Government Communications Office

Ljubljana – The government appointed journalist Petra Bezjak Cirman acting director of the Government Communications Office (UKOM) at a correspondence session on Thursday. A public call for applications for a full-fledged boss will be issued in two months, Prime Minister Rober Golob has said.

Ljubljana – Previous Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced on Monday he will run for president in the autumn election. He has the support of his party, the opposition Democrats (SDS).

Ljubljana – The government has approved motions for Slovenia to sign the NATO accession protocols of Sweden and Finland. A session of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee has been called for tomorrow morning to discuss the two motions.

Ljubljana – Marta Kos, vice-president of the Freedom Movement, has officially announced her bid for the presidency of the republic. She will run as her party’s candidate, while the other two coalition parties said following her announcement on Tuesday that they would likely run with candidates of their own.

Ljubljana – Due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine the government decided to ban Russian aircraft from Slovenia’s airspace at a correspondence session on Saturday after a number of European countries made the same move. The decision enters into force today and will remain in place “until the reasons for it cease to apply”, the government said.

Ljubljana – The Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy has provided free legal aid to more than 1,200 people since it was established a year ago. The legal advocacy NGO has also been active when it comes to legislative amendments and appeals, the organisation said.

Ljubljana – Representatives of STA staff have send a letter to top EU officials noting that despite calls to restore the financing of the STA, the issue has still not been resolved. Moral support by senior representatives of the EU unfortunately no longer suffices, the letter reads.

Ljubljana – The government’s regulation that details how the STA should perform its public service and defines the scope of public service, its financing and the manner in which an annual agreement on public service should be reached came into effect on Saturday.

Ljubljana – The government has passed legislation that involves EUR 1.9 billion in spending on health investments over the next ten years for hospitals and educational institutions to beef up the capacity of the national health system. The money will be secured in regular annual budgets from 2021 to 2031.

Ljubljana – The new government regulation that details how the STA should perform its public service does not address the underlying issues relevant to the agency’s survival and development, it raises new questions, STA staff said after the government adopted the regulation.