on the expansion of the no-passport zone. Hojs believes other steps will follow relatively soon.
Pahor calls for respectful dialogue at Biden’s democracy summit
Washington/Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor took part on Thursday in a virtual summit for democracy hosted by US President Joe Biden to draw attention to the crisis of confidence in democratic institutions and the low level of political and legal culture. He called for a respectful dialogue that includes the willingness to reconcile different views.
Govt raises wages of police employees over increased workload
Ljubljana – The government decided on Thursday to increase wages of employees of the police force and the Interior Ministry due to the increased volume of work and special workload related to support tasks of the police. The decision will be applied as of December wages.
Hojs says EURODAC reform elusive during Slovenia’s presidency
Brussels – Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expressed the hope that progress could still be made by the end of 2021 on changes to the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (EURODAC), a part of the new Migration Pact. He noted that there would not be a major breakthrough regarding the pact during the Slovenian EU presidency and it had not been expected either.
New Year’s Eve Kiss celebrates 50th anniversary
Maribor – A pop song without which Slovenians can hardly imagine a New Year’s Eve is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To mark the anniversary, a museum in Maribor honoured its singer and citizen Alfi Nipič with an exhibition which traces his 60-year career while he marked the anniversary in hospital ill with Covid-19.
Anti-Covid drug molnupiravir available from next week
Ljubljana – The anti-viral drug molnupiravir will be available for treatment of Covid-19 in Slovenia expectedly from Monday after doses for over 5,700 treatments have already arrived in the country. The medicine will be prescribed to adults, except pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, who are likely to develop a severe form of Covid-19.
Microplastics found in 75% of Slovenian rivers
Ljubljana – To highlight the problem of plastic pollution, over 1400 students in 100 Slovenian schools joined forces with scientists within the EU’s Plastic Pirates project. Over the course of one year, young people helped scientists to sample microplastics in rivers, which contaminated more than three-quarters of the rivers analysed.
Debate calls for recognition of German-speaking community
Ljubljana – A panel discussion on the German-speaking community in Slovenia on Wednesday heard calls for dialogue and for the community’s recognition, but there was no consensus on how to attain that.
European Parliament to vote on Slovenia resolution next week
Strasbourg – The European Parliament will take a vote on a resolution on the rule of law and fundamental rights in Slovenia at the plenary session in Strasbourg next Thursday, follows from the agenda endorsed by the parliament’s leadership today. The draft resolution is not available yet as the deadline for its submission has been moved from today to Friday.
Nearly 1,850 coronavirus cases confirmed as epidemic continues to recede
Ljubljana – A total of 1,847 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Tuesday, a daily drop of 5% and a weekly drop of 18%, show the figures the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) released on Wednesday. 28% of all PCR tests came back positive, a weekly drop of around 4 percentage points. 16 Covid-19 patients died.
Ban on blood donation for homosexual men found discriminatory
Ljubljana – Equal Opportunities Ombudsman Miha Lobnik has noted that the permanent ban on blood donations for all homosexual men is discriminatory, as they are excluded from taking part in this important philanthropic activity despite the fact that the safety of blood donations is also ensured by additional testing for viruses.
Documentary made on Janja Garnbret’s climb to Olympic gold
Ljubljana – After winning gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Slovenia’s sports climbing superstar Janja Garnbret will be paid tribute with a documentary film that follows her training for the competition along with three other climbers.