Matej Tonin

Ljubljana – The government’s decision to rescind the Boxer defence deal was not a good one, says Večer on Saturday, noting that Slovenia does not have a long-term strategic reflection on the development of the armed forces.

Brdo pri Kranju – Slovenia will rescind the EUR 281 million agreement on the purchase of 45 Boxer armoured personnel carriers from the OCCAR programme after an audit of the deal was completed, Defence Minister Marjan Šarec announced after Thursday’s cabinet session. The contractual fine could reach as high as EUR 70 million.

Ljubljana – Slovenia and Germany plan to sign a declaration on enhanced bilateral cooperation in defence, the Government Communication Office said as the cabinet took note of this decision at Thursday’s session.

Ljubljana – Deputies of the Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi), who are to be in the opposition in the new term, said that Robert Golob could not count on their support as the National Assembly is taking a vote on the prime minister nominee on Wednesday. They nevertheless said constructive cooperation with the new government was a possibility.

Ljubljana – The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) is looking at an improved result in Sunday’s general election compared to the 2018 vote, which party president Matej Tonin likened to “winning a medal”. He noted that the NSi would likely be in the opposition in the next term, where it would be constructive as Slovenia is facing many challenges.

Ljubljana – Defence Minister Matej Tonin described the ministerial team of his Christian democratic party as the most efficient part of the current government as New Slovenia (NSi) held a campaign convention in Ljubljana on Wednesday. He said Slovenia deserved a good government, but there could not be such a government without the NSi.

Ljubljana – Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek resigned on Wednesday after he became the target of media scrutiny over lack of clarity regarding the payment of his weekend stay at an upscale hotel in Bohinj in January. He said he was “resigning exclusively due to the late payment of the bill”, and was accepting responsibility for this.

Ljubljana/Medvode – Manfred Weber, chair of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, endorsed the Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) as he came to Slovenia on Tuesday, just days before the official end of the campaign for Sunday’s general election.

Preddvor – Visiting the site of a recent massive wildfire in northern Slovenia on Tuesday, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said that in the future the ministry would dedicate a special helicopter to be on standby in case of fire.

Kamnik – Matej Tonin, the defence minister, praised his Christian democratic party for its efficiency in delivering on its promises as he addressed the annual get-together of New Slovenia (NSi) in his home town Kamnik on Saturday.