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This summary provides STA:

Jansa says talks are under way to “exchange representatives” with Taiwan

LJUBLJANA – In an interview with the Indian television station Doordarshan, Prime Minister Janez Janša revealed that Slovenia and Taiwan are working on an “exchange of representatives”. The exchange of representatives would not take place at the level of embassies, but at “the same level as many EU countries already have”. He also called on China to take responsibility for dealing with the Covid outbreak, saying the Chinese should be “held accountable” for “failing to act in good faith” when it comes to informing the rest of the world about the threat of a new coronavirus. in a timely manner.

An absolute daily record of 8,681 coronavirus cases on Monday

LJUBLJANA – The absolute daily record of 8,681 new cases of coronavirus was confirmed in Slovenia on Monday, as the positivity rate reached almost 63%. The weekly increase in the number of new cases was almost 17%. Government data show that the number of hospitalizations remains stable, but the head of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Miroslav Petrovec, said laboratories could no longer handle such a large number of samples.

Only vulnerable groups that are automatically tested by PCR

LJUBLJANA – Due to the large number of coronavirus infections, laboratories in Slovenia are flooded, so the country is switching to a new Covid testing regime. From tomorrow, only vulnerable groups with Covid symptoms will be automatically tested by PCR, while others will need to use rapid tests or self-testing first. PCR testing as a paid service for asymptomatic people may still only be available from private providers.

The minister promises that the coal regions will not be left to fend for themselves

LJUBLJANA – Minister of Infrastructure Jernej Vrtovec reiterated his promise that the state will help coal regions through the transition, when he responded to concerns of industry dependents about the strategy of leaving coal in 2033. Vrtovec said that 2033 would be Slovenia’s exit. coal for energy production was an ambitious but also very realistic goal. “The Salsa region will not be left to itself, the state will help a lot with legislation,” he said.

Treasury official appointed Vice Governor of the Central Bank

LJUBLJANA – President Borut Pahor has proposed that Marjan Divjak, who has been the director general of the Treasury Directorate of the Ministry of Finance since 2013, succeed him to Primož Dolenc as one of the four vice governors of Slovenia’s central bank. After examining the bids and consulting with the parliamentary factions, the president submitted his candidacy to the National Assembly today, his office said.

Slovenian MEPs welcome the election of Metsola

STRASBOURG, France – The election of Roberta Metsola as President of the European Parliament was welcomed by Slovenian MEPs from her European family, the EPP and others, as members of Renew and S&D expressed the expectation that she would represent the parliament’s common position on issues such as the right to abortion. The Maltese, who was the candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP), garnered 458 votes to win the election in the first round.

Slovenia’s request for new funds for recovery is likely in the spring

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Slovenia is expected to apply for additional EU funds for recovery in the spring, Finance Minister Andrej Sircelj said. It is not possible to talk about the amount of new funds, he said, because it is not yet clear how many or which goals will be achieved until the request is submitted.

Minister of Agriculture Podgoršek will run on the NSi list in the elections

LJUBLJANA – Minister of Agriculture Jože Podgoršek announced that he would run in the elections on the list of the Nova Slovenija (NSi) coalition and said that the party ensured political stability. NSi President Matej Tonin said that NSi is open to experts and people who want to implement its platform. Podgoršek has worked with NSi in the past, was a municipal councilor in Vodice and participated in the party’s campaign for the 2018 elections.

Left against holding a tax referendum along with elections

LJUBLJANA – The opposition Left opposes the idea of ​​Prime Minister Janez Janša to hold a referendum on changes to the Personal Income Tax Act in the April elections, and is considering withdrawing a petition for such a referendum. “We reject the initiative for a referendum on a single issue, namely income tax, in order to conceal the weight of the future that we will decide on in this election,” said Left leader Luka Mesec.

The Electoral Commission wants to contribute to the vote on the pandemic

BRDO PRI KRANJU – The National Electoral Commission discussed ways in which people can cast their vote in elections, even if they have to go into isolation or quarantine due to the coronavirus. It intends to seek additional input from health authorities before continuing the debate. The meeting will be organized next week, the director of the National Electoral Commission Dusan Vucko told STA.

The Committee rejects the proposal to further raise the minimum wage

LJUBLJANA – The Labor Committee rejected a proposal to raise the minimum wage above the 4.9% increase set by the Minister of Labor. Opposition Social Democrats (SD) and the Left, which called for sessions, called for a higher raise, arguing that the 4.9% jump was far from sufficient given the rising cost of living, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts.

An orthopedist gets three years to accept a bribe

LJUBLJANA – The District Court in Ljubljana sentenced orthopedist Gregor Kavčič from the Novo mesto hospital to three years in prison, the media reported today. The three-member court panel agreed with the prosecution that it had received bribes from drug supplier Emporio Medical in exchange for the company supplying a replacement knee replacement to Biomet Hospital. Kavčič announced the appeal.

A separate university quota for Slovenes living abroad has been introduced

LJUBLJANA – The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport has introduced a separate quota for the enrollment of Slovenes without Slovene citizenship at universities in Slovenia. A separate quota was advocated by the Minister for Slovenes Abroad, Helena Jaklitsch, who welcomed the change. The rules have so far set a common quota for Slovenes without Slovene citizenship and for all other non-EU citizens.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls for the relaxation of quarantine rules in business

LJUBLJANA – The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) called on the government to ease the quarantine rules in line with the changes that will be introduced in some critical infrastructure sectors from Wednesday. This would alleviate the situation as companies face quarantine staff shortages. “We expect the same for all sectors of the economy,” said GZS director Aleš Cantarutti.

36 people in Šentjur were accidentally given saline instead of Covid vaccine

ŠENTJUR – Of the 126 people who were vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Šentjur Health Center last Friday, 36 were accidentally given an injection of saline solution, which they put in empty vials. All 36 people were contacted, 34 responded immediately, and the remaining two people, who were initially unavailable, were notified of the error later. All were later vaccinated with Pfizer, except for one person who will be vaccinated next week.

Slovenia is represented in Beijing by more than 40 athletes

LJUBLJANA – Slovenia will present a total of 41 athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, and the group will include many established Olympians and some potential dark horses. Given the season so far, the women’s and men’s jumping teams are considered to have the best chances of winning an Olympic medal. The athletes were chosen from among 53 candidates by the Ski Association of Slovenia, and the decision was confirmed by the Olympic Committee of Slovenia.