Latest News from Slovenia
Ljubljana airport operator hoping for revival in spring
Brnik – Although regular passenger transport at Ljubljana airport has been slashed because of the epidemiological situation, Fraport Slovenija director Zmago Skobir remains optimistic. He is confident the airport will come to life again in the spring.
Telekom secures EIB loan to expand fibre optic network
Ljubljana – Telekom Slovenije has signed a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) worth up to EUR 100 million for the expansion of its fibre optic network through 2023.
EU court rules Slovenia breached inviolability of ECB archives
Luxembourg – The European Court of Justice has ruled that Slovenia breached the inviolability of ECB archives in a 2016 police search of archives at the country’s central bank that was part of an investigation into the 2013 bank bailout.
EUR 5.67 billion in borrowing planned for next year
Ljubljana, 17 December – The budget financing programme for 2021, adopted by the government on Wednesday, shows that EUR 5.67 billion in borrowing is needed next year. In that case, the central government budget debt would increase to EUR 36.62 billion or around 75% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Snowboarder Košir wins bronze in Carezza
Cortina d’Ampezzo – Snowboarder Žan Košir won bronze in the parallel giant slalom in a World Cup race in Italy’s Carezza on Thursday to return to the podium after almost a year. Austria celebrated a double victory with Benjamin Karl in first and Andreas Prommegger in second place.
Pensioners Party Quits Slovenia Coalition in Blow to Jansa
The council of the Slovenian Pensioners' Party, DeSUS, voted on Thursday to leave the right-wing coalition led by Janez Jansa of the Slovenian Democratic Party, SDS, and back new party leader Karl Erjavec as a candidate for the post of prime minister-designate.
CNSU updates high epidemiological risk areas; quarantine imposed on people arriving from these areas
The National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) on Thursday updated the list of countries / areas / territories of high epidemiological risk in the case of which the quarantine measure is instituted on the persons arriving to Romania.
Lampič, Roglič and handball team declared best in sports in 2020
Ljubljana – Cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič, cyclist Primož Roglič and the men’s handball team are this year’s crème de la crème of Slovenian sports as selected by the Association of Sports Journalists. Both the athletes and the team received the top sports awards at the 2020 Athlete of the Year ceremony on Wednesday.
Four companies win FDI Awards as best foreign investors
Ljubljana – Atlantic Droga Kolinska, Belinka Perkemija, TKK and iSystem Labs were honoured on Wednesday as best foreign investors for their excellent business performance and contribution to the development of the Slovenian economy. The awards are given out annually by the SPIRIT investment promotion agency and the economy ministry.
Railways operator signs strategic partnership with Czech holding
Ljubljana – Railways operator Slovenske Železnice has signed a strategic logistics and cargo partnership with the Czech EP Holding. Under the agreement signed on Wednesday by CEOs Dušan Mes and Daniel Kretinski, the Czech holding will become the owner of a 49% stake of Slovenske Železnice’s cargo division SŽ-Tovorni Promet.
Pandemic, W Balkans in focus of CEDC ministerial
Postojna – The experiences of individual armies in helping to fight the Covid-19 epidemic and the strengthening of cooperation with countries in the Western Balkans were in the focus of a two-day meeting of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC), an initiative chaired this year by Slovenia, that ended in Postojna on Wednesday.
Judge candidate Brkan confident she could win MPs, pass Committee 255 hearing
Ljubljana – EU law expert Maja Brkan is confident she can pass Committee 225’s vetting to become a new Slovenian judge on the General Court of the European Union, if her candidacy is endorsed by Slovenian parliament. She believes, based on her expertise and experience, she could become one of Slovenia’s two judges on this court.
EU Commission inquiring more about Slovenia’s views this year, says Stančič
Ending speculations that votes for a change in power have already been secured, the leader of KUL, Jože P. Damijan, told the press on Monday that the newly formed coalition of four left-leaning opposition parties was still waiting to secure seven more votes in parliament before filing a motion of no-confidence in the government.
Minister says hydrogen use for energy storage will be a priority
Ljubljana – Speaking at an online conference Energy Innovation ’20 hosted by company Prosperia, Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said on Wednesday that a period of change and innovation in hydrogen technologies, batteries and many other sectors was just beginning. He said a priority would be the use of hydrogen for energy storage.
Logar calls for more business cooperation with the Netherlands
The Hague – Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his counterpart Stefan Blok as part of his working visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday to discuss cooperation, Slovenia’s EU presidency, and topical issues. Logar expressed interest in strengthening economic cooperation between Slovenia and the Netherlands, especially in digitalisation and green technology.