Morning headlines for Slovenia: Friday, March 18, 2022
Slovenia will send up to 200 troops to Slovakia
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Slovenia will send up to 200 troops to Slovakia as part of NATO’s reinforced front presence, Defense Minister Matej Tonin announced at a meeting with his counterpart Jaroslav Nad. Slovenia would like to “send the whole company, we do not want to divide it into several parts”. Initially, it was suggested that Slovenia could send up to 100 troops. “I am convinced that the Slovenian soldiers will do their job well, as they are true professionals,” Tonin said when Nad welcomed Slovenia’s intention to cooperate.
The American company Textron bought Pipistrel
AJDOVŠČINA – The American industrial conglomerate Textron, owner of the Beechcraft, Hawker and Cessna brands, has signed a deal to buy the Slovenian manufacturer of ultralight aircraft Pipistrel worth 218 million euros. Pipistrel said its founder and CEO Ivo Boscarol will remain the minority owner and will be named the deserving president. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022. Textron has committed to maintaining Pipistrel’s brand, headquarters, research and development and production in Slovenia and Italy.
Krka is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and does not expect any long-term effects
NOVO MESTO – Krka, which is heavily exposed to the Russian and Ukrainian markets, said it could not yet assess the impact of the current situation in both countries on its operations in 2022. However, it emphasized that it had a strong capital structure. strong cash flow and no financial debt, so long-term business was not jeopardized. Sales revenue in the first quarter of 2022 is estimated at € 25.9 million, compared to € 22 million in the same period last year. Krka announced that all activities in Russia were taking place without major disruptions, except for delays in transport.
The government has launched a new attempt to pass an electronic communications law
LJUBLJANA – The government approved a new version of the Electronic Communications Act after the previous version was passed in the National Assembly in early February. The new version still contains provisions prohibiting high-risk sellers from entering the market, although the possibility of obtaining contributions from vendors considered to be high-risk has now been replaced by a requirement to seek their contribution.
Office set up for reference prices of medical devices
LJUBLJANA – The government adopted a decree on the establishment of an office for the management of the central register of prices of medical devices and equipment with the aim of reducing purchase prices and reducing public finance costs. The new service was created after the National Assembly passed amendments to the Public Procurement Act in January, which regulate the prices of medical devices and equipment according to a system of reference prices comparable to those in other EU countries.
The second set of digitization measures has been selected
LJUBLJANA – The government approved a series of 25 proposals for digitalisation. The plan is to provide all households with access to high-speed broadband by 2026, including expanding 5G mobile coverage to the majority of the population. Proposals include electronic elections, the widespread introduction of cashless payments and the improvement of eGovernment services, which are currently without budgets and timelines.
SocDems has confirmed the list of candidates for the April elections
LJUBLJANA – The Social Democrats (SD) confirmed the list of 86 candidates for the elections on April 24, while party leader Tanja Fajon said that their goal was to get Slovenia back on track. Fajonova announced a “period of great change” and claimed that the convention had brought the opposition party one step closer to victory and Slovenia the image they wanted. Of the 86 SD candidates, almost half are women and 13% are young.
Pea Whatmough gets a four-year term at the helm of public service broadcasting
LJUBLJANA – Andrej Grah Whatmough received a four-year term as director general of RTV Slovenia after he demanded a vote of confidence a year after his first appointment. According to the program council in charge of the nomination, Pea Whatmough was the only candidate to submit a full application. The application was also submitted by Natalija Gorščak, who was dismissed by Grah from the position of director of TV programs in August, but the audit commission found that she had not arrived on time.
Sick voters vote at home
LJUBLJANA – Voters who will not be able to vote in the general elections on April 24 at the polls will be able to vote at home before the electoral commission if they submit a medical certificate with an application to vote at home, the National Electoral Commission announced. . The Ministry of Health has asked to inform the health centers and propose the issuance of a certificate free of charge. The decision comes after uncertainty about how people infected with the coronavirus should exercise their right to vote.
The epidemic rose on Wednesday with 3,041 cases of Covid
LJUBLJANA – The epidemic curve has been rising in Slovenia for almost two weeks, with 3,041 cases of coronavirus recorded on Wednesday. The last number of cases on the same day a week ago increased by almost a third. The number of hospitalizations due to Covid-19 continued to decline, to 185 this morning. Three more people with Covid died. The 7-day average of new cases rose by 107 to 2,361, and the 14-day reporting rate per 100,000 population was 1,408, up 57, official figures show.
The first researcher in Slovenia receives ERC funds
IZOLA – Anna Sandak, head of a research group at the InnoRenew CoE Research Institute and a professor at the University of Primorska, became the first woman in Slovenia to receive a scholarship from the European Research Center (ERC). Sandak and her team will donate the € 2 million prize to the development of engineering living materials. Her work encourages the knowledge-based use of bio-inspired materials in modern sustainable buildings.
OZS rewards the best small businesses
BRDO PRI KRANJU – The Chamber of Craft and Entrepreneurship (OZS) awarded the best small companies with warnings that the small business sector is facing strong blows immediately after the Covida crisis. OZS President Branko Meh said the government should help the sector rise in energy prices, as it did during the Covid crisis. Prime Minister Janez Janša said that government intervention was needed in the energy and raw materials markets.
A documentary film festival that helps Ukrainian filmmakers document the war
LJUBLJANA – The day after the official closing of the Ljubljana Documentary Film Festival, a special screening of a documentary film by a Ukrainian filmmaker will take place this afternoon at Cankarjev dom. The funds raised through ticket sales will go to Ukrainian filmmakers who stayed in the homeland and document the war. Alina Gorlova’s documentary This Rain Will Never Stop accompanies 20-year-old Andri Suleyman as he moves through the human consequences of armed conflict.
Star mountain biker Yana Belomoina finds refuge in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA – Ukrainian mountain runner Yana Belomoina, who is considered one of the best athletes in the sport, has found refuge in Slovenia, and will soon be joined by teammates from the national Olympic cross-country skiing team, reports the sports portal Sportal. reported. The Cycling Association of Slovenia is in charge of coordinating their arrival and accommodation, and has also launched a fundraising campaign to help. There are currently about 3,000 refugees from Ukraine in Slovenia, authorities said on Wednesday.