National Assembly

Ljubljana – Jorg Kristijan Petrovič, first deputy president of the Slovenian Court of Audit, has been put forward as Slovenia’s candidate for European Court of Auditors once again, after the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee turned down his nomination without debate in mid-October.

The former leader of Albania's main opposition Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, on Tuesday told supporters in the central town of Kavaja that he intends a return to the helm of the party he left in 2013, in a direct challenge to the current leader, Lulzim Basha.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly endorsed at first reading on Tuesday changes to the gaming act that introduce partial liberalisation of the field and allow for multiple organisers of classic games of chance. The centre-left opposition obstructed the session. Employees from the gaming sector and charities strongly oppose the changes.

Ljubljana – The newspaper Delo looks at the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) in Tuesday’s front-page commentary, saying it is going “down the road of no return” and that “its one-way ticket will not take it to parliament” in the next election. There is actually no rational reason to justify the existence of single-issue parties, the paper says.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor told the news portal N1 on Saturday that in his capacity as president he had neither the right nor the competence nor the duty to say that enough is enough in the current tense situation. The president does not have the power to decide on the fate of the government, he noted.

Ljubljana – The parliamentary Home Policy Committee voted down late on Friday evening a motion by the centre-left opposition calling for a snap election. The emergency session, which lasted for more than nine hours, discussed the situation in the country. The government finds the motion to be unwarranted.

One way to deal with high inflation is to support production and introduce tax breaks. Reducing VAT on food will increase collection and brighten the industry. The introduction of a "Green Certificate" at around 20% vaccination is a mistake that can lead to a slowdown in economic development.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly voted 47 in favour and 37 against on Wednesday to endorse a bill amending the pharmacy practice act which lifts the ban on vertical integration of pharmacies and drug wholesalers in cases when the wholesaler is incorporated by a public pharmacy or municipality.

Ljubljana – Rok Svetlič, a nominee for a Constitutional Court judge, presented his bid at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, rejecting claims that he had spoken about shooting migrants at a consultation on migration and the foreigners act in the summer of 2020. He also said no party, guild or university department was behind his bid.

Bled – A two-day Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, which focussed on the independence of judiciary at the institutional level and the level of judges, concludes in Bled on Tuesday. Supreme Court president Damijan Florjančič said new situations challenging this were emerging all the time.