Coronavirus infections continue to recede

LJUBLJANA – Slovenia recorded 3,394 new cases of coronavirus infection on Monday, as infections are subsiding from day to week on the fourth day. However, Covid-19 claimed another 23 lives and cases in the intensive care unit continued to increase. Data released by the government show that the number of hospitalizations has fallen slightly to 1154, as the number of patients treated in intensive care has increased by ten compared to the previous day to 285, which is just below current capacity. The 7-day average of new infections dropped to 3,090, and the 14-day average was still slightly at 2,125.

The government’s visit to Pomurje focuses on agricultural projects and the flight of young people

MURSKA SOBOTA – The government visited the extreme northeastern region of Pomurje and discussed various projects, including agriculture, the leading industry in the area, as well as challenges such as efforts to persuade young people to stay in the region. In addition to visits to companies in the region, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with representatives of the Hungarian minority in Pomurje and visited the Murska Sobota diocese of the Evangelical Church in Slovenia, where he met with Bishop Leon Novak. The visit ended with a public discussion in Lendava, dedicated to the development of the region.

Top health officials are warning of the possibility of a fifth wave of Covid

LJUBLJANA – Minister of Health Janez Poklukar and head of the Medical Chamber Bojana Beović warned of the possibility of a fifth wave of covid infections, while Poklukar said that he believed that another wave could occur in February next year due to insufficient vaccination. Beović had previously told Radio Slovenia that the mandate of Covid Pass could be changed so that booster doses would be mandatory. Asked when this change could take place, she replied that, given the epidemiological situation, Slovenia would “certainly be among the countries that will make this change faster”.

Hojs discusses the fight against terrorism at a meeting of the Atlas network

LJUBLJANA – Interior Minister Aleš Hojs hosted a meeting of the ATLAS Command Forum, which was attended by representatives of special police units from EU member states. Hoys said that terrorism is high on the EU’s list of priorities and that the role of the ATLAS network is also important. “Terrorism is changing. It is becoming increasingly fragmented, dispersed and thus unpredictable. Given this, it is essential that we respond together and in a timely manner,” Hoys said in his opening remarks.

The opposition is calling for an urgent session on higher home prices

LJUBLJANA – The center-left opposition demanded an extraordinary session of the National Assembly to call on the government to provide the missing 16 million euros for raising salaries to social workers by reallocating budget funds and not by raising costs at home. Left MP Miha Kordiš said at the presentation of the request prepared by the Left and supported by the Marjan Šarc Party (LMŠ), the Social Democrats (SD) and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) that the increase had led to higher fees for care recipients. Commissions, which according to government estimates are expected to increase by 5.6 percent, are already quite high, Kordis said, as they average 680 euros.

Slovenia remembers the defender of its northern border

LJUBLJANA – Slovenia celebrates Rudolf Maister’s Day and commemorates the general who founded the first Slovenian army in modern history and secured what later became the northern border of Slovenia. The holiday is reminiscent of the day in 1918, when Maister (1874-1934) took control of Maribor. The holiday was marked with several events, including an open day at the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana and an address by President Borut Pahor, and the laying of a wreath at the General Maister Memorial at the Ministry of Defense.

Consumer confidence is falling for the fifth month in a row

LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian consumer confidence indicator was lower for the fifth month in a row in November and fell by 2 percentage points compared to the previous month. But compared to November 2020, it is 7 percentage points higher, the statistical office said. The monthly decline in the confidence indicator is due to more pessimistic consumer expectations about the country’s economy (by 9 pp) and household finances (by 1 pp).

Slovenia dropped to 8th place in design creativity in SE Europe

LJUBLJANA – Slovenia ranks 8th in terms of creativity in architecture and interior design, product and fashion design in Southeast Europe, according to this year’s creative barometer of the Zavod Big organization and the Museum of Architecture and Design. The country’s ranking is three places lower than last year. The main criteria were, among other things, the number and status of received international awards for creativity and the number of employees in relevant fields compared to the general population.

The survey shows that 27% of employees in Slovenia have experienced fraud

LJUBLJANA – The results of a survey on the frequency of fraud in the public and private sectors in Slovenia, conducted by PwC Slovenija in November, show that slightly more than a quarter of respondents reported fraud or suspected fraud in their organization in the last three years. In the last three years, on average, just over three cases of fraud or suspected fraud have been reported in the organizations where respondents work. One of the key findings of the survey is that just over a quarter (27%) of all respondents reported the occurrence or suspicion of fraud in the company where they work.