STA

A new report published on Wednesday says that Slovenia, which takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on Friday, "has seen press freedom deteriorate ever since [Prime Minister Janez] Jansa returned to power in March 2020".

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša has reproached Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović for what he sees as her being part of a fake news network. This comes after Mijatović recently warned about the deterioration of media freedom and freedom of expression in Slovenia.

Strasbourg – Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović urged the Slovenian authorities in a memorandum published on Friday to put a stop to the deterioration of the situation regarding media freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

The European Commission on Thursday said that it had approved, under EU state aid rules, the Slovenian government's compensation of 2.5 million euros to the Slovenian Press Agency, STA, "to fulfil its public service mission", which is currently hindered by disagreements with the government led by Janez Jansa.

The International Press Institute said on Tuesday that it has joined four other media watchdog organisations in writing to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to express concerns over a decline in press freedom in Slovenia since the government of Janez Jansa came to power.

Ljubljana – A group of 19 NGOs and associations advocating media and human rights urged the EU on Tuesday to “take decisive action to protect independent journalism” in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. The call comes a day before a debate on threats to media freedom in the three countries to be held at the European Parliament.

The Slovenian Government Communication Office, UKOM, has faced strong criticism after it announced this week that it will suspend payment for the services provided by the Slovenian Press Agency, STA in January - the second time it has suspended the state-funded STA's payments in recent months.

Ljubljana – The opposition Social Democrats (SD), Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) have filed an ouster motion against Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti. Talking to the press on Friday, opposition MPs listed a number of arguments, among them ineffective Covid crisis measures in the culture sector.

Scuffles broke out in Ljubljana on Tuesday between police and squatters who claimed they were forcibly removed from the former Rog bicycle factory, which has been used as a squatted social and cultural centre since 2006.

The leaders, gathered at the two-day Brdo-Brijuni Summit in Tirana, signed the declaration on Thursday, the Slovenian agency STA reported.