News roundup - Tuesday, 7 February, until 3 pm
Ljubljana, 7 February - Below is a roundup of major events on Tuesday, 7 February, until 3 pm local time:
Pirc Musar expected in Berlin in second visit abroad
LJUBLJANA - President NataĊĦa Pirc Musar will be on a working visit to meet German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday. This will be the official meeting between the two presidents. According to Pirc Musar's office, the main topics of the talks will be the Russian aggression against Ukraine, an issue on which Slovenia's and Germany's positions are aligned, the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, climate diplomacy, climate change and climate adaptation, and the importance of biodiversity, as well as digitalisation, with a focus on technological developments in relation to human rights, data protection and misinformation.
MOL might sell some assets to get OMV takeover go-ahead
LJUBLJANA - Hungarian fuel retailer MOL told the STA it was willing to sell off some of its assets in order to acquire the European Commission's market concentration approval to take over OMV petrol stations in Slovenia. The statement came a day after the newspaper Dnevnik reported MOL was about to start selling some of its gas stations. MOL neither confirmed nor denied the report, saying only that it is cooperating in the in-depth investigation of the European Commission.
Warnings about online dangers on Safer Internet Day
LJUBLJANA - Safety on the internet is the duty and responsibility of all users, said the Interior Ministry ahead of Safer Internet Day, observed on 7 February. Last year the police recorded 163 criminal offences of displaying, making, possessing and distributing pornographic material, which includes acts of sexual abuse on the internet. There were 95 victims under the age of 18. There were also 59 children among the suspects. In the first quarter of 2022 89% of Slovenians and 99% of Slovenian youth were using the internet, says the data from the Statistics Office (SURS).
New strategy emerging for Slovenia's audiovisual industry
LJUBLJANA - A new strategic plan is in the works for the audiovisual industry in Slovenia, aiming to boost its potential. Despite problems, analysis has shown that not everything is grim: the industry generated EUR 24 million in 2021 with added value per employee 47% above Slovenian average. The strategy sets out several goals, including EUR 600 million in revenue, a well-organized film institution, EUR 500 million in public resources for programme development, Slovenian films becoming a mainstay at the world's top film festivals, and a widely accessible collection of quality Slovenian films.