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This summary provides STA:

President Pahor intends to call general elections for April 24

LJUBLJANA – The President of the Republic Borut Pahor announced the call for general elections for April 24, which is the earliest possible date for the planned elections. A presidential decree on this will be signed in February. President Igor Zorčič welcomed the news, but said that given the situation in the country, early elections would be better. Similarly, center-left opposition parties would like early elections, but the ruling coalition parties are happy with the date chosen by Pahor.

The legal provision that was the basis for the closure of businesses at the time of imprisonment has been repealed

LJUBLJANA – The Constitutional Court annulled a provision of the Infectious Diseases Act, which was the legal basis for the closure of companies during prison. He gave the National Assembly two months to amend the law in accordance with its decision. In the meantime, a different provision of the law may be invoked. The court held that the impugned provision of Article 39 of the Act gave the government too much room for maneuver in deciding when and for how long companies should be closed, holding that such decisions should be taken on the basis of laws and not regulations.

Parts of the act of the Judicial Council were declared unconstitutional

LJUBLJANA – In a procedure initiated at the request of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court decided that parts of the Judicial Council Act are unconstitutional. The Court held that the rules on disciplinary proceedings, when initiated by the Judicial Council, did not meet the criteria of objective impartiality because the members of the Judicial Council could act as members of the disciplinary court.

In his address to diplomats, Pahor called for EU unity

LJUBLJANA – At a meeting of foreign diplomats accredited in Slovenia, President Borut Pahor addressed the need to strengthen the unity and stability of the EU. Pahor also reiterated his call for the EU to expand to the Western Balkans as soon as possible. The reception for the diplomatic corps was organized by the doyen Jean-Marie Speich, the Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence and its second EU presidency.

Janša receives European church dignitaries

LJUBLJANA – Prime Minister Janez Janša met with representatives of the Commission of EU Bishops’ Conferences and the Conference of European Churches. They discussed the EU’s global role, religious freedom and the ongoing pandemic. They exchanged views on the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU, recovery from the pandemic, resilience in the light of possible future crises, values ​​and religious freedom in the EU and beyond.

More than 3,770 new coronavirus infections were confirmed on Thursday

LJUBLJANA – A total of 3,771 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Thursday, with a positivity rate of almost 38%. This increased the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population by 85 to 1,603. Government data show that the number of hospitalized patients with Covid-19 has increased to 761, of which 177 are currently being treated in intensive care. Thirteen patients with Covid-19 died. To prepare for the influx of new patients, the Department of Health and hospital directors have agreed to increase the number of Covid beds to 1,200 regular and 300 intensive care beds.

Long queues at covid jab centers

NOVA GORICA / MARIBOR / BREŽICE – Long queues have formed outside vaccination centers since the government gave the green light to those who were fully vaccinated with vector vaccines to receive a booster dose at least two months after the last vaccination. Some places have faced a temporary shortage of vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine ran out at the Ajdovščina Health Center, while the “enormous” demand for vaccination was reported at the Nova Gorica Health Center. UKC Maribor, the second largest health center in the country, also recorded a growing demand for Covid-19 vaccines this week.

A party peer tells Vizjak to clarify his statements

LJUBLJANA – The leader of the ruling SDS parliamentary group, Danijel Krivec, did not want to comment on the statements of his party colleague, Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak, in an open conversation in 2007 with businessman Bojan Petan. He said everyone should be held accountable for their statements. He expected Vizjak to “clarify things” appropriately. The Judicial Council, meanwhile, condemned Vizjak’s comment on the video that the government was “squeezing the judge’s eggs” as “completely inappropriate and low”.

Police deny allegations of political interference

LJUBLJANA – Former police commissioners Andrej Jurič in Anton Travner, director of the National Investigation Office (NBI) Petra Grah Lazar and her predecessor Andrej Lamberger have denied allegations of political interference in work and emergency staffing, as they were questioned by a parliamentary inquiry. The hearing focused on the appointments and redeployments of NBI investigators and dismissed senior police officers to newly established working groups located at the Police Academy.

GAS supports merging with SMC, the main goal of decentralization

GROSUPLJE – The non-parliamentary Economically Active Party (GAS), led by the President of the National Council Alojz Kovšca, supported the merger with the younger coalition Party of the Modern Center (SMC), which adopted the merger in September. Kovšca said that the main areas of interest were decentralization, a lean state and debureaucratization. The GAS is proposing to call the united party Free Choice, as “a symbolic message to voters that you don’t have to be on the left or right to have a choice.”

The debate agrees that Slovenia will need nuclear energy

LJUBLJANA – The debate on the energy future of Slovenia, hosted by President Borut Pahor, showed the general position of experts that the country will have to resort to all carbon-free energy sources, including nuclear ones, for its energy needs. Participants are also in favor of a referendum on nuclear energy. Robert Golob, CEO of electricity trader GEN-I, suggested that such a referendum be called in the first year of the new government after the election.

The online retailer Mimovrste was bought by the Polish Allegro

LJUBLJANA – By the way, the largest Slovenian online retailer was taken over by the Polish shopping platform Allegro. The latter bought Mall Group from PPF, EC Investments and Rockaway Capitaly, which owns Mimovrste and WE / DO. By the way, she said that the planned merger of Allegro, Mall Group and WE | DO would consolidate its status as a leading online marketplace and platform for buyers and traders in Central and Eastern Europe.

NLB is proposing an additional dividend of EUR 3.37 per share

LJUBLJANA – After the expiration of the central bank’s restrictions on the distribution of banks’ profits in September, NLB, the largest Slovenian listed bank, proposed the payment of an additional dividend in the amount of EUR 3.37 gross per share. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at the general meeting on December 16. The date of the previous dividend would be December 22nd. The payout would be € 67.4 million.

Utility companies welcome the new environmental law

LJUBLJANA – Yesterday’s bill on environmental protection, which was approved by the government yesterday, will enable the urgently needed regulation on waste management and address an important issue of extended producer responsibility, the Department of Public Utilities announced. The bill seems to be the first step towards eliminating the non-functional system of producer responsibility in Slovenia, which has caused piles of unread waste, which should be tackled by waste management companies.

Jankovic pleads not guilty in the tax evasion case

LJUBLJANA – Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković pleaded not guilty to a tax evasion in the sale of Mercator shares in 2006 at an indictment hearing at the Ljubljana District Court. His two sons also pleaded guilty, but did not attend the hearing. . Jankovic is accused of tax evasion in the sale of Mercator shares to Electa Inženiring, owned by his sons. The trial is set to begin on December 7.

The Bažato Gallery opened in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA – A new gallery, Galerija Bažato, was opened in Ljubljana on Thursday evening with an exhibition by the artist Ivo Prančič. The gallery’s program will consist of a series of solo, group and thematic exhibitions by artists of different generations and productions of different artistic approaches. Curator Nina Jeza said the gallery will strive to “become the center of contemporary art practices and present diverse, informative and inspiring art”.