Weekly review of events involving Slovenia, 4-10 April

FRIDAY, 4 April

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia will likely increase its defence spending to 2% of its GDP significantly before 2030 as was originally planned, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. The government is working on a strategic document to modernise the Armed Forces by 2040 to outline how Slovenia would accelerate the increase in defence spending, she added.

NEW YORK, US - Samuel Žbogar, Slovenia's representative in the UN Security Council, strongly criticised Israel's policies and actions in Palestine and reiterated that there was no military solution to this conflict, as the council discussed the situation in the Middle East on 3 April. He was also appalled by the recent attack on a convoy in which 15 humanitarian and medical workers were killed, saying that it was impossible to believe that the attack was a mistake.

SOFIA, Bulgaria - President Nataša Pirc Musar attended an Aqaba Process meeting of the heads of state and government, which focused on the fight against terrorism and on the security situation in the Balkans. She also met King Abdullah II of Jordan, who co-hosted the event with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.

NEW YORK, US/LJUBLJANA - Slovenia was again elected member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in New York, for the 2026-2029 period. The Health Ministry labelled the re-election as a major achievement and a recognition of the country's work so far in tackling the global drug problem.

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry did not rule out the possibility to ban Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik from entering Slovenia in a move that would follow the example set by Germany and Austria. The ministry told the N1 portal that it was closely monitoring the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and would continue to respond to developments. It also expressed concern about the separatist rhetoric in Republika Srpska.

SATURDAY, 5 April

CELJE - New Slovenia (NSi) hosted a conference dedicated to the education system, at which the president of the opposition party, Matej Tonin, said that the system is rigid, outdated and too focused on memorising facts. If a serious overhaul does not begin immediately, the system will completely collapse within a few years, he said.

LJUBLJANA - Almost two-thirds of the respondents in a Delo poll agree with the recently passed legislative change under which concession holders that are part of the public network have to operate in a non-profit manner. Some 52% of the respondents believe that doctors will choose to work in the private sector than remain in the public sector, while 35% believe otherwise.

LJUBLJANA - The rating agency Fitch affirmed Slovenia's long-term issuer default ratings "A" and upgraded the country's outlook from stable to positive.

SUNDAY, 6 April

KORTRIJK, Belgium - Slovenia's cycling megastar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won the Tour of Flanders, one of the five monuments, in what was his second victory in the prestigious one-day race.

LJUBLJANA - Some 3,800 road traffic accidents occurred due to speeding in Slovenia in 2024 leading to 30 fatalities, down 9% year-on-year, and 403 seriously injured victims, up 22%. Speeding remained the No. 1 cause of traffic-related deaths, shows data from the Traffic Safety Agency.

MONDAY, 7 April

COTONOU, Benin - Visiting Benin on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon held talks with the country's top officials and representatives of civil society. She assured her counterpart Olushegun Bakari that Benin will have the support of the EU in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

LJUBLJANA - A group of MEPs for the European People's Party (EPP) was on a fact-finding mission in Slovenia but its head, Swedeih MEP Tomas Tobe, expressed disappointment that National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič and the ruling coalition did not want to meet with them. The mission, requested by the SDS, met with representatives of institutions, media and the civil society.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Security and Intelligence Service (SOVA) stressed in its report for 2024 that the security situation in Slovenia deteriorated notably compared to recent decades. Malicious pro-Russian cyber-attacks are on the rise as well. SOVA also noted a growing need for a new security strategy and independent collective defence in Europe.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will take part in the Expo 2025 in Osaka under the motto From Heart to Heart, showcasing breakthrough solutions in green transition, local self-sufficiency and smart industry. Slovenia will organise four business delegations and will share a pavilion with several countries.

LJUBLJANA - The internal review at the Economy Ministry did not find any major irregularities in the EUR 82 million call for the restructuring of Slovenia's two coal regions, but it did identify some shortcomings. Nevertheless, Minister Matjaž Han maintains that it was right to annul it.

TUESDAY, 8 April

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković plans to serve out the remaining year and a half of his term despite offers from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that he enter politics in Serbia. This came after President Vučić said on Sunday he had talked to Janković about nominating him to be the new prime minister, later suggesting that he saw Janković as a potential successor in the presidency.

LJUBLJANA - The council for civilian oversight of the construction of a new railway track to the Koper port is unhappy with the way the project is run, listing non-transparent and uneconomical decisions as the main grievances. 2TDK, the state-owned company in charge of the project, rejected the findings as incorrect and misleading on 9 April.

NEW YORK, US - The majority of the UN Security Council members, including Slovenia, strongly condemned Russia's attack on Ukrainian civilians in Kryvyi Rih on 4 April. Slovenian Deputy Ambassador Ondina Blokar Drobič said the country still hopes the US initiative would bring results.

LJUBLJANA - The Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP) believes some provisions of the reform media bill are harmful and should be changed. The ZNP was most critical of the rules on source disclosure based on a court order. A court could order a journalist to disclose their source only in extreme circumstances such as terrorist threats, threats to public security and such.

ČATEŽ OB SAVI - Terme Čatež, the company operating a large spa resort in Čatež ob Savi, generated EUR 36.58 million in net sales revenue last year, up 9.7% from 2023, with its net profit increasing by 20.9% to EUR 2.5 million.

WEDNESDAY, 9 April

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia voted in favour of the EU's retaliatory tariffs on US imports after PM PM Robert Golob said on 3 April that US tariffs benefited neither Slovenia nor the EU, and least of all the US, calling for a firm but measured response. When the US announced a 90-day suspension of tariffs later that day, Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič commented that the swift changes felt like a reality show.

LJUBLJANA - Reacting to the EU's confirmed countermeasures against US steel and aluminium tariffs, the Russian-owned SIJ steel group, which is focusing on expansion in the US told the STA that protecting the hardest-hit sectors swiftly would be more sensible than imposing retaliatory tariffs. It called for efforts to find new trade partners and measures against unfair competition.

LOME, Togo - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon concluded her visit to Togo on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as part of preparations for the upcoming ministerial EU-African Union meeting. The EU wants to increase its role by strengthening the partnership for economic process, helping Togo on its path of sustainable development, she said.

LJUBLJANA - The National Council vetoed in a 21:13 vote amendments to the Health Services Act, a cornerstone government reform designed to strictly separate public and private work involving doctors and other healthcare staff. The councillors argue the changes could harm the public health system and patients rather than reduce waiting times. The doctors' trade union Fides welcomed the veto, saying that the decision was reasonable and responsible.

LJUBLJANA - A comprehensive showcase of Baroque in Slovenia opened at the National Gallery, featuring some of the finest 17th and 18th century paintings and sculptures from Slovenian. The exhibition features some 170 artworks created in or for the territory of present-day Slovenia from the time of the Catholic renewal of the early 17th century to the fading of the Baroque period.

DALLAS, US - Slovenian NBA superstar Luka Dončić scored 45 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112:97 win against the Mavericks in one of the most historic performances a returning player has ever produced in his emotional return to Dallas where he began his NBA career.

THURSDAY, 10 April

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar met with coalition deputy groups to present to them two new candidates for the governor of the Bank of Slovenia after her previous pick was rejected in parliament. Unofficially her candidates are economist Ksenija Maver and macro-economist Damjan Kozamernik.

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed a new information security bill in a bid to boost the national cybersecurity system amid a steady rise in cyber incidents. The bill transposes an EU directive.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian troops will no longer take part in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq after the mission of the current Slovenian rotation numbering two soldiers ends on 1 July, the government decided.

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a resolution to reorganise the Security and Protection Centre, a police unit that provides security for officials after shortcomings were detected amid media reports of allegedly serious irregularities.

SKOPJE, North Macedonia - National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič expressed Slovenia's support for North Macedonia on its path towards the EU as she met President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, PM Hristijan Mickoski and her counterpart Afrim Gashi during a two-day visit.

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a bill on psychotherapy, an area that has so far been unregulated. The legislation classifies psychotherapy as a public health service, making it more accessible and introducing a chamber of psychotherapists. Unhappy, psychiatrists accused the government of allowing unscientific methods of treatment. Patients and psychotherapists meanwhile welcomed the bill.

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court confirmed having found Lars Nyberg, the Swedish chairman of the board of directors of Slovenia's bad bank a decade ago, guilty of abuse of office in March, giving him a two-year suspended prison sentence. The judgement is not yet final and an appeal has been announced.

LJUBLJANA - Industrial output in Slovenia was down by 1.5% in February over the month before and 2.4% lower year-on-year, according to the Statistics Office.

LJUBLJANA - The LGBTQ+ community in Slovenia is celebrating a milestone recognition move as the name of a previously nameless small park in the Ljubljana Prule borough was unveiled on 3 April to honour poet Ada Škerl (1924-2009) and translator Sonja Plaskan (1922-2000) in what is the first time a public space in Slovenia bears the name of LGBTQ+ persons.