Morning headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, January 29, 2022
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This summary provides STA:
There are no changes in the position of China, as Slovenia and Taipei are opening representative offices
LJUBLJANA – Foreign Minister Anže Logar told the parliamentary foreign policy committee that Slovenia and Taipei intend to open mutual economic and cultural missions, committee chairwoman Monika Gregorčič told reporters after the session. This does not mean that Slovenia’s position towards one China has changed. Leaving the session convened due to the recent statements of Prime Minister Janez Janša on Taiwan, Logar said that “there were no deviations from our position”.
The government took note of the rule of law report
LJUBLJANA – On Thursday, the government took note of the answers to the European Commission’s questionnaire, which is part of preparations for the next EU report on the rule of law. Although these are confidential, the newspaper portal N1 obtained a draft document, claiming that it contains value judgments that reflect the views of the ruling SDS, as it problematizes the appointment of some judges. The government has authorized the foreign ministry to forward the document to Brussels, which is expected to happen in the coming days.
Lenarčič hopes that forces that are in favor of EU values will win the elections
BRUSSELS, Belgium – European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic has expressed hope that Slovenia’s elections in April will be won by forces that are sincerely committed to the EU’s fundamental values, such as the rule of law, as he warned against returning to one-party rule. such as Slovenia has experienced in the past. The EU is more than just a single market, it is a union of values and it is not possible for each member state to have its own view of the rule of law based on its traditional values or historical experience, he said in an interview with Slovenian Correspondents in Brussels.
The health and social care unions are announcing a strike for 16 February
LJUBLJANA – Trade unions representing employees in health and social care announced a strike on 16 February because the government did not continue talks to eliminate the remaining agreed disparities in wages. The unions demand the immediate start of talks and the adoption of norms and standards in health and social care in line with the strike requirements for 2018. They are angry that the government has adopted negotiating positions for talks with doctors, not with them.
More than 16,500 cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday
LJUBLJANA – On Thursday, Slovenia confirmed 16,571 new cases of coronavirus infection, which is the second highest daily result since the beginning of the pandemic, after reaching a record high on Tuesday. Seven more Covid-19 patients died as the number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 rose by 11 to 719. The number of ICU cases rose by nine to 134, government figures show. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people increased by 458 to 7,272.
The committee wants to screen judges with a Yugoslav bar exam
LJUBLJANA – The Parliamentary Committee on Justice has asked the Judicial Council to analyze whether judges who have passed the bar exam in the former Yugoslav republics meet the conditions for this position. The second decision requires the government, the Supreme Court and the Judicial Council to draft legislation to ensure the transparency of the judiciary, shorten procedures and ensure proper oversight. The session was convened by the coalition SDS and NSi and the opposition SNS, which described the debate as an attempt to restore people’s trust in the judiciary and protect its independence, while the center-left opposition withdrew.
Police have busted an international tobacco smuggling association
MARIBOR / CELJE / LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian Police and the Financial Administration (FURS), in cooperation with the French security authorities and Europol, dismantled an international criminal group that illegally manufactured tobacco products in Slovenia and smuggled them across the EU. In total, more than 38 tons of tobacco, machinery and other materials for illegal production were seized, according to a joint statement by the police and the FURS.
Retail revenue increased by almost 19% last year.
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian retailers recorded business growth last year, as retail revenues increased by 18.9 percent in real terms compared to 2020 and by 6.9 percent compared to 2019. The largest increase, almost 33 percent, was recorded by specialized shops. in the sale of motor fuels. Retail sale of non-food products increased by 17.4% and retail sale of food by 7.3%. Compared to the same period last year, retail sales revenues increased by 44.2% in December and by 24.8% compared to December 2019.
In December, the survey unemployment rate fell slightly
LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian ILO-compliant unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in December last year, which is 0.1 percentage points less than in November and 0.7 percentage points less than in the same period last year. The Statistical Office estimates that in December there were around 49,000 unemployed people aged 15 to 74 in Slovenia. Men accounted for about 60% of this estimate and women for 40%. The unemployment rate was 5% among men and 4.2% among women.
Hisense Europe will hire up to 400 new employees
VELENJE – The Hisense Europe Group, which includes the Velenje manufacturer of household appliances and TV sets Gorenje, is looking for new employees who would respond to new orders. Hisense wants to hire between 250 and 400 new employees, as well as an additional 60 technologists, machinists, goods handlers and engineers. The company announced that they would hire staff abroad if they could not be found in Slovenia, and offered them free Slovene language courses.
UniCredit Slovenia records lower profits in 2021
LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian subsidiary UniCredita, an Italian banking group, fell 54 percent to 6 million euros in net profit last year, despite slightly higher revenues, according to data released by the parent company. The Italian Group is present in Slovenia with UniCredit Bank of Slovenia, the leasing company UniCredit Leasing and the real estate manager UCTAM Upravljanje. Last year, the Group’s consolidated revenues in Slovenia increased by two percent to EUR 72 million.
Unior’s net sales reached 169 million euros last year
ZREČE – In 2021, the state-owned tool manufacturer and automotive supplier Unior achieved 22% growth in net sales to 169 million euros. This year, the consolidated net sales of the Unior Group are expected to reach 272 million euros, which is 13.6 percent more than in 2021, according to a report published by the Zreče company on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange website.
RTV Slovenia gets a new supervisory board
LJUBLJANA – The new supervisory board of RTV Slovenia held its first session, at which it elected Borut Roncevic, a member of the board appointed by the government, as the chief supervisor. The new team will supervise the broadcaster’s operations until 2026. The eleven-member board of directors consists of five members appointed by the National Assembly, four governments and two RTV Slovenia staff. The last two are expected to be elected shortly.
Slovenian ski jumpers won in mixed disciplines
WILLINGEN, Germany – Slovenia won the mixed team competition at the World Cup in ski jumping in Willignen, Germany, which is the first event of its kind on a large hill and the last test before the Olympic champion of this format. The best Austrians were Ema Klinec, Cene Prevc, Urša Bogataj and Anže Lanišek with 862.6 points for 62.9 points. Third Norway was 83.1 points behind. The result ranks the mixed team among the favorites at the Beijing Olympics starting next week.