Slovenia

Law enforcement authorities in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted a series of house searches at dozens of locations on 21 March on suspicion of a money laundering racket involving shell companies that allegedly netted the suspects more than €5 million.

As the number of migrants arriving in Rijeka, Croatia, near the Slovenian and Italian borders, rises to some 200 a day, Italy has called for a three-way Italian-Slovenian-Croatian meeting in Rome to discuss ways to tighten border controls.

Lake Bled, an idyllic lake with an island in the north-west of Slovenia, has made the list of 25 of the most beautiful places in the world published by CNN Travel last week, alongside destinations like the Svalbard Islands in Norway and the UK's Lake District.

The armed forces of Slovenia and the US state of Colorado have been cooperating for 30 years. The Colorado National Guard (CONG) helped Slovenia develop its modern army, and Colorado soldiers have learned a lot about mountain rescue from their Slovenian counterparts.

Slovenia is an open and export-oriented economy and exports a major driver of economic development. About two-thirds of exports are currently focused on the EU and an even larger share on Europe, but companies and export promotion stakeholders are trying to make sure Slovenian companies get a foothold farther afield.

A visit to Slovenia by Vera Jourova, vice-president of the European Commission, on 1 and 2 March was dominated by debates surrounding media, both the state of the media in Slovenia and, more broadly, the fight against misinformation and disinformation.

The aspiration for Slovenia to take on a more prominent role on the global stage, also in view of its bid for the UN Security Council, and a shift of focus back to the core Europe headlined discussions at the annual meeting of Slovenian diplomats at Brdo pri Kranju.

Applying the classification to the nine ports in the Balkans [see below], criminal networks lead the way with a presence in five of the nine: Koper in Slovenia, Rijeka and Ploce in Croatia, Varna in Bulgaria and Constanta in Romania. Mafia-style groups are active in Bar and Albania's Durres. Foreign actors are busy in Greek ports in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Austrian investors still feel Slovenia offers good investment opportunities despite persistent issues such as red tape, high taxes, and shortage of skilled workers, shows a survey by Advantage Austria Ljubljana among Austrian-owned companies in the country.

Defence Minister Marjan Šarec announced major investments in the air force fleet as he addressed a ceremony marking Slovenian Military Aviation Day at the Cerklje ob Krki air base on 12 January. The air base is undergoing renovation, which will create new jobs.