Morning addresses for Slovenia: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Check the date at the top of the page and you’ll find all the stories about “morning headlines”. here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
This summary provides STA:
Pahor calls for progress in the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade
PRISTINA, Kosovo – President Borut Pahor called for progress in the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade in talks with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He supported Kosovo’s efforts to join Euro-Atlantic organizations and called on the country to continue adopting and implementing reforms, stressing the need to implement the current agreements between Kosovo and Serbia and to find a comprehensive solution in relations between the two countries. The talks in Pristina came a day after Pahor focused on the possibilities for the Western Balkans to join the EU in Belgrade with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
The LIBE Committee is considering the report on the Slovenian mission
BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) discussed the report on the mission to Slovenia in October. There was a heated exchange between Slovenian MEP Romano Tomc, who said the mission had missed the mark, and President Sophie in ‘t Veld, who rejected criticism and called on the EPP to engage constructively. The publicly published report expresses deep concern over the climate of hostility and deep polarization in Slovenia, which undermines trust in and between public institutions.
Zorčič and Bečić on the European perspectives of Montenegro
LJUBLJANA – The President of the Montenegrin National Assembly, Aleksa Bečić, began a three-day visit to Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Igor Zorčič. They mainly discussed Montenegro’s European perspectives, and Zorčič said that Slovenia, as the EU presidency, was committed to accelerating the EU enlargement process in cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans. He said Montenegro is an element of stability and a regional leader in terms of EU integration.
Kukovec overcame the last hurdle to become a judge of the EU General Court
LJUBLJANA – Damjan Kukovec will soon become a judge at the EU General Court, after the 255 committee, which is examining candidates for EU judges on Monday, confirmed his candidacy, President Borut Pahor announced on Twitter. Kukovec, a senior law lecturer at the Middlesex School of Law in London, was confirmed by the National Assembly in July and will join another Slovenian judge at the court, Maja Brkan, who began her term in July.
The coalition of NSi and SDS proposes the establishment of an officer school
LJUBLJANA – The coalition Nova Slovenija (NSi) and the Democratic Party (SDS) last week presented a bill on the establishment of a higher education institution for military training. The school for officers would be part of the Slovenian Army (SAF), which operates within the Center of Military Schools. It would be ranked as the first institution of the Bologna cycle to provide interdisciplinary studies. These changes would reduce the average age of officers in the first post from the current 28 to 23 years.
Slovenia is establishing a stock of RescEU protective equipment
LJUBLJANA – The Protection and Rescue Administration will prepare a stock of RescEU protective equipment on Wednesday. The first series of face masks have already been received, and in 2022 the reserve is expected to provide stocks of protective masks, gloves, coats, aprons, goggles and visors. The first shipment to open the stock includes a million FFP2 masks and was received at the National Logistics Center in Roje on Monday.
Coronavirus infections continue to decline
LJUBLJANA – In Slovenia, 1,034 people tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, which is about a quarter less than the same day a week ago. Hospital numbers remained stable, but another 19 patients died from Covid-19, government figures show. As of this morning, 1,156 people are being treated for Covid-19 in hospitals, 281 of them in intensive care. According to the National Institutes of Public Health, the 7-day average of new cases dropped to 2,318 and the 14-day incidence to 100,000 to 1,821.
EU ministers adopt recommendations for blended learning in response to a pandemic
BRUSSELS, Belgium – In response to the coronavirus pandemic, EU education ministers have adopted recommendations on blended learning approaches that combine school location and other non-school physical environments, as well as digital and non-digital learning tools. The recommendations include short-term measures in direct response to the health crisis, while long-term measures are aimed at strengthening education systems for a more resilient Europe.
The NGO is preparing amendments to the law on infectious diseases
LJUBLJANA – The legal network of non-governmental organizations for the protection of democracy, in cooperation with experts, prepared amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act, after parts of the law were found to be unconstitutional and not amended by the Constitutional Court. The NGO sent the proposal to all parliamentary factions. Taking into account the fourth wave of coronavirus, he said it was high time to establish an appropriate legal basis for Covid’s actions.
The content plan of the public radio and television for 2022 has been approved
LJUBLJANA – The Program Council of RTV Slovenia approved the production plan of the public radio and television for 2022, which was criticized by the information staff of RTV Slovenia because several news programs are canceled and some are moved to a lower-rated second program. In a secret ballot, 17 councilors voted in favor, two against and five abstentions. A special decision was added to the plan, allowing a three-month transition period for the gradual introduction of changes and additional adjustments in cooperation with journalists.
Photographers point to the “harmfulness” of the UKOM-STA contract
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian photojournalists and photographers warned that the photographic provisions of the recently signed public service contract between STA and the Government Communication Office (UKOM) were harmful and “could lead to a complete collapse of the visual content market” and called for a different solution. The warnings refer to the part of the contract that places the photos in the STA public service, making them free of charge. This would lead to the collapse of the Slovenian photojournalism market, as other photographers and photojournalists would not be able to sell their work.
More than 60% oppose the government in a POP TV poll
LJUBLJANA – In the last poll commissioned by the commercial television POP TV, the voter rating for the government was further reduced. The share of those who approve of government work has fallen by 1.1 percentage points to 28.3% since October, while the percentage of those who disapprove has risen by 0.2 points to 62.2% in November. The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead, but lost 2.5 percentage points to 16.1% after gaining 3.6 points in October.
STA will join a new European newsroom with 16 news agencies
BRUSSELS, Belgium – The Slovenian Press Agency (STA) is one of 16 European news agencies that will join forces in a joint European press center, which the European Commission announced today to strengthen the European media space. The pan-European newsroom will be supported by 1.76 million euros in EU funds and coordinated by the German news agency dpa. The project is expected to start in January, while Newsroom is expected to start operating in mid-2022.
The portal was launched to increase the presence of women in the media
LJUBLJANA – The Ona Ve portal was established to increase the share of women in Slovenian media and public events. Half of the Slovene population are women, but they only appear in 24% of media appearances, said former journalist and former ambassador Marta Kos, president of the association behind the portal. There are more than 110 professionals on the portal that the media or event organizers can turn to when looking for experts to appear on their shows in order to have a more balanced gender cast.
Heating costs are the highest in Maribor, the lowest in Celje
LJUBLJANA – Rising energy prices on wholesale markets are already affecting retail prices for district heating in Slovenia, which rose by an average of 38% year-on-year to 118 euros in November. The most expensive was in the Maribor municipality and the cheapest in Celje, according to a survey by the Energy Agency. Heating has risen the most in municipalities where the main source of energy is gas or coal. The Energy Chamber, meanwhile, pointed out that the state must be prudent in introducing measures to mitigate the negative effects of energy prices for both households and businesses.
Telecom is leaving the retail of electricity
LJUBLJANA – Telekom Slovenije, the state telecommunications operator, will leave the retail sale of electricity in the new year, the second company to leave the retail market in the last few months with rising electricity prices. The company announced that users must find new suppliers or switch to emergency supply provided by the SODO distribution system operator by 1 January. According to the Energy Agency, Telekom had a 2% share of the household market and is the largest supplier to date. It entered the retail electricity market in 2016 and focused on households and offered packages of telecommunications services and electricity.
Printing sector for higher wages
LJUBLJANA – On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the collective agreement, the social partners signed an annex to the collective agreement for the graphic sector, which increased the minimum starting salary in the industry and compensation for food during working hours. The fourth annex was signed on behalf of employers by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Employers (ZDS), and on behalf of employees by the KSS Pergam Trade Union and the Graphic Arts Union.
Slovenian culture, sports and cuisine are celebrated in Brussels
LJUBLJANA – This week, when the end of the EU presidency is coming to an end, several cultural, sports and culinary events representing Slovenia will take place in Brussels. The highlight will be the Slovenian festival at the Schuman Roundabout, where the achievements of Slovenian athletes, scientists and artists will be presented until Wednesday. Minister of Education Simona Kustec and European Commissioner for Education and Culture Mariya Gabriel addressed today’s evening opening.
Translator Handke received the German-Slovenian translation award
LJUBLJANA – Amalija Maček received this year’s Fabjan Hafner Award for translation from German into Slovene for the translation of Peter Handke’s 1994 novel My Year in Nobody. The translation took several years, and the result is a “masterful translation work” that is very in line with the original, the Goethe-Institut Ljubljana jury was quoted as saying on Monday. The prize includes a cash prize of € 4,000, a one-month stay in Berlin and a reading of the work at the Musil Institute in Klagenfurt, Austria.