Daily headlines - Thursday, 2 February

DELO

Public sector pay reform
"No answer yet how much reform will cost": The ruling coalition set out starting points for reform of the public sector pay system yesterday but there are still many unknowns. (front page, page 3)

Slovenia-Croatia relations
"Governments, not fishermen at sea should talk arbitration": Slovenia and Croatia have good relations and will know how to solve their issues, the countries' presidents Nataša Pirc Musar and Zoran Milanović agreed in Zagreb yesterday. (front page)

Banks
"OTP can merge SKB and NKBM": The Hungarian bank OTP got the go-ahead from the Competition Protection Agency to take over NKBM bank, which it will now merge with SKB bank. The joint bank will match the market leader NLB in strength. (front page, page 8)

DNEVNIK

Ruling coalition's reform plans
"Higher wages and more accessible housing": The goal of public sector pay reform is that no public employee should earn less than the minimum wage and that the highest wages be 7-fold the lowest earnings, PM Robert Golob said after the coalition summit yesterday. The coalition also pledged to set up a system by 2026 to secure 3,000 new public flats a year. (front page, page 2)

Slovenia-Croatia relations
"On first visit, about arbitration and Western Balkans": The Brdo-Brijuni Process topped the agenda as President Nataša Pirc Musar met her Croatian counterpart on her first working visit abroad. She brought up the issue of the arbitration award, calling on the two governments to start talking about how to implement it. (front page, page 6, commentary 12)

FINANCE

Cryptocurrencies
"Infamous Tether becomes owner of Slovenia's Eligma": Eligma, a Slovenian cryptocurrency startup, has received a EUR 10 million injection, which values the company at EUR 100 million. (front page, pages 2, 3)

Banks
"Green light for takeover": After a year and a half, the Hungarian OTP bank has received all the regulatory approvals needed to take over NKBM bank. How much has the seller Apollo earned and how much more it will? (front page, pages 2, 3)

Car industry
"How have car manufacturers split up the world between them": As yet unofficial data put last year's car sales at 79.4 million, 1.9% less than a year before. Electric car sales were up by 68% to EUR 7.8 million. Japan's Toyota kept the leading position ahead of VW and Hyundai. (front page, page 12)

VEČER

Banks
"Hungarians coming to Maribor": The Hungarian bank OTP received the regulatory approval from the Slovenian Competition Agency yesterday as the final condition to finalise the acquisition of NKBM, the Maribor-based bank. (front page, pages 2, 3)

Ruling coalition's reform plans
"Several reform steps": The ruling coalition set out plans for a public sector pay reform yesterday; the ratio between the lowest and highest wages is to be 1:7. (front page, pages 2, 3)

Sexual abuse
"Professor has crossed the line": The court has ruled that the dismissal of actor Matjaž Tribušon from his teaching job over sexual abuse alleged by his student was lawful, warranted and timely. (front page, page 12)

Maribor sewerage
"Inside sewerage": The paper runs a feature about the Maribor sewerage system after a team of Večer journalists joined the local utility team on their routine duty. (front page, pages 18, 19)